“Yankee” was about people operating in the same location as each other, but operating in seemingly disconnected manners; we saw characters out searching for answers, scattered, with feelings of isolation creeping in at every turn. “Ghost of a Flea” begins to move these characters toward each other again, and the more fluid nature of the episode serves as a significant improvement over the premiere.
Last week, Sonya’s and Marco’s scene together was strained with history and featured two characters who didn’t really know where to go, who we can tell needed a purpose. This week, that purpose is prevalent throughout and applies to nearly all our characters: it’s all about Eleanor Nacht in some way or another. Of course, a purpose doesn’t mean instantly repaired relationships or improved lives; rather, it means a temporary sense of direction in a world buffeting you from all sides. Marco’s and Sonya’s case reunion, for example, is born out of Marco’s relationship with Fausto Galvan, and we’re now walking a very delicate tightrope in which the relationships–good or bad–formed with those around you due to pure emotion can tear you apart or put you back together again.
Sonya’s and Hank’s rapport, for example, is starting to fray, and that’s because Sonya slept with Jack Dobbs last week out of a need for connection, a way to feel closer to her sister through Jim Dobbs. Essentially, because Hank put Jim Dobbs into this position, Sonya feels as if he’s the one who prevented her from finding answers, so the defensive side of her naturally slips out more often when talking to him. Hank, though, still acts as her father figure, confronting Jack Dobbs and telling him to stay away from her.
Going back to my point about Sonya being defensive, though, it’s interesting to note how similar she and Eleanor are. The former feels like she has to defend herself when she confesses she had sex with Dobbs, while the latter offers sex as a manipulation tool before she stabs Kyle in the gut. Both women don’t want to have to justify their actions, but they do partly because of societal values and mainly because there are elements of shame involved. They each want to be able to view themselves as in control, and those feelings manifest in the picking of the bathroom tiles, the tattoos, the no pink rule, the impulsive sex; however, it’s clear that they each have their own personal demons they haven’t overcome.
Potente’s fantastic in her role, and we’ll hopefully see more exploration of her psyche and her traits linked to the violence she dishes out rather than just violence for the sake of it. Honestly, as long as Eleanor doesn’t turn into another David Tate, we’ll be just fine.
GRADE: B
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-Daniel and Adriana are still as awesome as ever. Their trip through the drag club+Daniel getting punched makes for some intriguing television.
-I think the moral of this story is that teenage boys are very horny.
– “I like Call of Duty and pussy.”
Photo credit: FX, The Bridge
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