Yeah, I get it. It's 21st century American entertainment industry... you can be religious, but you have to wink and nod and normalize fornication and joke about it over the dinner table. As my wife and I watched this, it's just one of those episodes we will probably try to erase from our image of the commissioner.
In some episodes he takes his faith and his integrity so seriously. Actually in all of them. But then in this one ... he actually seems to just have a roll-your-eyes attitude about it.
Actually jokes about being on his way to church after fornicating with her-- I mean, who wrote this episode? I can almost bet it wasn't the usual writer. Probably the show got some pressure from people because of some of the previously overt faith-based elements of some of the immediately prior episodes. Someone probably said, "yeah, we're getting a little to heavy with the religion... gotta spice it up for the average American viewer who wants to see someone he can relate to." I get it. I know the generation and culture I live in. But it's still lame.
The Frank who took his faith and his integrity so seriously in all previous episodes would not dare to joke about openly doing things that his faith says are directly grievous to the God at the center of that faith. It just doesn't make sense. It's like celebrating the beauty of veganism for 39 episodes and then having an episode where you have a hot dog-eating contest. And then wink and joke about it. (hardy har har).
It's trying to be a show that it's not. A show that it doesn't need to try to be, because that's every other show out there.
I have reviewed other episodes as 9s and 10s. This one really is an exception, and one I hope to soon forget.
The drama elements are amazing and the side-story with Jamie is top-notch, so that's why it does get 4-stars. But it really took a super honorable character and dipped him in the mud-- a kind of mud that is especially out of place for the specific kind of character the show has developed him to be.
I get the pressure they probably faced to do this. But it still was unnecessary and disappointing.
In some episodes he takes his faith and his integrity so seriously. Actually in all of them. But then in this one ... he actually seems to just have a roll-your-eyes attitude about it.
Actually jokes about being on his way to church after fornicating with her-- I mean, who wrote this episode? I can almost bet it wasn't the usual writer. Probably the show got some pressure from people because of some of the previously overt faith-based elements of some of the immediately prior episodes. Someone probably said, "yeah, we're getting a little to heavy with the religion... gotta spice it up for the average American viewer who wants to see someone he can relate to." I get it. I know the generation and culture I live in. But it's still lame.
The Frank who took his faith and his integrity so seriously in all previous episodes would not dare to joke about openly doing things that his faith says are directly grievous to the God at the center of that faith. It just doesn't make sense. It's like celebrating the beauty of veganism for 39 episodes and then having an episode where you have a hot dog-eating contest. And then wink and joke about it. (hardy har har).
It's trying to be a show that it's not. A show that it doesn't need to try to be, because that's every other show out there.
I have reviewed other episodes as 9s and 10s. This one really is an exception, and one I hope to soon forget.
The drama elements are amazing and the side-story with Jamie is top-notch, so that's why it does get 4-stars. But it really took a super honorable character and dipped him in the mud-- a kind of mud that is especially out of place for the specific kind of character the show has developed him to be.
I get the pressure they probably faced to do this. But it still was unnecessary and disappointing.
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