S02.E04: The Acorn

[maraleia]

 

Marco gains a new ally while discovering the true extent of Fausto’s reach. A disruption at a local bank provides new intel to our Detectives and Reporters. Charlotte & Ray discuss their future.

 

[Primetimer]

Finally, someone who got in bed with the cartel and still managed to keep his joie de vivre!

Read the story

[AimingforYoko]

Damn, Sonya's a bit kinky. You definitely have to keep an eye on those Germans.

I love that the guy who dresses like a Wal-Mart greeter is the one everyone fears. Even the psychos.

[AimingforYoko]

I said when Ray was introduced on this show, he's straight out of a Carl Hiaasen novel.

[AuntiePam]

Or Kem Nunn (surf noir). Holt was in John from Cincinnati, which was loosely based on Nunn's stuff. But Hiaasen -- yeah. I know a dozen women who'd be glad to live that life with Ray. Well, I don't actually KNOW them, but I've seen 'em on Springer.

Not sure how I feel about whoever it is that Galvan is using to keep Eleanor in line. Do we really need two damaged relatives? I'll need an explanation for how that started in the first place -- it can't be easy to get something past Eleanor.

Can someone refresh my memory on the connection between the CLIO CEO and Marco? Was he there when Marco and Galvan last spoke?

[mrsdalgliesh]

You and me both, Auntie Pam.  Hope someone can help.

 

This show is so interesting in the way it presents one WTF after another, but does it slowly and quietly.  Tonight we got Jack stealing the one drawing off Sonja's fridge.  WTF?*  Then Eleanor feeds an acorn to someone she cares about, who's in a cage, and she's still a stone cold wacko. WTF?

 

*Are we absolutely sure that Sonja's sister's killer was the older brother?  I can't remember the details.

 

I'm glad to see that Marco seems to have found a way around the devil's bargain he made with Galvan, but he can still wreck himself if he goes after his son's killer.  Ok, that's as deep as I can go there.  DB looked so fine tonight.  I was mostly just drooling.

[lulee]

Or Kem Nunn (surf noir). Holt was in John from Cincinnati, which was loosely based on Nunn's stuff. But Hiaasen -- yeah. I know a dozen women who'd be glad to live that life with Ray. Well, I don't actually KNOW them, but I've seen 'em on Springer.

Not sure how I feel about whoever it is that Galvan is using to keep Eleanor in line. Do we really need two damaged relatives? I'll need an explanation for how that started in the first place -- it can't be easy to get something past Eleanor.

Can someone refresh my memory on the connection between the CLIO CEO and Marco? Was he there when Marco and Galvan last spoke?

Yes, I think he was there with the e-cigarette.

 

What was on the paper that Sonya's sister's killer's brother looked at after they had sex? I assume it was something from his brother's file, but I got distracted by email and didn't see.

ETA: Nevermind -- mrsdalgliesh just answered that.

 

I loved Lyle Lovett's return.

Edited July 31, 2014 by lulee

[Blakeston]

With Sonya screaming, "Don't touch me!" at Jack, I feel like there's no question now that the writers are intentionally drawing parallels between her and Eleanor.

Speaking of Eleanor...can we be certain that the creature she fed the acorn to was human? It was so damn dark (a continuing complaint I have about the show) that I couldn't tell if those were fingers or claws or what.

[Cardie]

I'm definitely getting the vibe that Nathan Phillips' character was part of the rape and murder of Sonya's sister.

[thuganomics85]

Whoever was in the cage, did sound like of inhuman at times.  Hey, maybe this is just all a big cross-promotion with The Strain, and it was one of those vampire/zombie things!  Kidding, but it would be hilarious if Fausto, Eleanor,.and the Cartel, were all just one big front for the vampire organization.

 

Oh, Ray.  You really had everything planned out in your mind, huh?  You and Charlotte were going to run off to Alaska, and live a quite life with children and everything!  You silly, silly man.  I knew Charlotte wasn't going to be down with that.  I wonder what Lyle Lovett's character has planned for them now.

 

Good to see Marco and Daniel finally share a scene, after the events of last season, and Daniel's involvement.  Looks like Marco is trying to turn Adriana, by telling her he'll help her try and help her sister.  I wonder if it will work or not.

