Sunday, April 20, 2014

The Crazy Ones - The Lighthouse


The First Season finale pits partner against partner when Gordon (Brad Garrett) finalizes a deal to sell the company to foreign investors for $47 million. With Simon (Robin Williams) unwilling to give up creative control of the business he founded, Gordon calls for a vote of the board of directors which brings Simon's ex-wife (Marilu Henner), and Sydney's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) mother, back to town.

While Gordon and Simon both try to woo the vote they need in a sequences that offers as many chuckles (the post-coitus montage in bed) as groans (the movie night), Sydney ignores her mother's history of making promises she will never keep begins to get her hopes up that she may have finally changed. Although the truth is obvious, Sydney does get advice from both parents she deems worth taking as she decides to admit her true feelings to Andrew (Hamish Linklater).

The emotional revelation of Sydney's childhood, and why her psychologist referred to her mother as "The Lighthouse," is the most effective piece of the episode (along with Simon comforting his daughter when her heart is broken again). Although we don't see the exact circumstances of Anderew's reply to Sydney's kiss, its obvious things didn't quite go as she hoped. With the show very much on the bubble we may never know whether the two wacky kids will eventually find each other or not. Given the talent both in front of and behind the camera I'd have to say the show hasn't met expectations, and I could definitely see CBS choosing to pull the plug, but at times it has produced memorable moments (even if some of the episodes they were in weren't always as strong as they could have been).

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