David: "Does the term 'mixed messages' mean anything to you?"
This one was about the "lie of romance." That we need someone else to complete us, someone else to observe and tell us the truth about ourselves.
Nate accidentally ran into his future in the grocery store: Lisa, five months pregnant. How freaking passive aggressive was it to move to Los Angeles and not even tell Nate she was there? Was it a coincidence that he ran into her at a health food supermarket, probably the one closest to where Nate lived? Nah. I did feel sorry for Lisa, though. She loves Nate passionately, and you just know he'll never love her back.
Not that his relationship with Brenda is roses. I thought the two of them scouting a wedding location that was sprinkled with horseshit was dead-on perfect symbolism. Brenda started actively cheating on Nate with strangers, all the while continuing to insist that she was ready to get married. Nate has such a gift for truth; I absolutely loved the way he blew up at the squabbling family at the funeral home. So why can't he be truthful with himself about Brenda?
I thought it was hilarious that Melissa the hooker and Billy the lunatic both thought Brenda needed a therapist. Billy, of all people, was acting like Mister Insight. He knew that his relationship with Brenda was toxic, that she overprotected him, and that she had transferred her fixation to Nate. The scar on Billy's back represented his illness. He took off his emotional clothes and asked Claire to help him see himself. Fortunately, she got a good look and decided Billy wasn't for her.
The only really solid relationship here was David and Keith. Keith was going through a really bad time in his life, and David was there for him, accepting his bad moods for what they were, and offering his unquestioning love as well as practical help. And lots and lots of sex. And now they're moving in together. See? There are relationships that work.
Bits:
— The opening death was two construction workers eating lunch on a high rise. I thought one of them would fall to his death, but no. I think the point was, you never know what life is going to throw at you. Literally. Lunch buckets can rocket down from the sky. Like Nate's pregnant ex showing up at the supermarket.
— Billy chose to have Claire shoot a self-portrait of himself... with his back turned.
— Brenda and the author guy had sex in the toilet. Which clearly emphasized what it meant.
— Nikolai and his broken legs were a great big problem sitting smack in the middle of the house, and everyone was ignoring him. I think this symbolized all those big relationship problems that no one was acknowledging. Ruth actually thought her relationship with Nikolai had reached a whole new level, when in fact they don't really have a relationship at all. They don't even know each other.
And pieces:
— "Dwight Edgar Garrison, 1945-2002."
— Nate asked David to be his best man. They weren't even speaking amicably when Nate came back at the beginning of the series, so they've made a lot of progress. Now, see? That relationship is working, too.
— Keith and Karla's father apparently abused the two of them. Keith got over it; Karla didn't. Karla must still be using, since she was appropriating her daughter's pee for her required outpatient urine tests. Keith and David should be raising Taylor. They'd be good parents.
— Loved the book titles that Brenda saw in the bookstore. "Your brother's a wacko and your fiance is going to die."
Quotes:
Brenda: "Yeah. Like I'm going to wear a white dress. Besides, if we exchange vows surrounded by horseshit, it'd be kind of fitting."
Nate: "Meaning you think us getting married is a shitty idea?"
Claire: "Are we really supposed to believe Britney Spears is a virgin? Why exactly are we supposed to care?"
Lisa: "It's strange. I mean, she's a strict vegan, but she drinks like a fish and she does a lot of blow."
Nathaniel: "Nothing turns the women on more than a potentially fatal brain condition. Try coughing up blood. I bet you'll be getting laid left and right."
Three out of four stars,
Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
Well, the theme in this one was certainly that sometimes, you don't know what hits you. After Nate visited Lisa, I suspected that something might have happened between them (the shirt!!) but wow. He's going to be a father now. Will this finally end his relationship with Brenda? Not only are they not well suited, they aren't any good for each other. At all. Brenda mistakes Melissa's job for freedom. Melissa appears more wary or even envious of the relationship and stability that Brenda has... and throws away. She can't see why Brenda wants to escape - via pot, writing, anonymous sex.
ReplyDeleteAll the major characters except Nate seem to run a caregiver-theme.
Ruth cares for Nicolai and her children.
Claire cares for fucked up guys. (what happened to her therapist?)
David cares for Keith and Keith cares for his sister and his niece.
Brenda cares for Billy.
It'll be interesting to see if Nate's focus will shift from his illness to his child.