 

Sonya and Jack are getting a bit crazy now, with the choking sex.  And, yeah, what was up with Jake taking that picture in the end. The theory posted above about him being more responsible over what happened to Sonya's sister, could be it.  I do think there will be more to it; not just him, but Hank's involvement.

 

So, it sounds like Marco is thankfully going to go against Fausto and the corrupt cops in the long run, but it won't be easy.  I can see several ways this can go bad, quickly.  But, I'm glad it sounds like Eve is going to come into play, so that will get her and Linder more involved in the main story.

 

Hey, that was Ian Hart, as the guy in the car with that troubled hitman, who thought he saw Jesus last week.  I wonder what his deal is?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

OF COURSE Fausto has a weird creepy dungeon and OF COURSE he has Sloth locked up in there like The Gimp and OF COURSE Sloth is somehow related to Eleanor. I mean, seriously, was anyone surprised that Fausto has a dungeon? That just seems like something he would have.

 

Poor Bobby Cobb. He had this great fantasy life in Alaska all planned. I don't blame Charlotte for not wanting any part of that. She didn't even care what Lyle Lovett and Fausto wanted her to do if it meant avoiding the trailer in Alaska.

 

My fear is that the Mexican cop who is investigating will end up being a double agent who is just trying to find out how much Marco knows.

[SimoneS]

I don't trust that prosecutor and hope that Marco does not. This could be a trap to get Eva.

 

Linder and that guy torturing that cop comes off as dark humor although I don't think that is the intent. They are both so weird and the cop is corrupt and exasperated by their questions and lectures.

 

Charlotte just missed her chance to get out alive. Life in Alaska with Ray did not appeal to her all. Good to have Lyle Lovett's character back.

 

I think that it was an animal in the cage, some kind of primate.

 

Boggs must have taken that picture because it implicates him somehow in Sonya's sister's murder.

 

The preview makes me fear for Marco's soul.

Edited July 31, 2014 by SimoneS

[DrLar]

Maybe that "thing" in the cage is Eleanor's brother or something, maybe went insane like Sonya's sister killer, so much parallels in this show..

 

Why did she cried when her sister's killer died? perhaps justice at last?

[lulee]

I think Sonya cried because he was a link to her sister, even a horrible sad link, but now it's gone.

 

Reading some of the speculation above about Jack's possible role in Sonya's sister murder, I'm wondering if they're setting up a parallel with last season with Sonya, rather than Marco, bent on revenge, and if Marco's visit to Tate next week will give him an opportunity to come back from the brink that would be revisited later in the season with Sonya.

[Blakeston]

Maybe that "thing" in the cage is Eleanor's brother or something, maybe went insane like Sonya's sister killer, so much parallels in this show..

 

Why did she cried when her sister's killer died? perhaps justice at last?

Jack's brother (I say that because it looks like maybe Jack was the real killer) didn't really go insane. He was brain-damaged after being shot by Hank, and ended up with the mind of a small child.

As for Sonya crying, I think she was hoping that he'd reveal some sort of information about the murder before he died.

[Diane M]

Why was Ray waiting for passports?  To go to Alaska?  And, yes, I also want to know why Sonya was sad when that evil man died.  She should have been relieved.

[Bort]

Why was Ray waiting for passports? To go to Alaska?

Need passports to drive to Alaska. I'm assuming Ray was also waiting for fake ID passports, otherwise it would have been less of a hassle to fly.

[TeresaDee]

Just rewatched, a lot to take in. In the final scene, it appeared to me that whoever was in the cage was humming the same tune as.Eleanor was earlier. Does anyone recognize the song? I'm wondering if it might be a Mennonite "church song".

[TheDancinMonarch]

Why was Ray waiting for passports?  To go to Alaska?  And, yes, I also want to know why Sonya was sad when that evil man died.  She should have been relieved.

If you go through Canada, you gotta have the passport.

[meep.meep]

I've figured the brother was involved in Sonya's sister's death ever since he showed up.  They keep focusing on one picture that shows two black stick figures.  The picture he took from Sonya's refrigerator must have been incriminating as well.

