The summer mid-season finale probably wouldn’t seem so soon if the first few episodes of the season had been more consistent and enjoyable. This episode serves as a nice capstone to all the things they did right once they found their legs again; Annie’s ordeal is less about her shortcomings than the realities of the job.
Probably the only thing that felt a bit contrived was Annie and Auggie’s little rogue operation, which led to a lot of unnecessary side tensions. I suspect it was designed to give Joan and Arthur something to do. I really don’t like Arthur as a character, and I feel like the show could survive just fine without him, but how satisfying was it to see him knock that official to the floor?
The situation forced Annie to make the move she’s been avoiding for some time now: telling her sister the truth about her job. It goes about as well as one would expect, given how bluntly the news was delivered. The inevitable result is that Annie loses a home, because her sister rightfully cannot abide the inherent threat to the children in the house. The writers nicely make it seem a bit unfair, while making it equally justifiable.
In a very real way, Annie squandered all the work that Auggie did to prep Danielle for the news, because she couldn’t get over the anxiety of how much of her life would change. The end result is that the mid-season status quo will make it harder to ground Annie in the real world. I’m reminded of “Alias”, and how the show suffered when Sydney’s college life and personal friendships disappeared and became all about her insider relationships. As much as I like Annie and Auggie together, she needs more dimension to her life to keep the show balanced.
A related subplot is the change in status quo for Jai. Considering that his character was finally getting more to do in the context of Annie’s operations, as it should be, this latest move was irritating. It feels designed to push Jai into joining his father in conspiring against Arthur, but as I have no interest at all in that plot thread, this seemed like it would hurt more than help.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
