Necessary Roughness – Dani and Matt try to act professional

It’s a rough week for Dani on Necessary Roughness, as she deals with acting professional with Matt, Ray J’s first heartbreak, a potential Hawks scandal, and a bull rider with a death wish. That’s a lot, even for someone as a capable as her! I don’t talk about her a lot in these reviews, not because she is uninteresting, but because so many other things have seemed more pressing than her struggles this season. However, I think the writers are starting to do a better job of making the stories cohere around her, whereas earlier in the season, the Pittman stuff (enjoyable as it was) kind of took over.

Sure, the show has gone to the tried-and-true formula of the case of the week making the protagonist realize things about her own life, but I guess it’s tried-and-true for a reason. The formula is a bit different this week, though, in that dealing with Ray J makes her realize what is going on with Ty. The Ray J situation also really does mirror her own in that both couples broke up in order that the other person could live out their future, which is something Jeanette at least seems to realize. Too bad Dani can’t take her own advice to grieve properly over losing Matt, and they fall back into bed together. This doesn’t solve any of their problems, though, and I wish the show would let her move forward if their differences really are irreconcilable — and you can’t really reconcile wanting a kid with not wanting a kid. That is a zero-sum game, so if they stay together, one person will end up miserable.

Meanwhile, Dani also has TK to worry about, and she is the only one that sees he’s just plain off in his interview with Noelle. This leads Nico to check the tapes, discovering that despite his protestations, TK did indeed give Noelle a very naked invitation to shower with him. Oh dear. TK usually has boundary issues, but it seems like his pill popping has led him to throw the notion of boundaries completely out the window. Even worse, his memory seems to be affected. The good news is that Dani and Nico will now be aware that something is wrong, but will TK go to rehab without kicking and screaming? I don’t think so.

Notes and Quotes

• I am enjoying the fact that Razor brings a whole different set of problems to the team than TK does, and also that he gives TK someone to look out for. Gaius Charles is doing a good job in the role. I doubt the identity theft thing is over, even if Noelle has promised to leave him alone.
• Dani’s kids are annoying, but I find Ray J on his own to be not too bad this season, whereas Lindsay’s hatred of her mother just seems to be because that’s what teenage girls do.
• TK, when the reporter’s arrival is announced: “They are doing a package on the Hawks’ most illustrious package.”
• Coach: “If only TK had a mute button.”
• TK, promising to be on his best behavior with Noelle: “I will be Saint TK of Assisi. Mahatma TK Gandhi. You know what I’m talking about.”
• Dani, seeing Ty’s horse: “You’re going to get up on that thing?”
  Ty: “Kinda stupid on the face of it, huh?”
• Coach, washing his hand of Razor’s issues: “I wanted to draft Aaron Holbrook. He’s been Aaron Holbrook his whole life.”
• Matt: “So you did not disrobe in front of her or invite her to join you in the shower.”
  TK: “Does that even sound like something I would do?”
  Matt and Nico: “YES.”

Clacked by Christina Furtado
on Aug 02, 2012 @ 10:44 EST5EDT