HOT! Silas called Lisa "Mom," Bob Odenkirk was snorting whiff in rehab, and we had this weird, sad, supremely sexy moment with Nancy (above)! This episode was like a dream come true!
Our title this afternoon comes from a line that was tossed off by Silas as another in this season's long line of Oedipal jokes, but we have to think that it applies to the season as a whole, since Nancy seems, finally, to be seeing the light at the end of her tunnel. (Oh, that came out sleazier than we'd hoped.)
Why it took her this long to remain clueless to the human trafficking that was going on under her nose is, well, central to the plot of this show, since about a third of Nancy's skill as a drug dealer and at life in general comes from her proficiency at self-deception. In any event, that Nancy's concern for the young girls coming through the tunnel has led her to turn informant on Guillermo for that creepy cop from earlier in the season is a nice twist on this season's obsession with maternity and its many forms and perversions, so better late than never.
That this plan necessarily places her relationship with Esteban in jeopardy is probably something she hasn't actually realized yet, which we like even more, since last week we predicted that Esteban's days are numbered and it would do a lot for our opinion of her if she were to get her newfound perspective would get him killed. It's cruel, perhaps, but we're not gonna lie: we need to see the woman suffer again. She's burned down a neighborhood, ruined the lives of her family, and was dabbling in some hardcore mafia shit that was way beyond her skill set -- if she doesn't wind up paying a big price for that, then she's basically got the same problem what Superman has a character: invulnerability.
A few other notes here:
- We were pleased to see Celia's recovery plotline livened up with a punchy performance by Mr. Show's Bob Odenkirk as a coked-up pilot. Few actors bring such callous, clueless authority to their performances; he does for middle-aged males what Stephen Colbert does for right-wingers. Too bad he's probably never coming back, now that Celia's moved to a cheaper facility. What is with this show, dropping guest stars when they get good?
- Shane: we speak to you as a friend now. You must get with those girls, and stay with them for as long as you can. Yes, they're trouble, and yes, they also seem somewhat stupid. But we think you need some unconditional affection right now, and you ain't gonna get that from your mom or anyone else in the fam, so we say get freaky for a while. Just wrap up your junk when you do it, dude, 'cause you can not let them chicks get preggers. (Oh, jeez... did we just figure out part of Season Five?)
- Speaking of jimmyhats: Doug has warts on his genitals? Gross.
- Justin Kirk: we still love you. You can do no wrong. We're just reminding you, is all.
- Silas: dude. You know how your one of your mom's weaknesses is overambition? Yeah. We're just reminding you, is all.
See ya in two weeks, kids!