Week Seven

The theme of the week is taking a look at your options and allowing yourself to become something you may never before have considered, no matter the consequences. For some this could mean playing the part of a hero, joining a live-action role play, internet dating, or moving into a more exclusive form of escorting, for others it could simply be babysitting or looking the other way in regards to a loved one's indiscretion.


Secret Diary of a Call Girl • Rough in the Diamond [3]

Hannah/Belle (Billie Piper) has a great love for her work, and while she considers herself a professional, she had never before thought that she was good enough to move up the ranks. It's only when a repeat client (Colin Salmon) mentions his connections to an agency of courtesans that she gives the matter any thought.

In joining the Diamond International courtesan agency, Hannah/Belle has to navigate things that she hadn't necessarily had the opportunity to prepare for previously, including a week alone, abroad, with a client. Belle's weakness has always been that she's incapable of maintaining her facade over long periods of time, growing bored with her situation and making vague attempts to lash out in order to return home. Here she is no different, ultimately sabotaging one of Mitchell's (Salmon) business deals and questioning whether or not this level of business is right for her.

Having come to terms with the fact that she's not meant to lead such an extravagant lifestyle, and is ill-prepared to deal with long-term clients, Hannah/Belle leaves her new agency and strikes out on her own.


Daria • Pinch Sitter [3]

The Morgendorffer sisters, Daria (Tracy Grandstaff) and Quinn (Wendy Hoopes,) have many differences in terms of personality, but one of their greatest similarities is in how they deal with their mother. When Helen (Hoopes) tells the girls that their attendance at one of her seminars is mandatory, both Daria and Quinn throw their mother's advice back in her face, stating that they've made other plans and, as Helen often tells them, "a commitment's a commitment."

Daria, however, had made no previous arrangements, and is forced to take Quinn's babysitting job as a chance to get out of the house. While it's no secret that Daria has a low tolerance for children and their antics, she manages to find a middle ground with her charges, reading them the stories they request, but adding her own twists to the ending. Ultimately, Daria chooses to undo the indoctrination she feels the kids' parents have beaten into them, introducing the notion that a "fairy tale ending" is not always necessarily a good thing if it promotes a lack of agency.

Despite her struggles over the course of the night, Daria finds that, after getting to know each other, she and the kids are capable of coming to an understanding and growing to appreciate one another. In the end, the kids declare that Daria's the best babysitter they've ever had, and a smile slowly creeps onto her face.


Buffy the Vampire Slayer • I, Robot...You, Jane [3.5]

Never having experienced a real romantic relationship before, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) finds herself getting caught up in the world of online dating. When Willow seems to be spending more time with her internet boyfriend Malcolm than she does with her friends in real life, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) begins to worry that she might be getting in over her head.

Buffy's suspicions prove correct as Malcolm's starts encouraging Willow to cut Buffy and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) out of her life and spend more time focusing on him. Malcolm's hold over people extends to other classmates too, and soon the group learns that he's a medieval demon that had been inadvertantly released onto the internet, capable of accessing military systems and bringing the modern world to it's knees.

Having learned her lesson that not everything on the internet is true, Willow breaks things off with Malcolm, choosing to be a good friend rather than a good girlfriend, and helping Buffy and Xander keep Malcolm, also known as Moloch, from hurting anyone else.

Meanwhile, Giles' (Anthony Stewart Head) determination that all things technological are bad is proved wrong when he teams up with Ms. Calendar (Robia la Morte) to cast Moloch out of the internet once and for all. As the duo finish their incantation, Giles admits that there are certainly uses for new technologies, and Ms. Calendar relents that, perhaps, having a book in hand is sometimes more satisfying than reading it through a computer screen.


Life on Mars • Take a Look at the Lawmen [5]

Sam Tyler (John Simm) has always followed the letter of the law, believing very strongly in his duty to uphold it and protect the people of his city. Today, however, he is faced with a challenge, as his father, Vic (Lee Ingleby,) is involved in a crime spree, and Sam must choose either to cover up evidence, with the possibility of returning home should he do so, or arrest his father for a crime he may not have committed.

