Flack Review: Brooke (Season 1 Episode 4)
With only two episodes left of its first season (being optimistic here), the script gets flipped on Flack Season 1 Episode 4, “Brooke.”
Personal lives surge to the forefront while the career-in-freefall storyline takes a backseat. What a storyline it is, too!
Remember HBO’s old hit series, Six Feet Under? Every episode kicked off with a death — more often than not a shocking, even comical one. Then the family and/or friends of that dead character took center stage — to a degree.
This is a running problem on Flack. It struggles with striking a balance between the revolving door of guest stars and their subsequent storylines and the characters’ own storylines. Further, shouldn’t at least one client crisis take more than one episode to repair?
It’s Robyn’s fear of motherhood that reverberates on “Brooke.” Taking a midnight (actually, 4AM) suggestion not to eat mercury while trying to make a baby as the latest thing taken from her, after cigarettes and alcohol, she flips.
The scene is the first look into her relationship where both she and her beau come across as people the viewers might actually know. Yet you still leave wanting. After all, if the entire audience can literally see her fear regarding motherhood, how come her own boyfriend cannot?
Later on the episode, Eve’s dry-yet-biting wit proves one of the series’ strengths again, reprieve that it always is. Tom, Eve, Robyn, and Melody go out and Melody’s secret boyfriend comes by. Eve giggles at his belief that an invitation to hang out extended to melody could possibly be accepted.
Tom remains flummoxed by his fling, but her incredulousness is hilarious. The viewers might not actually know an Eve, but they sure as heck want to.
Later still, Robyn almost sleeps with Tom — with Eve in the same room. Clearly, rock-bottom awaits our protagonist.
Sadly, it marks maybe the third time in one episode where rooting for Robyn in any way, shape or form just isn’t possible, which is a must for a series like this; it’d be like genuinely hating House on the series House. Plus, he wanted to be disliked — Robyn, ostensibly, does not.
The titular Brooke (played by Katherine Kelly), by the way, is the face of an organic cosmetics company. Unfortunately, that face gets photographed in bandages after some plastic surgery, which would reflect badly on her company, never mind reputation.
The ladies’ solution that she peddle a false narrative that her husband knocked her around is their biggest reach yet, and Brooke agreeing to it reeks of the outlandish. Unfortunately, to the viewer, and to the fictional characters of Flack‘s London, it does, too.
Allison — a former lover of Robyn’s — jumps on the story. (Yes, Robyn has her bisexual moments, even if she has said, “Women don’t count.”)
Allison convinces Brooke to press charges against her husband. He is innocent, yet now facing jail time, with his wife cool with it. Huh?
Robyn: Women don’t count.
Rock bottom finally reached, Robyn stands over the bridge her mother killed herself years before, until honking horns bring her to her senses.
She’s a complex character, this Robyn, and it’s not like she can’t exist. It’s just that the series seems to want it both ways: Fierce, strong, resilient, but also weak, broken, insecure.
Paquin’s a fabulous actress, but you just can’t have it both ways. Heck, if her character struggles with both ways between the sheets, why wouldn’t she everywhere else?
What did you think of this episode of Flack? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Flack airs Thursdays at 10/9c on POP.
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Vinnie Penn
A morning radio host by day, and writer...well, the rest of the day, Penn's work has appeared everywhere from Maxim to Cracked and Parent, with him being Head TV writer/recapper for six years for MSN.com. He also did a season of VH1’s popular Best Week Ever and has appeared on Showbiz Tonight, That's What He Said (YourTango), and Fox & Friends. His latest book, "Route One Food Run," was released June 2018.