(S01E04) At some point in episode one, something was said that gave me the impression Jenny Reilly was married. Strangely, in subsequent episodes the topic never seemed to come up again.
After seeing Jenny make nasty with Tommy and the delivery boy, I was sure I just misinterpreted some dialogue somewhere during that first show.
Turns out I wasn't wrong. This week I discovered that Jenny is married for sure and that her husband left her around a year ago.
Now, take a look at that picture over there to the right and let that sink in for a moment. Jenny's husband left her? Last time I checked, Jenny Reilly is scorching hot! What man in his right mind would leave that?
It'll be interesting to discover the real reason their relationship came apart. Something tells me this will be critical to the show in future weeks.
Last week, I accused The Black Donnellys of kind of plodding along since the pilot aired which was chock full of excitement. I also had a bit of a problem with the way these characters were developing, specifically my inability to really connect and care about any of them. I think of a majority of my gripes are on the road to being alleviated after this episode.
The show is starting to build steam again with one of the highlights being the power struggle on the verge of raging between Tommy and Zed...ahem...Dockey. Admittedly, the struggle is a bit one sided at the moment with Dockey wielding all of the power, but you can just feel the tension in the air when these two are around each other. It's palpable and just on the cusp of exploding. I have a feeling the first time these two meet alone somewhere Tommy will make his play.
Even more promising, is the head-butting competition that's happening between Tommy and Nicky. When Nicky asked his lackey who he figured "would come out on top in a power struggle between Tommy and Dockey", you could tell who Nicky would put his money on, particularly after Tommy asked if the pastry was for Nicky's mom threateningly outside of Nicky's mother's home.
I found that move to be simultaneously brilliant and ballsy on Tommy's part. He's really starting to grow on me. I'm definitely at a point where I'm rooting for him - now if I could just find a reason to really like him.
Was anyone else shocked that Louie Downtown's cellphone battery was still working after who knows how many days behind a keg in the bar's basement. I've owned a smartphone or two in my day and the batteries just never lasted that long for me. Yeah, yeah, I'm being a little nitpicky, but being a technophile these are the things I pay attention to.
I wasn't a huge fan of the whole plotline involving Louie Downtown's bookie sheet. Imagine you killed someone and were trying to keep it a secret. Would you take the departed's cellphone and try and collect his gambling debts? Who in the world would be stupid enough to try this? Apparently, Jimmy is that stupid and that must be what the creators of the show were trying to convey. When Jimmy gets caught, which will inevitably happen, I wonder how Tommy's going to get the brother gimp out of this one.
Finally, I have to add that I'm a big fan of a lot of the artists they play during the show. I've been happy to hear tracks from Imogen Heap, Franz Ferdinand, Aimee Man, and The Arcade Fire playing quietly in the background during different scenes. Nothing beats a good soundtrack in a good show, and despite a small audience, this show is quickly approaching better than good status. Can't wait to see what happens next week.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-20-2007 @ 7:00PM
Sam said...
In the very first episode it mentions jenni husband was killed but no one had the heart to tell her. Since that first episode, it hasnt been mentioned though.
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3-20-2007 @ 8:43PM
vida said...
In the first episode is mentioned that Jenni's husband was a teacher and got killed because he was stealing from drug dealers, to pay of his student loans then he went into hiding and got killed but noone had the heart to tell Jenni.
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3-20-2007 @ 9:26PM
Andrew Ruess said...
What #1 & #2 said. =P
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3-20-2007 @ 9:15PM
JJ said...
I missed that part for some strange reason. Thanks for the fill in.
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3-20-2007 @ 9:24PM
keepitreal said...
did i miss something in the past few episodes or was this really the first one that involved cell phones. i feel like the previous episodes were not changed since written almost a decade ago (i think i learned this show was shopped around back then on this site). it didnt alter the plot that much (except the bookie subplot) but i just found it interesting that this everyday technology finally showed up.
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3-20-2007 @ 9:42PM
Shawn said...
JJ thank you for the great review this show deserves. I still believe that this is a GREAT show. And it's WAY better then any CSI:Miami episode will be!
Ya I remember the Husband leaving Jenni but I didn't remember hearing that he had been killed. Interesting!
The Jimmy storyline is a little lame but I believe necessarily for some future happenings. Yes now Dockey will find out who at least had Louie Downtowns (Treo 700) Cellphone. So that will obviously fall on Tommy's shoulders.
Not mentioned in the review was the part of the show that Tommy had to go back and comfort the widow after he had just stole the box (money). That was tense, I thought. It really made me think that he might not get out of this, but he did. That is also a possibility of a great storyline within itself. There may be a love thing going on here.
