S02.E02: Ghost Of A Flea

[ElectricBoogaloo]

A bizarre killing attracts attention on both sides of the border; Frye and Adriana find more than they bargained for with their first lead; Eleanor enlists the help of a young boy.

 

[Ms Lark]

S2E2 is up on Comcast OnDemand. Not sure if it's a mistake or not. No spoilers, but E2 is definitely much easier to follow.

[QueerGirrl]

Thanks Ms Lark!!  I know what I'll be watching tonight!

[BooBear]

Yes I just watched it. Lucky for me I have no clue what date it is.  I had trouble following because there is a ton of subtitles in this episode but I am interested.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LvM968Vacg

[AimingforYoko]

The kid's end was sadly predictable, but when you're fifteen, hormones trump survival instinct.

I don't think Marco's completely in the bag for Fausto, I think he will try to chart a middle course.

[Primetimer]

And that's just one of the lessons Kyle learned from his run-in with Eleanor Nacht.

Read the story

[MrsRafaelBarba]

RIP kid, being too trusting got you killed and ole girl bout to murder your friend too.

Hank ain't here for Little Hobbs bullshit, love how he's protective of Sonya. and Eva aka Miss Bala.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Poor kid.

[AuntiePam]

So many scenes with people carrying paper cups.  Is too much to ask that something be IN those cups to make it look kinda real?

 

Eleanor's character is boring and predictable.  So many good killers on TV in the last few years, it's getting more difficult to create something really original. 

 

Are we supposed to think that Sonya is in danger with Jack?  Now I'm curious about what happened in that hotel room. 

 

I liked the scenes with the taxidermist.

[AimingforYoko]

Now I'm curious about what happened in that hotel room.

We know, Hank told Marco the story last season. Hank shot Dobbs, intending to kill him, but Dobbs lived, albeit with catastrophic brain damage. Hank said his only regret is that he thwarted Sonya's need for answers.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Looking forward to seeing Demian acting opposite his brother this season .

Bruno made his first appearance tonight.

[Auntie Anxiety]

See, this is what happens when a kid decides to go outside and rides bikes instead of sitting in front of the tv watching shows like Breaking Bad or American Horror Show because a tv watcher would have known what was going to happen the minute he saw that plastic sheet.  I certainly hope Kyle's brother is smarter.

[thuganomics85]

Oh, that dumb, dumb, horny kid.  Sadly, I can totally believe that he would ignore every fucking bad sign that was dropped on him, in order to touch a naked woman.  It was so obvious that Eleanor was going to kill him; it was just a question of how long.  And, the kid even just possibly doomed his buddy as well.  Once again, you dumb and horny kid!  Eleanor is just all kinds of fucked up.

 

Marco and Sonya are back together!  Well... of course, Marco is also working for Fausto as well, but we'll see if he can play both sides, and where will his loyalties lie.  But he's clearly in a different place now, after that beat-down on the cop right in the station. They really do thinks different in that station,when that happens, and everyone just watches, and The Captain's reaction is just an annoyed "Dammit, Marco!  Quit it!"

 

Hank's not liking Sonya's new sex buddy at all, and get a bit overprotective of her.  Interesting that Sonya flat-out called him out on how he would probably wouldn't be like this if she was a man, and he admitted it was true.  But, even with that awareness, he can't seem to stop himself.

 

Daniel and Adriana's adventures provided some lighter moments, but got real dark in the end.  Charlotte and Linder are still missing in action.

 

Thought this was a good step in the right direction, from the premiere.  Seemed to have most of the big stories set, and I'm curious to see how they will play out.

[Dowel Jones]

So who was the body in the apartment that Daniel/Adriana visited?  I missed a bit there.

At least we know Yankee's story. 

[Blakeston]

Hank really pissed me off. Sonia is a grown woman, and the whole "you have evil DNA!" thing was eyeroll-worthy. Did he think that would solve anything?

