Take Two episode 8 review: Sam Swift’s ‘All About Ava’ origin story
Tonight, Take Two episode 8 carried with it the title of “All About Ava,” and it may just be the best episode of the entire season.
Why is that? Of course we had a great case at the heart of the episode, and it may also be one of the most meta to date given that we saw an episode of TV about characters looking back at their past in a past TV show. We’re talking here about All About Ava, a sitcom that help Sam Swift get her start. When Ava was found dead under some suspicious circumstances, Sam was forced to dive into her past and, in turn, figure out exactly how to get justice to someone she knew many years ago.
Along the way to solving this case, Sam had to figure out a way in which to piece together her past while reconnecting with some familiar faces. The episode also touched on the reboot trend in Hollywood, though we’re not sure how these fictional producers think that they can do an All About Ava revival without getting Ava on board. Then again, the old showrunner seemed to be the one responsible for everything, both past and present. This was a bad guy with demons so much worse than botching a classic show’s legacy.
While solving the case Sam also had to deal with the fact that she was initially not invited to be a part of the reboot, mostly because her image would “tarnish” what the show was. Luckily, that was temporary since by the end of the episode, the tune changed and she was given more of a real opportunity to actually come back and dive into it … which she declined, save for a small cameo. As it turned out, she really liked where she was now and had no clear intention of changing it. She just didn’t want to go backwards since she had a good time solving cases and felt fulfilled.
CarterMatt Verdict
Learning more about Sam’s past and her getting her start as a performer made for a great foundation for this episode. Also, to go along with that it was really fun seeing so many characters have huge connections to All About Ava from their past. While we know that Take Two is a mystery show mostly about figuring out whodunnit, tonight was a reminder of the impact TV can have on both actors and viewers alike. It’s not always positive, but in its best form this medium can create good memories and establish a great sense of community — even when it’s with fictional characters.