'Feed the Beast' Recap: 'Gimme a T'

​Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Loss, and the pain that comes with it, has been featured in just about every single medium of storytelling for generations. We are simply fascinated by how fictional characters handle the anguish that we must face in every day life and it's made for some incredible stories over the years, and that includes AMC's Feed the Beast.

After all, loss is central to this story, since Dion and Tommy have both said goodbye to something or someone they love, but if there is one particular element of loss that storytelling as a whole often omits; it's the day to day pain. Those tender moments when the memory of a person or a place slams into us, bringing all kinds of emotions to the surface. Those slices of life are hard to capture in film or television but this series decided to give it a try in this week's episode, 'Gimme a T' and the end result was absolutely stunning.

This entry in the tale of Thirio brought us to an important day in Tommy and T.J.'s life; Rie's birthday, and the cloud of this hung over the entire hour because it was something extremely difficult for them to deal with. It put Tommy in an awful place mentally, making him irritable and well...drunk on several occasions as the loss of his wife and the hole that remains within him because of it was simply too much to bear and this was absolutely heartbreaking to watch. Tommy consistently seemed as though he was on the verge of tears throughout the entire episode and his ability to keep moving through the pain speaks to how strong a man he truly is and that's a good thing...considering the battle that's coming on the horizon for him when it comes to his son.

Because the show was gracious enough to reveal what kind of struggle T.J. was suffering from as well when it comes to his mother being gone and unlike his father, he was happy to unleash his anger and stand up for himself in the process by putting his newfound boxing skills to use and beating the hell out of the bully that picks on him at school when the little punk opened his mouth about Rie, and while it was wonderful to see T.J. finally stand up for himself...the consequences that came with his actions, were far more dire than expected. Not only is he suspended from school for a couple of days, but child protective services are now involved due to concerns regarding T.J.'s mental state and living conditions as well. 

It made those final moments with father and son together, enjoying memories about their mother all the more important because...it could potentially be the last time Tommy and T.J. are granted that kind of peace with the storm clouds gathering around them and while that may not be the happy ending one expects on television, it's a proper one. Sometimes life doesn't quite go the way we want it to, and we sometimes make mistakes when anguish is in our hearts. We can only hope that Tommy does indeed 'get his shit together' as suggested by the school counselor for his family's sake, and that may be extremely difficult considering Tommy's suspicions about a relationship on the side between Dion and Rie. But in the meantime, it was wonderful to see a television show finally present the long term effects of grief and loss in a frank and compelling manner and I hope it continues to challenge other tropes in this fashion as the season rolls on. Until next time. 

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