Necessary Roughness summer finale puts TK in rehab

The summer finale of Necessary Roughness continues the trend I have noted in my reviews of the show, becoming a bit more serious and Hawks-centric. It was all about Dani and the team this week, and can I just say … wow. Things got really serious, really fast.

This is the second time in a few weeks that a USA show has killed off someone via plane crash. In this case, I find it plausible that Marshall would die that way (maybe he was suicidal, which his actions towards Dani indicate, but if not, he was too unstable to be piloting his jet) rather than go into hiding as Nico thought. I am sorry to see Evan Handler‘s unpredictable Pittman go, but interested to see the drama it will create. …

Like that kiss. Yowza. I think Dani and Nico have some major chemistry, and to see them sharing their grief in that way made me start to root for them. Scott Cohen and Callie Thorne really sold that scene. Of course, this will cause all kinds of angst and problems, and in some ways will be more complex than her relationship with Matt, disagreement about kids aside. But that all should be very interesting to watch. Oh, and Matt has already moved on. It was good that he did, since one of them needed to follow through on their supposed break-up though he didn’t wait too long, did he? I doubt Dani will be jumping into bed with Nico when the winter season rolls around.

So Pittman is dead, the Hawks have replaced TK with a guy named “Toes,” and TK went to rehab. And then left. And then went back when his friend Jimmy died. The first time TK went, he clearly wasn’t ready; he needed rehab but was not ready to do the soul-searching he really needed. It’s sad that a friend of his had to die in his apartment before TK realized that his lifestyle was untenable. I was glad to see that he really feels a bond with Dani and turns to her in times of trouble — I think he was just used to getting help from her but not from others. Dani is not rehab, though, and she wisely knew that she couldn’t help him unless he was willing to go back. (By the way, did you know there are actually luxury drug rehab centers out there? Huh.)

Well, it was a pretty dark summer finale for Necessary Roughness — what did you all think of it? Will TK stick to rehab this time? And how will the whole Dani/Nico thing go?

Notes and Quotes:

• Even the Ray J. stuff was pretty team-related this week, but that didn’t make it any better. Driving his pot around with a broken tail light? That kid did not inherit his mama’s brains.
• One bright spot is that Matt finally showed enough deviousness to land the Assistant GM job for good. I would think that kind of job requires the sort of finagling he did with the reporter (uh, their later bedroom activities notwithstanding). Even though I think the Matt/Dani thing is played out for now, I still like Matt and want him to succeed. Though getting with the reporter so soon was rather uncool.
• It was nice seeing Michael Imperioli as Jimmy, even if only for one episode. As a student of literature, I enjoyed his drunken Greek Lit fixation.
• TK was playing his Superstar Athlete role to the hilt when he first got to rehab — the one-liners were fast and furious!
• TK, getting to rehab: “They better have Netflix and down comforters.”
• TK, when they ask for his phone:  TK: “I need this for the Twee-hab — you know, tweeting from rehab.”
• TK, finding out about group therapy: ” TK does not do groups. Well, TK DOES do groups, but only in the privacy of his own home.”
• Dani, when Nico tells her everything will be okay: “No, it’s not gonna be okay till those tapes are down the garbage disposal on a million teeney-weeney little pieces, along with Pittman’s shiny little head.”
• Nico: “Why don’t you close your eyes, relax, enjoy the ride.”
  Dani: “Have you met me?”
• TK’s fake group therapy confessions include the following: “I’m sorry that I broke up with that midget Shortstack Sally. She was cool.”
• Jimmy, comparing TK to Greek heroes: “Odysseus the shizzle!”
• Moroney, to Matt: “Deep down, you’re kind of a prick. I respect that.”

Clacked by Christina Furtado
on Aug 30, 2012 @ 13:36 EST5EDT