Episode 42: Parallel Play

After two good episodes this episode falters. At this point it doesn’t feel like the overall direction of this season has fleshed itself out completely. A few storylines, like Claire’s, have yet to develop to something really compelling, whereas Brenda’s storyline is nothing but deadweight. George’s backstory sounds like it could help kick start the season.

The title, referring to a line by Madeline about how young children play side by side instead of interacting with each other, seems to be the way the story was told. Aside from a few moments and the end scene, the characters traveled through their respective storylines without much interaction from the other storylines.

I do appreciate that the “death of the week” gimmick prefers a surprise ending, but the surprise could’ve been more satisfying. They steered away from the obvious for the wife receiving the prank call to kill her husband in a moment of blind passion before learning it was a joke, but one of the girls falling off the bed felt a little silly and not all that funny which is what a silly death should be. Perhaps the death was meant to appear more random. Since they’ve already dealt with the sudden loss of a young person before, both with Gabe’s brother and the baby, I thought it was a good idea not to do it again unless there was something those other episodes didn’t say.

Unfortunately, Brenda and Joe’s storyline has no life in it. They drift aimlessly through cliché sexual problems, parallel from the main action at Fisher and Diaz. I find it difficult to determine any reason why this is included in the show aside from appeasing Brenda’s fans by keeping her in the show even though she isn’t useful or needed now. Part of my disdain for this storyline stems from Joe himself. Compared to such a volatile character like Brenda, he comes off as rather bland and boring and makes me anticipate the inevitable return of Billy and Brenda’s mom.

No surprise that Rico is starting to feel the pinch of Sofia, whom he gives a considerably large sum of money. This is not going to end well for Rico, as was hinted at during the yard sale scene. Part of me thinks that Sofia is extorting the money. She knows Rico likes her and stripping must have taught her something about how her beauty can be used to get what she wants. If her demands keep escalating, Rico will probably become more desperate as the season and this storyline progresses, to the point where we he may not resemble who he was before. Rico’s dream, like many dream sequences on the show, was weird and probably has some underlying message to it.

It feels predictable that Claire is going to become a lesbian this season. I don’t have a problem with that, but I think her taste in women isn’t much better than her taste in men. Anita and Edie both feel an episode or two away from having real purpose in this season, but for now still feel fake, especially Edie with her over the top antics onstage. And I thoroughly agree with Claire, Russel’s moustache needs to go.

Keith’s first major assignment, Buffy alum Michelle Trachtenberg as Celeste, doesn’t quite feel like pop superstar material. That could be because I’m more familiar with her as a ball of energy assembled into a teenage girl who helps in the fight against evil. Also this new character feels far too much like a caricature of what you see in tabloids of popular singers; the pleasant façade over an acidic interior.

While the unusual nature of storing feces in plastic and tin containers may point to Arthur, I’m starting to believe that he may not be behind it after all. George seems far more suspicious by not being suspicious. His remark about how he has “enemies” is unusual. Even for a teacher, the bad blood between some students usually subsides once the semester is over. Since it’s never established that he’s still working, we’re to assume he’s not. Arthur has come off as a much more interesting character than he ever was during season three. With this episode he dropped his usual calm demeanor when he was confronted. Now that may raise a flag, but I think the accusation was what got to him, not that he may have been caught. During the episode he seemed to want to prepare to be an increased presence at Fisher and Diaz in the wake of Nate’s depature. He clearly has a knack for this work. Not to mention a lot of George’s past is a mystery. I have no doubt that this won’t be the last we’ve heard of that odd funeral assistant.

The end of the episode reinforced the theme of letting go and putting past things behind you. Nate tried doing that by sleeping with the single mom while their kids were on a play date and was hurt in the process. During this episode it felt like Nate realized he didn’t have a place with the single mothers at the daycare. Maybe he’ll be drawn back to the business, especially because of Arthur’s departure. The scene that threw Nate in the middle of the artic tundra felt too obvious and was another one of Six Feet Under’s notorious moments of self-indulgence. The yard sale and afterwards leftover bonfire were the symbolic representatives of putting the past behind them. Claire’s choice of music, Radiohead’s “Lucky” featured the line “I feel my luck could change.” Perhaps this is foreshadowing of the rest of the season, if only they could finish moving ahead.

Overall score: 5