11.22.63 The Eyes of Texas starts now!

Brace yourself for George O’Malley gone American Psycho! Spoilers ahead, ya’ll!

It’s the 25th of March 1963, those two and a half years have just flown by, right? Lee Harvey Oswald is in his apartment doing totally normal things like timing himself assembling a rifle to military standards, disassembling it, all while talking to himself in a mirror. Baby June starts to cry, and Marina is nowhere to be found, so it’s Daddy Lee who makes an appearance, and the difference is startling.

Later he heads outside and asks Marina to take his photo, a very particular photo of himself with his gun, holding newspapers. George de Morenschildt is also present and asks what he is planning on doing with a gun like that, Lee says “I’m going to hunt fascists.” Try not reading that in your best Elmer Fudd voice. Commie season! Fascist season!

Jake and Bill have moved in to the apartment under the Oswald’s, and Jake witnesses the photo session whilst holding a battered copy of that very photo. Jake heads off to Jodie, and warns Bill that the Oswald’s still have no idea who they are so they need to keep a low profile. As soon as he leaves, Bill goes to watch Marina out the window and catches her attention. They wave to each other and you’d think Bill had never seen a girl before the way he giggles.

Jake and Sadie have a moment over a piano at the school, sneaking a few kisses. Jake busts out Saw Her Standing There, the first ever time it has been performed in fact, and really murders it. He could have at least picked a Stones song to sing off key. They get busted by Principal Deak, and he takes him out for a conversation about discretion, particularly involving the reputation of the pretty divorcee Ms Sadie. He slides him the business card for the Hollyhock Bungalows, you old dog Deak.

Back in Dallas, Bill has recorded Lee and George talking about General Walker. In particular George encouraging Lee to do something about him, and that he has some powerful friends that can help him. Ah, the audio version of the money shot. Their first bit of proof that George may be CIA and is working as Lee’s handler. And he just encouraged him to assassinate Walker. George is the gun, Lee is the bullet and the CIA is pulling the trigger.

Bill makes a very good point for a dumbass… they know from Al that Lee misses his target and doesn’t kill Walker. Why would they enlist him again for JFK? Does he get cut loose and go rogue? They decide to follow them both, Bill will take Lee and Jake follow George. There’s a knock at the door and they freak the freak out.

It’s just Ms Mimi, but she proves to be just as scary as the CIA. On filing some forms, and checking his vaccinations, she’s found that there is no James (Jake) Amberson, just a Jake Epping. Ruh roh, busted. Jake spins a ridiculous story about witnessing a Mafia hit, being in witness protection program, and begging Mimi to keep his secret. I’m pretty sure the scenario he described was straight out of the Godfather, but Mimi takes it hook, line and sinker and tells him she’ll keep his secret. But only out of concern for the community, they would not take well to being deceived, and he should tell Sadie the truth.

Jake leaves Sadie the card for the Hollyhock Bungalows with a note saying that he has something to tell her. Sure, he wants to “talk”. She heads up and finds candles, romantic tunes playing and Jake in his short shirt sleeves. That’s practically naked in the early sixties. They dance and he tells her how much she means to him, and how he just wanted a moment away from everyone so they can be themselves out of the public eye. He tells her that he doesn’t want to rush her . . . as Sadie starts getting her gear off. Get it, Sadie.

Back in Dallas, Bill contrives a meeting with Marina in the backyard, the one thing he was told not to do. Seriously, any girl in Dallas and he chooses Mrs. Oswald.

The next morning at the bungalow, Sadie asks Jake why he never talks about his past. He tells her there is nothing there to tell, and that he feels like an imposter in his own life. Jake wants to make a fresh start, from this moment on, this is what he wants to build on. He starts to tell her his story, but is distracted by an envelope that has been put under the door. It’s photos of he and Sadie, taken from outside the bungalow the night before. He freaks and tells her they have to go, leaving Sadie confused as all hell.

Jake shows Bill, and he thinks it’s the CIA telling them to back off. Sadie will be collateral damage. Bill tells him to just break up with her, but Jake tells him to leave her out of it. Jake decides they need to work out what Lee and George are up to once and for all, and Bill says why not just shoot Lee, get it over with? Jake isn’t sure that Lee will be acting alone, and taking him out might not change anything.

They follow Lee and George to a local whorehouse, Lee’s not at all in to it, but going along at George’s request. Bill’s jaw hits the floor when they get inside. Seriously, do they not have girls in Kentucky? George and Lee head upstairs with a couple of girls, and Jake engages the first girl he sees and follows them up, telling the Madam that Bill’s broke and will have to stay in the bar. Bill is never gonna get touch a girl at this rate. Jake finds their room and tries to watch what is happening through the open door. His girl tries to pull him away and starts to make a scene when Jake accidentally breaks the heel off her shoe. Lee slams the door shut, and the madam appears with security to break it up. Next thing, they’ve been raided by the cops.

