The Lottery –“Mr. Torino” Review. The Man Behind the Car.

Season 1, Episode 9

Air Date: Sunday, September 21, 2014 at 10/9c on Lifetime

Rating: ★★★★★

“I think you want to kill the president.” – Vanessa

This week on The Lottery, nothing much happens. Again. The plot doesn’t move forward as we continue to circle around and around the same things. We know who caused the infertility crisis (the US Government), we know who the most powerful man in the world is (and no, it isn’t the President of the United States), and we know the lottery is not going to turn out the way we expect. So, what’s the point anymore? Well, there are still 100 women to be chosen for what is considered the most important job in the world—surrogates to embryos miraculously fertilized by Kyle’s (Michael Graziadei) super sperm. Or are there other donors we aren’t privy too yet? See, I keep remembering how important Kyle was to the cause in the beginning. Now, he’s all but forgotten. Granted, the government only wanted his son, Elvis (Jesse Filkow), but now that they have him to do their wicked science experiments on, what else is there? Has all hope for a cure gone out the window? And what of the lottery? Will babies now be available to the highest bidder?

Money Over Babies

Kyle and Allison make a great team. Too bad they don’t know what they’re getting in to.

First Lady Gabrielle (Shelley Conn) is a con artist. I’m about 99% sure of this. Everyone has a story right? We don’t know who Gabrielle was before marrying the president, so my guess is she is a woman used to getting what she wants. “You are unbelievable.” Well, she could be that too, Perry (Karissa Lee Staples). How important do you think a baby is to Gabrielle? She’s pulling out all the stops when it comes to keeping Perry in her place. Don’t tell me you killing off Angela Maria Perez (Christiana Leucas)—yes, you have to say the whole name—in order to keep Perry focused was an accident. Perry was slipping into compassionate human mode, and Gabrielle couldn’t have that. Once Perry develops a conscience, of course she’d reconsider what she’s planning to do with the first lady. Money isn’t everything and Perry still has to learn that lesson. While she thinks she can give up her baby for a sweet paycheck, Perry could change her mind. I’d like to think this is something Gabrielle is taking into consideration because she is damned smart, I’ll give her that. But what will she do once Perry begins to waver in her resolve?

Random Tidbits

I totally get a flash of The Hunger Games as I’m watching the lottery insignia flash behind Perry during her interview. How creepy. This race to the finish line is like a battle to the death, isn’t it? No, not really. While the girls aren’t fighting one another for survival, they are fighting against something—tests, the unknown, the desperation of it all.

“Why not me?” Gabrielle shows her cards to her husband President Westwood (Yul Vazquez). He knows what she’s up to and won’t stand for it. But what can he really do? She’s already chugging along full steam ahead. There’s no turning back at this point. And I’m sure the president has his skeletons too. Like the Gran Torino he’s posing in front of. Could it be Mr. President is really Mr. Torino? Dun, dun, dun, dunn…

Vanessa’s (Athena Karkanis) come so close to being killed herself, yet manages to dodge the proverbial bullet. Why or better yet, how? Darius (Martin Donovan) is fully aware she knows what he’s up to, yet keeps her around. Would it be too suspicious if the president’s right hand lady wound up dead too? And so what if it did? Who is the next person on the totem pole to actually do something about the shifty activities going on in the White House?

The new defenders of the free world, or intelligent thugs with guns and computers?

Alison (Marley Shelton) has all but abandoned her job. She’s no longer looking for a cure but evidence to nail Darius to the wall. OK, say she finds it. Who will dole out his punishment? The president? The vice president? There doesn’t seem to be any world leaders capable of holding Darius accountable for his crimes. And what happens when Alison finally does find a cure? Will Darius stop being evil or become even worse? Only time will tell.

Overall

I’m not overly impressed with the way things are going. I am looking forward to seeing the outcome of Darius’s plans. He isn’t afraid to take matters into his own hands, and I’m curious to see who the trigger man will be if the president ends up shot next week. What do you think about this week’s episode of The Lottery? Drop me a line in the comments section or tweet me @ellemoe with your thoughts on “Mr. Torino.”

Tune in to The Lottery, Sundays at 10/9c, only on Lifetime. For more on the show, visit the official site.

Follow The Lottery on Twitter, using #TheLottery.

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Elle

Writer, mother, realist, cloud lover, daydreamer, dessert enthusiast, sweet tea addict, perfectionist, and lover of life and Christ, but not in that order. http://www.fanfiction.net/~vikingloverelle