Enlightened - Season 2 Episode 7 - Video Recap and Review - No Doubt

As much as I've always loved Enlightened, my affection for HBO's hidden gem stemmed mainly from the complexity of the characters and the intricate writing. Of course, I've always appreciated the main story arc, but I hadn't yet felt true intensity until "No Doubt." Because the majority of the season has focused on whispers and murmurs surrounding the looming destruction of Abaddon, the reality Amy's (Laura Dern) "whistle blowing" had yet to sink in. With Jeff's (Durmot Mulroney) exposé on the horizon, just waiting to erupt on any given day, next week's season finale will surely be explosive. Knowing Mike White, though, it will prove to be a brilliantly nuanced fireworks display.

The episode opened with Amy's inner monologue filling us in on her musings of the week. Having grown effortlessly closer to Jeff surrounding their mission to take down Abaddon, Amy described a life without doubt. She went on to harp on the feeling of ease that absolute certainty brings to life. Needless to say, she'd made her choice between Jeff and Levi (Luke Wilson). Amy met with Levi shortly after to discuss her frame of mind. Levi doesn't seem to understand the difference between cleaning up his act and creating a legitimate purpose for himself. His purpose has always been Amy, yet she chose to take what she'd learned from her experience in rehab to manifest a "bigger life" for herself. Switching from beer to water is a start, but it isn't a dream, let alone the vision Amy has created for herself.

Amy's issue has always been that the balance between her pride and her mission remains undefined. I do believe her when she yearns to be a catalyst for global change, but part of that is grounded in self-fulfillment, not that there's necessarily anything inherently wrong in that. It just seems as though a lot of that desired purpose would be derived from the attention of other people.

Dougie (Timm Sharp) had just about snapped this week. Amy arrived at the office to find him barefoot and smoking a joint. The news had officially broken that Cogentiva would be no more. Dougie took it upon himself to deliver a a pretty nice, albeit a bit angry, speech sending off his people, people he was proud to lead. In the wake of that bombshell, Tyler (Mike White) had already begun concocting a backup plan to keep both himself and Amy employed. Using Eileen's (Molly Shannon) connection to Charles Ziden, the head of Abaddon, they could pull some strings to find new jobs. Eileen even managed to land Amy a meeting where she'd be able to sell her idea of a "corporate watchdog" kind of a position; one where she could make sure the company changes its harmful ways starting fundamentally, at its roots.

HBO "Enlightened"

Amy also made time to visit Krista (Sarah Burns), who was about to go into induced labor. I still have a feeling that something is going to go wrong with her pregnancy and that the toxic products of Abaddon will have something to do with it. Krista needs to be pulled back into the story once she gives birth, and now that the two have made amends, it could be nice to see her and Amy gel better next season.

After a pep talk form Eileen, where she was informed to keep it real and stay positive, Amy decided to go ahead and meet with Ziden, even after hearing Jeff's words of warning over the phone. At the country club, Amy was surprised to find that Ziden remembered her face, having assumed him to be another corporate jackass with no moral compass. Once their talk began, and Amy found herself actually being listened to for once, we'd come to realize that Amy could be in over her head. Ziden was well-spoken and kind, proving to be a man of integrity and a sense of responsibility. As he sees things, the society their company is functioning in is post-apocalyptic, and bacteria is everywhere. All he can do, is steer the ship in the best direction he can, ensuring as many people are aboard as he can manage. Amy was blown away by his inspiring world perspective, and even more shocked by his offer to create the position she'd only dreamed of after returning from Open Air. Her peers had only gawked and mocked her when she last presented the concept of transforming the company from the inside out. Here she was, with the head honcho himself all-ears and ready to go.

At Jeff's apartment, Amy admitted to having a slight change of heart. As Mike White put it in his post-episode followup; is unravelling really better than transforming? For someone who's made a name for himself as a humanitarian journalist, Jeff, to me at least, comes off as detached and cold. Where does his sense of fulfillment come from? It seems as though he's more concerned with crushing and punishing than with actually impacting positively. Ziden may be tied to illegal company activity, but he revealed himself to be warm and aware. In the end, Jeff broke things off with Amy, claiming it to be bad form to date with the article about to blow. Obviously, this was just some sort of excuse. To me, it would make perfect sense that two people with the same mission would have chemistry, yet these two people don't seem to have the same vision. They're working towards a common goal, but for different reasons, and Jeff's motives are still too vague.

HBO "Enlightened"

Outside, Amy broke down in her car before taking out her frustration on a woman beeping obnoxiously, hoping to steal her parking spot. Amy has made herself a tiny guppy in a massive ocean, and thus, the minuscule problems of day to day life, like parking a car, are just no longer relevant enough. Her quest for fulfillment, to be "bigger," is the reason why she has made herself so miserable. Going into the finale's big conclusion, Amy seems to stand alone.

What did you think of Enlightened Season 2 Episode 7, "No Doubt"? What do you think Jeff's drive is derived from? Will Amy find her way or get swallowed up? How will this come to an end? Do you think we'll be lucky enough to get a third season?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Enlightened Season 2 Episode 7, "No Doubt"!