Whiskey Cavalier

[nathanfan1]

Let's move on to Episode 2!



The Czech List 

The Whiskey team is sent to Prague for their first official mission, where Will has to seduce the widow of a notorious shipping tycoon in order to gain access to a list of criminal clients, but Frankie doubts his ability to deceive a grieving woman. Back in New York, the Bureau assigns the team a new liaison, who just happens to be the last person Will wants to see.


Let the comments begin!

[nathanfan1]

A few comments about the opening segment ........


I laughed that, right off the bat, Will and Frankie are posing as a married couple. Of course, Will endears himself right away to the proprietor, who notices that Frankie is really tense, and Will responds - "You have no idea!"  

Every episode there's magnificent scenery, and when Will pulls the curtain aside, the view of Vienna, Austria, is magnificent!

Loved Will's narrative describing the mission and reminding Frankie that they had to take the guy ALIVE! They did such a good job in the early part of the series painting Frankie as a cold blooded killer. She also had a comment  that she didn't know EVERY assassin. What a character!

I loved Jai with his miniature assault vehicle - aka toy car - and it was so cool that the same car showed up again in the finale! And then there was Standish, who'd been reduced to locking the doors.

The whole opening had the feel of a classic caper!

[nathanfan1]

Continuing on ........

Welcome to the Dead Drop! What an amazing set the old bar makes! My favorite detail is the old green rotary dial phone on the bar! I love the woodwork too!

So Ray's going to be their liaison and they really did do a great job throughout the series of showing how Ray slowly worked his way back into everyone's good graces and became a member of the team again.

One of the funniest lines in this episode for me was when Frankie was needling Will about Gigi being half his age and Will responds, "Gigi wasn't half my age. She was going to be 30 - at some point." Scott Foley delivered that perfectly!  

Frankie makes the wisecrack that she has a better chance of seducing the mark than Will has and it was hysterical how that turned out to be true! Love the $5 bet!

Once again, I also have to mention the incredible views of the locations. That river scene in Prague was breathtaking.

It was funny and a bit surprising that Frankie is the one who coached Will through seducing the mark. She did a great job of it but Will still took all the credit!

Jai outfits Will with gas filled cuff links and later we learn that he also gave him an exploding watch. I feel like we should make a list of all of Jai's weaponized creations. It's hysterical how Jai delights in everything exploding.

The whole bit about Standish and his lies was funny too, especially when he sucked Susan into believing his mom left him when he was only 8.

Again, in this episode, they used a classic pop song from the 70's, covered in the Czech language, when Karen walks into the restaurant. I know the tune well but can't remember the song title. I just love how they used these classic songs throughout the series.

Will does a great job of taking out all 3 of the attackers at the restaurant and he didn't have a hair out of place! At least he was panting a bit.   In fairness to Will, he didn't really initiate the kiss. Karen grabbed him but he sure didn't object! Frankie shows up in time to save the day but leaves just a little bit jealous!

[nathanfan1]

I actually snorted when they entered the bank and Frankie introduced Will as Doug, her male secretary! Again, Scott Foley's facial expression was priceless!    

I loved how Will protected Frankie during the blast and he also had his arm around her as they slid out of the vault.

It seems like every episode has some sort of tender or honest scene and this one came as the vault was filling with water. Will apologizes to Frankie about letting his heart get in the way of the mission and Frankie's response is classic - "Your big, dumb heart isn't necessarily your worst quality." Frankie surely has a way with words!

I thought the vault door opening and that wall of water coming out was really a great visual. I don't know if the director gets the credit or the camera people but I sure admire the artistry of it all.

I appreciated Frankie letting Ray know how lousy it was to betray Will like he did. Frankie's got a tough outer shell but we're already getting little glimpses into the true feelings that are hiding deep down inside her.

Cute toast at the end and Frankie conceding that Will won the bet!