 

Linder was particularly incomprehensible in this episode.

[DrLar]

Wow driving from El Paso to Anchorage it's abut 68h non stop! 

 

Maybe a flight from TX to AK scales on Canada, they would ask you for a passport?

[Bort]

Wow driving from El Paso to Anchorage it's abut 68h non stop!

Maybe a flight from TX to AK scales on Canada, they would ask you for a passport?

As long as any stops are in the states, you don't need a passport to fly to Alaska.

[lulee]

I think Bobby was figuring to keep everything a low profile as possible and that meant driving rather than flying, but I seriously doubt Fausto or other drug kingpins would send a henchman up to Alaska to kill people who lost a drug shipment. I'd guess that if Bobby and Charlotte were due to be killed, they'd either have been taken out before they could flee or the kingpin would shrug it off and plan to eliminate them if they ever showed their faces in EP/CJ again.

 

And by Lyle Lovett's appearance at the motel, we can see that Fausto knew where to find them and had decided on a course of action other than killing them. Bobby is amusing in his misfit ways for cartel operations.

[bunnyblue]

So I got a completely different vibe from the last scene than everyone else. I thought Eleanor was taunting the person in the cell by offering the acorn and then pulling it back. It didn't seem like she was too broken up over the person Fausto was holding in that cell. If it were a loved one wouldn't she plead that they be kept in cleaner & more humane conditions than that? My thinking is that Fausto captured someone who hurt Eleanor and is making her do his dirty work; then he'll hand over his prisoner to Eleanor so she can do whatever she wants to it. But after reading everyone's take on that scene, I think I'm way off base.

 

I knew Charlotte would back out of heading to Alaska. I could see her face drop the more Ray talked about their future of kids and working in an office. She's an idiot, though. I would take a life in far off Alaska than staying in Texas and entangled with the cartel. They'll probably meet gruesome deaths.

 

I don't trust Jack. At first I thought he and Sonya were 2 hurt souls finding comfort in their shared tragedy. But after seeing him go directly to the drawing on the 'fridge and then the look on his face, I think he's up to no good. I wouldn't be surprised if he played a role in Lisa's murder. Poor Sonya.

[lulee]

So I got a completely different vibe from the last scene than everyone else. I thought Eleanor was taunting the person in the cell by offering the acorn and then pulling it back. It didn't seem like she was too broken up over the person Fausto was holding in that cell. If it were a loved one wouldn't she plead that they be kept in cleaner & more humane conditions than that? My thinking is that Fausto captured someone who hurt Eleanor and is making her do his dirty work; then he'll hand over his prisoner to Eleanor so she can do whatever she wants to it. But after reading everyone's take on that scene, I think I'm way off base.

You might be on to something. I don't remember exactly what Fausto said, but it was clear he was keeping Cagey for her, but didn't spell out why. I remember feeling like how Fausto made the comment that Cagey wasn't necessarily dear to Eleanor, but I didn't suss out what other options that left.

 

We know that Eleanor's amenable to violence and murder if it suits her and she has some major peculiarities. So continuing to work for Fausto for the promise of future torture/murder of Cagey seems plausible.

Edited July 31, 2014 by lulee

[SimoneS]

Linder was particularly incomprehensible in this episode.

 

Surprisingly, I understood him. Maybe I am becoming the Linder whisperer? Linder fascinates the hell of me. I find the character mesmerizing and I want to know more about how he became who he is today.

[Dowel Jones]

I think Ray was just throwing spaghetti on the wall, dreaming up a plan on the run.  He probably has no idea of live a successful life, which is why he is where  he is at this point in time.  Charlotte isn't too many steps above him, being well off simply because her wealthy husband died.  Shes' still a restaurant hostess behind the clothes.

 

I also don't think Lawyer Lyle has the best interests of Charlotte and Ray at heart.  They're certainly going to demoted in the pecking order at the very least.

 

Was that dungeon at the southern end of Charlotte's tunnel under the ranch?  That table reminded me of last year's slaughter in the tunnel.

