Review: Enlightened – Season 1, Episode 7, “Lonely Ghosts” - “Nobody Likes to Sleep Alone”

Review: Enlightened – Season 1, Episode 7, “Lonely Ghosts”

Air date: Monday, November 21 at 9:30pm ET/PT on HBO

Rating: ★★★★★

Amy’s (Laura Dern) days of work-less coasting have come to an end. The success of the productivity tracking software her boss Dougie (Timm Sharp) developed has brought him a vice-presidential promotion by Abaddonn Industries – which, by the way, Abaddonn is another word for hell. Being on the big-wig radar forces Dougie to give Amy the ultimatum of being fired if she doesn’t complete the data entry project she’s been neglecting for weeks by the end of the day.

Amy, desperate to save her job, focuses her energy on pursuing an idea suggested by co-worker Tyler (Mike White), which, of course, doesn’t involve doing any actual work: “whoring” around co-worker Harper (Riki Lindhome) to get in Dougie’s good graces. The scenes between Dern and White have a natural flow which really enriches the sarcastic flair of the dialogue. The fact that Tyler’s assistance hasn’t been selfless in his support of Amy shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone and when he tries to kiss Amy during a late night work session, he finds out the hard way Amy doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.

The climatic point of “Lonely Ghosts” occurs during Dougie’s promotion celebration at a nightclub. Amy’s look is hilariously over the top. Her 80s inspired wacky hair and outfit look like they belong to a long lost Soul Train episode or one of the Solid Gold dancers. But in the midst of laughter, the show doesn’t lead us far from serious issues. The often inappropriate Dougie gropes Amy on the dance floor and her knee-jerk reaction is to warn Harper she’s an idiot if she dates him.

Review: Enlightened – Season 1, Episode 7, “Lonely Ghosts” - “Nobody Likes to Sleep Alone” 1

Amy (Laura Dern) and Levi (Luke Wilson) are ex-spouses who have a friendly but unhealthy relationship.

The escalation of these events makes Tyler uncomfortable and Amy goes after him to finally discuss the kissing incident. “Some of us are more alone,” Tyler sadly responds. White does a stellar job in conveying the loneliness that plagues his dorky IT character. That conversation forces Amy to face her unresolved feelings for her ex-husband Levi (Luke Wilson).

The episode’s opening bad dream sequence reflects all that is weighing heavily on Amy’s mind, which includes her obvious unresolved feelings for Levi. The blurring of lines between them about their friendship and couplehood is fairly unhealthy and things get even more muddled when Amy falls asleep at Levi’s house. Wilson’s portrayal of a compassionate and extremely patient drug addict who drifts through life continues to be solid.

At the end of the episode and as is typical of the show, we come back full circle to Amy’s room as she lies in bed at night thinking about her life and how ‘off’ it is. Dern’s final voice-over, as in most episodes, is beautiful and supported by a wonderfully edited vignette of the episodes’ key moments. The message is powerfully self-assuring and I suspect it will resonate with viewers who may be facing a similar situation. Her mother’s (Diane Ladd) wisdom creeps through her thoughts based on an earlier casual conversation between them. I love how Helen has figured out the most efficient way to get through to her daughter is not via direct confrontation, but through planting ideas in an innocuous manner.

“Life can be like a bad dream sometimes; we all want comfort. A little love to get us through the long nights; nobody likes to sleep alone. Everyone is afraid of the dark but I will not be afraid. The light is always there. It’s all around me, nothing is missing, and I’m not waiting for the sun.”

Wow, Amy is truly making progress by learning she can find happiness on her own.

I really enjoyed “Lonely Ghosts” as it steps away from the usual ‘Amy-is-doomed’ dynamic and allows for more character development. Not having to cringe at Amy’s regular self-sabotaging antics allows me to better enjoy the sarcastic nature of the show. I would like to see more of this in the upcoming episodes. Speaking of which, we haven’t heard the last of the club incident! To find out what happens, tune in next week.

Enlightened airs Mondays at 9:30pm ET/PT on HBO. For more on the show, visit: http://www.hbo.com/#/enlightened.

On Facebook, ”Like” the show at: https://www.facebook.com/enlightenedHBO.

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Soaker of life. I like to experience things and see the world. I consider myself a professional traveler. My love for movies and television goes way back but I'm a sucker for action-oriented films and shows. Oh, and I make excellent martinis! Follow me on twitter @LutzElle.