Make It or Break It definitely toned down the emotional drama in its second week back, while still managing to keep its serious stories at the forefront. In addition, bringing Marty Walsh (Erik Palladino) back to the Rock as the new National team coach stirred up some of last season’s issues (Kaylie’s parents, Lauren’s dad, Marty abandoning the girls), while potentially carving out some plot for Sasha, and opening up the possibility that we’ll get some new blood on the show. Who knew one announcement could do so much?
It also brought with it Kelly Parker (Nicole Gale Anderson), a face I for one am not happy to see again. But I suppose it’s only natural that our characters have enemies, and it would be boring if the only person gunning for Kaylie was Lauren. I’m impressed that Kelly managed to show some real compassion for Payson, but otherwise she should go choke on an umbrella (get it?).
We also got a taste of what may lie ahead for the gym moms on the show. I don’t know about anyone else, but I was actually touched by the moments that Emily and Chloe shared towards the end of last night’s episode. Unfortunately we can bet the warm feelings won’t last long, but Chloe has definitely grown from an inept bumbler to someone who’s at least somewhat relatable as a mother.
Alex, Kaylie’s dad, took what Kim said to him about being Kaylie’s father to heart, possibly for the first time displaying something more than sports agent warmth towards his daughter. And while I was disappointed in how ready Kaylie seemed to be to destroy her own family in order to serve her own purposes, it was nice that she eventually came to understand that her family’s happiness is her own. Or that it should be.
But while Chloe and Alex are growing in my esteem (so-so), the mom who needed no work in that area, Kim, has actually been the one falling short so far. I know it’s still the early going, but I was expecting to see great things from her this season, both because of the new role she was meant to play, as well as the fact that she’s Peri Gilpin. But so far where’s the mom that needed to hand her job off to Summer in order to focus on her daughter? Right now all I see Kim doing is asking Payson if she’s okay. Maybe it’s yet to come, but I expected to watch as mother and daughter worked through Payson’s injuries, both physically and emotionally. I was all set for Gilpin to explode on screen, bringing some of the softer side of Roz Doyle to meet a newly emerging Ayla Kell, who’s doing a fantastic job so far. Instead, through last night it’s still not clear to me why Kim couldn’t have kept on managing the Rock.
As for the girls? Payson’s decision to coach (is that alongside Marty for the National team or alongside Sasha at the gym?) is exciting, although I worry for her sake about her delusions of being national champion next year. Will we see a lot of stubbornness and injury going forward from her?
Emily is falling into the trap that we all could have predicted for her: now that Razor’s back he’s secretly capturing her heart, math club nerd and all. Is that really the prize she’s won? And why can Razor and Not-Razor not be in the same place at the same time? Has anyone explored that mystery of the universe?
And Kaylie found herself back atop Carter. I know there’s a lot to explore there, but I just can’t. Kaylie has a ton of growing up to do if that’s where she returns for comfort and stability.
But I definitely am seeing the show I so enjoyed last half-season reemerging. Yes, I’d like to see some actual competing (will we get to see the London meet even without our girls being there?), and yes, Summer’s still a square peg being forced into a round hole (do you still not see that?), but the girls are definitely finding their form once again. And it’s golden.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Jan 12, 2010 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
A ton of good parent-child stuff this week, thankfully crowding out much of the teenage relationship angst.
No one’s supposed to like Kelly yet, but, as with Lauren, I felt that her moment with Payson was able to be genuine because the other girl was no longer a threat to her. Kelly could actually be human, there.
Although the primary motivation for Kaylie telling her father everything was helping herself, a secondary one she mentioned was not wanting him to be the last to know, as she had been. I think the thing with Carter in the car was pure backsliding for her, nothing more. Understandable since she’s lost her closeness to her mother, Lauren, and even Payson.
I still think Razor is wildly overacting, and remember him as subtler and more nuanced in the pilot. Hopefully, he’ll calm down.
I can see some people being irked by Summer, but still think she fills the role of manager well enough. Don’t really see the square peg image. She’s a busybody, a fixer, and seems well-organized, so of course she found the file full of Chloe’s old correspondence (I did think the cutely desperate Golden Ticket was sweet). It’s the type of personality that might be more acceptable in a spinster aunt, as is usually seen.
*POST AUTHOR*
I think I’m responding more to the kids’ (fans) excitement over Nicole Gale Anderson’s return. I don’t find her very appealing an actress. You mean to say that you got something from Lauren’s conversation with Payson last week?
Kaylie made mention of Alex not being the last to know in, what I took, to be a digging way at Lauren. You could be right in your interpretation, I just read it as less applicable to her situation directly.
The Carter thing was just gross, no matter what it was. But we all have different levels of tolerance for forgiveness and understanding. Personally I wouldn’t have spoken to him again even if I was on fire and only he could put it out.
Yeah, Razor seems weird. Could his time on The CW have affected the actor’s brain?
When we first saw Summer (I think) she was administering Emily’s test. And I was just like, “What?” It felt like they were saying “Hey, here’s something that maybe she could do.” It could be that the person in her position always administers tests, but we don’t know that to be true at this point. It just seemed rather forced to me.
My thoughts about Kelly were just analogous to what I mentioned in the previous episode about believing Lauren to have demonstrated some honest concern for Payson, especially because her old friend was no longer a threat to her.
I didn’t see any forgiveness or understanding on Kaylie’s part. She was lonely and sad, he was an ex, and he was there in the car with her, that’s all. Agreed on the gross part.
I don’t know how the show is treating the athletes’ homeschooling situation. This is the first they’ve mentioned having to maintain their GPA to retain eligibility. Obviously, the National Committee can’t depend on the parents to grade their own children (especially not Chloe). I suppose the gym manager or coach makes as much sense as anyone else, unless the Committee members are prepared to stay in whichever city the National team ends up in to administer all tests personally, or pay to hire a third party.
*POST AUTHOR*
I guess it’s the fact that Kaylie has so much as looked in Carter’s direction that brings the issue up for me. To me he’d be a blank space.
You could be 100% right about Summer. It just feels to me like they’re reaching to keep her busy. But maybe it’ll get smoother as time passes and we get used to what she does. Along the lines of what you said, we’ve never really seen what the administrator does.
I think it might be hard for Payson if Kim continued to work at the gym. Or at least, Kim isn’t sure if she can keep working there without Payson feeling incredibly left out and hurt about it. Right now (a) she’s there if Payson has any medical issues, or starts smashing things again, and (b) Payson doesn’t feel quite as shitty that her sister AND her mom are at the gym all day without her. I think Kim is just waiting to see how things play out before she decides one way or the other. If Payson can stand to be there as a coach, that might make it easier for Kim to stay.
Plus, it gives Summer a reason to stick around on the show if she works at the gym. And she seems to do well at the job.
*POST AUTHOR*
You have a good point. Whether or not Kim is impressing me, she certainly is limited at the gym by where Payson’s head is. I wasn’t looking at it like that, so thanks. :)
I just hope we get the Peri Gilpin that I was hoping we’d get to see.