Week Five

The theme of the week is being something you're not in order to achieve goals you might never have set for yourself, as well as the unforeseen consequences of your actions and how to deal with them.


Secret Diary of a Call Girl • Pro Bono [3]

Hannah/Belle (Billie Piper) has never taken a vacation from her work before, never finding her job so strenuous that she needed any time away from it. After a close encounter with one of her clients, Ben (Iddo Goldberg) convinces her to take the week off to learn to live like a normal person, an option that Hannah hadn't considered since she entered into this lifestyle.

Bored to death within the first few hours of her vacation, Hannah has her first one-night-stand with Tim (Matt Smith) and very quickly realizes that it isn't for her, despite having sex for a living. Hannah spends the rest of the afternoon trying to get rid of Tim, trying to convince him that she's not the kind of girl he would be interested in pursuing, but through her time with him she has come to recognize that escorting is something she loves, and she's not ready to give it up just yet.

 
Daria • This Year's Model [4]

Very much opposed to the idea of modeling, Daria (Tracy Grandstaff) and Jane (Wendy Hoopes) make plans to protest the school-supported activity, but instead end up attending the event in order to keep an eye on Quinn (Hoopes.)

Quinn pushes herself to be the top of the competition, excited for the opportunity to live her dream of appearing in magazines and on television, convinced that anyone opposed to the idea, such as her sister, is just jealous of the beautiful women that appear in the media. When the tone of the shoot turns sexual, and Quinn grows uncomfortable with the content, she removes herself from the situation, something she never thought she would do, and jeopardizes her chances at international stardom.

Kevin (Marc Thompson,) on the other hand, has no interest in modeling until he finds himself being brought up on stage by those in charge. Soon he's the only student that has been approved for off-campus photo shoots, and he realizes he's become trapped in a world he has no interest in.


Buffy the Vampire Slayer • The Pack [3]

Desperate to prove himself as something more to Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar,) Xander (Nicholas Brendon) takes it upon himself to confront a group of bullies and, as a result, is possessed by the spirit of a hyena.

As the episode progresses, Xander grows more and more cruel in an effort to become Sunnydale High's alpha male, and begins alienating his friends as a result. The animal spirit possessing him pushes the boundaries of what's acceptable, of what Xander's capable of, and assaults both Buffy and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) in his attempts to get what he wants.

Though his friends forgive him in the end, Xander is unable to forget the actions someone else had taken in his body.


Life on Mars • Broken the Land That Needs Heroes [4.5]

Reg Cole (Paul Copley) takes the staff of a newspaper hostage after he has taken too much of their abuse. Previously content to clean up after them as part of the building's janitorial staff, Reg finally snaps, determined to be recognized for his efforts and infuriated when he learns that they don't know as much as his name. Reg has a moment where he relates that he's happy to be known as a villain rather than be forgotten as the everyday hero he believes himself to be, but he doesn't appear to have his heart in it.

Annie (Liz White) sneaks into the building under the guise of a nurse, hoping to ease the tension of the situation and help save some lives. While she's convinced that danger is a part of her job, she's uncertain of her actions, worried that she might cause more trouble, but she soldiers on, as that's what heroes do.


Better Off Ted • Goodbye, Mr. Chips [4]

A new name badge gone wrong results in Ted's (Jay Harrington) last name being changed from Crisp to Chips, and when Ted tries to correct the mistake he accidentally gets deleted from the system. With a computer system convinced that Ted had never worked for the company, he finds himself out of a job, and has to learn how not to be at work.

The rest of Ted's team, uncooperative at the best of times, comes together in an effort to get Ted his job back and solve the original issue. After a couple misfires, the team manages to find a solution and save the day, taking with them a better understanding of what it is to work together.


Firefly • Safe [4.5]

In an episode focusing mostly on Simon's (Sean Maher) relationship with his father (William Converse-Roberts) and his younger sister River (Summer Glau,) we see that Simon has, throughout his entire life, been learning to live however he was expected to be. In the present day he is held hostage in a town desperately in need of a doctor, but the past was just as cruel to him, forcing him to continue his studies while he might have decided to pursue a different passion without parental intervention.

As he is taken hostage by these people, Simon puts up very little struggle, understanding that the Alliance is unlikely to be looking for him and his sister in such a remote area, and wondering if he might have found somewhere to keep her safe for a while to come. With so many sick people in the village, there is a genuine opportunity for Simon to do some good here, and he's happy to do what he can to make them more comfortable, provided he and his sister are left unharmed. Only when River is declared a witch does he end up, once more, trapped in an impossible situation.


Winner of the Week • Life on Mars.

While the hostage situations on both Life on Mars and Firefly were equally exciting this week, it was Mars that held my attention the best. Tense and frightening, with the promise that someone would die at the end of the day, Sam (John Simm) had his work cut out for him as he raced against the clock to save the hostages and, in turn, save himself in the future.

Reg's madness provided Sam an opportunity to prove to Gene (Philip Glenister) how capable he is in these kinds of situations, bringing his knowledge of procedures from the future to those who might not have thought of them yet. The day also allowed Annie the chance to prove herself in the field in a capacity that she had never been given before, capable of something that the men in the department would never get away with and helping to save Doris' (Margaret Henshaw) life in the process.