TV Review: THE BRINK: Season 1, Episode 7: Sticky Wicket [HBO]

HBO’s The Brink Sticky Wicket TV Show Review. The Brink: Season 1, Episode 6: Sticky Wicket reveals that if a local warlord is aiming a semi automatic rifle at you while referring to you in the past tense, it might be in your best interest to take your chances at a fight to the death–your death. The odds are still favorable, though, have no fear, but you are in a Sticky Wicket. So, if you’ve been shot in the leg, suck it up. And whatever you do, don’t say “Taliban”. The local Pakistani resistance militia hates that.

Anyone needing some handy manipulation schemes that would never work in the real world, can defer to Walter Larson (Tim Robbins), the man of all schemes. I can give him credit where it is due for his unsavory motivations because frankly, he deserves all the credit. He does manage to accomplish quite a bit while at war with all odds in this series. In Sticky Wicket, Larsen manages to machinate a grounding in Switzerland for what appears to be a romp. He’s pursuing General Haroon Raja (Bernard White), but how does Larsen know where he’s hiding? Well, because they were buddies in college, of course.

Talbot (Jack Black) and Rafiq (Aasif Mandvi) are acting like old college buddies who want to kertang each other while they are stoned at the Embassy. Talbot needs to get the girls out of there. So, he formulates a possible escape route through a secret tunnel to the Chinese Embassy where his usual gig is selling weed to an attache who he induces with a fat doob.

Larson, a total pig, I mean, artist at seduction, gets a green light from the receptionist to pursue Raja in the penthouse as Larson will be down the hall in the Ambassador suite. In an “off the record” headlock, he harangues Raja for running with the money. Naturally, Raja is resistant because every boy’s dream is an Ohio class submarine which they have to sort out was never really on the table. They negotiate over calling Raja a “Paki” and Walter’s reputation as a cheapskate. Anything to keep Zaman (Iqbal Theba) from nuking Israel.

Larson gets Talbot on the phone and the plan shifts from getting the girls out to keeping them at the Embassy. Talbot has to kill the buzz for everyone now that the girls are embroiled up to their elbows in the warfare plans.

In the best reversal of the season so far, Raja, usurps military control over Zaman and has him escorted out of the palace, but Walter is too late to save him from the Shadenfruede that ends the episode for Raja.

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