Life: Hit Me Baby
Great episode!
But I still didn't get the answer I wanted.
Where the hell are all the baby pigeons? I really want to know now!
Anyway, I really liked this one. I thought it had a great balance between good conspiracy stuff (Amanda, the FBI polygraph), really sweet moments (Charlie and Bobby, Reese and the carrot cake memory), good POTW stuff (whoa, the killer spitting poison into Bobby’s throat?) and hotness (Cooking with Charlie!).
One thing, in particular, that I noticed this week. There’s this thing that good shows do well, and I’m tempted to make up a name for it, if there isn’t one already. It’s a sequence of beats that’s fun for the viewer. They show you something, you figure something out, the character figures it out. It’s that “one step ahead” moment. They did that really well a couple times in this episode.
Every show or movie built around a mystery or a case has the opportunity to do this. Some don’t. In many cases, we are shocked or surprised in tandem with the character. That can be good too -- more of a whack in the face. But the other thing - the one step ahead moment - is more elegant and more fun. You have no idea what I’m talking about do you?
The FBI interviewer is administering a polygraph to Reese.
Interviewer: “Your partner was in prison. Has he talked to you about that time?”
Reese: “Yes.”
Interviewer: “What did he say?”
Reese smiles slightly: “He said he knew a transvestite named Angel who made a great carrot cake.”
Aww! But…wait, isn’t she only supposed to give yes or no answers during a polygraph…?
Interviewer: “Do you know who Mickey Rayborn is?”
D’oh!
Reese: “What kind of security clearance is this?”
Another example is near the end of the episode. Bobby’s staking out Hot!Not!Chef and talking on the phone to Charlie.
Charlie: ‘Hey Bobby? Wait for me to get there?”
Hey Charlie? I’ve seen TV before. Also, Noooooooooo!!!
Bobby goes into the house, despite Charlie’s request and my yelling at the TV. Bobby realizes that Hot!Not!Chef is not a chef.
Other things:
1) Check out Dani’s hair! I really love it. And check out the baby. Wow.
2) Charlie: “You get ripped off, you bring a gun. Or a pipe. Yeah, a pipe…good. Then you can feel it when the bone breaks. …..Too much information?”
3) “I guess the 13th hour’s free. Like doughnuts.”
4) Charlie trying to “be there” for Tidwell! “You can always talk to me.” Priceless.
5) Aw, Charlie and Bobby! How I loved the scene in the car. Bobby admits: “I prayed for you and me to be in the car again.” *sprinkles hearts all over them*
6) I also SO LOVED Charlie helping Ted with his detective work. “Bobby. Do you have a question you’d like to ask Ms. Brill?”
7) Redheads on parade again.
8) TED HELPS WITH THE SOLVING OF CRIMES! First of all, I love that Charlie finally calls Ted to find out what derivatives are. And that Charlie rolls his eyes when Ted says they’re hard to understand. And then Ted explains, and Charlie doesn’t understand. I love that they let Ted be smart this week! He was a very successful exec; he should be smart. And then he gives Charlie the key to the whole thing, explaining that anyone specializing in derivatives isn’t making much money now.
9) I am generally very pro-Amanda. Her willful disregard of smoking statutes endears her to me immensely. I really like that they’re making this a running joke with her. And, though I find her wardrobe, like, Alias-level silly, I also kinda dig it. (Though her bangs are horribly bad and doing her no favors.) So, “Yay, Amanda’s back!” But I can’t decide how I feel about yet another vampy woman leading Ted about by the nose. I mean, it’s a consistent character thing, so good. But we can see it coming a mile away, so meh. Whatever, HE LET HER INTO CHARLIE’S HOUSE! And not only that, he let her wander upstairs alone! Haven’t we gotten super-duper good at protecting the conspiracy closet? Like when the cops came and Ted was all ninja-closet-dismantler? But anyway, good for him for finally figuring out that Amanda’s up to something.
10) Charlie and June! Sorry, Deepa. I kind of like “June”…it’s sweet. I want her to be a regular, I’m serious.
11) Charlie: “You ever meet the perfect girl? Bobby and Tidwell nod. “When you were sober?” Bobby and Tidwell shake their heads. Ha.
12) The cooking scene. Damn, that was nice. *fans self* I might have to watch that again. Even better than pants.
13) It’s Ed! Or Larry. Of Ed and Larry! (Ed’s really making the rounds lately…)
14) The whole episode was a really great Bobby episode. Starting with the adorableness in the car, continuing with Bobby learning to be a detective, and ending with Bobby fighting for his life because he tried to prevent a contract killer from committing suicide. Oh, Bobby. L And I liked the direction and editing at the end of that - Charlie calling 911, talking to Bobby, grave face, a shot of the killer driving away, back to Charlie, staying by Bobby’s side. Yes.
15) Diet Coke also helps with the solving of crimes.
16) Reese is on the phone to Charlie. She knows he’s staring at something. She knows he’s smelling fruit! I just love them. J
17) And how about the gun porn at the end! It’s not really my thing, but it’s growing on me. “He was the competition.”
Ok, done. What did you guys think?