Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews... Baskets (S02E07) Denver Airdate: March 2, 2017 @fxnetworks Ratings: 0.500 Million :: 0.20 18-49 Demo Share Score: 9.25/10 **********SPOILERS BELOW********** It's incredible how attached and involved I've become with these characters... I really thought Dale had made a breakthrough in 'Fight' but I suppose it's going to a helluva lot more than what we saw in that episode for Dale to unload all those beans he's so full of. But really, FUCK DALE. 'Denver' is all about Christine Baskets doing Christine Baskets, and it's about damn time. Christine is due for a WIN, and dammit, she's going to get one. She sets off to Denver in search of herself and of course Denver's Finest... 'The Carpet King'. Watching Christine wait around her hotel was a bit disheartening, it was almost as if she was sure she was going to be disappointed. Her phone dings and reminds her that her mother is due for a doctors visit. Her first instinct is to call Dale, he's the more responsible one right? Maybe he has a job, maybe he has a family, but the man is so self involved he thinks that an apology text should have fixed everything between the two and is now frustrated that Christine won't forgive him. So after that hard NO, she calls the last on her list... Chip. For some reason breaks my heart. Here I go, getting emotional again. I just know what it feels like to be the 'black sheep' of the family, and in Chip's case, a literal clown. But his experiences lately have changed him, and unlike Dale he's willing to do whatever it takes to win back his mother's affection. You can even hear the worry in his voice when he asks her where she is. He's determined to make things right, he's bought a toilet for his mother (since they ravaged the old one in 'Fight'), and now he's going to get his grandmother to the doctor (with Martha's help, of course). Right as Christine was about to head to the front desk of her hotel to check out, she gets the call from Ken she's been waiting for. They make plans and she ends up at Ken's home with his two daughters (his rocks, the ones that aren't in prison and actually help out with the family business). There are some simple, beautiful, shots of Christine with the biggest smile on her face as she interacts with Ken and his family, she's at home, she's at ease, and she's enjoying life... The cinematographer and camera operator, Colleen E Hayes & Marc Carter, capture these shots with light reflections and rays of sunshine beaming into the shots. They were beautiful. It took me back to a place in my childhood after my mother had me move in with her after she finished college... It was our second home in the city and there was a guest bedroom that I would lay in during the summer. I'd fix the blinds just right so that the beams of light hit the pages of my book and warmed my face and I'd lay on the mattress in the floor, reading Goosebumps books. I felt completely content, happy, safe, warm... This was Christine's moment where all those feelings were encapsulated and everything was...fine. Meanwhile Chip is as determined as ever to complete his mission for his mother to show her he cared and that she truly mattered, but his Grandmother is a firecracker. At first she won't get in the car, then they allow her to drive, and she drives right to the Casino where we finally put a face to a voice we heard in 'Marthager' when her mother and her friend on the phone convinced her to go to 'Denver'... Enid! I was almost as excited as Chip's grandmother! Listen, if an old woman just wants to blow off her doctors appointment and go to the Casino, there are no amount of Milano or Chips Ahoy cookies in the world that will change that. Unfortunately she overexerted herself and died emulating a silly dance, but she died with a big smile on her face. Chip has faced a lot of death this season and grief changes people, I really hope he sees the silver lining on this one, because really... When you're that old, there's no better way to go that I can think of than to go out dancing with a smile on your face amongst friends. Christine is back in Denver and she tries to pull out and go back to the hotel, that was Ken's cue to invite her to stay... A cue he not only picked up on, but took a step further and kissed Christine as well. I'll be dammed, I never in a million years thought I would say this... BUT I SHIP CHRISTINE AND KEN SO HARD! I just can't help but to root for these flawed, damaged characters who have been stuck in life's purgatory for so long to just fucking LIVE! It's beautiful. And we can go ahead and nominate both Zach Galifianakis & Louie Anderson (again) for their roles in S2 of 'Baskets' for every award known to man. Christine finally makes the connection she's been missing for over 25 years and lays with Ken. No I don't want to see it, but I sure am glad it happened. People finally taking control of their lives after so long is a beautiful thing. After the deed, Christine gets the call... It's Chip, Christine's mother has died, and it's time to leave Denver to make arrangements. You'd think that this would be terrible, but I get the sense that it's not. Christine came and conquered Denver (and Ken), did something for herself, made a *real* connection... And now it's time to come back to Bakersfield, which was always endgame. Ken, now it's your turn to make the trip. Another unbelievably top notch episode of 'Baskets', S2 continues to be an absolute pleasure to watch, an unexpected emotional firestorm... And I absolutely love it.