Perpetual Grace, LTD: Season 1, Episode 10 “A Sheriff in the Era of the Cartel” (B)
This finale was involving but couldn’t really compare to most of what’s happened in the run-up to it so far this season. We have no idea if a second season is going to happen, which is a shame, since I’d definitely be up for further exploration of these fascinating characters with this immensely talented cast. Glenn being the one asked to go over the entire plan at the start was entertaining, especially considering his minor word mix-up and his lack of confidence in his dad. New Leaf making baseball metaphors felt appropriate even before he explained that he was a minor league prospect convicted of manslaughter for hitting a player who was sleeping with his wife. James boarded that train, changing the metaphor for his parents to rain, and it seems like nearly every part of the plan was set to go off without a hitch. Walker concluding that, even with his analysis of all the tells of lying, he couldn’t deduce what was afoot here, had him ready to leave town, but a misjudged Dave was all it took for him to stay. That final scene indicated plenty of trouble for James given that Paul’s real uncle was in the audience, and hopefully we’ll be able to find out what happens next. Pa having to dig his own grave while Ma walked wasn’t looking good for either of them, but Hector being told to follow the plan resulted in no notable casualties other than himself. At least he got to narrate his own death as he would have written it. This show has been peculiar but immensely intriguing, and I’m definitely down to revisit this crew again. Let’s hope awards bodies like it too, even if it’s only Kingsley who earns the accolades.
Season grade: B+
Season MVPs: Luis Guzman as Hector and Dash Williams as Glenn
Showing posts with label Perpetual Grace LTD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perpetual Grace LTD. Show all posts
Friday, August 9, 2019
Thursday, August 1, 2019
What I’m Watching: Perpetual Grace, LTD
Perpetual Grace, LTD: Season 1, Episode 9 “The Elements of an Epiphany” (B)
Not much happened with Pa and Ma in this hour, which felt a bit strange given their prominence in previous installments. Instead, those in their lives made moves to propel their own plans forward in ways that aren’t looking good for anyone. DeLoash set his sights right on a perfect target – New Leaf – convincing him of his own invalidity and getting him to leave his gun on the ground for him so that he wouldn’t even have to buy it, and there seem to be fewer and fewer people in this ghost town who we haven’t already met. I do like that Glenn ended up sitting next to James’ dad while he was wearing the helmet, talking all about “now plus one second,” and that they ran off together to hitchhike and ride so that the scenery reflected in his helmet. I liked that we saw Hector again, content enjoying the mundanity of his life and continuing with his novel, though that happiness was disrupted by Valerie’s return with a photo to blackmail him, an option he’d rather not take in favor of leaving Pa to the cartel. I was relieved that Paul managed to levitate himself after Walker was ready to test him on whether he could actually do magic, though it did look like he might not be able to get himself down. Everything is sure to come together in the finale, and I’m hopeful that Epix will decide that this show – and that this cast – is worthy of a second season.
Not much happened with Pa and Ma in this hour, which felt a bit strange given their prominence in previous installments. Instead, those in their lives made moves to propel their own plans forward in ways that aren’t looking good for anyone. DeLoash set his sights right on a perfect target – New Leaf – convincing him of his own invalidity and getting him to leave his gun on the ground for him so that he wouldn’t even have to buy it, and there seem to be fewer and fewer people in this ghost town who we haven’t already met. I do like that Glenn ended up sitting next to James’ dad while he was wearing the helmet, talking all about “now plus one second,” and that they ran off together to hitchhike and ride so that the scenery reflected in his helmet. I liked that we saw Hector again, content enjoying the mundanity of his life and continuing with his novel, though that happiness was disrupted by Valerie’s return with a photo to blackmail him, an option he’d rather not take in favor of leaving Pa to the cartel. I was relieved that Paul managed to levitate himself after Walker was ready to test him on whether he could actually do magic, though it did look like he might not be able to get himself down. Everything is sure to come together in the finale, and I’m hopeful that Epix will decide that this show – and that this cast – is worthy of a second season.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
What I’m Watching: Perpetual Grace, LTD
Perpetual Grace, LTD: Season 1, Episode 8 “Fiveever” (B+)
We really haven’t seen all that much of the real Paul this season, and therefore this episode was about as informative as it’s ever going to be. Flashing back to his interactions with the child who would later be found dead demonstrated that there was a bond between them, and it appears that, though his intentions weren’t good, he didn’t want her to die as an apparent result of her insatiable curiosity to try the trick in the water with the handcuffs. Having him continue to pop around and disappear at every moment was disorienting, adding to the notion that, unless someone actually saw him, they might not believe James’ story that there was someone else named Paul. New Leaf saw him, but he stayed far enough away that he might think it’s just a trick egged on by his grief. The description of Paul by his uncle as a genius but also incredibly stupid is indeed fitting, since his use of a term like “fiveever” indicates a true disconnect with a reality that’s dominated by his latest scheme. Hector calling to read his pre-written speech was an entertaining goodbye to the character, and I’d so love to see Luis Guzman earn some accolades for a truly fantastic performance. The best scene of this episode was the interaction between Walker and Glenn, with Glenn mispronouncing a number of the words he used and then saying that one of the words he couldn’t remember started with a 3. Glenn’s two best lines of the hour were “He never murdered me” and his response to being told that he was awesome by James: “I’m a special boy. That’s my gang.”
