The Village Episode 4
So, before we get into this week’s episode, let’s do a recap and chat a little. We left off last week with two passionate kissing scenes. The first one was between broody Nick and his Army buddy’s widow. The other was between Ben and Ava. I suppose some would say these were positive scenes, but I have a feeling that many other fans would agree with me when I say: NICK NEEDS TO STAY AWAY. Okay, whoops. I’m calming down. I promise.
Since we’re now to our fourth episode, our storylines are heating up. Nick has made connections with other Village occupants, most specifically with his former lover and his teenage daughter (even if she doesn’t know it yet). There have been several signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and it’s no secret he’s guilty about Cooper’s death.
Is now the time?
Don’t get me wrong, I am aboard the Sarah and Nick ship, but … is a relationship, a hook up even, what he needs right now? ESPECIALLY with a dead teammates widow? Not only is it in poor taste (from the perspective we get its only been a few months), but wherein is this a great idea? I’m hoping its poor choices stemming from grief, but regardless, it was never hinted that Nick had feelings for her. This is a storyline I am curious about, mainly because I want to see how they take it. I’m not a fan of sleeping with your friend’s widow, morally.
Katie’s woes…
And on top of that, what about Sarah and Katie? Eventually, they must tell her, right? Sarah’s spent most of the show so far getting frustrated with Katie lying to her while she’s holding back the biggest secret of all. The longer this goes, the worse it’s going to be for everyone involved. Will dancing be able to fix this?
Especially now with Jagger being such a dud. Wow. I can’t believe how terrible he was last episode. Okay, fine. He’s a kid. I get that, and his immaturity doesn’t mean he’s necessarily a bad person, but his mother is a grade A bitch. I hope she doesn’t go back to him; she deserves better than some kid obsessed with his phone and a guy who changes women like their underwear.
Everyone’s Favorite Enzo
What about Gabe and Enzo? Right now, they seem to be the most stable of everyone. Sure, Gabe has a jackass for a father and an ice queen for a girlfriend, but to be fair, those are both easily fixable. I think it’s safe to say that Enzo is loved universally by all fans. He’s charming, sweet and the kind of person you hope your grandfather is like. But, I worry things can’t stay this good in a show like this for the two.
And finally…
Ben and Ava. This is a pairing I’m curious about as well. We still know so little about Ben’s past, other than some major event happened that Ava was kind to him for. I’m leaning toward something PD related, but with such little evidence thus far, it truly could be anything. And Ava has been so flippy in terms of how she acts. One minute she comes off as an innocent, unaware victim and others, it almost feels as if she’s hiding something major from everyone. I hope for Ben and Sami’s sake, it’s more of the former. Ben is bending over backwards to make sure she sticks around, I just hope it doesn’t end up hurting him.
And finally, our power couple of the show, Ron and Patricia. After such a moving scene last week, it should be interesting to see how both live up to the promises they made. Ron is so loving and positive, hopefully it sticks on his wife as well.
This Week on The Village…
The episode starts with Patricia receiving her first round of treatment. Ron compliments her “hat” and then pulls out a football helmet to match her. He’s adorable. Oh my, power couple, or what? The show enters a music montage—Nick is putting on his leg is up first. Katie’s pants won’t fit. She seems pretty annoyed by this. Nick is playing basketball and the residents take time sitting with Patricia over a course of a few months. In this time, Katie gets maternity pants and a bump. Its nice to see the support of her chosen family with her in this little scene.
Katie makes a new piece of art as well. It’s a dandelion puff blowing in the wind—maybe it is supposed to symbolize a wish for Katie? I’m a little jealous of her talent.
Ron and Patricia “celebrate” finishing her first round of chemo with “kale shakes”. She drops the glass accidentally on the floor, side effects of the drugs hurting her. You can see that she’s growing frustrated with this and Ron is trying his best to be supportive.
Enzo to the Rescue
Enzo, a few apartments away, is annoyed by the new neighbors upstairs who are loud. Gabe is trying to work on Ava’s case; he suggests that Ava claim Sami would suffer hardship if she were deported even though it is not factual. Ava’s ex-husband’s family is around, which makes this difficult even though he himself has a drinking problem. They would be able to care for her son if she was deported. Is it wise for Gabe to offer this information? After Ava and Ben leave, Gabe is sitting alone at the table. He seems overwhelmed. He’s not a lawyer yet, so can he handle this?
