Julie's Review of Up in Smoke

Lily's and Bug's commitment ceremony should be a day of great joy, but instead, the day is marred by smoke and flames. Will the day go off without a hitch?

Strengths

Storyline: Though there was only one storyline, the strength of the story, paired with the sharp exchange of dialoge was enough to sustain an entire episode.  Dialogue: The dialogue in this episode was sharp and clever, with Kate in competition with herself for several of the funniest lines. Each one of those lines accurately represented her character. Bourbon's writing truly captured many of the other characters as well, nailing them in their actions, but especially with their words. Woody would definitely be the one to bring up the "Ranger Rick" thing. Artwork: The artwork for this episode was incredibly complex, combining nice touches (such as the picture showing Kate tending to her poor, abused feet), and intricate shots (many of the shots involving the fire). The shot that appeared to be a from-the-windshield view of the fire with a car slightly ahead and to the left was especially intricate, as was the shot of Jordan, Woody, and the boy.  Music: Music selections provided a nice complement to the setting and the dialogue and were especially well timed.  Relationship development: This episode provided a lot of development in many of the relationships. Lily and Bug make progress, and in the end decide that a marriage ceremony, rather than a commitment ceremony, is right for them. Nigel continues to prod Kate, and it seems more certain that he's going to get to the real Kate in time. Jordan and Woody grow as a couple in leaps and bounds in this episode. Woody realizes and accepts that Jordan will not allow him to head into danger alone. Jordan admits to Woody that even when they're in danger, she feels safe with him. And in the end, they decide "the time is right". Continuity: There were several references to past episodes from the on-air series (such as allusions the plane crash and Jordan's tumor) and Virtual Season 7. The references were handled in such a way that those who were not regular series viewers would wonder if they were missing something. Favorite Quote: There were so many candidates for this section that it seems almost unfair to limit it to one.  So here's the top 5. Yes, 5.

1. Kate: High heels should be classified as instruments of torture under the Geneva Convention. They serve no earthly purpose other than to put money in chiropractors’ pockets.
2. Kate: I’d rather have “It’s a Small World” on an eternal loop implanted in my brain.
3. Kate: You know, not everyone is meant to pair up two-by-two like some kind of giant Noah’s Ark. Oh, and here’s a shocker: men tend not to line up around the block to be with an intelligent woman who has actually has an opinion and isn’t afraid to share it.
4. Kate: Please. Those two have been playing footsie under the table for years. I don’t have that kind of patience.
5. Jordan: You don’t think I survived a brain tumor and a plane crash just to be taken out by some forest fire, do you?

Areas for Improvement

Storyline and Dialogue: There wasn't much from the storyline negatively affected, except possibly the length of the episode. While other episodes took nearly forty minutes of reading time, this episode took only 23. As for dialogue, the only thing I could possibly mention is that Kate seemed to "steal" several of the scenes, despite the fact that she was not the focus of the scene.  Artwork: There only small item of note in the artwork was more a point of humor than anything else…in the scene where Woody, Jordan, and Eric are heading out of the charred woods, it was kind of funny that Woody let Jordan carry the boy.

This Virtual Season 7 episode, Up in Smoke brought to us by writer bourbon and artists Art Gal and Cissou, was an outstanding piece of drama. I'll give it 3.75 scalpels out of 4 for an entertaining piece of drama with fast-paced, clever banter and solid relationship development.