Common Law Review: Testing...?
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If there's one thing we didn't learn on Common Law this week, it's that Wes and Travis are one among many "Odd Couples" in this world.
The explosion of grenades that began this episode had nothing on the bombs that dropped between Wes and Travis during therapy. From Travis revealing Wes' tendencies to erupt like a volcano after accumulating a laundry list of complaints, to admitting that his cleanliness at home was a reflection of much deeper psychological significance, a lot came out between this pair.
Where sharing a dog seemed like laborious task last Friday, sharing a confined space for the purposes of a case was a much more taxing endeavor, even in surroundings as luxurious as those they in which they resided.
A patter had emerged with regards to these two characters, especially as it concerns their progress in therapy. They seem to do the most soul searching when they seek to out-do one another or participate in competition to see who can either solveĀ the case first, personally apprehend a suspect or even just to write.
Remember when they switched places? I don't think I've ever seen a set of individuals more set on portraying the other more accurately, or insist that the portrayal was correct than these two. In the end, though, they learned that they are best being who they are for a reason.
This week, they leveled with each other in different ways. Travis told Wes what he needed from him in terms of having his back when he has a hunch about a case, how he feels about never knowing what Wes is thinking, and the real reason behind his cleanliness habits around the house. Wes gained from those perspectives, most notably when he came to back Travis up when he encountered Lisa and the prison guard.
I particularly enjoyed the mastermind thief plotline, even through to the twist, which put a spin on it that I think was fitting of these two crime solvers. If only Lisa Clark had kept it about the story......
Did anyone feel deeply saddened by the sub-plot involving Capt. Sutton. I can't believe his wife stood him up! I think their relationship is in a state of disrepair that perhaps not even therapy can assuage. If anything, it demonstrates no relationship can be completely cured, not even if you're as gung-ho about therapy as the Captain.
Highlights from this episode:
- Grenades exploding and a mastermind thief going free in the first few minutes of the episode.
- Travis gorging on the chicken meal Wes made for himself out of spite.
- Wes attributing Lisa's shady behavior as a sign of "taste" in men that weren't Travis.
- Wes and Travis intimidating the pizza guy, especially when Travis got in his face and called him a liar.
- The boys failing to "visualize a positive outcome" with Sutton, and choosing to quietly exit instead.
- Travis making Wes think his mike was broken.
- The boys breaking the thermometer.
I was disheartened to hear that there are only three episodes left in Common Law's first season. I have high expectations for them, because there's so much I still want to learn about these guys before the show goes into limbo.
What are you hoping to learn about these characters before the first season ends?
C. Charles is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.