5x01 The Crowening

[7.7/10] I like all three stories here. Two of them were founded on something sweet, and the third was built around something insightful and low-key inspiring from Moira.

I really like her story in this one. The realization that she’s in low-budget dreck with a director who doesn’t care is a tough one for Moira. But a quick call with Johnny inspires her to fight for her comeback and get through to the jaded young director who was kicked off his dream big time studio project. (I’m getting vague Josh Trank references amid the Birdemic references, here.) The way that she convinces him to take the work seriously, with the idea that any material can be elevated if you put the effort in, is a heartening one, and I like her attitude through it.

I also appreciate the sweetness of Johnny being so lost without Moira that he throws himself into working around the hotel to compensate. It even reaches the point that Stevie and Roland are a little miffed or at least put out by it. It’s a touch broad, but it’s also nice that Johnny has never gone more than eight days without seeing Moira to the point that he wants any kind of distraction to keep from having to think about how much he misses her, up to and including reorganizing the shed. Stevie helping him through it is a nice beat for her too.

The David/Alexis story is definitely the broadest one here. Alexis taunting him over an old cosmo-style relationship quiz from a magazine is exaggerated sibling rivalry material. But David acting weird and vaguely desperate to spice up the daily routine in order to keep up with his sister’s relationship leads to some good comedy. The quartet going on a ropes course despite David’s fear of heights is worth some chuckles. And Alexis apologizing for the ruse, while David and Patrick affirm their perfection is a nice ending.

Overall, this is a subtly heart-warming kick off the new season. Hopefully more to come!