Review:  Boss – Season 1, Episode 3 – “Swallow”

Rating: ★★★★★

Air date: Friday, November 4 at 10pm ET/PT on Starz

A dream about a steed and an accidental bed wetting headline the opening sequence of Boss’ third episode, “Swallow.” These two themes weigh heavily on Chicago Mayor Tom Kane’s (Kelsey Grammer) mind and for a good reason.

Tom Kane (Kelsey Grammer) fails to disclose to Dr. Ella Harris (Karen Aldridge) the fact that he's self-medicating.

“Swallow” deals with Kane’s struggles to adjust to his condition; reporter Sam Miller (Troy Garity) searches for concrete dirt on Kane; Governor McCall Cullen’s (Francis Guinan) miscalculation in handling a media scandal; and the events leading Kitty O’Neill (Kathleen Robertson) to examine her political career.

The picturesque DuSable Bridge serves as the setting for Kane’s consultation with Dr. Ella Harris (Karen Aldridge) regarding his condition and the embarrassing side effect he’s experiencing: urinary incontinence. It’s a good thing he and his wife Meredith (Connie Nielsen) aren’t sleeping in the same bed these days.

In typical Boss fashion, we transition from one scene to another as Kane multi-tasks. Cullen agrees to an impromptu press conference without suspecting he’s about to be ambushed by the well-oiled Kane political machine.  From a cell phone, Kane quarterbacks the set-up via a conference call with aide Ezra Stone (Martin Donovan), the genius behind Cullen’s alleged gay scandal, and a reporter (Paul D. Morgan). The combination of solid writing, editing, and acting infuse the scene with adrenalin. Donovan’s portrayal of Stone is worth singling out. He’s like an unruffled champion chess player whose muted mannerisms perfectly support the character’s persona: a strategist who remains calm under pressure.

Cullen attempts to save his campaign by asking for Kane’s support and warns him about the risks of State Treasurer Ben Zajac’s (Jeff Hephner) youth.

“We can groom the kid together. In four years I guarantee you he’ll be able to take on the world,” Cullen suggests.

With Kane’s mind filled with worry regarding his disease, Cullen chooses untimely words. He bears the brunt of Kane’s frustration as he undoubtedly learns the Mayor finds him worthless. Guinan and Grammer capitalize on the great lines supplied by series creator and writer Farhad Safinia and the result is an Emmy®-caliber explosive scene.

Reporter Sam Miller (Troy Garity) won’t vacillate about using questionable practices to secure confirmation of a news story.

Although reporter Sam Miller appears to be on a wild goose chase, his instincts serve him well. While waiting for the results of the water sample he’s secured from the O’Hare site, he senses his lead could be Pulitzer Prize material.

However  he may face opposition from Editor Bob Bentley (David Pasquesi) who is socially connected with the Mayor. Miller’s motivations haven’t been made fully clear but based on last week’s episode “Reflex,” he seems driven uphold high journalistic standards although he won’t hesitate to use questionable practices to confirm a news lead.

Meredith Kane is on a mission to figure out the nature of the relationship between Dr. Harris and her husband. Her fixation on Harris leads her to make an unexpected appearance at a school meeting with the goal of speaking with her. Meredith’s actions push the Kane camp to renege on a promise made to Harris who is being forced to relocate with her son.

Both Kane and Meredith recognize that while their personal relationship is unimportant, they need each other to stay in power. They each carry heavy burdens but Kane struggles with his share. When he finally reveals his condition to his daughter Emma (Hannah Ware), things don’t go well. Emma’s emotional response is right on point. Although Ware’s British accent slips more significantly in this episode than before, her pain-infused voice reveals the deep suffering Emma has endured from being disowned by her parents.

Kane’s heartbreak for his daughter results in a drunken tirade that circles back to the initial dream sequence as its relevance to the episode title becomes clear.  As he plays with a handful of pills, Kane compares himself to a young steed. Just as how he once was, the steed was able to swallow anything. As health complications plague the ‘old horse,’ he’s no longer as strong and vigorous as he used to be.  The word play between mayor and mare is clever and the metaphor is marvelous. However, I’m not sure it works well – unless one was watching the show in close captioning. The visuals make up for it as the notion of what power can buy is obvious: who needs porn when you can pay two women to perform live sex acts?  It’s interesting that Kane has been shown to be mostly uninterested in having sex up to now. The fact that he sleeps with Mayor Rutledge’s (Tony Mocus) care taker (uncredited Debbi Burns) who apparently is gifted as a degenerative disease patient whisperer is significant.

One thing going well for Kane is Zajac’s campaign. Hephner’s portrayal of a sexually addicted politician is charming as he shows off well the character’s sense of humor and political insight when he takes control of his campaign’s planning meeting.

Witnessing Zajac’s supposed family bliss as he films a campaign commercial causes Kitty O’Neil (Kathleen Robertson) to finally say ‘no’ to her lover and reevaluate her life. When she delivers bad news to former mentor Alderman Nick Solomou (Kevin Gudahl), the discussion resonates with her. Robertson’s body language tells us her character is reassesing her commitment to Kane. But the sex adrenalin junkie Kitty is not into pity parties and when a suitor makes unwelcome advances, she checks his penis size prior to agreeing to sleep with him. Somewhat out of character for the smart Kitty is the scene where Stone has to put her in check and remind her of Kane’s position on Cullen. Perhaps all the sex she’s having is clouding her focus?

At the end of the episode, Stone’s conversation with Kane serves a foretelling technique. Cameras will be the downfall of someone and I have my money on Kitty or Zajac. The episode is engaging but is one of those filler episodes that allows for the storyline to pick up steam. Yet, it’s not one filled with fluff: a number of critical pieces have been put in place.

Tune in to Boss Fridays at 10pm ET/PT on Starz. For more on the show, visit http://www.starz.com/originals/Boss.

Follow @Boss_Starz, @Mayor_Kane, @WLOZ4 and @WBSK3 on Twitter.

All photos © 2011 Starz Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

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