Objects: Safety Canary, Lovesick Ass, Mounted FishMissions: “Take a picture” and “Save the lovebirds”
‘Safety Canary’ seemingly picks up pretty much where we left off in ‘Lovesick Ass,’ with Jaye and Eric prepping for their first official date at the zoo. Unfortunately, their date goes horribly awry when Jaye is hounded to “take a picture” (ironically by a sign warning patrons not to use flash photography) and subsequently gets attacked by a traumatized macaw. Because Jaye’s actions get the birds’ handler reassigned and threatens to destroy the macaws’ mating efforts, she’s later directed to “help the lovebirds,” kicking off her latest string of crazy adventures. This week’s activities include “liberating” the birds from the zoo, creating a supportive mating habitat in her parents' laundry room, allowing the birds to escape, and then attempting to recapture them, all while trying to protect Eric from her man eater ways. By episode’s end, “love is in the air” for nearly everyone except Jaye, even though she spends the better part of the episode making out passionately with Eric. Go figure.
Sigh. This is another fun episode, but I can’t even begin to express my frustration with this latest turn in Jaye and Eric’s relationship. I never should have let myself get excited by the possibility of those two together. It just can’t be easy, can it? I understand they are “in the infancy of their relationship” and that “the bond is very delicate,” but couldn’t they have had at least one good date before Jaye tried to scuttle the whole relationship and Eric’s ex-wife showed up? Cruel, cruel writers. It makes sense that if Jaye has never been in love and really does like Eric the most of all the boys she’s liked, that she might try to protect herself and use her “animals as an excuse to avoid risk.” But I wanted to enjoy the treacly romance just a little longer, dammit! Darn that Jaye for standing in her own way!
With a little “help” from Mahandra, that is. I found Mahandra’s sudden shift in attitude perplexing. She was totally egging Jaye on to get with Eric in ‘Lovesick Ass,’ but is now insisting Jaye break things off with Eric. Did she have a change of heart when she saw how smitten Eric was? It isn’t like he was hiding his moony affection for Jaye before they started kissing. Why wasn’t she concerned until Jaye said there was no love to kill “yet”? (“You said yet. Three little letters and the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard fly out of your mouth. And also the most terrifying.”) I can appreciate her wanting to protect poor besotted Eric from the love-killing predator that she knows so well, but why encourage Jaye to go after him in the first place if she was concerned about “everything that boy’s been through”?
Speaking of Mahandra, I totally did not foresee a love connection between her and Aaron. It came out of nowhere and kind of felt a bit incestuous. And yet, it still worked somehow. Maybe because it makes perfect sense for them to bond over the craziness that is Jaye. I hope they combine their knowledge and realize that Jaye really is getting messages from inanimate objects. Could be fun.
Other Thoughts
I really loved the way they kept using the birds’ situation and characteristics to parallel Jaye and Eric. The juxtaposition of the opening narration with Jaye and Eric getting ready for their date was particularly amusing. “Lauren, our wild-caught female is an unwieldy, some might say, destructive bird. A lovely, lovely creature. She’ll chew through just about anything given half a snowball’s chance. Even a prospective mate.”
I was, once again, going to complain about the confusing weather changes between episodes --- they went from shorts and sweltering heat to sweaters and winter coats! --- but on further reflection, I realized this is an accurate depiction of the weather here in western New York. We had several stretches this spring where I bounced between shorts and sweaters all in the span of a couple days. Crazy!
However, the constantly shifting weather does make it a little hard to keep track of how much time has passed in the series to this point. How long has it been since Sharon and Beth first hooked up in ‘Pink Flamingos’? It feels like it has been several months at least, so it seems strange that Sharon would suddenly be second-guessing the relationship. Has it been less time than it seems?
Did Beth sleep with her ex-husband? Has she gone straight again? Thomas seemed awfully chipper when he left her place, and she really wanted to tell Sharon something. Poor Sharon.
The visual with Eric’s heart flying out of his chest and into Jaye’s destructive grasp was really funny (and kind of gross). “Somebody stop me, I can’t help myself!”
Jewel Staite, I love you. Ordinarily it is a pleasure to have you on my television screen. But right now, I hate you. Go back to your hole, Heidi!
I was amused that the poor exchange student from Prague is still in touch with both Sharon and Aaron.
Rufus and Penelope were very cute together, but that ending montage with their “meet the elephant” date seemed mildly obscene. And yet, I start laughing every time I picture it.
Quotes
Jaye: “Eww. Did that monkey just throw its food at you?”
Penelope: “In a way.”
Sharon: “Thank you for allowing me to be a rest stop on your road to heterosexual bliss.”
Beth (confused): “You’re welcome.”
Jaye: “And I’m not a love killer.”
Mahandra: “Well … actually, the bird lady is kind of right about that. Well, half right. You don’t just kill love. You stalk it, you toy with it, then you kill it. You’re the huntress and love is your prey.”
Jaye: “Love. Love is our higher law. And we’re here to save it. Not that it was ever in any danger. From me.”
Aaron (re: the birds): “Did the cow creamer tell you to do this?”
Jaye: “No. A stuffed donkey did.”
Penelope: “Why are you here?”
Aaron: “I wanna see an engorged cloacae.”
Penelope: “I told you. Your powerful sexual chemistry is too distracting.”
Aaron : “I get that a lot actually.”
Jaye: “I’m trying to save him. By avoiding him. So I can be with him. But I can’t go near him or I’ll destroy him. So if I can just manage to stay away from him, then maybe we could be together. [Pause.] Please don’t repeat that back to me.”
Mahandra: “Yeah, well, for all my innate magnetism, I haven’t really been attracting a lot of the brothers in the Greater Niagara Region lately.”
Aaron: “I’m somebody’s brother.”
Eric: “I don’t want to escape.”
Jaye: “You need to. You need to now, before you have to chew off your own leg to get free.”
Jaye (to Penelope): “I’ve never seen anyone work so hard to get someone else laid in my entire life. You’re like the total Mack Daddy bird pimp.”
Jaye: “Human interaction is scary. And it’s unpredictable. And you have to interact with other, … humans.”
Final Analysis: A good episode, but a very frustrating turn of events. The course of true love just never runs smooth, does it?
Jess Lynde is a highly engaged television viewer. Probably a bit too engaged.
Right there with you. I love Jewel Staite. I could marry her, and I don't even know what she's like in person. But, God, how I hate Heidi!
ReplyDeleteAaron (re: the birds): “Did the cow creamer tell you to do this?”
ReplyDeleteJaye: “No. A stuffed donkey did.”
I had to laugh about this part. And after watching this episode over and over again I still think these lines are so funny!
Also the scene where Mahandra comes back to the Tylers house and Aaron opens the door. And he asks 'What did they lose now? An aligator'. So funny!
I do agree that the whole Mahandra/Aaron thing came totally out of the blue. But it did work. Until this episode I thought Aaron was funny and nothing more than that. But I totally understand how Mahandra could fall for him, because I did too haha ;)
Funny, but an episode or two ago I got a weird vibe between Aaron and Mahandra. I chalked it up to my overactive romance meter. I loved the scene on the couch between the two of them. The sparks between them were flashing everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your frustration, Jess, that we couldn't have had at least a little bit of a love match between Jaye and Eric. But, as the song was playing and everyone else was kissing whomever it was they wanted to kiss, I wondered if she had gone too far. I genuinely hope Eric gets rid of Heidi and soon so that we can get these crazy kids together.