Good Behavior: Season 2/ Episode 10 "Letty Raines, In The Mansion, With The Gun" [Season Finale]

Good Behavior’s second season ends in a rather disappointing fashion. Especially considering the final decision made after all that happened in episode 9. Previous Recap: Episode 9 “And I Am A Violent Criminal” Network TNT Director(s) Magnus Martens Writer(s) Aaron Fullerton, Chad Hodge, and Joshua Karns Characters Introduced Brett/ Patrick Brian Baumgartner The First One…

Good Behavior’s second season ends in a rather disappointing fashion. Especially considering the final decision made after all that happened in episode 9.

Previous Recap: Episode 9 “And I Am A Violent Criminal”

Network
TNT
Director(s)	Magnus Martens
Writer(s)	Aaron Fullerton, Chad Hodge, and Joshua Karns
Characters Introduced
Brett/ Patrick	Brian Baumgartner

The First One Always Haunts You: Letty, Javier

Good Behavior Season 2 Episode 10 Letty Raines, in the Mansion, with the Gun [Season Finale] - Brian Baumgartner — Brian Baumgartner

Being that the worse thing Letty has ever done is mess up her life with drugs, alcohol, and being a neglectful mom, killing someone takes her over the edge. Teo, not so much – killing him was a do or die situation. However, with Patrick, who originally was named by Letty as Brett? Yeah, that messes her up more than any bender we’ve seen her on thus far. I’m talking full blown guilt trip hallucinations that surpass anything we’ve seen thus far. More than her being a terrible mom, daughter, girlfriend, etc.

What perhaps makes the situation worse is that it follows her already feeling unworthy of all people, especially Javier, are willing to do for her. I mean, he bought her a friggin mansion and what is the first thing that happens? She kills both a creep and innocent man in it. Like everything in her life, it can’t remain pure with her nearby. It becomes tainted.

Yet, being that Javier loves her deeply, he handles all the necessary bits with taking care of the bodies. He even, when Letty decides to try and run away to face the music, stops her from making that mistake. Thus allowing them to take the van, with the bodies in it, and burn them to a crisp. All the while reassuring Letty, as always, that she isn’t as bad as she thinks she is. Even though she just added murder to her rap sheet.

Where To From Here?: Agent Lashever, Christian, Javier, Letty

So, with the house too tainted to live in, too newly bought to sell, it means that Letty and Javier have to sell all that cocaine. But before that, they hitch a ride with Christian and Agent Lashever who is now just Rhonda thanks to her retiring early. And as for what Letty and Javier were doing out in the wilderness? WHO CARES?! She is retired and after Christian reads the first complete draft of this book, which Letty isn’t fond of the ending, they’re gone.

Leading to the question of where to? Well, rather than follow where the drugs came from, maybe follow up on his father’s death, or anything related to the interesting idea of going to Argentina, Letty and Javier head to LA. A place where they will commit to being hotel people and likely they’ll remain the same people just operating in a different environment. Here is to the next season, if there is one, in which we see who will fill these two’s lives in LA (I’m not sure if I’m being sarcastic or not).

Collected Quote(s)

No one punishes you better than you punish yourself.

Criticism

So, About Being Low-Key

Let’s add a few things up, Letty, who has never worked a day in her life, suddenly had a million dollar home. On top of that, said home is the last appointment Patrick went to before he supposedly went gallivanting off with a mystery woman. One who, luckily for Letty, was pretty enough that Javier driving the truck seemingly didn’t raise a red flag. On top of that, supposedly this van didn’t have a GPS that the company could have tracked all the way to the house, past the appointment, and to wherever Javier and Letty drop off the vehicle. Okay.

Now, what about the fire and huge mountain of smoke rising through the air? I get they were a good 18 or so miles in, and the land may have been a bit secluded, but come on now. Also, considering there were flies about 10 or so minutes after the cop pulled Javier over, are you really telling me they didn’t smell anything? That there wasn’t any question of why a security company van would have flies or a rotting smell?

I know, suspension of disbelief is needed, but even with Letty’s car accident, granted she was hit passenger side but her moving about that quickly seemed off. Especially since that wasn’t just a tap but a hit hard enough to have the airbags go off. But, again, when you have a show in which the leads can talk themselves out of any situation and avoid anything beyond a smack on the wrist, what do you expect?

On The Fence

Welcome to LA

Something had to change in Good Behavior. The show, let’s be honest, suffered a sophomore slump as soon as Lashever arrested Letty and Javier and Letty talked Lashever out of it. Since then, the show has gone downhill, with little bumps thanks to meeting Rose and Alice, and then back to going downhill. After all, the show was starting to repeat itself and there are but so many times we can watch Letty fall off the wagon, get on, fall off because she thinks she is unworthy of Javier, love, and etc.

Plus, there is also the cycle of Letty’s relationship with Estelle, Jacob and just the southeast just doing no favors for Letty since she had too many opportunities to mess up. So, thinking optimistically, maybe LA could lead to a rebirth for Good Behavior. As noted in the past two episodes, Argentina seemed like a better idea since it would allow Javier, for a season or two, to get home field advantage, maybe allow us to get to know him better, but I guess the costs, even if they faked it, weren’t worth it.

So, here is to Letty falling back into old habits of robbing the rich, Javier setting up shop, someone of the LAPD likely catching wind of them, and us just watching the show repeat everything we’ve seen in a new location. Which hopefully I’m wrong about but this show hasn’t presented a positive surprise in a while.

