Post by M.A.Y. on Nov 27, 2002 7:07:27 GMT -5
Lost in The Dark....
This was another mixed bag. But finally an episode where Nick is front and centre! Hollander had Nick involved in every story-line, and that's the way it should be.
Tonight we saw Nick become lost in the darkness of the lives of the people around him and he suffered for it. Everyone he tried to help dragged him down and then returned to business as usual by show's end as though nothing had happened. The final scene at LSP was brutal for Nick. For the entire episode he watched both James and Alvin spiral out of control as their problems became his and had a negative impact on his own life. All his effort on their behalf and it was almost as if the efforts he made were all for nothing. And for Nick it must have seemed like a slap in the face. From Nick's expression at the end of the episode it seems as though he may fall back into his old ways and keep everyone at a distance because he must now be thinking "why the hell should I help anyone?!"
The best stuff in this episode was Burton & Nick. We had comic relief ("why the hell are you listening to country music!? we live in the city!") and the tension that makes the show so good ("the phone never rings, nothing ever moves...you need a friend!"). I love to watch when circumstances force father and son together and we get to see them struggle with each other. It always makes for such great stuff. Compare the scenes in this episode to the stuff we got in the Neighborhood and the difference is clear.
I have to agree with Burton on this one with respect to how Nick mishandled the client. He really should have been able to handle it, and his calling his father's temporary blindness a convenient excuse was a low blow. His lashing out in anger at his father's accurate assessment of his life shows that he knows that Burton was speaking the truth.
I liked the story-line with James. It gave some great dramatic weight to the episode, with a very strong performance by the actor playing James. The story-line regarding Alvin, on the other hand, was pathetic. I don't usually find his character very interesting anyway, but tonight he was unbearable! I wish that Hollander had replaced the Alvin story with an opportunity for Nick and Lulu to interact. Watching Nick & Lulu just pass each other in the offices of LSP without any meaningful dialogue between them was disappointing and irritating! The last few episodes were all part of the "November sweeps", a time when the show was supposed to give us great episodes that should have built excitement and tension. The relationship between Nick & Lulu is a perfect way to accomplish that and is also a great hook for viewers. Who doesn't like to watch two people struggle with trying to get together? I think that Hollander really let us down. I t will be a week or two until the next new episode and what have we to look forward to?
This episode could represent a turning point for Nick--a turn for the worse that is. Burton's comment on the bridge to Nick about his being isolated and that this isolation could end up hurting Nick appears to be foreshadowing. I suspect that in episodes to come we will watch Nick unravel--hopefully not into drugs but perhaps emotionally.
Overall, still an enjoyable episode where the good outweighed the bad. But is seems that Hollander himself may be lost in the dark.
This was another mixed bag. But finally an episode where Nick is front and centre! Hollander had Nick involved in every story-line, and that's the way it should be.
Tonight we saw Nick become lost in the darkness of the lives of the people around him and he suffered for it. Everyone he tried to help dragged him down and then returned to business as usual by show's end as though nothing had happened. The final scene at LSP was brutal for Nick. For the entire episode he watched both James and Alvin spiral out of control as their problems became his and had a negative impact on his own life. All his effort on their behalf and it was almost as if the efforts he made were all for nothing. And for Nick it must have seemed like a slap in the face. From Nick's expression at the end of the episode it seems as though he may fall back into his old ways and keep everyone at a distance because he must now be thinking "why the hell should I help anyone?!"
The best stuff in this episode was Burton & Nick. We had comic relief ("why the hell are you listening to country music!? we live in the city!") and the tension that makes the show so good ("the phone never rings, nothing ever moves...you need a friend!"). I love to watch when circumstances force father and son together and we get to see them struggle with each other. It always makes for such great stuff. Compare the scenes in this episode to the stuff we got in the Neighborhood and the difference is clear.
I have to agree with Burton on this one with respect to how Nick mishandled the client. He really should have been able to handle it, and his calling his father's temporary blindness a convenient excuse was a low blow. His lashing out in anger at his father's accurate assessment of his life shows that he knows that Burton was speaking the truth.
I liked the story-line with James. It gave some great dramatic weight to the episode, with a very strong performance by the actor playing James. The story-line regarding Alvin, on the other hand, was pathetic. I don't usually find his character very interesting anyway, but tonight he was unbearable! I wish that Hollander had replaced the Alvin story with an opportunity for Nick and Lulu to interact. Watching Nick & Lulu just pass each other in the offices of LSP without any meaningful dialogue between them was disappointing and irritating! The last few episodes were all part of the "November sweeps", a time when the show was supposed to give us great episodes that should have built excitement and tension. The relationship between Nick & Lulu is a perfect way to accomplish that and is also a great hook for viewers. Who doesn't like to watch two people struggle with trying to get together? I think that Hollander really let us down. I t will be a week or two until the next new episode and what have we to look forward to?
This episode could represent a turning point for Nick--a turn for the worse that is. Burton's comment on the bridge to Nick about his being isolated and that this isolation could end up hurting Nick appears to be foreshadowing. I suspect that in episodes to come we will watch Nick unravel--hopefully not into drugs but perhaps emotionally.
Overall, still an enjoyable episode where the good outweighed the bad. But is seems that Hollander himself may be lost in the dark.