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The American Embassy
"People heal better than china cups. It's the cracks that makes us stronger."
- Emma Brody
"If you don't open yourself up to life - good or bad - you die lonely."
- Gary Forbush
Episode 1.02, "China Cup"
Written by James Parriott
Directed by Stephen Surjik
Air date: 03/18/02
* A correction before the review - last week I credited Jonathan Cake for playing James Wellington when in fact it was Nicholas Irons.
Three weeks have passed since the car bomb went off outside the embassy. On the surface everything is business as usual, as if the incident never took place. People cope with it in different ways, and for Emma, she just returns herself to the moment before the explosion, and pretends as if it never happened by keeping herself busy. Although things pretty much return to normal, they do get a new vice-consul to replace the people they've lost. Liz Shoop (Reiko Aylesworth) is a transfer from the Nairobi Embassy, and she apparently has some kind of history with Elque prior to this assignment. Emma is then called down to the parking lot by the bomb squad, because a package addressed to her is emitting a buzzing sound from within. Security is tighter than usual, and they're not taking any chances this time. When the parcel is finally opened, it turns out that the noise was from a vibrator... talk about embarrassing. (it is puzzling why the parcel wasn't sent directly to her flat)
Emma just can't seem to get a break at work. This time she has to deal with animal rights activists. Protesting the hoof-and-mouth slaughter, several Americans assault the Minister of Agriculture, Sir Edmund Bracket, in broad daylight. (one interesting note, the minister was sprayed with red paint, but when he was helped to his feet, his shirt was clean, yet the close-up shot did show him covered with paint) At the scene attempting to help those that got arrested, she meets Jack Wellington, (Jonathan Cake) James' brother and equally as handsome. He agrees to help her check whether charges will be filed against the attackers. Meanwhile, back at the embassy, Emma encounters an Algerian student, Ahmed Rallah, trying to get a visa to the United States to attend college. The word from the press is that the GIA, an Algerian splinter group, is behind the car bombing. Therefore, Emma decides to send his passport up to the CIA stationed there to have it verified.
During the memorial service that night, Emma overhears Carmen on the phone in regards to a Robert Goodwin (Eric Dane) that got arrested for a traffic violation. To her horror this Rob is none other than her ex-fiancé - the one that cheated on her, and the reason why she's in London. Emma meets him the next day at the magistrate's court, and is able to get him out on bail.
Even though the background check on Ahmed came back clean, it has been confirmed that the bombing was indeed orchestrated by Algerians, therefore the conclusion was to deny his visa request. Later, when Ahmed's financial paper was finally located, Emma decides to approach Janet in regards to the problem. They agree that prejudice played a big factor in their decision, and Janet gives the order to grant Ahmed the visa. The situation with the activists also comes to a close after Emma lets them spend a night in a real prison. She believes that they have glamorized their commitment to the cause just as she did with her job at the embassy, and a dose of reality will get them to reconsider. It turns out that Emma was right - they choose to make a public apology to the minister in court to avoid jail time.
Unlikely as it was, Rob is the one that confronts Emma in her inability to move on after the bombing incident. Realizing he's right, she goes back to the embassy for Dewey's ashes, where she is at last ready to say goodbye. Wanting some time alone to herself, she can't quite get Doug or Rob off of her back. While engaging in a heated argument with the two of them, Emma accidentally spills the ashes on the ground when she tries to open the container. She frantically tries to gather the remains, but it's already too late due to the approaching vehicle that sweeps the streets. Frustrated, Emma finally loses it and punches Rob in the face, demanding to know how could he betray her by cheating on her. In the closing minutes of the episode, we find the whole office slow dancing to a mellow song. It's admittedly kind of cheesy, but it does show that people do need the time to recover, the time to grieve, and to have a shoulder you can lean on through the difficult times.
Another solid episode from Parriott, and although it doesn't have the same intensity or the cohesiveness found in the premiere, it was nevertheless well written. I really enjoy the humor mixed in with the drama, and I appreciate the continuity from the previous episode. It isn't enough for Emma to simply stop running away, she still needs to let go so she can move on with her life. With the introduction of Liz, it'll be interesting to see if she was involved with Doug romantically in the past, but I definitely sensed a twinge of jealousy from Emma, and tension between characters isn't always a bad thing. The chemistry between Emma and Doug continues to be good, especially he being protective of her when she talked about her ex-fiancé. Keep it coming! We all know that Rob is a sleazebag for sleeping with another woman, but I think it was the right decision to have him come across as being remorseful for what he did, even though Emma made it pretty clear that she won't be giving him a second chance. I hope we'll get to see more of Emma's family in the future, and it'll definitely be a blast if they show up for a visit.
I also liked the direction for this episode, the beginning shot of the explosion in reverse is a cool technique, and it really fits with what Emma was narrating at the moment. The intercutting of the bombing scenes throughout the episode was very effective, without being overly redundant, but I probably wouldn't want to see it again for the third time, because it'll be overkill by then. Furthermore, I think it's great to let the audiences see how the embassy operates to protect our country. I would've never imagined a simple act of approving a visa as an effective way to prevent potential terrorists from entering the US. It made me realize how important their job is - to appreciate the men and women working in the Foreign Services division. Overall a decent follow-up to the season premiere, The American Embassy continues to have great potential, and is an excellent addition to the FOX lineup.
Episode Rating: 7 out of 10
- Zalasta
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