Andrew Robinson
Rise hit episode five on April 10th; we’re now officially halfway done the season! “We’ve All Got Our Junk” is quite possibly Rise’s best episode to date. It has it all: romance, music, obstacles, familial issues, and, most importantly, standing up to oppressors.
*As always, minor spoilers may follow
Summary
The production must overcome yet another significant obstacle. Lou and Gail talk to Gordy about his drinking. Tracey contemplates a romantic endeavor. Lilette and Robbie argue over their feelings. Vanessa (Lilette’s mother) deals with sexual harassment at work. Coach Strickland and Denise make a major decision surrounding their marriage; Gwen is greatly affected. Simon begins life away from Stanton High.
Analysis
As you can tell from the summary, a lot happens in “We’ve All Got Our Junk.” This, I believe, is when Rise is at its best – by allowing us to live the lives of each character (rather than focusing on one or two *cough* Lilette and Robbie *cough*), the show just feels so real. I didn’t start watching to predominately see a young romantic will-they-won’t-they situation, with all other characters and events relegated to the background, and I feared that Rise was heading into that direction after last week’s episode. Tuesday night’s return, however, showed me that Rise is much more than this, and for that, I’m very excited.
There are quite a lot of tear-inducing moments in “We’ve All Got Our Junk.” Whether it be involving Gwen’s conversations with her parents, Simon’s conversation with his parents, Lilette’s candid speech to her mother, or Lou and Gail’s attempts to get through to Gordy, “We’ve All Got Our Junk” doesn’t shy away from emotional moments.
Speaking of emotional moments, I just want to say that I am extremely impressed by – and proud of – Vanessa for doing what she does at the tail end of the episode. Unfair repercussions are bound to occur, unfortunately, but good for her. Situations such as that one are alarmingly commonplace, and Vanessa standing up for herself is awesome to see. It made me smile, despite the fact that the scene is edited poorly, resulting in a final product that gives Vanessa the strength of the Hulk. Regardless, I smiled and am very proud of Vanessa.
Poor Gwen. Nothing has gone right for the girl this entire season. I would love to see Rise delve even deeper into her character – “We’ve All Got Our Junk” is a start, but I would like the show to focus even more on her and her family. She’s in a very real, very sad situation, and I think it is beneficial to the viewers that Rise explores it even further. Amy Forsyth, who plays Gwen, is magnificent in the episode. It is heartbreaking to watch her normally-stoic demeanor start to fall ever so slightly, and Forsyth pulls it off with stunning realism. I hope Gwen reaches out to someone – anyone (well, maybe not the guy who we last see her with in the episode).
Tom Riis Farrell, who plays Harold (the musical conductor), gives a great performance in Tuesday night’s episode. If the viewer watches his facial expressions, (s)he can clearly tell what the character is thinking, and how he may react. This is one of the most important marks of a good actor; one has to be able to get by with simply facial expressions, and little dialogue (much like the incredible Millie Bobby Brown in Stranger Things, although her brilliance with this may be impossible to match). It also brings a sense of realism to the show; when we are unhappy, do we always talk about that unhappiness? Or do we internalize it and let it fester, before allowing it to boil over, eventually resulting in us blowing up? Well, I don’t know about you, but I am certainly guilty of the latter. By having Harold let those emotions fester, Rise shows faith in Farrell’s ability as an actor, and brings an even greater sense of realism to a show that already feels very real.
Harold’s care for his musicians (no matter if they’re highly-talented or not), is heartwarming. The fact that his blow-up focuses just as much on the kids as on himself shows that Harold is a wonderful conductor; caring about the kids one works with is the biggest step in teaching them effectively. After only seeing him sparingly in the first few episodes, the increased focus on Harold is a welcomed (albeit unexpected) addition to the show; I really like him.
Lilette and Vanessa’s conversation about halfway through the episode is difficult to hear, and even more difficult to process, when one considers the fact that both women are likely correct. All it takes is a look at Robbie’s father and his beliefs to realize just how right they are. Of course, their generalizations don’t apply to all (or even most) of the targeted socioeconomic status that they discuss, but the fact remains that it’s impossible to deny the truth in their statements. We, as a socity, really need to step it up.
Lilette and Robbie (or, as I said last week, Rilette) are back at it again. I feared that the show would focus mostly on their romance, and “We’ve All Got Our Junk,” does give it a lot of airtime. However, as I stated earlier, the episode doesn’t feel as if it’s about their relationship (or lack thereof). Instead, their romance feels like a subplot, or at least one of many different main plots. To me, this is a very important development as, again, I don’t want to watch a show dominated on the two young, attractive leads in a will-they-won’t-they situation; it just seems so dry and overused.
With that said, Damon J. Gillespie (Robbie) and Auli’i Cravalho (Lilette) do a fantastic job in the episode. So much so that, in a change in opinion that shocks even me, I have reversed course on my stance of Rilette; I am now rooting for the relationship to happen. The chemistry between the two leads is evident, and both young actors do a brilliant job at portraying their respective characters; I feel their pain and their thoughts and their feelings. While I in no way want their relationship to become the focal part of the show, I am rooting for it to work out after seeing “We’ve All Got Our Junk.”
It seems as if Simon has a difficult situation, both with his parents and in his own personal life. I’m really rooting for him to embrace himself and stand up to his parents (mainly his father), but it’s going to take a lot of courage. However, after seeing him grow over the past few episodes, I think he has it in him. We shall see.
Verdict
“We’ve All Got Our Junk” is quite possibly Rise‘s best episode to date. It features many relevant topics, and has both heartbreaking and heartwarming moments. While the superhuman strength possessed by Vanessa does seem a tad unrealistic, it comes in the midst of such a relevant, difficult situation that I am willing to, for the most part, look past the superhuman ability.
The promo for next week’s episode seems to promise major developments in both the play and the characters’ personal lives. I, for one, cannot wait until next Tuesday night.
9/10
