Previously: Gareth joined Mystery, Inc.
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Talking Points Toward a Wholistic View of Activism in Government: Can the Top Rebel?
Dani: Our singing recapper (aka THE BEST THING EVER) (M: I’m gonna miss it so much) tells us what happened last week:
Laurel meets with Gustav and Rochelle, who share her suspicions. When she says the CIA is pissed at them because they prevented Red from being taken into custody the previous evening, Gustav points out that makes zero sense (they could arrest him whenever they wanted), which means the CIA director could be infected. They decide Laurel should meet with Red again, so they can take another shot at the queen.
Senate Budget Hearing. Quellek (the budget-interpreter guy) grabs Luke before the vote, because he needs more time to figure out what Red and Ella are hiding in the Farm Bill. There is no time, though — Luke has to argue this right now. Ella begins to call for a vote, so Luke quickly interrupts and invents some fake day of observance for Native-American-Iraqi-War-Veterans. This gets them to delay the vote by a day, because if there’s one thing our government excels at it’s wasting time.
Red is quiet throughout much of this, because the queen bug in his head is injured and it’s impacting his physical and mental health. He whimpers a bit and tells the committee they should hold the vote “because … you know” before dissolving into tears. Tony Shalhoub is such a gift.
Marines: He really is. I’m gonna miss him on my TV, too. I promise not to just pipe up in this recap when it’s time to say I’ll miss someone. I might be bad at keeping that promise.
Dani: Red limps back to his office and the queen comes out. She’s in bad shape, and Red tears up as he watches her. Ella barges in and berates Red, because they only have 12 days left on the countdown clock. She‘s disgusted by Red’s weakness and threatens to take over, but Red’s determined to fight.
Back in Luke’s offices, Quellek gets excited when one footnote in the budget leads to other footnotes, which is a sure sign they’re hiding something. Thousands of budget pages are strewn around the offices, and into this chaos walks Jake, Laurel’s documentary filmmaker partner from L.A. He brought champagne, because the Ocean League, a foundation fighting global warming, just gave them the funding they needed to finish their documentary on the Solomon Islands. Yay!
Laurel is thrilled — until she learns they got $2 million (more than they needed, plus the exact amount Red had offered Laurel last week). Jake says the Ocean League is totes legit, but it seems suspicious that they came to him and that they’re insisting Laurel and Jake be on location within three weeks. Laurel wants to delay, convinced this is Red trying to get rid of her, but Jake can’t believe she’d give up her dream to wallow in the political quagmire of D.C.
Laurel apologizes to Jake and then marches to Red’s office, telling him he can’t get rid of her so easily. Red’s lying on the sofa with a wet towel over his face, moaning and weeping, and he genuinely doesn’t seem to know what she’s talking about. So she returns to her office and watches her unfinished documentary, which looks beautiful but is clearly missing tons of shots. Then she looks at the pages of budget strewn around and decides to research The Ocean League. They actually do look legitimate.
Capitol. Gustav and Rochelle wait for Laurel, who’s asked to meet them but hasn’t said why. Gustav takes the opportunity to ask Rochelle out, but she laughs and says he lives in a basement apartment. (Rude.) He’s disappointed that it’s all about the money with her, but she says it’s really because they’re very different people and also she already has a boyfriend. Gustav is obviously stung by this rejection, although that doesn’t excuse him from responding with the always popular “then where is he?” defense. She gave you an answer, Gustav. No means no. And frankly, you should value yourself too much to want someone who laughs at you, or who so easily dismisses you as weird and poor.
Mari: So true on all accounts. Also, I like these two together so much. In a friendship way, if not in a ship way, and I’m disappointed that Rochelle was so rude to him here, though that doesn’t excuse Gustav’s reply. BE BETTER, YOU TWO.
Dani: Laurel arrives and thinks maybe they should let the CIA handle this, after all. She tries to convince the others that the situation is too big for them to tackle alone, and there’s probably no solution anyway, so why bother. I suspect she’s hoping they’ll give her a pass on the whole ‘save mankind from extinction’ thing so she can go make her documentary without feeling guilty for abandoning them. She’s all ‘meh, what can we do?’ Gustav again suggests they kill Red, and Laurel decides she’s out for reals. Gustav calls her on her indifference, and Laurel insults him until he tells her to go to hell.
