Last week's episode,
Beautiful Things Deserve Beautiful Things was written by Chad Hodge and directed by Mikkel Nørgaard.
I absolutely loved this episode. Getting to know more about Javier was great, his mysterious past and family were teased at a good pace. It was nice to see a mirror between Letty and Javier, Letty getting high and Javier going low, I know, it sounds cheesy.
The car ride scene with Letty, Javier, and his nieces was utter perfection. It was hilariously on point. One of my favorite things about Letty is her quick, spontaneous responses, she’s able to conjure up a persona when needed. “I work for Instagram, I delete all the nude selfies”. That alone was so funny but the fact Javier's nieces believed her just shows how good a con Letty is, her delivery is key and Michelle Dockery never falters. To make things even better the rap-a-long was a lot of fun, especially Javier’s reaction to “I put a dick in her mouth all day”.
Letty settling into her hotel room, to see her loneliness and boredom eating away at her through a montage like-look was a nice choice. The mundane aspects of lounging around just couldn't satisfy that need for a high in her. Even at her lowest point, when faced with the temptation of the slightly easily accessed mini-bar she resisted, why, for her son in a sense. A part of her knows she has to say clean, to be good, to work towards getting her son back or at least reconnecting with him.
I really enjoyed Javier's interactions with Ava, their familial but estranged talks showed a new dynamic for Javier, it highlighted how isolated he truly became, what could have possibly lead to him becoming a hitman (his familial past) and how he's missed on out meeting some of his family for such a long time. I’m really looking forward to meeting Javier’s family, if we ever do get the pleasure, Letty's reactions should be pleasant. Juan Diego Botto’s acting as Javier reacts to learning his father was close to death/and wanting to rekindle their association was so strong, it’s a stark reminder of how human he is, something he hides, regardless of his day/night job. As Ava said, people are always afraid to answer for “terrible things they have done when they have to answer to God”.
Everything about Letty slipping into Brittany was amazing. The way Michelle Dockery breathes life into the various characters that are born from those wigs is incredible. Every character is distinct and each so much fun! I found it engaging how she confided in Christian about stealing, that it gave her the non-toxic high, drugs/alcohol give. What's more fascinating was Christian's willingness to take part in a con when Letty offers him a chance to see things from her perspective. His amateur nature contrasted by Letty’s experienced con artistry made for some marvelous scenes. It also spoke of the inner desires Christian had, he could have turned her away, took her in or said no, but there was a part of him, something hidden that was excited at the prospect of danger, to dance with the rush that came blossomed with uncertainty and it was great to see Terry Kinney play this out. Plus it allowed us to see a lot more of this pleasing Letty/Christian dynamic that I really like and that isn't tied to a relationship.
One of the highlights of this dynamic would have to be, Letty pretending to be 'police', catching Jeff red handed and then leaving with the hotel money. I relished at how Christian used bath robes belts to tie Jeff up, that’s something I had not seen before. Funnily enough, just as Letty gets away, Javier and Ava are alerted of the robbery and Javier’s reaction, when the small part in the back of his mind started thinking, did she do it? reflected through a quick glance, that was the cherry on top!
The 6th installment,
We Pretend We're Stuck, written by Elizabeth Sampath and directed by Jonas Pate was equally enjoyable, if not better. I thought it was great that both episodes formed a two-parter.
It was great to see Letty take Javier to her home and meet her son, a nice companion to what was his family excursion, last week.
Watching Letty blackmail the babysitter right from the get go was an excellent way to start the adventure between the three (Letty, Javier, and Jacob) and to “let a mother spend the day with her son”. Letty’s sassiness was marvelous, especially the dialogue, “yeah but would your bestie?”, her one-liners are some of the greatest! However seeing the babysitter, in turn, blackmail Letty for $80 dollars and her Jimmy Choos was a surprising little twist and more evidence on how people can be swayed by the smallest of things to act bad, or at least, to not be on their best behavior. The title of the show doesn't always fall solely on Letty's shoulders.
One of the highlights of this episode for me was Juan Diego Botto’s natural fatherly response to Jacob, even Letty was impressed. It was nice to see him so domesticated, it suits him when he's not killing people.
Spending a day with Jacob was more than Letty could've expected. Her attending his baseball game allowed for some new fun interactions. Seeing Jacob lie to his coach about the genuine identity of his mom and Javier was priceless, a model and a gardener. As far-fetched as that sounds, his coach bought it and it was funny. I draw parallels to Letty and her outlandish lies, he's more her son than she knows.
