"The Root of All Evil"



A review by Jenni:

I am being so bad tonight.  I've actually been up since around 3:30 this morning... don't ask, no good reason... so should be going to bed seeing as it's nearing 9.  Instead, I'm sitting here with a big ol' mug of chai.  I know it won't help matters but it's just so soothing.  And I may need that for this episode.  I've really been looking forward to it but it can be emotional to see both John Dye and Charles Rocket.  Those two guys helped me through some tough phases and it woulda been nice to say thank you.  But I'll have to settle for toasting them with this chai.  I will for real tomorrow night with some sparkling juice... I'm not a teetotaler.  Just don't care for champagne.

What I love about this episode:
Lemme just say walking into a Catholic church and seeing two angels looking like Adam and Andrew would be every Catholic school girl's dream.  Sadly, this did not happen for me.  But I really do think I saw an angel's silhouette once in the chapel of my old high school.  He was gone before I could get in there.  And that's why I think he was an angel.  There was only one door and he woulda had to walk by me had he used it...  Anyhow, super studly opening sequence here.

I always loved how naturally Mr. Rocket slipped back into character even with years in between stints.  Even some movements are so exactly Season 1 Adam.  Granted, that coulda just been the way he moved in real life but still... impressive.  This is so not Celeste who basically had one personality in her first episode and a totally different one in her second.  Adam was solid.

"I have faith in you!  Have a little faith in yourself!"  Aww.  That's nice that Tess said that to Gloria.  Woulda been nice to hear her say it to certain other individuals at times.  Ahem.

It's so weird to see Adam grab a gun...  But I do like that this episode really demonstrates that angels will do what they gotta do to be there for their assignments.  Like Andrew said last week... sometimes that means getting dirty.

Ha.  I love Adam's face when he first sees Gloria.  That about says it all.

Eeek.  Also weird to see Andrew with that huge gun.  Somewhere Doc Hock is weeping.  But, again, nice to see they'll leave their comfort zones.

"It's good to have family around."  Aww, Andrew. 

"It's our differences that make us unique, right?"  Boy's on a roll.  I love him... 

I really like Fr. Madden and I like that the writers featured him when they did.  Some priests have done some very, very bad things that they need to answer to God and humanity for.  But so many are wonderful, compassionate men and it's good to see them represented.

"There is a reason you are here.  I don't know what it is yet but I do know that it's important that you stay until it all becomes clear."  Gloria's words to Fr. Madden are good ones for us all to keep in mind.  I think we all feel lacking in purpose sometimes but, in time, God will lead us to where we need to be.

While it freaks me out to see our AOD boys around drawn guns... I did always like the balance of this scene.  Two human brothers, two angelic brothers.  The camerawork is also really interesting.

Fr. Madden praying that the AODs are there for him is really touching.  It's like what I said... wonderful, compassionate.

"We all make mistakes but that doesn't mean we're failures.  It means we have work to do."  That's actually Fr. Madden.  As is "God is always with you.  Don't ever forget that.  Be good to each other."  Those are some great last words to have.

 What I didn't love about this episode:
Augh.  This may be one in which Gloria is a bit too much for me.

I really don't feel there needed to be a clip segment about Monica when she's not even in this episode.  That being said... it was nice to see John in mime and producer mode.  He was soooo attractive in "The Comeback."  He was in every episode, of course, but something about that one...

Okay, honestly, all the Monica name-dropping is driving me crazy.  Why would Fr. Madden care about some woman he's never met?!?  If I were him I'd probly be thinking Monica was a cult leader and Gloria her flunky.

I always hated that "And what were ya gonna do with me?" line of Andrew's because it invited way too many terrible imaginings.  A couple of which Andrew even helps us out with.  And it makes me want to throttle Pete.  Of course, that was gonna happen anyhow given Pete then points a gun at *our* Andrew.

Fr. Madden's heart attack is really not easy to watch.
Lingering questions:
How much did Adam know about what he was doing?  Like did he realize Mike was a cop?  Or did he think he was helping a crook?

Why is Gloria so shocked that a priest would be her assignment?  A nun was an assignment before.  She should remember that.

I think I've brought this up before but I wonder what the significance of Adam's ring was?

Parts that made me feel swoony:
Charles Rocket looked amazing with long hair.  And I love that we get to see a lil of Adam's trademark sense of humor at the start here.  Cause he's pretty serious through most of the episode.  But I love the crack about daytime talk shows!  Also, I believe this is the only episode in which you see Adam not in a suit.  Unless you could the coveralls in "Snow" but even then I think he had a suit underneath.  I like casual Adam.

And Andrew looks so cuddly in that casual sweater.  And *his* awesome hair.  And I love that he assures Adam that he can do the assignment.  I always got the impression Adam was older and that Tess definitely was.  But Andrew could still reassure them both as needed.

Adam in flannel...  Those AODs sure know how to wear plaid.

