Season One Episode Six Review
“Combinations” Airing February 15, 2011
Watch LIGHTS OUT on Tuesday nights at 10 PM EST on FX
February 15, 2011
By Lena Lamoray
LIGHTS OUT FX OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: Lights Out, from Executive Producer/Showrunner Warren Leight (In Treatment, Law & Order Criminal Intent), stars Holt McCallany (CSI: Miami) as “Patrick „Lights‟ Leary,” an aging former heavyweight boxing champion who struggles to find his identity and support his wife and three daughters after retiring from the ring. The financial downturn coupled with a series of failed investments leave him at a perilous crossroads – battling the urge to return to boxing or reluctantly accepting a job as a brutal and intimidating debt collector. Catherine McCormack (Braveheart) co-stars as “Theresa Leary,” Lights‟ wife who is finishing her medical residency; Pablo Schreiber (The Wire) as “Johnny Leary,” Lights‟ brother and business manager; and Stacy Keach (Fat City) as “Robert „Pops‟ Leary,” Lights‟ father and former trainer who runs the boxing gym owned by Lights. Clark Johnson (The Shield, The Wire) and Norberto Barba (In Treatment, CSI: NY) directed the pilot episode. Series Creator Justin Zackham (The Bucket List), Phillip Noyce (Salt) and Ross Fineman are also Executive Producers. Lights Out is produced by Fox Television Studios and FX Productions. FX has ordered 13 episodes of Lights Out, which was filmed in New York.
LIGHTS OUT “Combinations” Season One Episode 6 Review, Airing 2/15/2011
LIGHTS OUT gets right to it this week with a classic boxing press conference to showcase “Good vs. Evil”. Patrick ‘Lights’ Leary and Javier ‘El Diablo’ Morales meet and Javier doesn’t come empty handed, he has a special surprise for Patrick. They even have a very predictable face off but luckily Barry Word is present to issue his statement to the reporters that he is “everyone’s people.” “COMBINATIONS”- Lights prepares for his first fight in five years, while dealing with the heartbreak of being away from his family. Written by Stuart Zicherman. Directed by Tom DiCillo.
Barry Word (Reg E. Cathey) is one of those characters that you just love to hate. I was hoping they were going to touch upon the meeting between Barry and Hal Brennan (Bill Irwin) but we will have to explore that a little bit later. For now we will just have to enjoy Barry adding an extra dimension of corruptness into Patrick’s (Holt McCallany) life. When Barry decides to pay Patrick a visit at the gym things get a bit blurry.
Patrick really begins his intense training with Pops (Stacy Keach) and it is painful to watch. It involves a cinder block topped off by an ice bath. The ice cube bath made my skin burn just thinking about it. I’m sure Holt really put himself through that because he doesn’t do anything secondhand. I really admire actors who give up their own comfort and control and just let themselves be the part. Holt’s determination is beautiful.
Mike Fumosa (Ben Shenkman), the reporter, is nosing around trying to get an answer out of Patrick about some of the things that he has been linked to lately. Mike sat in on Morales training and he witnessed exactly what Patrick is going to be facing and it isn’t pretty. Mike is really pushing for Patrick to give him an exclusive story about his life but Patrick isn’t convinced.
Johnny (Pablo Schreiber) and Patrick spend some quality time together and Johnny finally makes the announcement that we have all been waiting for, “I’m Johnny and I’m not shy”. That is some quality information and I really thought he was shy, especially with the ladies. Johnny has a hand in Patrick’s next complication but he also assists in the suppression. We also find out that Johnny is of the vampire persuasion and has issues regarding churches.
Margaret Leary (Elizabeth Marvel) stops by for a chat with Teresa (Catherine McCormack) and she inquires about who Teresa really married. I am completely on Margaret’s side and I know most of you are, too. All Teresa ever does is complain about the career that chose Patrick. Patrick was born to fight and he has been in hibernation just to please his family and now the bear has been poked. She needs to come to terms with who Patrick is. “Let him out.”
LIGHTS OUT is a cinematic feature series that does not just develop characters but it develops legends. I never miss it and I’ve already seen the episodes but nothing beats the splendor that is LIGHTS OUT in HD. Don’t miss all new episodes of LIGHTS OUT Tuesday nights at 10 PM EST only on FX.
