WORK OF ART #1.8 "Opposites Attract"
At the conclusion of last week's episode, Mark is the only one of the "Miles Haters" group left. I'm sure I'm not the only one surprised at the fact that I can even say that. Mark's work, save for that one challenge a long, long time ago when he was in the Top 2, has been wholly uninspiring; it's been safe, boring, dull, and at worst, it's been awful. While his pals Erik and Ryan were either outstandingly bad (Erik) or narcissistic and disappointing (Ryan), Mark's work really just evaded discussion most of the time. He's been hanging around solely because there was also someone at least slightly worse than him. As we come to find out, however, now that the playing field has been chopped down to 6, Mark doesn't have a hiding place anymore.
So this challenge was, like the one from two weeks ago, one that required people to work together. I don't understand why team and partner challenges are necessary on a show like this. An artist is a solitary person, generally. On a show like Top Chef I can understand why they have team challenges - and they have them often, too. A chef works in a restaurant with other people. An artist? Heck to the no. Art is something you do by yourself, and while it's good to know how to work with people just as a people skill, it's not really necessary to show that you can work with a partner on a show about being the "Next Great Artist." But working with people on this show is always hilarious and a grand old time, so I enjoyed this challenge anyway!
It was nice to see some Miles and Nicole stuff again. Miles with his little baby crush on Nicole. HOW SWEET. It's always weird to think that Nicole is older than Miles (heck, everyone is except for Abdi) because Miles is just so in control of everything that's going on around him. How fitting that this is what he explored in his piece with Jaclyn exclamation points! It was kind of lame, though, that Miles, making "the challenge work for your art, not your art working for the challenge" as always, basically went from doing the theme of "Male/Female" to doing "Control/Loss of Control." That was essentially what Abdi and Nicole (who were, by the way, exceedingly dull in this episode; that's what you get when you let your heart win oh oh oh oh put the two nicest, least aggressive people together) had, so it was repetitive. However, Miles and Jackie did a much better job with their self-appointed theme and they actually did make it work for the assigned theme.
On Jackie's piece: in all of the reviews I've read, it has been discussed how Miles made it seem like the idea for her painting was his. OH MILES. SO EVIL. He knows how to play the game, guys. Don't hate because you artists don't want to be like every other reality show contestant in history; that is, you guys don't want to have specific, interesting, and hilarious personalities. You guys just want to be robots who are loved for their art! and nothing else. Jackie doesn't think of herself as the Hottest Thing in the Studio, even though the editors try to make it seem like she does; she just thinks of herself as an artist, and don't you forget it! Or else! This is why, if you read her blog, you will hear her talk about her piece and virtually nothing else. She defends her character on the show, but I think she really just wants to establish that, "Really, guys, I don't have a character! Honest! I'm just an artist! LOVE ME!" You can read her latest blog post here.
"Me? Hot? Gurl, please, I am not at all attractive! I so shy, gurl! Now, sorry, but I have to go take my clothing off now. It's morally ambiguous. You know."
I actually really like Jaclyn, though. Her blog helps. 4 episodes ago I complained about how she was "whiny" and "unlikeable" but she's actually very intelligent and one of the least obnoxious people on the show. I like her just as much as I like everyone else on the show left - Miles, Abdi, Nicole...and I thought I liked Peregrine, but this episode established that if Miles is The Evil Genius (c) then Peregrine is The Horrible Cold-Blooded Faker Who Gets People Sent Home For Things That Are Her Fault (c). That is exactly what she did this episode; she got Mark sent home. I'd like to send her a personalized greeting card thanking her for this, but I would, but I can't. I don't know her address. Also, she doesn't deserve one. Mark's original idea was really boring, lightness and darkness representing their theme, Heaven and Hell, but Peregrine's wasn't better. She essentially said, "Well, y'know, let's do this, because even though it's basically your idea, it's better because I'm much more conceptual and intelligent and a much better artist than you! Tee-hee! Do you like my new hat, by the way? And would you like to come with me and leave a melodramatic, America's Next Top Model-esque message on my husband's cell phone after this? Awkward face!" It's GRATING. Peregrine created a new character for herself: quirky buttface. SHE IS A QUIRKY BUTTFACE AND SHE IS GOOD AT THAT. Especially the latter!