Scoobies OUT!
Laurel determinedly calls Jake and says they’re a “go” for the Solomon Islands, and the title sequence rolls.
Mari: She’s being so obtuse, I convinced myself she’s doing it on purpose to mislead… some people… and stuff.
Dani: After the break, Gareth and Laurel are taking a walk, and he’s peppering her with questions about Luke’s true motivations for trying to stop the budget. Laurel doesn’t follow, so he reminds her he’s a conservative and she’s a liberal, and their priorities will always be different. Laurel decides this is a good time to tell him she got the funding for her documentary. Gareth asks which documentary, because he’s sweet and actually watched her unfinished documentary on yodeling. He congratulates her, but then she tells him filming starts in three weeks which means she’s leaving. She explains that she never finishes anything (preach, girl) and now she has a chance to do what she loves, and she is not throwing away her shot.
Damn, not even Hamilton can distract me from how sad Gareth looks when Laurel tells him she’s actually leaving in one week. She says she’ll be back, and then, if they still like each other they can move in together, or whatever he wants. Gareth’s phone buzzes, and he says it’s the senator and he has to get back to work. He leaves Laurel alone on the rooftop, and I guess rejection and being left alone is sort of the theme of this week’s episode.
Back in his office, Gareth angrily slams his chair into his desk. Red calls for him, pleading for his help. He looks weak, but he has a surprisingly strong grip as he grabs Gareth’s arm. Red insists Gareth get him through the budget vote by writing him a script, like he used to do when Red was a drunken reprobate (the good old days).
Gareth: Why are you doing this, Senator? What’s the goal?
Red: Survival.
Gareth: Survival of who?
Red: “Whom.”
The way infected people can never seem to let this particular grammar error slide has to be one of my favorite recurring jokes on the show. It’s right up there with evil juice cleanses and liberals fangirling various Scandinavian countries.
Mari: Good bye whom, evil juice cleanses and liberal fangirling over various Scandinavian countries! Good bye!
Dani: Teach ’em how to say goodbye!
Elsewhere, Laurel gives Luke her resignation letter, but he doesn’t accept it. She’s the only person in the office he can trust, and he looks truly despondent over the thought of losing her. Danny Pino’s a fine actor, and the emotions that play across his face as he tries to think of some way to convince Laurel to stay gives me all the feels. He finally gives up and looks a bit misty-eyed when he tells her to just stay until they get through the budget thing. Laurel asks how long that will be (chill, girl), and Luke huffs and tells her probably not long at all now.
Senate Budget Committee. Red reads the script Gareth has prepared for him, to hilarious effect. At one point he just descends into weird, guttural noises. Then he recovers and finishes strong, giving Gareth (who’s sitting behind him) a thumbs-up. Laurel watches from across the room, and their gazes meet just long enough to break my heart.
Ella requests Red be removed, due to his obvious poor health. Gareth hastily pens a reply for Red to read.
Red: Madam Chairwoman, I object. I would like to remind you … that you intend to be absent from this committee… in order to procure… a Chinese labia.
Everyone: …
Red: …erm, in order to adopt a Chinese baby.
Ella continues to argue, and Gareth continues to scribble retorts for Red to read. It’s pretty clear he’s the only thing keeping Red in the game. Ella wheels her chair back a couple of times to glare at Gareth, and she looks super pissed.
Later, Ella meets with an angry liberal who’s taking a break from protesting to sit on a park bench and listen to opera. Ella reminds him how important their cause (and funding for the arts) is. She tells him to “deal with” Red’s chief of staff, and the guy agrees. Well, shit.
Back in Laurel’s office, Quellek runs in and giddily demands alcohol. He breaks open Laurel’s bottle of champagne, because he finally found what was hidden in the budget: $108 million worth of glass, buried under the guise of budgetary windows (when it’s for actual windows). This is weird, since internment camps don’t typically have a lot of windows. Laurel suggests a field trip to the closest site, over in Manassas, Virginia (which is also the site of the first major Civil War land battle… probably not a coincidence).
