The Village Episode 5
The episode starts on the roof of the apartment, where Nick is boxing. Sarah comes up beside him and starts a conversation. Various conversation points are discussed, including Katie’s responsibility, Nick offers to help financially, Nick is attending a veterans’ group and finally, the big one—Sarah wants to tell Katie about Nick that night. The smile that blossoms across his face is priceless; you can see the excitement there.
I also think it’s great that Nick is attending a group, but its not a be-all fix-all. I hope he sticks with it and continues to work through the various areas where he’s struggling. Like Sarah points out, however, he is “showing off” his leg, which is progress.
A Chalkboard for your Time?
Meanwhile downstairs, Ron is planning. He wants to reinvent Smalls, so he has created an open mic night, equipped with a … fancy chalkboard? Oh, Ron. He’s so sweet and determined, but I don’t know if that is the solution to his problem. Patricia is supportive of the idea, but I’m sure she’s used to this.
Gabe stops in to visit Sophia, his new attorney friend to discuss Ava’s case. He brings lunch and she seems a bit short with him and shows him her various cases all “tragic” and “looking for hope”. Gabe almost seems amused by her persona and tells her she is “kinda judgy”, but they get started anyway.
In Sarah’s apartment, Katie is in a mood. She wants to hide her stomach from everyone still and Sarah senses a disconnect from her daughter and the baby. She even refers to it as a fetus when Sarah tells her she could talk to it. Sarah hands Katie her phone and tells her that Liam texted. The girls are off to her first day at the nursing home together, so tensions are high.
Breaking Ranger Rules
Downstairs, Nick arrives back to his apartment to see Amy feeding Jedi. They discuss “breaking Ranger rules”. This seems innocent enough first, but then Amy says she wants to tell his teammates about them dating. Nick is hesitant since he feels its wrong to be dating his teammate’s widow, but Amy doesn’t seem to care. He asks her what the rush is, and she says she wants him to move in with her. This situation is just wrong. You can tell that Nick is growing more resistant to it, but what about her? Was Amy ever in love with her husband, or was she looking for an out all along? It doesn’t even seem like she’s mourning him. The woman is trouble.
Nick says yes to her after some coaxing. Bad idea, Nick. Just a bad idea. Even with my contempt toward the woman, this is a duo that is going to implode eventually. Their relationship was built on hurt and loneliness, not love. And she just insulted Jedi. Get out of here, Amy. Luckily, Enzo shows up… uh, in uniform to save the day. They are going to group together. Enzo didn’t get the memo that he doesn’t have to wear his uniform, but he does look quite handsome in it. (Nice job, showrunners. Everyone loves Enzo, and everyone will love a man in uniform even more. I see what you did there.)
Smalls gets a Twitter
They take Nick’s favorite senior bus to the meeting, where he offers to help Enzo find the mystery love of his life from the last episode.
Ben and Ron chat at Smalls. Ben helps Ron set up a twitter account and learn how to tweet. This might be one of my favorite humorous scenes of the show so far. Poor Ron has no idea how to get people to interact with him—but I think all users have felt like that before. I can’t be the only one who has spent some time conducting what feels like a perfect tweet for it to get no likes or retweets. Ben offers free liquor at Smalls in his first tweet for Ron… and it blows up! Uh oh, I hope Ron knows what he’s doing.
While Katie experiences the nursing home for the first time, Patricia visits a church. She calls out to a man she identifies as Gordon. We don’t know him, but then she says, “I need you to forgive your father.” Oh wow, do Patricia and Ron have children? Or is this man only his son? He refers to her as Patricia during their encounter, so I would guess not. She reveals that Ron has a granddaughter and that he deserves to know her. Gordon doesn’t budge, despite being someone who is clearly of faith. She leaves him with the name of the bar if he decides otherwise.
“Brothers in Arms.”
Meanwhile, Nick and Enzo have arrived at the meeting. The group leader (remember, this is a group of all veterans) asks Nick to recount the day he lost his leg, even though his buddy Decan was there. As a social work student, this seems like an intense group. The leader says Nick has been coming for a week, but my professional opinion says that this is a topic that should’ve been approached with more care and maybe one on one. Nick tells the story, tears in his eyes and remembers a civilian who was looking for his daughter. He doesn’t remember what happened to him.
Thankfully, the group leader agrees with me and tries to pull Nick aside when the meeting is over. Nick gets out of it by saying he must help Enzo. Frustrating, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. It would be a bit quick for Nick to find his way when it takes most months or even years to come to terms with their trauma from deployments.
Being the Bigger Person
At the park, Ben meets up with Ava who is picking up Sami from a visit with his father. He makes amends with Sami’s father, apologizing for hitting him though he admits he didn’t like what he said. He tells him he knows what it’s like to lose a son and he wouldn’t wish it on anyone. The moment is tense, but they have seemingly come to an agreement. This is a nice moment, one I didn’t expect. Clearly, Ben is a class act guy, which we already know from the pilot and on—not many people would take on their neighbor’s kid, even if they were close. New York’s finest, indeed.
“Three lies in three minutes.”
While Katie is getting her butt whooped by a nursing home resident, Liam comes to visit. She immediately covers up, so he can’t see she’s pregnant and then lies about how she knows him from her mother. This is such weird behavior from Katie. I understand her fears about her pregnancy, but why is she lying to her mother about him? He clearly cares about her and he’s making her money from the artwork, so where’s the harm? Sarah is going to be quite angry when she finds out the truth. Regardless, they make plans to hang out that night.
The moment heats up and they sneak into an empty room where they start to make out. One of the residents (the infamous Mr. Macklemore) points out she’s already pregnant, just as his hand finds her bump. Liam is just about done with her lies and leaves.