 

My question - during the conversation Marco had with the prosecutor, what was the incident they were referring to, in which someone ended up dead two hours after seeing Marco?

[Kenz]

There were a few too many gruesome bodies and graphic images in this episode for me, and I'm having a bit of trouble following all of the different plots, but I'll stick with it because I really liked the first season.

[scrb]

OK a horny teen might be tempted by a naked woman but she's not appealing, with the tattoos and the flabby body.  

 

She may go and kill his kid brother whom she told him to say goodbye to.  She's definitely going to visit his buddy who had the good sense to get out of there.

 

The kid is that oblivious?  She said it was some man's blood all over her.  

[scrb]

She's not that appealing.  Hormones or not, he should have some standards.  Forget watching Breaking Bad.  He'd have likely been looking at a lot of porn on the Internet so he really shouldn't be that irresistibly drawn to a flabby body with ugly tattoos.

[johntfs]

I kind of wish Kyle had been developed in a more interesting way.  Instead of walking onto the plastic, hypnotised by the prospect of touching a real woman's boobies, I wish he'd be a little more thoughtful and appealed to Eleanor in a different way, like:

 

"No, I'm not going to touch you and stuff.  That's treating you like a whore and you're not a whore.  Instead, you owe me a debt.  I fed you, clothed you, took you into my home and transported you where you wanted to do.  I won't ask about you and I won't tell about you, but you owe me a debt.  And now I'm leaving."

 

I think Eleanor would have honored that.  She seems a whole lot like Sonya in terms of following rules, especially personal rules.  The idea of owing Kyle a debt (and the way she might choose to repay that debt) might have opened up some interesting story space for them, but I guess it's not to be.

[Ms Lark]

I liked the scenes with the taxidermist.

Me, too. He reminded me a bit of Milton in Office Space.

 

Poor dumb Kyle. Hey, walk onto this plastic... Darwin Award nominee!!

[dubbel zout]

I can't believe ANY kid would be stupid enough to bring a strange woman into his home at night while his family is there. And let her raid the fridge? No. Just no.

 

the whole "you have evil DNA!" thing was eyeroll-worthy

 

I KNOW. That was so dumb.

 

Charlotte and Linder are still missing in action.

 

Linder is back next week per the preview, but we didn't see Charlotte. We did see Bobby Cobb again, so maybe she'll show up.

Edited July 17, 2014 by dubbel zout

[SimoneS]

Much better episode. I actually now understand more about what is going on. A competitor and the DEA are going after Fausto who needs Marco's help. The DEA guy is worried about the CIA which makes me wonder if there is a terrorist connection to those Euros.

 

I am surprised that Marco has survived as long as he has when everyone else is so corrupt. Fausto does seem trust and respect Marco.

 

Poor kid. It was never going to end well once he got involved with Eleanor. Unfortunately, his smarter friend is next. I hope the taxidermist took his family and fled for the hills.

 

Hank was out of line, but I still wanted him to punch Dobbs in the face when he lit the cigarette.

 

Daniel and Adriana need to be more careful. Daniel does not seem to really understand how dangerous his investigation is to himself and Adriana.

 

My question - during the conversation Marco had with the prosecutor, what was the incident they were referring to, in which someone ended up dead two hours after seeing Marco?

 

The prosecutor was talking about the cop that Marco beat up in a car to find out where they had taken Eva. The cop was shot not long after he told Marco about Eva.

Edited July 17, 2014 by SimoneS

[Blakeston]

OK a horny teen might be tempted by a naked woman but she's not appealing, with the tattoos and the flabby body.

The kid was a moron - but there's no way in hell he was going to find a willing sex partner hotter than Franke Potenta.

[DrLar]

If you remove Bruno Bichir's glasses and get him a mustache he'll be almost Demian's twin! hehe, can we also have Odiseo Bichir in this one? 

 

Poor kid, he had it coming, I don't see Eleanor's motivations to kill him, he didn't know what she did, he just found her taking a shower outside and leave it like that, but perhaps she's that crazy. Wondering what Fausto wants with her.

