Okay, so this episode was a bit of a miss, a slight incident of falling off the wagon. Not like episodes five and six, which were just subpar, and also kind of inexplicable as far as their existence in the timeline this season. No, this one made sense, and it was the “Slow Happy Boys” that should have been (we definitely didn’t need two), but it was still not up to snuff.
Not surprisingly after last week, Charlie got canned, and he and Hank spent the night drowning their sorrows at bars. Hank’s sorrows? Becca and Karen seem to be moving on without him, if that isn’t a bit too extreme of a statement at this point. But still, the beginning of tonight’s episode with them walking past him to the car, combined with the end of last week’s episode when they went to the Koons’ at night, all seemed to indicate that, somehow, this was the ultimate of all indiscretions. Does Karen even know about Jill and Jackie?
I did think the used bookstore was really funny. It’s an interesting discussion about the powers of the marketplace; authors see nothing from the sale of one of their used books, and when it’s autographed and priced out at $100? Clearly the woman Hank gave it to didn’t think as highly of him as he did her. And then the competition with Julian (Angus Macfadyen), Hank breathing a sigh of relief when his used book came in five dollars cheaper … all about the ego, huh Hank?
But the liquor store robbery was weird. Then again, it was in keeping with the rest of the night, which also found Becca and Karen out to dinner with Marcy, who’s just beyond foulmouthed and disgusting in the presence of a young girl. I know a lot of people like her, but she at least needs to learn the concept of time and place.
The drunken tattoos were also a weird thing to throw into the season’s mix. Does that mean that the writers needed to account for more real-life David Duchovny body art?
Hank, Karen, and Becca are also in an odd place right now. I hate that Becca is always a factor in any equation about Hank and Karen’s relationship. Not that her needs shouldn’t be kept in mind, but she shouldn’t be an active participant in these matters.
And it seems that Becca’s speech to Karen has put Karen back on the “ins” with Hank. I do think that Becca has an excellent point — when will Karen realize that this is Hank, take him or leave him? But why is it that Karen can’t seem to manage to come to that understanding on her own after all these years that she and Hank have been together?
I’ll tell you one thing … I’m missing Jill.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Nov 29, 2009 @ 22:30 EST5EDT
