Painkiller Jane - 1x08 - Friendly Fire
Jun. 10th, 2007 11:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fembuckBy PKJ standards a very good episode. Definately an improvement over last week, which I loathed.
I've been complaining about the writers inability to present a believable friendship between Jane and Mo, but they did a much better job this week. I mean I was amazed to see them hanging out in their spare time (eveen if they had to throw Riley in there), they smiled at each other like they actually enjoyed each others presence, Jane wanted Mo to be there with her in the hospital after the bone marrow extraction, Baumgardner identified Mo as the person Jane trusted most, and they made some inside joke references to Jane and Mo being at the academy together (though I must say I think its rather unlikely they would have gone to the academy together and been friends and then been assigned as partners after graduation). Hell, there were even some looks that could be considered subtextual.
I like female!nurse with the girl!crush on Jane. I wish she hadn't died, she was smart and trying to help out, and she really wanted to make out with Jane. Another sign the writing this episode was more competent than usual was that I cared about this side character.
Loken did a good job this episode. I felt for Jane, and for once the character didn't do anything extremely stupid or irritating. I was actually kind of impressed by that tape trick she used. Though the writers really didn't need to go through that "AND I didn't see you limping, AND you wouldn't have gone out with geeky guy, AND you don't like scrambled eggs" thing from the end. We all got it when we saw her lower back and that there was no salamander tattoo. The flashbacks really must be a command from higher up because they're in every episode, and they're all so completely unnecessary.
Mohinder has absolutely no charisma whatsoever. If someone has to be killed off this season and it can't be McBride I vote for this dead weight. He's just so awkward.
I don't know why but Jane's constant bitching about having to drive cracked me up. It's like she knew that Baumgarnder was faking the ankle thing, so she didn't need to keep asking, but she did anyway. Maybe in was Loken's whiney "fiiiiiiine" delivery everytime Jane asked, but I got a laugh out of that.
Other moments that were funny (maybe only to me, but that I enjoyed anyway):
- Mo being a little princess during the "escape" from the hospital. "Oh, my guns jammed ... ooh, my ankle hurts!" Oh, fake!Mo.
- That guy in the truck eying Jane while she was pumping gas and making a kissy face resulting in the beautiful rolled eyes/disgusted face from Jane. Jane's disgusted face amuses me.
- Jane manhandling Riley at the end. I'd been noticing all episode how much shorter he was than her, so it was just funny to see her pick him and and swing him around like a little kid at the end. Oh, Lokinator. You're so dreamy.
- Jane's deep thoughts about friendship at the end. "We often take our friends for granted until something happens that makes us appreciate them more" Okay, obvious but not ridiculous, so far so good. "Like being there for us when we breakup with our boyfriends, or when we realize that they don't really want us to be dissected in medical experiments and locked up for killing one of them". Um, Jane, muffin, I think that might just be you. Oh, wait no, just like week I was all like "Hey, thanks for helping me move my stuff Brandon. You know what would make me sad? If you were dissected in a medical experiment and locked up for trying to kill Adam. Don't ever do that, 'kay? So, Mongolian for lunch?"
- The fact that when female!nurse asked if there was anything she could get Jane, Jane flashed back to Mo's sexy lower back. Not her face, not her eyes, her lower back and low waisted jeans that slid down just far enough to hint at something tantalizing and forbidden.
But of course, because this is PKJ there were some WTF moments.
1. Baumgardner shifting shape in the middle of the hallway, right after talking to someone who was looking directly at him. WTF!
2. Female!Nurse making that highly incriminating phonecall at her station in the middle of the hallway at night when there were no people around to mask the conversation. "Um, hello, yes I think my boss may be an evil fake, please tell me if I'm right. Tomorrow is fine because I'm here all by myself with no one around to help me or hear me scream and we want to give anyone plenty of time to catch me, kill me and dispose of my body before any one is the wiser. Thanks!"
3. Jane's effusive hugging of Connor at the end of the episode. Why?
4. Jane getting that gas pump to stop directly on $23.47, yeah right! Damn, you Petro Canada my total is always like $30.01. So, frustrating!
That being said, we better see more of Jane being weary of the motivations of the team and her place on it because of her ability. Like this better be building towards something dammit. I want them to at least pretend there's there's an overall story arc and character development for the season.
That being said, one of the least painful PKJ's to date.
I've been complaining about the writers inability to present a believable friendship between Jane and Mo, but they did a much better job this week. I mean I was amazed to see them hanging out in their spare time (eveen if they had to throw Riley in there), they smiled at each other like they actually enjoyed each others presence, Jane wanted Mo to be there with her in the hospital after the bone marrow extraction, Baumgardner identified Mo as the person Jane trusted most, and they made some inside joke references to Jane and Mo being at the academy together (though I must say I think its rather unlikely they would have gone to the academy together and been friends and then been assigned as partners after graduation). Hell, there were even some looks that could be considered subtextual.
I like female!nurse with the girl!crush on Jane. I wish she hadn't died, she was smart and trying to help out, and she really wanted to make out with Jane. Another sign the writing this episode was more competent than usual was that I cared about this side character.