We really haven’t seen all that much of the real Paul this season, and therefore this episode was about as informative as it’s ever going to be. Flashing back to his interactions with the child who would later be found dead demonstrated that there was a bond between them, and it appears that, though his intentions weren’t good, he didn’t want her to die as an apparent result of her insatiable curiosity to try the trick in the water with the handcuffs. Having him continue to pop around and disappear at every moment was disorienting, adding to the notion that, unless someone actually saw him, they might not believe James’ story that there was someone else named Paul. New Leaf saw him, but he stayed far enough away that he might think it’s just a trick egged on by his grief. The description of Paul by his uncle as a genius but also incredibly stupid is indeed fitting, since his use of a term like “fiveever” indicates a true disconnect with a reality that’s dominated by his latest scheme. Hector calling to read his pre-written speech was an entertaining goodbye to the character, and I’d so love to see Luis Guzman earn some accolades for a truly fantastic performance. The best scene of this episode was the interaction between Walker and Glenn, with Glenn mispronouncing a number of the words he used and then saying that one of the words he couldn’t remember started with a 3. Glenn’s two best lines of the hour were “He never murdered me” and his response to being told that he was awesome by James: “I’m a special boy. That’s my gang.”
Thursday, July 18, 2019
What I’m Watching: Perpetual Grace, LTD
Perpetual Grace, LTD: Season 1, Episode 7 “Bull Face” (B+)
Sometimes I don’t even know where this show gets its ideas. DeLoash arriving at Grand Central only to get into the Cash Cab felt completely random and surreal, and of course he didn’t understand what a Kardashian was but managed to bypass the “easy” questions so that he could get each of them right, most notably the last one identifying him and Pa as the youngest killers, and win the most prize money ever. This show has mentioned Lenscrafters a whole lot, but this product placement felt even more prominent, namely because it was actually a part of the plot. Pa is in enough trouble after his three hostages turned out to be much more fortified than he thought, and so DeLoash coming for him will have to wait until he gets back across the border somehow. As usual, the dialogue on this show is rather exquisite, with New Leaf giving a whole long speech to Walker about his past and how he just needed to cut him loose rather than trying to interrogate him anymore. It seems that James encouraging Glenn to give his dad the sombrero wasn’t the best idea since the town drunk just went and told Walker about the gift his son brought him back from his latest trip. Scotty has much more personality than it initially seemed, and she’s just the latest person to insert herself into the con that James and Paul are running, one that’s going to get more complicated with no dead bodies to bring back from Mexico.
Sometimes I don’t even know where this show gets its ideas. DeLoash arriving at Grand Central only to get into the Cash Cab felt completely random and surreal, and of course he didn’t understand what a Kardashian was but managed to bypass the “easy” questions so that he could get each of them right, most notably the last one identifying him and Pa as the youngest killers, and win the most prize money ever. This show has mentioned Lenscrafters a whole lot, but this product placement felt even more prominent, namely because it was actually a part of the plot. Pa is in enough trouble after his three hostages turned out to be much more fortified than he thought, and so DeLoash coming for him will have to wait until he gets back across the border somehow. As usual, the dialogue on this show is rather exquisite, with New Leaf giving a whole long speech to Walker about his past and how he just needed to cut him loose rather than trying to interrogate him anymore. It seems that James encouraging Glenn to give his dad the sombrero wasn’t the best idea since the town drunk just went and told Walker about the gift his son brought him back from his latest trip. Scotty has much more personality than it initially seemed, and she’s just the latest person to insert herself into the con that James and Paul are running, one that’s going to get more complicated with no dead bodies to bring back from Mexico.
