Good Behavior - Your Mama Had a Hard Night - Review + POLL

Good Behavior’s 4th installment, “Your Mama Had a Hard Night” couldn’t be more fitting as the title for this episode. Written by Blake Crouch and directed by Mark Piznarski, tonight’s episode highlighted the consequences addiction has, be it in the short or long term.

As the show unfolds further, I find myself really loving what Michelle Dockery is bringing to Letty. In a landscape crowded with hundreds of TV shows, a lot average, Good Behavior is incredibly enjoyable with fantastic performances. I encourage everyone to tell their friends about the show, watch live Tuesday nights at 9|8c on TNT (if you can) and just support the show because it’s extremely rare we get something so unique.

The episode picks up straight where it left off last week (unless you watched the early release TNT aired after episode 3 last Tuesday) and gives Letty a solo outing, though Javier is anything but gone. Reconnecting with her old friend, Tiffany (played by the lovely Collette Wolfe, who few might know from the gem, You’re the Worst on FXX), Letty readies herself to attend her old High School reunion whilst getting a chance to finally see her son again.

One of the strongest scenes during this episode was when Letty imagined Javier caressing her whilst she washed the dishes. The sheer dream alone shows his lingering effect on her, they may be apart from one another but there's this pull between the two, we saw it during the opening scenes, when Javier holds Letty’s hands so gently, writing down details for Letty and not quite wanting to let go. It’s not just the sexual attraction between the two, but, I think, a metaphor for her addiction, something Letty hasn’t been able to let go off, get out of her system.

Seeing Letty’s reaction to the police report on TV was great, the way the music slowed down and how an emphasis was placed on her quickened heartbeat was strong, especially as Letty stands in shock, trying to process what could happen. It's such subtle elegance that Michelle personifies.

The reunion scenes were a lot of fun, I adore how Letty slips into her fresh personas with such ease, it’s one of the absolute delights of the show and Michelle Dockery nails every single one without fail.

Letty’s mom does care. Regardless of her tough demeanor towards Letty, all she wants is best for her daughter. Little things like her defending Letty as Tiffany besmirched her character to the emblem she has of baby feet and the name ‘Leticia’ tattooed on the back of her neck show there's more to her than just the cruel mother archetype. However, I do wonder why she kept asking for the $1,000 fee to visit Jacob, she had the $20,000 already, she could've easily pinched some money from there if she required. Maybe she just wanted more money? For the boyfriend? Maybe I'm overthinking it. Regardless, one should never doubt the lengths a mother will go to for the ones she loves.

“She says you're broken and broken people can’t be trusted”

Letty pleading to Kyle (played by Justin Bruening whom you might remember from Switched at Birth or Grey's Anatomy) to seek help with his addiction was utterly poignant. She spoke from experience, the regret she had due to her past transgressions was so clearly showing in her eyes. They say eyes are the windows to the soul and when you look into Letty’s you can see she’s suffering, maybe even a little broken but there's a strength in there, it’s something people forget. The toughest swords are forged in the harshest temperatures. As Letty utters that she's “living breathing proof”, I felt my heart sink, it’s a brave notion to look at yourself in the mirror and point out your imperfections. Kyle's downward spiral somewhat mirrored her own and because she cares so much, she tried to intervene, something quite honorable. I can’t praise Michelle Dockery enough, she’s phenomenal in this role.

To her best efforts, unfortunately, Letty's intoxicated state brings back Javier’s lingering presence once more. Grabbing hold of her and the lines between Kyle and Javier blur, a kiss is shared and Tiffany, as expected, witnesses this betrayal. She assumes she's been the cheater all along and old feelings start pouring out. By now, the damage has been done. The outburst from Tiffany was highly embarrassing but at the same time enlightening, we learned a few more details about Letty’s ex, so in turn, it was a double-edged sword.

Tiffany: “Why don’t you just kill yourself”
Letty: “Believe me, I’ve tried”
Tiffany: “Why don’t you try harder, nobody likes a quitter”

- Brutally devastating dialogue coupled with stunning expressive emotions exposed the internal struggle Letty fights with.

It’s a funny thing how life plays out, no matter how good you try to be, things just don’t always work out and it’s because of this I think Letty is so relatable. Trying to be a good person is hard, it's not easy, the effort that goes into it, most of us can relate to her struggle. When you keep getting knocked down, how do keep moving forward? Wouldn't it be easier to quit? But it’s in that moment, where you pick yourself up, you show yourself what you're really made of, as cheesy as that sounds, humans are quite resilient. I see that in Letty, when she cried in her mother's arms, so helpless, even her own mother was unable to console her, give her safety, yet she kept going. She’s such a fighter and I’m glad we have a character like her on TV.

As the episode comes to an end leaving Letty without anywhere to go, like clockwork, she's pulled back into Javier’s orbit by the force of his isolation which mirrors her own.

Overall, this was a great character study and as always just keeps proving how brilliant of an actress Michelle Dockery is. I can’t wait to discuss with all of you, please take to the comments to share your thoughts. Hopefully, my review was easy to follow, I hope you enjoyed this episode, what do you hope will happen? Don't forget to tune in next Tuesday at 9|8c on TNT.

A special mention to the music supervisor, (whoever decides on which tracks to play during the episodes) you are doing an absolutely excellent job, I’ve loved every single choice of music to accompany each respective scene. The opening titles song choice alone made me so happy. Having this episode close with Rihanna’s Desperado was ingenious, especially as the song lyrics closed with “I don’t want to be alone”, how perfect.