Episode 8: Smelly Elly

Looking at all of the Butterknife episodes, I think they have a way of being so loosely put together they almost taunt you to look for something deeper. The Smelly Elly episode seems like Ronnie hunting down a goofy guy on a smoke break then, randomly, ending the series with he and Mary looking toward the future: A baby.

But there's another part of me that doesn't want it to be random.  My mind starts to wonder if Ronnie as a detective is just a more interesting way of looking at a generation raised on movies, graduating college and entering dead-end jobs. If the decision to have a baby is the anti-climactic reality of becoming an adult and realizing the most exciting parts of your life may not happen in your career (or may happen in spite of your career). Is Butterknife all about a generation that grew up on TV reaching adulthood and realizing TV was lying? I don't know.  Joe Swanberg's not one to hint at it one way or the other--and I've even personally asked him.

But I like to think it's not random. It's a fun way to pass an afternoon, at least.