Once Again, ‘The Brink’ Fails to Deliver (TV Review)

[rating=5.00] “I’ll Never Be Batman”

This week’s The Brink played into fear. Fear of losing, fear of dying, fear of finding out you’re not good enough. Entitled “I’ll Never Be Batman” The Brink reminds us that no matter what we do, we’re always at the mercy of someone else’s circumstances. Since I’m not too fond of the lack of humor fluctuating in the series, I think analyzing pervasive themes will do just fine.

After Walter’s crippling urinary tract infection goes awry, he makes it his personal mission to save America and keep us all in one piece. It’s a valiant effort, yet seems to make more problems than it solves. Currently Walter seems to be the only hope in stopping the Evil General. His continued use of Alex in the field is keeping us connected to the character that doesn’t necessarily warrant attention. Alex is still a failure when it comes to being a useful human, aside from being able to provide niche call girls for the Secretary of State on a whim. Walter’s lack of fear is part of what makes him so great. The only thing he fears is the inability to flounce about with women when he so chooses. It’s a valid fear, and ultimately it’s what sets him apart from the other politicians.

I have to wonder, when the show was pitched to HBO and the writers described it as “satire” had they ever constructed a satirical piece? Or seen one? Most of the fun moments in the series so far feel like glitches in their poorly written season. I maintain that the show would be nothing without Tim Robbins, and generally everything about the series falls short but him. Even this week as he moaned through pain before his operation he wasn’t annoying, and because of the story building background it felt like something the character would actually do in that moment.

Zeke has hit a snag in his plans to take care of all of his children (including the unborn one stewing inside the Michelle Monaghan look alike.) Rather than face his fears and admit his failings to both the women in his life, he instead wonders aloud whether or not he could be Batman. One woman would serve as his Bruce Wayne persona, the other as the masked hero. During a mission to survey the potential war zone brewing, he finally admits defeat. This physically manifests itself when his plane is shot down, and he leaves the thought in the cockpit while parachuting to safety. Both he and his co-pilot end up landing on a field of land mines in the middle of enemy territory. I can foresee the eventual conclusion his storyline will reach: Zeke will become a POW, and will eventually be rescued leading to forgiveness by his superiors and his lady friends. Easy.

While Walter deals with the logistics behind saving the world, Alex continues to play the in-between man, a role that puts both him and Rafiq’s family in danger. Alex doesn’t seem to fear much, other than losing the decadence he’s grown so fond of just like Walter. Unlike Walter, he’s the worst, and there has yet to be a redeeming moment in his storyline. Rafiq on the other hand has everything to fear. Depending on who takes the leadership of the country, he and his family could easily be executed for conspiring with the enemy. Even after this all blows over, it could still come back and bite him in the ass if another coo were to occur. Where will Alex and his connections be then?

Part of a satirical process is making the audience think about consequences that they wouldn’t normally care about. If the President makes a wrong move, war is inevitable yes, but what does that mean for the countries involved? Again, think about Rafiq and his family. They’re probably going to die because of Alex’s faults. While the situation sucks, there’s supposed to be that situational comedy to fill the void. If Rafiq wasn’t Alex’s driver, and we never saw the characters onscreen would you still worry for the workers at the embassy? If the country goes to war, there’s a good chance that he could die at any moment. Again, this is where comedy should ensue, making it a funny think piece. Instead we’re left out to dry, fearing for the lives of those living in the Brink universe.

Perhaps that’s the point. Maybe HBO dressed the series up as something funny, even using characters with great timing to drive the point home. Maybe their failure is actually a supreme success. Maybe I’m overthinking things. Whatever the case, fear will continue to drive the characters and the storyline until the fears presented come to fruition or slink away into the recesses of our subconscious. Strangely enough, this wasn’t a terrible episode. In fact there seems to be an upward trend occurring. Hopefully the series will find its legs before the finale, as I don’t imagine it will make it to next summer’s programming docket.

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