The Village Episode 9: I Am Defiant
One of my favorite parts of the Village is the music montages that are often at the start and end of the episode. This week’s features Nick and his buddy running near the bridge, Katie reading a maternity book while Liam casually (checks her out) watches. Sofia and Gabe are practicing makes perfect-ing their relationship, Sarah decorates the tree, and we end it with Enzo and Gwendolina discussing his grandson’s case and Ava’s future.
The two lovebirds decide to make their cooking a challenge… who can make it better?
Meanwhile, Patricia and Ava pack up Ava’s apartment just in case the court date doesn’t go as planned. Gabe and Ava talk about expectations for the case. He hopes what they did was good enough.
Nick and his buddy discuss his concerns with the firefighter Rashad that Nicks keeps seeing. He hopes someone can eventually fill him in on the reasoning for the flashbacks.
“Does Katie know?”
At the Village, Sarah sits down with Claire and reads over the potential adoption agreement Katie would have to agree to. Things seem to be going well, but Sarah stops on one page and questions if her daughter knows about it. Claire tells her she doesn’t yet, but she plans on telling her. This sounds potentially shady… I feel like Claire genuinely cares for Katie, but she’s still going to put her needs first. And with Katie as such a hothead, this may not end well.
Honestly, of all the characters, I feel like I’ve lost most interest in the Ava and Ben storyline. I do not find Ava very likable and I feel as if she flips her personality depending on what she believes she needs. Ben has been willing to do just about anything for her and she gives yellow lights quite often. I hope for her son’s sake she gets to stay, but I am not as upset as others seem to be.
Battle of the Italians
I must say, the scene between Sarah and Ava is sweet. Sarah is losing control of her own life, so I’m sure seeing how Ava’s could be drastically changed in a few hours is enough to reign her in. Meanwhile, Enzo and Gwendolina continue their bickering over cooking.
At Smalls, Ron talks about his worries regarding Patricia’s surgery. Nick gets a phone call, but we don’t see who it is right away.
Liam and Katie head to a birthing class, which is amusing to watch. People don’t realize that Liam isn’t the father, so they assume they’re a young couple. It’s sweet; you can see how much he cares for her during these scenes.
“You’re the owner of the building, aren’t you?”
Sarah gets the idea to send a message to her daughter in a language she understands. She decides to use spray paint to tell her she loves her. Someone interrupts her during this, asking if she plans to finish before the building owner shows up… in a hilarious moment, Sarah realizes he is the building owner. It is not so bad… he wants her number, so he works with her and paints, to get it. Who is this new beau? Do we like him? Ethan (Austin Nichols) seems a bit too good to be true and a little late in the season to get behind.
After, Sarah meets with Nick who has an update. Rashad’s daughter wants to meet with him; he wants Sarah to be there. She agrees because they’re totally over each other. Totally. (Yeah, okay.) Nick and Sarah sit with the daughter and learn new information. She tells him that Nick pulled Rashad into the basement of a store, protecting him as the second store fell. Her mother tried to find him but couldn’t; she believed he was an angel. Sarah asks if she remembered where the shop was, perhaps to give Nick closure?
Ava gives Ben cold feet again, telling him she wishes he would say goodbye. A tense and short moment, its clear Ben doesn’t know why she’s suddenly doing this. At the court, she doesn’t show up. Patricia and Ron find a note in her apartment saying she’s on the run. Gabe and Sofia try to stall, but the judge does not comply. Ouch. What is she doing? How does she think this is the way to deal with things?
“What are we? Exactly.”
Meanwhile, Katie and Claire read over the adoption agreement. Claire does not want an open adoption; she doesn’t want Katie involved. She accidentally lets it slip by referring to the baby as him, which upsets Katie further and she demands that she leave the apartment. Once alone, Liam tries to figure out what happened, and Katie goes to storm out. He follows after her, but she’s cold and distant. She demands to know what they are, but he doesn’t answer. Upset, she turns to leave but is hit by a person on a bike.
HOLY CRAP. Did that just happen? What a convenient time for them to skip to a commercial!
“Show me where you hold your courage.”
At the hospital, Katie starts to panic when the technician can’t find the baby’s heartbeat. She becomes hysterical, but Liam steps in and calms her down. He makes her stare at him and seconds later, the baby’s heartbeat appears. I had my doubts about Liam, but he seems so good for her. He deserves a lot of credit.
That said, she is a teenager and is run by hormones. I think it is safe to say they should take things a little slower. Overall, the show has paired everyone off and everyone is either happily in love or breaking up every episode. It doesn’t need to be this way… why can’t the lives of the residents not revolve around romantic love? Love doesn’t necessarily mean coupling. I love the show, but I find it a little unrealistic that everyone has found their soulmate.
As they leave the hospital and go back to his apartment, she sees the message from her mother. There’s a look of understanding for the first time in a long time on her face.
“It was dripping on us.”
Nick and Sarah arrive at the gift shop where he protected Rashad. The tension is high; what a stunning scene this is. Nick slides to the ground, tears forming while he remembers what happened years ago. Warren Christie is incredible to watch here. I can feel every part of his emotion as he acts it. Fantastic.
At the Village, Enzo and Gwendolina toast to Ava and Sami’s safety, while reminding Gabe and Sofia they did the best they could. A little while later, she calls him from the Canadian border. They are safe and headed out of the country with her ex. Ben seems so upset, not that I blame him. He chose to love again, and that person left him, too.
“You do have a talent, you know. Making people feel like they’re not alone.”
Nick and Sarah are outside the museum and standing near the waterfall memorial. Nick admits he took a job offer in South Carolina training soldiers; Sarah seems shocked and says he should come back to the Village to say goodbye.
#NeverForget
Sometime later, Nick is sitting outside the memorial and is surrounded by all the people he lost, from the war and that day. I’m watching this again with chills up and down my spine—the scene is absolutely beautiful and the music perfect for the montage. What a beautiful tribute to the people we lost on that day and all they gave for the lives of the innocent. I admit I was a bit confused when they made the move toward his flashbacks being about his time as a firefighter.
But as a New Yorker and someone who remembers that day clearly, there is not nearly enough representation in the pop culture world for those who gave all that day. I’m glad that a show is giving a spotlight to a community that to this day is so affected by the horrors they witnessed. I know we’ll never forget.
It’s also amazing to see it all connected now. The dripping pipe, the gray dust, and grime on his clothes… it all fits and is glaringly obvious.
“I don’t want you to go. Are you listening? I’m in love with you, too.”
Liam and Katie confess they love each other, and he tells her whatever she wants is hers. It’s up to her. She says she wants her mother and then collapses in pain; something is wrong. The screen fades to black.
WOW. Can we all take a breath now? I truly do not know what to expect for the finale. The show has answered some questions, though not enough. There are so many thoughts running through my head and I am not sure what is going to happen… I thought I had ideas after the last episode, but most of them have changed. With no word on if the show is renewed or canceled, it’s hard to say what the fate of the Village is, but the finale is next week. We’ve come a long way with the residents of the Village. Are you ready to see how the first season ends?
I know I am. Tune in Tuesday, on NBC at 9/8 central for how it ends.
Show some love for So Many Shows:
More From So Many Shows:
VOTE: 2019 TV Cancellations – Which Should Be Saved?
Hanna Season 1 – Spoiler Free Review