TV-Reviewed

Samantha was definitely a surprise I hadn’t seen coming. It makes sense, though, that the show would have eventually introduced something of Michael’s past that even Fiona and Sam were unaware of. And it was only fitting for it to be something that would then drive a further wedge between him and Fi–as well as something that would get Madeline all worked up.

The story line itself involving Samantha was rather simple but nicely executed. Samantha the thief and ex-fiancee that no one knew about got herself in over her head and now has nobody else to turn to but Michael. Of course, the best bits were where Michael had to try and talk to Fiona–and Madeline–about the relationship he and Samantha had once had. Meanwhile, he needed Fi’s help to get his ex-fiancee out of trouble with the evil Brennen.

Of course, Brennen had to have some serious leverage over Samantha. Obviously, that was her son, Charlie. Right away the brain starts connecting the dots. Her and Michael…Does that mean Charlie is his son? I like how Samantha made Michael worry about that one for a bit. The oh-crap-I-hope-he’s-not-mine look on his face while the camera panned around him was classic. Naturally, we learn that no, Charlie is not his son, but Samantha used Charlie’s presence as her own bit of leverage. In this way she’s using her son as a shield in this entire mess. Leverage can go both ways–her and Brennen, to me, used Charlie to their own advantages. That’s what thieves do, right?

Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne

The best bit, though, with Brennen was the fact that he couldn’t be fooled by Michael. In fact, even to me Michael’s story sounded pretty weak. Then again, that was the whole idea. Yet, with some slight misdirection things heated up and you could tell Brennen was starting to get antsy–not paranoid, no, but he was starting to show a sliver of uncertainty towards the end. Of course, misdirection–especially in this case–is a double-edged sword, so to speak. I knew Victor wouldn’t take kindly to being shot at. It was great with the conversation he and Michael had afterward; Victor couldn’t do anything but do his typical psychotic laugh when Mike told him it was nothing personal.

The next piece of misdirection was, of course, handled by Sam and Sam. When Brennen decided to make the deal on the tarmac rather than inside the hanger, I couldn’t see any way for Michael and company to get the guidance chip back. I mean, sure Sam had realized what was going on, but how could he take on all those guys with a single handgun? I just couldn’t see any plausible way for him to stop Brennen’s deal from going down. Luckily, he’s a trick shot as he got that one guy in the leg without seeming to aim. That sure got the south-of-the-border guys out of there in a hurry. Then, I was equally impressed by the way he sold it, by having Samantha drive up in the car so that Brennen saw her. Yet…

I’m surprised Brennen didn’t shoot at her sooner. I guess he was in shock over Samantha’s apparent tenacity and cleverness? That’s the only thing that seems logical there. Otherwise, he could have just shot her dead, I think. Because, that guy didn’t care about anything or anyone–all he wanted was his money. Then again, his deal was now off and he was stuck with a hot, hot piece of property. He knew he’d been bested and out-smarted. The only logical move for him to have made was in letting Michael return the guidance chip–which looked an awful lot like a standard computer hard drive.

However, the conclusion of this episode was, to me, the best part. The final showdown between Michael and Victor was another battle of spy-training and smarts. Mike knew Victor would have everything planned down to the smallest detail for their meeting. The way to take Victor hostage was to put something extra special into the equation, which ended up being the stun gun disguised as a disposable camera. He knew Victor would put a up a fight, though, and the only way to take him down was quietly. My only question had been: How is he going to get an unconscious man out of the bathroom without drawing people’s attention? That was only to be answered seconds later when he pulled up his pant leg and started unwrapping some gauze. Well, that sort of answered it. I just didn’t think of him using a wheel chair to further sell the diversion.

Back on the matter of Samantha, I thought it was great when Sam was trying to calm down both Fiona and Madeline. “Ladies, these things happen.” Yeah, he’d know. That hasty marriage of his way back in the day…

Anyhow, Sins of Omission was an all around excellent episode. The tension between Michael and Fiona and his mother was something you could easily feel, and something that was worked well into the story. The sympathy Sam seemed to feel for his friend. We all make mistakes. And then Victor being abducted by Michael–getting things ready for the season’s big finale.

Rating: 9.0