You know what, credit where credit is due: I’m sold on Igby Rigney. The rest of The Shards is a different story, of course, but Rigney’s take on Bret Easton Ellis makes for a decent protagonist: clever and empathetic, but also naïve and judgmental and vindictive and too limited by his unyielding perspective. It can be fun to watch Bret pursue his theories about Robert Mallory and the Trawler, forced to confront his own biases and insecurities. That’s what the novel is all about, and the show comes alive a bit whenever we return to that core.
Bret is still on the periphery for much of “Homecoming,” which is really more of a two-part episode than two individual installments. The main focus here, of course, is the race for homecoming queen, mainly just another opportunity for Debbie to get her dreams completely crushed while her best friend ascends to new heights of popularity and perfection. But unlike last week’s irrelevant Dance Off! diversion, when Bret was seemingly happy to just dance around and set aside his grief and paranoia for the time being, he takes a more active role here.
In “Part One” alone, the guy pays a visit to Mr. Kellner, Matt’s father (a stock role enlivened by the always-good James Wolk), who already knows about a psych evaluation missing from Robert’s file; Principal Croft, who refuses to hand over said eval to Bret; and the cops themselves, who are already busy dealing with a new potential Riders Of The Afterlife and/or Trawler victim. None of the adults (or the teens, for that matter) seem to take Bret entirely seriously, though Mr. Kellner and the cops at least humor him.
And the show tends to succeed most in that mode, when it’s undercutting Bret’s well-intentioned sleuthing or suggesting he’s missing some crucial piece himself. Throughout “Homecoming,” he takes a bolder stance about Robert, even directly asking him what he’ll wear to his victim’s funeral. But he repeatedly gets disarmed: first with Robert’s taunting reference to The Shining, then during their confrontation at the end of “Part Two,” probably the strongest scene of the week. (Not coincidentally, it’s the most homoerotic.) Whether or not Robert is the Trawler, he can read Bret like a book: his fears, his obsessions, his secret desires.
Unfortunately, much of “Homecoming” has nothing to do with those compelling tensions. The homecoming court competition plays with the same basic character motivations as previous weeks: Debbie wants to win something for once, and Susan… can’t stop winning, despite claiming she’s sick of winning. The ballot-counting scene allows for a funny remark from Croft about how Bret isn’t a candidate to win homecoming king, but it’s also pretty ridiculous on its face: Why the hell is Bret the one trusted with reading the votes, especially given his close relationships with the top vote-getters? (Would Croft even trust him after his recent alarming behavior?)
I suppose the episode does attempt to add complexities to Susan and Debbie in the lead-up to the results. As always, Debbie wants the validation of winning and the validation of her mother (which actually feels more attainable than usual), but apparently she also needs some accolades to get into college after her grades dropped and she alienated the student body with her cruelty and disruptions? That “reveal” from Dr. Croft comes out of nowhere, especially because we’re not privy to the perspectives of students outside the main popular-kids circle. Do people hate Debbie? And how does that square with their unending adoration for Susan, her best friend?
Speaking of Susan … there’s potential to the idea of a queen bee who feels stifled by the obligations of that role. We’ve seen that type before in movies and TV, but Susan could be an interesting twist on the formula, especially because her behavior (and her delight after each win) suggests she loves the spotlight more than she thinks. Unfortunately, most of the nuance is lost in Kaia Gerber’s performance, which falls short during that monologue about the freedom of making a mistake and losing for once in her life. Should we be laughing at Susan’s severe lack of self-awareness (boo hoo, I can’t stop winning) or genuinely empathizing? The show’s general glibness suggests the former, but I crave a real understanding of Susan as a character. What exactly does it mean to have a “winner’s psychology,” in Liz’s words?
Regardless, the events that follow are pretty predictable: Debbie suggests crowning Rhonda as homecoming queen in order to make herself look generous, but the ploy only results in Susan getting the credit and the crown. (Robert also beats Thom for king, obviously.) And when the episode does present some real surprises, they hardly make any sense. Thom doesn’t like his dad’s new girlfriend, sure, but he’s already at the point of joining a cult and accepting the complete loss of his identity? It’s hard to take the character of Bruce seriously, between the costuming and Gus Halper’s uncharismatic performance, and this turn for Thom just isn’t developed enough to land.
Far worse is the Rhonda storyline. It’s bad enough that she conveniently forgot the entirety of her experience with the Trawler besides a “girly smell,” but the moment when she sniffs Susan’s (gifted by Robert) Giorgio Beverly Hills and accuses her of kidnapping is perplexing. She smelled the same perfume on Liz earlier that night, so why didn’t she accuse her of kidnapping? Even more insane is the immediate response from the police, who fully cuff Susan and take her to jail within seconds, despite the fact that Rhonda has absolutely no evidence—and the fact that, you know, a lot of people at this school probably wear that perfume. Maybe we’re meant to think this is all part of Robert’s machinations, considering the fact that he gifted Susan the perfume and wore it himself, and the dates with Susan he revealed to the police. It’s dumb either way.
By the end of “Homecoming,” we’ve lost someone for good: Matt Kellner, whose severed head is left for Bret to find. Why did the Trawler, and the show itself, keep him alive for so long? Why did the Trawler, and the show itself, allow Rhonda to escape? Are any of these choices (by the Trawler or the show itself) intentional, or are they just random nonsense, and would their intentionality negate their silliness? Probably not. But that’s The Shards. With only two episodes left, I’m used to feeling lost.
Stray observations
- • I also don’t have much to say about Steven’s random subplot about designing the senior class float. But of course Thom says he doesn’t get it, and of course Robert calls it visionary.
- • Terry tries to chat with Bret but fails, so we’re putting off the culmination of that storyline for another week, I guess.
- • “Debbie, that’s actually a great idea.” “Sidebar later on the word ‘actually.’” This week did actually have a few solidly funny lines, especially compared to last week’s dire excuse for comedy.
- • When Rhonda worries about not being beautiful enough for homecoming queen, Susan assures her, “Of course you are,” while Debbie simultaneously says, “Oh, it doesn’t matter.” Good stuff.
- • What’s with Bret coldly urging Thom to calm down and saying, “You seem very upset”? Doesn’t he usually feel vindicated by Thom’s issues with Robert?
- • “It’s a shame the royal bloodline has to die with me.” This comment from Liz was cutting.
- • “Believe it or not, the concession stand wouldn’t make you a daiquiri. So, here you go: it’s Tab with half a flask of rye bourbon.”
- • Ryan is also on homecoming court, in case you care.
- • Robert makes a comment half-jokingly implying that Bret killed his parents, who’ve been “in Europe” for pretty long. We’re not due for a Psycho– or Fight Club-y reveal, are we?
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