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November 1, 2006: "All About Eva"
Tonight really was “All About Eva.” What I found most interesting was how easily Nick and Kathryn’s opinion of Eva was swayed. Granted, there was some convincing evidence that she may have been involved in the robbery, but the bond the hostages share seemed so strong that I was a little surprised that they seriously suspected that Eva was an accomplice. In the flashbacks, Eva does appear to behave suspiciously, and the connection between her ex-boyfriend Carlos and Randall seemed a bit too coincidental. In fact, the writers did such a terrific job of convincing me that Eva may have been involved that now I am not completely satisfied with how she was exonerated; there are some loose ends. One example: what did Randall say to her when she came back with Lucas? Another example would be the plane tickets to Phoenix, which are particularly hard for me to understand. It never seemed like the connection between Nick and Eva was that strong. It appeared that they had a simple flirtation — not enough of a relationship that Eva would move plane tickets three times hoping he might ask her out. Perhaps I am being too hard on the show, but some of these things were not fleshed out enough for me. I am still very interested in the story, and a lot of that is due to some strong performances on the part of the cast.
Chi McBride’s character is more likable as each week passes. He does an excellent job of simultaneously portraying strength and vulnerability. I feel very sympathetic toward him. Juggling work at the bank and his feelings of responsibility to the other hostages (including the security guard who lost his life) as well as to his family must be completely overwhelming. What I found particularly perturbing was the bank's offering the security guard’s widow $43,000 as a settlement. Essentially $43,000 for his life. It’s chilling to think about how much your life is “worth.” And apparently when bidding on a life, it is best to start low and see if you can get any takers.
Again, Randall was humanized a bit more this week. In the flashbacks, he shows some compassion toward the security guard. Actually it is Lucas who seems cold and calculating — running to find a getaway car, forcing Eva to talk on the phone, taking her outside of the bank while holding a gun to her head. Surely as more of the robbery is revealed, Lucas will emerge as the “good” one, unless we are being completely misled as to the hostages’ feelings toward him. But I have to admit that — based solely on what we have seen so far and while I understand why Lucas helped to save his brother’s life — I feel some sympathy toward Randall. The sob that escaped him as he realized Lucas’ intentions was really gut-wrenching. Betrayal is a very disturbing thing, especially between family members. Yes, I am sure that Randall was an absolute monster inside the bank. But the thought of completely abandoning your brother also seems like a monstrous thing to do.
One final thought: the flashback scene — in which Eva confided in Nick that she felt her luck was about to change and all the hard things she was going through were about to end — was extremely sad. Usually on television, when a character is in a life-threatening situation and says that he has a feeling he will be fine and make it through, he does. Not in Eva’s case. And that felt very real. The fragility of life is not always candidly addressed on television (for obvious reasons), and the people behind The Nine should be proud that they touched on something honest.
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Nov 2, 2006 12:24 AM
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I am officially hooked on "The Nine." I've been considering whether or not to wtach it in the past few weeks, but this one clinched it for me.
One thing I'm not sure on is whether or not Eva has really been absolved. I was written a paper as I was writing, so maybe I missed something, but I don't think we know yet if they bought Franny's story.
I am really loving the dynamic between the two brothers/bank robbers. Last week I couldn't stand Randall, but this week I felt a little sorry for him. I can completely understand why Lucas did what he did. But it was cold to say the least. Lucas is the "good" one, but he isn't that good, which I love.
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Nov 2, 2006 1:07 AM
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I LOVE this show! I also don't think that Eva would postpone her move for what looked like mostly a crush. I'm also loving the chemistry between Nick and Kathryn. I am not happy about Jeremy pursuing Franny. I just want him to do the right thing! It's still early in the series, so I guess we've got a while to see if the two of them fizzle out quickly.
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Nov 2, 2006 1:10 AM
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I also am not absolving Eva just yet. Kathryn and Nick should have done more digging before going to Franny though about their suspicions. They did drop the issue awfully quick after her explaination of the plane tickets. I personally am not ruling out Franny either for the inside job. My suspicion meter is definitely up about the two sisters.
I also don't like that Jeremy is pursuing Franny. He seems to be throwing away a long term relationship pretty quickly. And now he has a kid on the way so it seems even more unseemly. Almost Kevin Federline like.
I did feel a bit sorry for Randall as well. His brother kept him alive just to point the finger at him. Smart legal move but it ends their brotherly relationship forever. Not a good night for Lucas. He needs to show a lot in the next 2 days of the robbery to redeem himself. He put Eva in the line of fire. That is going to stick in my mind.
I don't believe for a second that the bank would offer that low of a number in real life. It seems like they would want some good press and offering the widow a lot of money would give them some sympathy and good will. The low number doesn't accomplish anything. It shows them as cold and maybe forces some people to take their business elsewhere. That just didn't make sense to me. I do like the C. McBride's character stuck his neck out for the widow. Good for him.
