Episodes Season 2 Episode 4 Recap – ‘Episode 4′

What I love about Episodes, and I discover it slowly which is a good sign, is that it works on multiple layers like any good TV drama. Only this is a comedy, and as a comedy it is a pretty good one. But I enjoy the dramatic moments/complications entirely, and especially the few moments when it actually say something about Hollywood besides “it’s superficial and silly”. Yes, The Showtime/BBC series Episodes manages to do all that.

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

This week (again, I jumped in the UK schedule of the second season – on Showtime the premiere date is July 1) the ratings for Pucks! are dropping (“it’s 9/11″, Merc says – and Carol tells him this is not better than his holocaust analogy – a Jewish American like Merc shouldn’t probably worry about it though). The network, trying to save the show (now it’s not only “that singing dog” that steals the ratings, it “all those dancing shows”, too), is asking Sean and Bev to focus on the kids rather on the coach. As always, it doesn’t really matter what they think about it.

This means that in the next reading Matt and Morning are surprised to find out they have hardly any lines. Being experienced Hollywood actors (although no one knows what Morning has done exactly, and even when she says to Matt: “you’re Joey and I’m Kelly!”, he doesn’t know what she’s talking about) – Matt and Morning both try first to approach the writers.

They do it quite different though, and it’s because what Episodes tried to do is establish Matt LeBlanc’s character as an honest one. It’s not stupid-honesty like Joey, it’s a mature, almost tired honest. At first he’s mad with the writers (funny moment when he explains the the kids in the show don’t want their coach with them just because they were WRITTEN this way). Then he sets up a meeting with Merc, who explains him that it’s better acting in a series that stays than starring in a canceled one.

But it wasn’t Merc who convinced Matt to stay on Pucks!, it was Beverly. She told him that if he leaves and the show gets canceled, she and Sean are back in London – it’s her only chance while they are still in Hollywood. Again, it was implied, but Matt understood it, so it seems – Bev wasn’t talking about her career as a screenwriter, but on her chance to win back Sean. And by not quitting the show Matt has truly paid his debt to the troubles he caused to the British couple.

Morning, on the other hand, is not so direct, at least not in any honest way. She gives Sean a late birthday present: an engraved pen. It says “YCOMT”, which Morning explains Sean was the cheaper version of “You Came On My Tits” (and I hope this line now won’t bring all the wrong traffic to my site). Morning tells Sean she hopes he will think of her for the next episode, but I’m not sure Sean understood her intention. Funnily enough,later in the bar scene Matt sees the pen and immediately knows what it stands for.

So the “Matt is leaving the show” drama was over before it started, with Matt playing it cool and reserving the ice skating hall where they were shooting for the rest of the day. But before we’re on the final scene of Episode 4…

The Facebook thing. Is there any TV show that doesn’t mention that social network? It is part of our life now, so isn’t it about time to stop getting excited about it? Well Beverly is not on FB, but Sean is – now, and Carol is his friend, like other 100 and something people. Bev is quite upset when she sees his Relationship Status: “it’s complicated”.

But Sean and Bev are good friends, and as they skate together (Bev’s funny description of ice-skating, as cynic as she can be) – you know it’s too good to be true, and that more – bigger troubles – are on their way.

Next week on Episodes – Matt’s stalker (a friend of Sean in FB) is visiting.