‘House of Lies’ season 4, episode 3 review: Marty’s family feud; Doug’s action figures get some action

Sunday night’s “House of Lies” episode was a pretty unusual half-hour, but also interestingly, one of our favorites that we’ve seen on the entire show. Maybe it is because some of the stakes are raised, but maybe it is also due to some of the B-storylines actually rising to a new level.

For example, let us say that we really enjoy seeing Doug and Sarah on this show more so than almost anyone else. What is especially unusual about it is how in watching these two tonight, we almost started to think that maybe Sarah is a more sympathetic figure than we imagined. Is she terrible because she knows no other way, or just plain terrifying? Her brand of stalking is a particularly vulnerable one, and we wonder if she was truly angry and psychotic, why would she sit there and watch Doug sob over the loss of his beloved action figures? The more complex the writers make this character, the happier we will be in the end.

Elsewhere, Marty started to realize in this episode yet again that he has no real control over his son Roscoe. Not only that, but the same goes for Marty’s own father. The fact that someone else broke the news of Jeannie’s pregnancy seemed to be the tipping point. We’ve been annoyed about this particular part of the story for a while, but now Roscoe has a legitimate reason to rebel even more than ever before. We just wish at some point we could understand more of what he is up to, beyond just him playing the rebellious teen role.

Marty’s vacancy towards Jeannie is the other notable part of this episode. We wonder if he will ever process the fact that she is pregnant the right way. Not only that, but we have to figure out if she is going to be ever treated by his like she deserves. Grade: B+.

What was your take on tonight’s new “House of Lies” episode? Share with a comment below, and head over here to get some more TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Showtime.)