I thought of Jackie Treehorn too! Funny reference, but I don't really see why he would be relevant.
Sitting outside the hospital in a wheelchair reminded me of Jesse Pinkman in Breakink Bad.
The author doesn't understand why Dom is sleeping? Really? Did she understand Darlene's panic attack in the bathroom into serenity and her words "I can take care of myself." The two characters had a journey. Their fates no longer entwined but they each helped the other get to where they needed to be. Dom needed to get out of the grind/emptiness/futility of her life. Darlene needed to be alone and break her co-dependency. They helped each other get there. Beautifully illustrated in the final scenes of that episode if I do say so myself.
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Sean Collins asks: "Why does Dom finally sleep the sleep of the just at this moment? Didn’t she run back to the plane because she wanted to reunite with Darlene? If all she wanted to do was break free of her responsibilities — to her family, to her job, even to Darlene — then wouldn’t she have done something else, considering she believed Darlene was on the plane?"
I believe Vikram Murthi over at New York Magazine's Vulture explains this best: "In the end, it was Darlene who needed to stay and carve out a new life and it was Dom who needed to escape the grind and take a much-needed vacation."
7
This series has always walked brilliantly on the edge of the unbelievable, yet somehow it always has managed to pull back just before falling over. BUT: I really have trouble believing that Dom and Darlene, both paranoid as all get out but with seriously real enemies, would take at face value the assertions of the slimy Irving (as always wonderfully performed by Bobby Cannavale) that the Dark Army has no further interest in them. And this at an airport bookstore where he just happens to be signing books? Of course it is possible that our writer/director still has tricks up his sleeve (as he has before, more than once, to mi delight). All that being said, can't wait for the next episode.
In a way this episode may have been a sort of hats-off to Ms. Gummer, who has been brilliant all the way through as Dom. She has moments of stillness in this episode that lets the camera absorb that wonderful face and the thoughts and emotions behind it. She has, it seems, not been singled out for performance as much as many others. Maybe the world thinks that the Gummer family has received enough accolades already. But just because your Mama is a great actress doesn't mean that you can't be too.
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@Jonathan
I felt that also! 'So I guess we don't have to worry about the Dark Army anymore - Yayy!!' Just too, too unbelievable coming from Irving, and yes, definitely feels like a setup for Dark Army counter-move.
Similarly, hyper-paranoid Dom would actually have an Alexa sitting in her home?? Also, not exactly a ringing endorsement of a product placement, unless that is you order large amounts of paper towels. And aren't even slightly paranoid.
1
They have to learn to take care of themselves, by themselves, before they can be together in a healthy relationship. (but that plane is going down anyway)
3
Nice mentioning of "Three Days of the Condor" by Leon, a film in the 70s paranoid thriller genre that seems to be an obvious influence of Mr. Robot.
2
One of my favorites also. And he even quotes Joubert, Max Von Sydow's professional hitman character.
1
"doesn't anyone read anymore?" Gotta love Leon.
3
Yes the funniest moment was the hospital doors opening and closing.
As the Comcast episode description said: Dom and Darlene have fans and so I found it very satisfying to see a whole episode bringing together (or not) threads of their relationship. Of course, Dom and Darlene couldn't be together at the end because they each had something else to work out: Darlene had to stop clinging and manipulating, Dom had to break from her ethical mold. Each got to do that with the way it ended. Nicely, Dom finally fell asleep, lulled by a thriller book after a few pages in, and having a long trans-Atlantic flight that can work better than a sedative drip. We have to hope they'll text each other once their cells are off airplane mode.
7
Another homage: Darlene's heart shaped sunglasses are a reference to those worn by her cyber persona - Darlene Haze a.k.a. Lolita.
Though she may have worn those in other episodes.
1
I think that while it may at first seem like a fake-out, this was what was best for each of the characters. Dom hasn't slept well in 5 years. She finally took a leap of faith and got on the plane. Likewise, Darlene has always felt a need to run away, but her decision to take care of herself instead of relying on another for support shows that she too took a leap of faith.
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