Two Takes: Graceland “Chester Cheeto” 

We’re only two weeks in to Season 3 and Graceland is already bringing the drama! Last week’s premiere set us up for what is sure to be an excellent season and tonight’s episode took that foundation and RAMPED. IT. UP. Between the back-stabbing, pill-popping and inter-house drama, there is too much for me to cover on my own, so once again Tina Charles and I are giving Briggs, Mike and the rest of the team the Two Takes treatment to break down all the Graceland goodness in  “Chester Cheeto.”

Cortney: I have to admit, while I enjoyed last week’s episode, it was nothing to compared to this week! Everything was back in full swing and this episode felt like the old Graceland, which I loved. As Jakes would say, “everything’s peachy.” Well, maybe not for the residents of Graceland, but it certainly was for me. So where do we start? Johnny’s strip club antics? Charlie’s mama drama? Mike’s oxy problem?

Tina: I totally agree. Loved this episode. There’s so much to talk about. I think we need to start with our favorite do gooder turned pill popper. Oh, Mike. Please listen to Briggs and stay away. He knows what he’s talking about. Mike’s in serious pain and he’s self-medicating. At the same time, he wants to get back in the field. I don’t know how he thinks he’s going to do that.

On a shallow note, I’m going to — once again — say that I love me some Scruffy!Mike. The dirtied up lived in look fits in more with the Graceland crowd, don’t you think?

Cortney: Yes! Now that he’s out of the hospital gown and all cleaned up (in the literal sense), I’m totally digging the scruff and floppy locks. That being said, I can’t possibly imagine why he thinks he can go back in to the field when he can’t even tackle Everest (aka the stairs ). That can’t end well, right?! However, I did love that we finally got a chance to hear him tell his side of the Lena story to Paige. I mean, yes, we saw it all go down, but to actually hear his thoughts and feelings and how she haunts his dreams — it was just what we needed. And apparently just what Paige needed too. Their scenes together were sweet and while I have to admit I’m surprised Paige let him embrace her after all that they’ve been through, I’m glad that fight is over.

Tina: That Mike/Paige scene was one of my favorite moments of the entire episode! However, Mike was also in one of the most cringe-worthy moments of “Chester Cheeto.” That would be the dressing down he got from Special Agent in Charge Sean Logan. Ouch.

Cortney:  Yes! Watching him march in to Logan’s office in an attempt to save Briggs, only to be shot down and called out in front of the whole field office was a definite ouch moment. And  you were so spot on with calling him a do gooder. I love his good intentions, but he needs to realize he’s not a god, in more ways than one.

Tina: Before moving on to a different arc, one more thing about Paige. She received that medal for her heroics in saving the girls from the evil slave trader. Everybody from the house — except for Johnny — was in the audience. She got this great intro and…her acceptance speech was so very anti-climactic. All she did was say “thanks” and the ceremony ended. I loved the awkward applause that ensued. I also loved Charlie trying to prevent Paige from moving out. She doesn’t want to be the only woman left in the house. Although, I don’t see a problem with that, personally.

Cortney: Haha! Agreed! Speaking of Charlie, her storyline this week was amazing. Seeing her torn between being a mother — something she’s never done and will now have to face alone — and an agent which is something she knows and has done her whole life — it felt so real.

Charlie: Down one path, I’m Charlie DeMarco, Federal Agent. And down another, I’m Charlie DeMarco, single mom.

And I found it so interesting that she spent the end of last season and beginning of this episode being fiercely protective of her baby, but then it was she who decided to go to the abortion clinic. Do you think she was ever really going to do it? Or was it all a ploy to lead Briggs to believe she was no longer pregnant so he would stop treating her like she was fragile? I have to admit, what he said to her when she told him she was leaving with Amber was pretty rough. I know he meant well and was being a protective papa, but yikes.

Briggs:  If you so much as set foot on a bird, I’ll have you on maternity leave before you push back from the gate. You’re a mom now, act like it.

Tina: It was harsh but I also kinda sorta understand where he was coming from considering she could have lost their baby when Amber and Jermaine held Charlie captive at the end of last season. I can’t tell what Charlie was feeling when she went to the clinic. It seemed to me like she originally thought it was a viable solution but couldn’t go through it. And then she saw her chance to to take advantage of the situation. Charlie’s always a do what you have to do type of person. It’s funny how all these roommates have one thing in common: they have a one-track mind that can often veer into obsession. It’s an unhealthy trait to share, I’d say. But it probably makes them good at their jobs.

Cortney: You are so right. And Johnny’s one track is Lucia…he will literally do anything for her. Speaking of which, since when can you walk in to a church and walk out of a strip club?!  I don’t think God would approve! I got such a kick out of that. I have to admit, while ridiculously dangerous, that whole strip club plan was kind of genius. And even though it didn’t totally work out as planned, Sid is dead so I totally still count that as a win. What’d you think?

Tina: “Since when can you walk in to a church and walk out of a strip club?!” Best. Sentence. Ever. That was simply craziness. I don’t know. I always think of Johnny as the most innocent of the group. To see him play puppet master and manipulate Sid into helping him attempt to break Lucia out was genius and stupid all at the same time. Carlito is devious. Way more devious than Johnny could ever be. So it’s no surprise Lucia’s still in harm’s way. However, at the strip club, Johnny told Sid he wasn’t a killer. By the end of the episode, he offed him in order to save his girlfriend. How’s Johnny going to tell the roommates they no longer have to worry about Sid? Will he tell them right away?

Cortney: I didn’t even think about that! How does he tell them without admitting his own betrayal?! Oh Johnny Boy, you have sure gotten yourself in to a situation. I totally agree on Johnny being the most innocent, which is why I loved that the strip club scene was super flashy and done in slo-mo and with all those special effects…it made him seem so cool. And it made some strippers very happy. But the fact that he had to trust Sid then turned on him and tried to kill him and then had to trust him again — whoa. But, you’re right, Carlito is devious and dangerous (even when he’s naked…who keeps a dagger in their robe?!) and I don’t really think Johnny had much of a choice. The only way to save Lucia was to save Carlito. That being said, the house knows he’s been going down to Mexico lately so they have to know something is up…or at least start to get suspicious…right? Or are they just too busy with their own problems to notice? I mean, Briggs did just drop a guy off a bridge and then have to kidnap the daughter of the Sarkissian ‘s head honcho so it’s not like he’s sitting around twiddling his thumbs…..

Tina: He really isn’t. His distractions are getting out of control. That Ari guy is a super douche. He told Paul to take care of his girlfriend. Last we see Briggs, he’s masked and crashing into her car. We have no idea what he’s going to do. I really adore little mini-cliffhangers at the end of a normal episode. Keeps the momentum going. Now if we could just get some momentum going for a Jakes storyline…

Graceland airs Thursdays at 10/9c on USA Network.