My Own Worst Enemy: Love in All the Wrong Places

I’ve been asked if I lowered my expectations or if My Own Worst Enemy has actually gotten better lately.  There’s no discernible answer for the moment, but anything that allows me to fully enjoy an hour of the tube is okay in my book, even if the good new doesn’t outweigh the old bad.

This week’s episode reminded me of how much I miss 24.  I wasn’t a 24 junkie until about two years ago.  That’s not a long time to catch up on all five seasons, but I made it my goal to be prepared for last season’s debut.  Of course, a goal easily achieved once I started watching.  Yes, 24 is like crack.

My main problem with MOWE partly stemmed from how ridiculously lame it was compared to 24, which I accept is stretched fiction.  Yet, somehow I can accept it, even when all sense tells me I’m insane.  I wholeheartedly believe that if I put my life in Jack Bauer’s hands, I’d be alright.  There’s no blabbering about super-technology, no dependence on the latest iPhone to stay up-to-date with the events of the day and no inane front for a secret organization.  Jack gets down and dirty, everyone but him is held accountable and there are no excuses.  As Survivor says, “outwit, outlast, outplay.”  Plus, they’ve created some pretty diabolical “bad guys.”  And we know, all good spy entertainment hinges on some larger evil.

This week’s MOWE finally had all of the above.  Okay so maybe I lie a tiny bit.  That silly video recorder will forever be used, and their super-technology isn’t going anywhere fast, but the writers kept the focus on the mission, the characters and one VERY evil man and devoted little time to the rest.  It actually allowed almost EVERY single character to shine in one way or another.

My last comparison will bring me to the beginning of this episode.  While 24 has their countdown which, I’ve determined, has given me a recent heart palpitation, MOWE shows us the sticky predicament first and goes back in time before the issue’s resolved.  I’m increasingly excited to see how things not only lead up to what we see in the first 30 seconds but also to see how it turns out.

We begin in the Democratic Republic of Congo where Henry is on his knees, his execution only moments away.  What happens next?  You’ll have to wait and see.

At Janus, Trumble orders Edward and Raymond to bring in a general who is responsible for much of the Rwandan genocide.  It turns out to be an easy bag and tag, but Edward sees a bunch of hostages on his way out, one who happens to be a Company man, and he promises to return and rescue them.

Once they return, Trumble will only commit to a rescue mission if Edward can extract the exact location that the hostages were moved to, along with a lot of other useful information.  Norah wants to interrogate the general since he’s a “preening narcissist” and the typical tactics won’t work, but she gets shot down.  However, she convinces Edward to follow her lead and feed the general’s ego to get what they want.  It seems to work until Mr. Creepy Soldier starts talking about rape and virgins. (I was so disgusted.  It was the first time I felt something visceral while watching.) And even Edward can’t hold his composure, thereby blowing the interrogation.

Norah’s fed up.  And I would be too as her ways were working and Edward should be able to refrain from tantrums since he IS a spy.  She’s also upset that Mavis knows about her “situation” with Edward and has ordered them to end it.  Edward responds, “End what?”  Oh, no you didn’t, boy!  I love to see a woman on an understandable tirade; unfortunately Henry always wakes up at the most inopportune times.  To fan the flames, a tape has surfaced of the hostages and the general’s soldiers, promising to kill one per day until their leader is returned.

With no time left and no intel, Trumble orders his team to scrub the mission and focus on transporting the general for trial by the international court for crimes against humanity.  Mavis, for once, is having none of it.  Not only are Edward AND Henry behind this rescue mission, but so is the boss-lady.  Mavis puts Raymond and Henry on transportation, and by the time Trumble catches on, our tag team is already across the world and prepared to jump in, with or without backup.

Mid-flight, Raymond doses the general with meds which he says will slowly suffocate him.  By playing to the general’s fear of dying, without the dignity of war, I’m sure, he gives up the locations of his soldiers and the hostages.  Yet when they arrive, Henry quickly gets caught and surrenders.

And this is when we get our surprise flashback.  The surrender was all a part of the plan.  They’ve been outfitted with a massive centrifuge gun (Input a lot of jargon I don’t understand.) I do understand that it can cut through concrete and has a scope that allows the shooter to see through walls with heat imaging.  All the better to take you down with, my dear.  Really, so that’s what happened!

The rest is easy to figure out.  With a gun like that how can they NOT save the hostages?  The endings may always seem expected and easy but the buildup is where the payoff lies.  I have a feeling I’ll appreciate next week’s final episode.

B-Story: DeSantos, one of Mavis’ exes who left Company life for a normal life, is the main hostage of the episode.  I’m not sure if they always planned this or if they realized Mavis needed to come out before the show’s end, but Alfre Woodard was amazing tonight.

C-Story: Angie wants a baby.  Edward wants to be able to screw Norah.  Henry is confused.  Angie still wants a baby.  Edward doesn’t want to change diapers, and Henry realizes that he won’t deny himself the things he wants because of his circumstance.  More sex for Henry and more poo for Edward.  I would mark that as another win for Henry!

Season 1, Episode 8: Love in All the Wrong Places (originally aired December 8, 2008)

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Photographs courtesy of NBC