Review: The Big C, Season 3, Ep. 302 – “What’s Your Story?”
Air Date: Sunday, April 15, 2012 9:30 PM E/P on Showtime
Rating:
Holy shit balls! Can you believe Paul posts Cathy’s (Laura Linney) torrid affair from last summer on his blog!? Really! Why would you tell the world about your wife’s infidelity? Is Paul really that much of an idiot that he fails to realize his blog is on the Internet where anyone can read it…including his teenage son Adam (Gabriel Basso)? It’s convenient how Paul leaves out his own misdeeds in his blog –pointing out their omission being due to his posts going in chronological order. *cough* Bullshit! *cough*
Adam learns not only did his mom Cathy have an affair, his dad Paul did too! TMI?
I love The Big C! It rings true to life because life isn’t always the white picket fence surrounding pristine flower gardens in the front yard. Families go through rough times and kids have to deal with a lot of crap. Take Adam for example—how awesome is it when he gets angry and blows up at both Cathy and Paul? I’m really glad the writers don’t make him out to be a wuss when he unleashes on his parental units. At this point, that’s what I’m calling Cathy and Paul because they are not behaving like parents. Paul’s too into his near death experience and writing his blog while Cathy checks out a bit by getting drunk during school hours. It’s no wonder Adam seeks support through his school’s bible group.
Cathy isn’t making it easy to get back into Adam’s good graces when she begins her martini-fueled confession of her past mistakes in the middle of his classroom. Did she really misunderstand what Adam was saying to her and Paul at the breakfast table that morning? “I don’t know what all this sudden honesty is all about but you want my honesty? I don’t want to know this shit!” I think he’s pretty clear, but that’s just me.
Cathy/Alexis (Laura Linney) arm wrestles fellow bar patron Shay (Fredi Walker-Browne) while bartender Kirby (Lee Tergesen) looks on
I get why Cathy goes to a bar on the other side of town. Anonymity – she wants to pretend she’s someone she’s not. She doesn’t want to be Cathy—a wife, mother, and cancer patient. Instead, she becomes Alexis, a woman who smokes, flirts, attends flight school, and arm wrestles biker chicks. Wait…flight school? Seriously? If you’re going to pretend to be someone else, make sure you know how to do what you say you’re doing. Being a pilot is a far cry from being a high school teacher. I digress. Being Alexis is an escape for her and I totally understand the need. The sad story is – she can’t continue to lean on the fantasy Alexis provides when it’s so obvious her son isn’t coping well with reality. Speaking of stories, I love how the bartender, Kirby (Lee Tergesen), refers to his tattoos as his “memoirs.” I’m a huge fan of tattoos which is why it peeves me when Cathy mentions he can get his removed. His response made me cheer! “Why would I want to do that? I’m proud of’em – it’s my story.” We all have stories. Some people write them down in journals, paint them, or sing songs. And some get tattoos. I think you’ll like Cathy’s new tattoo. Do you think Kirby is starting to develop a little crush on Alexis?
Sean (John Hickey) and Andrea (Gabourey Sidibe) continue their unique friendship and bonding. The scene with Sean helping Andrea wrap her hair with an “African head scarf” is hysterical. Not because Sean is the one wrapping Andrea’s hair, which is pretty amazing, but because Sean’s phone won’t stop ringing. Mind you, he caved and got a phone at Cathy’s behest, so instead of thinking telemarketers are on the other end, he gets a shocking surprise. “Suck my cock! Come on Willy, you know you want to,” one caller says. Hmm…maybe Sean’s number used to be more than just a residential line. Of course, if you’ve seen the trailer for the season, you know Sean will be getting into a new line of work in addition to being the janitor at the local high school.
Observation:
I love the name of the bar Cathy goes to – The Naked Turtle.
***
Funny lines:
Sean tells Andrea how he learned to tie an “African head scarf.”
Sean: “Yeah, I, uh, dated a Nigerian chick in college and we made a deal. If I learned how to tie her scarf, she would go full bush, no trimming.”
After he successfully ties Andrea’s head scarf:
Andrea: “I hope your Nigerian girlfriend lived up to her end of the deal.”
Sean: “Oh yeah. It was like she was smuggling Diana Ross in her panties.”
Andrea (cringing and shaking her head): “Oh…no.”
Sean cracks me up! Hickey gets some of the best lines, ever and does such a great job of portraying Sean so carefree. I cannot wait to see how the whole porno-phone story arc plays out, especially since Victor Garber will be making a guest appearance as the former owner of the phone number.
If you missed the premiere or don’t have Showtime, you can still watch the season three premiere of The Big C on YEC now!
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Photos © 2012 Showtime Networks, a CBS Broadcasting, Inc. company. All rights reserved.
Judy Manning
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