9x07 LHdP 66.6: The Rip-off - "You Use Me Up"

Amazingly, there were no rip-offs in this episode. At least not any blatantly obvious ones. Sure, Aitor's heightened observational skills and the scenes in the bathroom with Aitor and Pepa are kind of a rip-off, but they've been used in countless other crime/spy-based films/shows that it would be unfair to chastise ATPP™ and Co. for doing the same. The same thing goes for the whole "mother birthed two sons but only knew about one and the second one turns out to be evil" storyline. Given the lack of rip-offs in this ep., you might be wondering, What's the point of this lecture, K? Well, while there were no rip-offs, there were a few themes and analogies in this lecture that I thought were poignant and perhaps by examining them, we can get a better understanding of what the hell is going on with this season.

Ep. 111: Conexión y agua bendita (Connections and holy water)


Theme: Connections
Background: By definition, a connection is a relationship or association, whether it be between words, ideas, objects or individuals. It is a link that bonds one thing to another in some way.

LHdP use: Connections were the recurring theme of this episode, as one could probably gather from the episode's title. We were introduced to it from the very start of the episode, with the little history lesson on Alexander Bell's invention of the telephone and how it revolutionized the way that people connect with each other. Since then, technology, like the Internet, has allowed us to make those connections faster and more immediate.

Throughout the episode, various connections were shown whenever an hombre "saw" another even if they were miles apart: Paco and Mariano, Pepa and Aitor, Reyes and Lis, Amaia and Blackman, Paco and Salgado, and yes, even Pepa and Silvia. We also saw connections through the interactions in this episode: Damián Sr. and Damián Jr., Reyes and Aitor, Pepa and Deker.

Analysis: There were three major types of connections in this episode: friends, lovers, and family.

Let's start with family. Despite her actions to the contrary, Reyes seems to really love her daughter Lis. And perhaps that's why she finds herself in such turmoil - she doesn't want to hurt Lis, but she can't help the way she feels for Aitor. And as she told Don Lorenzo, it's not easy to separate that link, because the link between family is one of the strongest connections we have. We saw a more twisted version of this between Damián Sr. and Damián Jr. It's unclear whether Damián Jr. knew his dad was about to die, but maybe he "sensed" it through their connection to each other. Regardless, he was there to get his father's dying instructions and, perhaps, fulfill his destiny of continuing his father's work.

Moving on to friends, the one thing I have to credit ATPP™ for in this episode (aside from utilizing the CNI plot more) is that he remembered how important Paco and Mariano's friendship is in this series. It's one of the foundations of the show, so when Paco asks Mariano to believe him and distribute communion at the precinct, Mariano does. And as much as some people might not like the Pepa-Aitor friendship, I personally enjoy their relationship in this context. As Pepa pointed out (and Aitor echoed in this episode), she's a "fucking crazy girl" and he's a "fucking crazy guy". They have a lot of similar personality traits, so it made sense in S8 when Aitor confided in Pepa about his relationship with Sara, and it makes sense now that they're working together to take down the CNI. The other two "friend connections" in this episode, IMO, came from Aitor-Reyes and Pepa-Deker. While Aitor-Reyes are technically lovers, this episode showed them in a capacity greater than that. For once. Reyes doesn't blink an eye when Aitor reveals that Pepa killed El Gordo. Rather, she figures out that the CNI are now involved in the situation and readily offers her help. Granted, her motivations in doing so might have to do with the fact that she loves/cares for Aitor, but at that moment, she's acting like his friend, not his lover. As for Pepa and Deker, again, technically they did sleep together, so that at least makes them friends with benefits. However, putting aside all of the arguments about whether their hookup was right/wrong, Deker was someone Pepa could trust/rely on when it came to helping her and Aitor out with the CNI. And I think one of the reasons why Pepa and Deker do have a connection with each other is that they both know a lot about pain and have been living with it for quite some time. The only difference is Deker has finally decided to try and move on from that pain, while Pepa is still stuck.

And that brings me to lovers. Dispite ATPP™'s claim that he wanted more action instead of romance because he "spent many cartridges on the love stories", there are a lot of love connections this season. Amaia is still pining away for Blackman even though he hasn't even been mentioned since Ep. 108, and I suppose we're supposed to ascertain how strong her "love connection" to him is by the fact that it brings her to tears. We can also ascertain Goyo's love for Amaia from the fact that he's willing to hang around her despite the fact that he knows she literally can't think about anyone but Blackman.

Paco and Salgado are another love connection in this episode and when the CNI agent asks her why she cares so much about the situation with Pepa and Aitor, it's clear: Paco. She genuinely loves him and, knowing how much of a family guy Paco is, she knows that her actions could be disastrous for her relationship. So Salgado faces a battle of her own: fulfilling her duties as a CNI commander vs. her love for Paco. The third love connection in this episode is PepSi. We first see it when Pepa spots Silvia's lab coat and uses it to cover herself. The way she holds it - so tight, yet so gentle at the same time - you can see how much she's trying to hold on to the memory of her wife. In that moment, you could feel the presence of their love even though Silvia wasn't there. I think it's a nice juxtaposition to her schtooping scene with Deker. Again, putting aside all other arguments, one thing that I found in it was the presence of Pepa's loss. The way she looks up - with tears in her eyes - it's like she's trying to find that connection to Silvia again, but she can't. And I think that's where a part of her pain comes from: the fear of losing her connection to Silvia.

Analogy: The Pink Panther
Background: The Pink Panther is a comedy film series that follows a bumbling French detective. However, despite the name of the film, the detective is not the Pink Panther. The Pink Panther is actually a pink diamond - the largest in the world, which also happens to have a flaw. If one looks closely, they can see a tiny discoloration in the stone that resembles a leaping pink panther. The film is known widely for "The Pink Panther Theme" written by Henry Mancini and the cartoonish Pink Panther that appeared during the credits.

