What I’m Watching: Enlightened

Enlightened: Season 2, Episode 3 “Higher Power” (B+)

This show is truly unique. Other shows wouldn’t likely devote an entire episode to action happening in a far-away place, almost completely unrelated to the main plot. Levi is relevant to Amy’s life, and therefore his letter to her about his time in Hawaii merits a special focus, since this show doesn’t tend to multitask, following just one storyline at a time. Watching Helen try to see through Amy’s mail at the beginning of the episode provided a scene of conflict between Amy and her mother that we haven’t seen in a while. Levi, on the other hand, definitely didn’t have the right approach to being at Open Air, and spending a drug-filled night with two other patients proved to be just the eye-opening experience he needed to get serious about his recovery. Among the other patients at Open Air were familiar faces, including Christopher Douglas Reed, recognizable as Phil from “Sons of Anarchy,” Christopher Abbott, who plays Charlie on “Girls,” and Ashley Hinshaw, who will be one of my finalists for an AFT Award for Best Actress next week for her lead role in “About Cherry” this past year. Spending time with Travis and Danielle was truly sobering, and Tony’s heartfelt perspective turned out to be a better fit for his attempt to get his act together. It was nice to hear him pay tribute to Amy, thinking of her as his higher power, and he was quite honest about not believing that he has ever been his best self. As Amy is getting back on track, maybe Levi is headed in the right direction too.