–Ben won’t let himself sleep; hey man, I’ve been there, and insomnia IS a cruel mistress. If I were having hyper-realistic dreams about my legs and arm being severed, I’d be counting sheep in reverse too. It strikes me that the person he’s channeling in that dream is the Russian who was attacked by the bear… are we thinking he’s Justin/Alexi and Iris’ dad?
–Apollonia was raped by that guy with the tattoo of the tree on his back. We’ve seen him before, in one of Ben’s dreams, running through a forest or something. Anyone remember this? Any ideas on who it is? Could it be Lodz?
–Lodz says if Ben doesn’t dream, he can’t be reached. Reached by whom? Lodz? Does Lodz want to help Ben, and if not, what the hell DOES he want? Can he somehow leech off Ben’s power? Also, I don’t know why Lila puts up with him; he’s awfully mean to her. I’m sure that hookah eases the pain, though.
–So Samson lays the cards on the table… Scudder is Ben’s father, which we all knew. Ben still won’t level with him. I think he’s a fool, since I think Samson is likely the only person he can trust.
–Why did Justin make that guy bang his head bloody on the pillar? Was it because, at the sound of Iris’ voice, he wanted to flagellate himself and could not because of the setting?
–Poor Tommy Dolan wants to get with Iris Crowe. Can’t for the life of me figure why, since Amy Madigan is frumped out to the nines in this role. Wonder if this is the last we’ll see Tommy.
–Jonesy is finally getting that much-desired attention from Sofie (or is it Sophie? They spell it both ways on the HBO website…) and Rita Sue has the gall to get jealous. Ewww. I’m really starting to get a hate on for that character. It’s obvious this affair is going to A Bad Place, and I still think Rita Sue is doing it for ulterior motives; was she faking it with Jonesy to get back at Felix? Is she trying to get back at Felix for neglecting her?
–Though I’ll be the first to admit, Sophie kissing Jonesy was too little too late, anyway.
–Wow, Lodz could not possibly handle Ben more poorly. OK, OK, he needs to learn how to control his gift, and the dreams can help with that… do you mind telling us HOW? And then, calling him a coward and throwing his mother’s death in his face… you want this kid to TRUST you? Work on your people skills, Professor.
–Ironically, Lodz tells Ben that he’s “never lied” to him, and Samson leads off with “I lied to you…” but it’s still a no-brainer who Ben should trust.
–So Management keeps a photo of Flora, Ben’s mother, in a leather photo album. This keeps hope alive for my pet theory that Management is Hack Scudder. Leaving Flora broke Scudder, apparently, so why’d he leave?
–We finally get to see Lodz’s act, which must be like shooting fish in a barrel for him. I like Samson’s monkey wrench ala watch fob… more visions of crusaders, and that guy who was mauled by the bear. Great. OK, guys, tired of the cryptic images… I’m really ready for some answers.
–Ben sees Ruthie’s snake charmer act, and in spite of his own charmed snake, he flees from her kiss. Why? Because she was with Scudder? Or because he knows if he has sex, he’ll definitely fall asleep?
–The Acts of Redemption by Brother Justin Crowe, Chapter 1: Pain is an Unavoidable Side Effect. Huh? Creepy. How did he get that doctor to transcribe his book? Where is he going with this? I think that, if he’s the Left Hand of God, he’s not on the path of sweetness and light here, folks.
–Lodz shows Management Scudder’s Templar watch fob, and says “Now we know why we’ve had so much trouble dealing with Hawkins.” Management responds, “We should have known that from Babylon.” I feel like I should know what this means, but I don’t. Anyone?
–Previews seem to indicate that Justin and Iris will be reunited next week, Jonesy and Rita Sue will become obvious enough that they are the subject of gossip, and distress for Libby, and we’ll see the Man with the Tree Tattoo rapist again… and only 3 episodes left. They sure got some ‘splainin’ to do…