Eat your Greens, Eat your… Placenta?
Katie and Sarah discuss options after an awkward adoption interview that would involve Katie eating “placenta pills”. Katie may be leaning toward keeping the baby after all, but Sarah says they need to figure it out. She can’t attend school if she has a baby… they don’t have the means financially. If she wants to do both, she needs a job. I give Sarah credit. She really tries to support her daughter no matter what. This is obviously a huge decision for the two of them, but keeping a baby requires responsibility and effort. From what we’ve seen of Katie, those are qualities she possesses. But does she believe that herself?
“We don’t keep secrets.”
In a heartbreaking turn of events, Nick experiences a flashback or terror event in his room. He is covered in dust and grime, as if he was still in battle. He gets up from bed, only to hear an incessant drip in what he believes is the bathroom sink instead. It frustrates him, but he can’t find the source.
He throws the top of the toilet seat in a rage, but then starts to rip into the bathroom wall. Sarah comes into the room. She explains to him it is the radiator, but is interrupted by Satan, I mean Amy. She tells Sarah she can handle it. Sarah questions if this happens often, and Amy admits it has happened before. She asks if she has suggested therapy, and Amy tells him he won’t get help from people who don’t understand.
This is a weird scene. Granted we are only four episodes in, but how well can she really know Nick? She was married to Cooper, and even though the show has jumped two months, its hard to believe she understands PTSD and what comes with it. I don’t like her, and I think she’s a bad fit for Nick. Amy even throws a comment in her face— “we don’t keep secrets” that is a bit ridiculous. She needs to realize that ignoring what he is experiencing is only going to make matters worse. If she really cares for him, it’s a poor way to show it. Amy isn’t a licensed professional, she’s the girlfriend in way over her head.
The Cook and her Herbs
Enzo helps Patricia get some herbal support while discussing Enzo’s late wife, Rosemary. She died from cancer herself. Enzo reminds Patricia that Rosemary loved a good fight.
Meanwhile, Ava meets with Sami’s grandparents to try and convince them to say she is his only means of support. While her ex’s mother seems more open to reasoning, his father is not. He blames Ava for all that has happened and is clearly furious about the idea. He brings up the forged papers, but is he aware that it is his son that forged them? I’m not liking anything about this guy and who he associates with.
Sarah has a bit of a meltdown realizing she’s going to be a young grandmother at her job. Enzo and Patricia appear with pot cookies. Oh… my. You may guess what happens next. This is comedic gold. If you think Enzo is awesome sober, he’s even more hilarious high. They sit on a bench, discussing their various problems. Ben shows up as a ride escort; he acts like he has no idea that they’re high, which is probably for the best. In this exchange, Patricia decides that she and Sarah need to spend a night on the town. Ooh, a girl’s night!
They sent the interns?!
Gabe meets with the Ice Queen, aka his … girlfriend? Not girlfriend? Did they break up? She apparently works for his father’s law firm as well. Weird. She tells him they must go talk to the lawyer regarding her client. His father claims the other lawyer is looking to make a quick dollar off the firm. She claims there is injustice and is angry that the firm sent interns to address this. Gabe follows her, and she asks him why he’s in law school. She says people become lawyers for one of two reasons. The first is the paycheck and the second is to get justice. The other lawyer tells him that people should matter to him and hands him her card.
At school, Sarah runs into Jagger. This kid is such a loser, its incredible. He wants to know what her plans are. Each time they talk, it makes me wonder what she ever saw in this kid. He has no backbone or redeeming qualities from what I see. Just a young, dumb kid who thought with the wrong body part. Just as she’s about to walk away, he does tell her something important. Someone set her heart on fire and ruined it. For real? What a jerk!
New York’s Not Afghanistan…
Per Sarah’s request, Ben asks Nick to go play basketball with him. Nick begrudgingly agrees but is slow to warm to Ben’s questioning. I would think Nick assumes he is coming to him as a cop, which we quickly learn isn’t the case. Nick tells him that New York is hardly Afghanistan and that he’s lost men. Our shock of the night comes from Ben… he lost his two-year-old son from a heart defect. He stopped breathing on a family trip. His car seat was facing the rear view, as it was supposed to until a child is about two, and they didn’t see it until it was too late. Ben explains that his ex-wife blamed him, and that he didn’t know how to go on for a while.
