What I’m Watching: The Big C

The Big C: Season 1, Episode 12 “Everything That Rises” (B+)

Goodbye, Marlene. What a fantastic character, and it’s such a shame that she had to go so soon. Yet it’s important to the dramatic storyline of this show, especially in light of Cathy’s casual acknowledgement of her impending death. The final scene, shown but not heard, was heartbreaking as Paul, Adam, and Sean came together to inform Cathy of her suicide. The note she read was also a good tribute to the only friend she’d had in a long time, and it’s nice that they were able to share something since it was clearly a friendship that benefited both parties, and Marlene chose to end her life mostly because she had put Adam in danger. The trip to Canada was absolutely fantastic since it’s very nice to see Todd express himself, amusingly when it comes to his lack of affinity for bees, dramatically when it comes to not thinking about Cathy’s mortality, and romantically when it comes to making a move on his favorite patient. It was all very well-handled, as all of the road expeditions on this show have been. It was such an unexpected treat to see Liam Neeson as the wacky beekeeper, and like any good cable series guest star, he didn’t steal the spotlight but instead enhanced his few brief scenes. Paul’s attempt at fervent dedication are characteristic of him and also obviously overbearing to Cathy, and presumably his heart-to-heart with Marlene will help him realize that he shouldn’t come on so strong. The first season of this terrific show comes to an end next week.