Believing that clearing his father's name will stop him from abandoning his family, Sam works closely with Vic to bring down the real culprits, despite the growing number of clues indicating that he is, in fact, the guilty party. Through a series of poor decisions, Sam finds himself aiding in his father's escape, turning a gun on both Gene (Philip Glenister) and Annie (Liz White,) and ultimately giving Vic the gun he would later turn on Sam. As Vic's finger closes in on the trigger, Sam learns the truth about why his father had left him so many years before, and his world comes crashing down around him.

Sam returns to his comrades, unable to apologize for his transgressions, and, in their eyes, having become as dirty a cop as he thinks of them. The narrative closes as Sam wonders if this might be where he really belongs, no longer having a clear path home and being left with no family to return to.


Better Off Ted • You Are the Boss of Me [4]

With Rose (Isabella Acres) off spending a week with her mother, Ted (Jay Harrington) is finally able to spend some quality time with the other people in his life: his co-workers. Excited to see how the other half lives, Ted followed Phil (Jonathan Slavin) and Lem (Malcolm Barrett) to the company's secret Medieval Fight Club, giving him the opportunity to get out his aggression.

Though initially hesitant to participate, Ted's athleticism lends itself very well toward the competition, allowing him to quickly rise in the ranks and, eventually, nearly overthrow the king of the court. Phil and Lem, having questioned whether this was a chance for them to become better friends with Ted, instead find that, since Ted's arrival at the club, the two of them have been slowly falling in rank, losing points due to Ted's ownership of them all.

Meanwhile, Linda (Andrea Anders) and Veronica (Portia de Rossi) grow closer after a drunken night wherein Veronica reveals a devastating secret about her own past. Linda very desperately wants to get in the good books with her boss, so she allows Veronica to continue telling her secrets, some of which would destroy Veronica should they get out. Eventually Linda is in too deep, unable to detach from Veronica and return to her normal life, and in trying to do so anyway she is left getting bullied, having elevator doors closed on her, and having a portion of her cubicle space given away to another employee.

At the end of the day, both Veronica and Ted realize that, while they both appreciated the opportunities they had to experience a friendship they before hadn't known, the issues that arose from their situations were too great to continue. The status quo returns to what it previously was, and the office, once more, settles into the relative normativity of Veridian Dynamics.


Firefly • Jaynestown [4]

A mercenary for hire, Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin) is a stranger to the feeling of being hailed as a hero, and comes into town prepared to defend himself in a fight. When the town's tune turns out to be "the Ballad of Jayne Cobb," Jayne's attitude does a 180, and no longer is he suspicious of what may be done to him if he lets his guard down, instead he lets himself take advantage of their kindness and enjoy whatever gifts they choose to provide him with.

In choosing to be the hero to these people, Jayne comes to see himself as they do, seeing the potential he has for great things, and wanting to perform those noble acts in his life. While he argues that they don't see him as he really is, the question becomes whether or not he's living how he should be, and he wonders if he could truly become a hero or if he would just be destined to failure in that respect. Naturally, when things get rough, and a young man is killed in Jayne's name, Jayne reveals his true nature to those around him, telling them not to think of him as a good man, as it will only get them killed. Ironically, this action doesn't lead to his ousting as a villain, but instead only glorifies his imaginary heroism, becoming a hero determined not to have anyone put in danger by following his example.


Winner of the Week • Life on Mars

In Sam's struggle to find a way home, he allows himself to be overcome with the possibilities over what his situation could mean for the world around him. So convinced that he's in a coma, with the world of 1973 being nothing more than a dream, he throws caution to the wind and begins acting rashly in thinking that he's solved the clues that will lead him back to 2006.

The greatest mystery of his life always has been why his father left him as a child, and here he has the opportunity not only to spend time with his dad, but to stop him from leaving. He decides that, in convincing his father to stay, he will mend his broken family and wake up from his coma, as though this were the mission he was sent here for. In actuality, he only learns more about who his father truly was, and creates a greater mystery in whether or not he has, by 2006, saved Annie's life when, in reality, she was killed by Vic in 1973.

Life on Mars manages to balance character development as well as the continuing mystery of the series very well, and creates one of the best hours of television I've seen in a long time. It's a relief that there is another series following this episode, though this, too, would have felt like a very satisfying end.