What I’m Watching: Lights Out

Lights Out: Season 1, Episode 10 “Cut Men” (B+)

Those itching for a fight definitely got something out of this episode, as Lights and Death Row actually come to blows, surprisingly enough as a result of Lights provoking his opponent. It’s so fascinating to see behind the curtain and understand how these boxers think, and this episode-long back and forth involving Barry and the rescheduling of the fight was so intriguing. There’s nothing more powerful than that shot near the end of the episode where Theresa is called up and she looks around only to see Johnny whispering in Lights’ ear, proving to her that he just isn’t able to put anything before his fighting. I was caught very off-guard, as Lights and Johnny were, by the fact that Hal is now dating Margaret. Even more shocking than that is the revelation that Hal told her just what Lights did for him in the pilot episode. There really doesn’t appear to be honor among thieves, since being honest with one person means betraying another’s confidence. Hal’s excitement at being able to front Lights and support him in the fight conveys that he’s seeking to have far too much influence in his life. Margaret yelling at Lights to stay the hell away from her diner was intense, and Lights didn’t help the situation by reminding her just who it was who paid for that diner. While he’s sometimes irritating, having Mike Fumosa around to frame all the events in terms of breaking news adds a truly interesting dimension to all of this.