There's no way to sugarcoat it, this sucked. Simple as. I think the part which offends me the most is that we get a T50 episode ever (in my opinion, I haven't seen much okay) preceding this, and then this pathetic excuse for television right afterwards. Seriously, there is almost NOTHING of value through the whole runtime, bar A FEW Kevin scenes, but that's it. I mean, when TOM's plotline, of all people, is actually somewhat interesting because of the sheer blandness of the majority of the scenes, you know you're not doing things right.

I'll start with the cons, because I want to finish this review on a good note. Jill. Don't even get me started with her. She's so fucking insufferable, it genuinely annoys me whenever I see her on-screen. Her jarring, teenager bitchiness has gotten old REAL quick, and seeing as that's basically her only character trait up to this point, I just want to cry every time she pops up. Her 'rebelliousness' just isn't rebellious, it's just assholery. And she just also has some super weird scenes, like when she suggested the idea of lighting a firework with the baby doll on it, then changed her mind two seconds later and told a guy who was telling her to do it to go fuck himself? Just so fucking strange and aggravating to watch. And it's not just her character this episode that pissed me off, it was her plot line. That Baby Jesus doll thing was just infuriating to watch, especially since somehow they managed to rope Kevin into that plotline, meaning it ate away at precious time that could've been used for some actually GOOD Kevin content.

Now, Tom. I'll be honest, he actually wasn't awful here. I will be honest, there were some terrible scenes with him, but overall, yeah, not as awful as he has been in the past. I'll get the cons out of the way first... the guy screaming at him and Christine in a different language with his dick out was just so unnatural and hard to watch, especially because we never got any context on who the fuck that guy was or why he did that. This exemplifies my point on pointless scenes pretty perfectly in my eyes. I think a reason I (and other people) don't like this plotline so much, also, is because of how disconnected it feels. Everyone else is in the same town, Mapleton NY, but I don't even know where the fuck Tom is to be honest, I didn't even know in Episode 1 and the fact he keeps moving around isn't helping either. But there was some decent stuff like I said, like the revelation that Christine is pregnant with Wayne's child, which adds more emotional weight to her survival and her dynamic with Wayne - it makes sense why he wanted to protect her so much now. I also liked the chase scene, even though it was pretty strange that he ran, because that makes him look more guilty of him seemingly beating up Christine because of the bruises on her stomach (he didn't by the way, that was Dicky at the start). It was some much needed action, though, because this episode was a SLOG up til then, and even though it adds nothing to the writing of anything, at least it made me sit up in my seat a little straighter.

And lastly, Kevin. Once more the saving grace of this show. Seriously, this episode is damn lucky his scenes slapped as hard as they did or this rating genuinely could've been lower. Every scene he's in, I feel captivated and intriguing, which is (I think I've said this before, but whatever, it's stll true) large in part due to Justin Theroux's performance. I mean, that guy is pouring his heart and soul into this role, and fair dues, because it shows. The most notable scene where his performance came out, for me, was his argument scene, with Laurie. And speaking of, that was EASILY the best scene of the episode, like, seriously, by a considerable margin. So visceral, so real, the emotions were just laid out perfectly. And not just thanks to Theroux's performance. Laurie's actress (Amy Brenneman I believe her name is) nailed that quiet desperation role so well. Meg still sucks donkey balls though, so can she please get a little more interesting? That would make me happy. Another great Kevin scene was the introduction to his and Nora's dynamic. To be very honest, I don't remember much of it, because I watched this like 4 days ago, but it is obviously going to be integral to the rest of the series, because, well, I'm not oblivious, I know their relationship is very central to the show's story. The actors also have great chemistry, which I noticed right away, which always helps in portraying a dynamic on-screen.

So, yeah, I think that's pretty much it. I don't like talking shit about TV that much, because I love it so much, so that's all the yap you guys are getting on this episode. But, I will say, as much as I hated this, I'm hopeful it will pick up from here