[AuntiePam]

 

We know, Hank told Marco the story last season. Hank shot Dobbs, intending to kill him, but Dobbs lived, albeit with catastrophic brain damage. Hank said his only regret is that he thwarted Sonya's need for answers.

 

My impression is that there was more to Hank's comment.  It was out of the blue and had nothing to do with Hank warning Jack away from Sonya.  "We both know what happened in that hotel room."  Not "everyone knows" but "we both know". 

 

ETA:  Do we know any more about how that went down, Hank shooting Dobbs?  Was he on the scene right after Lisa was killed?  What's this hotel room -- was it the scene of the crime or the place where Hank found Dobbs?

Edited July 17, 2014 by AuntiePam

[Blakeston]

After Dobbs killed Sonya's sister, and the police found out about it, Hank went looking for Dobbs, and found him in the hotel room.

Hank's official story was that when he got to the hotel room, he had to shoot Dobbs, because Dobbs pulled a gun on him. He admitted to Marco that Dobbs didn't actually do that - Hank shot him in cold blood.

Hank made it clear that he doesn't want people knowing how it really went down. But Jack figured it out.

Edited July 17, 2014 by Blakeston

[Mars477]

She's not that appealing.  Hormones or not, he should have some standards.  Forget watching Breaking Bad.  He'd have likely been looking at a lot of porn on the Internet so he really shouldn't be that irresistibly drawn to a flabby body with ugly tattoos.

That "flabby body" is Franka Potente!

 

Seriously though, porn is porn, but speaking as a former 15 year old boy some of us go pretty damn stupid at the off chance of touching a passably attractive woman's real life titties.  Let alone the titties of a woman who looks like Franka Potente with a bad haircut.

 

I thought it was better than the premiere, although it's still a place setting episode.  Still, we got something important accomplished and and that's bringing Marco and Sonya back together!  Between them and Daniel and Adriana, this show is good for your "Mismatched male/female investigator partners".

 

I think Hank is genuinely misstepping (and will endanger his relationship with Sonya in the process of trying to preserve it/protect her) rather than Dobbs being a bad guy.

[dubbel zout]

I am surprised that Marco has survived as long as he has when everyone else is so corrupt. Fausto does seem trust and respect Marco.

 

I think that's a big reason why Marco has survived: Fausto gives him some sort of protection.

 

Daniel and Adriana need to be more careful. Daniel does not seem to really understand how dangerous his investigation is to himself and Adriana.

 

You'd think he'd have learned to be a little more cautious after what happened last season, but I guess he doesn't care what happens to him. I wish he'd be more careful for Adriana's sake, though. He's such a bull in a china shop.

Edited July 17, 2014 by dubbel zout

[Cardie]

I think Eleanor told Kyle to say good-bye to the brother because she knew she would kill Kyle. The younger brother never saw her, so he's not a danger. Once she started with her spiritual mumbo-jumbo any kid with half a brain would find a way to sneak out and call the police. They did not sell that he would be so stupid, hormones or not.

[Bort]

I was endlessly amused that Galvan's suit-wearing lackey was smoking an e-cigarette.

[Diane M]

Franka Potente may be attractive in real life, but as this character, she just looks like an unwashed cheap hooker.  Kyle should have waited for a cute teenage girl to do his exploring.

[shapeshifter]

After Dobbs killed Sonya's sister, and the police found out about it, Hank went looking for Dobbs, and found him in the hotel room.Hank's official story was that when he got to the hotel room, he had to shoot Dobbs, because Dobbs pulled a gun on him. He admitted to Marco that Dobbs didn't actually do that - Hank shot him in cold blood.Hank made it clear that he doesn't want people knowing how it really went down. But Jack figured it out.

Thanks for clearing that up.

