In this episode the gloves come off.
Once again, I have to give credit to the writers. For a film supposedly about MMA, there are more body blows and knockout punches thrown in this episode than an entire season of UFC.
And all of them purely emotional.
I don't recall what the writers actually called the 'sode, but it might well have named "bad choices." The writing team clearly felt that, by this point, the viewers knew the characters well enough to take it all up a notch.
A risky strategy, but it paid off bigtime.
Alvey agrees to see his ex-wife on his own. Lisa not only agrees to this -- she has little choice -- but goes to see her ex-lover Ryan on her own. Nate by himself turns out to be the emotional traffic accident everyone suspected. And Jay, the most interesting character to come along in ages (of the many shows I watch and review) finds out an interesting truth about who he really is, and avoids making a really bad choice just in time. Finally Lisa -- played to a T by the remarkably cool and ever-gorgeous Sanchez -- makes the ultimate bad choice by suggesting Alvey sign over this gym for "legal reasons." (Logical. but when is life ever about logic?) Seriously this one single episode breaks down the frailty of the human situation better than any Paul Newman or Bette Davis film ever made. And in less than 45 minutes, all in.
According to urban legend, this show was so popular with its target audience that the network ordered 20 new episodes only after airing two of the very first two, of the 10 that made up Season 1.
And it was a smart choice.
Once again, I have to give credit to the writers. For a film supposedly about MMA, there are more body blows and knockout punches thrown in this episode than an entire season of UFC.
And all of them purely emotional.
I don't recall what the writers actually called the 'sode, but it might well have named "bad choices." The writing team clearly felt that, by this point, the viewers knew the characters well enough to take it all up a notch.
A risky strategy, but it paid off bigtime.
Alvey agrees to see his ex-wife on his own. Lisa not only agrees to this -- she has little choice -- but goes to see her ex-lover Ryan on her own. Nate by himself turns out to be the emotional traffic accident everyone suspected. And Jay, the most interesting character to come along in ages (of the many shows I watch and review) finds out an interesting truth about who he really is, and avoids making a really bad choice just in time. Finally Lisa -- played to a T by the remarkably cool and ever-gorgeous Sanchez -- makes the ultimate bad choice by suggesting Alvey sign over this gym for "legal reasons." (Logical. but when is life ever about logic?) Seriously this one single episode breaks down the frailty of the human situation better than any Paul Newman or Bette Davis film ever made. And in less than 45 minutes, all in.
According to urban legend, this show was so popular with its target audience that the network ordered 20 new episodes only after airing two of the very first two, of the 10 that made up Season 1.
And it was a smart choice.
