Andrew Robinson
In the penultimate episode of the season, a lot changes for the theater cast and crew. The season (and possibly series) finale airs next Tuesday at 9; I wouldn’t miss it!
Summary
Cuts must be made to the production of “Spring Awakening” in order for Principal Ward and the PTA to allow the show to go on. Lilette struggles with a major problem at home. Gordy and Gwen’s relationship reaches an awkward point, as Gordy chooses a puzzling place to fulfill his community service hours. Simon’s family begins to show cracks. Robbie is urged to see his mother. Maashous makes a decision that affects the entire Mazzuchelli family.
Analysis
Finally. With “Totally Hosed,” Rise finally strays from its many romances, and refocuses itself on the main plot – the production of the show. While many different characters are continuing to deal with their own problems, the complete and utter domination of every romance possible that we have seen for the past four episodes or so is absent, which is a huge plus for the show. I found myself enjoying “Totally Hosed” much, much more than the previous two episodes, and this is largely due to the show finally leaving its many romances virtually untouched for awhile.
Vanessa is an extremely frustrating character. A mother acting as she has acted over the past two episodes is borderline-unthinkable, yet she continues to think solely for herself, seemingly without a care in the world for Lilette. While the show is setting itself up for her grand re-entrance to Opening Night next week, I don’t think I’ll be able to get past her recent behavior, and I hope Lilette is the same way… at least for a little while.
I find myself in a strange situation with this show. While watching, it’s hard not to root for the theater characters and their production of “Spring Awakening” as Lou sees fit. However, when one really thinks about it, one realizes that families come to see these productions – maybe some of the things that the PTA and Principal Ward is demanding be cut actually should be cut. I find myself flipping back and forth over this issue; does “Spring Awakening” toe the line? Absolutely. But is it necessary to censor so many aspects of the show, essentially to the point that it isn’t really “Spring Awakening” anymore? That is murky to me. Everyone knew what was in “Spring Awakening” the second that Lou decided to put it on, so why did it take this long for cuts to be demanded? If it were me, I would see the necessity to tame down a few elements (likely the sexual abuse, etc.), but I think it is ridiculous to censor the production to the point where it’s not recognizable anymore, especially given the fact that the cast and crew has worked for three months to make the production as great as possible, only to be forced to change pivotal scenes just three days before Opening Night. That’s just my two cents.
After Maashous decides what to do about his living situation, a very tough decision looms for the Mazzuchellis. I don’t see how they can go against Maashous’s decision without looking like bad people to him, and I don’t think they would win the approval necessary to go ahead with what is teased at the end of the episode. In my opinion, they simply must support Maashous, no matter what he decides to do.
Once again, Lou is unwilling to admit that he needs Tracey’s help and that he values her opinion, despite Tracey supporting him in every way imaginable throughout the entire season. Hopefully Lou’s pride and perfectionism doesn’t end up resulting in a major issue amongst the cast and crew right before Opening Night.
Auli’i Cravalho (Lilette) has had a few moments over the course of the season when I found myself cringing just a tad – in some instances, it was clear that Cravalho was acting in her first credited role (besides lending her voice as the titular character in Moana). However, Cravalho has clearly grown as an actress over the course of the show, and she has been one of the show’s better performers for the past month or so. This is no more apparent than in “Totally Hosed,” as Cravalho exhibits the perfect amount of strength, vulnerability, and anguish about her current situation, making Lilette into an entirely relatable, strong, and likable character. It’s nice to see young actors and actresses grow over the course of a season (or seasons) of a show, and Cravalho certainly does just that.
I’m still not a big fan of Casey Johnson (Gordy), but I think he has shown some improvement over the past few episodes, which may or may not coincide with his character getting a more prominent role in the show. While he and Gwen are still a horrendous pairing that I will never understand, I think Gordy having a love interest has allowed Johnson to open up a bit as an actor, coming out of the alcoholic son role into a more favorable light. Still, he is one of the weakest actors on the show and Gordy is one of the least interesting characters, if you ask me.
This is the first time I can remember that Kaitlin has had a prominent scene in the show. As Lou and Gail’s daughter, she is present in a lot of the family scenes, but rarely has much of a speaking part at all. In “Totally Hosed,” however, she is given a mini-speech. Taylor Richardson delivers that speech very well, instantly making Kaitlin into a relatable young woman. With that said, however, I think Kaitlin’s suggestion for how to deal with the Maashous situation is absurd; he’s nearly an adult and should be given the opportunity to decide what he wants to do himself, without other characters completely undermining his decision. Hopefully the Mazzuchellis do the right thing, no matter how hard it may be.
I have a feeling that things are going to go crazy next week – maybe all of the PTA and Principal Ward’s suggestions may not be heeded?
With the season finale set for next week, I really, really hope that the bulk of the episode is spent solely on the musical. I want to see scenes that we haven’t seen before from the production, and want to feel like I’m in the audience for the performance, rather than just seeing snippets here and there. Rise is a show about a community, yes, but also about theater, and I want to see the theater portion in what could possibly be the series finale of the show.
Verdict
“Totally Hosed” is Rise‘s best episode in awhile. Gone (for the most part) are the unnecessary, forced romances, and back is the heart and sole of the show: the production. This is the most enjoyable episode in at least a month, and leads into what could be a very explosive, rewarding season finale next week.
8.25/10
