Tell Me a Story Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Rage
Carissa Pavlica
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Two of the tales have hit their stride by Tell Me a Story Season 1 Episode 4, and it's hard to imagine just how crazy things will become before their gas runs out.
Kayla finds trouble at home, at school, and has lost the only two friends she made since moving, so things will be tough for her going forward.
Jordan didn't watch enough Dateline or Investigation Discovery to understand the finer points of criminal investigations and has been making a mess of his life and evident for the detectives.
The outlier, at this point, remains the story of Hannah and Gabe, although we might finally get some traction in the upcoming episode.
The photo of Kayla showcased above was about as intrusive into our daily lives as "Rage" got, and it was much appreciated. It made me giggle, though, at the thought that OUR big bad wolves are Trump and Clinton.
When compared to the demons the characters are fighting; I can live with that!
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Nick upped his cliche ante by allowing a night of sexual pleasure with a 17-year-old girl swing him mightly from his "I can't possibly do this" and "It's not in my DNA" stance to "that ship has sailed," and there's no going back. What a prick.
To make matters worse, he's a stalker of the worst variety.
To be clear, everything about Ethan has screamed BAD KID -- STAY AWAY from the fact he looks kind of like a young, more evil Ryan Phillipe from Cruel Intentions to his over-the-top snarky dialogue.
But he's a bad kid, and that's at least the appropriate evil Kayla should have gotten herself mucked up with, you know?
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Nick shouldn't be doing background checks on his students and subsequently following the underage girl he's screwing around town, especially when she's spending time with the nasty Ethan.
Kayla's walking a thin line as it is.
She's trying to keep everyone happy by allowing each to remain tied to her with a very short piece of thread. Those kinds of relationships snap too easily.
One clue would be where Ethan took Kayla for the afternoon. It's a pretty cool idea, but you have to ask yourself what kind of person would know about that kind of place.
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One who needs to let off a lot of steam pretty frequently is the type I'd peg for a repeat visitor. Ethan isn't impressed by punching his pillow or working out; he has to destroy stuff. If we take his record into account, he likes destroying other people's stuff and people, too.
Can somebody tell me where the idea to jump up behind a person and wrap your hand around their mouth as if you're kidnapping them is a greeting that will be either endearing or keep that person quiet?
If Nick wanted Kayla to piss her pants or have a heart attack or swing the bat in his direction, his method of greeting was right on target. Entertainment productions use that too frequently. That would give me nightmares for years to come. It's cruel.
There is nothing remotely sexy about it, and it would sure as hell send GET OUT signals to anyone over 17.
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By the end of one day, Kayla wound up with two stalkers who aren't in their right minds and one pissed off grandmother who would rather not care about her anymore for all the pain she's caused in such a short time.
The good news is Colleen does care about Kayla, and there isn't someone I'd rather have on my side than her. If only she can get through to the girl who is making the worst decisions on her own behalf.
While we're talking about bad decisions, it's a great time to lean into Jordan.
Oh, my beautiful Jordan. Well, he's not such a prize anymore. Beth died and took with her all of the good sense Jordan had when she was alive. All of the things she loved about him, and the very traits that made her come out of her shell and want to live again he's lost.
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Of course, he can't see that through his grief, and he's not giving himself time to settle into the grief and wallow about it. He blames himself and his beliefs for getting Beth killed as much as he blames Eddie and the two other pigs. That's why he's on such a wild hunt to chase them down.
Jordan wasn't wrong to want to see the best in the world and find happiness with the woman he loved. Beth learning that allowed her to die on one of the happiest days of her life instead of one where she was walking around under clouds of anger and disappointment because of things in the world over which she had no control.
It's ironic that the gift Jordan could bestow onto Eddie is to see life the way he did before Beth died. To see hope in the world, to know who and what you have at your side instead of always trying for the next big thing.
At his core, Eddie is a good person. You can tell by the way the tragedy has affected him.
I didn't mean to do it. She wasn't supposed to die. No one was supposed to die. No one was supposed to die.
Eddie
When he talks about that day going south, he's doing it with sincerity. He would take it back if he could. Yet, at this point, he'd still want the easy out to get the money. Wouldn't we all?
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If only Jordan and Eddie could have met under different circumstances. Maybe they could have found something in common and helped each other in some way.
Jordan is just as desperate to see justice done for Beth as Eddie was to fix his dire financial situation. Will Jordan fight any differently now that Eddie had beaten the spirit of Beth right into Jordan's head? We'll see.
Hannah and Gabe continued their plan to go on the run, and it provided more backstory for Hannah. It's about time we move past that already, though.
It's great that she's a veteran and saved Terry's life, but that doesn't make her dumbass decision to take cash that doesn't belong to her any more meaningful. If anything, it makes less sense.
Hannah has already been through a war -- why would she want to spend her life on the run from criminals who want to get their hands on money she knows doesn't belong to her? "Because I had a tough go of it" isn't the answer. It's incredibly disappointing.
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We're about to meet their wealthy adoptive parents, and even putting them into an oven to bake every night isn't going to weigh on the side of Hannah and Gabe with this one because we know she can make a living for herself. She's done very well.
If you're out, why go back?
Here's to hoping this story soon makes some sense on an emotional level and there is a connection.
What about you guys? What tale is tugging at you now and with what characters have you bonded? If you pass by here even with only a brush of the sleeve, drop me a comment. It gets lonely in here!!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
