This week brought us the best episode yet, with lots of wonderful interactions between Duval and Jimmy (admittedly reminiscent of another familiar duo), a complete whackjob of a villain, and the continued merging of Jimmy’s old life with his new one. The writers brought a great balance of poignant scenes, snarky dialogue, and some pretty intense action, all culminating in a big reveal.
What did you think of From Darkness, The Sun ?
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This is easily my favorite episode of the first three, watching TDK play Duval learning the truth about Jimmy being the most important reason why. I hope their very complex relationship is explored with depth and honesty–Duval and Jimmy have decades of unhappy history, after all–and that serious emotional issues aren’t glossed over for the sake of witty repartee and solving the case-of-the-week. We’ve been told that Jimmy was a terrible husband and father, and those scars don’t heal easily, if at all.
Speaking of witty repartee, the snarky exchanges between Duval and Jimmy convey a hint of darker undertones that the light banter between Peter and Neal usually did not. I actually don’t see much similarity between Duval/Jimmy and Peter/Neal beyond their both being unlikely partnerships (which is a good thing; they’re different characters with different histories in different settings).
That said, there is nice chemistry between TDK and RK, and one senses an emotional connection forming between their characters despite Duval’s uneasiness. Their scene at Jimmy’s “grave” was unexpectedly poignant, for Duval as well as for the audience.
My favorite line is (paraphrasing) Gracie’s “Dad brings me the good stuff from the evidence locker” –that girl seems to have inherited her father’s, and grandfather’s, instincts and quick wit.
Apparently, the bad guys Jimmy and Duval are fighting represent both literal and figurative demons for Jimmy. Jimmy, thus far, has been attempting to justify the choices he made as a parent, but even the most well intended parental choices can have unexpected consequences if the child’s perspective isn’t considered. Besides, I’m not convinced that Jimmy simply wasn’t the selfish bastard Duval claims, that his intentions weren’t wholly self-serving, and that he’s delusional if he thinks Duval turning out so well is to his (Jimmy’s) credit.
I thought Lookinglass was a social media company, not a law enforcement agency. How is it that no one from the FBI, other than Duval, is aware of their involvement in solving major crimes?
If we’re supposed to be rooting for a Jimmy/Mary romance, it’s not working. Jimmy’s leering is the antithesis of “charming”.
This is probably just wishful thinking, but after watching this episode I felt a glimmer of hope that Second Chance might actually survive the renew/cancel cut. Fingers crossed for good Friday numbers.
Regarding Lookinglass’ involvement, I don’t think there’s really any as far as the FBI is concerned. Last week Mary was gone before Duval arrived to the scene and this week, it was again very peripherical. Duval can probably get away with it without mentioning her tip in his report.
And officially she was offering tech support to Davis regarding the missing footage (and now that he’s dead and the son in jail, they might very well recover it)
I think as the season moves forward, part of Duval’s problem will be keeping Jimmy’s re-birth and involvement with the FBI out of the official record. But in last week’s episode, it was Jimmy and Mary who actually found the kidnapped child and carried her to safety. How does that go unnoticed by other law enforcement or the child’s mother?
True. There’s also that they need to close the “what happened on the brigde” case. The FBI boss said she’d talked about it again, right?
Though in the future, I’m guessing at some point Duval is going to make Jimmy a consultant somehow.
They’ll need to explain his presence in some way, and making Jimmy a consultant is as good an explanation as any.
Duval seems harder than Peter, and it’s easy to see why–an unhappy childhood, a deceased wife (I assume), a partner’s betrayal, and a disgraced father’s legacy. That’s a lot of stuff to carry around in your head and on your soul.
I’m so loving the banter and one liners in this show!
“FBI, no FBI” – “Dad gives me all the good stuff from the evidence locker” etc…
And the Duval/Jimmy relationship is really the emotional core. I already can’t wait for next week!
All the actors are doing a fine job, but Tim is totally rocking it (and it’s not just that I’m biased!).
I loved the scene at the grave, and of course, the entire finale sequence, from Jimmy being shot to the exchange in the car, to the finale scene.
I have so much love for emotional Tim. ♥♥
I also really like Alexa. I loved how she misread the situation with Jimmy. LOL
I hope they’ll explore further the complexity of Jimmy/Mary – Because Jimmy is still an old guy, despite the appearances. And also I’d like to see more of Jimmy’s state of mind regarding the fact he’s been brought back to life against his will. Plus being thethered to that tank, it’s not really a life for him.
