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osprey_archerI finished season one of Graceland! Spoilers to follow.
Everyone lives! Holy shit, everybody lives! Except the hombre de llaves and Eddie and Whistler (WHISTLER I AM STILL SAD ABOUT YOU). But all the main characters live! I am especially glad that Charlie lives, although she is clearly so distressed by realizing that she got completely played by Cortez, and also believing that her distrust of Briggs was undeserved -
Except it totally was deserved! Briggs really is Odin Rossi, and he did kill Juan Barillo! (What hold does Briggs have on DJ that makes Jakes keep that secret? Maybe this came up in the show and I missed it.)
I am kind of in awe of the fact that Briggs managed to wiggle his way out of the spiderweb he built around himself - and not only that he managed it, but that the show managed to sell it so I believed the Bureau would let him off, no mystical protagonist powers required.
And not only that, but he managed to gift-wrap Quinn for the bureau as Odin Rossi. Obviously it's partly because Quinn handed himself to Briggs on a platter, but I think it's also weird and terrible kind of present for Charlie, because I don't believe for a moment that punching Quinn's face in was enough vengeance for her for Whistler's death. Probably seeing him tossed in jail for a billion years for Odin Rossi's crimes won't be enough to make her stop feeling responsible. Oh, Charlie -
Have I mentioned how much I love the way the show used Charlie & Whistler's relationship? They aren't lovers or really even friends, exactly; she finds him exasperating, like a really fucked up kid brother, and she feels responsible for him like he was her kid brother too. I love that this becomes her driving motivation: she's so protective and brave and it makes her do stupid things and even awful things, like beating the hell out of Quinn or stabbing the bounce house, and UGH CHARLIE I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS ABOUT YOU.
And Briggs knows just what she's feeling, but he can't support her properly because that would mean telling her about Lisa and the Estate and the fact that he betrayed them (under torture, but still, that doesn't make him feel much better), and he just can't do that. So instead he frames Quinn, so at least Charlie will see him suffer.
I also (switching gears here) liked the montage where they're questioning all the agents about Briggs. Mike and Paige are trying to explain (side note! I nearly screamed at the TV when Mike and Paige kissed. THANK YOU FOR NOT GOING ANY FURTHER WITH THAT, SHOW), Charlie explaining her side of the story, Jakes stonewalling - and Johnny is just not having any of it. Briggs is dirty, Mike's a rat, what?
I love that he's so weirdly trusting of everyone in the house, and I'm also (because I am evil) kind of hoping this is something that smacks him in the face in a later season - he gets in a position where his trust for his comrades really ends up screwing him over. It would be interesting, and it would get him his own storyline, rather than just being a supporting character for everyone else's.
In fact, this is the first of my predictions for season two! Johnny's trusting nature will blow up in his face. His fellow denizens at Graceland will try to help pick up the pieces, and it will be imperfect but it will be enough that he can soldier on.
Charlie will also be struggling to deal, but she will also pull through because I need her to pull through, dammit.
Maybe Paige will get a storyline of her own, too? I feel like she and Johnny were the two who really didn't in season one, so it's sort of their turn. Besides, Charlie clearly needs a season to recuperate.
Briggs probably needs a season to recuperate too, but he left so many loose ends flapping in the wind that there's no way that will happen. The tape's going to show up again, somehow. Quinn will get caught and tell everyone that Briggs is the one who gave him that secret identity. The drug lords who got their supplies from Rossi will probably be hella pissed, too.
And of course Mike's going to come back. No predictions how they'll bring that about, but it's going to happen. Mike is good at undercover work, but he's not well-suited to it, psychologically speaking, so this may be a bad idea for him.
One thing I really love about this show is that all the main characters are good people, or at least want to be good people - but the way they've chosen to do good, undercover investigations, inevitably ends up compromising them. Not only do they do bad things as part of their work, but the stress means that they end up hurting each other, too.
And then they get back up, dust themselves off, and try again. Because they'll keep trying to be there for each other, until all their second chances are gone.
