State of the Shea, Pt. 71: There Has Got To Be A Way… (“365 Degrees”)

Darling Readers, I have a new theory about the Jordan/Perez thing.

Let me back up— after the “365 Degrees” episode, I have a new theory about the Jordan/Perez thing but particularly about Jordan.

Let me back up even further… I have a new theory BUT I’ll get to it a little later in the post BECAUSE I’m still kicking myself for not realizing the gigantic spoiler that was right there in the title of this episode! In the name(s) of David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison, and Chris Franz, how did I fail to recognize that 365 Degrees is a lyric from “Burning Down the House”??

I mean, I know the song is 40 years old and I’m not a massive Talking Heads fan, but I’ve had this tremedous remix on my playlist for quite a while (check it out while you read!)

SO— to make up for this oversight, AND to take note of what seems to be a full-on ‘Heads homage (the choir at the end of the episode was singing “This Must Be The Place,” which originated on the same album as “Burning…”), I’m assigning other carefully selected lyrics from this U.S. classic to represent different story arcs from the episode. And even though the lyrics are somewhat nonsensical in nature, I’m going to present them in order. Follow all that?

Watch out- You might get what you’re after (MORGAN)

Should we read anything into her must get pregnant NOW attitude other than 1) she wants things when she wants them, and/or 2) she’s in dire fear her biological clock is on its final snooze cycle. Maybe a little of both? I guess I’m wondering if her lingering feelings for Park have anything to do with her determination where this is concerned.

On the other hand… she’s about to embrace the biggest career boost she could get short of accepting that job in New York at the end of last season/start of this one. I like the way they had her soliciting advice from three different people, but despite Lim and Park both advising against the opportunity, she leaned into the words of the lone supporter (Andrews)…it shows her truer colors; the confidence within that she can “have it all” even though plenty cannot. (Or try to have it all, and find out— either the easy way or the hard— they can’t make it work.)

Again the question surfaces, for me… will Morgan get pregnant at all? This new wrinkle makes me wonder.

Strange but not a stranger-

(Glassman, Shaun, Lea)

The Glassman houseguest storyline strengthened the bond not just for Shaun/Glassman (how excited Shaun was to be able to help him out!) but more the family unit the three have become. The sure-to-live-in-infamy shower scene was part of that bonding… and now that we had the lighter part of this connection, oh, how Glassman’s destroyed house will surely test the darker side of it.

Not because Glassman will stay longer-term at the Loft (I doubt he will; they’ve already played out that idea), but because it was established that’s he staying for the Maddie memories. (Plus it was the second time in as many eps that Maddie’s name came up at length.) So it appears that they are attempting some additional closure/self-forgiveness for Glassman with this most recent turn of events.

BTW don’t ask me where Glassman’s thoughts were when he actually put this cherished house on the market last year (briefly).

Anyway, I’m intrigued… the Maddie conversation has ebbed and flowed throughout TGD, with its strongest waves being Glassman’s hallucinations/conversations with “Ghost Maddie” in S2 and Glassman’s episode with his ex-wife in “Expired” (S5). I’m curious what the goal is this time, and if it has anything to do with the timing of his “son”’s first child entering the world soon?

And with him and Lea being noticeably tighter these days, could she become a critical part of the closure? She was more engaged with Glassman at the apartment than Shaun was, after all… hanging out while cooking, the shower sequence, the discussion of reasons for hanging onto the house… also, she’d be much more likely to engage Glassman in a soul-baring convo than Shaun. That is to say, Lea could do the intricate teeing up so that Shaun can hit it home with some inadvertently powerful comment!

(OK, admittedly I’m getting ahead of myself here)

By the way… they ^^^ may be trying to pretend the shower sighting never happened, but WE will never forget it. Comic perfection!

And— it’s nice to know shower sex is still a thing for Shea, even (especially?) while Lea is pregnant.

Hold tight- We’re in for nasty weather

(Asher/Perez)

When Asher’s probation punishment was doled out at the end of “The Good Boy,” it somehow failed to dawn on me that he was the SECOND doctor on our St. Bon’s radar to currently carry that label. So what I thought might be a “slap on the wrist” (in Perez’s words) that we never heard about again is a legit plot development— possibly for the duration of the season. Consequently, it set up a pretty tense dynamic for which I’m quite glad.

