The Book of Rannells: Black Monday: Season 1, Episode 9 – “2”

Penultimate episode of the season, which always makes for an exciting time.  You can see from the episode title that our countdown is right on the edge of Black Monday.  The storm is building; it’s all about to go down (episode premise spoilers.)

The final steps of Mo’s big play are slotting into place, but it’s not the slam dunk he hopes for – the SEC is circling, and Blair has moves of his own to make.  Everything comes to a head at Blair and Tiff’s wedding.

As far as all-the-plots-are-building-to-a-climax episodes go, this is a pretty juicy one.  Sure, it’s no Doctor Who – it’s hard to top the universe blowing up when there’s still one episode in the season to go! – but there’s still a lot of excitement going on.  Wedding episodes are always good for last-minute drama, and here, we see both personal and professional stakes all tangled up in the proceedings.  It definitely has me pumped for the season finale, so mission accomplished!

There isn’t too much I can say about the plot.  Suffice to say, we’ll be going into the finale with a lot of important things still up in the air.  In particular, there are a few elements introduced in this episode that throw a lot into question, showing that, for all of Mo’s machinations, it’s still anyone’s game.  Lots of good humor here, mostly just within the overall chemistry of the cast, and there’s an amusing running bit of Keith desperately trying to keep his colleagues out of hot water.  The term “sniglet” also comes back around in a fun way, and Mo, not wanting to be outdone, offers us the gem “Basquiyacht.”

Great episode for Blair.  Andrew Rannells gets a good amount of comedy (both broad physical stuff and subtler line readings/reaction shots,) as well as some more dramatic bits.  There’s a fun “can’t see the bride before the wedding” scene and a positively-hilarious dance sequence that Rannells (along with Casey Wilson) is simply outrageous in.  I also really love a climactic téte-a-téte between Blair and Mo, in which there’s definite flexing and power moves on both sides – there’s a great shot of the two of them very amusingly jockeying for dominance.

It’s cool to see Blair getting shrewder and savvier.  From a character standpoint, it shows the big changes he’s gone through over the course of the season and shakes up the relationship dynamics – lots of characters view Blair as an easy mark/someone to dump on, and he’s changing that up.  And from a plot perspective, it introduces new conflicts and potential obstacles for Mo.  He’s been working on this play for a year now, and right on the eve of putting the final pieces together, here comes Blair as a last-minute complication he needs to deal with.

Favorite Characters: Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel (Captain Marvel)

Ah, Carol.  There are so many great elements in Captain Marvel, but I love Carol most of all.  Seeing the film, I was quickly enamored with her and left the theater admittedly starry-eyed over the newest addition to the MCU echelon of heroes.  I still think there’s no reason Marvel had to wait 11 years and 21 movies to do a female-led solo movie, but I have zero complaints about the heroine we finally got (premise spoilers.)

As I said in my review, one of the first things you notice about Carol is how much she loves her powers.  She doesn’t let her guard down when she’s in a life-or-death setting, but she clearly gets so much genuine pleasure from kicking baddie ass and showing off what she can do.  She exudes confidence, the air of a woman who knows without a doubt that she’s got this:  she’s literally glowing with power, and she’s prepared to strut.  Even though the Kree regulate and control the levels of her abilities, she’s still an amazing force to be reckoned with – seeing her finally flex her muscles to their full extent is just immensely satisfying.

Going along with that self-assurance and joy is her humor.  I adore Carol’s wisecracks, which pepper the film but never really feel like quips for quips’ sake.  There’s a sly, playful air about her, whether she’s arguing that Yon-Rogg can’t take credit for knocking her down while they spar (“I was already tripping when you just happened to punch me in the face,”) or bemusedly watching Fury McGyver their way out of a locked room when she knows she can just take out the door with a photon blast.  I love that, even though she has no memories of her past and is constantly being told by Kree culture to keep her emotions even, her light, snarky personality still shines through.

Taking a different note now, because she’s not just sunshiny all the time.  Carol likes to enjoy herself while she’s working, no doubt, but she also knows how to get down to business.  As she searches for the Skrulls on Earth and later investigates Project Pegasus, there’s such an intensity to her focus.  It’s likely influenced by her Kree training, since it feels at least mildly alien, but it’s really cool to see her flip that switch into “shit’s about to get real” mode.  She’s so sharp and searching in these moments, eyes completely on the prize, not to be deterred for anything.

Side note:  I like how she lands on Earth – as far as she knows, a completely alien environment for her – and she just immediately gets on with it.  She makes no bones about approaching people, she calmly rigs up a ‘90s Earth payphone to make contact with her Starforce spaceship, and just generally walks about like she owns the place.  Way more effective than Thor marching into a pet store demanding a horse, I’m just saying!

Lastly, everyone of course saw that falling-and-getting-back-up montage from the trailers, and it’s even cooler in the movie itself.  I love that, the idea that she’s a hero because she’s too stubborn to give up, even when she maybe should.  Her snatches of flashbacks aren’t always about showing up the guys who tell her she can’t do it – more so, they’re about her trying, reaching too far, failing, and pulling herself up to try again.  In context, that scene is just breathtaking, up there with some of my favorite “heroines recognizing their power” moments.

21 Chump Street: Songs 1-5

This is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s mini side-musical, a nifty little one-act written for This American Life.  It stars Anthony Ramos (John Laurens in Hamilton) and features one terrific song in “What the Heck I Gotta Do”, along with a few other pretty decent numbers.  While it’s definitely my least favorite of Miranda’s musicals, it’s still awfully good when you consider it was likely banged out during his free time while writing Hamilton (spoilers.)

“What the Heck I Gotta Do” – What a fun, affable song introducing us to Justin and his massive crush on Naomi (who, unbeknownst to him, isn’t a new student but an undercover narcotics officer.)  Justin’s puppyish enthusiasm for everything Naomi is infectious, and the simple but catchy melody complements that perfectly.

Best lyric:  “She was a light-skinneded Puerto Rican-Dominican - / Long hair, mature in the body like whoa!”

“One School” – Here, we meet the real “Naomi,” musing on the difficulties and overall head trip of her job.  I like the care taken here.  She believes in what she’s doing and the importance of making kids safer through enforcing drug laws, but she also can’t just skim the surface of it, avoiding getting pulled into the teenage drama and caring about some of the students she may end up putting away.

Best lyric:  “What’s the hardest part?” – “Pssh – the cafeteria. / Imagine hundreds of teenagers yelling / And running full speed. / And the lack of deodorant. / Let’s just say / I would drink at the end of the day.”

“Cousin” – Quick little ditty as Justin tries to figure out how to get some weed for Naomi, not being the type of guy to do that sort of thing.  Not much to write home about here – the hook is amusing, and I like the image of a massive network of cousins who know guys who know guys.

Best lyric:  “Everybody’s got a cousin who can hook them up with something.”

“The Money” – The climax of this very short show, as Justin gives Naomi the weed he thinks she wants, sealing his fate.  I like the way the emotions build, and the vocal layering is great; the snatch of “What the Heck I Gotta Do” woven in there is good, too.

Best lyric:  “I don’t want your money. / I got this just for you. / Keep your money. / There’s nothing I won’t do for you. / I’ll come through for you / Every time - / Just in time.”

“Epilogue” – Less song, more plot, as we wrap up the story and look at some of the challenging questions it raises.  Even in a quick little show like this, Miranda brings back lines/melodies from earlier songs in different contexts, bringing it home nicely.

Best lyric:  “Seriously, these kids need to learn / There are consequences in life. / I am doing my job. / I am doing it right. / I am making life safer / One school at a time.”