SK8 the Infinity – 09 [We Were Special Back Then]

When I heard that SK8 would be getting a mid-cour recap episode, I figured I’d just delay my viewing of “We Were Special Back Then” and blog it during the show’s off week. Waiting may have been the wrong decision, though, as my interest in the series has dulled significantly since the last time I tuned in. This episode didn’t do much to change that, even with its array of crazy moves: wall kicks, handstand planks, steel beam surfing, and skateboards used as blunt instruments. To be fair, that last one did leave me grinning in disbelief, but there was a predictable air to the entire ‘Joe vs Snow’ race that sorely disappointed me. Whenever Joe pulled ahead via some feat of physical strength, Langa caught up as a matter of course, meaning that only the final minute of the race maintained any sort of tension. At one point Langa was trailing by a huge margin, having lost interest in the competition, when who should appear on the sidelines but his best friend Reki, screaming his name – and thus the gap was closed yet again. I’d be glad to see a nail in that trope’s coffin, but SK8 won’t be the show to put it there.

Adam vs Cherry was certainly less telegraphed, given the headshot that ended their contest, even if no betting man on earth would have picked Cherry to defeat the show’s main antagonist. I don’t have an issue with Adam using his board as a beatstick, since the S races have established their #1 rule to be “there are no rules,” but it’s not much of a resolution to Cherry’s obsession with Adam. That obsession was all over this episode, both in his present fixation on defeating him and his past fascination upon meeting him. Taking Cherry out of the running without granting him a formal defeat sends a message that he was never a factor to begin with, which worked against his prominence in this week’s flashbacks. The post-credits scene did take the sting out of his sudden elimination, though – he’s still a haughty S.O.B. even after sneaking out of the hospital, and Joe is still an accommodating sage. I loved that final moment of Joe pouring wine for his sleeping friend, then toasting their friendship (the thing without which Adam has become unrecognizably cruel).

When did Adam become the monster that he is today, though? We know that he grew up in an abusive family, which surely laid the foundation for his present craziness, but this episode provided a more direct clue during its very first scene. “Ever since Adam came back to Japan,” is the line in question, delivered by Cherry while speculating about the change in his former friend. Assuming I haven’t missed anything and Adam’s time overseas is actually new information, we ought to expect the show to detail that trip, especially since it’s already in a flashback-heavy mood. This week was full of them, providing us with quick glimpses of Joe and Cherry’s original alliance against Adam and the subsequent bond that formed between the trio. There was tons of context to this story, which is what made it so successful – rival gangs, a general sense of rebellion, a potential attraction on Cherry’s end, the hood that Adam wore to protect his identity, etc. Instead of being thrust into a climactic moment (see Adam’s cliffside race against a nameless skater in a past episode), we were eased into a brief vignette. That’s a good decision on the director’s end – hopefully she’s able to keep making them in a series that’s attempting a perilous balancing act between camp and angst.