Saturday, July 13, 2019
What I’m Watching: Perpetual Grace, LTD
Perpetual Grace, LTD: Season 1, Episode 6 “When Doves Cry” (B)
This episode didn’t involve nearly as many plotlines as previous hours have, which made it moderately less enthralling for me. Ma sharing her life story from what she expected to be her final resting place helped to shed some light on her past and her surprisingly progressive views in certain respects. After spending a good deal of time criticizing Hector’s novel, Pa managed to get Hector on rhythm so that they could work together and cut down the tree, resulting in a very reassuring rescue which ensured that Hector’s family wouldn’t be harmed as revenge for Ma being suffocated underground. Hector’s wife wasn’t happy with him at all, and fortunately he’s making the right choice now by putting his family first. The three women driving down the road unlucky enough to be held up by Pa aren’t likely to give in quietly, especially considering their own investment in tracking him down, and perhaps Pa will be feeling a bit more charitable after helping Hector get back on the right track. Walker arresting someone other than both James and Paul was certainly not what he wanted, and the pager going off on the ride back is not good news for anyone. Paul and James celebrating their victory back at home does feel premature, and getting the money they were trying to steal seems like it’s not going to be as easy as planned either. Pa and Ma still have to get back over the border, but they’re much closer to that than either their real son or fake son know.
This episode didn’t involve nearly as many plotlines as previous hours have, which made it moderately less enthralling for me. Ma sharing her life story from what she expected to be her final resting place helped to shed some light on her past and her surprisingly progressive views in certain respects. After spending a good deal of time criticizing Hector’s novel, Pa managed to get Hector on rhythm so that they could work together and cut down the tree, resulting in a very reassuring rescue which ensured that Hector’s family wouldn’t be harmed as revenge for Ma being suffocated underground. Hector’s wife wasn’t happy with him at all, and fortunately he’s making the right choice now by putting his family first. The three women driving down the road unlucky enough to be held up by Pa aren’t likely to give in quietly, especially considering their own investment in tracking him down, and perhaps Pa will be feeling a bit more charitable after helping Hector get back on the right track. Walker arresting someone other than both James and Paul was certainly not what he wanted, and the pager going off on the ride back is not good news for anyone. Paul and James celebrating their victory back at home does feel premature, and getting the money they were trying to steal seems like it’s not going to be as easy as planned either. Pa and Ma still have to get back over the border, but they’re much closer to that than either their real son or fake son know.
Monday, July 8, 2019
What I’m Watching: Perpetual Grace, LTD
Perpetual Grace, LTD: Season 1, Episode 5 “Wandering Left” (B+)
There are so many elements of this show that are complex and require explaining, and it’s fascinating to see each of them delved into without much warning. In this case, I had never given a second thought to the identity of Valerie, the woman Hector was so eager to run away with, and it turns out that she’s pretty heavily involved in things, even more than James. She went after Hector by insulting him the same way she intimidated someone else into buying a car, and it really worked. Describing her pitch as the “softest way to do something hard” explains why Hector was even working with James in the first place, and I assume he’s in for a whole lot of heartbreak when she reveals that she’s just been using him all along. We also saw how James got involved, crashing his car into the dealership to demonstrate just how perfectly disillusioned he was. I like that Pa made up a long story about being the father of Hector’s two sons and that they bought it and now want to spend time with him, unaware of his nefarious plans, which will surely get even darker if Ma did in fact meet her end thanks to the unfortunate issue with her breathing tube. Walker identifying James as someone other than Paul didn’t compel him to give up at all, and instead he’s now linking Glenn’s disappearance to the previous murder he believes Paul committed. The fact that James is indeed in Mexico with Glenn won’t much be helped by the truth that the worst thing he’s doing at the moment is lying to him about how he and New Leaf give people compliments all the time.
There are so many elements of this show that are complex and require explaining, and it’s fascinating to see each of them delved into without much warning. In this case, I had never given a second thought to the identity of Valerie, the woman Hector was so eager to run away with, and it turns out that she’s pretty heavily involved in things, even more than James. She went after Hector by insulting him the same way she intimidated someone else into buying a car, and it really worked. Describing her pitch as the “softest way to do something hard” explains why Hector was even working with James in the first place, and I assume he’s in for a whole lot of heartbreak when she reveals that she’s just been using him all along. We also saw how James got involved, crashing his car into the dealership to demonstrate just how perfectly disillusioned he was. I like that Pa made up a long story about being the father of Hector’s two sons and that they bought it and now want to spend time with him, unaware of his nefarious plans, which will surely get even darker if Ma did in fact meet her end thanks to the unfortunate issue with her breathing tube. Walker identifying James as someone other than Paul didn’t compel him to give up at all, and instead he’s now linking Glenn’s disappearance to the previous murder he believes Paul committed. The fact that James is indeed in Mexico with Glenn won’t much be helped by the truth that the worst thing he’s doing at the moment is lying to him about how he and New Leaf give people compliments all the time.