Once there, they meet with the construction site foreman. Laurel introduces herself, but Quellek goes the Gustav-clever-pseudonym route and says his name is Hardy. Laurel and Hardy… I see what you did there, Quellek. The foreman says it’s about damned time someone from Congress stopped by because the whole project is a clusterfuck. Wait… he’s seen how Congress works, right? I wouldn’t exactly count on them for agile, streamlined solutions.
The site plans call for each building holding 500 beds, but there are no bathrooms and the only plumbing is for sprinkler systems. Laurel gazes out the window and realizes they’re building massive greenhouses, not internment camps. So she returns to the office and tells Luke everything. Turns out the “beds” weren’t for people… they’re actually flower beds to grow cherry blossoms year-round. Aha! I really like how the writers solved the obvious plot hole of cherry blossoms having a short season.
Laurel tells Luke he has to tell the CIA, but he insists they have it under control. Maybe so, Laurel says, but is he sure they know about this part of the plan? There are sites in 80 different towns across America, so this is way bigger than just D.C. Laurel’s still arguing her case when there’s a knock on the (open) office door.
Mari: Seriously, Laurel? Didn’t we just decide the CIA was bad news??
Dani: Once he leaves, Laurel joins Gareth, who admits he’s been drinking, but just a little. He holds up his fingers to indicate that he’s had an inch or so, but then he broadens them a bit, so yeah. He’s toasted.
Gareth tells Laurel he needs to ask her something, and I’ll bet it’s not what she was expecting.
Laurel is understandably surprised, but Gareth smiles and says it again. While Laurel is still processing this, Gareth announces that he’s going to go now, then he says goodbye and chuckles as he leaves. I’m not sure if the laugh comes from knowing he just stunned her, or from disbelief that he actually just proposed, or because he’s drunk and just being a clown.
Dammit, Gareth… you can’t say something like that and then just walk away!
CIA Headquarters. Luke meets with Isenstadt, who has mastered the art of smiling in a way that shows everyone you’re the opposite of happy. Luke tells him about the greenhouses, and if I didn’t know the guy was infected I’d find it weird that he gets so annoyed. Isenstadt says he’d never try to do Luke’s job, and he expects the same in return. He starts to leave, but Luke points out this IS his job. He’s a senator, and he’s voting on the budget bill today. Isenstadt assures Luke they have everything under control and heads for the door again. Luke asks if the CIA knew about the greenhouses, and Isenstadt says of course and walks away. Luke ponders for a moment and then asks about something he knows is untrue: bugs tampering with the water supply. Isenstadt says they know all about that, too, because he’s a lying liar who lies.
Laurel is waiting for Luke back in his office, but she gets distracted by his wedding photo. She doesn’t exactly have a lot of great male role models in her life when it comes to marriage, you know? (M: Aw, girl.)
Luke arrives and lets her know the CIA lied about having the bug situation under control. She asks what he’s going to do, and he says he’s gonna get mad. Good things generally happen when Luke gets mad, so yay. Luke calls Papa Healy for advice, but Laurel hangs up before the call goes through. I guess it’s time she told her brother that their father is infected with the space bugs, too.
Luke confronts Papa Healy, and although Dean tries to dismiss it as Laurel’s overly active imagination Luke knows the truth. Luke tears up and realizes he’s on his own.
Mari: His dad is infected and his sister is leaving him. It’s been a very rough day for Luke.
Dani: Senate Budget Vote. Luke is having seriously deep thoughts as the Committee chair begins the session. He asks to speak before everyone votes, and he uses his time to raise lots of questions about the mysterious structures and tons of expensive glass being funded by the Farm Bill. He suggests they carve this section from the rest of the budget and have a separate vote, giving them more time to research the provisions in the Farm Bill — unless Red and Ella can explain it.
Ella declines, but Red says the buildings are for “secret” use. Luke asks why they’re secret, and Red looks to Gareth for help. But Gareth turns over his notebook; he can’t (or won’t) help Red with this. The Committee chair says they’ll discuss separating the section on farm provisions.
