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Five Thoughts On Jupiter’s Legacy‘s “What’s The Use?”

By | May 25th, 2021
Posted in Television | % Comments

1. The Best One Yet

It’s unclear what brought this on, but suddenly Jupiter’s Legacy seems to remember that it’s a serialized television series that should actually bother making progress, teaching us about it’s characters, or doing anything of general narrative value. Perhaps it’s director Charlotte Brändström or writer Kate Barnow, both of whom are credited for the first time in this show on “What’s the Use?” Maybe it’s the show finding it’s footing. Maybe it’s a fluke. No matter what, this is an extremely welcome development. All of a sudden things are happening all over the place on this show. Some of them land very well, some less so, but it’s very nice to feel like there’s a reason to watch the next episode or even to pay attention to the one that’s on. We get more insight into the characters than we’ve ever gotten, more actual events happening, and more interesting, nuanced material than the first half of the season provided. That’s not to say the episode is without flaws- there are plenty, especially in the present day- but this time they’re outweighed by all of the well-handled elements. Oh happy day.

2. A Note on Structure

Looking back, it doesn’t feel like this jump in quality was actually well set up, grateful as I am for the development. Where we are now is where we should’ve been by episode 3 and the 2 extra hours didn’t provide any utility (alright fine less than 2 but cut me some slack it’s close enough). The biggest issue is that it took an oddly long break from the core story. The rhythm of the show is totally wonky because of this. After spending 2 episodes away from Sheldon, Brandon, and all of the Blackstar drama, we’re just thrust back into it. Even by“it’s an 8 hour movie” standards, it’s jarring. Why not just allow Chloe and Hutch to have threads that are explored alongside the others? There are no ties between the flashbacks and the present day so it clearly wasn’t a thematic choice. Sure, giving them real focus was cool in a certain sense- there was novelty in the moment- but it would be preferable to see a show with a strong overall pace to this weirdness.

3. Hey the Flashbacks are Good!

The most shocking aspect of this episode is that the flashbacks are not just better, but great and the best part of the episode by far. It shouldn’t be this shocking for such a major aspect of the series to feel at all productive but hey, better late than never. The chief improvement is the sense of urgency that hasn’t existed even a little bit until now. My complaint has been that the trips to the 20th century felt useless, covering ground for the sake of covering ground and not because the story is engaging or important. With 3 episodes to go, they’ve managed to pull off a complete 180. Plus, there are very positive developments with regard to the cast. Matt Lanter is very good this time! He’s actually charming and fun where in episode 3 he was just kind of odd. The clear standout of the bunch is Leslie Bibb who will get the whole next thought as an honor. Then there’s the collective chemistry of Bibb, Lanter, and Josh Duhamel though the former two are much better than the latter, who’s just short of rigid. Throughout the episode, Lanter and Duhamel play off of one another very well. Duhamel is extremely serious but saying insane things that Lanter then has so play off as normal but is very funny in the process. Once Bibb is thrown into the mix, it’s genuinely delightful. And it actually ushers along the story of the original Union members getting powers while giving us insight into these characters! Truly thrilling stuff happening here let’s hope it carries forward.

4. An Ode to Grace

Leslie Bibb is the clear MVP of “What’s the Use?” She’s been solid throughout Jupiter’s Legacy but had relatively little to do until now. It’s a shame because in general, she makes Grace feel like the only real, full character other than Walter. She’s sort of the conscience of the show, or could be if she had the chance to articulate herself more often. There are lots of nice small touches in the present day in this episode- Grace having taken pictures of the place she saved is a fun detail and her conversation with Sheldon where she’s just unquestionably correct is obviously great. Best of all is her presence in the flashback. Grace is EXTREMELY fun in 1929. There’s a righteous anger mixed with a screwball energy and when they meet it makes for a wildly magnetic and absolutely awesome performance. Long story short, Leslie Bibb is a serious contender for sleeper GOAT of Jupiter’s Legacy.

5. Over the Hump

While great strides are made in the flashbacks is “What’s the Use?,” the present day is more or less the same when it comes to quality. It is, however, home to one of the finest sequences yet and does take some important steps in the present day arc. First, the good: it’s a blast watching Sheldon chase Hutch after he teleports. There haven’t been many moments in this show that really make you lean in but hearing Hutch say “Iowa” and knowing that Sheldon would be there in seconds was absolutely one of them. The search for Skyfox and his potentially being behind the Blackstar duplicate is decently engaging as well, albeit less so than that confrontation or Sheldon and Grace’s conversation. As for everything else, it’s poor to fine. Chloe and Hutch are okay together but they’ve come out of nowhere; not in that it’s surprising but in that there’s literally no narrative buildup to it. Elena Kampouris and Ian Quinlan also suffer from something many on screen couples fo these days. They don’t have real chemistry so much as they’re both attractive and meant to be charming. Nothing about them being on camera together makes you want them to be a couple though! And we need more great couples on television these days. The last major part of “What’s the Use?” is Sheldon going to therapy, a move that was interesting for the opening few seconds but quickly sours. There’s one moment in which Sheldon articulates what drives him better than episodes’ 1-4 flashbacks did and it’s certainly welcome. Other than that, though, it’s all very odd. Rather than actually explore Sheldon Sampson as a person, it’s all a dialogue that makes the barely concealed subtext of the show into text. Sheldon is stubborn about the Code and the therapist articulates of the show’s point of view- that the world is complicated. The presentation is subpar, as is the reveal that the therapist was once a supervillain and that the session was happening in a prison. It leans into the shades of grey idea that the show is pushing, but it’s handled so stupidly that it doesn’t land at all. Still, all of this dumbness doesn’t negate the very real progress Jupiter’s Legacy made with it’s 5th episode. Fingers crossed it can hold pace.


//TAGS | Jupiter's Legacy

Quinn Tassin

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