Loken did a good job this episode. I felt for Jane, and for once the character didn't do anything extremely stupid or irritating. I was actually kind of impressed by that tape trick she used. Though the writers really didn't need to go through that "AND I didn't see you limping, AND you wouldn't have gone out with geeky guy, AND you don't like scrambled eggs" thing from the end. We all got it when we saw her lower back and that there was no salamander tattoo. The flashbacks really must be a command from higher up because they're in every episode, and they're all so completely unnecessary.
Mohinder has absolutely no charisma whatsoever. If someone has to be killed off this season and it can't be McBride I vote for this dead weight. He's just so awkward.
I don't know why but Jane's constant bitching about having to drive cracked me up. It's like she knew that Baumgarnder was faking the ankle thing, so she didn't need to keep asking, but she did anyway. Maybe in was Loken's whiney "fiiiiiiine" delivery everytime Jane asked, but I got a laugh out of that.
Other moments that were funny (maybe only to me, but that I enjoyed anyway):
- Mo being a little princess during the "escape" from the hospital. "Oh, my guns jammed ... ooh, my ankle hurts!" Oh, fake!Mo.
- That guy in the truck eying Jane while she was pumping gas and making a kissy face resulting in the beautiful rolled eyes/disgusted face from Jane. Jane's disgusted face amuses me.
- Jane manhandling Riley at the end. I'd been noticing all episode how much shorter he was than her, so it was just funny to see her pick him and and swing him around like a little kid at the end. Oh, Lokinator. You're so dreamy.
- Jane's deep thoughts about friendship at the end. "We often take our friends for granted until something happens that makes us appreciate them more" Okay, obvious but not ridiculous, so far so good. "Like being there for us when we breakup with our boyfriends, or when we realize that they don't really want us to be dissected in medical experiments and locked up for killing one of them". Um, Jane, muffin, I think that might just be you. Oh, wait no, just like week I was all like "Hey, thanks for helping me move my stuff Brandon. You know what would make me sad? If you were dissected in a medical experiment and locked up for trying to kill Adam. Don't ever do that, 'kay? So, Mongolian for lunch?"
- The fact that when female!nurse asked if there was anything she could get Jane, Jane flashed back to Mo's sexy lower back. Not her face, not her eyes, her lower back and low waisted jeans that slid down just far enough to hint at something tantalizing and forbidden.
But of course, because this is PKJ there were some WTF moments.
1. Baumgardner shifting shape in the middle of the hallway, right after talking to someone who was looking directly at him. WTF!
2. Female!Nurse making that highly incriminating phonecall at her station in the middle of the hallway at night when there were no people around to mask the conversation. "Um, hello, yes I think my boss may be an evil fake, please tell me if I'm right. Tomorrow is fine because I'm here all by myself with no one around to help me or hear me scream and we want to give anyone plenty of time to catch me, kill me and dispose of my body before any one is the wiser. Thanks!"
3. Jane's effusive hugging of Connor at the end of the episode. Why?
4. Jane getting that gas pump to stop directly on $23.47, yeah right! Damn, you Petro Canada my total is always like $30.01. So, frustrating!
That being said, we better see more of Jane being weary of the motivations of the team and her place on it because of her ability. Like this better be building towards something dammit. I want them to at least pretend there's there's an overall story arc and character development for the season.
That being said, one of the least painful PKJ's to date.
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no subject
Date: 2007-06-10 07:22 pm (UTC)I think it has less to do with the nature of the actor as the nature of the scripts, male or female, you don't advertise your *lead* as an ass-kicking, take-no-prisoners, follows their own lead character then have them constantly and docilely deferring to someone *else* for direction.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-10 08:10 pm (UTC)Don't get me wrong- i love watching her touch, and her sex scenes in l word are unbearably erotic (imagine what was edited:)). It's still inappropriate (from an acting/character standpoint) for Jane Vasco to be as tactual as Loken (unconciously) plays her.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-10 08:22 pm (UTC)Heh, I wouldn't place money on that bet ;) But, I'd be curious to know if you've seen the PK Jane scripts. Because, as you wrote -
It's still inappropriate (from an acting/character standpoint) for Jane Vasco to be as tactual as Loken (unconciously) plays her.
Which makes it weird to see the character be physically affectionate with the male characters and not with the character that's supposed to be her best friend. Whether it's a conscious/unconscious choice by the actor, I don't know, I can only judge based on what I've seen. And what I've seen based on what the story *tells* me seems kinda whacked.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-10 08:36 pm (UTC)perhaps its sexual tension that prevents them from touching each other:)
no subject
Date: 2007-06-11 12:40 am (UTC)So true. It's like they don't want any display of emotion between the two in case it comes off gay, but it just makes them seem cold and in some cases even like jerks.
perhaps its sexual tension that prevents them from touching each other:)
This is the only explanation that makes sense to me. They're scared to get close to each other in case they fall deeply in love all over again!
So, way to go producers. They tried to keep the gay away, but they actually made us conduct an elaborate gay love story between the two to explain their interactions!