Review: The Big C, Season 2, Ep. 8 "The Last Thanksgiving" (No turkey, no fingernails, and no ring)

Air Date: Monday, August 15, 2011 10:30 PM E/P

Rating: ★★★★★

“The Last Thanksgiving” is a good episode; however, there is something missing to push it to a five-star rating. I can’t quite put my finger on it but something’s off cue for me. I’m not sure whether it’s some of the acting or the writing, but whatever it is, it didn’t “wow” me.

Review: The Big C, Season 2, Ep. 8 "The Last Thanksgiving" (No turkey, no fingernails, and no ring) 1

Lee (Hugh Dancy) feels hurt that his "mole-mate" Cathy (Laura Linney) didn't share the fingernail news

I’m concerned about Lee (Hugh Dancy). When Cathy (Laura Linney) happily knocks on his door to show him her missing fingernails (a side effect from the clinical trial), she doesn’t get the cheerful, optimistic Lee she’s used to. Instead, she gets a very sweaty, exhausted, and in-pain Lee. From the moment he opened the door, I knew something was wrong. We know he’s survived the last 12 years with cancer and has gone through eight clinical trials, but maybe he’s just worn out.

Cathy hides her fingernails instead of sharing her news with Lee. While I understand her reasoning, I think she should have told him. After all, he is her “mole-mate,” isn’t he? She then compensates by offering to make him a difficult French dessert his mother used to make when she invites him to Thanksgiving dinner. When one of Cathy’s press-on nails pops off, Lee becomes a little irritated she didn’t tell him. “You don’t think I’m rooting for you?” Lee’s reaction is surprising. Maybe he is a little jealous that Cathy’s drugs seem to be working and his aren’t. What I love about their friendship is that even though it started off a bit rocky, they really do seem like BFFs. I hope they can patch things up – I really love Dancy on the show! He brings airiness to the heaviness of the subject matter.

Review: The Big C, Season 2, Ep. 8 "The Last Thanksgiving" (No turkey, no fingernails, and no ring) 2

Is it love? Myk (Boyd Holbrook) and Andrea (Gabourey Sidibe)

Now, let’s talk about Myk (Boyd Holbrook) and Andrea’s (Gabourey Sidibe) blossoming relationship. Love, after two dates? I know people become infatuated or enamored with people on the first or second date, but love? You hardly know each other. Maybe I’m jaded in the love department but after two dates, it ain’t love – it’s lust. You know, when you crave being with someone who makes you feel beautiful. You become addicted to the attention and affection. I think Andrea being a big girl affects her self-confidence, thereby skewing her perception of what real love is. I just hope she thinks things through, especially since Myk is a thief!

May we have a moment of silence, please, for Marty, the live, free-range turkey Sean (John Hickey) and Adam (Gabriel Basso) brought for dinner? Marty escapes death once but after the spat Cathy and Lee had, he was no match for a woman with a meat cleaver. I’m still not sure how I feel about medicated Sean, but his explanation of Thanksgiving to Myk cracks me up.

Sean: “Yeah, oh, well let me explain it, Myk. Pilgrims came over to this new land for, uh, a new start – leave the past behind – kind of sitch…Except…we were too stupid to grow our own food. So, we begged the Indians to teach us how to farm, which they did, then we got strong enough to burn their villages and kick’em off their own land and we were like ‘Good luck with your small pox!’ The only reason I’m acknowledging this train wreck of a holiday is because I’m on mood stabilizers.”

Review: The Big C, Season 2, Ep. 8 "The Last Thanksgiving" (No turkey, no fingernails, and no ring) 3

Sean and Rebecca ask Cathy for her engagement ring

Don’t you just love his tirades? Apparently Rebecca (guest star Cynthia Nixon) does. His unborn-baby-mama loves him so much, she’s ready to propose…but wait…so is he! Oh, how sweet, except when Rebecca insensitively asks Cathy if she can have her engagement ring which belonged to Cathy and Sean’s mother. Rebecca has these moments of being a good friend to Cathy but then she turns around and is a completely insensitive bitch. It’s like she feels entitled since Cathy doesn’t like the ring, something Paul (Oliver Platt) was unaware of. I guess I’ll cut her a little slack for now because we know from next week’s promo that she loses the baby.

Tune in to The Big C, Mondays at 10:30pm E/P only on Showtime.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.