He drank incessantly and only went for help when he almost lost the last positive part of his life: his NYPD badge. These words seem deeper. Ben is saying that he shouldn’t wait until he loses everything to seek help. Nick admits this is new for him and he doesn’t know how to handle it. Interestingly, this is the most honest he’s been since the show started.
Enzo convinces Gabe to reach out to his new lawyer friend for help regarding Ava’s case. Have I mentioned lately I love Enzo? Everything he does is amazing. The man is a walking ray of sunshine.
A Cute Thief
The ladies of the complex all prepare for a night on the town. While Patricia and Sarah are headed for drinks and karaoke, Katie is going to a gallery to see who has stolen her art. Sarah and Patricia take shots while Katie accuses Liam Kelly, the person who set her heart on fire of his thievery. And uh, he can probably steal her literal heart, because … dang, he’s cute. He’s got a British accent and a bit of smugness to him… and Katie is eating it up.
At the complex, Ava’s ex shows up. He’s angry that she went to his parents and he’s been drinking. They argue, and Ben overhears as he comes back inside with Nick. Her ex accuses Ava of only being with Ben because he is a cop and earns himself a square in the mouth for his troubles. Her ex wanted to press charges, but she calms him down and settles things by compromise.
Patricia admits that she knows about the Katie, Sarah and Nick drama. The solution? Karaoke? I mean, she kicks ass. It’s awesome and freeing for her stress. Go Sarah! The song is ironic, considering that Nick has been breaking her heart for how many years and continues to do so in the present.
Is it still stealing if he repays your heart?
Back at the gallery, Liam and Katie discuss the reasons behind Liam’s ideas. He reels her in and then gives her half of the money he made by selling it. This might be her key to keeping the baby and going to school! He has one condition; he wants to see what else she has done. I smell an amazing partnership forming…
Enzo flirts with a woman who has a lot of common with him. This is amazing. Again, I need an Enzo in my life. But, he doesn’t get her name… so how does he find her?
At the karaoke bar, Patricia is singing when she faints. Is it another side effect? The woman seems exhausted. Once home, she is talking to Ron and says she wants to stop treatment. Oh no…
“Goodbye soulless corporate white guy…”
Gabe finds his new lawyer friend and asks for her help. They decide to help each other. I love how much heart Gabe shows to do the right thing. He truly is an admirable young person with the weight of the world on his shoulders, not wanting to let his neighbor or the others in his life down. Truthfully, I think he’s capable of more than he realizes. To go off this, I want to highlight how great Daren Kagasoff is in this role. Most fans know him from his time on ABC Family (and a select few from a short-lived show on FOX), but he has truly grown as an actor. He’s believable, lovable and a character I can’t stop rooting for.
“The Story Continued…”
As Katie leads Liam to her heart, he asks about her. He obviously can’t tell with her jacket on that she’s pregnant and she lies saying that she’s in her first year of school at a Brooklyn art college. It is clear he’s very against college from his return comments. He thinks it ruins an artist. They arrive at her dandelion crochet and share a passionate kiss. Yay! I think. (Side note: the backdrop of the city in this scene beyond the dandelion is STUNNING.)
“You’re here now. It’s going to be okay.”
At the complex, Nick finds himself on the fire escape… where it is snowing? It turns into the dust and grime again and he comes to on the floor of his apartment, shaken by Sarah. He doesn’t know how he got there and starts to cry. Sarah assures him it’s going to be okay and the episode ends with them embraced on the floor.
Until next week…
SOOOOO many questions following this episode; things are really heating up! To name a few: Will Nick seek treatment, or will he stay with Amy? Can Sarah get through to him and make him see he doesn’t have to live this way? Will Patricia really stop treatment? Will Gabe be able to keep Ava in the country, or will she be deported? And will Enzo find his mystery woman? Will Katie keep the baby and find love in the process?
I find myself so invested in these character’s lives. They don’t feel like cardboard, flat characters. Their emotions are real, and you can feel their pain each time they are on the screen. This is a sign of fantastic casting and chemistry at work. Kudos, Mike Daniels and Jessica Rhoades. You have managed something special with this one. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
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