Rachel Bellwoar reviews the third episode of Powerless…
Sometimes characters boost a plot. Sometimes they ruin one, and ‘Sinking Day’ could be the mark of a sinking show. Two promising storylines get used to bring out the worst in Powerless‘ characters and this is before we’ve started liking them.
The charts are in and Wayne Security’s sales are up. Emily would point out that January is the month she joined the team but Van sees the numbers as an opening to bring up his Gotham promotion with Dad (Corbin Bernsen). Too slow to seal the deal, the team lose an important client because Van forgot to pass on an e-mail that changed the parameters of the project. Dad makes a rare trip to see his son, alright, but it’s not to praise him with job advancement. It’s to punish him with revocation of his respect.
Ba dum tsh? The show cuts to commercial here so we’re either looking at a punch line or a gut punch. It doesn’t feel like an appropriate place to laugh but Van Sr.’s most memorable characteristic is being a philanderer. Van’s alone in wanting his respect and finding humor in adultery’s not funny.
Van’s stopped being amusing himself. Already a would-be Michael Scott, pointing to a “Da Boss” mug for affirmation and introducing Todd Packer-lite (Bill A. Jones) as his friend is derivative. It also makes stomaching another last minute save to his character untenable. Attempting to replace the account they lost with Atlantis (and make an Atlanta joke next to Donald Glover’s Community costar, Danny Pudi), Van jeopardizes a meeting with them by claiming he’s buddy’s with Aquaman. There’d be some poetic justice if brag lying was Van’s downfall but Emily ends up admiring him for it. An interesting client bites the dust with a rotten, off point lesson.
While this goes on, Ron (Ron Funches) thinks one of their co-workers, Alex (Matthew Atkinson), is the Olympian and sets about convincing everyone else. Since Alex’s bathroom breaks coincide with the helmet-wearing hero’s exploits, Ron decides to set up security cameras in the bathroom. HR misses another opportunity to find out what their job is from ‘Wayne Dream Dream‘ and their final conclusion of identity fizzles out.
Emily’s inability to pull off other people’s catchphrases is still a thing. Jackie doesn’t interact with her once, which is a different extreme from last time, but the new note she gets to play is woman who wants to sleep with superhero. It’s not a big victory for women.
Did Emily manage to call the tuna away before the Atlanteans spotted their most valuable ally on the menu? Did they secure the account? Unless you can interpret Van and Emily singing a duet about how daddy doesn’t love them anymore as an answer (and Emily’s daddy does love her, so why is this happening?), we may never find out.
Rachel Bellwoar
Originally published February 17, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
