Review: The Big C, S3 Finale, Ep. 310 – “Fly Away”
Air Date: Sunday, June 17, 2012, 9:30PM E/P on Showtime
Rating:
“I think I’ve been low grade discontented for a long time.” ~ Cathy
Is this supposed to be a revelation? I think we all know Cathy (Laura Linney) has been “discontented” for a while now…actually maybe since season two. And now that she’s ‘lost at sea,’ it makes things go from bad to worse.
Cathy (Laura Linney) wanders off and gets caught up in Angel’s (Michael Ray Escamilla) fishing net
Sean (John Hickey) finally realizes Cathy is missing from the scuba group. As they send out a search party, Cathy is ensnared in a fisherman’s net. Unfortunately, the fisherman, Angel (Michael Ray Escamilla), doesn’t speak English. It doesn’t help that Cathy doesn’t enunciate his name correctly despite his repeated and purposeful pronunciation.
Cathy can’t seem to zip it…poor Angel.
Cathy is beyond getting on my nerves, just as she is working on Angel’s last nerve. I wish I knew Spanish; I wish I could figure out the closed-caption on my TV. I got “loco” and I agree whole heartedly. Cathy will not SHUT UP! She continues to talk to a man who probably doesn’t understand much of what she’s spewing but it’s her diatribe about her life that chaps my hide. Her tale of woe – being a wife, then mother, and not having any ‘me’ time — is just like nails scratching on a chalk board. However, we finally learn what Cathy’s doctor told her on the phone – her tumors are growing again despite the clinical trials. While this is terrible news, I am not feeling any empathy for Cathy. I want to, but I can’t. Even when she spouts a self-prognosis of dying within a year, I feel nothing.
Ababu/Andrea (Gabourey Sidibe) and Adam (Gabriel Basso) are taking in the sights, sounds, and RUM!
What happened to being a parent? Just because your kid is 16 doesn’t mean he’s good to go now. Adam (Gabriel Basso) isn’t being the best son either, but he’s just trying to adapt and survive with his parents’ changing…everything. Paul (Oliver Platt) is out pulling a Cathy stunt – chatting up a lady at the local dive bar calling himself Brian, whose wife passed away a month ago from cancer – and doesn’t seem to give a crap that his son is just out and about, drinking rum. Granted, Adam is hanging out with Andrea/Ababu (Gabourey Sidibe), but she’s barely two years older than him. I love when she puts things into perspective for Adam when he complains about his mother again, “Well, if you’re worried about her, why don’t you act like the Christian you say you are and try to talk to her – maybe help her.” Thank you, Ababu! Well said!
Observations/Thoughts:
Sean’s guilt is not only heartfelt but hilarious. “…I should have been protecting my buddy but I was following my dick instead. I hate my dick and I hate your ass!” Sean is, by far, my favorite. He’s the one saving grace as of late – one of the only reasons I tune in to The Big C at this point.
The religious tones sprinkled throughout “Fly Away” seem to get heavier and heavier, ending with Ababu talking to a guy named Miguel (Joel Perez) who happens to be playing the part of Jesus in the Good Friday parade. Despite the in-your-face religion, Miguel gives good advice to Ababu about her trying so desperately to relate to her African roots. Wearing a scarf on your head doesn’t prove you’re African – it’s how you behave and what’s in your heart that counts. Smart guy that Miguel.
What the hell is up with the ending? After Cathy talks poor Angel’s ear off and makes him take her to San Juan, she changes her mind once they get there. As Angel heads for a city named Esperanza — which ironically means ‘hope’ in Spanish — Cathy jumps off the dock and begins swimming towards him. So, is this a weird way of saying Cathy is swimming towards hope? If so, it’s a pretty lame attempt. Or, is she just being selfish – again – by leaving everything and everyone behind? Does Cathy really think she can outrun her cancer? And what about Adam? Is she forgetting she’s still a mom? Escaping your problems by literally escaping seems a bit cliché but I hope Cathy finds her contentment wherever she goes and comes back next season a better mother, wife, and sister.
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Photos © 2012 Showtime Networks, a CBS Broadcasting, Inc. company. All rights reserved.
Judy Manning
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