S05.E05: I Need Love

[jewel21]

Quote

Still not satisfied with her article, Olivia gets Billy’s help to find the missing piece before her deadline. JJ ropes Spencer and Jordan into a Valentine’s Day fraternity speed dating event, which leaves Jordan questioning what’s really happening between him and Layla. Coop has an opportunity to audit a law class but faces stiff competition for the coveted spot. Meanwhile, JJ begins to wonder if Asher is using recruiting as a ploy to get JJ to take off-season seriously.

Airdate: 11/14/2022

[KWalkerInc]

I agreed with Jordan when he said (of the bounty scandal), "I just want this to be over with."  At least now the story should really go somewhere with Garrett's resignation, even if it things haven't gone down just the way Olivia wanted.  I'm guessing that Billy's friend tipped off Garrett, which is weird when he felt bad enough to resign back in the day and was now condemning Garrett to Billy.

I'm not surprised that Darius turned out to be incompetent.  But I find it weird that Preach, who has seen and been through so much, would be so mad at Coop because she "promised" everything would be okay.  I could understand Amina feeling that way, or Preach being upset with Coop for making a promise to his daughter, but he is not that naive (especially about the legal system) and probably should have anticipated the worst.  I still think that they should have pointed out that Amina's grandparents raised a cruel murderer of a son and (though she helped the community) a psychopath daughter who shot an unarmed young woman.  But I guess that can't be expected when they can't even correctly file the paperwork about Preach's job and character.

When Coop kept giving Spencer advice involving "Pretty Woman," I kept yelling that the girl Spencer is seeing is not a hooker.  I can't believe he went through with all that crap even after discovering what the movie was about.  That was weird.  So are Spencer and Alicia (?) going to be an actual couple now, or is it still casual?  I still find this storyline to be annoyingly fast.  I also didn't like how his mom a few episodes ago was the one who encouraged Spencer to go to someone else so quickly when she had liked him so much with Olivia (according to what she said to Billy after the break-up).  I guess they showed Spencer doesn't like casual hookups and think it would be unrealistic for him not to date for five minutes.

My favorite part of the episode was the 20 minutes or so when Jordan and Layla's story wasn't being followed, though I knew they would go back to it with something sappy.  At least I don't have another character I want to see either dating, so it's not as bad as on some shows I've watched where a couple I liked would split and they'd put them with others and shove it down everyone's throats.  I did like how Layla wanted to watch a scary movie for Valentine's and Jordan said it wasn't Halloween.  That was a necessary reminder with the way they do holiday episodes of this show.  It's probably just an acknowledgement that almost all the viewership comes later through binge-watching on streaming, but it throws me off sometimes.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Very cool that we got a taste of what it's like for a journo to have a great story, yet forever worrying that someone else may publish first.  Or, as in this case, the target will catch wind of it and engage in prophylactic measures.  I'd feel sorry for Olivia, except that she couldn't keep her big trap shut and told Jordan.

I also like that the target audiences are getting a big taste of how empty most young (all?) dating with benefits ultimately is.  How ridiculous was it that Alicia was all offended when Spencer dared be sweet with gestures, and then jumps him for no particular reason watching the movie about a ho.  Sadly, it was realistic, imo.

The J.J./Asher friction is silly.  But, it is valuable for young folk to see how a talented person can throw away a life by being a party/good times animal.  It's also absurd that any of them would get all butt hurt when he lets them down or otherwise behaves stupidly.  It's who he has been forever!

It's classic TV fantasy to have the young and eager, but troubled, person blasting through ceilings to improve themselves.  Here, we have Coop with zero business even interviewing for this particular opportunity (auditing a class?) by telling a sob story of a difficult past.  It's certainly true stuff, but at some point, basic/classic standards have to be observed.  Isn't it enough that she has this great opportunity at the firm?  Coop's past is just too loaded to reasonably expect her to be a shooting star.  She could well end up being a superstar, but she has a lot to prove.  A lot.

So, per usual, an ep with much silliness and significant doses of important and rarely portrayed pieces of American life.  

Edited November 18, 2022 by Lonesome Rhodes