This was the first time we saw the team working together on a mission and I thought the writers did a good job of showing their ability to get the job done but also, realistically, showing that there are lots of differences and rough spots that will need to be smoothed out.

[ibmjas]

I finally saw the finale. I would have loved another season as well. I loved the old songs that they played throughout the episodes and I also loved the scenery as well. They had characters that seemed very real and relatable. It's a shame it couldn't get traction. I think it's really tough for a mid-season show to get renewed. They too often go unnoticed. It was nice seeing Will and Frankie getting closer. I'm sure they would have thrown a lot of wrenches into their relationship had it continued.

[geezer2008]

I'm still    that they cancelled this show. There seem to be fewer and fewer quality shows on mainstream TV but that is JMO.

[Fjordmom]

My favorite scenes:

Opening scene...

Frankie's eyerolling and exasperation when Will is conversing with their hostess, eating strudel, and later when they are unpacking their weapons and Frankie is "throwing" rifle parts.

Will: OK, first of all, stop hitting me with rifle parts, it's rude. Second, it's called polite conversation, it's what nonrobots do. And for future reference, anytime anyone EVER offers me an authentic Bavarian dessert... strudel, streusel, marzipan, Black Forest cake, carrot cake--that's Bavarian, dampfnudel... Oh, come on, I'm just not turning it down.

As the scene progresses, Will sets up why and what they'll be doing, ultimately to "Put our hands on the ledger and put a lot of bad people behind bars"..."And then, time for beer and strudel!!!!!"

(I'm with you, Will!!!!!!!!!!!     )

-----


The scene in the body bag....

F: You smell nice, citrus?
W: lemon verbena...body wash from the hotel, I stole a bunch.
F: Can I give you some free advice....
W: no....
F: you're too nice....
W: weird burn..
F: I mean .for a spy...you're too emotionally available.
W: I'm sorry I couldn't hear you over the wall of mistrust that you've built around yourself, it's so big.

(This conversation is a spot on assessment of both Will and Frankie's personalities.)

Standish after he unzips body bag and Will and Frankie are stepping out of it: What's that smell?
F: Dead bodies
W:...and citrus.

----------------

Loved Susan's dressing down of Standish and his lies.  

--------------

The vault scene:
Will trying to apologize for his "big dumb heart" impacting the mission and Frankie stops him, telling him his "big dumb heart" is not his worst quality, "it breeds loyalty in people, it's why they follow you" When she sees how he connects to people, "I kind of envy that." Will says, "Thank you" underwater.

It was cool watching them "swim" out of the vault.

Then, Frankie reverts to Frankie...."Can we agree this is his fault?"... Will: I rescind my thank you.

-----------

Overall, this episode was an interesting exploration of Will's emotional involvement and his "big dumb heart" . I felt he really connected with Karen Pappas at dinner, and there were moments when I thought she was really connecting to him, with the two of them not just playing along with their respective ruse. In the final scene when he saves Karen from the subway, I felt their initial reaction was one of them both connecting, with Karen asking why he did that. And after Will tells her he saved her because he needed her to tell him everything in the ledger, I saw a bit of a hurt, bewildered look on Karen's face. I know he needed to revert to the tough guy stance and complete the mission, but I really feel there was a part of his" big dumb heart" that was still connected to Karen at least a little bit, and that part of his tough guy stance was necessary to help him get through this and to prove to Frankie that he could do his job.

This ep also was an exploration of the way Frankie does keep those walls up, momentarily lets them down and softens, and then ultimately puts them back up again.

I really like the use of photographic memory in this episode. And the scenes of Vienna and Prague!!!!

nathanfan1 , the 70s song is a Czech cover of the Bee Gees 1977 hit, How Deep Is Your Love
- Nejkrásnější Sen by KARDINÁLOVÉ.

Ahhh, the Bee Gees....I have quite a few of their albums!!!

