Review: The Big C, S3, Ep. 306 – “Life Rights”
Air Date: Sunday, May 13, 2012 9:30PM E/P on Showtime
Rating:
“I feel like I spend all of my time grocery shopping in your fridge or giving head on the phone. I mean, where is the ‘me’ in all this?” – Sean
Don’t let the title mislead you—“Life Rights” is not what you expect. It is delightfully entertaining and full of unabashed humor with an ample dose of sarcasm and a spoonful of disdain thrown in for good measure.
At the end of last week’s episode, Adam (Gabriel Basso) decided he was going to go live with his uncle Sean (John Hickey) for a while. I think Sean is going to get more than he bargained for by taking in his young, impetuous nephew, especially after he catches Adam and his girlfriend Jesse (Kailie Torres) in a compromising position. The conversation that follows is serious yet cheeky.
Sean: “You inscrutable little boob!”
Adam: “It’s no big deal!”
Sean: “Do I have to remind you of the hooker and the crabs and the shit storm you started last time you unleashed your pecker on the world?”
Adam: “Uncle Sean, it’s not like that; I really like this girl. So, we’re just taking it slow.”
Sean: “Slow is kissing or if you’re my client Doug, lightly dragging your scrotum across your partner’s face; not what you were just doing! Please tell me you are at least using protection!”
Adam: “What for? We’re not even having sex. Jesse is saving herself so we’re just doing it in the butt.”
Sean: “Great. Do you know how many butt-borne diseases there are out there? You better be wrapping that Johnson, mister! And if that girl thinks she’s not having sex, she’s off her fucking nut! Butt sex is the real deal. There’s a reason they don’t call it ‘butt-not-sex’.”
Adam: “It’s our business. She’s ok with it.”
Sean: “Look, bottom line, pun intended; if she’s saving the bush, don’t touch the tush.”
I kind of agree with Sean. And what killed me was Jesse praying for guidance from God before she and Adam start pumping and grinding again. Really? What is she praying for – guidance that Adam’s penis goes into her butt and not her vagina because vaginal sex is for “procreation?” What Kool-Aid is this girl drinking and remind me to not drink any!
Sean tries to be a good uncle but I think he’s out of his depth on this one. Plus, his running a gay phone sex business doesn’t help the situation either, especially when Adam walks in on a conversation. It’s very entertaining when Sean breaks down for a moment trying to make homemade pizza for Adam while some guy on the phone is talking about doing naughty things to him. “Wow, Tim (Bryan D’Arcy James), I’m sorry for my professional lapse. I believe you were sucking on my nipples.”
L-R: Tammy Blanchard as Gizelle, John Hickey as Sean, and Brian D'Arcy James as Tim
Sean going to meet Tim might not have been a great idea but I understand his reasoning. He’s in desperate need of adult conversation and doesn’t want to be bothered with being a responsible uncle for the evening. Sean gets a lot more than he bargained for when he gets to Tim’s house meets his lovely wife Gizelle (Tammy Blanchard). Ménage à trois..c’est la vie!
Paul (Oliver Platt) and Cathy (Laura Linney) have dinner with a Hollywood producer Rtia (guest star Allison Janney, back to camera)
Cathy (Laura Linney) asks Dave (Hamish Linklater) to put a window in the nursery. As much as I want to believe Dave and his wife Maxine (Mamie Gummer) will give their child to Cathy and Paul (Oliver Platt), I don’t think Dave really wants to. The picture he draws Cathy of the new window gives us a little peek into Dave’s heart. Maxine may not want to be a parent but I think Dave does. And on that note, does Paul really want to have another baby? With the possibility of Joy’s (Susan Sarandon) friend, Hollywood movie producer Rita Strauss (Allison Janney), wanting to make a movie based on Paul’s life, I highly doubt it. It all sounds very exciting, though, until Rita drops a bomb about who will play Cathy and how the story will end. All the smiles turn into looks of WTF!
Observations:
Susan Sarandon as Joy and Allison Janney as Rita
Rita calls Joy “Jerry” and Joy mentions how they’ve know each other a long time, even before she became famous and changed her name. There’s a story lurking there. My theory is Joy used to be a dude. I’m curious to see where this story line goes, if anywhere.
Cathy’s alter ego Alexis ventures to The Naked Turtle for a drink. When a guy begins flirting with her, she makes up a story that she’s with someone – a contractor. Hmm, isn’t Dave a contractor? I hope Cathy doesn’t fall off the infidelity wagon again with the bar guy or Dave. Also, she’s just terrible at pouring beer! There’s 1½” of glass and no foamy head (no pun intended).
***
The Big C really does surprise me more often than not, and “Life Rights” threw me for a big loop. Sean is my favorite character on the show so seeing more of him was fantastic! I’m anxious to see how his evening with Tim and Gizelle goes and whether he’ll see them again.
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Photos © 2012 Showtime Networks, a CBS Broadcasting, Inc. company. All rights reserved.
Judy Manning
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