I find it so comforting to know that even in the midst of the on-going WGA strike Las Vegas somehow manages to have new episodes week after week after week. Sure, some of them don't make sense, but they're new and they're scripted (however oddly). Tonight even wasn't that odd, it didn't have a whole lot taking place either, but you can't win them all.

At the start of tonight's episode Mike and Danny were playing a little two-on-two basketball. Topless. Of course they were topless, why wouldn't they be, this is Las Vegas. As the two men are suits at the Montecito, they were the underdogs and so the big money, including a huge sum placed by the mob, wasn't with them at the beginning of tournament. That's fine for the guys, but not so good for the two men they were playing who, Cooper informed Danny and Mike, rapidly ended up dead, presumably killed by the upset mobster, Rudy.

Mike and Danny were upset to learn of the death, but it wasn't really their problem, they weren't directly involved. That changed when the mobster in question bet $250,000 on Mike and Danny in the next round of the tournament. That was double what our mobster bet on the two guys who ended up dead. It is true that Cooper had money on his employees too, but I never pegged Cooper as the killing for money type. I'm sure that he's killed before and he'll kill again, just not because of a bet in a basketball tournament.

In any case, our heroes made it through the next round of the tournament and on to the semis, but not without Danny seriously hurting his ankle which led to his receiving tons of unsolicited advice. Magically (possibly due to Polly's kimchi), the ankle was good enough that Danny and Mike got through the semis without much of a problem.

Cooper then took matters into his own hands, trying to ensure his employees' safety by informing Rudy that he, Cooper, was well aware that Rudy's visa had expired and that he was in the country illegally. Nice to know that Cooper has his guys' backs.

Things became even more complicated as Danny's childhood friend, a bookie named Donny, told Danny that he had taken a million dollar bet from Rudy. He couldn't cover the action if the boys won, so he needed them to lose (which would mean Rudy would want them killed, probably despite Cooper's threat).

Being a stand up guy and caring more for his friend than himself, Danny tanked the first half of the game. Mike knew something was up and just as Danny had to make the decision on whether or not to tell his bud what was happening, Cooper came over to them and they all saw Danny's childhood friend being arrested. Apparently the friend was lying, Rudy hadn't place the bet with Donny (which Rudy had said all along). Instead, Donny had placed a million dollar bet against Danny and Mike and had also killed the other team himself for costing him money. Danny ended up playing his best during the second half of the game, but would it be enough for them to make a comeback … well, read on and find out, I promise to tell you later.

On the Piper/Mike marriage front, we learned quite quickly that Mike and Piper were still married and that Piper wanted to hop into bed with her husband. Mike thought it would be better to go slow, but Piper was definitely ready to jump his bones. She was also a little worried about some Concierge of the Year award which had her jumping through hoops to impress the moronic judge (who was moronic whether or not it was an act, as he claimed later).

Delinda was pretty convinced that Piper and Mike didn't get their marriage annulled and questioned the judge on the subject. He refused to answer, distressing our already very pregnant and quite emotional Delinda. She seemed to handle not knowing far better than Danny handled it when Mike told him the truth, a scene that ended with Mike questioning his friend's sanity before abruptly dropping the subject.

Eventually Delinda did find out about Mike and Piper still being married. Piper broke the news to Delinda in tears as she also informed Delinda that Mike wouldn't sleep with her just yet. She was hugely upset that he wanted to find out more about her before getting in the sack with her.

I don't know, this whole thing gave me a bad case of déjà vu. Am I the only one that happened to?

Mike ended up buckling and getting a suite at the Palms for Piper and himself. Danny was displeased as he figured, Bull Durham-style, that their power at basketball came from not having sex. Mike did end up remaining celibate as Piper's concierge contest ended up taking precedence over her night of unbridled passion and the boys won the tournament (come on, was there ever any doubt?).

Wow, that makes it seem like a lot happened tonight, but it really didn't. Seriously, it didn't. Sam didn't have a storyline, Danny and Mike just played a lot of basketball, and the whole gambling-murder thing just sort of unfolded around them, their part in was very small. I'm not complaining mind you, it's okay for this sort of thing to happen every once in a while, I'm just saying.

A couple of extra thoughts for your reading pleasure:

• When Polly went to help Danny's ankle she made a Wilt Chamberlain sleeping with 20,000 women joke. Wow. I had no idea Vegas would go that far back for a joke. I thought it was great.
• I'm sorry, I love Polly. I do. I know she's a stereotype and ridiculous, but I think she's great.

You know what's funny, I don't think The TV and Film Guy's Reviews has ever done a piece on Polly. Maybe it should… maybe it should.

Comments

The few times we see Sam lately she is constantly texting someone on her cell, and I mean constantly, nearly every scene she has been in in the last few episodes she has been on it, even at the traffic school, it's really become irritating LOL. I wonder if it is going to become a storyline or if they just want her to seem so detached that they have her do that or what?

Dave | Feb 2, 2008 1:52:19 PM | #

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I love the Las Vegas TV show almost as much as I love gambling on the Strip.

jerry | Feb 3, 2008 5:41:07 AM | #

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I so agree Dave - Sam is constantly texting these days and since she's such an unfriendly beyatch these days I fail to see who she can be texting for this length of time unless it is her "little sister" who figured in the show back in the days when Ed Deline was in charge...
Frankly I was pissed at Donnny the creep slapping the scorer on the butt before he went to speak to Danny. It was totally unnecessary and really sexist - it had me wishing for Sarah from last week's Chuck to teach the little creep a lesson by breaking his arm. And before anyone says that's the mentality of Vegas it isn't - they may show girls in bikinis but they do not usually degrade them, although I was happy to see Mike and Danny bare chested and sweaty for most of the show.
Note to Delinda: Knowing that Mike and Piper are still married is not the reason people think she's crazy, the way she acts and the things she says will do it every time!
I'm dying to know what subject Rudy told Immigration he was studying as being over here certainly hasn't improved his English any (he's a typical sterotype as is Polly) and judging by his age and the inroads he's made into the community he must have been here a really long time. And if Cooper knows his visa's expired why doesn't immigration? Isn't immigration obliged to check in with the school ocassionaly to make sure he's attending? They certainly do with my European boyfriend.
Loved that Piper didn't know that Francois Truffaut was dead and offered to get him in for the rude concierge judge!

SEU | Feb 3, 2008 8:29:35 AM | #

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Though I agree that Polly may be the most offensive stereotype in the history of television, I live for her appearances. She reached the all-time high the other week talking about the "cuticle disaster like foreskin on cape buffa-ro."

That was quickly followed in the courtroom with her plea to the judge: "Oh, no, ma'am, prease. I give you free wax. Mustache. You need."

Adam | Feb 5, 2008 9:53:28 AM | #

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