I’d say Hank’s about what I’d expect him to be as a teacher. Aside from the loving care he shows his students — one was so passionate about Hank’s feedback that he attempted to commit suicide last week — he draws naked doodles during staff meetings, makes crude jokes to the head of his department, and attempts to get out of commitments at the dean’s house.
Which isn’t to say that I’m disappointed … just because something conforms to certain expectations doesn’t mean it lets you down. I’m enjoying Hank’s attitude, as I’m sure he is for just as long as he manages to keep his job.
Which may or not be made easier by the fact that he’s fooling around with Felicia (Embeth Davidtz), on the one hand his boss, and on the other hand the dean’s wife. Of course she might not be as eager to save his job if she learns that he’s also hooking up with TA Jill (Diane Farr). Hank just rolls from one woman to the next so easily, it’s incomprehensible. I wouldn’t trade my life for his if I was being paid to, but I think Hank is a fantastic character, written and acted brilliantly. His curse according to him, and a condition that I believe he just may “suffer” from, is that he truly falls in love with almost every woman he meets, even if just for a few hours.
You (and I, honestly) see mainly sleaze, but I think Hank really does have a perception of the fairer sex that is more than the platitudes that the rest of us pay them as a group. Hank sees women as the pinnacle, the greatest gift that God ever gave the world. Think he’s disgusting or not, but at the very least that is a beautiful thing.
I also absolutely must make mention of Jill here. I think that not only is the character written fantastically well, but Farr is a really talented actress who’s made a huge impact on the show in a very short time. She’s also extremely strong opposite Hank, and she could make — in fact has already made — for some really interesting television going forward. I know that no one breaks through to Hank, and chances are that she won’t last very long, but allow me a moment to make a suggestion: hang on to Jill long-term.
Hank will never make a commitment, but Jill could always be a “we’re both free” type of significant other. And, just as interesting, she could be a colleague and a friend of Hank’s for as long as it’s plausible to keep her around. If Karen has spent most of the series NOT as a significant other, why not give it a try with someone else, as well? It certainly couldn’t hurt, and I’m betting it just might be perfect.
Just so you don’t think I missed what else was going on tonight: while I appreciate that Becca finally appears to be acting her age, did she have to hit “teenager” so hard? It would have been understandable had she eased into the drugs and boys and whatnot, considering the fact that she’s experienced a lot more crap than most other kids her age … you’d think she wouldn’t experience the same extreme “woe is me” moments as her peers.
Charlie, meanwhile, is in a perfect storm of a screwed up situation. Sue (Kathleen Turner) is seriously in her own world, and is so far over the line between joking and sexual harassment that this could only end badly. Do you imagine that, as soon as he stops pleasing her in the “bedroom” — unfortunately meaning her office this episode — she won’t cut him loose? Had they never started, that’s one thing. Now….
By the way, who in the world is Rick Springfield?
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Oct 11, 2009 @ 22:30 EST5EDT
