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February 11, 2012
 
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Kyle XY: Between a Rack and a Hard Place

by Isabelle Carreau, posted Feb 12th 2008 9:43PM
Kyle XY
(S02E18) "Nothing ever happens on a Sunday." - J.T.

As soon as J.T. said that line after telling Josh he was in charge of The Rack, we knew that something would indeed happen on this particular Sunday. What happened? A newbie makes tons of mistakes, there are a lot of customers, money is missing from the cash register, there is a fit between two enemies, two customers clash, a couple must reevaluate how truthful they are to one another, a father figure plays mastermind games, and someone from the past resurfaces! Not an ordinary Sunday indeed!

Gallery: Kyle XY

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Josh in charge of The Rack? Even if things were chaotic and that he lost his cool a few times, Josh took the challenge head on and is on the right path to improve his leadership skills. If he still plans to become a doctor, being put in charge of The Rack will help him work under pressure, become more resourceful, etc.

Kyle XYThe wheels were put in motion last week for Amanda to confront Kyle about his secrets. If you recall, the Tragers warned Kyle that Amanda shouldn't know who he really is. After almost losing Amanda because of his relationship with Jessi, Kyle decided to open up to his girlfriend. I'm happy he didn't reveal everything at once. Even if he trusts Amanda, he doesn't know yet what she can handle. I was surprised that Amanda couldn't find one single thing to reveal to Kyle. Then again, the guy has an amazing memory, as he displayed in the episode, so he probably registered everything Amanda did, said, etc.

The question now is how he'll hide his meetings with Jessi from Amanda. If you stumbled on this week's official description, you know that Adam was supposed to tell Kyle to stay close to Jessi and be a positive force in her life. The episode was tweaked to end with Adam's return so it is to be assumed that Kyle will receive this special assignment next week. I expect Kyle to be tormented for most of the episode and eventually tell Amanda more about himself so she understands a bit more why he must be with Jessi.

Kyle XYI can't wait to see what is Brian's end game because he truly showed his darker side this week as he was slowly getting into Jessi's brain by turning her against everyone positive in her life. "He doesn't believe in you." "I am the only person who will always be there for you whenever you need me." When he learns Jessi went to see Nicole, he lies about the phone call so that Jessi doesn't learn the Tragers do care about her. Even if XX is not my favorite character, I can't help but feel bad for her. She'll need a lot of positive reinforcement to forget everything Brian told her.

Kyle XYFinally, I want to address the arrival of new recurring character Mark (I don't know in how many episodes he'll appear but you can expect him to turn up a few more times). When I first heard about this character months ago, I envisioned a skillful actor who would be able to put Lori in her place by telling her straight on what her faults are (bitter and hostile). On paper, this potential love interest for our girl Lori seemed interesting and intriguing. Sadly, the actor's performance was poor and out of place to a point that it distracted me from the scenes. Let's hope this was due to the fact this was a new role and that the actor will get better in the upcoming episodes.

Other scenes of interest
  • Lori explaining to Kyle what the "next step" is.
  • Kyle learning that the customer is always right even when the customer is wrong was fun to watch. It's interesting to see how Kyle and Jessi analyze life when things don't make sense!
  • Jessi admitting to Amanda that she is the one who ratted her out to Carol was priceless. I'm sure we haven't seen the last ripple of the aftermath.
Best lines of the week
  • "I wanna be your first." - Kyle to Amanda
  • "The only rack you'll be seeing is the one that's making you wear that stupid apron." - Andy to Josh
  • "Maybe you could put in a good word for me at the Psycho Bitch League." - Mark to Lori
  • "Can you multi-task?" - Josh to Kyle
The return of Adam Baylin is a...
fantastic idea!33 (28.7%)
a jump the shark moment.14 (12.2%)
moment. I'll wait to see more before passing judgement.68 (59.1%)

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Oreo

These episodes were done long before the strike.

I'm hoping it leads up to some huge finale. I really hate Jessi, I have to say that every week. This week she was a tiny bit better. I think it also has something to do with she feels much MUCH older to me than her character should be.

February 13 2008 at 2:30 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
khamel

tv in general is not up to par recently. it seems like the writers knew they would strike and slowly started degrading the work so we'd think they were brilliant when they came back.

that is to say i didnt love this episode either.

February 13 2008 at 1:33 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to khamel's comment
Isabelle Carreau

As Oreo said, this episode was written a while ago. Actually, it was completed in early September since they started casting around September 18.

February 13 2008 at 8:17 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
David

This show is so close to the shark that it can smell blood. Such a wonderful first season, and a decent 2nd season. But this third season (or, season 2.5) is unwatchable. :(

(but *yay* for the return of Andi after a two episode absence)

February 12 2008 at 10:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Gudlyf

I gotta say, this episode was painful to sit through. With the exception of the reveal at the end this was one heck of a throw-away episode. I kept asking myself "why am I watching this?!" Then I saw next week's previews and it gave a shimmer of hope.

February 12 2008 at 10:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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