Running Point Season 1, Episode 8, “The Streak,” pulls Isla’s focus to the Waves’s wins until personal losses accumulate. This episode, written by Michael Rodriguez and directed by Michael Weaver, features more positive progression against an impossible clock. That pressure weighs especially heavy on “The Streak” while Isla tries to prove she’s not like her father by caring for her employees. While the episode finally delivers the most substantial story for Jay all season and a new side of the team, Running Point loses some of its resonance in the season’s pacing.
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Sandy Wants to Make a Change
Considering the season’s issues with pacing, it’s a relief that Running Point lets Sandy wallow about his break-up with Charlie for a few episodes. Alternatively, it’s hilarious yet unfortunate that Sandy’s first casual fling post-relationship is a Grindr date that ends in a home robbery. Running Point could always end at this place, but it would have been more rewarding for Sandy to date more before coming to a fuller realization than he does in “Beshert.” Sandy, once again, admits to being the problem, but “The Streak” pivots to winning Charlie back before Sandy can sit with what that means for him.
A silver lining is that Running Point may take the rest of the season for Sandy to do just that while winning Charlie back. Hopefully, like other storylines this season, it doesn’t find resolution in the following episode. More often than not, the longevity of stories becomes truncated, and it seems like that comes down to the number of episodes pushing stories to pivot too soon. Nevertheless, the other best thing to come out of Sandy’s situation is the scene between Drew Tarver and Kate Hudson. Ness is more the glue of the family, so it’s great to see more of Sandy and Isla’s relationship.
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Jay Has a Personal Life
Glimpses into Jay’s personal life are few and far between this season, so it’s easy to lock into what “The Streak” delivers. Jay tells Isla that he tries to keep his personal life separate from his work, and this episode is the first time that his personal life doesn’t feel separate from Running Point. After so little beyond expository lines, “The Streak” digs into Jay’s complicated divorce and introduces his ex-wife, Olivia Anne. The Mindy Project and Four Weddings and a Funeral’s Rebecca Rittenhouse plays the character so well that a nearly complete picture of her comes through in her delivery of “avocado cacao balls” alone.
Nevertheless, the best part of this storyline is learning more about Jay. “The Streak” is the deepest reflection thus far. Therefore, this episode has to do a lot of heavy lifting to give Jay depth and bolster a reason for him to stay until the end of the season. Thankfully, his investment in the team isn’t all that nebulous now that Running Point features The Waves more often at practice and games. But even that is an all too recent development that underscores how the show should have invested more time in Jay before the seventh of ten episodes.
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Marcus and Dyson Confront Travis
That missed opportunity also applies to Travis’s storyline. Running Point only introduces his knee problem, history in rehab, and drug abuse in the previous episode. Dyson has one interaction with him in the following episode and, rightfully, suspects the worst. However, when Dyson brings his suspicion to Marcus, “The Streak” insinuates a pattern of behavior that gets lost off-screen. Not only does that negate the team building that has been gradually developing since “Doljanchi,” but it also undercuts Travis’s arc.
The cast tries to bring weight to the scene where Dyson and Marcus confront Travis and when the trio brings the issue to Isla’s attention. Unfortunately, Running Point loses a bit of that significance because of how little the dynamics between the players have expanded over the last six episodes. The characters still feel like individuals barely becoming a team. The severity of Travis’s situation encourages at least a fraction more of an on-screen connection between them – at least to support Dyson’s comments. Even at the risk of sounding like a broken record, “The Streak” could avoid this if it had more episodes that helped the show avoid burning through story. This episode proves that The Waves’s biggest opponent isn’t in the playoffs; it’s time.
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What did you think of Running Point Season 1, Episode 8, “The Streak?” Let us know in the comments below!
Running Point Season 1 is streaming on Netflix now.
