'Kyle XY' and the cash register mystery

Tonight's Kyle XY was a little frustrating since it was setting a few story arcs into motion, including progressing a few romances, throwing a monkey wrench into Lori and Declan's shaky friendship and bringing impressionable Jessi under Brian Taylor's thumb even more.

Spoilers in the way, like that annoying TA who let the door slam in your face.

It was kind of Encyclopedia Brown with a twist when, on Amanda's first day working at The Rack, her register comes up $120 short. Any canny viewer immediately knew that the irresponsible JT must have taken the cash before leaving Josh to be impromptu manager on what turns out to be the most hectic Sunday ever.

It took Kyle's weirdo power, holographic memory replay, to figure out that the money was missing from the till even before Amanda started (something about how heavy each of the bills were -- but how did he know the denominations?). Josh took the high road, however, and covered for JT, knowing he could use it as leverage from then on. Andy helped out, and their love grows ever stronger, as evidenced by her sacrificing their concert tickets and her readiness to join him in the storeroom. Come on! Couldn't Kyle have used some power to make the truth come to light in some publicly humiliating way?

Kyle and Amanda also have their little chaste tryst in the storeroom, and things are heating up, thanks to Lori hinting at what's to come. Shut up, Lori. Let Kyle find out what he wants on his own. All we need is for him to get a shock by watching Josh's (or worse, Stephen/Nicole's) porn stash. Even though I'm not a fan of the Ablanda romance, it would play false if they became like any other make-out couple.

Young love gets a bit rocky though, when Amanda sees Jessi hanging around and then learns from Jessi that she was the one who told Mrs. Bloom about Amanda and Kyle's rendezvous at The Rack. Amanda demands that Kyle starts sharing his secrets, and he finally decides to open up. I agree that big secrets can be the death of a relationship, but Declan's advice to tell women "You're right. I'm sorry," is infuriating. At least Lori sees through that line.

Ah, but what about Lori? Couldn't they have chosen a cuter nerd for her? Granted, Stephen's new TA Mark isn't fugly, but his acerbic wit isn't really as good as Lori's. The "meet cute" was fine, but I can already hear the angry 'shippers now. Lori should be with Declan, not this Mark fellow. Maybe he'll teach her a thing or two though.

Meanwhile, Jessi is a sad sack. I really can't stand her character sometimes. Whereas in the first half of the season she was a deer in the headlights most of the time, her current sulky, whiny rebellion is even more annoying. Also, either Brian Taylor is a master fibber or Jessi can't tell when people are lying like Kyle can. She's so incredibly gullible, it's frustrating to watch her swallow every line he feeds her, undermining her trust in good people like Kyle and Nicole. Also, doesn't she have super hearing? Couldn't she hear to whom Brian was speaking on the phone?

There's too much suspension of disbelief for me with Jessi, and I want something to happen to bring it all to a head soon. The only thing that really rings true for me is the Kyle/Amanda/Jessi triangle. If, as the past indicates, Jessi and Kyle's birth parents Adam and Sarah were romantically involved, it's very likely that romance or a strong connection would exist with their genetic experiment offspring. With Kyle, however, he views Jessi as more of a gestational sibling, whereas Jessi's feelings for Kyle are more territorial.

Miscellaneous thoughts and highlights:

- How did they NOT work in Sour Patch Kids into the conversation about all the fruity smoothie flavors?
- Once again, Josh is maturing nicely. Not only did he step up by being manager for the day, even reaming Kyle and Amanda a new one for sucking face in the break room, but he also made a very measured (if somewhat dissatisfying) decision regarding JT's thievery.
- Andy about her chemo: "Puking is so yesterday."
- Andy and Josh's relationship is sweet in a really blunt way, especially when they discussed feeling up her rack. Weird, but I'm cool with it.
- I'm always happy when the show brings up stuff like erections (without ever saying it): things other family shows won't touch (figuratively).
- Lori to Amanda, who's angrily scrubbing a table: "Easy there, Lady MacBeth."
easy there lady macbeth;
- What was with Jessi's hair? The large, exaggerated curls make her look like a marquis or one of the Three Musketeers.
- I don't buy that it took Kyle a whole episode to fix that blender.
- Baylin's back. I don't really care. Why is that?

Your thoughts? Lori's new man? Baylin's return?

E-mail

• Digg
• Facebook
• Fark
• Yahoo Buzz
• Stumbleupon