[nathanfan1]

Loved reading your thoughts on the episode, Fjordmom! You also helped me out on 2 counts. I never could quite understand every word that was said in the body bag so I really appreciated you quoting it all. "Weird burn" was what I was missing. That whole scene was so funny!

The other thing I appreciate was the song identification. I love the Bee Gees and knew i recognized the song but just couldn't label it. Their use of oldies on the show was so fun for me. 

This was the first mission we see them tackle as a team and it served as a great means of highlighting the vast personality differences among them. However, seeing all of the issues didn't turn me off at all because they infused so much humor into the way they revealed them. It left me very much looking forward to seeing how they would all grow and lose the rough edges.

[Fjordmom]

Jun 12, 2019 10:50:27 GMT -5 nathanfan1 said:

Loved reading your thoughts on the episode, Fjordmom! You also helped me out on 2 counts. I never could quite understand every word that was said in the body bag so I really appreciated you quoting it all. "Weird burn" was what I was missing. That whole scene was so funny!

The other thing I appreciate was the song identification. I love the Bee Gees and knew i recognized the song but just couldn't label it. Their use of oldies on the show was so fun for me. 

This was the first mission we see them tackle as a team and it served as a great means of highlighting the vast personality differences among them. However, seeing all of the issues didn't turn me off at all because they infused so much humor into the way they revealed them. It left me very much looking forward to seeing how they would all grow and lose the rough edges.

It took quite a few "rewinds" before I got the whole thing!   I can type fast but unfortunately not as fast as human conversation!

And I have to give credit to a website called TuneFind for the info on the Czech cover.  They list some of the songs for each episode and when I searched using the Czech title it gave the English title "How Deep Is Your Love".  

With this show, the humor saves the day on a lot of fronts, doesn't it??!!  

[nathanfan1]

Episode 3

Will and Frankie continue to clash, and their growing pains may jeopardize the team's next mission in Rome, where they are sent to prevent a terrorist attack.


Comments on this episode?

[nathanfan1]

They did a good job of making that whole first segment seem like a real mission. I was totally surprised when the dead body greeted them!

I noticed that in this opening, Frankie had on a lot of eye makeup. It seemed out of character to me. Usually, Frankie looks very natural and that seems a lot more appropriate for her personality.

In an interview with Scott Foley, he raved about how much fun he had driving up and down the river in London for 5 hours. He said it was such a thrill. It amazes me that it takes that long to film something that edits down to just a couple of minutes in the show.

This exchange between Will and Frankie was so funny!

     F - Why do you get to drive?
     W - I got in first.
     F - That's not a good system.
     W - Well, at the dock I said, "Ladies first," and you said, "I guess that means I'm after you," - very funny, by the way - so now you don't get to drive.
     F - Totally worth it.

When Frankie was willing to shoot Standish, I liked the way Will asserted himself and pushed her arm down. There is another time in this episode when Will draws a line in the sand that I'll mention later.

I feel like I should start a list of all of Jai's weaponized jewelry and things that explode! He's so proud of his creations! This time it's the wedding ring with the needle and drugs that Standish uses to knock out his captor.

[nathanfan1]

I just have to share this here. This is what Scott Foley posted on his Instagram today. Brought me to tears. Love this guy!  




scottkfoley's profile picture
scottkfoley
Verified
My dad isn’t on social media but if he was...I’d tell him how proud I am to be his son. How the lessons that he instilled in me have made me the husband, father and man that I am today. How I so regret those adolescent and young adult years when I was an insufferable ass and we lost contact. I learned from his actions that regardless of your education or station in life, you do whatever you have to to take care of and support your family. I’d tell him how lucky I was to grow up in a family that not only told me I was loved but that through their actions, made me feel loved. I’d tell him that my kids not only hear me tell them I love them numerous times each day but hopefully, through what I learned from him, feel that love through my actions. If my dad was on social media, I’d tell him how much I wished I could have helped him more when his wife, my mom, died, leaving him to take care of three young boys and how now, looking back, I should’ve focused on him and my younger brothers instead of pushing it all away. If he were on social media, he’d see this post and know all of these things. But he’s not. So, I’ll call him today, and wish him a happy Father’s Day. We’ll talk about the weather and how he’s doing since the death of his third wife. I’ll tell him that we really miss being in Prague and he’ll say that he’s sorry that he couldn’t make it over to see us. He’ll rush me off of the phone like he always does with a little lie about having something that he needs to get to,but we’ll end the call by exchanging “love you” and “talk to you soon”. I won’t mention any of the things in this post because time heals so much, because we’re guys (don’t kid yourself, that is an excuse) and because that’s how it works for us. But i think he knows. #HappyFathersDay