I also can't believe we are still in hour 1 of the robbery. How long did the producers think this show was going to last? That part is starting to bug me a little. I still love the show. This just wasn't my favorite episode of the season. I would say it was my least favorite.
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Nov 2, 2006 3:33 AM
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I'm really sure that at least one rape occured in that bank, and I think it was probably Lucas and Felicia. I've had that vibe from the beginning but when Randall's lawyer said something tonight about Lucas having affectionate feelings toward Felicia, and the way her mother is acting, it just adds up for me.
I thought tonight's episode was one of the better ones.
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Nov 2, 2006 3:36 AM
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If Lucas raped Felicia or attempted to rape her, I don't think any of the other captives would feel compassion toward the guy like they do. That wouldn't make sense. It would seem like Randall was the one who tried to do something to Felicia and Lucas stopped him.
I do have to admit that sometimes I get Lucas and Randall mixed up. I have to remember which one is which.
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Nov 2, 2006 4:09 AM
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Oh, I agree, I had thought all along it would be Randall, but after tonight's show, I think we saw a little different side of Lucas. We'll have to wait and see, although the turtle's pace this thing is moving, we could never know!
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Nov 2, 2006 5:39 AM
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I really liked last night's episode. I loved that Kathryn seemed to have a bigger part than she has so far. I can see how with all the evidence and her background as a DA she would see a connection between Eva and the events of the robbery. There had to be something to her suspicions that made Nick look into them as well. I don;t know if that storyline is over. After all the digging they did, they just believe that Eva would change travel plans on the chance of a date- that doesn't add up right.
I can't wait to see more of Kathryn and Nick. Next week's previews look great! It looks like Ed is going to propose. I sort of want Kathryn and Nick to end up together!
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Nov 2, 2006 9:18 AM
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I'm getting more on the fence with this show. Guess I'm getting impatient in my old age. However, I'm reserving judgement on the whole Jeremy/Franny thing. Lizzie is the one pulling away from Jeremy. Until we know what happened between them in the bank, I don't know what to think about his hooking up with Franny. He did tell Lizzie he would be there for her and the baby in anyway she needed or wanted so he is trying to do the "right" thing.
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Nov 2, 2006 10:59 AM
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I like this show more and more every week! Terrific episode and I liked the way the flashbacks are spread out throughout the show. But I'm sorry, the line Franny gave Nick & Kathryn about why Eva changed her tickets just does not sound plausible to me. Nick & Eva did not have any kind of relationship. Why would she change plane tickets 3 times just because a customer flirted with her? (I'm sure lots of customers flirt with bank tellers.) I like Eva but she was acting way too suspiciously when she came back in and Randall was talking to her and the coincedences are a little too much for me to believe. I guess we'll see...
Chi McBride did an excellent performance this week and I LOVED how he had all the proof that he had asked for more safety features and corporate denied all the requests. He is not responsible for the guard's death!
And I also don't like that Jeremy is pursuing Franny so much. Shouldn't he be trying to get back together with Lizzie? We still have no clues as to what happened between them.
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Nov 2, 2006 11:33 AM
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Lucas didn't save his brother to point the finger at him. He did it because the group decided because they wanted him to face the trial. Lucas was going to let his brother die because that's what Randall had decided to do. I don't feel bad for Randall at all.
I don't think the Eva storyline is done. The plane ticket explanations was too flimsy.
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Nov 2, 2006 4:14 PM
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Lucas's lawyer told him that it would be easier for him at trial if Randall was still alive. So yes he did do it partly to point the finger at Randall. Like I said, very smart legal move by his legal team.
While it is true that the captives did ask him to do this, Lucas probably had his own interests in mind as well.
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Nov 2, 2006 5:24 PM
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Great show. However is kind of strange that the police wouldnt look into each of the captives lifes and look for the possible inside job... weird.
Eva story is not done... I don't like Franny... think shes suspicious or at least the sweety she portrays. There's something about her... either she knows something or was part of something.
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Nov 2, 2006 5:46 PM
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Eva's storyline is definitely not over. I not only think she was involved in some way with the robbery, I think Franny was also, or at least knew about it - that's why she reacted so quickly and dramatically when she learned they were suspicious.
This show definitely has me hooked.
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Nov 2, 2006 6:46 PM
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This show has sucked me right in! I'm convinced that Eva was part of the bank robbery and that she changed her tickets for exactly the reason that Nick came up with earlier in the show. Why? Nobody would be crazy enough to change their tickets three times in the hopes that a guy would ask them out. Come on! All of which leads me to believe that Franny was fully aware of what was going on and may even have had a part in the robbery. I'm also having second thoughts about Lucas. Randall may not be as bad as we think and, conversely, Lucas may not be as good as we think. Three cheers for Chi McBride's character (I can't remember his name) for trying to do the right thing! ABC has another winner!
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Nov 2, 2006 11:19 PM
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