[Wilson Cat]

I've been digesting this ep for about 24 hours, and frankly the meal didn't go down all that smoothly.  Indigesting?  Mostly I found the whole thing ranged from disturbing (Jack, snitching the watercolor from Sonja's fridge....and the choking sex) to downright WTF....Fausto and Eleanor.  Her entire demeanor went south in the room with Fausto.  She seemed unsure and hesitant.  And whatever that shit was with the thing in the cage and the taunting with an acorn was just plain weird.  And what about Fausto running his hand along Eleanor's face....she who cannot be touched?  Kudos SimoneS for understanding much of anything that Linder mumbled because the only words I understood out of his mouth were 'party's over' before he bashed that guy hanging by his hands in the barn or wherever with the rock that the super creepy roadside salesman gave to Linder.  I'm an Orphan Black fan.  I love weird.  But I particularly love 'makes a tiny bit of sense weird.'  The tiny bit of sense part seemed oddly scarce last night.  Oh....and then there is the 'detective policeman' guy draining Marco for the whereabouts of Eva.  That is not going to end well.

[FoundTime]

TeresaDee:

whoever was in the cage was humming the same tune as.Eleanor was earlier. Does anyone recognize the song? I'm wondering if it might be a Mennonite "church song".

 

That kind of made me swoon and then catch myself and go...ew?...simultaneously. It is one of my absolute favorite hymn tunes, most commonly associated with "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence," the first verse of which is:
 

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,

and with fear and trembling stand;

ponder nothing earthly minded,

for with blessing in his hand

Christ our God to earth descendeth,

our full homage to demand.

 

It's usually sung in Advent, but it's an ancient (4th century) Christian hymn, set to the French melody Picardy, so read into that what you will in terms of this show! I think TPTB might have chosen it because it's kind of a haunting melody and the lyrics are also rather evocative.

 

At first I thought whatever was in the cage was more "creaturely" than human, since it looked like it was a claw that was extended rather than a finger, and also, an acorn? But now I think that could have been some sort of bloody mutant finger and maybe it's a damaged human(oid). I have no idea.

[pelicanlover]

bunnyblue noted:  ...I don't remember exactly what Fausto said, but it was clear he was keeping Cagey for her, but didn't spell out why.

 

Fausto said "I have something you want" to Eleanor.  I had the sense that the man in the cage might have been someone who touched Eleanor inappropriately in the past, and she might badly want to dominate and kill him.  Possession of the prisoner is Fausto's hold over her.  Additionally,  Fausto clearly knew of her aversion to being touched, as shown in his question about why she had killed Yovani and her response that he had "touched her" in a way that she didn't want to be touched. It was significant that she submitted to Fausto's caress and that he forced that submission.  Like bunnyblue, I think that Eleanor was taunting the prisoner by offering the acorn (a traditional symbol of strength) and then snatching it back, only to be given again under her terms (her order to the prisoner that he be "dainty").

[dubbel zout]

And by Lyle Lovett's appearance at the motel, we can see that Fausto knew where to find them

Charlotte called Lyle more than once for help; I assume she told him where they were. I don't think it was Fausto's doing.

 

Ray talked about their future of kids and working in an office.

Who'd've thought Ray was really just a big ole softie? Hee. I love Ray.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yup, Charlotte called him a few times (and was exasperated that she had to leave a message). She and Ray mentioned that "he" (meaning Lyle Lovett) was going to bring them fake passports and the money in their account so they could run off, so it's not that Fausto tracked them down. They told Lyle Lovett exactly where they were, which was all kinds of stupid since they know he's connected to Fausto.

 

After the show, Mr. EB and I were debating whether Sloth was Eleanor's brother/son/cousin/relative or the person who had hurt her and made her hate being touched. I could go either way.

 

I thought Sonya was crying for a couple of reasons. As someone else mentioned above, he was her last link to her sister. When the brother kept saying, "It's over," in a way meant to comfort her, all I could think was that for her, this means it will NEVER be over because she no longer has any hope of getting answers from the man who murdered her sister. I think part of her held onto that hope and made her believe that if she could just ask him why he did it, she would get some resolution. Now that that's no longer a possibility, that hope is going to turn into something negative. Like she told Marco, she wanted to have one conversation with him and now that is not possible.

