Tuesday, August 4, 2009

masks

spoiler alert: this post makes reference to the August 3 episode on CBC

Masks were everywhere in Monday's episode and they were, in turn, amusing, ominous and ultimately deadly.

Of course, the lads participating in Tony Gordon's never-ending stag party were still wearing their Tony masks throughout the night. Meanwhile, back at the Rover's, who should show up at Carla's never-ending hen party but Zorro (the stripper) wearing, of course, a mask. Then there was Kelly, also wearing a mask, and telling one of the most unappetizing stories about a stripper which I have ever heard ("he took his socks off last") Yuk.

Masks serve many uses (protection, concealment, performance, amusement) and they did indeed work in all those ways towards the ugly and inevitable end of the night. Everything that happened was disquieting in one way or another. The lads play a drinking game 'what would you do on your last night on earth?' Carla is forced to endure Zorro the stripper gyrating on her. And you know Carla is really in crisis mode when she resorts to heart-to-heart chats with Leanne, Maria and Deirdre (I guess she really doesn't have a single friend in the world).

Then there were all those heavy moments of symetry. Both Carla and Liam quit smoking years ago and yet each, in different settings, decides to have a cigarette. Both Carla and Maria are featured in taxis with the radio blaring. In Carla's case, the song playing is 'Mis-shapes'. In part, the lyric says " the future that you've got mapped out is nothing much to shout about."

At the end of the episode, it's Maria rushing to tell Liam that she is pregnant, sitting in the back of a cab while Petula Clark's 'Downtown' is playing on the radio with all it's innocent, heartbreaking irony, "things will be great when you're downtown."

It is only at the very end that the final mask is lifted as Tony reveals his true, pernicious self, leaning over a lifeless Liam in the street. "Looks like the best man lost," he says. Spoken like a true psychopath

2 comments:

  1. "Both Carla and Liam quit smoking years ago and yet each, in different settings, decides to have a cigarette".

    Both Liam and Carla shared their last cigarette together when they quit 13 years ago (both of them looked all pensive over how the last cigarette they had was 13 years ago and was only half a smoke) and now they have another last cigarette apart.

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  2. Thanks for the additional information. I completely missed that and I had no idea that Carla and Liam went back that far.
    All the best and thanks for taking the time to comment.

    Corrie H

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