I've always loved that smile when Andrew introduces himself to his assignment.  Except how could that dude ever contemplate hurting/killing someone that lovely?

As far as uniforms go, armored car driver ones are pretty ugly.  But... Andrew still looks totally handsome in his.  Could be that the bagginess reminds me of Doc's fatigues.  And I love how many close-ups there are in this episode!

Eeek!!!  I hadn't thought of this before but did Pete really intend to kill Andrew?  When they're going to the last stop, Pete says something about Andrew survived his first day and how there's only one more stop and then it's "the end of the line."  What did he mean by that?!  I totally know Andrew's immortal and Pete couldn't have killed him but... just makes me wanna hug him and tell him that Pete is one messed up dude and no one with any sense or love or goodness would ever, ever wanna hurt let alone do worse to him.  And Andrew just looks... sad.  Not angry or embittered.  Just sad for Pete.

I love how strong and no-nonsense Andrew is when he confronts Pete about his plans against him.

They both had beautiful, expressive eyes.

I really like Andrew's more casual going Home outfit in this.  He looks more cuddly that way than with the suit... I would be afraid I'd wrinkle that.

And into the light they went...  On Friday night that made me cry.  Now on Monday I just think it's beautiful and reassuring.

 Random thoughts:
Music:  Well, you can hear Monica sing "Danny Boy" and "The Lullaby of Broadway" during the clip show.

Eeek.  If six weeks since one's last confession is problematic, I'm in huge trouble. 

If I want to be a real pain, in JABB Jeopardy I could ask what the number of Andrew's armored car was.  ;-)  134.  And Fr. Madden's church is St. Theodore's.

It's interesting to me that Fr. Madden instantly recognizes Andrew and Adam as AODs.  I was not taught to believe in them as a Catholic.  Just angels and archangels in general.  It makes me wonder where the teachings on AODs come from (Are they like limbo?  Older Catholics were taught about them but not younger ones?) or if it's just an individualized belief.  I do think Judaism and Islam have AOD traditions.

 Scenes Hallmark cut:
- Kinda feel like THC cut down some of the flashbacks.  But as tired as I was on Friday, this could probly do with a recheck.

Further on down the road...
So, as I write this, I'm laid up with achy everything after a day of undecorating and decorating.  If you visited me right now, you'd find a house with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas decorations all up.  I decided to take the former down and put up Thanksgiving but that involved emptying out a Christmas box and one thing led to another and... basically I started everything and finished nothing.  And I lost count of how many times I went up and down the steps from the basement, hauling crates and boxes.  So, in short, I'm so ready to just watch this!

Weird photo of Gloria to use on the episode list screen of the DVD.  She looks like she's looking at... nothing.

Given these angels aren't completely faultless, you'd think they'd have a compulsion for confession, too.  Actually, Monica definitely has at times.

So I wonder if Adam really started me on my snarkiness path and Jon Stewart merely picked up the baton...  Hmm...  It's a special sort of cynicism born of idealism, I think.  Don't knock it, Tess.

I am really glad we got to see Adam in dress down mode this once.  I can't imagine he actually wears a suit all the time.  And the ponytail!

Pete would definitely be on JenniAnn's hit list.  And by hit list, I mean people she would like to hit.  Just one good slap across the face for even contemplating killing lovely Andrew!

So weird to have an episode with both Andrew and Adam packing heat.  Also, is that just a really big city thing?  I've seen armored cars unloading before and there definitely wasn't an obviously armed guy standing nearby.  Maybe they hide...

Yep.  Monica has waaay too much screen time for an episode that Roma Downey didn't even act in.  I love the Andrew and Adam aspect of this episode but it does kinda drive home the point that TBAA was "The Monica Show" at times, sometimes to a ridiculous degree.  Just weird that she gets her own segment.  Although I think "Barroom" is the poster child episode.  Sure, disregard the existing timeline just so Monica can be the star of the episode!

Glad Andrew thinks it's good to have family around...  He's surrounded these days!  The closer I get to the disappointing finale, the more I want to think of Dyeland as a sequel series...

Shoot...  I meant to pay more attention cause I'm not clear on whether or not Adam knew from the beginning that Mike was on the up and up.  But I got distracted by the doubled AOD loveliness.

I'm depressed by the idea that no one kisses in Heaven.  I'm not talking about making out.  By simply kissing should be there, I would think.  I don't think that occurred to me when I last watched "Manhunt" and Gloria was so clueless.

Kinda weird this episode comes up now.  I'd just been mentally revisiting the priests I've known.  Hope they're all well and feeling valued!

Ah, no.  Seems Adam didn't know what Mike's deal was.

I do still really love the symmetry of the two pairs of brothers. 

I still wonder how Fr. Madden knew Andrew and Adam were AODs.  Near as I can tell, the Catholic Church doesn't necessarily see that as a set role.  It's certainly not a teaching that comes up.  In seventeen years of Catholic education, AODs never came up except as a mistranslation of the avenging angel in Exodus.

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