Well folks, I didn't mean to disappear quite that long from the blogging world. No reason for it, really. Just one of those weeks where I didn't seem to have much to say. However, now we have a new Doyle, so let's dive into that.
This week on Doyle, Des conducts perhaps the most inept convenience store robbery short of using a hand carved musket (this has actually happened in St. John's, by the way), things get testy between Jake and the Crown, Leslie shows some spirit for the first time this season and, oh yeah who the heck is Des Courtney? Because as it turns out, he doesn't exist.
The string of good Doyle episodes keeps on rolling here. There might have been better ones this season but there haven't been any better balanced, I think. There were a lot of characters rolling around here and they all got their moments to shine. Jake got to be annoyed, surprisingly concerned, clever (dropping the GPS) and deeply stupid (Not knowing what Special K was, and not knowing where the skateboarders hang out. That was actually bad expository writing, but anyway). Mal got to be fatherly, Rose got to be motherly (she got to be smart in figuring out who Des's father is and caring in knowing what he's going through and offering to help while keeping his secret. Nice stuff). Tinny wasn't annoying, the Crown was a bit of a bitch, but for surprising reasons and Leslie was not a total ditz.
And the mystery was good as well. Why did Des try to rob a convenience store? Why can't he remember anything? Why was he wearing snorkeling equipment (alas, never explained). It was a nice putting together of all the pieces. I can also believe the police not having any interest, because it's a pretty open and shut case for them (let's just say the RNC have a history of this sort of thing). Oh, and for those wondering, the Veiled Virgin is real. I'm still trying to figure out if they shot inside the Basillica. I kind of doubt it, though.
Writing like this is trickier to pull off than you might think. A decent mystery and giving everyone a few moments to shine. Hell, they made Des interesting, and he's never been one of my favourite characters. They made Tinny interesting, something I would have thought was impossible.
And seriously, thank God they gave Leslie something to do other than mope about and cry this week. There was a little bit of feistiness there. A little of the old "I can't believe I'm letting this lunatic talk me into this". Although the mayor has to go as a character. Not because he's disrupting Jake and Leslie from being together, but because he's annoying and kind of flat. People don't like the Crown, but hell, no one can say she's boring. She's been better written than Leslie this season by a mile.
Oh, and thank god she isn't married to the mayor. We can finally put that theory to bed.
Granted, I think the run of good episodes comes to an end next week with the return of author Garrison Steele, a character I loathed last season, but we shall see. I had low expectation for a Des-centric episode and it turned out great.
Quotes of the week:
"He was at I'se The Guys, the male strip club." - Jake (I'se The Guys, by the way, is right up there with Wiggs Dinner as an all time great Doyle name.)
"Des, you're not going to last two minutes in real jail." - Tinny
"You're going to get me disbarred, you know. I am an officer of the court!" - Walter. I will say this again: More Walter, goddamn it.
"What are you doing?!"
"I planted a GPS in his backpack."
"Oh good, I thought you were losing it." - Mal and Jake after Jake smacked around a suspect. The fact Mal has more respect for Jake these days is one of the nice developments of this season.
"Leslie, so sorry to get you out of your nice, warm bed." - Jake. And it's not just the quote, but the fantastic smirk he makes when saying it.
"You're like the son I never had." - Mal to Des, proving he's still not above taking the piss out of Jake from time to time.
Last Five
1. Everlasting light - The Black Keys
2. Losing you - Neil Diamond
3. Novelty - Pathological Lovers
4. Rocking horse - The Dead Weather
5. Compliments - Band of Horses
This week on Doyle, Des conducts perhaps the most inept convenience store robbery short of using a hand carved musket (this has actually happened in St. John's, by the way), things get testy between Jake and the Crown, Leslie shows some spirit for the first time this season and, oh yeah who the heck is Des Courtney? Because as it turns out, he doesn't exist.
The string of good Doyle episodes keeps on rolling here. There might have been better ones this season but there haven't been any better balanced, I think. There were a lot of characters rolling around here and they all got their moments to shine. Jake got to be annoyed, surprisingly concerned, clever (dropping the GPS) and deeply stupid (Not knowing what Special K was, and not knowing where the skateboarders hang out. That was actually bad expository writing, but anyway). Mal got to be fatherly, Rose got to be motherly (she got to be smart in figuring out who Des's father is and caring in knowing what he's going through and offering to help while keeping his secret. Nice stuff). Tinny wasn't annoying, the Crown was a bit of a bitch, but for surprising reasons and Leslie was not a total ditz.
And the mystery was good as well. Why did Des try to rob a convenience store? Why can't he remember anything? Why was he wearing snorkeling equipment (alas, never explained). It was a nice putting together of all the pieces. I can also believe the police not having any interest, because it's a pretty open and shut case for them (let's just say the RNC have a history of this sort of thing). Oh, and for those wondering, the Veiled Virgin is real. I'm still trying to figure out if they shot inside the Basillica. I kind of doubt it, though.
Writing like this is trickier to pull off than you might think. A decent mystery and giving everyone a few moments to shine. Hell, they made Des interesting, and he's never been one of my favourite characters. They made Tinny interesting, something I would have thought was impossible.
And seriously, thank God they gave Leslie something to do other than mope about and cry this week. There was a little bit of feistiness there. A little of the old "I can't believe I'm letting this lunatic talk me into this". Although the mayor has to go as a character. Not because he's disrupting Jake and Leslie from being together, but because he's annoying and kind of flat. People don't like the Crown, but hell, no one can say she's boring. She's been better written than Leslie this season by a mile.
Oh, and thank god she isn't married to the mayor. We can finally put that theory to bed.
Granted, I think the run of good episodes comes to an end next week with the return of author Garrison Steele, a character I loathed last season, but we shall see. I had low expectation for a Des-centric episode and it turned out great.
Quotes of the week:
"He was at I'se The Guys, the male strip club." - Jake (I'se The Guys, by the way, is right up there with Wiggs Dinner as an all time great Doyle name.)
"Des, you're not going to last two minutes in real jail." - Tinny
"You're going to get me disbarred, you know. I am an officer of the court!" - Walter. I will say this again: More Walter, goddamn it.
"What are you doing?!"
"I planted a GPS in his backpack."
"Oh good, I thought you were losing it." - Mal and Jake after Jake smacked around a suspect. The fact Mal has more respect for Jake these days is one of the nice developments of this season.
"Leslie, so sorry to get you out of your nice, warm bed." - Jake. And it's not just the quote, but the fantastic smirk he makes when saying it.
"You're like the son I never had." - Mal to Des, proving he's still not above taking the piss out of Jake from time to time.
Last Five
1. Everlasting light - The Black Keys
2. Losing you - Neil Diamond
3. Novelty - Pathological Lovers
4. Rocking horse - The Dead Weather
5. Compliments - Band of Horses
3 comments:
My fav quote of the nite:
"I don't like taking cold pills, they make my teeth itch" - Des
I had one minor quibble with last night's episode, that speaks more to lazy writing than anything.
When the Crown is at the bar with her husband, and sees Jake, she tells him, "I didn't expect to see you here," without the faintest whiff of irony. This, despite the fact that Jake is a part-owner of the bar (something the Crown actually mentions later in the episode) and his office is upstairs.
It didn't seem like they were playing it as a joke or that she was actually hoping Jake would see her there, so the only explanation I can come up with is lazy writing.
That said, I'm mostly just being nitpicky here. It was overall one of the better episodes of the season; it was definitely well-balanced, like you've said.
I think there should be a Des fan club. He's brilliant.
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