Round Two: Feed the Beast

Feed the Beast: Season 1, Episode 2 “Father of the Year” (B-)

I’m still deciding how I feel about this show. What continues to hold me back from becoming truly invested in it is the unfortunate manner in which villains are portrayed. That the Tooth Fairy acknowledges his nickname, carries around a pair of pliers, and intimidates people by giving them money for their next dental procedures is hard to get around, and I just don’t understand how he’s supposed to be taken seriously. I’m equally unimpressed with Detective Giardano’s chosen method of persuasion, and he’s supposed to pose just as much of a threat to Dion’s livelihood save for the fact that he’s not threatening to kill Tommy and TJ. Ultimately, it’s Dion who is putting them in danger, especially since he’s going to go ahead with the contract now that the Tooth Fairy has reviewed it despite Tommy’s objections. Aidan agreed to give them the money but did it in the harshest and most awful way possible, demanding time with the grandson he hadn’t bothered to get to know while Rie was alive and was content to take blame for hitting him even though he didn’t actually lay a finger on him. This show is all about daddy issues, as every single character, including the lawyer who wants nothing to do with Dion anywhere because her father is a character we already know, has an extraordinarily complicated relationship with their patriarch. As it happens, TJ is the best character on this show, building friendships with a graffiti artist at school and fill-in parent Dion without saying a word.