The scene with Hank confronting the brother is a bit of a mirror image of the scene with Marco beating up the cop who pulled a gun on him, as per the remark the politico guy Marco met in the bar--that it was smart to punch out the guy in the police station so if Marco went missing or his body was found, they'd know who to pin it on. Hank was similarly letting Dobbs know that if anything happened to Sonia, Hank would know where to go looking.

I think Eleanor told Kyle to say good-bye to the brother because she knew she would kill Kyle. The younger brother never saw her, so he's not a danger. Once she started with her spiritual mumbo-jumbo any kid with half a brain would find a way to sneak out and call the police. They did not sell that he would be so stupid, hormones or not.

Many years ago I almost got raped and murdered by someone practiced in manipulation simply because I hadn't slept in over 24 hours, which caused me to ignore red flags. Kyle was out late at night and then it was much later by the time he stepped on the plastic. Plus boobs.

Alan Sepinwall (http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-the-bridge-ghost-of-a-flea-with-the-beetles):

...Kyle wants her because she is a woman promising sex — even though it's clear to us at least from the moment she tells him to say goodbye to his brother that all he'll really get is death. (And only after stupidly giving up the address of his best friend, the only other witness to her whereabouts that night.)...

Since he didn't give the street number, I like to think it is instead the address of some nemesis of Kyle's. If so, poor nemesis.

About the title of the episode, "Ghost of a Flea," the Wikipedia article (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_of_a_Flea) talks about a lot of imagery and references related to this work of art that could also apply to this season and episode of The Bridge, too many for me to quote--at least now when I'm half asleep, but the most obvious is that it resembles the miniature fantasy figure the big fibbie was painting in his office.

Edited July 18, 2014 by shapeshifter

[daughtersofanarchy]

Rest In Plastic, Kyle, you dodo.

 

That FBI guy painting figurines was a hoot.  I wonder how many of those he has in his collection.  hee hee  This week on Hoarders...

 

The taxidermy guy, approximately:  "The body was impossible to do, what with the decomposition, oh, and of course the illegality of it, and everything."

 

This show could fall off the drama cliff and end up a comedy.

[AimingforYoko]

Quote

The taxidermy guy, approximately:  "The body was impossible to do, what with the decomposition, oh, and of course the illegality of it, and everything."

BTW, you guys know the taxidermy guy's dad is the only one to hit the "triple lindy" dive and he once owned a possessed '58 Plymouth, right? Yes, the guy behind the thick glasses is Keith Gordon of Christine and Back to School fame.

 

[lulee]

BTW, you guys know the taxidermy guy's dad is the only one to hit the "triple lindy" dive and he once owned a possessed '58 Plymouth, right? Yes, the guy behind the thick glasses is Keith Gordon of Christine and Back to School fame.

I did not know that, but that's why we love you, AfY.

 

Was it a nod to Abraham Benrubi's roll as Olaf on the Troll God (on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) when DEA Agent McKenzie ”Are you an ogre man or a troll man, Rebus?”

[pasdetrois]

Is the figure-painting FBI guy played by the actor who used to be on Nurse Jackie? Or another hospital show?

[Bort]

He was on ER during the early years.

[Diane M]

Poor man has an extreme under-bite, but character actors don't have to be pretty.

[dubbel zout]

Was it a nod to Abraham Benrubi's roll as Olaf on the Troll God (on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) when DEA Agent McKenzie ”Are you an ogre man or a troll man, Rebus?”

 

I wondered that, too!

 

I NEVER would have recognized Keith Gordon if his name hadn't been in the credits.

[Catch 22]

Just to add to the Keith Gordon information. He also directed last week's episode "Yankee" as well as Season 1 Episode 9 from 2013 titled "The Beetle".

 

Regarding the hormones of a teenage boy, to reference Buffy again, Xander at one point said "I'm 17. Thinking about linoleum makes me want to have sex".

[dubbel zout]

"Nothing can defeat the penis!"

[shapeshifter]

"Nothing can defeat the penis!"

