Is it just me or did Luck pick up the pace this week? It could be that after a few weeks, I am starting to settle in to the characters, stories, and pacing of the show. In any case, I think I enjoyed this episode more than any of the previous ones. There seemed to be a lot going on this week, with Jerry getting some help from his friends, Ace having his first meeting with the infamous Mike, and Rosie getting her first race as a jockey.
It was nice to see things go Rosie’s way in the episode, riding Gettin’up Morning to a dramatic come from behind victory that brought tears to Walter’s eyes. I hope that her success can continue on for a while. With Leon’s weight problems, and Ronnie’s … well, everything problems, it’s nice to see one jockey doing well. I’m afraid Walter is a bit too attached to Gettin’up Morning, though. I understand there was drama with the horse’s father and Walter feels responsible. Perhaps it’s just because I am not remotely an animal person, but I’m just not understanding all the guilt on Walter’s part. Yes, it’s good to be sensitive, but he seems a little overboard to me.
I had been excited to meet Mike for a while now for several reasons, not the least of which was his portrayer Michael Gambon (I loved Layer Cake so much I was excited to see him out of wizard’s robes and back into a gangster role). There were a few sparks between Mike and Ace, but it seemed to be a mostly cordial meeting. Mike and Ace left as “partners,” but there is certainly a lot of (well placed) suspicion on Mike’s part. He fully expected Ace to be coming after him, so I’m wondering if Ace is going to be able to pull a fast one on him, or if Mike is going to be hyperaware of any shenanigans going on. Ace is obviously setting up Israel as a Trojan Horse of sorts. Will Mike see through it? Or will it be a great success? I could see it working, mostly because even Israel himself doesn’t understand what he’s supposed to be doing.
This episode really brought Jerry’s gambling problems to the forefront. It’s going to be interesting to see if the show gives any context or history to the character to explain his deep seeded need for gambling. I think there must be something there, because it isn’t the high of winning or the adrenaline rush that is pushing him. He is continually goaded into gambling with Leo, who continues emasculating Jerry verbally and with the cards. We also learned in this episode that Leo is much more dangerous than we had previously seen. Marcus mentioned the possibility of getting his throat slashed, and it seemed like the illegal cash game at Chan’s restaurant was not a one time thing. I have a feeling Jerry is going to get himself into a lot more trouble than debt.
Am I the only one who has noticed how short some of the scenes on this show are? I swear, there are some scenes that are about ten seconds long and maybe have a word or two of dialogue. In this episode in particular there was a scene toward the beginning with Rosie and Leon passing each other on the track. I’m not really sure what this says about the show. I’m thinking it’s twofold. One, it speaks to the budget and freedom that the creative team has. For a network show, I think the team simply doesn’t have the time or money to film small scenes like this. Also, I think it is testament to how much story Milch and his writers shove into each hour. With the huge number of characters and plots, it shouldn’t be a surprise.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Feb 19, 2012 @ 22:00 EST5EDT
