Enlightened ‘The Weekend’: The Connection

Enlightened knocked it out of the park with ‘The Weekend’, easily the strongest of the four initial episodes. Finally addressing the huge elephant in the room (Amy and Levi’s failed marriage), last night’s episode was poignant in all the right places, and even the pretentious voice overs with pretty imagery didn’t stick out like sore thumbs, as in episodes past. A well-written episode about the joys and downfalls of remembering the past.

The episode is driven by the performances of Laura Dern and Luke Wilson, who go on a kayaking trip but end up fighting as always. Early in the episode, Amy convinces herself to spend her first weekend back from treatment on the Kern River, a place where she had a very warm memory of the times when her and Levi were happy. That memory, however, quickly turns dark as Amy thinks about what followed that day of hiking and sunshine. A miscarriage, the death of a loved pet, and a whole lot of self-deprecating behavior (Levi’s cheating, Amy’s partying) that led them to the somewhat miserable place they are in today.

It’s exceptionally well-written, and neither felt preachy nor overly broad, and it drove home some seriously emotional moments later in the episode. After dumping the stash of drugs she finds in Levi’s bag, they have an ugly meltdown in front of their kayaking group, and end up in a dingy motel where Amy lays on the bed, watching Levi blow lines and recall the same hiking trip that inspired her in heartbreaking fashion. She can barely hold her tears back, because in all the things she’s trying to rehabilitate in her life, he’s the one thing she can’t fix.

It’s a welcome departure from the typical I’m-saved, let-me-save-you storyline we’ve seen all too many times. The delicacy with which Mike White handles both the telling of their history and their conversations in this episode gave a much needed boost to the emotional core of the show. ‘The Weekend’ gave us a real glimpse into the reason Amy wants to change… but as Levi asks her, he doesn’t really want to be saved. To call Levi’s outlook on life bleak and depressing would be an understatement.

couple other thoughts:

– The absence of Abbadon in such a strong episode does bring about questions, and points out the fact it took four episodes to get to what is by far the most dynamic storyline of the show. That means those other story lines need to get a lot more interesting, and quickly.

– I thought this was the first episode Enlightened wasn’t trying too hard to be funny, and there were a few subtle jokes to be had, and felt a lot more effective than the more obvious ones in previous episodes. Plus the contrast between the hilarity of Levi’s speech and the sadness Amy felt watching it was a great blend of the comedic and dramatic elements at play in the moment. Felt genuine, and not searching for laughs or strong reactions.

– Will we get into this past more? I don’t really think it needs to be done, especially when the death of Frankie the dog is always going to be hanging over our heads. What a sad story.

Great episode this week, and hopefully the good reviews for this episode will start to drive more people to watch Enlightened. It’s small audience is making me wonder if this will be renewed for a second season, though HBO will give credit to artistic integrity where it is due (just not when it is Carnivale or Deadwood).