This episode is amazing with moments that change the course of the series forever. We say goodbye to a fan favorite and meet a new family member.
2 Reviews
Intense Episode!
wvugirl-407896 October 2019
Hopefully this white horse does not predict season 4
seattle-8641512 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I apologize, if this review lacks some sophisticated language. I do my best, but since German is my fist language, it is sometimes not easy to be articulate.
All the Pretty Horses" - let's start right there. I appreciate abstract images and metaphors, I really do. But they have to make sense. This one made sense on its own, predicting death. BUT, it did not make sense to have Charlie actually see the white horse. Unfortunately, that is the kind of inconsistency in the writing, which became obvious in the course of the second season and worsened ever since. While the writing itself still is on a fairly high level, it lacks the ability to stick to a created storyline and characters over time. This became very obvious, when Alex completely denied Charlie's confession of him seeing ghosts. Before that, Alex was constantly portrayed as someone open to accept some kind of spiritual world. A simple kid's drawing of a guy in a tuxedo could make her believe that Charlie might be out of his body". But when the time comes, the man she trusts and loves finally tells her about it - she thinks, he is lying or out of his mind. This is implausible and a huge flaw within the whole storyline.
We got to know Charlie being able to talk to dead or comatose people - not visualizing bad omen. Why should he - compared to anybody else - now see that white horse? Because he has some kind of supernatural abilities? Preceding this episode, the writers did everything to not make this show just another supernatural series, but giving the audience plausible reasons for this character to be different. Then they ruin it all for the use of one strong metaphor which easily could have been placed equally effective without using Charlie. Give it to another character in a dream, who is close to Joel. Or give it even to Alex, if you by all means want to keep the dramatic hint, the white horse might be an omen for complications while giving birth. But giving this image to Charlie, who actually sees it just like his ghosts", did not make any sense. It is not consistent with his abilities and it is also not consistent with his relationship with Joel.
I enjoyed the board test, giving that episode its light and funny moments. But over time, writers have to work on that superwoman-image of Alex. OK, she also did that, although already in labor. But if this heroine goes on being this perfect creature, this will cause the show to keep on loosing credibility. People - in this case 'female' - want to identify. Making her perfect does not make her more likable, but on the contrary, she becomes more and more abstract.
She is pregnant and does not know who is the father of her child. How believable is it, that everybody around her reacts without prejudice and condemnation? This would have been a great opportunity for the writers to add some edges and real worries to the character of Alex. Just have other characters talk about it snarkily - some nurses that are not main cast. That would have done the trick to be more authentic and show another, realistic view of a woman in that situation.
Same with the overused gay plots". Yes, in a perfect world everybody would be happy about girls kissing girls and men kissing men. Well, it is not a perfect world. And I strongly believe, that if this show does not start to put at least as much effort in becoming authentic as it does with the surgeries, there won't be a season five to enjoy. At some point, the producers/writers must decide, if they want this show to become just another soap-opera or if it is worthwhile to risk more.
With that said, I felt extremely uncomfortable with the ending of this episode.
First, there is this overkill" of Joel. Let's not dwell on why this character had to leave the show, for obviously TPTB and Mr. Gillies himself deliver different explanations. BUT, I cannot help to notice the overkill involved. The character got literally destroyed - for good. That leaves the audience with a certain image... even if it was not actually shown. Obviously it was done that way to make it easier on the Joel-fans to accept his character to be gone. But this kind of killing off a character does more than that. It is a way not only to get rid of him in the future, but to (dis-)qualify the meaning of this character altogether, including the past. The character is completely destroyed. This might be a legitimate dramatic move for a TV-show, but personally I feel, the need to create an insuperable distance to a character that left a show, is disrespectful towards the character and its portraying actor, that helped the show getting a good start.
Secondly, the very ending is cheap" and rushed. Conveniently, the writers let Alex confess her rediscovered love for Charlie right in time, before she learns about Joel's death, avoiding any upcoming suspicion that she only turns to Charlie, because Joel is gone. Yeah, but it could have been exactly this very suspicion, that might have given space for further authentic plots. This way, it was just a cheap way of letting the audience know - Alex was through with Joel anyway - so the decision that this character left her life was hers." Well, that could have been a way - but surely not, if all of it is rushed into 2-3 minutes on screen time.
