The Big Leap Review: The White Swan Lives (Season 1 Episode 3)

I have to say, I’m falling more and more in love with The Big Leap with every episode. 

The Big Leap Season 1 Episode 3, “The White Swan Lives,” opens with a flashback on Monica — and explains a bit of her bitterness about the reality competition to begin with. An injury keeps her from performing as The White Swan in a major production, leaving that role to the understudy, who then winds up being incredibly famous.

Monica, meanwhile, is embarrassed to be choreographing an amateur production for a reality series. 

Still, there’s clearly more beneath the surface for Monica, who professes to Nick near the end of the episode that ballet requires sacrifice, and that suffering is the way to make something truly beautiful in the world. 

Her flashback is also significant because of a twist Nick has added to the series. All of the dancers will not only be traveling to Chicago to watch that same ballet company perform, but they’ll also be performing for them. That means Monica is returning to face everyone from those days — including the understudy who wound up with her part.

It’s a moment of vulnerability that’s really interesting to see with Monica. What I’m hoping now is that we’ll get to see her have her own sort of second chance — right along with the theme of the show.

Beginning with a flashback for a particular character is proving to be a solid format for The Big Leap, setting the tone for learning about them and their motivations. We got that from Gabby on the pilot, Nick on the second episode, and now Monica. It works well to round out these characters even further.

It’s pretty incredible how much each of these characters is able to be fleshed out in such a short amount of time as well. This episode gives more insight into Paula, who, speaking of vulnerability, opens up to Mike really easily. Their relationship is already one of the most fun to see develop. It’s a trusting friendship that could certainly lead to more if Mike would just open his eyes. 

But there’s something really endearing about Paula wanting Mike to give his honest opinion about her breast implants, and it’s all so sweet and respectful. That all comes after the scene Mike makes at a wardrobe fitting to help get Paula out of it, which is one of the best moments of the entire episode.

And yes, there is a level of competition between all of the dancers, and there’s plenty of drama. Britney starting a rumor about Gabby is just nasty behavior, and the introduction of the car does start to pit everyone against each other more. But it’s only slightly. What you see more than that is the way the dancers are coming together to support each other.

That even includes Reggie’s failed attempt at diffusing a tense situation between Justin and his father. 

Really, Nick? This is the most manipulative reality TV moment so far, and it’s tough to watch. Though it does work to round out Justin’s character that much more, which is a great thing. 

Back to that car — it’s almost a cliche reality television trick, but it turns out to be a lot less nasty than it could be. Yes, it’s what drives out the information that Claude is in the country illegally, and it does make the dancers more competitive with one another, but it largely remains in the background.

Plus, the person who wins it is the most deserving. 

It’s extremely satisfying to see Gabby have the chance to perform. Being the understudy has actually worked out well for her, and she’s confidently prepared to play any role.

It would be the prince at first with Claude out, but Monica refuses to allow that to happen. She’s set to fill in for Justin instead, that is until Britney’s poor decisions make it impossible for her to perform — opening up the role of the White Swan to Gabby.

And she’s great. Even when things go haywire, she keeps her composure, and that doesn’t go unrecognized. It’s heartening to see her reaction when she wins that car. Gabby’s journey is already a rollercoaster, and it’s just so darn enjoyable to watch.

My only real complaint about this episode is about that large dance number in the hotel. This is something else we’ve seen happen on each episode — a dance number that comes a bit out of nowhere and that isn’t exactly believable.

We’re meant to suspend our disbelief as we would when watching a musical or any other similar type of performance, but this dance number being so large in scale makes it harder to do so. Everything else about the series is so grounded in reality, that when the dance numbers appear, it’s jarring.

Are they fun to watch? Yes. It’s a great opportunity to see everyone show off different types of dance moves and really lean into their talents. If there were more of these per episode, I doubt it would feel as odd, but as it stands, we could do without it. 

What did you think of this episode of The Big Leap? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Big Leap airs Mondays at 9/8c on FOX.

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