Andrew Robinson
Tuesday’s airing of Rise marked four weeks since its debut; there are only six episodes left in the ten-episode first season. It’s ratings are hovering around cancellation-level, so hopefully it can improve a bit there and come back for a season two!
*As always, minor spoilers may follow
Summary
Robbie and the Stanton High football team play a big game, and deal with unexpected issues. Lilette grapples with her feelings towards Robbie. The Mazzuchellis take a family road trip, but Gordy wants none of it. Tracey’s lone wolf lifestyle is challenged. Simon struggles emotionally as the beginning of his new life draws near. A party brings together the football team and drama department, placing Robbie in a difficult situation.
Analysis
As we have come to expect, Rise delivers on an emotional level in “Victory Party.” The show is like watching high schoolers’ lives unfold through the eyes of adults, family, and the kids alike which, inevitably, leads to some teary-eyed moments.
I tend to have issues watching sports scenes in entertainment (they NEVER seem to get it right or make it realistic at all), but I have to commend the Rise team for Tuesday’s episode. Damon J. Gillespie, who plays Robbie, is 5 foot 8, which is a height that would immediately disqualify him from quarterbacking a Pop Warner team, let alone a football-crazed high school team. The show, however, does a good job at making Gillespie look taller than he is by utilizing certain camera angles; I honestly had no idea how tall he was, and only looked it up because I like to waste my time on trivial information. Of course, it helps that Friday Night Lights’ producer, Jason Katims, is the creator of Rise; he knows his way around filming sports scenes.
(Now, them trying to pass the now-24-year-old Gillespie (he was probably about 22 at the time of filming – the show sat in limbo for awhile before gracing out television screens) as a high school sophomore is a different story).
It’s nice to see some character development for Tracey. Rather than simply serving the “teacher who never leaves the school” role, her character is being developed quite nicely. Here’s to hoping she finds happiness.
I’ll say it again: I’m not a fan of the Lilette/Robbie (Rilette?) romance. I think it is a bit of a crutch to have such sexual tension between the two leads; all shows seem to inevitably lead to that point as they go along. To me, Rise is about everyone involved – not just a romance show featuring two young, attractive leads, with some background characters intertwined every once in a while. Hopefully the show realizes this, and reverts back to what we saw more of in the first few episodes: a show where all of the characters are (just about) of equal importance.
Lou seems like a great teacher and a well-meaning person, but, man, is he a perfectionist. As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, I can relate, but Lou takes it to another level. If he doesn’t stop needing every little detail to fit his specific vision, he’s going to lose support from those that he needs it from the most (in reference to the musical, of course). I applaud his goals to make everything perfect, but just because he thinks a specific thing will make the play perfect doesn’t mean that it’s attainable. Hopefully he starts to listen to Tracey a bit more, as she is much more experienced in the field, and seems to be willing to help with any and everything musical-related.
I love how the relatability of Rise. Like This Is Us (and most every show, honestly), I believe Rise’s success is predicated on it’s ability to get the viewer to truly feel what the characters are feeling; to go through what they are going through right along with them. I think just about everyone can relate to the events of Rise (I mean, hasn’t everyone accidentally invited someone to a party? Hasn’t everyone had a perfect vision for something, but was bogged down by unfair monetary issues?), and this makes the show special, in my view.
Man, Robbie’s father is intense. He seems like the typical live-through-my-children’s-accomplishments type of parent, which is hard to watch. I’d like to see him back off a little bit, but his character tells me that he will not, and that this could complicate things for Robbie in the near future.
I could not be prouder of Robbie for his actions. He knows that there will likely be major ramifications, yet stands up for what he believes to be right. He deserves some applause for making that tough decision – I’m sure many of us (possibly myself included, unfortunately) wouldn’t have been able to make the same (correct) decision. That is a huge moment for Robbie, and sets the show up for some interesting future episodes.
The Gordy storyline seems more and more like it may end in tragedy as the season wears on. The kid just can’t make a correct decision, despite obvious love and support from his family. I hope he can pull it together and make things right, but I wouldn’t count on that happening. With that said, I think Rise does a good job at portraying addiction as it is: an addiction. Not a manageable thing, but an ugly, potential life-ruining bad habit that is extremely difficult to overcome. Many teen-based shows/films portray the habitual overindulgence of alcohol and drugs as “normal,” “fun,” and “typical teenage rebellion,” but it is so much more. Furthermore, these same shows/movies tend to portray alcoholics as older men in need of a shave and a bath who have abused alcohol for as long as they can remember, rather than young, athletic teenagers who are just now becoming alcoholics. I think it’s important for shows such as Rise to break this stereotype and show that anyone can be riddled with addiction, no matter how perfect they may look.
There are so many stories for Rise to explore; so many characters to give prominence. I really, really hope that the show revisits these rich, well-crafted characters in the coming weeks. I, for one, want to see more of the supporting characters; I want to hear their stories and live their struggles.
Finally, the promo for next week looks intense. I applaud the show for attacking the social topics that it has done already, and will do next week. It’s going to be a tough episode, but a necessary one. I’m looking forward to it already.
Verdict
“Victory Party” is a better episode than last week’s “What Flowers May Bloom.” A lot of important things happen, and the actors give good performances all-around to portray these happenings. It’s nice to see Tracey breaking (ever so slightly) from her stereotypical character. The show featuring a young alcoholic is important for people everywhere to see. I’m still not a fan of Rilette (I’m rolling with the nickname), but I’ll survive, as long as the show doesn’t forget about it’s supporting characters, which I am a bit worried about after seeing “Victory Party,” as well as the promo for the next episode.
All in all, a solid episode that features a lot of important dialogue and character action.
8.25/10
