Review: Boss – Season 1, Episode 4 – “Slip” – Change is in the Air.

Air date: Friday, November 11 at 10pm ET/PT on Starz

Rating: ★★★★★

In the wild, some animals prey on the weak. In Boss’ political jungle, things are even wilder. Mayor Tom Kane’s (Kelsey Grammer) enemies see a window of opportunity and their scheming begins. “Slip” is all about how complications multiply for Kane.

Issues between his wife Meredith (Connie Nielsen) and her business partner organization, Scientia, arise as a result of Kane’s past cronyism with Frank Kohler (Christian Stolte), and the symptoms of the disease he suffers manifest. Kane’s choice to support for Governor, State Tresurer Ben Zajac (Jeff Hephner), faces hostility as he campaigns in southern Illinois. Governor McCall Cullen (Francis Guinan) tries to interfere by instilling doubts about Kane’s motivations for supporting him. Chicago Sentinel reporter Sam Miller (Troy Garity) continues to dig for dirt on Kane. As these events unfold, the list of people who could blindside Kane grows just as he’s reminded how the documentation of events could have both beneficial and damaging repercussions.

Will Meredith Kane (Connie Nielsen) jump ship when she finds out about Tom's disease?

Meredith remains steadfast in her commitment to the power alliance she forged with her husband. She goes into lioness mode when a group of Kane’s supporters question his ability to continue to run Chicago and offers a steep warning to Kitty O’Neill (Kathleen Robertson) about loyalty as she notices a flirtatious exchange between the aide and Zajac.  On a personal level, the success of the partnership between Meredith and Kane has come at the expense of their marriage. Their inability to talk about personal issues shows the huge abyss existing between them. The use of music and Nielsen’s strong non-verbal cues eloquently bring attention to the quiet but fearful state she slumps into after witnessing Kane’s weakened behavior. Still, she’s incapable of confronting him about her concerns regarding his health.

When the calculating Meredith goes to her estranged daughter, Emma (Hannah Ware), for answers and later has a breakdown in front of her father and former Mayor Rutledge (Tony Mocus), it’s obvious the stress and uncertainty of the situation is taking a toll on her. We know she only lets her guard down with him because Rutledge’s condition renders him incapable of speaking. However, this episode offers a nice change in allowing us to see a flash of humanity and remorse in her demeanor. It’s a welcomed perspective as it presents Meredith in a more realistic and balanced light instead of being a clichéd ice queen. My guess is that we are beginning to scratch the surface in regards to what lies under her supposed unshakeable façade.

The twisted and convoluted Kane family ties are evident when Emma agrees to mend her relationship with her father right after an unpleasant exchange with her mother. In addition to her concerns for her father, I also suspect Emma goes for reconciliation to spite Meredith, which makes me like her even more. But considering how Emma’s legs are on shaky ground, I’m afraid this renewed bond between father and daughter could bring more doom than salvation to either of them.

Zajac shows his claws when he refuses to adhere to the script Kane has outlined for him to follow during a campaign stop – even when O’Neill is sent to keep him in check. The fact that O’Neill continues her affair with Zajac and how she’s in awe of his irreverence doesn’t stack the odds in favor of Kane, who may have not caught on yet how much of a wild card Zajac is.

The sex-addicted Kitty O’Neil (Kathleen Robertson) continues her affair State Tresurer Ben Zajac (Jeff Hephner).

I knew cameras would play an important role in the episode’s storyline but I was wrong in regards to how they would be used. At the beginning of “Slip,” Kane is obsessed with getting the cameras to work on his laptop and requests tech support to help him resolve the issue. The concept is brilliantly utilized in this episode as a twist but also to convey Kane’s astuteness – he’s proactively identified the need to record his own conversations for future reference as his disease impacts his recollection of events. Grammer masterfully conveys Kane’s devastation at witnessing via video how his cognitive abilities are deteriorating and how this leads to a ‘slip’ with Kohler. This blunder creates a conflict between Meredith and Scientia, the company hired by the City to bring about cost and performance benefits to public schools. The incident also prompts Alderman Ross (James Vincent Meredit) to more actively mobilize people to take Kane down.

Kane seems to think he can handle his degenerative disease on his own but I think things are going to get out of control sooner than he thinks. The Kohler incident is a warning for him to identify one or two allies he trusts to protect and assist him when the symptoms surface. This is going to be a tricky task for Kane because he knows once he lets the cat out of the bag, some key people around him will jump ship. This is probably the reason why he hasn’t said anything to Meredith as she is already ok with selling her father out for power. Regardless of how Kane approaches this, facing Lewy Body disease will be a scary and lonely road for him.

Mayor Kane (Kelsey Grammer) holds a press conference to kill off Sam Miller's toxic waste investigation.

One of my favorite aspects of the episode is how Miller’s character gets flushed out. His interest in being an advocate for journalism as a form of public service is supported by the references to Deep Throat and Citizen Kane in his scenes. When Editor Jack Bentley (David Pasquesi) alerts the Kane camp of the scoop Miller has been working on regarding the toxic waste dump in DuPage County, Garity’s performance fully conveys the despair and frustration Miller feels. However, Miller gets a lucky break. Someone, who has chosen to identify his or herself as ‘Rosebud,’ sends him a document implicating Kane in the waste scandal that Kane shrewdly pinned on Mayor Rutledge. Miller is aware of the journalistic advantage the document offers him but is determined to safeguard it from Bentley until he’s ready to strike. Interestingly enough, the opportunistic and political savvy editor also makes it clear to Miller he welcomes a breaking news story against the Kane camp if significant evidence is supplied.

Regarding who ‘Rosebud’ may be, in my opinion, the fingers seem to point to Mayor Rutledge’s caretaker, Debra Whitehead. She has the time and access to Rutledge’s documents from his tenure in office, as well as the intelligence to come up with the idea of using a code name, especially one tied to a journalistic cinematic reference. Then, add to the mix the possibility she may have felt dejected by Kane after their one night stand and bingo – we’ve got motive!

“Slip” is a transitional but important episode setting the stage for the rest of the season. I continue to enjoy the depth of the story lines, which come from real Chicago headlines, but I really like how the show slowly and intelligently unveils details while managing to add in a few twists and turns in the process. To those complaining there’s nothing good to watch on TV, they’re clearly not watching Boss.

Tune in to Boss Fridays at 10pm ET/PT on Starz.

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