S02.E05: Act As If

[maraleia]

Daniel meets Lezley, an unusual local entrepreneur who makes Daniel an unlikely offer. Amantha struggles to adapt to a challenging new environment. Ted, Jr. bonds with Tawney, only to learn she’s made a surprising decision. Ted, Sr.'s patience is tested as he copes with the aftermath of Daniel’s disastrous new project, but when he tries to address the situation, Janet curtly shoots him down. Daniel explores a little-known side of Paulie while Amantha reconnects with Jon Stern.

 

[Primetimer]

Daniel is tethered to an unusual party host, Amantha defiantly refuses to cut the cord, and Tawney's monthly bill is late as Rectify examines umbilici real and imagined.

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[peeayebee]

Great recap. I enjoyed that more than the ep. "Amantha comes home with a laundry basket -- full of wet blankets, as she comes upon the others daring to smile and have a good time and can't wait to ask, "Y'all see in the paper? Gaines died." Love it!

 

There were some things I liked. For instance, it was nice seeing Teddy Jr trying so hard to be nice. I wish Tawney had softened up more and met him halfway, but I guess she's still pretty wounded by his previous behavior as well as on-guard for a recurrence.

 

I also loved Teddy Sr. I thought his talk with Daniel about the kitchen was perfectly reasonable and calm. He actually came across as a saint to me. So later when Janet rips him a new one, I was kind of appalled. I know Janet is being overly protective, but I was still strongly on Ted's side. Poor guy. He has two sons doing things without his permission both at home and at work, and now his wife is pissed off at him and gives him orders. I hope he doesn't blow up.

 

I didn't really care for the stuff with Lezlie. It seemed like a repeat of the goat man story from last season.

 

I've never liked the DA. The actress just bugs me.

 

Can someone explain why double indemnity doesn't apply to Daniel? I know this was discussed last season (at TWoP), but I can't remember the details.

 

Oh, and then there's Amantha at Thrifty Town. Could she be any more incompetent? Does she have any social skills at all? I thought Amantha was too much of a caricature here.

 

I didn't like the bicycle story or how it was brought up. I don't understand why Janet was so ashamed. She didn't go to court that day because she was afraid Daniel wouldn't get the stay of execution? Am I right? If so, why be ashamed of that? It's not like she mistrusted Daniel. I don't know. I didn't like the story, and I thought the whole scene was written very awkwardly.

 

One other thing I loved: Daniel telling his mom, "You're a good sport, Mother."

[AuntiePam]

I agree with everything you said.  Ted Senior was definitely reasonable.  Daniel accepted the conditions with his usual good grace -- why couldn't Janet do the same?  I guess she's just being protective.

 

I liked the scene at Thrifty Town.  I liked that Amantha was embarrassed by her faux pas ("food stamps") and I liked the customer didn't take umbrage, and that the line of customers were patiently waiting. 

 

Janet's bicycle story -- I wondered if she was talking about not going to the prison, for the execution, and feeling guilty for not being there to support Daniel.  What a decision to have to make! 

 

Double indemnity -- we see retrials all the time.  New evidence, probably. 

[Endeavour]

Yes, the laundry basket full of wet blankets in the particle cracked me up and is accurate. Amantha was very selfish in that scene. She seemed taken aback that Daniel, Janet and Jared were enjoying themselves and just couldn't contain herself. Janet showed considerable restraint. Shut up Amantha indeed.

 

Janet didn't show enough restraint with Ted, Sr. I also thought his reaction was very reasonable. I think he probably has handled the upheaval better than anyone else so far. He's been supportive of Janet and Daniel and set Teddy straight about Daniel taking over the business if he wanted to. Maybe some of Janet's anger was built up from earlier with Amantha and Ted, Sr. got the brunt of it.

 

Teddy and Tawney's scenes were interesting and, as always, awkward.

 

There were a few amusing moments at the party but, overall, I didn't care for that storyline.

 

I was wondering if Trey wasn't trying to find George's body and help it come to the surface. If it were found at this point, could it be possible that the suicide wouldn't be detected and it may be mistaken for a murder? Daniel then might become a suspect because George was the only witness to testify that he saw Daniel commit the murder years ago.

[Maria]

Yes, I definitely took Janet's story to mean that she went for her Very Long Bike Ride Past Midnight to avoid going to the prison to witness Daniel's execution. She didn't believe he would be granted another stay, and couldn't bring herself to face the moment. It was all about her denial.

Sarah, I believe Justice Row is the name of the fictional Innocence Project group that employs Jon Stern, not a person. At least, that's the impression I got in Season 1.

Finally, as much as I also disliked the whole Lezlie storyline, it was great to see Leon Rippy again. Tom Nutall!!

[Fisher King]

Unsettling episode.

