Mrs. America: Season 1, Episode 7 “Bella” (B+)
We’ve been seeing Bella mostly as a supporting player making wisecracks over the course of this show so far, and it’s great to put a spotlight on her. I remember seeing Margo Martindale in “The Riches” and the movie “Paris, Je T’aime,” when my friend left the movie theater laughing uncontrollably at her entirely American French accent, more than a decade ago, and then appreciating her for her Emmy-winning turn on “Justified” and other roles. She really does a formidable job here, playing the part in front of the crowds but serving as much more of a mediator in private, juggling the priorities of those closest to her and assessing what she can truly achieve. Asking Betty whether anyone still calls her a radical anymore was one of the hour’s strongest scenes, and deciding that the gay rights agenda had to tabled was an unfortunate decision she didn’t want to make. I recognized Annie Parisse from “Person of Interest” and “The Following” as Midge, a crucial part of the new administration who was helpful to Bella until it became clear that she wasn’t fully willing to return the favor. As we saw the schism between Bella and Gloria, it was interesting to see Phyllis take a step back as her three closest allies all got themselves elected to official positions in the National Women’s Conference, ready to take down the organization from the inside. Calling Lottie to tell her that they couldn’t accept Klan support turned into a very different conversation, one that demonstrates her desire to win above all.
Showing posts with label Bella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bella. Show all posts
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Monday, November 24, 2014
What I’m Watching: Elementary
Elementary: Season 3, Episode 4 “Bella” (B)
There’s no denying that this episode managed to be interesting over the course of the hour, but after last week’s “maths” obsession, this show could use a normal episode that just finds someone murdering someone else without much intelligence involved. Sherlock was back to his old self, doubting the existence of true artificial intelligence and then prodding Bella with questions to test how she might answer them. This episode was chock full of guest stars, starting with Michael Chernus from “Orange is the New Black” and “The Big C” as Bella’s creator who ended up murdered by heavy metal music. His murderers were played by Michael Cristofer, who recently appeared on “Smash” and “Ray Donovan,” and Halley Feiffer from “The Squid and the Whale” and “Gentlemen Broncos.” The most stirring part of this episode came at the very end when Sherlock might normally intimidate someone into confessing, but instead Isaac Pyke proved to be far more devious and villainous that his physical state might suggest, going head-to-head with Sherlock intellectually and calling his bluff on not selling out a fellow addict. We don’t usually get to see Sherlock’s more vulnerable side, and it’s a reassuring sight. It was great, however, to see Watson assume that Sherlock had concocted a plan to get Raza Jaffrey’s Andrew out of her life by pairing him up with a new business in Copenhagen and then, upon realizing that it wasn’t actually his doing, opt to accompany her beau on a vacation rather than let him go or sulk.
There’s no denying that this episode managed to be interesting over the course of the hour, but after last week’s “maths” obsession, this show could use a normal episode that just finds someone murdering someone else without much intelligence involved. Sherlock was back to his old self, doubting the existence of true artificial intelligence and then prodding Bella with questions to test how she might answer them. This episode was chock full of guest stars, starting with Michael Chernus from “Orange is the New Black” and “The Big C” as Bella’s creator who ended up murdered by heavy metal music. His murderers were played by Michael Cristofer, who recently appeared on “Smash” and “Ray Donovan,” and Halley Feiffer from “The Squid and the Whale” and “Gentlemen Broncos.” The most stirring part of this episode came at the very end when Sherlock might normally intimidate someone into confessing, but instead Isaac Pyke proved to be far more devious and villainous that his physical state might suggest, going head-to-head with Sherlock intellectually and calling his bluff on not selling out a fellow addict. We don’t usually get to see Sherlock’s more vulnerable side, and it’s a reassuring sight. It was great, however, to see Watson assume that Sherlock had concocted a plan to get Raza Jaffrey’s Andrew out of her life by pairing him up with a new business in Copenhagen and then, upon realizing that it wasn’t actually his doing, opt to accompany her beau on a vacation rather than let him go or sulk.
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