Later that night, Gareth is walking outside the Senate when Ella’s angry liberal opera fan leaps out and attacks him with a dagger. Luckily, Gareth blocks some of the blade with a pizza box he was carrying, but the guy isn’t deterred and tries to stab him many more times. The entire fight scene is choreographed to Act III of Verdi’s Nabucco, which overtakes the soundtrack as the men struggle. The dude even sings along. (M: Dammit, I’m gonna miss this show.) (D: It was SO creative!) Gareth eventually manages to knock the dagger out of the guy’s hand, and they both tumble down the steps and land in a seemingly unconscious heap at the bottom.
After the not-commercial break, Laurel arrives in Gareth’s hospital room, where he assures her he’s totally fine despite the stab wounds and broken arm.
I’m sorry, Gareth, what were you saying? I got distracted…
Mari: Even adorable while stabbed, can confirm.
Dani: Laurel fusses over him, but he again assures her it was just attempted murder, NBD. She’s not allowed to pity him, but she says it’s not pity; she was just freaked out because the last time they spoke he asked her to marry him. Gareth says yeah, about that…
He claims he was just joking around because alcohol, and anyway it wouldn’t make sense with everything going on, right? Laurel seems disappointed, perhaps, and says when she heard about the stabbing she was afraid he’d died. She admits she has a thing for the dramz and mentions the proposal again, but Gareth is sticking with it being a joke. (Isn’t that what he said when their first kiss turned all srs bsns, too?)
I get why Gareth is walking back his proposal and how no one wants the pain of rejection… but I’m not a fan of the “LOL, J/K, I WAS DRUNK” defense. Is he implying “sober me would never want to marry you?” Or “sober me is too scared to risk my heart?” I choose to believe it’s the latter, but I hate that there’s the possibility for ambiguity there.
Mari: Same. There is a way to communicate that a proposal was extreme without trying to back out of the feelings behind it.
Dani: Laurel thinks for a moment, then tells him to come with her to the Solomon Islands and help her make her documentary. But Gareth says he can’t be her “kept man” because he’s just not that person.
Laurel: Then what do we do?
Gareth: We do what we need to do. I need to stay, and… you need to go.
Ouch.
Don’t worry, Gareth. I happen to know of another outspoken, bleeding-heart liberal who’s available. (CALL ME.)
Mari: I can one-up you with experience in commitment issues. We can fake-propose to each other until the cows come home, Gareth! Call me!
Dani: Oh, Mari… you’re such a Tveit-er Tot.
Luke’s in his office the next day, eating lunch, when CIA Director Isenstadt surprises him. Isenstadt wants to know what the hell Luke is doing, trying to separate the Farm Bill from the budget. Luke knows that if the CIA really wanted to stop the bugs they’d be grateful for his actions, but Isenstadt says they can’t let the bugs know they’re onto them. Luke calls bullshit on the CIA’s “secret plan” and Isenstadt gets so annoyed his ear starts leaking. He hurries away, but not before implying Luke won’t be getting that CIA Director job, after all.
Senate Budget Committee. The members vote on whether to separate the Farm Bill, and Luke loses by one vote. He’s disappointed, but then he sees Isenstadt beaming from the sidelines and gets all fired up. He leaves his seat, gets the attention of all the cameras, and announces a sit-in protest. A few other senators join him on the floor, much to the anger of Red and Ella.
Red goes back to his office, turns out the lights, and snorts some lines of seaweed. Ella comes in and tells him it won’t help. He’s weak, and he needs to go. She pulls a gun on him and demands he force the queen out of his head. He tells her to go ahead and shoot, and she does — only she forgot to turn off the safety. Red wrestles the gun away from her and shoots her in the head. Damn, how many people has Red killed now? Four?
The king bug leaves Ella’s head, and the queen instantly swoops down, tears him to pieces, and eats him. Vicious! (M: Uh, girl power?)
Over in the Senate, Luke is rallying the members of the sit-in with chants and inspirational speeches. Luke may be a shitty husband (and he’ll probably be a shitty father), but I love to see him fighting for what he believes is right. We know how much he wanted that CIA Direction position, and it would have been so easy to let his ambition overrule his principles.