 

Amantha and the wet blankets is hilarious!

Did she get any training AT ALL at the thrift store? Her incompetence was just embarrassing. And I thought Abigail Spencer's acting was particularly bad in her first scene with Jon. He hugged her and she said she was SO glad to see him, but nothing in her actions/expressions showed that to be true. Maybe it was a director's choice and not the acting, I don't know.

 

Teddy and Tawney all cuddly and getting along? Cute and sweet....but Teddy still makes me ill and I'm nowhere near ready to make nice.

 

It's always good to see Leon Rippy, but Lezley is not doing Daniel any favors that I can see at this point. Hope the drugs in Daniel's pocket don't come back to haunt us all. Blowing the Michael Bolton CD "all to bloody hell" was my favorite scene from that whole deal.

 

Also agree that Ted was absolutely correct in setting rules & the way he handled it with Daniel. The over-protective mother in Janet was completely unreasonable. The friction between them was unsettling.

That makes me wonder about Janet and her sad story. The unsettling, conflicted feelings she lived with for years. 18 years later and she has her son but conflict continues.

Her son's on death row forever, there are dates set for his execution, she's trying to steel herself for his actual dying and then he gets a stay, then another. How would a mother handle anything of this magnitude? Would she have been able to start healing if he'd been executed? Was it easier knowing he was in prison but at least alive?

Then, her son's released back into the world and she has to adjust to the notion of a life that wasn't a reality for 18 years. Start it all over. Act as if...

______________________________________________

Edited July 19, 2014 by Fisher King

[Portia]

I found this episode really undewhelming and the entire sequence at the party downright painful.

[peeayebee]

Those mushrooms in Daniel's pocket have got to come up later in some way, otherwise, why put them there?

 

Thanks to those who explained Janet's story. I don't know why I didn't get it.

[Endeavour]

Those mushrooms in Daniel's pocket have got to come up later in some way, otherwise, why put them there?

 

I thought so as well or they were just a callback to the earlier ep and he used them at the party. I couldn't remember exactly when it was mentioned so I looked it up. Amantha told Daniel he was high on mushrooms when Daniel said he couldn't remember what happened the day of the murder.

[peeayebee]

Oh right. I didn't remember that. It would connect with his reaction to realizing he was near the river.

[Luckylyn]

 

Yes, the laundry basket full of wet blankets in the particle cracked me up and is accurate. Amantha was very selfish in that scene. She seemed taken aback that Daniel, Janet and Jared were enjoying themselves and just couldn't contain herself. Janet showed considerable restraint. Shut up Amantha indeed.

That scene was so well acted.  Daniel, Janet, and Jared were having some laid back fun and the second Amantha enters the energy changes.  You could see them all frowning.  Amantha frowns at them for having fun, and they frown before she says word because they are bracing themselves for her to be a killjoy.  She could've let them have their fun, but Amantha just isn't capable of it.  She is always prepared for battle even when it's not necessary, and she resents the others for being capable of joy when it's a foreign concept to her.  Also, I think she realized how displeased they were to see her the second she entered and her resentment of that made her lash out a bit.

 

I don't think Amantha can handle a Daniel that's happy.  She needs him to need her and so she has to continually remind him of the past and the current battle.  She doesn't have a clue what to do with herself if it isn't fighting on Daniel's behalf.  I think it pisses her off that Daniel isn't leaning on her and seems to resent her smothering tendencies at times.

[pasdetrois]

Lezlie's character is like Leon Rippy's role as the guardian angel on Saving Grace.

 

Maybe the writers will send Amantha to Boston. Otherwise I'll have to continue fast forwarding through her scenes.

 

I wonder if the actress who plays Tawny is pregnant? Either she's got a tiny bump or it was her clothing and the lighting.

[Fisher King]

Lezlie's character is like Leon Rippy's role as the guardian angel on Saving Grace.

 

This was one reason I had a fleeting thought that Lezley (and the party scene) might be one of Daniel's "goat man" visions/experiences but the previews disavowed that notion, along with Trey hearing the shotgun blasts when he was wading in the creek. That was pretty creepy.

 

 

[Jordan27]

Can someone explain why double indemnity doesn't apply to Daniel? I know this was discussed last season (at TWoP), but I can't remember the details.

 

I think you mean Double Jeopardy, which is if a person is found innocent, they can't be retried again.  Even if they admit they did the crime the next day.  Daniel wasn't found innocent.  I think the verdict was overturned on a technicality which means they can retry him again.

[MaryPatShelby]

I'm very delayed in watching this, but had to come here and see if there were comments about the party.  Thank goodness that I'm not the only one who disliked that scene.  I don't know the actor who played Lezley so I don't feel any good will toward him; I thought he was creepy and didn't understand why it was so important for him that Daniel get drunk/high/a girl.