First of all, let me apologize, because at the end of last week’s review of The Slap I mentioned that this episode would be “Anouk,” because that’s what came up when I Googled it. So thanks for making me look like an ASSHOLE, Google.
Speaking of assholes: The Slap! “Harry” was a slightly more successful episode than last week’s “Hector,” because through its title character the episode was able to explore the darkness at its core. I mean, this is a whole miniseries about hitting a kid, shit’s gonna get dark. The thing going for and against “Harry” is that not a lot of these characters are super likable.
Zachary Quinto can play roles like this in his sleep; in fact I’m starting to think he was grown in a lab for the sole purpose of playing Heroes‘ Sylar, American Horror Story‘s Dr. Thredson, and The Slap‘s Harry Apostolo. There’s a lot of anger under Quinto’s intense eyes (and even more intense eyebrows), and his close-cropped beard looks more angular and protective every time Harry shows up on screen, to the point that it looks like the mouthguard on a warrior’s helmet (indeed, according to Victor Garber’s narration, Harry does consider himself something of a warrior in the Greek tradition). Although, I will say that his gum chewing makes him look like a dramatic version of Jason Sudeikis’s A-Hole character on Saturday Night Live.
Anyway, the bulk of “Harry” centers around Harry, at Hector’s encouraging, trying to apologize to Rosie, Gary, and Hugo. The scene where he attempts to do so is incredibly uncomfortable, not only because Hugo is too old to be breast-fed (shades of Game of Thrones), but because with the exception of Hector, no one in the room is likable. Rosie and Gary are entitled and arrogant, and Harry is an asshole with anger problems so bad that they rub off on his son, causing him to attack another kid. But I digress. Harry kicks a chair, Rosie freaks out and calls the cops, and the whole thing is very Brooklyn. That’s what I’m enjoying most so far about The Slap: the ambiguity surrounding the central parties (Harry and Rosie/Gary). None of them are likable, but I can see where everyone is coming from. (Pretty sure I said something similar to this last week; this might be a recurring sentiment.) The show hasn’t quite found its footing yet, but now that everyone has declared war against each other, I think things will start moving with a clearer focus.
A Few Thoughts
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Harry’s having an affair too, because everyone on The Slap is terrible. Hector’s wife Aisha seems okay, but at this rate, once we get to her episode we’ll find out she deals in human trafficking
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Harry gets arrested and released on bail by a judge wearing an asshole bow tie
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I really enjoyed Harry’s sleazy lawyer. Especially because he turned out to be competent
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