Boss ‘Slip’: Toxins in the Water

The fourth episode of Boss was entitled ‘Slip’, though ‘Stumble’ would’ve been much more appropriate. After opening with a strong pilot and second episodes, the last two weeks have been pretty weak, and have set a convoluted, and largely drama-less, table for the rest of the first season. Throw in a few underwhelming performances, symbolism so obvious it smacks you in the face, and what we’re watching right now is an over-stylized show following the template of  great dramatic television in largely uninspired fashion. Here are some thoughts on last night’s episode….

– why does the daughter’s story continue to be so weak and uninteresting? This week, our favorite nurse and pastor had herself a little public sex scene, jumping into the boyfriend/drug dealer’s lap for no apparent reason. Her character partly fails because her accent is so bad (don’t the producers and director on-set notice this?), but also because there isn’t enough motivation apparent to justify her actions. She goes from being discarded by her family and rejecting the advances of her father to repair their relationship (in the last episode), but now she’s ready to start again, and quickly jumps into the role of medicine provider for Kane (did anyone NOT see that coming… there was a reason besides her drug addictions that he got involved in the plot).

– speaking of medicine providers, what is with the Kane magical hitmen? He can remove doctors from their lives, cut off ears, and kill drug dealers with big mouths, all silently and without any knowledge (or caring) by anyone else in the city. Little hard to believe the mayor is able to orchestrate murder, and these touches of violence only take the show out of the hyper-realistic setting its trying to create (which it is doing, to mixed results).

– Kitty’s character continues to be overly sexed, and how Mrs. Kane picked up on her little ugly bumping game with Zajac is beyond me. Sometimes characters on this show are a little too smart for their own good, though in Kitty’s case, she’s a little too stupid to be believable.

– I wonder if the writers of the show are writing themselves into a box with the Lewy Body. There is clearly too much affectation on Kane’s everyday activities this early on, and I wonder how long the show can maintain this barely feasible status quo. How someone like Ezra hasn’t picked up on what’s going on with Kane yet is beyond me. Why didn’t he raise question to Kane’s adamant stance on the drug dealer? This might be something the show is holding back from at the moment, but if later they reveal Ezra to be disloyal, they need to do a better job planting the seeds now.

– Rosebud on the envelope? Are you kidding me… plus would Mrs. Kane really risk it all like that, just because Tom dragged dirt over her father’s legacy? I suppose a daughter’s love dies hard, but its hard to believe in her motives if there is nothing established vis a vi the relationship of Caroline with her father. Obviously she was the daughter who kept the machine in place by marrying Tom, but there needs to be more reason for her to want to tear the whole thing down, besides an argument over school lunches and some damning words on the news.

– what was Kane mumbling under his breath during his latest little episode? I wonder if there is anything to be gleaned from those sentences. If I liked one thing in ‘Slip’, it was the continuation of the blurred line’s between Kane’s vision of his reality, and the actual reality of the world around him – though if it continues, could become very confusing as his mind continues to deteriorate.

what did everyone else think of ‘Slip’? I thought it was a slight step up from last week’s debacle of a show, though obviously, the show is still struggling to find its identity. It’s trying too hard visually, and isn’t generating enough traction dramatically with its characters or story lines. There is still time to fix it, and Grammar continues to be mesmerizing in his portrayal of a corrupt, public figure. We’re at the halfway point of the brief first season, which still looks to be headed towards a finale focused on the primary, although the show is already planted the seeds for seasons to come (the “ground movement” mentioned by the black politician whose name I can’t remember off-hand).