Another
good episode for Elijah, although it’s coming after two episodes without
him. A pretty tight episode, I think, in
which several important character things come together in the same plot. Brief relationship spoilers.
Hannah
and Fran are arguing, again – this time, it’s over some
massively-unprofessional behavior she pulled with her principal. However, much to Hannah’s annoyance, the
argument is put on hold while they and most of their friends attend a new play
Adam is in. Based on the murder of Kitty
Genovese, the theatrical event plays out in numerous apartments in the same
building, with the audience wandering from room to room to see the different
characters’ responses to what’s happening outside. Hannah isn’t the only one distracted from the
play, though. Jessa got together with
Adam at the end of episode 4, and she’s worried about Hannah finding out, and
Marnie arrives with some big news for Ray.
Elsewhere, Elijah attends a party at Dill’s apartment, where another
guest gets in his head and he starts to worry about where he stands with Dill.
Adam’s
play is another instance of something that seems pretty off-the-wall but is
probably more common than I’d expect in Brooklyn. I find the construction of it interesting,
especially the idea that someone would have a completely different experience
of the play depending on when you went into which apartments. But while it’s an intriguing concept, what I
saw of it didn’t convince me that it would actually be all that compelling to
watch. Still, I enjoy seeing what sort
of stuff Adam does, and I was appropriately horrified at what poor audience
members most of the cast is (except Ray, who valiantly tries to keep the others
in line.)
The play
is also a good story device, since it brings all these characters into the same
place but the play itself is “free-form” enough that many of them have no
qualms about getting into their personal drama at the same time, either while
they watch or in side conversations in the hallways. There’s one really nice scene here between
several characters that features an entirely-wordless revelation that’s quite
well done; it’s a strong “less is more” moment for this show. Additionally, there’s another scene that
features a terrific line from Marnie about not having time to “worry about the
sex lives of our second-tier friends.”
Now for
Elijah – Andrew Rannells gets to stretch his muscles a bit here because
Elijah’s relationship with Dill pulls him in a couple different
directions. Dill’s a slightly perplexing
character, although not as much as Mimi-Rose last season. As Elijah himself acknowledges, Dill is a pro
at making him feel special, and in their sweeter scenes together, we can all
but see Elijah melting in puppy-love before our eyes; he makes moderate
attempts to play it cool (and still gets in some funny lines,) but it’s all
over his face. Whenever we’ve seen
Elijah in relationships, he definitely feeds off what the other person gives
him, and he seems so settled and confident, right up until the moment when
someone else at the party starts whispering in his ear and he gets freaked out.
When
Elijah makes his concerns known to Dill, Dill is kind of infuriatingly vague
about it. Much of his tone and demeanor
seem calm and reassuring, but there’s little to hang onto in his actual words,
and it’s clear that it doesn’t do much to allay Elijah’s fears (he takes his
frustrations out on Dill’s toiletries, which is a petty/impulsive Elijah moment
that I love.) Corey Stoll, by the way,
does a nice job with these different sides of Dill and making them feel like
they’re coming from the same person.
Oh, and this
has little to do with anything else, but it has to be said: Dill’s apartment has a climbing wall. That is so
cool.
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