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
What I’m Watching: Perpetual Grace, LTD
Perpetual Grace, LTD: Season 1, Episode 4 “Felipe G. Usted. Almost First Mexican on the Moon. Part 2” (B+)
I’m not sure this episode’s title is all that fitting since we barely saw Felipe in this hour, aside from a brief meeting with James that resulted in him asking for permission to go back to do the zero gravity phase so that he could do the last step to get him closest to the lifelong goal he’d now have to give up. Instead, the focus was much more on Glenn and his father, played by Michael Chernus, an actor I like a lot from projects like “Orange is the New Black” and “The Big C.” This show has such an incredible and fascinating narration style, with a clear interest in explaining everyone about all of its characters. Glenn calling James after he got lost in Mexico and thinking that it might be a mirage was so typically disconnected from reality, and it seems things worked out just fine in the end regarding that perfectly-timed transaction. After Hector realized that Pa had his address, he moved quickly to catch Ma following her smooth getaway that left the innocent woman who wasn’t a threat to anyone very much in harm’s way. Let’s hope for his own sake that Hector’s plan doesn’t go awry and that nothing happens to Ma. Pa’s plan to get Hector’s sons hit a few roadblocks, but he’ snot giving up too fast. DeLoash seems like quite the lifelong offender, and something about his pledge not to act in a way to hurt others felt terribly disingenuous. I liked the theme of Father’s Day running through the episode even if I’ll admit I’m a bit lost on what’s real and what’s being imagined.
I’m not sure this episode’s title is all that fitting since we barely saw Felipe in this hour, aside from a brief meeting with James that resulted in him asking for permission to go back to do the zero gravity phase so that he could do the last step to get him closest to the lifelong goal he’d now have to give up. Instead, the focus was much more on Glenn and his father, played by Michael Chernus, an actor I like a lot from projects like “Orange is the New Black” and “The Big C.” This show has such an incredible and fascinating narration style, with a clear interest in explaining everyone about all of its characters. Glenn calling James after he got lost in Mexico and thinking that it might be a mirage was so typically disconnected from reality, and it seems things worked out just fine in the end regarding that perfectly-timed transaction. After Hector realized that Pa had his address, he moved quickly to catch Ma following her smooth getaway that left the innocent woman who wasn’t a threat to anyone very much in harm’s way. Let’s hope for his own sake that Hector’s plan doesn’t go awry and that nothing happens to Ma. Pa’s plan to get Hector’s sons hit a few roadblocks, but he’ snot giving up too fast. DeLoash seems like quite the lifelong offender, and something about his pledge not to act in a way to hurt others felt terribly disingenuous. I liked the theme of Father’s Day running through the episode even if I’ll admit I’m a bit lost on what’s real and what’s being imagined.
Friday, June 21, 2019
Take Three: Perpetual Grace, LTD
Perpetual Grace, LTD: Season 1, Episode 3 “Felipe G. Usted. Almost First Mexican on the Moon. Part 1” (B+)
This show is undeniably and unapologetically strange, featuring some truly random plotlines that I guess will all come together eventually. The introduction of Felipe as an eager astronaut candidate who is literally in the middle of all the training that he was doing to go into space is merely the latest reference to the convoluted web of colorful characters involved in this increasingly spiraling scheme. James doesn’t tend to think too far ahead about each step of his plan, notably reacting with surprise and dread as he learned that the tracking anklet would be reattached after he successfully got it off thanks to the rattlesnake bite, and he didn’t really push Paul on giving him so little information aside from a quick sarcastic complaint. I was excited to see Kurtwood Smith of “That 70s Show” fame as Uncle Dave, a convicted sex offender who appears to have had his situation greatly misunderstood and who cares more about his apparently dead sister than anything else in the world. That makes Ranger Walker a perfect ally for him and an unfortunate weapon in his arsenal against Paul. We’ll also see what the story is with the newly released DeLoash, portrayed by Timothy Spall from “Mr. Turner” and “Denial.” Pa isn’t quite as fascinating driving all by himself as he was verbally taking down Hector, who humorously described the difference between him leaving his family well-off and taken care of and him leaving them with nothing and him in jail. James’ latest conversation with Glenn was terrific as usual, highlighted by his head-hurting response each time James stressed the importance of not messing up.