Smalls is mobbed! In the best way possible, of course. The tweet worked, the bar is packed! Hopefully, it sticks around.
“Did I mention I have one leg?”
At the library, Nick tries to work his charm on the cold librarian to get Enzo’s woman’s information. She will not budge, even after Nick goes deep and uses his leg to get sympathy. Wow, the woman is COLD. But, she melts a bit when Nick asks just for her first name. Enzo’s mystery woman’s first name is… Gwendolina! He’s swooning all over. That’s it, I’m putting up flyers. We need to find this woman, stat!
“Love’s not a shoe. It’s a tidal wave.”
Enzo continues to be incredible by giving Nick advice he doesn’t even realize he’s asking for. He tells him that love isn’t a shoe, it shouldn’t be a good fit. This is ironic considering the devil, I mean Amy, said they were a good fit earlier. Listen to Enzo, Nick! He’s got all the wisdom that you don’t have yet. He tells him that you just know when it’s the right one and then he tells him they’re going to play poker. I almost feel as if Enzo knows this is all good for Nick, to keep his mind off things. Nick seems a bit exasperated, but, I’m sure he knows too.
At Sophia’s firm, the duo discusses options for Ava. Sophia suggests that Ava marry Ben, since their union may be a factor that could help her stay in the United States. She’s melting toward him, the overall contempt she seems to feel lessening and Gabe knows it. Our little resident lawyer in training is flirting up a storm… and it’s quite cute. Gabe’s got such a great heart, I hope Sophia realizes that.
“A man’s tweet is his bond.”
Smalls is almost out of liquor, causing a minor argument between Ron and Patricia, but someone singing at the open mic stops them. To Patricia’s surprise, it’s his granddaughter, Olivia. She must have heard her at the church. This probably won’t end well once her father finds out.
Back at the nursing home, Katie is singing to a resident who requested it since Sarah usually does. She stops abruptly and holds her stomach. For a second, it looks like she may be in pain, then it makes sense. Her singing must’ve made the baby happy. Maybe she felt a kick or movement?
“It’s strong like it’s Mama.”
Sarah follows her into an empty room and break out the tissues because it’s another tearjerker moment. This might be the first time that Katie feels a real connection with her baby and it’s heartwarming. Sarah and Katie embrace, and both feel the kicks.
Ron meets Olivia for the first time and they learn that she wants to be a musician. At the apartments, Ava reveals that she told Sami Ben would spend the night sometimes. Sami is thrilled and wants him to sleep in his room.
The Moment of Truth?
Nick sneaks out of poker in the nursing home and catches Sarah dancing with a resident who believes she is his late wife. He watches her (she’s unaware at first) and you have to wonder if maybe he is considering what Enzo said in the van before… does he want a perfect fit or a tidal wave? His thoughts are interrupted by Katie’s arrival. Is this going to be the moment? Will she find out he’s her father?
He chickens out. I mean, that probably is the wrong choice of words. He tells her that he’s been dealing with some PTSD and he doesn’t want to scare her. When Katie leaves, he tells Sarah he needs a little more time to process it.
At Enzo and Gabe’s apartment, Enzo talks about his new love when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Sophia… she found out who Gabe’s father is (he is the reason she has so many cases like Ava’s) and she wants nothing to do with him personally. She says she’ll continue to help Ava, but to email him only. Ouch. Why is it so hard for her to believe he’s nothing like his father? I agree with Gabe. She’s a little judgy.
Ben tells Ava he would marry her, but he can’t. He’s still technically married. Ouch…
“He is right here.”
The episode ends with Nick and Sarah in Nick’s apartment. This starts out as a rough scene to watch. Nick is struggling and he’s afraid he’s going to get worse. He wants to be a strong father for Katie and doesn’t know if he can do that. Sarah tells him that a father doesn’t have to be strong, they just have to love. He says he might not be able to do that either, but she says she knows he can because she fell in love 17 years ago and that boy is standing right here. The moment quickly escalates but in a soft way. Sarah is careful and gentle as she kisses him, but soon clothes are off, and bodies are tangled on a chair. His phone rings in the background, but it goes unnoticed. In those moments, they are together.
Thoughts:
A lot went on in this episode, but I’m most happy that Nick is getting the help he needs, both from his group and from Sarah. There is an interesting dynamic going on here, one that I think is important. Nick feels dislocated from his former self, the one person that Sarah knows better than anyone. He’s been through so much—war is just the tipping point, honestly. I’m sure he didn’t seek services after the attacks on the towers, either. It is beautiful to see her faith in him. She knows that he’s not broken, just needs to focus on finding who he is.
Amy didn’t think he needed help, which is both selfish and wrong of her to assume. I can’t figure out what her endgame is. I almost wonder if she is up to no good, more than just on the surface. And, I also wonder about his teammate who survived who attends the meetings. Did he tell him an altered version of what happened? Maybe there’s more to the story.
Regardless,
This was an intense episode, not that they all aren’t. I am enjoying Katie’s progress, too. She’s still keeping secrets (as we see) but she’s becoming more responsible and working towards something. I hope that Liam gives her another chance. He seems to have a level head, so once the shock resides, he might be willing to hear what she has to say.
Overall, another solid episode. The show’s first season is officially half over, and our arcs are in full swing. I hope we get the answers we need in the next five, but I wouldn’t mind a cliffhanger or two as well. I’m looking forward to seeing how Sarah and Nick progress now that they’ve made a move and how this will obviously affect his relationship with Amy. This hopefully means they’ll be over sooner than later. Sarah truly cares for his well-being and I think the two of them would make an excellent team now that they’re older.
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