Except a blade in the hand of Eleanor Nacht.

[TexasGal]

I can't believe ANY kid would be stupid enough to bring a strange woman into his home at night while his family is there. And let her raid the fridge? No. Just no.

Plus the fact that he had to be convinced to drive a car because he only had a learner's permit, so he only drove with adults.  Uhhh, either this kid lives on the edge and would bring a bloodied stranger home for the promise of sex, in which case he'd drive that car with no hesitation, or he's a big ole square who is too afraid to drive a car since he only has a learner's permit, even if sex with an adult woman is promised at the end of the journey.  You gotta decide these things, show.

[greyhorse]

Hmm, seems like I'm still the only one who is completely clueless.  It doesn't help that Directv once again cuts off my DVR recording with about ten minutes to go.  Anyone else have this problem?

 

I'll give it one more episode but if I'm still this confused next week, then I think I'm deleting this from the Season pass and giving up.

[Dagny]

I always associate Abraham Benrubi with Larry from Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990!!!).  Did Marco beat up the guy in the station because he laughed at him? Or did I miss something?

[AimingforYoko]

I always associate Abraham Benrubi with Larry from Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990!!!).  Did Marco beat up the guy in the station because he laughed at him? Or did I miss something?

The Kub!

You missed the exposition from the new prosecutor. He noted that it was smart to beat up the guy he suspected was part of group on the force trying to have him killed. If something does happen to Marco, he'll be the first guy they look at. Plus Marco just needed to blow off some steam.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I always associate Abraham Benrubi with Larry from Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990!!!).

As soon as he showed up, Mr. EB yelled, "KOOB!" (he did the same thing when we used to watch ER).

 

I'm fine with Eleanor being a wacko who is willing to kill a young boy whose only crime was helping her. But geez, lady, if you're going to murder this kid, the least you could do is fulfill your promise and let him touch your boobs first. Is that asking so much to keep your word and let the kid die happy? I agree with the previous post that said she seems to have a certain code, so even though I knew she was going to kill him as soon she told him to say goodbye to his brother, I thought that her very particular code would mean she would at least let him cop a feel before she killed him. I will give her credit for already having a storage unit with plastic sheeting all laid out in advance in case she needs to murder someone. She's so prepared!

 

What really surprised me was that this kid had the balls to sneak into his parents' bedroom while they were asleep, open the closet, and steal clothes not once but twice!  Part of me thought it was very sweet that when Eleanor initially asked him if he wanted to touch her boobs, he said, "Yes, but not here."

 

When the guy at the deli told Marco his sandwich or breakfast was on the house, I thought oh crap, did that guy just serve you something with poison or turds or a dead rat inside? That suspicion only grew stronger when Marco saw the guy watching him from across the street. See what this show has done to me? I'm totally paranoid!

 

I loved that the only reaction to Marco beating the crap out of his coworker was for everyone to stand around and watch until the captain came out and basically said, "Marco! Bad dog! You know you're not supposed to jump on people with your muddy paws!" I mean, seriously, the other guy's face is bleeding and their boss seemed more annoyed than anything else.

 

That FBI guy painting figurines was a hoot.  I wonder how many of those he has in his collection.

I briefly wondered if he and Lester from The Wire ever got together to talk about working on their hobbies while at work.

[Zmanda]

Hmm, seems like I'm still the only one who is completely clueless. It doesn't help that Directv once again cuts off my DVR recording with about ten minutes to go. Anyone else have this problem?

I'll give it one more episode but if I'm still this confused next week, then I think I'm deleting this from the Season pass and giving up.

I'm having this problem too!! It's driving me mad, I haven't caught up with the episodes because I'm so confused.

[MDKNIGHT]

Reading a recap of this ep elsewhere they mentioned that Marco sees "Sebastian Cerisola".  Who is Sebastian Cerisola?  I don't remember the character.  Allegedly he is in the scene with Galvan and Marco.

Edited August 7, 2014 by MDKNIGHT