Again I want to thank you JJ for giving this show the justice it deserves. It is a great show and needs to continue so we (my fience and I) don't have to go back to CSI: Miami.
That and I think that Lies was the best episode yet in the series.
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3-21-2007 @ 3:47AM
Jazzy said...
FYI keepitreal: cell phones were an 'everyday technology' a decade ago
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3-21-2007 @ 8:48AM
Hugeliver said...
This show sucks. I was looking forward to it since the first previews and tried to keep up, but I'm still pissed that NBC had a webisode that affected continuity AND it wasn't available to anyone outside the PRECIOUS U.S.
This episode just solidified everything for me. Tommy, you KILLED her husband! You have no grief over this helping her fold his clothes. Whatever!
And Jimmy? He's just an idiot. THAT storyline was beyond stupid.
Jenny seems to be over her husband disappearing JUST fine. What a weak storyline that was.
No wonder there is no viewers for this show. Way to go NBC. Idiots.
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3-21-2007 @ 9:52AM
ladytv said...
I thought it was interesting that this episode which was supposed to be about lies was actually the first one in which Joey "Icecream" seemed to be telling the truth the whole time. His involvement with the brothers seemed so much more believable this week. As far as with Tommy I felt like all of his scenes were pretty tense. He always seemed like he was right on the cusp of plan B in case he was about to get busted.
*** Interested tidbit I finally put together- I finally realized why the guy who plays Tommy looks so familiar. He played the young Tommy Markano in Sleepers. I knew there was a reason why this show reminded me of that movie.
Anywhoo... heres hoping the show continues to get better.
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3-21-2007 @ 9:42AM
Shawn said...
HugeLiver: Must have been a Studio 60 fan. Sorry dude.
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3-21-2007 @ 9:53AM
Ender said...
I like this show, but I do have a hard time suspending belief in so many aspects of it.
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3-21-2007 @ 10:01AM
dawn said...
I'm surprised you didn't mention how funny the mother is. She will single handedly take out anyone for the safety of her sons
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3-21-2007 @ 11:04AM
Hugeliver said...
Shawn: not at all. Didn't even see a commercial for that 30 Rock wanna be.
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3-21-2007 @ 10:20AM
Dave said...
Isn't it supposed to be Dokey? not Dockey? Tommy said he got the name by the Hokey Pokey...
Hokey Pokey Dokey.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but it's not Hockey Pockey is it?
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3-21-2007 @ 10:25AM
Dave said...
Isn't it supposed to be Dokey? not Dockey? Tommy said he got the name by the Hokey Pokey...
Hokey Pokey Dokey.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but it's not Hockey Pockey is it?
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3-21-2007 @ 10:36AM
JJ said...
12. Yeah, the mother is pretty funny in an annoying and psychotic kind of way.
13. I thought the same thing on the Dockey thing - but apparently Paul Haggis spells things differently than the rest of mankind.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805661/fullcredits#cast
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3-21-2007 @ 11:12AM
anon in ny said...
The show is good, but if it was really written at some time previously, it would explain the location. Apparantly this is supposed to be in Hell's Kitchen in manhattan. Has anyone BEEN to hell's kitchen (or as the real estate agents call it now, clinton) recently? Where are they supposed to be living? Next to the Mercury bar or across the street from Tiny Thai? Talk about suspension of disbelief.
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3-21-2007 @ 3:06PM
Michelle said...
I do like this show, and I wish it would be more popular. Why is this such a hard time-slot for NBC? (I also like Studio 60 ok, really just for Matthew Perry).
Whenever Jimmy is on the scene - does anyone else feel uncomfortable? I think they do a good job of this. I know I have had friends who made decisions (not this bad) that I was just unsettled when I heard them. That is how I felt when he found the phone. What an idiot.
And the power struggle between Dokey and Tommy....Tommy hands down. Dokey isn't smart enough to pull it off. That is why he was 2nd fiddle.
By the way, did anyone see the webisode. I haven't seen it yet, but was it essential to the plot? I did not feel like I was missing anything. Thanks!
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3-22-2007 @ 10:48AM
Ritte House said...
I think we are supposed to see Jimmy as an a-hole. He is a horrible person and yet his brothers keep protecting him. He is also stupid He has no idea how much Tommy and Kevin are doing for him.
I think it is a great show, because the people are complicated. Mrs. Donnelly is great except with Kim. Jenny is a loyal friend but screwed up about men. Tommy is a good person who does incredibly bad things. He keeps having to do worse and worse things to protect himself and his family from the bad things he did previously.
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3-22-2007 @ 8:01PM
yourmaker said...
It's DOKEY not Dockey.
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