That said, I liked Peregrine's piece. That's high praise, because the work in this episode sucked major. Miles and Jackie's pieces were quite good, although here's something about M&M (that's my nickname for Miles, because I do things like that): every time I see him working in the studio, I worry that he's not doing the challenge. I understand that it's because he, usually, isn't. But because he's made himself so endearing and he's essentially performed inception on the minds of the judges (he's so good at it that Leo/Dom Cobb should have hired him to help out!) everything he touches turns to gold, even if it doesn't make explicit sense. I think after he explained it to the judges, it made more sense to me, and I liked that piece of his, the holes in the wall. It is stereotypically masculine; I read a comment somewhere saying, "Don't girls punch holes in walls?" It's not that we don't, but I don't think that's how most girls choose to take out their anger, generally. Not that any guy I know has every punched a wall that hard, either, but still. So anyway, while Miles' work is questionable in the studio, it works in the gallery, and he's lucky for that.
Nicole's piece sounded like it was going to be really cool, but it was poorly executed. The crank didn't work right, but she was safe because we all know she's talented, even though she hasn't really shown it yet. Also, she's just a likable girl! She's like a little kid, and she's fun to have around. I forgot about her a lot in the beginning, which says something because that first challenge had Peregrine painting Nicole naked (although she didn't actually get naked) and you'd think we'd remember that, but no. But I like Nicole. She looks like a horse. A horse that I want to pet and name Buttercup.
Abdi's piece was kind of cool to look at, but I actually agree with China when I say that it was bad and made no sense. Although China said something about the Hulk, which is stupid because the Hulk symbolizes the loss of control AKA chaos AKA what Abdi was supposed to be doing, so scratch that, I'm back on the the China Hate Train (c). Yes, I have copyrighted all of these terms, thank you for asking. So, yes, Abdi actually had the worst piece. It sucked because I love Abdi. He's one of my favorites. There were so many great Abdi moments in yesterday's episode: there was this one part where Nicole was talking to him and he just had his mouth WIDE OPEN, smiling at her, and it was hilarious. There was also the part where Miles carried him into the apartment. The odd couple. Miles and Abdi should get more showtime together like they did in this episode, because Miles is at his most tolerable/nicest when he's with him. Because Abdi brings that out in people.
Two quick random things: Simon in this episode was unmemorable. It sucks. Next week he gets mad at Jackie, so I'm excited to see what she said to him to make this Happy Swiss Man Made of Candy and Sunshine (c) get upset. Also, the scene in-between commercials where Mark is talking about how pretentious everyone sounds was gold. Really, I love these people, but it's true. They're intelligent, hence using these very specific terms that they use to describe things, but I can't help but think that they are so self-obsessed when they're using them. It was Mark's one good moment last night. (Also: see Nicole's rambling explanation of "chaos" to Abdi for more self-obsession and overuse of intelligent words like way too many sprinkles on a hot fudge sundae.)
Jeanne was gone again, and Jerry Saltz keeps saying in his recaps that she always has smart things to say. I never saw this. I don't miss her, although I do miss having a woman on the panel. China doesn't count; she's a robot and thus has no gender. I think the guest judge, Ryan McGuinness/McGinley/McHeineken was obnoxious and irritating. His voice was tiny and he reminded me of a kid even more than that guy from last week. I liked the guy from last week even though I can't remember his name. I did not like Ryan McG. I guess Bill stepped up his game tonight, although I can't remember a word he said. Jerry Saltz assures me that he did, though.
In the end, the judges made the obvious choice to send Mark home. Mark is literal, boring, and maybe even untalented. At the end when they showed him taking his self-portrait off the wall (I like that touch, by the way; it's nice) I thought, "What? They let him in with that crud of a self-portrait?" I liked that it wasn't a heavily Photoshopped mess of a photo, but it was boring. It was a boring picture that I could have taken if I had a nice camera. How they even let Mark in in the first place, I don't know. I guess they wanted to diversify the cast. Which reminds me, the only minority left is Abdi now. That saddens me, but at least it's Abdi and not Mark.
The group challenge from two weeks ago was far more enjoyable then this one; maybe because it had way more drama. But this episode was good, too, even if it was weird (see: China crying as she told Mark to leave; what the heck was that about? And Peregrine crying the moment the judges opened their mouth, I mean, what?). Next week is our last pre-finale challenge, strangely enough, and it looks to be quite exciting. I'm looking forward to seeing Miles safely glide into the finale spot while everyone else vomits due to nervousness and tension. Maybe you guys should take a page out of The Book of Miles and take naps on your sculptures. The possibilities!
I give this episode 4 Abdi's Being Carried Over the Threshold out of 5.
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