Tell Me You Love Me
Jamie continues along with Hugo no where to be found. I assume he’ll eventually return to the forefront in some manner, but for now I think I’m enjoying the show exploring relationships through the eyes of someone recovering and/or pining for one. Ian Somerhalder returns and after being rebuffed during foreplay, seems to be giving Jamie the run around. Is he just toying with her or is his character genuinely bothered by their interactions? I secretly kinda wish he’d stick around for the whole season, although I’m sure Hugo will replace him sooner or later. Somerhalder’s fun to watch on screen; his performance in The Rules of Attraction remains a highlight after repeated viewings. If his little hard-to-get streak isn’t a cynical ploy, it’ll prove a kink for Jamie as she pursues a relationship without relying upon sex. Palek and Carolyn tried artificial insemination, but by episode’s end that appears to have been a failure, right alongside everything else they’ve attempted. Of course, this was confirmed after Carolyn became super excited after seemingly perceiving changes in her body and announcing to herself and some others that she was pregnant. What a way to set yourself up for an even greater fall. This couple really needs to explore realistic expectations once in a while instead of declaring victory at the slightest hint of progress and then humiliating themselves. Carolyn’s last words have her claiming to be finished with the whole pregnancy endeavor, but I can’t see that lasting long, if at all. Her entire life, as seen in this series, has revolved around that pursuit. As much as the disappointments hurt, she’ll crumble without them, at least without some real internalized changes in her outlook on life. Palek explored some daddy issues on the side in this one, between eying the joys and frustrations of a father dealing with his son at a Radioshack, and then confronting his own father via voicemail and reiterating a desire that they never communicate. Carolyn may be most concerned with simply conceiving, but I can see Palek having some thoughts about the actual having a child part of the process.
Meanwhile, Katie’s making an occasional attempt to rekindle a physical relationship with David, while we catch him finding some private alone time to masturbate for the second time in the series. Hmm, there is most certainly something that hasn’t been revealed yet about why he isn’t interested. That monologue he had in therapy about the dullness of suburban family life doesn’t account for these actions. So much for the doctor’s orders of finding some alone time together.
And finally, there’s Dr. May Foster and Arthur. Seems we have confirmation that at some point she cheated on him, and he’s still notably insecure about it and she has reason to avoid dealing with it. I’m not sure where this is going. Does the series require us to see firsthand that the therapist doesn’t have an absolutely perfect home life? I’m not convinced. So far, her own relationship comes off as tacked on whenever it rears its head in episodes. Perhaps the season as a whole will paint a different picture come the end.
This week also marks a small crossing of the characters with Jamie hanging out at the same park where David and Katie’s son had his baseball game. No character interaction this time around, but I remain interested to see if there will be a point made by the series in having the characters inhabit the same spaces and possibly relate to each other.