 

The brother is definitely up to no good. I already felt like he was a douchebag for sleeping with Sonya (yes, it was mutually consensual but it was still creepy) but after he stole that picture, there's no question. It looked like the drawing was of two people and a vagina (is that what that pink thing was? I feel like a dirty birdy for saying that if it was something else) so my guess is that it's a confessional picture of the two brothers attacking Sonya's sister.

 

He's pretty dumb to steal something from a cop, but even dumber to steal from a cop like Sonya who probably knows the exact location and angle of everything in her house AND doesn't have enough visitors for her to have a long list of suspects when she discovers that it's missing.

Edited July 31, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Dowel Jones]

Her entire demeanor went south in the room with Fausto.

 

Maybe Fausto is the one person she fears in life.  He definitely has some kind of power over her.  I didn't recognize him in the shadows and when he touched her, my first reaction was "you're dead, dude."

 

The other question I had was, how did Earless explain his dilemma after the assault in the banker's office?  It's not like he can just get up and go outside to the local urgent care facility and then return to his own office without attracting some attention.  Yet, here he is, all chipper and pleasant to the reporters.  I loved his question to the police, though; "Can't you put me in witness protection?  Someplace cool, like Seattle or Montana?"

[shapeshifter]

In addition to all the other comments above about how suspicicious the brother's actions are (choking, stealing picture), Hank thinks he's up to no good, which has to count for something. He probably didn't call Sonya when he knew his brother was dying because he was afraid he'd tell her that his brother was involved with Sonya's sister's murder.

My fear is that the Mexican cop who is investigating will end up being a double agent who is just trying to find out how much Marco knows.

Or even more likely, he'll get tortured and reveal that Marco was helping him--which Marco knows could happen, so he'll be crazy careful.

Finally, someone who got in bed with the cartel and still managed to keep his joie de vivre! http://previously.tv/the-bridge/the-bridges-ray-of-sunshine

Daniel Fry has some good comedic moments too, but, yeah, even those are dark.

[Blakeston]

Are we supposed to believe that Sonya never noticed the significance of that drawing?

It seems like the whole reason she obsessed over Dobbs's drawings is because she hoped they'd reveal something about her sister's death. Did she really not notice that one of them featured a nude woman lying on her back, and shadowy figure(s) standing nearby?

 

The other question I had was, how did Earless explain his dilemma after the assault in the banker's office?  It's not like he can just get up and go outside to the local urgent care facility and then return to his own office without attracting some attention.

Maybe his boss had criminal connections who could provide him with a medic of some sort?

Or maybe he could say that it happened in a mugging, or something like that.

 

 

In addition to all the other comments above about how suspicicious the brother's actions are (choking, stealing picture), Hank thinks he's up to no good, which has to count for something.

I agree that he's extremely suspicious. But how does the choking make him creepy? Sonya's the one who requested it.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Blakeston

[Cardie]

I fear Sonya will get her answers about her sister's death after all, from Jack and at her extreme peril. I wouldn't be surprised if he instigated the attack and his brother just went along.

My favorite addition to Eleanor's weird ways was her stopping to erect a tomb for the dead armadillo.

[mrsdalgliesh]

My thinking is that Fausto captured someone who hurt Eleanor and is making her do his dirty work; then he'll hand over his prisoner to Eleanor so she can do whatever she wants to it. But after reading everyone's take on that scene, I think I'm way off base.

 

Wow.  No, I think that makes much more sense than my original impression.  Eleanor is  far too cold as a killer to be doing it under duress, unless she's just gone full wacko and is basically in a trance.  I think your theory makes much more sense.

 

And ElectricBoogaloo is right about Sonja's environmental awareness.  She may not have focused on the meaning of the pictures before, because she was focused on simply trying to hang on to any fragment of connection to her sister -- but she'll be paying attention now.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I fear Sonya will get her answers about her sister's death after all, from Jack and at her extreme peril. I wouldn't be surprised if he instigated the attack and his brother just went along.

My favorite addition to Eleanor's weird ways was her stopping to erect a tomb for the dead armadillo.

