Single Father Episode 2 -- A Few Thoughts
Last night I watched Single Father episode 2! On my tv and not my laptop! Yes, not too exciting for anyone else but a definite step forward for me. :D
I have some thoughts to post now with a more in depth picspam/review to come soon. But first a little PSA: If you haven't watched the episode yet, DON'T WATCH THE PREVIEWS FOR NEXT WEEK. They follow the all too common pattern of giving away plot points for the next episode. I don't know what happens in the episode other than the preview but I personally would call it spoilery.
I think that the episode can be distilled into three pivotal scenes.
1. Ewan hitting his ankle with the hammer
This was a very tough scene to watch, not only because it's difficult to watch someone self-harm but because of what it says about Dave's post-Rita coping skills. Even more than the breakfast scene in the first episode, this really brings home just how absent Dave has been since Rita died. Even when he's there, he's not really there and in this episode we see him fobbing off the kids onto everyone else whenever he can. All of his children (including Tanya) need someone who can focus on them and not just notice them when something's wrong or they've screwed up.
2. Dave meeting Stuart
This scene is similar to the one with Lucy in the previous episode in that Dave gets hit by very upsetting information and he doesn't know how to deal with it. I'd say that this one is even more upsetting since he is now in a situation where the firm ground he thought he was on with Rita has turned treacherous. And DT completely hit it out of the park quietly going into shock and disbelief and Stuart just rolled on demolishing so much of what Dave thought he knew. After seeing Dave's coping skills here and in the rest of the series, I'm thinking that Dave's go to response when confronted with upsetting situations is to roll into a ball and retreat from everything.
Looking at it dispassionately, I can see where Rita could have considered Lucy all hers and any dealings with Lucy's father to not involve Dave or anyone else. She kept everything compartmentalized: Dave from Stuart (never talking about the meetings), Stuart from Lucy (not even her name), Lucy from Stuart (claimed not to remember who her father was), Stuart from Dave (never mentioned Dave or the other children). It's as though she considered Stuart to exist in some separate space, allowing him to get close but not too close and she shut off communication once Stuart wanted access to Lucy.
3. Dave and Sarah in bed
Okay, part of me was wondering when they were going to get interrupted but the rest of me short circuited from the hot. *fans self* Changing into a button-down shirt! Intense kissing! Ripping off the shirt 2 minutes after putting it on! Yeah, I liked. :D
Dave deciding what he wanted (for whatever reason he made the decision) and kissing Sarah with intent was, well, let's just say it hit all my buttons. David Tennant does flustered very well but he does want and need even better. I've only seen the scene once thus far but I quite intend to study it closely as I work on my next picspam.
And Evie walking in: HEE. I started laughing as soon as the door opened. This is exactly why locks were invented! Learn them. Use them. Double check them. It's as though he just became a parent. *laughs some more*
A couple of more notes:
The house doesn't bug me in the slightest. I never would have even noticed anything odd about it or wondered how they could have afforded it if others weren't questioning it. *shrug* Maybe it's that so many US shows have houses too big for the character's salaries or maybe it's that their financial situation is fuzzy so I no trouble inserting a vague explanation.
Dave Tiler? Oops! Someone should have double checked the computer profile.
Now we know for sure that Dave and Rita were not married, making Dave's situation with the kids more insecure than I first realized.
I have some thoughts to post now with a more in depth picspam/review to come soon. But first a little PSA: If you haven't watched the episode yet, DON'T WATCH THE PREVIEWS FOR NEXT WEEK. They follow the all too common pattern of giving away plot points for the next episode. I don't know what happens in the episode other than the preview but I personally would call it spoilery.
I think that the episode can be distilled into three pivotal scenes.
1. Ewan hitting his ankle with the hammer
This was a very tough scene to watch, not only because it's difficult to watch someone self-harm but because of what it says about Dave's post-Rita coping skills. Even more than the breakfast scene in the first episode, this really brings home just how absent Dave has been since Rita died. Even when he's there, he's not really there and in this episode we see him fobbing off the kids onto everyone else whenever he can. All of his children (including Tanya) need someone who can focus on them and not just notice them when something's wrong or they've screwed up.
2. Dave meeting Stuart
This scene is similar to the one with Lucy in the previous episode in that Dave gets hit by very upsetting information and he doesn't know how to deal with it. I'd say that this one is even more upsetting since he is now in a situation where the firm ground he thought he was on with Rita has turned treacherous. And DT completely hit it out of the park quietly going into shock and disbelief and Stuart just rolled on demolishing so much of what Dave thought he knew. After seeing Dave's coping skills here and in the rest of the series, I'm thinking that Dave's go to response when confronted with upsetting situations is to roll into a ball and retreat from everything.
Looking at it dispassionately, I can see where Rita could have considered Lucy all hers and any dealings with Lucy's father to not involve Dave or anyone else. She kept everything compartmentalized: Dave from Stuart (never talking about the meetings), Stuart from Lucy (not even her name), Lucy from Stuart (claimed not to remember who her father was), Stuart from Dave (never mentioned Dave or the other children). It's as though she considered Stuart to exist in some separate space, allowing him to get close but not too close and she shut off communication once Stuart wanted access to Lucy.
3. Dave and Sarah in bed
Okay, part of me was wondering when they were going to get interrupted but the rest of me short circuited from the hot. *fans self* Changing into a button-down shirt! Intense kissing! Ripping off the shirt 2 minutes after putting it on! Yeah, I liked. :D
Dave deciding what he wanted (for whatever reason he made the decision) and kissing Sarah with intent was, well, let's just say it hit all my buttons. David Tennant does flustered very well but he does want and need even better. I've only seen the scene once thus far but I quite intend to study it closely as I work on my next picspam.
And Evie walking in: HEE. I started laughing as soon as the door opened. This is exactly why locks were invented! Learn them. Use them. Double check them. It's as though he just became a parent. *laughs some more*
A couple of more notes:
The house doesn't bug me in the slightest. I never would have even noticed anything odd about it or wondered how they could have afforded it if others weren't questioning it. *shrug* Maybe it's that so many US shows have houses too big for the character's salaries or maybe it's that their financial situation is fuzzy so I no trouble inserting a vague explanation.
Dave Tiler? Oops! Someone should have double checked the computer profile.
Now we know for sure that Dave and Rita were not married, making Dave's situation with the kids more insecure than I first realized.