Overall, I really liked this episode, except for one issue. First, I really liked the introduction of Kelly Hu as Lena's replacement. She has a good vibe like she will fit in with the gang. I like that the show is addressing how past events could affect people like Artie. It actually would make sense for the Regents to always have a therapist around to help agents handle trauma. And I like when shows pay attention to continuity. That whole storyline felt very genuine. And the bit at the end made me tear up.
I also liked Claudia and Jenks' story with the racehorses. My favorite part is when Jenks straight up said he will not apologize for reporting Artie. He was totally right that it's more dangerous in the long run to ignore a safety issue. And again, there's continuity by citing his past training. He's focused on the team and their mission succeeding. And it also made sense for Claudia to be more emotional but to come around to logic in the end.
My issue was with the magician storyline. It was all going well until they got to Joel Grey's character. I loved briefly seeing Steve Valentine, who I believe is a real magician as well as actor, which is why he plays that part so often - as the trivia here points out. I was kind of sad he wasn't the focus of the episode. But I forgot Grey's name was in the credits and he still had to show up. I suppose we're to assume the character Val also died? It was played like his life didn't matter.
Because it was almost like whoever wrote the first half of the story didn't talk to whoever wrote the second half. Like a complete change of direction that came out of nowhere and suddenly the show needed to get all heartwarming, no matter what we just saw, which was innocent people being frozen then horrifyingly splatted on the ground in front of onlookers.
It made absolutely no sense when Pete and Mika confronted Monty that they kept saying the artifact "might be dangerous". Never once did they say "you've accidentally killed two innocent people and probably also a third!" I feel like every other episode would have had Pete and Mika rushing to save Val from dying. And once Pete was effected, there would be real suspense because his life would be in danger.
But this episode never once mentioned the dead people once they met Monty or Rose. For all they knew, Monty was controlling the artifact and he might kill others. Even if they were trying to spare his feelings, they never once even mention people were dying to Rose until the end and then it was a footnote.
The writing made the shmaltzy scenes with Monty seem very forced and obvious. And it didn't have to be because Grey's acting was so far superior to the script. You really do feel empathy for Monty getting older. He shows real vulnerability. Grey totally could have handled acting some suspense also. The story felt a little patronizing when it didn't have to and completely pulled me out of the episode. I certainly never felt one ounce of sympathy for the granddaughter. Her whole part was written very two dimensionally as a plot device.
Lastly, I couldn't take the bit at the end where Pete is told to stay in the car for safety but we're supposed to believe they forgot to close the sunroof. Claudia falling onto the horse was enough slapstick for one episode.
I would rate this higher if not for the writing issue. It made me wonder if someone messed with the original script. Like they felt the audience had to fall in love with Monty, so they had to erase all negativity related to the plot. It's a shame because whoever decided to tone police the last half of the episode undercut the emotion they were trying to create and really deprived Grey of the appreciation he deserved.
I also liked Claudia and Jenks' story with the racehorses. My favorite part is when Jenks straight up said he will not apologize for reporting Artie. He was totally right that it's more dangerous in the long run to ignore a safety issue. And again, there's continuity by citing his past training. He's focused on the team and their mission succeeding. And it also made sense for Claudia to be more emotional but to come around to logic in the end.
My issue was with the magician storyline. It was all going well until they got to Joel Grey's character. I loved briefly seeing Steve Valentine, who I believe is a real magician as well as actor, which is why he plays that part so often - as the trivia here points out. I was kind of sad he wasn't the focus of the episode. But I forgot Grey's name was in the credits and he still had to show up. I suppose we're to assume the character Val also died? It was played like his life didn't matter.
Because it was almost like whoever wrote the first half of the story didn't talk to whoever wrote the second half. Like a complete change of direction that came out of nowhere and suddenly the show needed to get all heartwarming, no matter what we just saw, which was innocent people being frozen then horrifyingly splatted on the ground in front of onlookers.
It made absolutely no sense when Pete and Mika confronted Monty that they kept saying the artifact "might be dangerous". Never once did they say "you've accidentally killed two innocent people and probably also a third!" I feel like every other episode would have had Pete and Mika rushing to save Val from dying. And once Pete was effected, there would be real suspense because his life would be in danger.
But this episode never once mentioned the dead people once they met Monty or Rose. For all they knew, Monty was controlling the artifact and he might kill others. Even if they were trying to spare his feelings, they never once even mention people were dying to Rose until the end and then it was a footnote.
The writing made the shmaltzy scenes with Monty seem very forced and obvious. And it didn't have to be because Grey's acting was so far superior to the script. You really do feel empathy for Monty getting older. He shows real vulnerability. Grey totally could have handled acting some suspense also. The story felt a little patronizing when it didn't have to and completely pulled me out of the episode. I certainly never felt one ounce of sympathy for the granddaughter. Her whole part was written very two dimensionally as a plot device.
Lastly, I couldn't take the bit at the end where Pete is told to stay in the car for safety but we're supposed to believe they forgot to close the sunroof. Claudia falling onto the horse was enough slapstick for one episode.
I would rate this higher if not for the writing issue. It made me wonder if someone messed with the original script. Like they felt the audience had to fall in love with Monty, so they had to erase all negativity related to the plot. It's a shame because whoever decided to tone police the last half of the episode undercut the emotion they were trying to create and really deprived Grey of the appreciation he deserved.