Principal Deak bails them out the next morning. Totally disappointed in Jake, not so surprised about Bill. He drops Bill at home, but makes Jake go to work as he is. No belt, no tie and obviously slept in clothes. At the school he asks Mimi to see if she can find him a tie and belt, and goes to get a coffee. He spots Sadie and her soon to be ex-husband Johnny Clayton talking in a room across the hall. Sadie is not happy, and flinches when he kisses her goodbye.

Jake follows Sadie out to her car and asks her if she is alright, she just want to go and not talk about it.  Jake manages to get her to talk to him and she tells him that Johnny is refusing to give her the divorce. Sadie had tried to move somewhere he wouldn’t find her, but her mother told him where she was. He asks why she is so upset, and she tells him the story of her marriage.

Johnny was charming when they met, and they never did much physically until they got married. On their wedding night, he got tense, wouldn’t kiss her and made her close her eyes. He put her hand on himself, and she found . . . a clothes pin? On his trouser snake. She screamed, tried to leave and he hit her. He then forced himself on her, and I am not even letting my brain go there. When he finished he told her to go and wash her “wormy hole”, and I swear I will never think of Richard Scarry the same again. She tried to tell her mother, but she told her it was the wife’s duty to look after her husband, so she did. Sadie is mortified and thinks she has ruined everything with Jake and takes off.

Bill goes to Jodie to find Jake. He’s heard George tell Lee to come with him somewhere at 4pm. He has two friends he needs Lee to meet, and it had to be today. Lee refused, still pissed about the scene at the whorehouse, telling George he has something else to do. Jake sends Bill back to follow Lee, and he’ll get back on George’s trail.

Bill listens to the Oswald’s in the apartment. Lee is giving Marina a photo of the three of them, just in case something happens to him. He has something important to do, but can’t tell her what it is, but it’s a good thing. They start speaking in Russian and it turns into something a bit steamier. Bill keeps listening, getting angrier by the minute, and eventually throws away the headphones.

Jake follows George in his car to a factory, and parks close by in the parking lot. George goes to meet with two men at the back door of a building and Jake tries to sneak closer in between the parked cars. He gets very close, when a dog in a parked car beside him starts to bark, and George and the men head inside away from the noise. Jake heads back to the car, but is stopped by Johnny Clayton, parked in his flashy red car, watching his every move. He introduces himself, all friendly and creepily charming.

Johnny just wanted to make sure that Jake got his message, the photographs, of he and his wife. Johnny tells him he has been bad, and he needs to understand what is at stake. Jake responds with “You have no fucking idea.” Johnny is taken aback and asks if they can handle this without profanity. “Fuck you” says Jake, and warns him to never talk or go near Sadie again, or he will kick the shit out of him and leave him in a ditch. Johnny tells him that Sadie is his wife and belongs to him and if he tries to break that bond there will be consequences. Jake says “How’s your clothes pin?” and the smile starts to slip. “Did your daddy put that on you? Oh no, that was your mommy.” Jake tells him to give her the divorce, and then crawl back under his rock. Johnny tells them they deserve each other, and drives away. Oh man, T.R. Knight is perfectly smarmy and creepy *shudders*.

Jake takes flowers and chocolates to Sadie, and tells her that no matter what people say life isn’t flowers and chocolates, it’s messy, things get broken. He tells her that no matter what has happened to her, or will happen to her, she is a wonder. They kiss right there on her porch for all to see.

He heads back to Jodie and Bill is drunk on the couch, listening to the Oswald’s arguing upstairs. It turns violent and Bill wants to go up there, but Jake holds him back, telling him that he can’t get involved or interfere. It calms down upstairs but Bill still thinks he’s a fucking asshole. Later, Bill goes out for a smoke and Marina is there, face bruised, sitting on the stairs. Bill offers her a smoke and she accepts, he gently touches the injured side of her face, and sits beside her. He wipes away her tears and she leans her head on his shoulder. Oh, Bill, you in danger, honey.

At school, Sadie receives her divorce papers in her pigeonhole (god even that word looks all wrong now), Johnny has signed them. Sadie can’t believe it and Jake tells her he loves her, and they should go celebrate later. She heads over to his place later that night with a casserole, and finds the lights on, music playing and the door open. She heads in, and leaves the dish on the counter in the kitchen. Johnny Clayton walks by in the shadows behind her, making enough noise that Sadie hears and thinks it’s Jake down the back of the house. She follows down the dark hallway, and then hears sound coming from the basement.

Obviously never having seen a horror movie, she goes down the stairs and finds Jake’s recording equipment and notebooks. She switches the tapes on and Lee and Marina’s sexy times starts playing loud and clear. Jake arrives home and follows the sounds of the recorder down to the basement. Sadie is still there listening and in shock. “Who are you?” she says.

Ahhh, T.R. Knight has skeeved me right out! I feel like a need a shower to wash . . oh urk! Never mind. Til next week!