What I’m Watching: Lights Out

Lights Out: Season 1, Episode 11 “Rainmaker” (B+)

Lights just can’t catch a break. Every episode of this show seems to contain at least two intense, decently shocking moments that really resound and stick with you. The first in this installment is the surprise visit by the disgraced councilman to the Leary home, where a truly smart Lights decides to rip open his shirt and nearly choke him out rather than accidentally confess on tape to illegal activity. Lights getting led out of the gym in handcuffs being read his rights is an unfortunate sight, and he’s really making an effort to be on good behavior these days. Being honest with Theresa is definitely a big step, and talking openly about his condition with a concerned Margaret is another major development. David Morse gave a powerful performance as the memory-challenged champ, and that final scene with him just popping the piece of paper into his mouth and eating it was a fitting coda for this episode. The look on the FBI agent’s face when the councilman essentially retracted his testimony was rather priceless, though in a more dramatic than comedic way. I had originally written: We’re only two episodes away from the end of the season, and though FX tends to bring most of its programming back at least for a sophomore year, there are no guarantees here, especially considering the fate of the highly-acclaimed “Terriers” last year. I’m not sure how long this story arc can go on, but I think these are interesting characters worth revisiting, and I’d be eager to see them back for another round, pun intended. Unfortunately, FX beat me to the punch (another pun intended) and cancelled the show on Thursday. This is really too bad, and now we'll just have to look forward to the next and final two episodes even more.