This is probably the best show I've watched in a while. Bring on season 2, I say!
Everyone lives! Holy shit, everybody lives! Except the hombre de llaves and Eddie and Whistler (WHISTLER I AM STILL SAD ABOUT YOU). But all the main characters live! I am especially glad that Charlie lives, although she is clearly so distressed by realizing that she got completely played by Cortez, and also believing that her distrust of Briggs was undeserved -
Except it totally was deserved! Briggs really is Odin Rossi, and he did kill Juan Barillo! (What hold does Briggs have on DJ that makes Jakes keep that secret? Maybe this came up in the show and I missed it.)
I am kind of in awe of the fact that Briggs managed to wiggle his way out of the spiderweb he built around himself - and not only that he managed it, but that the show managed to sell it so I believed the Bureau would let him off, no mystical protagonist powers required.
And not only that, but he managed to gift-wrap Quinn for the bureau as Odin Rossi. Obviously it's partly because Quinn handed himself to Briggs on a platter, but I think it's also weird and terrible kind of present for Charlie, because I don't believe for a moment that punching Quinn's face in was enough vengeance for her for Whistler's death. Probably seeing him tossed in jail for a billion years for Odin Rossi's crimes won't be enough to make her stop feeling responsible. Oh, Charlie -
Have I mentioned how much I love the way the show used Charlie & Whistler's relationship? They aren't lovers or really even friends, exactly; she finds him exasperating, like a really fucked up kid brother, and she feels responsible for him like he was her kid brother too. I love that this becomes her driving motivation: she's so protective and brave and it makes her do stupid things and even awful things, like beating the hell out of Quinn or stabbing the bounce house, and UGH CHARLIE I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS ABOUT YOU.
And Briggs knows just what she's feeling, but he can't support her properly because that would mean telling her about Lisa and the Estate and the fact that he betrayed them (under torture, but still, that doesn't make him feel much better), and he just can't do that. So instead he frames Quinn, so at least Charlie will see him suffer.
I also (switching gears here) liked the montage where they're questioning all the agents about Briggs. Mike and Paige are trying to explain (side note! I nearly screamed at the TV when Mike and Paige kissed. THANK YOU FOR NOT GOING ANY FURTHER WITH THAT, SHOW), Charlie explaining her side of the story, Jakes stonewalling - and Johnny is just not having any of it. Briggs is dirty, Mike's a rat, what?
I love that he's so weirdly trusting of everyone in the house, and I'm also (because I am evil) kind of hoping this is something that smacks him in the face in a later season - he gets in a position where his trust for his comrades really ends up screwing him over. It would be interesting, and it would get him his own storyline, rather than just being a supporting character for everyone else's.
In fact, this is the first of my predictions for season two! Johnny's trusting nature will blow up in his face. His fellow denizens at Graceland will try to help pick up the pieces, and it will be imperfect but it will be enough that he can soldier on.
Charlie will also be struggling to deal, but she will also pull through because I need her to pull through, dammit.
Maybe Paige will get a storyline of her own, too? I feel like she and Johnny were the two who really didn't in season one, so it's sort of their turn. Besides, Charlie clearly needs a season to recuperate.
Briggs probably needs a season to recuperate too, but he left so many loose ends flapping in the wind that there's no way that will happen. The tape's going to show up again, somehow. Quinn will get caught and tell everyone that Briggs is the one who gave him that secret identity. The drug lords who got their supplies from Rossi will probably be hella pissed, too.
And of course Mike's going to come back. No predictions how they'll bring that about, but it's going to happen. Mike is good at undercover work, but he's not well-suited to it, psychologically speaking, so this may be a bad idea for him.
One thing I really love about this show is that all the main characters are good people, or at least want to be good people - but the way they've chosen to do good, undercover investigations, inevitably ends up compromising them. Not only do they do bad things as part of their work, but the stress means that they end up hurting each other, too.
And then they get back up, dust themselves off, and try again. Because they'll keep trying to be there for each other, until all their second chances are gone.
This is probably the best show I've watched in a while. Bring on season 2, I say!
