The Avenue is back from its hiatus, and I bet everyone’s wondering, “what really happened to Gregory Gorgeous?” Last time I checked in on the gang from the Ave, Gregory had been assaulted in an alleyway outside what appeared to be another King West night club. Now, I can’t confirm whether he was actually assaulted or not, but I have a hard time believing the whole thing. And here’s why:
1. No one knows what day it is
Call it bad editing (no, please, call it that), but not one character is following the same timeline in episode 4. Gregory says “a while” has passed, Rachel refers to the incident as “yesterday” in a conversation with Arta, and Claire acts as though some time has passed (we know this because she has been visiting Gregory almost every day, while Rachel has not visited at all). It’s incredibly confusing. Given how this show is structured, as a viewer I’m inclined to believe that episode 4 is the next day, and yet, Gregory goes from severe trauma to being able to conduct a full-on make-up tutorial in the span of what seems like a 24-48 hour period. Tips for story planning: make sure all of the characters are on the same timeline, because The Avenue isn’t some heavily gay-themed Memento.
2. Emphasis on Rachel
What’s interesting about this episode is that the focus should be on Gregory, but it is on Rachel. Gregory was assaulted, and yet I’m expected to suffer through 10+ minutes of Rachel coming to terms with what appears to be a non-issue, instead of finding out why and how Gregory was nearly killed outside a club while his show was being filmed. (Seriously, your friend almost died, Rachel, so you should just go see him. Also, maybe be a little bit more casual next time if you’re trying to steal your friend’s prescription pain killers while he’s in the room.) Frankly, the show attempted some pretty dark subject matter by including a hate crime incident, but it ultimately failed to do anything with it. It seems as though that whole plot point was abandoned in an attempt to introduce Rachel as a pill popping villain, which is such a missed opportunity. You want her to give her a drug problem? Get her to crush her nephew’s chewable vitamins and snort them in an episode that’s completely dedicated to her–an episode that is, you know, not the follow-up to a mid-season cliffhanger that contains the tension that should propel the entire season forward.
3. I’ve had a black eye before
I can’t say it isn’t real. But it really, really, really doesn’t look real at all. (If it was, I hope raw red meat was applied to the tender area immediately to reduce swelling.)
____
Kevin Naulls is a Toronto-based writer and former editor of The Goods and The Hype at Torontolife.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevinjn.
For more, follow us on Twitter @TorontoStandard and subscribe to our newsletter.
