Rat vs. Criminal. Review: Graceland - “Pawn”

Season 1, Episode 12

Air Date: Thursday, September 12, 2013, 10/9c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

“Finally. You gonna explain some shit?” – Johnny

Is Briggs a good or bad guy?

Thinking Mike (Aaron Tveit) has found the recording that implicates him in Juan’s (Pedro Pascal) murder, Briggs (Daniel Sunjuta) goes on the run, and the rest of the house is called in for questioning.

The interrogation scenes in “Pawn” are hilarious as each housemate reacts differently to the revelations about Briggs. The scenes are well written and edited as the show goes back and forth between each agent. I laughed at several of the remarks, especially Johnny’s (Manny Montana) because he seems so lost and simply wants answers. I think this is how many of us felt at the start of this finale.

Vanessa Ferlito does an excellent job of portraying Charlie’s fear not only when she realizes Cortes’ (Vincent Laresca) true identity but also when he is threatening her life. My heart was racing, not knowing if anyone was going to make it to her and Briggs in time. It became almost too painful to watch. Ferlito’s scene at the end is also tough to watch seeing how heavily the events leading up to the finale have weighed on Charlie.

One of the things that makes Graceland so riveting is the way the writers revealed major things early on to the audience while keeping the characters in the dark. At the beginning of the season, I was not a big fan of the twists but as they got deeper, I found they made for fascinating TV. Things like Charlie and Cortes working together gave the audience a different perspective because we knew his true identity…well, a large portion of the viewing audience did.

Hopefully season two has more Jakes.

It’s a shame Jakes (Brandon Jay McLaren) wasn’t as involved throughout Graceland as he was in the final two episodes of the season because McLaren is a great actor. Looking back, I wish Abby’s (Jenn Proske) relationship with Mike had been cut as it added very little to the storyline. The writers would then have had the time to build up the characters in the house. Instead, when we’re told of a long history between Briggs and Jakes, it feels rushed. It would have been nice to learn more about this relationship in flashbacks.

My biggest disappointment in “Pawn” is how the Odin storyline is wrapped up. I enjoyed how things were set up but at the time, the audience was unaware of what was really happening and why Briggs does what he does it. When the time comes for the big reveal, it becomes almost like a throwaway line because if you blink, you miss it. In the end, Odin looks like some petty drug dealer who isn’t worth the time to look into. I would argue that if you cut the entire Odin storyline out of the season, it wouldn’t change the ending. Briggs would still be a heroin user who is investigated by Mike. Jangles would still be in the picture, and Briggs would still murder Juan, sending himself on the run. I truly don’t believe Odin added anything to the story. What do you think?

Does Mike finally trust Briggs?

While the Graceland finale ties up the physical loose ends, the emotional side of things is still lingering. It was interesting throughout “Pawn” to watch the glances between Mike and Briggs, leaving me to wonder how much Mike really believes. If Jangles killed Juan, and Odin is some random guy who left the country, why did Briggs run? Will Mike ever be able to trust Briggs fully? Heck, will anyone in the house be able to trust Briggs, or each other, for that matter?

Looking back at this first season of Graceland, there was a lot of character development and story lines that helped not only to bolster the constant ratings improvement over the season, but my reviews as well. With the recent announcement that Graceland will be back for a second season, I am excited to see where Jeff Eastin, the show’s creator, takes us. Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Pawn.”

Graceland returns summer 2014, only on USA Network.

For more information on Graceland, visit the official website.

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Follow the stars of Graceland on Twitter: @DanielGRACELAND, @MannyMontana, @SwanSerinda, and @brandojay.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.