Because not only did it show us where each man’s head is currently at… it reminded us of the intensity Asher possesses when he’s in professional mode. I’m not sure we’ve really seen him that serious since “Afterparty,” and in that one his intensity came from a very personal place used in a life-or-death situation. It was good to get a reminder of the guy who (for better or worse) told his new co-workers he had a “God complex” in an effort to explain what a great surgeon he thought he could become.

“Here’s your ticket, pack your bags, time for jumping overboard” (Perez)

“Transportation is here” (Jordan)

Meanwhile, we saw that Perez is hanging by a thread that we can only hope stays clean. Sure, he completed rehab, but this episode was a sober reminder (no pun intended) that recovery is a p r o c e s s .

So when he felt like he was floundering under Lim’s agitated, watchful eye, he started out trying to do “the right thing” a.k.a. calling Quinn, who I’m guessing is his sponsor or something similar.

But as he felt less and less effective at work, the self-imposed pressure mounted quickly. And next thing you know, the person he feels he “should talk to” is his dealer.

(P.S. Did anyone else notice in this scene outside the church that there were blue-ish Christmas lights in the background when we first see him? It was probably tough to avoid them whenever TGD shot this a couple months back.)

Perez got a little divine intervention with this particular challenge— or should I say a little divine Talking Heads intervention; remember what I said earlier about the song the church choir was singing— and we’re only a couple episodes into the back half of this season. So it’ll be interesting to see how often his struggle for sobriety crops up.

Meanwhile, we’re finally at the point where I can get back to my Jordan theory:

We learned in this episode that although she lost her virginity at age 18, she’s re-committed herself to celibacy until marriage… and, that she doesn’t reveal this fact about herself very often.

(We also learned that she must’ve been hanging with Lea offscreen during the fall, for Lea was well in the know about Jordan and Perez’s relationship such as it is. SIGH. )

Anyway— how much of Jordan’s willingness to admire Perez from a distance indefinitely has to do with her desire to stay “safe”— no physical progression, no need to find out if he’s willing to stick with her and respect her boundaries? After all, it’s easier to stay true to your beliefs if they aren’t getting put to the test regularly… know what I mean?

I suspect I’m not the only one out there to have this thought—!

Could make this whole vibrator conversation with Lea a lot more relevant, though… Just sayin’.

AHEM… By the way. I know this comes up almost weekly on TGD (and probably most medical dramas), but the artistic license they took in this episode— having Jordan telling a parent what her child should and shouldn’t be doing sexually— was particularly egregious. It reminded me of a time when I moved in with my boyfriend and trying to get my renter’s insurance changed. I’ll never forget being told “Ah-! Shame on you!” by the agent that was hoping to set up my new policy. I was much younger then, but still old enough to know I didn’t need a stranger passing judgement on my relationship choices.

So in what universe does a mother let a doctor say this and still remain her daughter’s doctor? I’m not condoning the mother’s choices, mind you. It just amazes me that the writers don’t try to go a little more subtle with characters that aren’t Shaun. I know Jordan has been outspoken here and there from day 1, but it’d be a little more believable if she couched it in “medical complications that arise” when sexual activity starts very young, for instance.

I mean, when SHAUN is the one telling you “Stop!” instead of vice-versa… there’s gotta be a problem.

“Fighting fire with fire” (Lim)

Just want to say here that it was also the first episode in a LONG while that set Lim in badass boss mode. Obviously she’s had other things— and also a RING— on her mind during her time in the wheelchair. But they set it up quite nicely, this Oh Lord, look what’s been going on while you haven’t been minding the store! vibe. What a time for her to get more hands-on with the docs. Hope she doesn’t let up anytime soon!

“Don’t wanna hurt nobody- some things sure can sweep me off my feet”

(Park)

Park was the odd one out this week, putting in just the amount of time one might do when they’re simply retrieving tickets from their desk on a day off. "(I briefly got to thinking we’d see Kellan. Silly me.)

But his brief scene with Morgan allowed for some unexpected continuity from the previous episode, as they appeared downright friendly and (in his case) helpful. I honestly don’t know what comes next for these two, but I think the writers have found a way to make sure we still care. Thank goodness.

“When I wrote the lyrics in 1982, the title phrase was a metaphor for destroying something safe that entrapped you. I envisioned the song as an expression of liberation, to break free from whatever was holding you back,” said David Byrne about “Burning Down the House.”

I think that’s an interesting metaphor to keep in mind as this development progresses, don’t you?

What did YOU make of “365 Degrees”? Leave a comment and let us know!