What I’m Watching: The Big C

The Big C: Season 1, Episode 7 “Two for the Road” (B+)

What a fun episode this is, and also a somewhat monumental one. It’s all about family (and one neighbor) and features some extended-length one-on-one pairings that we don’t often get to see. Watching Paul try hard to be a cool dad for his son and end up freaking him out just as much by talking in detail about how much he loves Cathy’s body was enjoyable, and offering Adam half a beer definitely wasn’t a smart move, though it did prove to be quite amusing. I liked the fact that Marlene was the one to get them both up and moving the next day, and had a tough love pep talk all ready to rip Paul a new one. Cathy and Sean’s road trip was wholly entertaining, and I loved that Sean was only coming along in order to dig up a time capsule he had buried in the backyard with some strange items in it. His reaction to Cathy’s infidelity (never a good idea to send text messages like that!) was rather harsh, but it was nothing compared to the heartbreaking outburst he had when Cathy finally opened up to someone and confessed the truth about her illness. The way he expressed his anger at her for just starting to be interesting and comprehensible as she’s about to be gone was very moving, and it’s tragic that Cathy can’t bear to see anyone she loves in pain so she forces herself to pretend it’s all a joke and take back her confession. At some point, people will have to find out, but for now, she’s going to bear the pain all by herself. Brian Cox is an intriguing choice to play Cathy’s father, and I hope we see more of him in the future.