Grid Effect

So, we’ve been extremely critical of this series as of late, and arguably to an unfair degree. It just hasn’t brought anything intriguing except for the same old same old of Nancy fucking up and being bailed out by everyone around her. But last night, while there were structural problems we had with the series (namely the montage with the DEA raid backdropped to Nancy and Esteban’s conversation), we actually remembered why we enjoyed the series.

First the bad news, we just really can’t stand the Esteban-Nancy partnership/relationship. The two of them lack any type of chemistry that doesn’t feel forced and all of their hypocrisy’s are just too glaring for us to sit back and be all “ZOMG They R so hawttt!”. Then to eat up what is really the climactic moment of the season with the two of them talking intimately to each other while people are being murdered in a tunnel as a result of her betrayal of everyone…it just seemed in poor taste. The scene looked like an Arrested Development montage with all of Guillermo’s gang running around to that soft music. Are we really supposed to give a shit if Esteban loves Nancy while a DEA agent is being tortured because of her actions? I really don’t.

On the other hand, that torture scene was pretty intense and unlike anything we’ve ever seen on this series. They are really trying to push the envelope this season. First we get Mary Louise-Parker topless…and now a guy having his skin shaved off. To be honest, the degree of the torture was such that it made us hate Nancy even more than we already did. Esteban said he makes him do things he wouldn’t normally do, for Nancy’s sake she better hope that’s true in every manner of speaking, this writers are so in love with her I’m sure it will be unless the DEA agent ends up killing him out of revenge. Whatever it is, we have to construe a reason Nancy gets out of this unharmed. Again.

This series used to much, much more light-hearted.

Onto the good news: Though everything was secondary because of the levity of Nancy’s story, Silas seems to be coping well without his fuck mother there to object to everything. I mean, if you are going to sell drugs for a living, it is probably best to do it without your mother looking over your shoulder. Just ask D’Angelo Barksdale. Silas even managed to advise Shane against using drugs, and did so somehow with a straight face. Unfortunately, wise words from an older sibling are no match for sex in the eyes of a 13 year old boy. For as worldly as Isabelle is, her dawning realization of, “You have me considering sleeping with boys again, you fuck them once and they become your puppet” seems like it would have been acknowledged before now.

And finally Celia has dried out, realized the error of her ways, and gone back to the original error of ways: being an utter ball busting bitch that we can’t stand. And this is the kind of Celia we prefer to watch. We hate her regardless of what she is going through, so it is better that we want to see bad things happen to her without the writers trying to guilt trip us over it.

We do like the prospect of them bringing Quinn back. If you don’t remember who Quinn was, or couldn’t infer as much from Celia’s lecture from Dean, she is there oldest daughter that Celia sent away to boarding school because she slept with Silas. If they bring her back for the finale and have her and Silas reconvene, that might just be enough for us to jump in on the fifth season as well. If they bring back Doug’s oldest son who was Nancy’s rival daughter for the entire pilot only to never be heard from again, well, that would also make up for some of the horrifyingly bad aspects of this season.

Speaking of Doug, someone is going through a hard time, and while calling immigration on Mermex was in poor taste and childish, we could certainly understand. We love the pacing of that scene as you could see the wheels spinning as it dawned on him how bitter he was over the entire situation. Andy’s confession was the logical thing to do, and he’s probably really going to lament how he has come full circle from his coyote days. That’s two he is at least partially responsible for sending back.

All in all, one of their better efforts this season. We have some potential heading into the finale (Quinn, Shane telling off the goth twins, and the climax before the cliffhanger that always ends Nancy’s season) and there were actual comedic moments that didn’t involve Kevin Nealon or Justin Kirk. I would never believe it if I didn’t see it for myself. And even for all the boredom and cliches that we are almost numb to involving Esteban and Nancy, not to mention all the generic symbolism we don’t care to sort out we like what awaits us next Monday.

Links later.