"There is no shortage of drama here tonite" (ring commentator) Very true.
If you are a fan of the series you would have noticed the pacing was different here than in the first 9 in the series.
There is a reason.
Since this episode was the payoff, the reveal, for the first year, the writers had to take it down a notch in the first 30 minutes, to build to the fight scene.
So in other words the pacing for the top of this episode was what you would expect from a normal drama series.
I am making a fuss about this because that underscores how not-normal the series had been to this stage. A comparison by absence if you like.
While the entire cast continues to shine -- especially for an off-the-books-boutique series custom produced for a client -- Tucker continues to steal entire scenes. He is credible both in the ring and outside, sober and stoned.
Even better, he comes across a totally genuine and likable. This is a guy you would want hang out with, even if the odds are you would wake up the next morning in jail Joanna Going continues to do an excellent job as the "ex hooker" "ex drug addict" mother of the clan. The scene where she sits on the floor with her son at the party and tells him not to chase the girls, let them come to him is ... unique. In fact, I have been racking my brain trying to find an analog for her character and I still cannot.
How many actresses get to play a role where, after reuniting with your husband after years of absence, and having a quick fling with said husband (to whom you are still married) you get to tell him that it won't happen again because sleeping with him made you "feel like a whore" and the implication (unspoken) is that, if anyone should know what that actually feels like, it is you. Bottom line, they gave her one of a kind role to play and she is determined to deliver a one of a kind performance.
The last 60 seconds of this segment ends "in parallel" with the first 60 seconds of the first episode, Alvy jogging, Jay acting out at home. A nice touch.
If you are a fan of the series you would have noticed the pacing was different here than in the first 9 in the series.
There is a reason.
Since this episode was the payoff, the reveal, for the first year, the writers had to take it down a notch in the first 30 minutes, to build to the fight scene.
So in other words the pacing for the top of this episode was what you would expect from a normal drama series.
I am making a fuss about this because that underscores how not-normal the series had been to this stage. A comparison by absence if you like.
While the entire cast continues to shine -- especially for an off-the-books-boutique series custom produced for a client -- Tucker continues to steal entire scenes. He is credible both in the ring and outside, sober and stoned.
Even better, he comes across a totally genuine and likable. This is a guy you would want hang out with, even if the odds are you would wake up the next morning in jail Joanna Going continues to do an excellent job as the "ex hooker" "ex drug addict" mother of the clan. The scene where she sits on the floor with her son at the party and tells him not to chase the girls, let them come to him is ... unique. In fact, I have been racking my brain trying to find an analog for her character and I still cannot.
How many actresses get to play a role where, after reuniting with your husband after years of absence, and having a quick fling with said husband (to whom you are still married) you get to tell him that it won't happen again because sleeping with him made you "feel like a whore" and the implication (unspoken) is that, if anyone should know what that actually feels like, it is you. Bottom line, they gave her one of a kind role to play and she is determined to deliver a one of a kind performance.
The last 60 seconds of this segment ends "in parallel" with the first 60 seconds of the first episode, Alvy jogging, Jay acting out at home. A nice touch.
