Character Development: TK Breaks Up with Sheera, Necessary Roughness “Sympathy for the Devil” 

Season three of Necessary Roughness has come to a close and after watching last Wednesday’s episode, there is no doubt in my mind that TK has earned the title of MVP of this season (but hopefully not series) finale. I have LONG been a TK fan, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been frustrated with the character at times. I’ve waited for him to come around and mature since season one and each time we see glimmers of potential change, we’re whomped upside the head with a reminder that he’s on the path to change, but he certainly isn’t there yet. However, I think for the first time, we’re finally seeing all these temporary changes add up and result in real transformation. Honestly, I could not have been prouder of TK this episode…it made my heart swell.

First and foremost, his break up with Sheera was a LONG TIME COMING! I’ve questioned her motives from day one and last week we saw that TK may even be questioning her true intentions when she insisted he take the miracle drug so that her future fame was insured. This week, she made it clear that she expects them to do whatever it takes to “make it”…regardless of potential moral or physical issues:

TK: “So I should’ve just doped or juice no matter what it did to my health? Not to mention that its cheating”

Sheera: “TK, it’s not cheating,

TK: “It is cheating”

Sheera: “Not if nobody knows about it”

Wow, she’s a real winner, isn’t she?! But it was their final confrontation that really got to the “heart” of the matter…or lack there of. Sheera is clearly determined to succeed professionally and she’s not about to let anything or anyone get in her way. At one point, the same could have been said about TK, but after all his been through (and I like to think in part thanks to Dr. D.), he has grown and matured and is finally realizing what’s really important in life. This interaction was easily my favorite of the night:

Sheera: “I don’t want to be married to the next Ocho Cinco, that is not in my five-year plan.”

TK: “There it is.”

Sheera: “There what is?”

TK: “The real, unvarnished Sheera Cane.”

Sheera: “I’m not going to apologize for my ambition.”

TK: “I don’t want you to apologize for being ambitious, I’m fine with being ambitious, look around! But that is all you have, it’s like love is some kind of tool for you to get someplace.  But you don’t have a heart, Sheera. And I’m not the wizard, I can’t give you one, no matter how hard I try.”

And there it is, the end of a tumultuous and eye-opening relationship. Honestly, I think TK needed this…it essentially gave him a chance to look in the mirror and realize how he wants better for himself. And let’s be honest, I don’t feel too badly for him because the chemistry he has with physical trainer India (Jane By Design‘s India de Beaufort) is off the charts. She challenges him and, if anything, is turned off rather than turned on by his fame and that humbles him, which is no easy feat with TK. However, when he saved her from the clinic scandal (such a noble gesture), she saw that he has a real heart…one that us fans have always known was there. I hope to see more of these two if the show comes back for another season.

Anyways, on to more TK greatness. When it came time for the Bobcats to face the Hawks, it was inevitable that TK would want to play and take down the coach that had given him such grief. I understand TK’s personal desire to play, but it was towards the end of the game, when he really stepped up not for himself, but for the team, that got me.

TK: “Coach, I know that my shoulder is shot and my season is over, but that doesn’t mean that theirs is too.  If I’m going down, I may as well go down in a blaze of glory.”

The fact that he was willing to sacrifice himself and potentially the rest of the season for his team was the biggest thing I think we’ve seen him do. I mean, I could never imagine season one TK even thinking this, let alone doing it. TK earned every bit of that win and I desperately hope we get to see him continue to evolve in future seasons because I adored him before, but now he is genuinely a stand-up guy: his world no longer revolves around TK and I find that not only admirable and attractive, but also downright sexy.

Quick notes: While TK was my highlight, I’d be remiss to ignore the other goings-on in the episode. We learned that Connor was in fact aware of (and maybe even directly behind) the doping scandal at V3’s sports clinic. All fingers point to him being a bad guy, regardless of the fact that he still believed in what he was doing. While I don’t condone cheating or drugs, I will admit that I was a little disappointed that the episode focused so heavily on the drugs being a moral issue. Yes, it’s wrong, but it also is harmful and detrimental to the athletes. I wish they’d gone deeper in depth to the anger it caused in Crabcheck, the anxiety it caused in Hutch and the other potential physical and mental side effects. Because yes, it may help them become super-athletes and it may even help them to avoid certain pain in the future, but at what cost?

And how can I continue without mentioning Danico (Dani and Nico)? While I can never imagine Dani and Nico cuddled up on the couch or in bed like she use to with Matt, I will say that this coupling is starting to grow on me. When Nico opened up, revealing his real name, hometown and preference for cats, he was genuinely trying to connect, which is more than we’ve ever seen from him. It was sweet and I liked watching him let down his guard, no matter how minimally. And in looking at the past few episodes, I realize that Dani is really the only one who’s ever been able to make him smile. She teases him, jokes with him and gets him to laugh and darn, if that’s not reason enough for them to be together, I don’t know what is.

My final gripe with this episode, which is actually a compliment more than a gripe – not enough Dr. D. and TK! I absolutely love these two together, their dynamic is and always has been one of my favorite and the one scene they had together just felt too short. Don’t get me wrong, there were LOTS of other issues that had to be addressed this episode, so I understand, but I still missed it. Well, I guess that’s just another reason that Necessary Roughness deserves another season. Loved this finale…and yes, I can’t deny that it very much felt like it had the potential to be a series finale, but until USA makes the official announcement, I’ll continue to hold out hope!