This show is undeniably and unapologetically strange, featuring some truly random plotlines that I guess will all come together eventually. The introduction of Felipe as an eager astronaut candidate who is literally in the middle of all the training that he was doing to go into space is merely the latest reference to the convoluted web of colorful characters involved in this increasingly spiraling scheme. James doesn’t tend to think too far ahead about each step of his plan, notably reacting with surprise and dread as he learned that the tracking anklet would be reattached after he successfully got it off thanks to the rattlesnake bite, and he didn’t really push Paul on giving him so little information aside from a quick sarcastic complaint. I was excited to see Kurtwood Smith of “That 70s Show” fame as Uncle Dave, a convicted sex offender who appears to have had his situation greatly misunderstood and who cares more about his apparently dead sister than anything else in the world. That makes Ranger Walker a perfect ally for him and an unfortunate weapon in his arsenal against Paul. We’ll also see what the story is with the newly released DeLoash, portrayed by Timothy Spall from “Mr. Turner” and “Denial.” Pa isn’t quite as fascinating driving all by himself as he was verbally taking down Hector, who humorously described the difference between him leaving his family well-off and taken care of and him leaving them with nothing and him in jail. James’ latest conversation with Glenn was terrific as usual, highlighted by his head-hurting response each time James stressed the importance of not messing up.
Friday, June 14, 2019
Round Two: Perpetual Grace, LTD
Perpetual Grace, LTD: Season 1, Episode 2 “Orphan Comb Death Fight” (B+)
This show really surprised me with its involving and creative pilot, and I was equally into its second installment. While both James and I might have expected some clarity from the real Paul about his past, or likelier that he would end up being impossible to reach at just the moment that Paul needed some help. Instead, James got to talk to Terry O’Quinn’s Walker, Texas Ranger who didn’t care that he was in New Mexico and who had never heard of Chuck Norris. This show likes to present odd circumstances and just let them sit before characters point out their absurdity, with more unreasonable suggestions like James finding a rattlesnake so that an emergency room would cut off his ankle bracelet just being made bluntly, moments after Hector said that he got his girlfriend an ankle bracelet too. I don’t know what to make of the Lenscrafters guy other than that Byron is evidently just as much of a con man as both Paul and James, and James continues to have an unusual rapport with the kid who now finds that all sounds and all light really hurt his head. The relationship that really wowed me in this episode was the one being built between Hector and Byron. Starting with Byron’s narration demonstrates that he has a plan and that he knows exactly what he’s doing, and the situation appears to have ended in exactly the way he desired. Telling Hector that he needed to exercise when he was given time to do so was just the start of his brutal crushing of Hector’s spirit, and guessing the ending of his novel right away led only to harsher wordplay evisceration of everything about Hector’s character. I don’t think they’re going to make it to the supermax facility.
This show really surprised me with its involving and creative pilot, and I was equally into its second installment. While both James and I might have expected some clarity from the real Paul about his past, or likelier that he would end up being impossible to reach at just the moment that Paul needed some help. Instead, James got to talk to Terry O’Quinn’s Walker, Texas Ranger who didn’t care that he was in New Mexico and who had never heard of Chuck Norris. This show likes to present odd circumstances and just let them sit before characters point out their absurdity, with more unreasonable suggestions like James finding a rattlesnake so that an emergency room would cut off his ankle bracelet just being made bluntly, moments after Hector said that he got his girlfriend an ankle bracelet too. I don’t know what to make of the Lenscrafters guy other than that Byron is evidently just as much of a con man as both Paul and James, and James continues to have an unusual rapport with the kid who now finds that all sounds and all light really hurt his head. The relationship that really wowed me in this episode was the one being built between Hector and Byron. Starting with Byron’s narration demonstrates that he has a plan and that he knows exactly what he’s doing, and the situation appears to have ended in exactly the way he desired. Telling Hector that he needed to exercise when he was given time to do so was just the start of his brutal crushing of Hector’s spirit, and guessing the ending of his novel right away led only to harsher wordplay evisceration of everything about Hector’s character. I don’t think they’re going to make it to the supermax facility.
Friday, June 7, 2019
Pilot Review: Perpetual Grace, LTD
I'm trying something new with my pilot reviews, so from now on, check out video takes on each new series, which I'll embed below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.
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