Graceland - Tinker Bell - Review and Episode Awards

Summary:

 

After being arrested for trying to spend time with his son, Jakes gets wasted and heads back to Graceland only to find that Zeke is currently bunking in his room. He wakes everyone up by getting in a fight with Johnny and puts the house in a quandary now that he is not transferring to a desk job. It's Mike's call on who stays - Zeke or Jakes. For once, I feel sorry for him because that should not rest solely on him. He also gets no love from Charlie, who basically shuts the door in Mike's face when he asks about the sting. Paige is far more friendly as they flirt before Briggs brings in surveillance video. Mike passes video monitoring to Jakes but tries to speed up the case by getting Paige to buy far more dope from her source than she usually does. Both Briggs and she protest since that will spook him so Mike sends them in together with Briggs posing as a new lottery winner. That doesn't sound suspicious at all. He wigs at the big deal and then, egads, knifes Paige right in the hand. What the heck? He pull a guns on them both so Briggs does some fast talking to get them out of there. Rushing things is not the best plan.

Speaking of plans, Johnny and Zeke have their own, one they try unsuccessfully to hide from Mike. Basically since Charlie didn't get in with Solano, Johnny is posing as an antique gun seller. Solano has a Mexican gun collection but sadly the guns are French. Johnny spews a story with moderate success but then leaves out a step in loading the pistols. It's duel time. Yes, duel because the crazy is strong in this one. Luckily, Lucia is more witch than nuts and stops her brother from shooting Johnny in the back. But it doesn't keep him from shooting his bodyguard. Johnny tries to save him but they send him away. Meanwhile back at the house Briggs checks on Charlie, who asks why Briggs never got angry over her not believing him. She says she doesn't trust herself but Briggs says they can help save Kelly Badillo together. Back at the bus station, Paige lays down some hard truths to Jakes and they argue about the girl in the Tinkerbell backpack named Lina. Paige talks to her and gets the details of the ring from her. She sends Lina off like planned but puts her phone in the backpack to track her. Although they follow the bus to a garage that takes out the contraband, when Paige goes to find Lina all she sees is the backpack thrown in the trash.

What Worked:

This was a much better episode than last week because it not only advanced the plot but we also got to see Paige and Johnny break out a bit. Overall I think the bus line story works because there are so many aspects to follow and everyone gets a specialty. It also allows for some great surprises. I never saw Paige getting stabbed coming and it shocked me. Graceland is good at that. I like that we got to see more of Paige here than we did in the episode where she was running point. Her concern over Lina was touching and I hope they follow that plot piece. I also hope that Lina is not dead. Johnny's scenes were also great, not just the heart stopping duel. In fact, his fighting for respect of the house and Mike in particular makes for a great character arc and one a long time coming. He's been treated like the kid for too long, and in some ways his positive, pro-Graceland attitude has made him an easy target. I hope this season he gets to prove himself in the same way Mike did last season They backed a bit off Charlie and Briggs inthis episode but they once again stole the night with their brief conversation. I like these two characters, both separate and working together, so I hope when this relationship thing inevitably blows up that the fallout doesn't mean they cannot be partners sometimes.

What Didn't Work:

As always, Mike is a grade A douche, who has me rooting against him and yet for the house at every turn. It's giving me whiplash, so could we please fix Mike now! He is softer with Paige after she gets hurt, but mostly he's a big bag of suckage to Johnny. Granted Johnny spent way too much time underplaying the danger of this mission in an effort to prove himself. Plus neither Zeke nor he could come up with a good cover story on the fly to keep Mike from being suspicious. How is that even possible given that they are part of an undercover unit? Johnny better improve on lying quickly before he gets killed. As for Zeke, so far I have no idea what his purpose is. Surely he's not gone from the season because he hasn't needed to be here yet. I hope he's a double agent because if not, he's wasted my time. Then there's Jakes. Yikes is he a mess right now. I like that the loss of his son and his dream has him reeling but I wish some of his housemates would be a little more sympathetic. Even those that don't know about his son have to know that something went majorly wrong. Here's hoping he can lose himself in his work and not in alcohol.

Grade: B+

Best Scene - Briggs tries to talk Jakes down but Jakes closes off / Briggs comforts Charlie

Most Intense - Johnny vs. Solano

Best Quote - Briggs about Mike: "So what do you think? Asleep? Dead? Indifferent?" / Charlie: "Mike, at some point you have to stop acting like you invented undercover."

Best Reason to Watch - both Paige and Johnny get meaty roles this time

Best Reason to Fast Forward - house politics and room roulette

Best Character Interaction - Briggs and Jakes

Biggest Douche - I'm thinking about retiring this category because it is ALWAYS Mike

Best New Character - Lucia, witchy sister of the crazy

Biggest Surprise - Paige speaks Ukranian

Biggest Waste of Time - Zeke, right now. Why even introduce him if you oust him in episode 3?

Best Camera Shot - Jakes through the glass of whiskey

Best Call - Mike tries to pass off the choice between Jakes and Zeke to the house instead of making the call himself. Best decision he's made all season. Too bad the house chucked it back to him.

Biggest WTH Moment - That drug guy just up and stabbed Paige with no warning. What the heck?

The "Poor Baby" Award - Now Paige gets points for the sheer brutality of her wound, but I feel for Johnny tonight. No one thinks he can do his job. When he does it, no one congratulates him. Plus he's had 2 people walk out of him without planning on saying goodbye. Add almost getting shot and he's had a rough week.

Most Uncomfortable Flirting: Paige: "You want to be my deer." Mike: "Umm hmm." Paige: "I'll be your headlight."

Most Uncomfortable Bed - Mike and Briggs put Jakes on 3 rolling chairs. Seriously guys, the floor would be more comfortable.

The "Say What?" Award - Johnny picks Zeke over Jakes. Are you kidding me? Yeah, I get that the guy just head butted him, but Johnny's all about protecting the house and Jakes is part of the house.

Best Reveal - Briggs is out of narcotics deals. Makes sense considering he was skimming heroin off their busts.

Biggest Psycho - Carlito Solano

Best Sarcasm - Jakes, hands down


Other Quotes -

Briggs: "I guess that means too many corpses not enough coffins." Johnny: "Man, why don't we just vote somebody off?"
Charlie: "This room here is a sanctimony-free room."
Briggs: "I've always wanted to buy you shiny, pretty things."
Paige: "We're moving too fast. There's no hurry up offense in undercover work."
Jakes: "Man, I know you. I know you. You looking for someone to save, you better look in the mirror."
Mike: "Well LA is full of misguided fashion statements."
Mike: "You're not Briggs." Johnny: "Yeah, well neither are you."
Briggs: "I wish I could convince you that you and I don't need any fixing, but I can't. Maybe we can help her."
Jakes: "And pass up on an ocean-side mansion with free rent?" Paige: "You don't even like the ocean." Jakes: "No, I really don't."
Mike: "Jakes, we finally got it man." Jakes: "Go us."


Screencaps by TV Fantasy, Got To Watch It, I Love Graceland, Parleopelate, and me.

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

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