TV REVIEW: Graceland Connects with Hints of What’s to Come in Season Two

We’re two episodes in on this season’s Graceland, and it feels like we’re being set up.

No, not like the drug dealers who don’t have a clue the hot characters are FBI or DEA, but more like set up with all the major plot points of this sophomore season. Last week, we got our boy Mike Warren back. This week we see where everyone is headed. Mike is vying for head asshole position of the house, Jakes for Father of the Year, Charlie for most likely to end up in a straight jacket, Johnny for Class Clown, Paige for Who Wore Nothing Better, and Briggs for the Tinman Award (the guy who needs to find a heart).

Let’s take a look at the happenings that had more connections than a Quentin Tarantino classic.

“Connects” begins with Paul Briggs deciding he needs to take an all inclusive vacation to Mexico. He says he’s got a “thousand Mexican mugshots” to go after and calling some of his old contacts in an effort to find out who would like Mike dead.  Briggs wants to go south of the border, and we’re not talking Taco Bell. He wants to meet with the head of Caza to find out who put the hit on Mike. He leaves telling Mike, “Don’t tell Mom (Charlie)!”

Cut to next scene, and we can tell he’s arrived in our neighbor to the south because everything is in sepia tones and there’s Spanish on the radio and cowboy hats on all the heads. Yep, must be Mexico.

(Photo by: Jeff Daly/USA Network)

Briggs gets dropped off in a field for his meet with the head of the cartel. He follows the bleats of a goat (no joke) and ends up at the house of the bad guy who is now apparently not so bad. I guess revealing a hit man trumps being a major drug dealer in Gracelandia.

The two men bond over a dinner of goat. Yes, the same one that was bleating and looking so cute at the beginning. They talk shop about work with cartel guy saying, “I disagree with what you do. Pretending to be something you are not is despicable.” While selling drugs is kinda like curing cancer? Caza bad guy promises he’ll let Briggs know if he hears anything about the Mike takedown.

Charlie uses her crime fighting skills to discover that Paul is not in the house. What was your first clue? That he was not in any of the rooms and not in the house? She goes crazy eye mode when she finds out he’s in Mexico with the guy who ordered his abduction and forced heroin use. She blames Mike saying, “He went down there for YOU!” Wow, a little jealous, girl? He’ll be back.

Paige is undercover working with a loser who has all the charm of James Franco’s Alien in Spring Breakers. She’s hoping he can lead to a big drug manufacturer, but she’s running out of time. You see, Big Mike has decided that he needs all of the Gracelanders working on his case, so he’s told them to wrap up their cute little cases to free up schedules. Yes, he’s winning in that top asshole thing I mentioned earlier.

Mike suggests to just hand the case off to someone else. She can’t do it; she wants to see the thing through. He says, “I’ll take a look at it little lady. Don’t worry your pretty head about anything” because he can probably wrap it up in like 15 minutes even though she’s been working on the case for four months. Did I mention he’s winning the top ass… never mind.

(Photo by: Jeff Daly/USA Network)

Jakes and Johnny are going through some growing pains taking their relationship to the next level. Not really. But Johnny does know that something is up with his unwilling buddy. “Why’d you stop labeling everything? Maybe you’re leaving?” Yes, he used his cop skills too.

Jakes answers with, “Living in a co-ed frathouse was not my dream.” He tells Johnny about his nine-year-old son, his messing up the whole dad thing, and how he’s trying to turn back time and change it all for the better. He got an apartment and is looking at a desk job. I think Johnny has a tear in his eye and forces Jakes to hug it out.

Briggs returns from his Mexican fiesta looking all proud of himself for meeting the head of the Caza cartel. Charlie brings him down to earth saying, “You’re an asshole.” She’s resentful that he set up the meet without telling her. He counters with an accusation that she’s sneaking out at night. She throws him a file saying, “This is what I’m doing.”

Paul sees that the file is on Juan Badillo’s widow. Juan’s the FBI guy who pretended to be Jangles, a drug dealer, confronted Briggs, and got himself killed by Briggs who is Odin, another drug dealer. You will need a serious flow chart to keep up with all of this.

With the emotional feel of the night, Jakes is working to be a better man calling his ex-wife, and excited about his new apartment. Later he shows up at her house wearing a suit, looking all pretty. She says, “This isn’t happening” and really means it. Cops come busting out of the house with a restraining order, throwing him on the ground, and then into a cop car. All as his cute son comes rolling up on his bike calling, “Dad!” No second chances in Graceland, Dale. Unless your name is Paul Briggs.

(Photo by: Jeff Daly/USA Network)

Meanwhile, Mike gets his special video-enhancing FBI people to work on Paige’s case analyzing a video of Alien on the phone with the big time drug maker. There’s even a deaf girl who can read the lips of anyone because that’s what deaf girls do. You did not just pull out the deaf girl card to get in good with Paige? Lip reader reveals that the big meet will go down in thirty minutes. Paige goes to James Franco’s house with pizza, the bad guy shows up, and they bust him. Mike, my hero!

Charlie is on a downward spiral, the full extent of which is revealed in a heartfelt conversation with Briggs. He tries to get her to give up her widow stalking, but she says, “Jangles didn’t kill Juan. I did. I sat next to that Federale for weeks without a clue… I let a psychopath destroy that family… Everything I touch turns to shit.”

Briggs tells her she’s gotta follow the Frozen philosophy and let it go. “It’s gonna drag you down. Trust me on that one.”

Paul can’t follow his own advice and gives poor widow another stalker. He follows her into a store  where she’s buying liquor. He pretends that he knows her from a “meeting” and makes small talk. He says they’re just “two drunks off the wagon.” I know that line always works on me. She offers him coffee instead, and we see the pair in a diner sharing stories like about the time Briggs had a houseful of friends who all died in a fire.

We find out who put the hit out on young Warren when Briggs and Mike show up at a warehouse where a goat and a picture have been left out. The picture is of a bad guy named Carlos or Carlito. I feel another trip to Mexico may be in order.

Mike’s talking to new girlfriend about needing each other and making it work. He sees Paige naked across the hall in her room.  She’s showing him the goods … All of them. He hangs up with what’s her name and goes to Paige’s room closing the door.

So many things were set up in “Connections” with storyline threads weaving in and out of the Jangles/Odin/Caza story arc of last season. Also, connections with our Graceland hotties were either strengthened or beginning to unravel.

What did you think? Are you excited with the set-up of things to come?

Graceland airs on USA network Wednesdays at 10 pm.

Random Notes

• That cheesy clunker of intro has to go. C’mon USA, order a re-do of that introduction! The show is so much better than the 80’s music, quick scrolling close-ups of the cast that tell us Graceland has begun.
• Johnny, what are we going to do with you? After Jakes says he has a nine-year-old son, Johnny asks for how long. Well, maybe for NINE YEARS.
• Mike kicks out new guy from Graceland for about one minute. He’s told that they have an extra room because Jakes moved out, so new guy, come back.
• It’s baaaaaack! The incriminating tape of Briggs arguing and shooting Juan shows up being played from a car with a bunch of teens listening. The dad of one of the teens says it’s not real and throws the incriminating evidence into the glove box. Whew, close call Briggs, for now. I’m sure it will be back again.