“Two Sparrows in a Hurricane” is a decent enough episode in the broader sense. The series continues to focus on storylines that diehard fans aren’t necessarily interested in watching, but if you can get past the fact that you’re stuck watching Daphne compete in a music condition or another custody battle instead of checking in on Juliette, then you’ll survive half the episode. As for the other part, well it’s more of the pointless love triangle that seems to only exist to create drama and another tedious Scarlett and Sean plot. So I would definitely suggest having a remote handy, if only to fast forward through the undesired aspects, to possibly enjoy the rest of the episode.
As Brad’s country music competition begins, he and a singing coach instantly recognize Daphne as a star in the making, but one of them (*cough* Brad *cough*) doesn’t have the purest of intentions. While I don’t have a lot of familiarity with televised singing competitions, I’d like to think some of things that happen to Daphne don’t happen in real life. I mean some of the things Brad says or does may have been OK if Daphne wasn’t 14, but then there are some other things – one of which is particularly distasteful – that I think are completely out of line regardless of age. Again, I could be completely wrong about how things work in real world music competitions, but Brad seems solely focused on making sure his show is a success, to the point where he doesn’t really care about the competitors. All he seems to care about is getting the results he wants no matter who he hurts in the process. So it’s really heartbreaking to watch Daphne go through some of these things, as she is still a kid. While Deacon has warned her about how manipulative Brad can be, I feel like Daphne still doesn’t get that, even after what happens in this episode. She’s under the impression that everything Brad puts her through is to make her a better artist, not because she’s stupid, but because she’s still a kid. Like Maddie, she has no idea how the real world works; she’s just an impressionable teen who doesn’t know the extent of what she’s gotten herself into. She wants to be an artist now and believes this music competition will help her get there, yet she fails to realize just because something is the quickest way, it doesn’t make it the right way. I have a feeling she’ll get there eventually, but I hope she doesn’t get too badly hurt in the process.
Meanwhile, the unnecessary love triangle gets messier as Avery’s relationship with Alannah deepens. If there were any doubts about Alannah’s motives, this episode makes things perfectly clear about what or who she really wants. Like I’ve said before, I was a fan of the character when she was introduced, feeling she was a great addition to the cast. While I was on the fence about her after last week’s episode, I have completely changed my opinion based on one very unexpected decision. I feel like we don’t know the character well enough to decide if her actions toward the end of the episode are out of character or not, but the reasoning behind it, at least from the writer’s perspective, make sense. This development will definitely put a wrinkle in the future of The Last Highways, but I can’t really say more than that. Of course, what happens in this episode further strains relations with Gunnar and Avery. While the friends still have six remaining episodes to work things out, I’d rather watch them being there for each other than at each other’s throats. These two characters have come such a long way since season one, and I hate that some girl could derail this friendship, even momentarily. I know it wasn’t likely that viewers would get to see the three men and a baby trope for the rest of the season, but I feel like the guys could have still experienced conflict without it ruining their friendship. Watching Gunnar, Avery and Will struggle to make it as a band may have been a little repetitive, but I believe fans would have appreciated the excuse for all of them to share screen time, no matter the reason. However, now I’m not really looking forward to their scenes as I can’t stand to see them fight, especially over something so stupid.
As for Deacon and Jessie, they realize just how involved a process it’s going to be moving forward. When the pair decided to stay together and fight Brad’s custody suit, they knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I don’t think they realized just how hard it was going to be. The actual custody suit isn’t just going to the court, both sides presenting their arguments and a judge making a decision; it’s a process. There are lawyers and motions and depositions and testimonies and legal bills. This isn’t just going to be wrapped up in a week; it could drag on for months. Not to mention, how this process will affect Jake. These proceedings don’t just decide who Jake will live with, but it’ll be months of stress and uncertainty for him. His parents are essentially pitted against each other, and I wouldn’t put it past Brad to use his son as a pawn. One of the unexpected aspects of these proceedings also puts a strain on their relationship as both Deacon and Jessie have different opinions on how to handle it, both of which are very in line with the characters. So this episode really serves to put things into perspective for the couple moving forward. As for the remaining plot line, I’ll keep it short because it’s not really worth getting too much into. To the dismay of viewers, myself included, the series once again forces viewers to sit through more of Scarlett trying to save Sean. It’s boring, it’s repetitive and it’s painful to watch. Need I say more?
So hit the comments below to let me know your thoughts. What is the one particularly distasteful thing Brad does? What decision does Alannah make? What do Deacon and Jessie have differing opinions on?