[Fjordmom]

The team is a dysfunctional family, lots of antagonism between Will and Frankie, and the whole team has its moments of dysfunctional pairings, Jai and Standish, Susan and Jai, poor Ray. Really some great reveals for everyone on the team and the resolution of the dysfunction was both fun and heartwarming to watch.

Despite Will's best efforts at bringing Frankie over to the "family" side, she was quite firm:

F: "I don't mix the personal with the professional, so I'm never going to let myself care about any of you."

The team is off to Rome and stopping Fascia Rossa. The opening views of Rome are wonderul, along with the music -- Da zero a cento by Baby K


MY FAVORITE SCENE: The team's entrance to the party....it's really one of the most memorable for me from the entire season. What's wonderful about Whiskey Cavalier is that the team gets to assume various disguises, and this is one of the most fun, glamorous ones!!!

The music -- Riccione by Thegiornalisti -- is perfect for the team's entrance, with everyong dressed up, the view of the party setup. I loved the way the filming alternated between normal walk (swagger really) and slo-mo....Will and Jai in tux, Susan and Frankie's outfits were fabulous.


------

The scene in the van after the father gets shot is one of the most revealing character-wise for the whole team.

------

DISARMING THE BOMB:

The way the scene was done with Will on his back underneath the bomb so he can visualize what Frankie can't see, with Frankie kneeling on his chest and following his instructions to remove the detonator, was tense and also revealing the more caring side of Frankie. 

F: If this goes sideways, I want you to know that I think you're a.. capable agent.
And I know I'm not the easiest person tow ork with.

W: No, you're a cakewalk.  (Frankie smiles at this.)

Look, I've made mistakes too, but we still have each other's backs, you know why?

F: If you say because we're family I'm going to let this thing explode.

W:  We are a family.

After Frankie extracts the detonator, she and Will smile, both looking intently at each other --

W: Green, by the way.

F: What?

F: I don't know, I thought you were trying to figure out what color my eyes are.



RESCUING THE GIRL:

Frankie unties the girl, lovingly trying to reassure her.

F: I know what you're thinking Whiskey, but everyone's got a soft spot...Only you've got hundreds of them.

W: You say that like it's a bad thing.



BACK IN NYC - JAI APOLOGIZES TO SUSAN:

J: "Doesn't play well with others, that is what my teacher wrote in my report card in kindergarten."

S: Mine wrote "Susan is a ray of sunshine."

It was a sweet apology from Jai.

And his parting comment to Susan as she leaves, "You know, you ARE a ray of sunshine!"

and to himself, "Just a burning, relentless ray of sunshine."

this show.  

[ibmjas]

Jun 16, 2019 13:28:12 GMT -5 nathanfan1 said:

I just have to share this here. This is what Scott Foley posted on his Instagram today. Brought me to tears. Love this guy!  




