Thursday, April 4, 2019

The Book of Rannells: Black Monday: Season 1, Episode 10 – “0” (2019)


Season finale time, and it does not skimp on the action, the betrayals, or the dramatic developments!  I could see this being a one-season show, and if it does, this episode has enough finality about it to make it work, but I could also see the show using it as a springboard to get into all the fallout over the course of a second season.

The big day has arrived – Black Monday, although none of the characters realize what’s about to happen when the opening bell rings.  Everything is at a fever pitch as extreme triumph swings to panicked despair.  This is a show where pretty much everybody is out for themselves at all times, and this is especially true here.

More than any other, I can’t talk about what happens in this episode.  Even though the market crash can’t be called a spoiler, the route the show takes to get us there is a wild one that involves revisiting scenes from a number of past episodes from a different angle, looking at an undercurrent that we weren’t shown before.  It also clears up a little of the weirdness I’d noticed before with different plot elements, and I now see there was a reason these things had been left vague.

I’m not sure if I can really talk about the ending in terms of how satisfying it is.  Certainly, some characters get screwed over big time, others do the screwing, and still others screw themselves.  Since everyone is so selfish and underhanded, you can’t really feel too bad about the ones who get a rawer deal, but you’re not indifferent, either.  No matter what, it’s dramatically compelling to watch it all unfold.  Plus, it resolves a mystery that was introduced back in the opening scene of the pilot, which I appreciate.  While it keeps us guessing until the very end, a lot of other shows would’ve ended on a cliffhanger, banking on a season renewal that may not have come.  So good on Black Monday for answering that question for us.

I think I can officially say that all of Andrew Rannells’s regular TV roles have a lot to offer on the acting front.  We’ve seen so much gradual change in Blair over this season, and the finale offers new sides of him (while still showing hints of the old Blair that he’s actively trying to repress.)  It gives Rannells quite a bit to work with, with a few standout scenes that show off some of his more dramatic chops.

Will we get another season?  I hope so.  I was impressed with how this one pulled everything off.  The twists are cool, the humor is outrageous, and the cast chemistry is fantastic.  And of course, the Andrew Rannells of it all.  I really enjoy seeing what he does with continuing characters, and I’d love to see where Blair goes from here.

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