Andrew Robinson
Only two episodes of Rise remain in season one (the show’s renewal hopes are still up in the air. Its a toss-up, but I think it’ll get a second season). Big things are going to have to happen soon!
Summary
An edited “trailer” for “Spring Awakening” circulates around the town. The problem is that the “trailer” is actually just a mashed-up version of the show’s raciest moments in order to try to sell tickets. Sasha, with Michael and Tracey by her side, ponders what to do next. Maashous sees a family member for the first time in a long time. Gordy and Gwen’s interesting relationship reaches a new point. Robbie, Lou, and Coach Strickland have a meeting about Robbie’s future. Vanessa and Coach Strickland get called out. The school deals with the aftermath of the racy “trailer.” The play is once again threatened.
Analysis
“The Petition” is a solid, but not spectacular, episode of Rise. Once again choosing to focus much of the episode on romantic relationships, the episode loses me a bit in the middle, but picks back up with the last few scenes, particularly the final scene. I truly hope that the show diverts its attention back to the play itself for the final two episodes of the season – this is what I want to see in what could be the last few episodes of Rise ever aired.
Ellie Desautels and Erin Kommor stand out as Michael and Sasha, respectively. Their scene together in the first half of the episode is touching and very well-acted. I wish they were paired together more often, but I will enjoy the time that we get! It’s also nice to see Desautels’ character act as more than a character present solely because he is transgendered, instead being given scenes that any character could have been given. Hollywood has a tendency to include characters with a defining feature that serves as their only means of individualism and character development. Rise doesn’t do this, and that is really nice to see.
Stephanie J. Block does a great job as Simon’s mother, Patricia Saunders, as does Stephen Plunkett as her husband, Robert Saunders. It is not easy to portray such complex characters, especially when the characters are not part of the main cast, but Block and Plunkett do a wonderful job in a relatively small amount of screen-time. I will be interested to see how they interact over the next two episodes.
Poor Lilette. The kid just can’t catch a break in her home life. Vanessa acts so much like a child in her manner of speaking to Lilette and is concerned solely for herself. With that said, Lilette takes it too far when she yells at her mother; Vanessa should be able to pursue her own endeavors, as well. The problem is, Vanessa has put herself above her daughter multiple times: that needs to stop. She needs to get it together and act like a mother, and Lilette must get it together and act like a supportive daughter. Their interactions over the next two episodes will also be very interesting to witness.
Lou really never does ask for Tacey’s input on anything. That bothers me. Tracey is clearly very knowledgeable and knows exactly what to do with basically any crisis that may arise, yet Lou never asks for her help. While I do believe that Lou’s decision regarding Robbie was the correct one, he should have asked for his assistant director’s opinion.
Sports scenes in television shows are always hard for me to watch – as an avid sports fan, I know when a play looks absolutely fake. Unfortunately, Rise falls victim to the utter ridiculousness of its sports scene in “The Petition.” First of all, you’re telling me that the wide receivers wouldn’t be doing everything possible to block for the ball-carrier with the game on the line? Everyone just stands around and watches the ball-carrier maneuver his way through much of the defense; this simply wouldn’t occur in a real sports setting. Plus, I cant get over the fact that Damon J. Gillespie (Robbie) is 5 foot 8. That is remarkably short for any athlete, let alone a quarterback of a powerhouse high school football team. With that said, however, the production crew of Rise does a very good job of utilizing camera angles that make Gillespie look taller. I commend them for that, for sure. Still, sports scenes in television shows almost never meet my lofty expectations, and Rise is seemingly no different.
Maashous has an interesting decision on his hands. I really have no idea what I would do in that situation. Here’s to wishing the best for him!
Amy Forsyth again does a brilliant job as Gwen. The lack of emotion that Forsyth is able to pull off, yet make her character engaging and entirely believable, is remarkable. Her scenes with her father are devastating and heartbreaking – this is only possible because of her impressive ability to portray a troubled, hurting teenager.
Joe Tippet also does a great job as Coach Strickland. He makes a character that could have been just a stereotypical, flat character into a complex, likable (for the most part) football coach.
I still don’t really like Casey Johnson (Gordy) – I just don’t think he’s that gifted of an actor. However, Johnson did well in “The Petition,” making Gordy a character that I could empathize with, and root for. Hopefully that continues!
It makes no sense at all that Robbie’s father would not have been more involved when Robbie got benched initially. I mean, the guy showed just how much of a jerk, football-is-everything guy when he essentially told Lilette to back off from Robbie a few episodes ago, yet doesn’t force Robbie to quit the play, or run into Coach Strickland’s office the second Robbie is benched? Staying silent just doesn’t fit his character at all. I know that there is only so much time to go around in any given episode, but he should not have been built up as much as he was in the house party episode if the show wasn’t going to further explore his character, especially when Robbie is benched because he isn’t focusing enough on football, instead focusing his effort on the play (isn’t that exactly the reason why he tells Lilette to stay away from Robbie? Because it distracted him from football?). Hopefully he has a greater role in the final episodes, but I think the time to expand his role has passed.
Those last few minutes… wow. Next week could change everything. Stay tuned.
Verdict
“The Petition” is a better episode than last week’s “This Will God Willing Get Better.” It features many outstanding acting performances and a twist that was predictable, but still emotionally heavy. The sports scene underwhelms, but that is to be expected. Robbie’s dad resurfacing now doesn’t make much sense at all; he really should have been involved in previous episodes.
Not Rise’s best episode, but not its worst either.
6.75/10
