My Review of Fellow Travelers: "Promise You Won't Write"

 

Written by Katie Rose Rogers And Robbie Rogers

Directed by James Kent

Cohn (to Tim): "Kid, you're a terrible liar. You should work on that."

Well, I think this episode might have served as a wake up call for Tim Laughlin. I mean, be became disillusioned with both his politics, employers and relationship with Hawk. To his credit, he didn't just mope about it.

Instead, he did certain things about his disillusionment. First thing, upon realising that Roy Cohn used a forgery image during further Army-McCarthy hearings, he told McCarthy what Cohn had actually done. McCarthy however didn't want to hear it, which was a mistake on his part. 

Then there was Tim's bathroom confrontation with Cohn himself. A tense scene brilliantly played by Jonathan Bailey and Will Brill. Cohn was definitely his repugnant self with the way he patronised and tried to intimidate Tim. Tim's entire political beliefs in McCarthyism went out the window. He did the sensible thing and quit his job.

However he just traded one system of oppression for another as he enlisted in the army instead. Tim also ended his relationship with Hawk, but given that the latter was lying to him, putting distance and entering a lavender marriage with Lucy Smith, Tim made the right decision to end things.

The Smiths were more focused this week too with Leonard getting arrested for lewd behaviour and sent to an aversion therapy centre. There's a bitter commentary on how Hawk replaced Leonard along with the sudden suicide of Senator Smith when Leonard's secrets were about to be made public.

Last but not least, I'm not surprised that Marcus's position in The Post didn't go as well he wanted to. Saying that, at least he got leave on his own terms, we got some backstory on his relationship with his father and some nice scenes with Frankie. Saying that, both characters could do with a bit more screen time.

- Frankie and Storme are going on a tour. I've liked the few scenes Storme has appeared in.

- Jean certainly didn't hold back with her anger over McCarthy not getting her pregnant while Schine "dumped" Cohn towards the end of the episode.

- I expected that Leonard was going to reveal that Hawk took his virginity but instead they just jetted off together when they were younger.

- Chronology: A few weeks since Christmas in the 1950s while still 1986 during two brief scenes where Hawk saw Tim in the hospital.

Promise You Won't Write definitely played on the theme of disillusionment with many characters and those characters in return certainly doing something about it. That included characters I wouldn't root for as well.

Rating: 8 out of 10