Episode 14
Four Fathers (01-28-02)

Brief Synopsis: Max opens his own bar. The staff is evaluated and wonders who will be let go. Trey's dad drops by.

Four Fathers—so I had to think about it.  I got three fathers right off the bat.  Then the fourth stumped me until the end of the show—and Jordan’s speech about them being a family and I finally got it—call me slow, but it was late and I was tired.  Anyway I figured it out and now on to the review.

1-       Jordan and Max

2-       Blackie and Kieran

3-       Trey and his father

4-       The morgue staff and Garret

The theme was family (particularly fathers).  They did a good job with it.  There were four fathers and four different aspects of ‘fatherhood’ (so to speak).

The first: Max and Jordan

Max is getting ready to open his bar however he has a slight problem…no liquor.  Blackie is behind the shortage.  There’s a history between them and they’re still going at each other.  We learned a nice bit of background information on Max and Blackie.  They grew up together.  Blackie became a mobster and Max a police man.  They took two opposite paths that would have them forever at each others throat.

Blackie threatens Max and then in a round about way Jordan when she doesn’t back down.  Max shows his claws.  They don’t come out often, but the mention of any harm coming to Jordan and Max gets protective. 

Trait #1: Father’s are protective of their young (no matter what age they are).

Jordan does a good job of handling herself .  And she even comes through for her father.  It was nice seeing the feisty and combative side shine through again.  Watch out everyone.  Get in Jordan’s path and you’ll be plowed over.  Jordan didn’t have all the answers…but she figured enough to get the truth out of Kieran.  And she showed her compassionate side.  She didn’t tell Blackie his son’s secret.  She did however tell him to listen to his son and be calm—he didn’t want to lose him twice.

The second: Blackie and Kieran

He covers up a murder to protect his son.  A son who’s having ‘issues’ with Dad.  He turns to his father to get him out of trouble, but obviously not willingly.  Blackie tries to use his ‘influence’ to sway Jordan from pursuing the truth.  Jordan doesn’t back down though.

Trait #2: Father’s hold high standards for their children.

The third: Trey and his father

It was nice to see Trey get some screen time.  He always seems to be the odd man out in the group (probably because he’s the ‘most’ normal of the group).  Trey’s not excited at the news that his father is stopping by.  For all his life he’s been rebelling against what his father wants for him.  His father always planned on Trey taking over the family practice.  Trey wanted something different.  He realizes though that he doesn’t know what it is exactly that he wants.  He’s spent so much time running from what his father wanted him to be he hasn’t given thought to what he wants.  They come to an understanding though and I think Trey is now thinking about finding out what he wants to do with his life, rather than running from what his father wants.

Trait #3: Father’s have great dreams for their children. (even if it’s not what the child desires)

The fourth: The morgue and Garret

The morgue staff is being ‘evaluated’ and cut backs are going to happen.  That leaves everyone worried about their jobs.  Who’s going to stay and who’s not.  After everyone starts sucking up to Garret—he’ll have enough baked good to last him for a few months—Garret makes the decision to cut his own job.  If he resigns then his people will be safe.  (How realistic this is I wonder, because jobs get cut all the time and though he might save them from this round next round someone is still bound to go.  And that just leaves Garret out of a job)  The gesture and thought were what counted and what proved the point and our last trait about fathers:

Trait #4: Father’s will sacrifice themselves first before their children.

Bug and Nigel: Brotherly love.  The two make a deal to stick together then go sabotage each other.  Since the whole episode revolved around family it’s only appropriate to call those two brothers.  They were amusing to watch.

We learn what their jobs are finally too.  Bug’s an entomologist and Nigel is a criminologist.

Lily:  Lily’s frustrated and worried.  She sees her job as being most up in the air and then her relationship with Garret makes her wonder.  Will she lose her job because she’s seeing Garret?  Or will she keep it, because she’s seeing Garret (not because of her qualifications and that she’s good at it).  She gets disgusted with everyone and everything and finally burst out at Jordan in the end.  Lily is being to look like the glue of the family—the mother figure.  She keeps everyone in check, helps them get over their problems and smoothes things over when bumps appear.

The morgue is a family. It’s a theme that’s come up before and will resurface time and again (I’m sure of this because it’s the basis of our show and the characters).  Families make sacrifices for each other, support each other and even squabble from time to time.  But in the end they stick together.

4 out of 5 Dead Bodies. A good solid episode, that wasn’t predictable, the whole staff shined, and we did some more character building (which in a show like this is crucial.  This show is all about the characters—they don’t grow, we lose interest.  So it’s nice to see them furthering the characters.)