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5 Comments

Amari Nicholas here and thanks for your review albeit rightfully cynical toward this, what POSSIBLY might be the last episode of Good Behavior: but it’s not and I think Chad knows it thus the open ending.

Overall, it is about what we expected after the previous episode: Javier cleaning up, Letty freaking out, Christina being corny and Lashear being, well, obnoxious as always. The characters in GB have become cartoon characters of themselves.

Still, I liked it and thought it was fast paced and didn’t drag, maybe too fast paced.

I thought that the security guy’s talking ghost routine was silly, and Brian Baumgartner was such an oaf in The Office it’s hard to be scared by him and it was a distraction to Letty’s meltdown.

And yes, the whole driving around with two dead bodies in a van and pulling up to the storage unit while the cops are taking out two other dead bodies to retrieve cocaine just a bit unbelievable, especially for the very cautious Javier.

So yes, we see Letty & Javier on their way to LA to sell the cocaine, but HOW are they doing that (selling grams at truck stops along the way?) they had no money because Letty gave hers away after the “accident” (another unbelievable segment). And how do they expect to unload cocaine in LA with no connections?

So bring it on a year from now: I’ll watch, just to see Letty’s (Michelle Dockery) fine ass, beautiful face and incredible acting. How Dockery is able to have a Southern accent when she sounds so darn British in real life reminds me of Charlie Hunan (sp) who played Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy who sounded just like a California boy when he too has a stong English accent. In the meantime, I got Netflix password from a friend recently and am preparing to binge watch Dockery in “Godless”: wonder what accent she will have in that Western?

Thanks again for your web site Amari.

BTW: Did you ever cover another TNT show, “Animal Kingdom”?

Agree wholeheartetly with the review and the comment from Danman. Way too much suspension of disbelief required here.

Looking back, the season was kind of sloppy. It bounced around erratically, dabbled too much in comedy and tossed in a bit of Teo now and then for some very weak mystery and menace.

The cast was always good though, especially Michelle Dockery who was outstanding throughout.

Not sure if I’ll really mind if it’s not renewed.

Enjoyed readind the reviews. Good luck with your projects.

Danman says:

December 19, 2017 at 5:44 PM

Completely agree – To think how promising the show started …

I’m not really opposed to a third season, a lot of the first 1 and 1/2 seasons was pretty good after all (being able to suspend some disbelief was always necessary though). I’m pessimistic that the writers can turn the show around after so much unrealistic BS but would be willing to give the show one last shot in a third season.

Same as you I really enjoy the acting, especially Dockery is in top form. The actors desperately need better material though.

Reply

Wow, seems your critique points where the same as mine when watching season 2’s finale.

I really don’t like how they “resolved” this murder problem and if at least Letty doesn’t get onto a wanted list next season – if there is one – I don’t think I could take the show seriously anymore (which the show often makes hard enough already anyways).

There was suspicious and conspicous behavior everywhere:
As you said, the house where the murder victim was last seen, was in Letty’s name. Also, the house is empty now because she suspiciously ran away. Letty and Javier had a highly conspicuous car chase, she bolted from the scene of the ensuing accident after giving the other driver 4.000 bucks despite him admitting right out that the accident was his fault. And she was seen in the victim’s vehicle thus can be described by the driver of the van of the same security firm.

There is a police file about Letty, they have her fingerprints which will be all over in the damaged car left behind. In the real world she’d be first suspect when the driver doesn’t turn up, even more so when they find the burnt down rest of the van/bodies – Letty saying the police would believe this story about a concocted affair the security guy supposedly run away for (from?) or killed himself for (out of guilt?) doesn’t make it any true.

Also, the incoherent camping silver tongue crap she gave the cop at the storage unit about needing clothes at 3am in the morning was totally unbelievable imo. One really has to suspend disbelief that this woman always gets away with every shenanigang with everybody always believing everything she says.

I’m also disappointed the Argentina idea didn’t come to fruition (good point about budget constraints though) and same as you am afraid that season 3 would just be repetition in a new environment.

Especially after reading this interview from EW with Chad Hodge, Co-Producer of Good Behavior (on http://ew.com/tv/2017/12/17/good-behavior-season-2-finale-postmortem-chad-hodge/) where he says, for example: “They’re (Letty & Javier) pretty all in now, until the next thing happens. Because they’ve been all in before, and then bad things happen and they pull away from each other.” The way I read this, it just sounds that they obviously just will stumble from one terrible situation in the next, stumble out somehow, back to start, same scenario again. The show needs a shake up though, I don’t think repetition is the way to go. Hope I’m underestimating the writers and they can crawl out of this hole they dug in the 2nd half of this season.

Anyway, thanks Amir for your great reviews. Despite my criticism I’m still hoping for a turnaround, a third season renewal and the continuation of your Good Behavior recaps/reviews ? next year.

P. S.: There’s an error in the 1st paragraph in “Where to from here”. It says: “(…) it means that Letty and Christian have to sell all that cocaine” while it’s Letty and Javier. Also, while I’m already at it, it’s worst instead of worse in the 1st sentence. Sorry, guess I can’t help myself ?

Danman says:

December 19, 2017 at 2:49 PM

Corrections: ran, shenanigan and Amari of course (sorry for the Amir, late night yesterday) 🙂

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Good Behavior: Season 2/ Episode 10 “Letty Raines, in the Mansion, with the Gun” [Season Finale] – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)