Is it Friday yet?
The writers have thrown so many eggs into the basket, I am concerned about the depth each relationship will be given. Jimmy and Mary, regardless of any potential romance, are connected for life whether they desire it or not, and that’s all on Mary. She created this situation. Their story could easily fall under the heading: Be Careful What You Wish For.
If told carefully and thoughtfully, Jimmy’s story could be a compelling character study of a man beholden to powers beyond his control. Jimmy may not have committed suicide, but, judging from his apathy in the pilot episode, he wasn’t exactly enjoying his life either. Plus, Mary’s manipulation of him could easily be construed as a serious breach of medical and scientific ethics (and moral human behavior) which, in its own way, is more horrifying than anything Jimmy did in his sorry life.
Tim is simply stellar, the most (maybe only) important reason I’m watching this show. This role will hopefully allow him to tap into emotional areas not explored in his other roles, specifically the complexity of the parent/child bond.
I like Alexa too (more than Mary at the moment, if I’m honest).
I agree with everything you said here!
This story has a lot of potential, though I’m not sure a network procedural would be the best format for it. And I’m afraid Fox won’t give it enough time to explore all the stories anyway…
Second Chance is the creation of Rand Ravich– Fox simply bought what he was selling. How much Fox execs tried to alter the series is unclear–obviously, given the numerous title changes so late in the development process, there was uncertainty among the higher-ups. But I think it was Ravich, whose previous launches of more serialized programming have failed, who wanted to ground SC in a procedural format.
Unfortunately, you’re right, it probably won’t matter. If ratings drop again next week, we’ll be lucky to see all 11 episodes.
In case you haven’t seen the ratings and are curious–
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/01/30/tv-ratings-friday-jan-29-2016/
Whatever brief rush of hope I felt last night is essentially gone. But even before I saw last night’s numbers, I think I realized, deep down, that Fox no longer believes in this show when it got zero promotional push during the two X-Files episodes. Before the pilot aired, I saw many trailers during highly-watched programming, such as Empire, the NFL playoffs, and American Horror Story; Hotel (cable’s highest rated scripted show). Now, I see next to nothing. And given Fox’s past treatment of low-rated sci fi, I just hope they pull the plug in time to free Tim up for pilot season.
very true. This and the fact that they’re releasing sneek peaks from the shocking cliffhanger of an episode just before it airs as a desperate move to keep the audience coming, it doesn’t bode well.
At least, hopefully, all the casting people will have noticed how amazing Tim is and will want him on their next show.
Casting directors knew Tim’s value long before Second Chance–after all, he didn’t even have to read for White Collar. He was sent the pilot script and asked to come in for a chemistry read with Matt, skipping a step in the audition process.
White Collar raised Tim’s profile, but his reputation preceded even that role. Jeff Eastin knew him from Carnivale, and I imagine his roles on that and Tell Me You Love Me are when TV casting directors began thinking of Tim as more than a character actor and as a potential lead (remember WC casting director Gail Pillsbury’s reaction to Eastin when she learned Tim was available–something like, “we are so lucky to see Tim, you don’t understand, HBO has had him tied up for years.”).
This experience with SC reminds me how difficult it is for any series to become established, much less a bona fide hit. For a series to last as long as WC is rare (when one considers the vast number of pilots ordered each season).
This ep was so good! The interactiion between Duval and Jimmy is more and more… interesting the case of the week was weak…a psycopatic son and a dad who cover for him but that doesn’t matter .. what I am interested is the evolving relationship between the other two dad&son .. Tim portrays Duval so well with all those emotional aspects in one hand he ‘s the man who want to know if Jimmy is really family and where he is come from and on the other he ‘s the FBI agent that want to find the real truth behind the smoky answers that Mary and Jimmy are giving him the
I don’t know if FOX will give a “second chance” to this show but I think it worth !! There is so much potential . ..and not only a week case to solve it is all the ethic and moral stuff that could lift up the show …I was wondering how many times Jimmy can be “repaired” and every time he goes in that tank what happens to his body and brain …he regenerate himself ok but at what price?
Yes the case was not really interesting. I have a feeling that, contrary to White Collar, where sometime I wished they didn’t forget to make a proper case of the week, in Second Chance, I won’t be much interested in them…
This was a superb episode, the equal of any other show out there. I really want this to survive because I’m really enjoying it. The dialogue and the characters are really well written.