Andrew Robinson
Well, episode seven has come and gone, which means one major thing: I am almost done my semester! Perhaps more appropriate for this setting, it also means that our favorite Stanton High attendees have just two more episodes to get the play ready for opening night! With only three episodes remaining, a lot goes down on Tuesday night, as the cast and crew rush to make their production of “Spring Awakening” a success.
Summary
The entire cast and crew undergoes the grueling, dreaded Tech Week, which highlights the issues that still need to be worked out before the play goes live. Tempers fly left and right. Tickets for the musical go on sale, and the results are surprising. Lou and Gail continue to deal with their own, personal problems, as does Gordy. Maashous is blindsided by a family member’s reemergence. Gwen, who is still grappling with her parents’ decision, and Gordy spend time together. Coach Strickland and Vanessa begin meeting up again. Sasha weighs the pros and cons of a massive decision, with input from her boyfriend, as well as Michael. Simon tries to accept his own feelings.
Analysis
“This Will God Willing Get Better” is my least favorite episode so far. With many hookups and lots of sexual tension, the episode feels more like an hour of Big Brother, with a bit of plot-related elements mixed in. While I am glad that the episode doesn’t focus solely on Robbie and Lilette, I simply don’t see the need to have everyone hook-up with everyone else. I did not start watching Rise to see steamy scenes between characters; the plot is good enough to be able to do away with such clichés. Hopefully the show gets back to its roots next week.
Lou’s perfectionism just keeps hurting him. It’s hard to run a show, coach a team, write/edit a book, or do much of anything at all with the thought that everything must be absolutely perfect, and I think Lou is finally realizing that it simply isn’t possible for everything to be Broadway-esque. However, he continually dismisses Tracey and her ideas, which is frustrating; Tracey has been the play director for many years – you would think Lou would be willing to listen to her words of wisdom. Honestly, I’m surprised that Tracey hasn’t blown up at Lou in a while. I know I wouldn’t be happy to be continually dismissed, despite having much more knowledge on the subject than the leader.
As I said in my last review, Gordy and Gwen are a match made in hell. Sure, let’s pair the emotionally vulnerable teenage girl with the alcoholic bad-boy who seems to be unwilling – or at least unable – to shake an addiction that could alter his entire life. It’s a comically bad pairing that will, more likely than not, blow up in the characters’ faces.
Ted Sutherland does a very good job as Simon. It’s not easy to portray a character who is unwilling to accept himself for who he is, yet Sutherland pulls it off quite convincingly. It has been heartbreaking to see him come so close to allowing himself to be who he truly is, but ignore his feelings at the last second – Sutherland is who makes these scenes heartbreaking. He is who makes the viewer connect with Simon. Sutherland is undoubtedly one of the actors of this young cast that makes Rise a must-see every week.
Amy Forsyth also does a brilliant job as Gwen, once again. She does such a good job, in fact, that sometimes it feels like she is acting not just as Gwen, but as every child going through their parents’ divorce. Gwen doesn’t allow herself to show any emotion whatsoever, constantly keeping a stone-face and speaking in a hushed, straightforward tone. Without a competent actress to portray these feelings, Gwen wouldn’t be a relatable, or potentially even a likable, character. However, Forsyth brings in each and every week, making Gwen a character that I find myself sympathizing with more and more each passing week. Even the dreaded Gwen and Gordy pairing at least makes sense thanks to Forsyth’s portrayal of a hurting young woman. It is however, as I will continue to say, a ridiculously stupid pairing.
Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of Casey Johnson’s acting as Gordy. I don’t think he has enough emotion in his voice; it feels as if he’s reading from a script at times. I have kept this complaint silent, as to give Johnson a chance to grow into his character, but I think enough time has passed for me to say, unfortunately, that I simply am not a huge fan of the actor. While it is plausible that an alcoholic like Gordy wouldn’t be very emotional, this just doesn’t do it for me, and I still feel as if Johnson is reading from a teleprompter or script many times throughout the show.
It was nice to see Michael again, after a few episodes of his near-complete absence. The Michael-Sasha friendship pairing is an interesting one, and allows for the audience to better understand both characters and their individual struggles. In his first TV/movie credit, Ellie Desautels does a brilliant job portraying Michael. I think the character is important societally, and am glad that Rise doesn’t shy away from including transgendered characters, as most shows (particularly shows airing on network television) tend to do. I hope we get to see even more of Michael as the show reaches its conclusion in a few weeks.
Robbie certainly has had a rough go of it the past few weeks. Hopefully things start to look up for the man who was once “QB1,” but things may get even more dicey for him, given how the play is looking.
Although I still see Ted Mosby when watching Josh Radnor act, I am slowly starting to see Lou Mazzuchelli just as often as I see the lead character in How I Met Your Mother. It has been wonderful seeing Radnor on my television screen again; he truly is a very good actor that portrays a worried father, loving husband, and well-meaning perfectionist extremely convincingly.
Verdict
As I said before, “This Will God Willing Get Better” is likely my least favorite episode of Rise thus far. I am unhappy at the direction the show has taken by pairing many characters together, oftentimes seemingly for no particular reason whatsoever. I want to see more of the play and the characters’ home lives – not just their romantic endeavors. Hopefully next week gets back on track, especially considering how few episodes are left.
5.5/10
