(320-word review) For me, the character moments between the main cast of characters and the return of Faith Coleman (Alicia Coppola) were the things that made this episode. I wasn't a fan when I discovered this was her last appearance, according to TMDB, as her character seemed primed for a constant reappearance. Maybe I'm biased because I'd have loved that to be the case; Alicia's not only gorgeous but also brings a certain charm to her acting performances.
The plot wasn't all that engaging, not to mention some of the performances (not by the main cast) felt "inexperienced." Particularly Anne Judson-Yager, the actress who played Emmy Poole. It could've been intentional for the character because of the directing by James Whitmore Jr. Or the writing by Frank Cardea, but her performance didn't seem "up to par."
She even reminded me of Juliette Danielle (Lisa) in The Room. Although no actress, especially Oscar-winners, can compare to the talents of Juliette, who deserved one for her incredible performance in that film.
However, as far as performances are concerned, Vincent Angell (Bruce Webb) gave a decent one, at least at the end; his performance was one of the ones that "felt inexperienced" up to that point.
Also, the directing/writing/editing (whichever, I don't know who's most responsible in this context) seemed off. The writing aspect accounted for it in the sense of it all making sense; the purpose/explanation presented beforehand (only the worst writing would have scenes and no prior notice/set-up), but the episode kept jumping, scene-to-scene. It was quick and sudden, almost leaving no time to "catch up."
So, overall, the character moments between the main cast of characters and the return of Faith Coleman, especially her interactions with Gibbs, were the highlights. They were sufficient to make this episode decent enough despite the not-that-engaging plot and how some of the performances/their delivery of dialogue almost seemed less than mediocre.
The plot wasn't all that engaging, not to mention some of the performances (not by the main cast) felt "inexperienced." Particularly Anne Judson-Yager, the actress who played Emmy Poole. It could've been intentional for the character because of the directing by James Whitmore Jr. Or the writing by Frank Cardea, but her performance didn't seem "up to par."
She even reminded me of Juliette Danielle (Lisa) in The Room. Although no actress, especially Oscar-winners, can compare to the talents of Juliette, who deserved one for her incredible performance in that film.
However, as far as performances are concerned, Vincent Angell (Bruce Webb) gave a decent one, at least at the end; his performance was one of the ones that "felt inexperienced" up to that point.
Also, the directing/writing/editing (whichever, I don't know who's most responsible in this context) seemed off. The writing aspect accounted for it in the sense of it all making sense; the purpose/explanation presented beforehand (only the worst writing would have scenes and no prior notice/set-up), but the episode kept jumping, scene-to-scene. It was quick and sudden, almost leaving no time to "catch up."
So, overall, the character moments between the main cast of characters and the return of Faith Coleman, especially her interactions with Gibbs, were the highlights. They were sufficient to make this episode decent enough despite the not-that-engaging plot and how some of the performances/their delivery of dialogue almost seemed less than mediocre.