Some of Javier’s best behavior was on display during this chapter and I adored it. Once he saw the rude text messages from Jacob’s teammates, he went out of his way to make Jacob feel better by shopping for Soccer gear and that’s a real testament to his character (when he's not bad). This is perhaps him wanting to just bring a boy some happiness that might've been devoid in his childhood. What’s more is that this small shopping trip created a lovely bonding experience for Letty and her son, with whom she’s been so distanced from. It's that act of kindness, especially when Javier leads Letty to practice kicking the ball with Jacob that shows he wants to help heal their fractured connection. Those entire scenes were great and Letty watching from the sidelines had it's funny moments too.
After some fun and games, Javier scouting the deep web made for yet another glorious but short scene. The twisted nature of the website contrasted by the innocence of the store was neat, especially the framing of the scene when a shopper passed by the computers who just happened to glance and then walk quickly away at a listing for a man who enjoyed doing indecent acts with a horse. That ladies reaction was priceless, the things people do in public.
Sadly, whilst Javier and Letty were checking out the dirtiest marketplace, Jacob managed to slip past them and disappear. Unbeknownst to them, he was held for shoplifting but Michelle Dockery’s reaction to believing Jacob was kidnapped was powerful. Her frantic state and need to do anything was unbelievably real and truthful. This was Letty’s first response to a situation out of her hands, something every mother can experience and the thought of losing her child was too much to handle, she nearly gave herself up to find him. She may have never got the opportunity to spend a lot of time with him but she has that motherly bond with him, something bound by love and this intangible connection. It echoes how he’s such a dominant part of the fragments fastened to her good nature.
One of the other hand, Christian’s scenes in interrogation, mirroring Jacob’s, was a lovely idea. Jacob may be young but he isn't so easily shaken as Christian, though to be fair, this was Christian’s first failure. The FBI agent questioning Christian was wonderful, she was funny yet stern and I really liked her interplays with Christian but it made me worry for him as robbery really is backfiring on him. Perhaps a warning, karma, that all bad things don’t go unnoticed. Is it the universe trying to say that you can’t tip the scales? It’s all such a fascinating idea to discuss, so please do with me in the comments.
As the interrogation continued, Letty’s last attempt to get Jacob out, once she realizes he’s safe, was incredibly hilarious. She goes to get the homeless women whose been standing in front of the store and who happened to be bothering her whilst she was worried about Jacob. She gets her to pretend to be Jacob’s mom because they have the same skin color and Pablo's attempt result in him being thought of as a pedophile. In the most inconvenient meetup, Tiffany also comes up to the counter to retrieve Jacob, just as the lady Letty procured, and what followed was splendid. The lady impersonating Letty never backed down without a fight and acted like Jacob’s mother with such conviction. Tiffany’s response was just hysterical, "bitch, are you serious"? Though she quickly realizes this was all a ruse conjured by Letty. These scenes are truly comedy gold, many thanks to the wonderful actors and writers involved in creating such entertaining scenes, you are doing such amazing work, you never cease to put a smile on my face.
Following getting Jacob back, It was a nice moment to see Tiffany and Letty fall back into old habits especially after their fallout some episodes ago even if Tiffany needs Letty's help to track down her husband. It'll be interesting to see how Tiffany will react to finding out about her husband’s secret.
On their way home, Javier couldn’t have been a better parent in response to Jacob finding pleasure from stealing and Letty’s somewhat supportive attitude. It’s all in the looks you give and Juan Diego Botto nails every single one. I really dug Javier meeting Letty’s mom but my heart started to break for Letty when she realized she felt out of place as a mother. Letty confiding to her mom about being annoyed by Jacob and finding it difficult to take care of Jacob was enlightening. For the longest time, this is all she wanted, he was her anchor and her comprehending that it might be too hard was interesting to see though a totally normal response, motherhood isn't easily slipped into like all of her other personas. She could’ve taken her son before the police showed up but I think she was reluctant a bit, she doesn’t seem ready for the responsibility of being a mom quite yet but you could tell how hard it was for her to let go in those final moments. To accept defeat was definitely hard for her, at the end, her acknowledging that he was “set for life” was her way of letting go, giving him his best chance, at least for now. It seems she feels like the money she leaves behind might feel the void of her presence. That final shot where she grasps her handbag, trying to process if she did the right thing and then taking a deep breath in with tears in her eyes was incredibly moving. It's been a struggle to choose between being good or being bad for Letty and this was a tough choice for her.
Thank you for reading my double episode review, sorry for the length, so many things to praise, this show is definitely a wonderful surprise, it never dissapoints, so please come to the comments to share some love for the show and to discuss. Don't forget, Good Behavior airs Tuesdays at 9|8c on TNT.
