Lara's Review - Save Me

I really liked this episode, there was so much in it to enjoy. And while the mystery of the case was not the strongest, I think that the messages behind the case were more important.

My favourite moment, among many, was the very opening scene with Garret on the warpath, the snare drum beat to go with it was PERFECT, and the 10 seconds of Garret walking through the morgue told so much about his current state of mind. The ‘dark’ Garret character arc this season is still ongoing, and while there has not been a major focus on it in the past couple of episodes, I think that it is still under the surface, and the opening scene was an example of that, the shortness of his questions to Lily, further enhanced his attitude.

Garret’s reaction to Jordan’s attempts to become a foster mother was an important reflection of his current relationship with her. Their friendship needs to be rebuilt, and this time it is due to Garret’s actions, rather than Jordan’s. But there is a failure by Garret to realise this change of circumstance, and he is still trying to protect her, therefore, his opinions are communicated negatively, rather than in a supportive way. Garret attempts to make up for it when he talks with the social worker by telling her that when Jordan puts her mind to something she will be the best that she can be.

I loved the scenes between Nigel and Bug, the characters play off each other really well, and the banter between them is hilarious. While Nigel is the extreme, Bug is the more morose of the two, they balance each other and the scenes between them provided elements of comic relief in quite an intense episode.

I am still enjoying the relationship between Woody and Lu, this week there was not a focus on the romantic side, rather their working relationship. The character of Lu is really being fleshed out, and each week there are developments to make her a whole 3D character. The relationship between Woody and Lu is interesting, Woody’s attitude toward Lu is so different compared with his attitude with Jordan, he takes control and power over Lu, something he has never had with Jordan. The scene were Woody pushes Lu against a wall, though may not be an extreme example of violence, it is demonstrating an underlying problem that Woody has. I think that Woody has not fully processed the events at the beginning of the season, his shooting etc. But within this, Woody is undergoing self realisation, issues that were raised in Death Toll, he is attempting to deal with the fact he can’t save the world, he can’t help everyone, sometimes what you can do is all you can do and it is not always enough. This realisation has come out as violence and intolerance, Woody’s reaction to Lu, and Nate (in this episode) was an example of this.

Last week I felt that Kayla was more a plot device than a character, and to some extent I still felt this, I did like her more this episode. The relationship between Jordan and Kayla revealed more into Jordan’s current psyche, and the loss of Kayla at the end was a further set up toward the end of the season.

Garret’s statement to Jordan “it’s not about quitting, it’s about letting go” sums up not only the relationship between Jordan and Kayla, but also all Jordan’s relationships. But, the question is, ‘can Jordan let go?’ As Jordan has matured over season 5, the answer to the question, given her current circumstances, could be ‘yes’. Jordan’s maturity, and new found acceptance of situations that are beyond her control would indicate that she has learnt to let go, but, as with all great melodrama’s the past will always come up, and considering the pile of broken relationships Jordan has had this season, the romance with JD, her relationship with Woody, her friendship with Garret, and now Kayla, it is now not a question of if, but a question of when and how Jordan will break! – Bring on the season finale!!!!

And just some food for thought, as Jordan under goes a new found liberation and acceptance of situations she can not control, there is a duality of Woody attempting to figure out how to deal with the fact he can not control situations. I think it is an interesting duality of character.

Episodes with moral issues are always intriguing for me, sometimes they can come of cheap and cheesy, what I like to refer to as ‘Brady Bunch’ syndrome, this episode certain was not this. I think that stories dealing with mental illness are difficult, and the way this story was told was interesting. The polar opposite reactions of Lu and Woody did feel like reflections of what would occur in ‘real’ life. I believe we fear what we do not know, hence the occurrence of xenophobia, Woody’s reactions, and the reactions by the neighbours exist and to see them on screen, portrayed in a story was quite confronting. I like these episodes, when the message is more important than the case, it makes you think and analyse, I am always up for that.

As always the music was fascinating, the score matches and enhances the emotions of scenes, and with out it, they would often lose their power.

Finally, there was something that struck me in this episode, and I have to give Jennifer credit for telling me to watch out for it as I watched the episode. I think there was an intense focus on the eyes and the hands, I am not sure if this was a conscious choice during filming by Allan Arkush, or something that developed in post-production. But I think that if you re-watch this episode there is an intense focus on the eyes, consider the exchanges in the social services office between Jordan and Kayla, and the hands, look at the scenes with Nate in the hospital. These moments and shots tell an amazing amount within the context of the story, I believe that this is something that cannot be manufactured, Jill Hennessy has amazingly expressive eyes, and to see a story being told through looks and small movements is incredible.

So, overall it was a great episode, but once again I also think that due to the arc format of the season Save Me was just another piece in the growing puzzle of season 5.