9/15/13
View Logs: Low Winter Sun S1 Episode 6
Episode Title: The Way Things AreLow Winter Sun is one of those weird experiences where the weaker bits of the show are really dull but the good segments of the show is quite surprisingly engaging. I suddenly feel like I'm getting quality whiplash from this show and it's even more exaggerated in this episode. Ok I'll start off but what I liked in this show.
Katja (Sinada)
One of the biggest problems with the 2 episode UK miniseries was that the character of Sinada (renamed Katja in the AMC version) was essentially a Hooker with a Heart of God archetype. Only it was even weaker than most other fictions with this trope because she literally had no interactions with Frank (same name as the AMC show). It was similar to the character of Goldie in Sin City. I never really got what's so great about her. I never really understood what made these women change these men so much that they were willing to throw away their lives for them. Now keep in mind, I'm not asking for loads of Lost-like flashbacks. But some way to show how much these people have changed because of the people they met would be nice. (It's possible to do this without flashbacks. Writing schools teach multiple techniques.) We never got that with Frank in the UK Low Winter Sun just like we never really got that with Marv in Sin City.
Throughout the early episodes of Low Winter Sun it seems that the show was heading in the right direction. Only one thing changed. Frank found Katja. The scene in which they finally met was so well written that I found myself suddenly at the edge of my seat because of their interaction. The way the Hooker with a Heart of Gold is executed in that scene was so new and different that it caught me completely off guard. To summarize:
- Katja's ok with her job. Even if it gets her in danger. It was really only Frank's assumption that she "wanted out" and Katja made sure to correct that.
- Frank's obsession with Katja is only one sided and there's no real "love" between them.
- The stories Katja told Frank were all lies just to make him feel better. She "makes many men feel better and they all want to take her away."
It's just so rare to see the Hooker with a Heart of Gold be subverted like this and so quickly in the show as well. This wasn't saved as a finale plot twist. This was brought up and addressed right now. Marvelous direction and marvelous writing. I actually paints Frank in a bit of a pathetic light. Instead of this noble but flawed cop on a crusade to save someone he loved. He is now an overly emotional and impulsive loser who killed for no good reason. Seriously, Katja's revelation to Frank completely destroyed everything Frank thought he was avenging. I really have to applaud the writers for taking that path. It already sets it slightly above the original UK show.
Unfortunately this is sandwiched between the Skilos plotline. 6 episodes in and this plotline is still really uninteresting. Damon is getting screwed left and right and no matter what he does he keeps getting stepped on by the higher ups in the criminal world. Ok. That's not interesting enough unfortunately. Especially since I'm still not entirely clear on Damon Callis' character. He's a ruthless gangbanger who would let a friend die over potentially getting in trouble with the police. Yet when there's pressure he bucks and cries? Damon's character is run of the mill at best and inconsistent at worst and his plotline really dragged this episode down.
Really this whole show should dive into McCann and his past dealings more directly. I understand Chris Mundy might wanted to write in a local gangbanger to give the audience a grassroots look at Detroit. But if there isn't more than that, then it doesn't need to be a major plotline. Frank's decision to frame Damon with McCann's murder is a step in the right direction but there's just too little development with that. After this episode, I now think the show still has potential. It's just still too under-cooked.
On a final note, way to just use Dani as a rebound Frank... I hope the show addresses this more in future episodes.