Ha, I loved the armadillo burial too but I totally forgot about it until you mentioned it.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Jack was at least an active participant in the sister's murder (was she raped too?) or if Jack's brother was an unwitting partner who accidentally killed her. I can't remember the details of the sister's murder though. Was she shot? Strangled? Stabbed?

[tennisgurl]

I just love how dang weird this show can get. It so quickly alternate between something like Marco and his attempts to survive in one of the most corrupt police departments around, and then something like Eleanor feeding an acorn to some...thing locked in a cage. I am assuming its some kind of mutated person, but...maybe not? Some kind of humanoid monster? Fallen angel? Giant Chupacabra?

 

Poor, dumb Ray. I just don't see this ending well for him at all. He's pretty soft, and his self preservation skills are not great, to say the least. And I don't know how much longer Charlotte will have his back. If he can a lick of sense, he would get the hell out of dodge ASAP.

 

I hope Jacks brother isn't the real killer.

 

Daniel and Adriana should watch themselves. Every dang person they talk to ends up dead!

[DrLar]

I think the "thing" on the cage is "the beast" they were referring to on season 1? since Eleanor hates rapists, she has something special for him...

[daughtersofanarchy]

I believed that the earless guy at the bank would be too afraid to say anything about Eleanor, at least at first, especially since his boss had just blown himself away.  Instead he immediately blurts out all the details of his spilling tea on Eleanor and how she ordered the ear attack.  That was pretty funny.

[Zaffy]

I kind of got frustrated when I watched the last episode, just thought it was weird for the shake of being weird. And dark.. Its a really dark show no matter how hard Ray tries to shed a light of comedy. Poor Charlotte, her look when she was listening to Ray's Alaskan dream was priceless :D

[Zaffy]

oh and btw, there is an interview where Franka Potente reveals all about Cagey. If you want to know about Cagey 3-4 episodes earlier go here http://starrymag.com/?p=3847 If you dont wanna know keep away from the link!

[Johnny Dollar]

Linder's brother-in-torture is Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite. He hasn't aged well since that movie came out ten years ago. Must be all the steak he was always eating.

I didn't realize that Fausto Galvan was that big of a drug lord. He doesn't exactly hole himself away in some super secure compound, and he really needs a stylist to help him look the part. He also seems to be a very forgiving sort, what with losing $60 million and a ton of heroin. You'd thing he would have sent out death squads after the Neon Bike Gang after the stunt they pulled.

[Frisson]

oh and btw, there is an interview where Franka Potente reveals all about Cagey. If you want to know about Cagey 3-4 episodes earlier go here http://starrymag.com/?p=3847 If you dont wanna know keep away from the link!

I couldn't help myself so I read the interview. In it, Potente says she was only supposed to be in a certain number of episodes, and then her role kept expanding. I wonder how much of a plan is in place for the season before they start if that's the case.

Off-topic: Franka Potente likes all the same shows I do!

[dubbel zout]

I wonder if she was supposed to be in seven consecutive episodes or seven total, and when they saw how well Eleanor was working, decided to fill in the blanks, as it were.

 

I read the spoilers (obviously), and

I have to say, I'm kind of disappointed. The reason Eleanor is the way she is is close to what I expected, sigh. Cagey has less interest for me because of it.

[Zaffy]

I wasnt surprised by Eleanors story since

I had made the connection from her medusa tatoo (plus the whole "dont touch me" attitude).
I so want once a villain to be a "monster" without a traumatic background.
In any case the whole thing makes Fausto even scarier...
 

[Frisson]

Do we know Fausto's background? He might qualify as a monster without a background to warrant it.

[dubbel zout]

I don't think someone decides to become a drug lord for humanitarian reasons, but I agree you don't have to have a traumatic background. Poverty and lack of opportunity is enough. However, Fausto is definitely a monster now. That goes with the job.

[90PercentGravity]

Someplace cool, like Seattle or Montana?"

According to closed caption, he said "Someplace cool, like Seattle or Bam..." and then they cut him off. I haven't figured out where "Bam..." is? I can't think of any place cool that starts with "Bam."