The Common Wealth

Hi! I imagine you feel relief to see this post. I bet you were very worried that my take on all things Doyle was gone forever, since posting stopped and the season is still a-runnin'. Well, do not fear! I'm just a bad blogger. 

How can you get any better when trying to attract laughs, when you've got a chronically clumsy and entirely accident prone character? Oh, right, make him a redhead. And then have him try to say “b'y” and have Jake look like it gave him a migraine and inform him that 'Only Newfoundlanders can say 'b'y.' On mainlanders, it's just wrong.' And have him reply in a spectacular display of awful grammar: 'I think I said it good.' But the real question: why was his cast so huge? And why didn't they give him an airboot? Is this a subtle comment on the state of healthcare in Newfoundland? Gee, Harper, maybe you could, I don't know...do something useful?

I kind of hated the resolution of the main crime plot in this one. It felt like a cheesy romantic comedy that stopped trying, with the whole 'we'll always have Albania or Argentina or whatever A country it was' clue and the final 'you're a murderer, I can't love you' scene on the dockside while art-thief-oh-just-kidding-I'm-actually-a-hitman Natalie was prepping her sailboat for her quick getaway, provided the wind is on her side. (To be clear, I know sailboats come with small motors for docking and departing harbours).

And Leslie's reconciliation scene with her Dad was also a bit movie of the week. And on the subject of Leslie, I do rather wish they would stop bouncing us around emotionally on where Jake and Leslie stand. One episode, they're extremely into each other and battling the forces of Canadian evil together and the next, they barely touch. I know resolution of this plot line would dry up one of the important sources of Doyle entertainment and drama, but there comes a point when it's been spun out too long and we're approaching that, if we haven't surpassed it already. They either need to resolve this by having one get married or die or they need to permanently unite these two and start having them encounter problems as a couple.

What's up with NewLeslie? She's clearly dirty or, at least, fuelled by some agenda other than serving the good city of St. John's. I'm sensing the set up for a season finale here. Something epic, where NewLeslie tries to destroy Jake and possibly involving the Illuminati, since they're running out of absurd ways for the Doyles to make bat-shit stupid decisions.

Des and his raise crusade. Way to go Des on your quest for a raise – especially since you're clearing making pennies (and we don't even have those in Canada anymore) since even Tinny the cadet laughs at your wage. And double points for bringing it up when the moment couldn't be wrong-er. Like when you're supposed to be offering surveillance at whatever that party was in the opening scene. Oh! Best ever is Des shaking out his wallet, offering to buy Jake and the accident prone ginger a half pint each, and then asking if he can get an advance on his raise.

Most importantly, what is up with Rose's clothes in this episode? That blue-green dress, mostly. She looked like a giant present. 

THE DOYLE REPORT

FROM DUBLIN, WITH LOVE

SEASON 4, EPISODE 1

Des lives! I'm very happy that Des lives. Even though they did do a nice set-up job in the early minutes of this episode for him to die, and I admit to perspiring somewhat when Des flat-lined, but when we jumped to the cemetery, I knew he was fine. Or, at least, not dead. Counter-intuitive? Maybe. But bear with. If Des was actually dead and the Doyles were having a funeral for him, there would have been sad music and sad silent cuts between the family members in their own silent grief. In fact, if Des was going to die, the episode probably wouldn't have even started at the hospital – it would have started months after the event with Jake getting his drink on and Tinny going all emo. Or something. I'm not saying Allan Hawco writes to formula, but he does tend to follow existing trends, which isn't a bad thing; trends exist for a reason. (Except for the trend of stirrup pants. I can only imagine that was a temporary poisoning in international water supplies whose side effects included lapses in judgement.) Not the least of which is making us feel at ease that characters we love are not dead several moments before they crutch hilariously into frame, as Des did.

However, it did feel like the whole 'commemorating the death of Jake's mother' thing was a bit of forced and flimsy reason to get the cast out into a cemetery for some super-fun misdirection. I assume we came in at the end of the whole thing, otherwise Mal got too angry at his brother-in-law to actually do the commemoration part. But still.

I'm loving the evolving Des/Jake relationship that's going on thus far. Jake is so tender and affectionate toward Des – if I can put it that way without making them sound like lovers. I know part of it is because Jake indirectly got Des shot, but it's nice. The whole 'didn't know how much you meant to me until I almost killed you' chestnut. Besides, it's not just Jake. Des is acting a lot more adult-y. Like turning down Jake's request for help on the new case because he's got something else to do. A season ago, he would have been all over it and offering WAY too many suggestions on where to start and then getting smacked upside the head. This relationship was on the road to change before the shooting – reference the scene under the table where Jake and Des are disarming the bomb – and I like it. I think my favourite Des moment this episode was when he said:

DES: But we're like brothers and brothers do nice things for each other, so...

Tinny is now going by Katrina. I'm sure we always knew that Tinny was short for something, but it's all kinds of weird to hear it. Also, how narcissistic is her mother ot give her a variation of her own name? But Tinny's in training to be a cop. She wears her hair in a long braid and goes jogging with other police cadets. I can see how this is entirely the right thing for her to do, it just comes as a surprise. Also, can't she see that she'll constantly be doing favours for her uncle and grandfather once she gets made into a full grown cop?

Tinny also appears to be on a quest to find her father – Jake's ex partner played by Paul Gross – which is an entirely valid quest. I do sense, though, that her decision to become a cop is somehow linked to her rogue, criminal daddy. Or maybe not. Maybe she's going through a phase where she likes guns and badges. We shall see how it all unfolds.

I love love love the crazy fast way Rory talks – Rory is the cousin from Ireland who owes the scary Irish guy buckets of money and steals a statue from the scary black guy to pay back the scary Irish guy, which seems on the surface to be a terrible set of life choices, especially since he's also stealing the scary black guy's stripper girlfriend. That speech he gives right before the casino heist, that was truly awesome.

RORY: You remember all those summers when we used to come visit you and we'd always get into the worst bits of trouble and you remember that time, Jake, when I wanted to ride a shopping cart all the way down mainstreet and you said it'd be a terrible idea, but we did it anyway? Do you remember how much fun we had? Well, I happen to know that behind that door is an underground casino and we're going to rob it!

Picture the above in a super-fast, super-Irish patter. It was awesome. Even if I did have to paraphrase a bit because I couldn't remember the whole speech – give me a break, I only saw it once.

Fun Film Fact! Allan Hawco (Jake) and Sean McGinley (Mal) and Martin McCann (Rory) were all in a movie together about five years ago called Closing The Ring. Although McGinley and Hawco never appeared in a scene together, Hawco and McCann had several scenes together and McGinley had one with him. It's a beautiful movie and you should all see it.

Rose's line: Who wants tea? With whisky? And ice? And no tea?

Might be my favourite line in the whole series. Definitely my favourite line this season.

The way Leslie phones Jake at the end of the episode just to hear his voice – after we find out she's all undercover on what looks to be a drug sting operation thingy and that she's incommunicato to everyone including Jake – is really cute in a heartbreaking sort of way. But cute and ouchy has been the ruling emotion between these self-crossed lovers for a while and I think kudos should go out to the team for still getting this one right.

Now, the thing we're all actually dying to know. The fate of the GTO. It lives too. Sort of. In a limpy, not-running, exploded sort of way. Des, with a little help from Tinny, is paying to have Ned Bishop of Bishop Taxi and the episode with the rum running fame fix it up. They – the creative team – get serious points for having the GTO revealed in this sorry state. I also really liked the way Jake lovingly caressed its' carcass like it was new again. Besides, they've opened the door for weeks of jokes at Jake's expense and that is always fun.