Lara's Review - Mysterious Ways

I am still unsure what exactly to make of this episode, it’s not that I didn’t like it, I am just not sure if I did. There were two key moments I found fascinating (more later) and the visual construction of the episode was great.

I’ll start with the cases first, as I feel the certainly the case involving Bug was essential to his character development.

Plot A, the case involving Jordan, Woody and the ‘saint’, lacked some punch and there were some plot holes, but to some extent I felt this was insignificant due to the interpersonal character developments that occurred. If you consider the Jordan/Woody/Lu character development, and the pivotal moment for Lily that has potentially changed both her professional and personal life, all tie into case A.

The death of a child and Lily’s inability to help the grieving father, caused her to further articulate the intrapersonal struggles she has been dealing with [to some extent] all season, having first articulated them in Death Toll. I feel that her quitting her job could be construed as a plot device; it does move the story on to the end of the season and does raise questions on whether or not Lily will return next season. I am sure she will, but unsure in what context, married or unmarried.

This brings me on to Lily’s personal life. The lunch scene between Lily, Jeffery and his mother was a black comedy scene, it was both extremely uncomfortable to watch, yet hilariously funny. Elaine was the ultimate witch of a mother who can both scare a son into submission, and terrify any woman away. I was unconvinced by Jeffery’s proposal, or more I was unconvinced by Lily’s answer, which makes me question whether or not we will see a wedding in the season finale. With the fascinating moment being her look towards Bug at the end of the scene, I saw sadness in her eyes, as if she was giving up Bug and compromising with Jeffery.

However, the scene between Garret and Lily has to be one of the most touching moments between them we’ve seen for a long time. While the romantic relationship will not work, there is deep love between them, and understanding, I think the are both after similar things in life, and his although his question ‘how do you feel when you are not with him?’ was never answered I think the look on Lily’s face was one of attempting to understand and process her emotions.

The second case involving Bug was my favourite. I love Bug this season, he has undergone an amazing character transformation, and while it has been overshadowed somewhat by Jordan’s development, it is no less significant. Bug has left parts of his life behind, he has let go of the potential romance between himself and Lily, which has held him back over the past five seasons, the case revolved around him meeting Amy, which became a nice tie in to the overall story arc of the season.

I am not quite sure how to deal with the Jordan/Woody/Lu kiss scene, I think I will just leave well enough alone, except to say, while I could easily go into a deconstruction second by second analysis of it, I feel it had no real relevance to the story, and I fail to see the point.

The moment I felt was the most significant was the final interaction between Jordan and Woody. It was an opportunity for the characters to articulate something the fans have been feeling all season, despite whatever the romantic preference you may have for the characters, one could hardly fail to argue that the two characters have not been in sync with each other all season. Jordan has realised how she has grown over the last year, and while she doesn’t answer Woody’s question about his growth, it was her eyes that told the story, they were not vindictive or angry, they were sad and full of loss, it leaves a huge question over their future relationship whether it is romantic or platonic. Jill Hennessy eyes are perhaps some of the most emotive I have ever seen, they always say more than words can ever express.

I am in love with Miguel Ferrer’s directing, the three episodes he has directed this season have always been full of action, whether case or interpersonal, despite that I never feel as if anything is missing from a scene, they each have a beginning, middle and end, they feel complete. I am unsure if he worked with the same Director of Photography in each episode, but I feel that praise should go to the DP because the story is told through the cinematography, and this episode was no different.

I loved the art direction in Mysterious Ways, particularly in the re-enactment scene, where there was a bleeding of the scene creating a halo effect around the characters, I thought it was beautiful.

Once again the score and the use of songs was awesome. The reuse of Pale Blue Eyes, served not only as a throw back to earlier seasons, but it fit so well with the closing scene and the look of loss as Woody watch Jordan walk away.

I am still unsure about the episode, even after getting my thoughts written. I think overall I preferred the behind the scenes construction of the episode than the episode itself, for me, the direction and the cinematography made the episode, rather than the storylines. Although, the key beats between Lily and Bug, and Jordan and Woody are particularly significant for up coming episodes, so keep watching.