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Episode Recap: "His Visit: Day Six"
This episode added more intricate designs in the spider web that is John from Cincinnati. I have to say, right now I can't help but feel a little entangled, but I hope to stand back and admire the beauty when all is said and done. The complexity of the character interaction certainly makes this show fun to watch as the many seemingly unrelated (but definitely related) events keep building toward whatever climax Milch has planned for us.
Here are some things I enjoyed about this episode:
Dwayne mentioned to Butchie that his website had 1,244 hits in the past 24 hours and referred to it as the "halo effect." Yes, this is a widely used term used to define the carryover popularity between two closely related things (or in this case, people), but I'm guessing it was inserted into the script for obvious reasons. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy…Zippy? Could be... Could be...
When a very sick Palaka showed up at the surf shop with the lawyer right behind him, I loved how Cissy immediately jumped to the conclusion that the lawyer was an ambulance chaser. Talk about skepticism! If that really were the case, I'd almost have to applaud his tenacity.
I don't fully comprehend the Linc-Tina relationship. She admitted to Jake that the deal she reached with Linc amounted to 4k per month as long as Shaun remains under contract, but was that part of her wily ruse? Shaun isn't actually under contract with Stinkweed, as we were reminded during the awkward confrontation between him and Butchie outside the surf shop in the beginning. Also, how come Tina was so loyal to Linc anyway? It didn't seem money motivated; she genuinely appears to like him. Might there be history between those two that we aren't aware of at this point? Oh, and as an aside, when Jake was interviewing Tina in the hotel room, I couldn't help but notice the resemblance between her and Shaun. Those two could definitely be related!
I love when Barry saw Dr. Smith smoking and asked him if all the fuss about smoking was over nothing. Now that I think of it, Barry had a few funny moments in this episode. Matt Winston utilizes his whole body to convey his character. If you blinked, you might have missed the way he pranced timidly about the hotel room like he was afraid he was going to break when the doctor was attending to Palaka.
John once again appeared in multiple places at the same time: Cissy's, Bill's, the hotel, Cass' room (she finally appeared to see the magic), and the ocean with Shaun and Butchie. I noticed a weird moment while Ramon was attempting to play the trumpet and John was easily visible behind him. The camera cut to Dr. Smith for a second, who happened to be looking at Ramon (and consequently John), but when it flashed back to Ramon via Dr. Smith's point of view, John was nowhere to be seen. Intentional? I have to imagine Milch and company scrutinize every frame to ensure continuity, so I'm going to assume that meant something. Could Dr. Smith even see him at all during his little "visit"?
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Jul 23, 2007 12:02 AM
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Props must be given the Luke Perry (sp?) for the excellent job he's doing. Just when I thought he was going to be limited to the reptillian, Linc is demonstrating some humanity after all.
Of course, walking away from Stinkweed with $65M would ease the departure from the company he founded--built on Butchie's talent. (Personally, I'm for sale for much, much less than that.  )
However, if he signs "Convenant Not to Compete", as the lawyers call it, then he won't be able to personally rep Shaunie. Whether he could manage him, I don't know. Such convenants usually refer to the payee not starting a company to compete with his former one. Working freelance might not be covered by that.
Perry should be noticed for his nuanced portrayal. It's interesting to note that he could inspire trust, if not something more, in Tina; probably a woman with little reason, and less experience, to trust men, especially powerful, wealthy men. She seems, to me anyway, more and more like a wounded bird, someone who's hurting desperately and looking to make some real, human connections--and not just with Shaunie. The child she gave up but did not abandon.
I have to admit I didn't recognize Mark Paul Gosselar in his turn as the treacherous Jake. ("The money wants you out, Linc." And I wonder just how much prompting the money got from Jake to see that Linc's alleged "mid-life" crisis was a problem for Stinkweed; those of you who grew up in So. California don't need me to tell you from whence that name came; and if you do need help, ask a surfer...)
It's not, to my knowledge, against the law to pay someone to merely tell a lie. Unless it's suborning perjury or slanderous (which is rarely prosecuted as a crime in the US anymore).
But it would have certainly shown Jake to be an unethical businessman and probably deprived him of his chance to sit in the Big Chair Linc's vacating.
Once again, we saw John's fascination with the Naval Radio station out on Coronado (State Road 75, if your interested, on the way to Coronado Island). The place his highly, highly classified and it's impossible to get anywhere near it without finding one's self having a conversation, in handcuffs, with the Naval SP's (i.e. MPs).
Perhaps it was just me, but it seemed as though, tonite, John wasn't entirely certain as to what his mission (?) is. The scene where Cass tells him to "look here" (i.e. the heart) as he's told her was an interesting moment.
Grayson Fletcher's acting also continues to improve. The moment he had with his father in Bill Jack's house, simply stroking his father's hair, was a great one.
The interesting thing, to me, is that things seem to be settling down with the Yost clan, et al (exlcuding, of course, Cissy and Mitch's precarious marriage; but it's probably been precarious since she said "I do"). Of course, this can only be a harbinger of drama to come.
The omnious pronouncement by John, "Shaun will soon be gone" is also pregnant with the ambiguous possibilities that Milch loves to layer his storytelling in.
Can't wait till next week!
(BTW, does anyone else agree that the dialogue seemed particularly "Deadwood"-esque on tonite's ep?)
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Jul 23, 2007 6:03 AM
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What a strange trip we are on!
I really have trouble discussing this show. It's almost a hallucinogenic experience - not knowing if what you are seeing needs to be seen or is it just putting the viewer into the right state of mind for something coming up. John was popping up all over - first with Cissy of course. She seems to be the target of John's current therapy sessions - her standing in front of the kitchen sink with John appearing out back. What this means - I do not know.
Butchie has probably undergone the biggest transformation since Johns arrival. He no longer craves dope, he is starting to have a true relationship with his son and he has started to surf again.
My favorite scene of the show was Bill listening in on Shaun and Butchie's conversation. Very emotional!
Does anyone else think that this show is just a reincarnation of Deadwood with a bit of LSD thrown in for the hell of it?
Oh - as for life imitating art, I caught a news story last night discussing raw sewage from Tijuana dumping unfiltered into Imperial Beach.
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Jul 23, 2007 11:52 AM
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Try again...I hit the wrong button.
I really like this show, even though I can not understand it, or what is happening.
What does bother me very much is how the dialog sounds and is paced almost exactly like "Deadwood".
I loved Deadwood, and it seems like a different show should not sound the same.
Even though, I must admit, I do enjoy the pacing and delivery of the actors.
I also find it interesting that Milch tends to reuse the same actors from work he has done before.
It is fun to see actors from Deadwood being "re-used" on John.
Now, if I could only understand the show, it's meaning and what the heck is really going on!
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Jul 23, 2007 1:22 PM
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I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't understand what is going on. It's all kinda confusing. I don't know how much longer I can watch this without something, hell ANYTHING, becominf clearer.
best line of the epi: Is this about the as* fu*king?
"Barry" had the best lines this epi!
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Jul 23, 2007 4:18 PM
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