„Burt, fucking, Reynolds!?“
Reviewing a game like Saint’s Row: The Third might sound easy, but to me it’s a pretty hard thing to do. I’ve basically sunk 25 hours into a sandbox GTA-clone, 25 hours I spent running tanks out of airplanes, using a chainsaw in a wrestling match and racing gimp-pulled rikschas. And now I’m going to convince this game is not just clever, but well-thought out, too?!
“Got caught in the wrong cookie jar.” (Nucky)
After having given it some thought, I’m absolutely stunned at the fact this episode was just as disjointed as I thought it was going to be. It’s obvious: in an episode with Nucky in Belfast and Margaret’s girl coming down with polio, worlds couldn’t be further apart. What did surprise me, however, was how they adequately used Margaret’s story to play this out as a familiar theme: that just when she needs Nucky the most, he’s nowhere to be found.
“Sybil is entitled to her opinions.”
“No. She isn’t until she is married, then her husband will tell her what her opinions are.” (Lady Crawley and Violet)
For an upstairs-downstairs type show, this episode of Downton Abbey spent a lot of time with the layers’ seperate quarrels. On the one hand, there was the Sybill-conflict; on the other the whole questionable affair with Mr. Bates and the wine. Let’s have a closer look, shall we?
“My brother. He’s smarter than you are. And a lot more dangerous.” (Eli)
What an episode. What an episode! Sure, it was all set-up for the season’s final five episodes, but what a set-up it was! This was Boardwalk Empire as we’ve never seen it: small, emotional, and very, very sad.
“She thinks when you put a toy down it will still be sitting there when you want to play with it again.” (Robert)
In its fifth week, Downton Abbey either starts working on wrapping things up or on opening them up even further. Whereas, on a character level, certain characters have reached a new stage in their development towards wholesomeness, others are evolving towards the dark side. And what’s been hinted for a while has now become abundantly clear: Mary and Edith are both grade-A bitches.
“It doesn’t make a difference if you’re right or wrong. You just have to make a decision.” (Jimmy)
This week’s episode proved it’s easier to criticize than to be in charge. Every character who tried to control their destiny found themselves hindered by others. It’s the week of the little man on Boardwalk Empire.
“If she’s got a boyfriend, I’m a giraffe.” (O’Brian)
Now who doesn’t like the fair? I sure as hell don’t – today fairs are synonym for teenage kids drinking breezers and barfing on the bumper carts. But back when life was different, fairs were different, too. They filled some of the abbey’s inhabitants with childlike glee and showed us a further instance of how (and why) the old upstairs-downstairs system is falling apart.
“Now I’ve just got to figure out how to get home.” (Peter)
This must’ve been the most subtle plot twist ever. It took until about thirty minutes after the episode finished for me to get it. This is it. It’s the solution to the problem everyone’s been whining about. Yes, the six past episodes felt strange and un-fringelike. That’s because, hey hey, they’re set in another dimension. Way to sneak that one in there, guys.
“Yeah, I understand. You want Schlampen.” (Eddie)
For an episode called “The Age of Reason”, it certainly focused a lot on irrational guilt. It was like a confession, which makes sense after last week’s episode, which was sin all around. Almost every major character either opened up or was punished because they were hiding out. This is the set-up to the second half of the season. I can’t believe it.
“I’m not being ridiculous. No Englishman would *dream* of dying in someone else’s house – especially somebody they didn’t even know.” (Violet)
Well that was surely strange. Who would have ever thought people would die in a British costume drama? And that after causing that much intrigue? Downton Abbey is turning into quite the curious little thing.