Whiskey Cavalier Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Spain, Trains, and Automobiles
Jasmine Blu
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Love is in the air and sparks are flying.
There were more than a few sparks amidst all that action, espionage, and drama, but a tip of the hat has to go to Whiskey Cavalier Season 1 Episode 7 for having one of the most mature love triangles on television.
Will, Frankie, and Emma have a lot of sexual tension flying about, but it doesn't prevent them from working together well and making a great team.
Frankie has settled into her comfort zone. She is still the badass Frankie with her unique set of issues, but it's balanced out well, and she's likable and endearing too.
It's what you'd call, essential character growth. Frankie has embraced the team element, and she's receptive to the team as a family too. She has also reconciled with her feelings for Will.
Will: Hey do you mind if I take a little piece for myself?
Frankie: I would be disappointed in you if you didn't.
It's a pleasant surprise how she's able to deal with them, and they can work and function together without it being awkward. They aren't above having their moments, but they manage to talk them out without mentioning the specific feelings they may harbor for each other, and they both are open with Emma as well.
Love triangles can be a pain in the butt, but when done well you can't complain. Everyone in it has genuine respect for one another, and it's refreshing that there is zero jealousy entered into the equation at all.
It's even better that there is no cattiness whatsoever between the two women. Frankie and Emma adore each other, and they work so well together too.
Frankie has taken a role of support and confidant, in a way that Susan often plays for Will, and she's even helping Will in his relationship with Emma. It doesn't get more mature than that.
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The heat between her and Will remains though. Their moments at the villa in Spain were intimate, and it went beyond the glasses of wine and the massages.
There is an intimacy which has developed between the two. What started as Frankie telling Will all the ways he's terrible as an agent due to his feelings have evolved into a genuine friendship and partnership.
With time, you can tell Frankie has not only developed a fondness for Will, but she has come to appreciate his character traits and doesn't want him to become something that he isn't.
Jimmy brought out a side of Will she has never seen before. She was concerned when she thought he had shot the guy without cause even if it was something she would do herself.
Like a good friend, she hated Jimmy on principle because of Will's hatred for the guy. As she said, Will doesn't hate anyone, so his feelings about Jimmy spoke volumes.
Jimmy was like a damn cartoon villain, so I hated the guy too! Does it get any worse than a shady veteran attempting to sell plutonium to enemies/terrorists? I think not!
He also nailed the whole cigar dangling out the mouth, sending goons after others instead of doing the work himself thing. He was the ultimate nemesis for our beloved Will. It was beyond satisfying when Will and Frankie took him down, and better when Will got a punch in.
Standish was itching for a nemesis of his own. It's hard to say who stepped into the role. On the one hand, he managed to piss off the guy who came back from his leave livid that Standish took over his desk.
He had some interesting things to say about Americans taking over everything all the time which was doubly amusing coming from a British guy.
Ray had the best intentions but screwed Standish over enough with the Martyna situation to become a nemesis if you ask me. However, in the end, Standish's real nemesis was himself.
I don't want to listen. I just can't stop.
Jai
He bombed so hard on his first date with Martyna I had to walk away for a moment to assuage the secondhand embarrassment I felt for the guy. Yikes!
It was unexpected to find out Martyna was as interested as Standish as he was in her. They're almost as cute as the rest of the team coming together to help Stanish land his date.
It's fitting how an episode that aired on National Siblings Day had Jai, Susan, and Ray putting in the work to help the little brother of the team learn everything he needed to know about Tina and go out with her.
Best siblings ever!
Jai, while feigning reluctance, was so into the whole thing, and the close bond that has developed between Jai and Standish who didn't necessarily get along, in the beginning, is the best.
We love a good bromance!
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Susan is such a kind person who wants the best for the people around her, so she was determined to make things right. It fell in line with her character that she was the one who could salvage the situation, encourage Standish to be himself, and orchestrate the perfect date.
It turned out Martyna and Standish had a lot more in common than it seemed. She had an appreciation for technology and liked the tech geek for who he was. Their scene in the surveillance van was adorable, and he shut the power grid off for her and was about to create a traffic jam.
When will your favorite character ever?!
Ray tried his best, but how is it possible that Ray was so terrible with Standish but so amazing with Susan?
Tina: If you were from Brooklyn I would've never choked you out like that!
Susan: Oh.
Ray is still there to be there, most of the time, but Josh Hopkins is charming enough to make it work.
What's going on with Susan and Ray though? Am I the only one picking up on some vibes between the two of them? For someone who screwed Will over to the degree that he did (by screwing Will's fiancee), and for Susan to be Will's best friend, she and Ray have developed quite the friendship.
The chemistry between them isn't bad, and they are enjoyable to watch when they interact, but I can't say how I will feel if it becomes something romantic.
I can't say what Will would feel if it became something romantic either. Susan has expressed a bit of loneliness, and Ray is still trying to find his place on a team which didn't want him for the longest of time.
They have been bonding a great deal, and it's hard to say if their interactions are platonic or if there is the allusion of something else. It would be so weird though.
The final shot of the team at the Dead Drop had Ray toasting with the rest of them which is a change of pace compared to what he endured before. Has he earned his spot now?
It seems they have mostly come around to him being there, and while Will still has feelings about what Ray did, he's less angry.
Additional Notes:
- Standish's ensemble for his date with Martyna was cringe-worth AF.
- There were so many fiery whiskey sparks flying while she was massaging him. The 'ship feelings are strong!
- Marika Domińczyk is such a fun guest-star. I could not stop laughing when Tina told Susan she wouldn't have choked her out if she knew she was Brooklyn.
- Dash Mihok was playing Jimmy, and all I kept thinking is who would out badass who: Ray Donovan or Frankie Trowbridge?
- Yes, once again, the fight scenes on this show are awesome.
- Matthew Cherry directed this episode, and if you aren't familiar with his work, he's amazing. He's also one of the best people to follow on Twitter; he's pure entertainment.
Over to you Whiskey Cavalier Fanatics! Are you digging this love triangle? Do you think something is brewing between Susan and Ray? Are Jai and Susan #SiblingGoals?
Hit the comments below and share your thoughts.
You can watch Whiskey Cavalier online here via TV Fanatic!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