LHdP use: While being held in the "white room" of the CNI, Aitor receives several calls from Reyes. His name for her in his mobile is "Pink Panther".

Analysis: I think the choice to use "Pink Panther" as a codename for Reyes is a fitting one. Reyes is beautiful, much like the Pink Panther diamond, and at times she seems to be perfect. However, she also has a flaw like the diamond. Actually, she has two flaws. The first, I've already talked about: her feelings for Aitor which have affected her relationship with Lis. The second is the fact that she lets her relationships with men define her instead of defining them. Reyes is a beautiful, competent cop - this episode proved that. We even see some of the reasonableness that Montoya once brought into the show when Reyes points out the dangers in taking down the CNI. But all it took were some smiles and kisses from Aitor and she was back to do his bidding. Granted, love can blind us sometimes, but Reyes always seems to lose her brain whenever Aitor smiles at her and it tends to have a negative effect on her ability to be an efficient cop (and mother). Honestly, if Pepa (and Deker) never showed up, they would've been screwed.

Analogy: The Petrine Cross and the earthquake following the death of Christ
*Thanks to Dr. Piper for the history lesson on this one

Background: The Petrine Cross (or the Cross of St. Peter) refers to the cross that Peter was crucified on. Prior to his death, Peter requested to be placed upside down, because he felt that he was unworthy to be crucified in the same upright manner as Jesus Christ. There are two general associations with the Petrine Cross today. Many Catholics view it as a symbol of humility and unworthiness in comparison of their lives to Christ. Others view the inverted symbol as representation of Satanic and anti-religious attitudes.

Background: According to the Bible, Jesus cried out just before he died. Shortly afterwards, the curtains in the temple were torn in two and there was an earthquake. A Roman centurion who witnessed Jesus' death proclaimed that he must truly be the son of God after witnessing the events following his death.

LHdP use: Just before the hombres get ready to take communion, we see Damián Sr. gasp and an earthquake occurs, which is felt throughout the precinct (and beyond). As a result, the cross hanging in the shooting gallery fell and ended up hanging upside down, resembling the Petrine Cross. Also during this time, Damián Sr. passed away. I think. It was hard to tell when I saw it and I don't feel like re-watching the episode to find out if I'm right.

Analysis: I'm not going to analyze this one too much because this storyline bores and annoys me, but I think this was ATPP™ and Co.'s scene of the week to remind us that the "66.6" storyline is still present. If Damián Sr. (and Jr.) are Satan (and the devil's son) then perhaps the earthquake and resulting Petrine Cross was a way to show that Satan really does exist, much like how the earthquake made the Roman centurion believe that Christ was the son of God. And whereas Christ's death was the first step in His Ascension to joining his Father in Heaven, maybe the death of Damián Sr. (if he really did die) was a descension of sorts from father to son - perhaps a sign that Satan really is on earth and Damián Jr. can carry out his father's wishes.

Analogy: Miranda rights
Background: Miranda rights came about as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona (1966). In that case, the Court overturned the defendant's (Miranda's) conviction, because his confession was obtained in violation of his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination as well as his Sixth Amendment right to counsel. In their decision, the Court held that a person under custodial interrogation must be made aware of their right to remain silent and their right to have an attorney present during questioning. They also clarified what must occur when those rights are invoked. As a result of this case, law enforcement officers now read suspects their "Miranda rights" once that suspect is under custodial interrogation (which doesn't necessarily occur or have to occur when you're simply under arrest).

LHdP use: In one of the final scenes of the episode, Pepa, Reyes, Deker, and Aitor have arrested three CNI agents. Reyes and Aitor then proceed to read them their Miranda rights while they are being handcuffed.

Analysis: I suppose it's more ironic if Pepa et. al. were reading the CNI agents their Miranda rights, and while many view Miranda rights as an impediment to police investigations, I view them as a symbol of proper protocol - a "clean" investigation if you will.

This whole bit in the episode made me laugh because (a) I can't recall the hombres ever reading a suspect their Miranda rights in the history of the show, (b) the fact that they did so just seems wrong/weird on some level given that this show is about anything but following proper police procedures, and (c) they were reading the rights to fellow law enforcement officers. That being said, I thought it was a nice, subtle way to really define the battle lines of this story to the viewers.

The CNI are the "bad guys" here - they authorize sanctioned hits and will use illegal means to achieve them. The hombres might not be the brightest group of cops in Spain, but they are clearly "the good guys" - the ones who may fuck up a lot, but never really cross the line between what is right and what is wrong. And so, when Reyes and Aitor are giving the CNI agents their Miranda rights, it's their way of saying "Here in San Antonio, we do things by the book." Of course, that doesn't explain the illegal search that led to their tryst with El Gordo, but I never said ATPP™ & Co. were great at being consistent.

I leave you all with a tip: if you ever find yourselves under arrest and being questioned by the police, after the cops read you your Miranda rights and ask whether you understand them, say "Yes" and the following four words: "I want an attorney." Not "I don't want to talk to you" but "I want an attorney." At that moment, those four words will be your strongest ally. I know, you're probably thinking that saying it might make you look guilty for whatever it is that you've been arrested for. But would you prefer to just look guilty or actually end up being convicted for something stupid you might have said during questioning? Personally, I'd choose the former.

If you happened to spot an obvious rip-off that I missed, feel free to point it out to me and I'll add it to the lecture.

kalike

*The title for this lecture is based on the song "Use Me" by Bill Withers