“Can this just be okay?”
Season 4 of Louie has made it abundantly clear that our titular character has women and relationship problems: he’s slept with a model, he’s learned something from the woman he spent time with in “So Did the Fat Lady”, and he’s had a connection with Amia, but at the end of it all, he’s left with very little. So, as we saw in “Pamela Part 1”, he attempted to force Pamela to have sex with him, to rekindle a flame that he desperately hoped was still there.
“Wake up the bitch.”
Throughout this episode, we see a Jack Bauer who goes through an emotional journey, starting out more aggressive than usual before denial, hurt, and eventually acceptance seep into his demeanor. Most of the time, he’s been able to pull a rabbit out of a hat and figure out how to solve seemingly impossible problems, but here, he’s helpless as both the President of the United States and a respected colleague walks away to his death.
The Children of the Forest serve as a bit of a metaphor for all the other children in the show thus far: the beings that Bran comes across in this episode are ancient, beings that have been in the same place for who knows how long. The aforementioned “other children” have been trapped by their parents’ doings, destined to live out the rest of their lives in their parents’ shadows. That’s the very essence of the Iron Throne, isn’t it? It’s desired by many and is the most powerful position in the land, but it passes down through generations.
When Orphan Black is on its game, there are very few shows that can touch it. Whereas last week was a bit of a misfire, this week throws us right back into the thick of things with gusto, brilliantly setting up what should be a satisfying and exciting season finale.
It’s hard to define ‘love’, as the inmates attempt to do, but one thing’s for certain: on Valentine’s Day, everyone is searching for that elusive feeling, trying to find some form of connection; it doesn’t always end well, though, and what we oftentimes get is heartbreak and disappointment.
Father and son exchange blows. Pan up along two pairs of entwined legs, legs that belong to Starbuck and Baltar in a passionate bout of lovemaking. The former calls out Lee’s name. Sexy. Baltar doesn’t think so. It’s Galactica Sharon now, torn, with a gun in her mouth. It’s Caprica Sharon, shot and captured by Helo. He can’t bring himself to finish her off, and Galactica Sharon can’t do it, either.
As the race war in Litchfield progresses, the feud becomes not only about the individual women and the conflicts between them, but also about the various races as a whole. Issues of incarceration, privilege, and even hypertension are brought up at different points throughout the episode, and the inmates are very well aware of class and race issues that are ever present in both the prison culture and the world in general.
Lorna Morello has always been one of the more sympathetic characters in this show: a bit obsessive, yes, but then again, it’s completely understandable that she would need to cling onto something in order to make it through the day. However, this episode takes her situation to a whole new level, shading in a very disturbing side to her character.
Oftentimes, Louie takes you on an emotional journey, sliding you headfirst into some of the richest storytelling and acting on television. This is truly a show that makes full use of the artistic potential of the medium, and “In the Woods” is a beautiful and moving exploration of Louie’s past.
This episode has Jack Bauer driving like a badass through the streets of London, punching random dudes on the street, stealing cars and stealing from homeless people, and narrowly avoiding a bunch of huge explosions while transporting the dying daughter of a terrorist–who, by the way, wants to kill her daughter–away from a hospital that was just hit by a drone strike. A+
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