Crash – Your Ass Belongs to the Gypsies

Starz

(Season 1, Episode 5)

“I am the grim reaper. I am become death! Get outta my kill zone!” – Ben to Anthony, on not wanting to kill him like he did the others

Aside from my usual Dennis Hopper love, the character who stood out the most for me in this episode was Kenny.

Ross McCall plays the crude, sexist cop with such depth, that you never know which way he’s headed. He can be a total ass one minute and practically break your heart the next. For instance, at the precinct, when Bebe asked him point blank if he had anything to do with Gustav’s deportment and he implied that he did. When Inez found out about it, I felt a teensy bit of compassion for Kenny at that moment.

I think he really felt something for Inez, and pretty much sacrificed his marriage to help her out. When Inez came to the house that night, and Kenny asked his wife to give them a minute, the look of realization that came over his wife’s face was worth a thousand words. Now he’s in a world of shit. As much as I hate everything about Kenny, I still feel for him. Sometimes I think he’s just a little boy who lost his way.

I think Bebe feels the same way. She detests his twisted ways, but in a weird sense, she also understands where he’s coming from.

Another favorite scene was when Anthony found the doc dead in the bedroom, and told Ben about it. Then Ben goes into the bedroom, finds the pill organizer with the doc, and starts popping pills out of there like candy. Great scene.

Also loved Ben’s speech at the doc’s funeral, using the carp and the golden trout as a metaphor for their friendship. When he said, “Sebastian didn’t kill himself. He died trying to save my life,” that summed up their dysfunctional friendship in a big way. Then the doc’s dad got up and shouted, “My son is not a fish!” At that point, it didn’t matter, because Ben had already made his point, more to himself than to the people gathered there.

The friction between Christine and Peter was bound to happen sooner or later. Their marriage has been a train-wreck waiting to happen, and now that we know he’s the arsonist who started the fire … well, this is not going to go well at all.

I loved the storyline about Cesar trying to get across the border, freeing the girl held captive in the shed, and gently taking care of her. Luis Chavez is a gifted actor who knows how to say a lot with very few words.

I’ve liked Crash since the beginning, and it continues to grow on me each week, thanks to the great writing, acting, and thoughtful soundtrack that blends retro metal with new-age riffs.

Your thoughts on this episode?

Clacked by Jane Boursaw
on Nov 09, 2008 @ 16:00 EST5EDT