Terriers Review: "Agua Caliente"
This is how a great show does a standalone episode.
"Agua Caliente" featured Britt getting snatched up by the Mexican cartel, reuniting briefly with his former partner and then returning to the States in time to help Mark and Hank save Katie's life.
That plot on its own served up intrigue, suspense and a few funny lines. But Terriers has created a world in which everything is connected, as Ray was only south of the border because Britt set him up to get arrested a few episodes ago; while Katie's professor was only involved in her hostage situation because... you know. Shhh, don't tell Britt.
I say it every week, but no show is as versatile as Terriers. It combines drama with humor and action unlike any other program out there - which, unfortunately, is a major reason why it's faring so poorly in the ratings.
It's clear FX doesn't know how to market such a mash-up of genres. It's too bad the network can't just say: Trust us, the characters are funny and interesting and the plots get tangled together in unexpected ways each week. Tune in!
The underrated hero of this week's installment was Mark. Although he once again teased Hank's betrayal of him from years ago, how bad could the incident have been? These two are clearly still close, as Hank can joke around with Mark's wife and Mark doesn't really blink an eye when asked for assistance by his former partner.
I'm interested to find out more about their partnership, and worried that Britt will one day learn of Katie's infidelity. It sounds cheesy to write, but his love for her is so clear and intense. Note his reaction as soon as the drug cartel leader made a threat against Katie. Great, emotional stuff.
What did everyone else think of the episode?
Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.
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Rank: Guest Star
November 3rd, 2010 4:42 AM
Easily one of my top #5 new shows this season.
I can't wait to get my wife hooked on it, I'm thinking of starting her on "Ring-A-Ding" (where Katie hooks up with her prof.) because it's a good stand a lone episode, and it hopefully will make her feel interested in the characters enough to watch the earlier episodes.
I think the best comparison of the two BFFs would be Turk and JD from Scrubs. Totally different styles, but the way they work off each other is impeccable, and the lines just flow into perfect dialogue for a drama-action TV series.
October 29th, 2010 10:57 AM
LOVE THIS SHOW...My husband and I watch every week and this week my heart was pounding so fast not knowing what was gonna happen to Katie and Britt...Michael Raymond James is such a great actor and I've loved Logue since Grounded for Life...what a great show...FX PLEASE KEEP IT ON FOR ANOTHER SEASON!
Rank: New User
October 28th, 2010 4:16 PM
I agree completely with Jennifer. This show is the one I look forward to the most on FX when it actually used to be SoA or It's Always Sunny. Logue is fantastic as Hank, I had no idea he was so versatile. Hopefully this stays on air for a long time but I'm not raising my hopes up too much :/
October 28th, 2010 11:40 AM
I really hope that this show stays on the air........I love terriers. It's doing everything right. Interesting characters, intriguing storylines, action and comedy. I look forward to 10pm wednesday night and i havent really looked forward to any show like this in a while.
October 28th, 2010 9:12 AM
I Love This Show!!! Which means that it will be taken off the air after this season, very sad!!! FX does need to get the word out better. Thanks for your reviews, i do read them.