BrainDead Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Taking on Water: How Leaks in D.C. are Discovered and Patched
Carissa Pavlica
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Laughing out loud and retching.
That's what I'll remember about BrainDead Season 1 Episode 9, because I did both in equal measure. Gareth probably did more of the latter, as he didn't find it very funny at all that Laurel's sex life was under scrutiny by Red and his new friend, Ashley.
Especially since Gareth fell prey to the lies printed in the enormously thick file. Whoops.
The ears and alients took a backseat to the political scandals on "Taking on Water..." as a special prosecutor was named to look into a leak that meant Claudia Monarch went live with the news there was no tie between the Syrians and head explosions.
Brooke Adams' character was the ultimate leak, but Red was trying to pin it on the Healys. Why not? They're on the other side of the aisle. Do we even know on what side of the aisle Adams' character sit?
If at some point there is a showdown between Shaloub and Adams, it will be fun if only because they're married. Make it so.
There was a lot going on about room SRB 54, sure, but it wasn't nearly as exciting as what was happening with Luke and Laurel (does anybody else hear Luke and Laurel each time they read that, or am I just really old?).
In any event, nobody really cared about Luke's sexual history because he practically had sex while in the middle of senate meetings. He's a bit of a sleaze bag. At least he was before Laurel arrived and his juicy side morsel turned into an alient.
Now Luke is so busy trying to save the world from what he thinks is conservative destruction that Laurel's concocted love life looks a lot more interesting.
And, frankly, when the rumors are flying around like her's they are a lot more interesting. Or a lot more gross.
When Gareth read in Laurel's file that she might have slept with Michael Moore, he ran to the bathroom and retched. My immediate reaction was a spit take of laughter.
Now, it's kind of difficult not to bring your own politics into BrainDead, but mine are middle of the road. I'd rather be hit by a truck in the middle of that road than ever have any kind of encounter with Michael Moore, so Gareth's reaction was awesome.
The poor guy couldn't get any of the rest of it right, either. Really, if Laurel did sleep with Michael Moore, it was none of his business, but the video the BrainDead folks put together was so brilliant, if it had been playing in my head, I wouldn't have been able to get over it either.
Hell, it might give me nightmares.
The thought of Laurel and Gareth breaking up over that, though, is really hard for this heart to take. I'm not a shipper. I do not fall lightly into romantic pairings on television. In fact, I steer clear of them as much as possible, as they tend to ruin shows and make fans go nuts.
But these two have something so unique that I don't want it to go away because of this. Even as she was saying they needed a break because they had too little in common after all, it was obvious deep down Laurel was not sure that was true. And yet...
Gareth: Did you really sleep with Michael Moore?
Laurel: Do you really want to know?
Gareth: I don't know...yes?
Laurel: Then yes. Just once, at Sundance. Now let's get dinner.
Laurel pulled The Contender on Gareth. That is one of my all time favorite movies, you guys. And yes, I'd rather have a thing with Ann Coulter than Michael Moore. But I'd also rather Laurel stick to her lie and defend her right to do whatever she wants just on the principle that she can.
It should never have come between them, and that it did and Gareth let it, not apologizing until he heard it wasn't true, well, then he's probably not good enough for Laurel. He needs to examine his understanding of freedom and privacy and love and probably a lot more.
And if you haven't seen The Contender, please do. What a wonderful movie.
My natural retching point came when this happened:
Well if this is a war, and I'm you're enemy, then why not take out a gun and shoot me right now? That's what the words mean! You can't just s... [Red has pulled out a gun and he shoots Mr. Bach]
Mr. Bach
Not because Red shot the guy, because the guy was right. If those are Red's beliefs, then Red should stand behind them. And since Red isn't even Red anymore, why not? He has not ties to the Constitution or any of the Amendments. Go for broke, alient. You're the Queen, after all.
But when he went over to the wall, scooped up brain matter and plopped it into his mouth, I seriously almost threw up. You just know someone is going to think he made homemade cranberry sauce and that's what is resting inside that Glad container. Nobody is going to admit to stealing Red's snack out of the refrigerator.
BrainDead is going insane. "Taking on Water..." proved we don't even need the alient antics forA this show soar. The Kings have previously proven their keen sense of understanding the liberals and conservatives on a human level, and I think they did that again here.
What did you think? Hit the comments and talk about whether you laughed, retched and what's next for the alients and our couple of polar opposites.
Don't forget you can also watch BrainDead online anytime you get the urge!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