scottkfoley's profile picture
scottkfoley
Verified
My dad isn’t on social media but if he was...I’d tell him how proud I am to be his son. How the lessons that he instilled in me have made me the husband, father and man that I am today. How I so regret those adolescent and young adult years when I was an insufferable ass and we lost contact. I learned from his actions that regardless of your education or station in life, you do whatever you have to to take care of and support your family. I’d tell him how lucky I was to grow up in a family that not only told me I was loved but that through their actions, made me feel loved. I’d tell him that my kids not only hear me tell them I love them numerous times each day but hopefully, through what I learned from him, feel that love through my actions. If my dad was on social media, I’d tell him how much I wished I could have helped him more when his wife, my mom, died, leaving him to take care of three young boys and how now, looking back, I should’ve focused on him and my younger brothers instead of pushing it all away. If he were on social media, he’d see this post and know all of these things. But he’s not. So, I’ll call him today, and wish him a happy Father’s Day. We’ll talk about the weather and how he’s doing since the death of his third wife. I’ll tell him that we really miss being in Prague and he’ll say that he’s sorry that he couldn’t make it over to see us. He’ll rush me off of the phone like he always does with a little lie about having something that he needs to get to,but we’ll end the call by exchanging “love you” and “talk to you soon”. I won’t mention any of the things in this post because time heals so much, because we’re guys (don’t kid yourself, that is an excuse) and because that’s how it works for us. But i think he knows. #HappyFathersDay

Thanks for sharing this. They may be guys and never talk about such things, but I wish he would print it out and send it to his dad. They both may be too embarrassed or stoic or whatever to talk about stuff like this, but I think his dad would love to be able to read this in a private moment to know his son's regrets and how much he respects and care for his dad now. It's a shame he announces it to the world but not to the person who deserves to hear it the most.

[nathanfan1]

I really see this third episode as a turning point in the series. The first part serves to highlight the divide between the team members in so many ways. Talk about polar opposites! Here are my thoughts from the first part of the mission:


I sure got a chuckle out of Will pointing out to Frankie that she'd been, "pissed off for 3 time zones."  Of course, Jai bugged Will going into the meeting with Director Casey, and we'll see that happen again and again!

When they met with Casey, Will and Frankie had opposite answers to the question about the training missions. Will said they got better each time, while Frankie said they went horribly. Positive/ negative.

From early on, we start to see Jai and Standish being paired up and their first label came from the Director as he referred to them as Batman and Robin. Later, in another episode, they're Bert and Ernie.

Standish was a hoot as he demonstrated his weapon tactics to Will and referred to himself as a Big Dog that wanted 2 guns.

After Ray describes their mission, he tells Will that Frankie tried to kill him last week. Will responds by asking Frankie, "What happened? You getting rusty?"  Poor Ray!

Beautiful views of Rome!

Continuing the B story line, Jai won't give Standish a gun until he has to take out a guard with a tray of appetizers. When Standish finds the gun under the front seat, he says, "Jai, where's the rest of it?"

After they go over the plan, Will makes one more attempt to get Frankie to buy into the team and form a connection with people. He explains his charm virus but Frankie responds by telling him she'll never let herself care about any of them. Again - polarized. That's emphasized even further as Will and Susan are getting ready for the party and Will shares his frustration over Frankie. Meanwhile, Jai and Frankie are also expressing their frustrations. It's like Team Will vs Team Frankie. It's sure not feeling like family!

I agree with Fjordmom that it was a real treat to see them all dressed up to go to the party. We even get to see Will and Frankie slow dancing, although Frankie is a reluctant participant. But Will is relentless and says he's never going to stop trying to get to know her.

So they get their mark and Frankie takes out the handler, who she new from her previous life before the CIA, and then she drugs the mark. Will mutters to Jai that he has to stop giving people weaponized jewelry! Add that drug necklace to the growing list of Jai's amazing weapons!

Will seems really shocked that Frankie had been an assassin and wonders what else he should know about her. She indicates that there's plenty more and we'll hear more later in the series.

Again, we see opposite approaches from Will and Frankie as they deal with the mark. Will reasons that a plea deal is the way to go and Frankie just wants to torture or shoot him. However, Will took the bullets out of her gun! 

Then, the whole affair gets more complicated when the guy's child is involved.


I'll stop here for now! I have to go make supper.