Red comes in, and he looks newly energized. I guess nothing puts a pep in your step like a little light murder. Red chastises Luke for circumventing the democratic process: Luke lost the vote, and he can’t just throw a tantrum until he gets his way. But Luke insists the sit-in will last until the full Senate returns to vote.
Meanwhile, Laurel is watching her documentary while all the office TVs are tuned into the sit-in. The Melanesian choir music blends with the choruses of “We Shall Not Be Moved” coming from the senate floor in a nicely poignant way, and Laurel turns her attention to Luke and watches him with obvious pride.
Laurel texts Luke to tell him he looks good on TV, which galvanizes him to deliver a rousing speech… that no one will hear because the feed gets cut. Turns out the majority party gets to control the cameras, and Red, as majority chair, had them turned off.
Laurel lets Luke know he’s no longer being broadcast. He urges Red not to silence them, but Red just laughs at him and walks out. Luke asks Laurel if the cameras are still off, and she hesitantly responds yes. She seems to be thinking, though…
Later, Red is feeling good and back to lifting weights in his office. He mentions Laurel to Gareth, but Gareth sad pandas about how she’s leaving town. Red just laughs, because he thinks there is zero chance Laurel would leave a guy with such amazingly perfect hair. (Red actually says it’s because Gareth’s so sweet, and okay sure but also OMG THAT HAIR.)
Senate floor. Laurel makes her way to Luke, who’s surprised to see she hasn’t left yet. She said she changed her mind when he decided to “go all Berkeley” and stage a sit-in. She wants to see it through to the end, but Luke says this pretty much is the end because he doesn’t have a live feed. Laurel points to his phone and says sure he does.
C-SPAN2 returns, this time live-streaming from Luke’s Periscope app. (M: Hooray social media!) Red asks Gareth how you turn it off, but Gareth just smirks a little and tells him, “you don’t, Senator.” Red is not amused.
Gareth returns to his office, where Laurel is waiting. He stoically asks when she’s leaving, and she gives him a nice, long kiss and says when the job’s done. Gareth notes how happy she seems, and Laurel says that if the world is going to end then she wants to be a part of it. They kiss again, and Gareth is totally on board with this new plan. He asks what they need to do, and Laurel just grins and says she’ll be back. Then she kisses him again and takes off.
Rochelle and Gustav are hanging out when Laurels bursts into the room looking like she’s ready to kick ass and take names.
Rochelle: Laurel! What’s up?
Gustav: Yeah, what’s up, Laurel? Why aren’t you on your plane to… [thinks, gets annoyed]… something mean I’ll think of later.
Laurel tells them she’s staying. Not only that, but she knows what the bugs’ plan is — and she thinks she knows how to stop it.
Roll credits.
I enjoyed this episode. Luke is fun to watch when he’s adrenalized about something, and even though Laurel lost her way for a while, it was interesting to see her journey as she figured out what mattered most. The feminist in me was glad it wasn’t just a boyfriend that made her stick around, but rather it was seeing Luke’s passion for their democratic ideals and realizing the choir of voices he’d raised in protest — while different from those in the Solomon Islands — were equally compelling … and perhaps equally threatened. (The hopeless romantic in me only cares about MOAR KISSING PLS, so this episodes satisfied on both counts.)
There were a lot of threads left dangling, but they did a fine job of setting up the season (and the series) finale. Only one episode left. I can’t believe it’s almost over. I… I have to go now.
Next time on BrainDead: Laurel has a plan to stop the space bugs in S01 E13, The End of All We Hold Dear: What Happens When Democracies Fail
I’m a serial procrastinator and a genuinely terrible singer, and if anyone knows how to monetize either of these skills please hit me up. In my spare time, I like to study Dutch painters, Italian architecture, and Canadian bacon.
I'm a 30-something south Floridan who loves the beach but cannot swim. Such is my life, full of small contradictions and little trivialities. My main life goals are never to take life too seriously, but to do everything I attempt seriously well. After that, my life goals devolve into things like not wearing pants and eating all of the Zebra Cakes in the world. THE WORLD.