At this point, I can only stick to the show's title, saving hope that the writing gets more consistent and takes some risks. Thus, for Alex to become more edgy and not letting everyone around putting her on a pedestal is no risk, but a necessity!
All the Pretty Horses" - let's start right there. I appreciate abstract images and metaphors, I really do. But they have to make sense. This one made sense on its own, predicting death. BUT, it did not make sense to have Charlie actually see the white horse. Unfortunately, that is the kind of inconsistency in the writing, which became obvious in the course of the second season and worsened ever since. While the writing itself still is on a fairly high level, it lacks the ability to stick to a created storyline and characters over time. This became very obvious, when Alex completely denied Charlie's confession of him seeing ghosts. Before that, Alex was constantly portrayed as someone open to accept some kind of spiritual world. A simple kid's drawing of a guy in a tuxedo could make her believe that Charlie might be out of his body". But when the time comes, the man she trusts and loves finally tells her about it - she thinks, he is lying or out of his mind. This is implausible and a huge flaw within the whole storyline.
We got to know Charlie being able to talk to dead or comatose people - not visualizing bad omen. Why should he - compared to anybody else - now see that white horse? Because he has some kind of supernatural abilities? Preceding this episode, the writers did everything to not make this show just another supernatural series, but giving the audience plausible reasons for this character to be different. Then they ruin it all for the use of one strong metaphor which easily could have been placed equally effective without using Charlie. Give it to another character in a dream, who is close to Joel. Or give it even to Alex, if you by all means want to keep the dramatic hint, the white horse might be an omen for complications while giving birth. But giving this image to Charlie, who actually sees it just like his ghosts", did not make any sense. It is not consistent with his abilities and it is also not consistent with his relationship with Joel.
I enjoyed the board test, giving that episode its light and funny moments. But over time, writers have to work on that superwoman-image of Alex. OK, she also did that, although already in labor. But if this heroine goes on being this perfect creature, this will cause the show to keep on loosing credibility. People - in this case 'female' - want to identify. Making her perfect does not make her more likable, but on the contrary, she becomes more and more abstract.
She is pregnant and does not know who is the father of her child. How believable is it, that everybody around her reacts without prejudice and condemnation? This would have been a great opportunity for the writers to add some edges and real worries to the character of Alex. Just have other characters talk about it snarkily - some nurses that are not main cast. That would have done the trick to be more authentic and show another, realistic view of a woman in that situation.
Same with the overused gay plots". Yes, in a perfect world everybody would be happy about girls kissing girls and men kissing men. Well, it is not a perfect world. And I strongly believe, that if this show does not start to put at least as much effort in becoming authentic as it does with the surgeries, there won't be a season five to enjoy. At some point, the producers/writers must decide, if they want this show to become just another soap-opera or if it is worthwhile to risk more.
With that said, I felt extremely uncomfortable with the ending of this episode.
First, there is this overkill" of Joel. Let's not dwell on why this character had to leave the show, for obviously TPTB and Mr. Gillies himself deliver different explanations. BUT, I cannot help to notice the overkill involved. The character got literally destroyed - for good. That leaves the audience with a certain image... even if it was not actually shown. Obviously it was done that way to make it easier on the Joel-fans to accept his character to be gone. But this kind of killing off a character does more than that. It is a way not only to get rid of him in the future, but to (dis-)qualify the meaning of this character altogether, including the past. The character is completely destroyed. This might be a legitimate dramatic move for a TV-show, but personally I feel, the need to create an insuperable distance to a character that left a show, is disrespectful towards the character and its portraying actor, that helped the show getting a good start.
Secondly, the very ending is cheap" and rushed. Conveniently, the writers let Alex confess her rediscovered love for Charlie right in time, before she learns about Joel's death, avoiding any upcoming suspicion that she only turns to Charlie, because Joel is gone. Yeah, but it could have been exactly this very suspicion, that might have given space for further authentic plots. This way, it was just a cheap way of letting the audience know - Alex was through with Joel anyway - so the decision that this character left her life was hers." Well, that could have been a way - but surely not, if all of it is rushed into 2-3 minutes on screen time.
At this point, I can only stick to the show's title, saving hope that the writing gets more consistent and takes some risks. Thus, for Alex to become more edgy and not letting everyone around putting her on a pedestal is no risk, but a necessity!
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