The Unit“Into Hell, Part Two”
Original Air Date: November 16, 2008
Brittany Wells – TwoCents Reviewer
brittanyw@twocentscorp.com
It’s been a long, very long week. Yet the second part of our two-parter is finally here and…surprisingly underwhelming.
You’d think we’d open with something in your face, perhaps, but no. Instead, we get the same rehash of clips we’ve seen for weeks (if I have to see that clip of Ryan and Tiffy together for another week I’m going to choke someone), and then hey, it’s the Pentagon. Is something big finally happening in Washington? Nope.
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[photo: Monty Brinton/CBS]
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The Unit
ReplyDelete“Into Hell, Part Two”
Original Air Date: November 16, 2008
Brittany Wells – TwoCents Reviewer
brittanyw@twocentscorp.com
It’s been a long, very long week. Yet the second part of our two-parter is finally here and…surprisingly underwhelming.
You’d think we’d open with something in your face, perhaps, but no. Instead, we get the same rehash of clips we’ve seen for weeks (if I have to see that clip of Ryan and Tiffy together for another week I’m going to choke someone), and then hey, it’s the Pentagon. Is something big finally happening in Washington? Nope. Molly’s just being given a talking-to by that creepy little psychologist woman from “Sub-Conscious.” You know, the one Ryan thought was full of crap, and yet, here she is again. Apparently, she has some plan to help Molly help Betsy. Oh, joy.
Then we finally get to Syria. Ryan and all the captured soldiers are not having the best time of it. We get to listen to one guy scream as they kill him very, very painfully. The Colonel points out that they’re videotaping the execution probably, because that’s what terrorists do, so he tells everyone else not to listen to the racket and proceeds to cause one. Why? So Bridget and Kayla back at TOC can hear him on the resulting tape and use that tape to find the rest of them. This news gets passed on to our guys, who find it a little harder to hate Ryan, and decide instead to go into a mosque and cause hell. Namely, Jonas threatens to blow himself up, because that will absolutely solve everything, vaporizing your team leader and anyone who could be of any help.
This is where I start to have gripes with this episode. Why is it that in any episode where they’re in a foreign country, most if not all of our team members seem to speak the language flawlessly? Mack and Bob have no problem communicating with the Syrians, and in “Sudden Flight” everyone seemed to speak Spanish. I understand that these guys have probably had some language training but I doubt they know every dialect. I would love to see one guy not have a clue what anyone just said to him. Anyway, they kidnap the cleric once they find out everyone’s being held in the basement of a psychiatric hospital. Sounds like a bad horror movie.
Molly is coaxed by Crank Psychiatrist into having a flashback to the night her car broke down in a bad neighborhood along with Betsy. Apparently this is supposed to help her be strong for her daughter so her daughter can draw on that strength. You can guess pretty much what happens: they get carjacked basically. I wasn’t fond of this half of the episode at all, but I appreciated the look into just how strong of a character Molly can be, and her bond with her daughter. But did it really need to take up half the episode?
Charles goes in to infiltrate the hospital and beats the daylights out of two guards on his own. I’m really hoping he doesn’t turn into the “token other guy we don’t know what to do with” like Hector did. The guys break in through the delivery entrance and head for the basement.
Ryan gets dragged off by the terrorists and patently refuses to actually say anything they tell him to, instead talking about how he knows he’s betrayed his team, which gets him manhandled. Robert Patrick handles it beautifully, well understated, and at one point he’s got tears in his eyes. It’s great to see this finally weighing on Ryan’s conscience, but it would’ve been nice to see this develop, rather than him suddenly be paralyzed by guilt. Even if this was the moment that pushed him over the edge, he had to be thinking about it beforehand, right? So why even last week was he a jackass and lying to Mack? Sometimes this show can be so inconsistent. Still, it’s not overwrought and I’m happy to see Robert get his day. Hopefully his character will grow from this.
The guys turn up to save the day, shooting what appears to be indiscriminately. I’m surprised they don’t do more damage. There’s a sweet reunion between Jonas and Betsy, and nobody says a word to Ryan. Smooth. When they can’t escape the conventional way they all return to the basement, where they find a sewer tunnel. Everyone always escapes through sewer tunnels. Jonas tries to stay behind to make sure the bad guys don’t catch up, then Ryan tries to do the same thing. You have the feeling they’d stand and argue about it for an hour before the cleric says to shut up, go, and he’ll do it himself. It was a surprisingly touching thing to see him willing to sacrifice his life after seeing how much these guys care about their loved ones.
After a very wet escape – everyone’s gonna need a decontamination shower, and how the hell did Jonas fit into that tiny space? – everybody goes outside to ring up Ryan. Mack beats the crap out of him, or tries to because Ryan decides he’s not gonna go quietly if they’re not going to play fair. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: for 49, Robert Patrick can kick some serious tail. It’s a great scene between the two best actors on the show, but if only it weren’t shot so dark so we could see it better. Jonas, knowing he owes Ryan for his daughter’s life, convinces Mack maybe it’s not worth killing him and doing jail time. So instead, he just bleeds a lot and everybody goes home relatively happy. Molly gets to visit an improving Betsy, Mack and Tiffy kind of sort of reconcile, and Ryan just looks like pulverized meat while nobody cares. Well, Betsy does, but Jonas says that’s not her concern. I’d be over there attached to him but that’s me, of course.
Everything gets wrapped up nicely, but with less action and Molly’s half of the episode somewhat dragging, I found this half to be somewhat of a letdown to an exciting opening act. I can only hope that we’ll build on things here: that we’ll see how Mack and Tiffy can rebuild their relationship (although I don’t know why they’re still together; if this were reality somebody would either be in jail or dead by now) and maybe Ryan will grow beyond his two roles as exposition guy or office adulterer.
That’ll take some time, though, as next week is all about Kim and Isaac still hitting on her. Apparently now we’re worried about him and Bob is touchy. I’m more amused by the fact that in the previews, all Ryan has to show for his near-death beating is a Band-Aid on his forehead. Again with the lapses in continuity. Let’s just hope that as the season rolls on, we can wrap up this season-long story arc that’s continuing to be teased. What do you think? Where does the show go from here? At least there are plenty of possibilities on the table.
You really do not like this show do you? Why do you keep watching?
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are in the minority.
The show has a few flaws in it (not many) and it is the only show I actually watch regularly that does not dumb down the audience.
I am afraid that no matter what I say you have your mind made up and just hate the show.
Please watch. I made this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jLL6Hh7yxQ
Also Watch my RP You Tube Site:
http://www.youtube.com/user/adoggperson
Sincerely,
Robin
(adoggperson)
Actually Robin, I happen to like the show a great deal. If you've been reading my reviews, I thoroughly enjoyed the previous episode and the beginning of the season. I do think that the show has some flaws in it, but that's the same of any series, just that they are a little more pronounced of recent. The fact that the show sometimes defies logic doesn't make it any less enjoyable. I wouldn't be watching if I hated it, so, I do take offense to you saying that I have my mind made up. That would be generalizing me in the same way you believe I'm generalizing this series.
ReplyDelete"The Unit" has an excellent cast, and a good team of writers behind it. It has its good episodes and bad episodes, just like any other show. I happen to feel this episode was good, but not as good as the week before, which was excellent. No one has to tell me that it's a good show - that's why I do what I do.
I really enjoy your reviews of the Unit. I think they are fair and honest, and I enjoy the details. I agree with you that has its ups and downs, and that Robert Patrick doesn't have enough to do in it!
ReplyDelete