How do you feel about your past? What are your hopes for the future? These were the major questions raised in "Change Partners" as we got a little more background about the history of our beloved duo. What we were given were two men heading in different directions who need each other to get there. By finally getting a little detail into Britt's past, we see what makes Britt and Hank intrinsically different. We've been shown from episode one that Hank is someone who is not so much hanging on to the past as he is trying to get it back and this episode only added to that characterization. The episode starts with Hank tricking Britt into stealing his ex-wife's new fiance's wallet (that was a mouth full) and using the info to ruin his credit and mess with his identity. Add that to his irrational efforts to buy his old house from his ex and we see a man doing everything in his power to regain everything he once had. What exactly caused Hank's loss, we're not sure of. All we know is he worked as a policeman for 9 years and retired one year before he could claim a pension. Obviously, much of Hank's character is hidden behind the reason he left the force. Was it something he choose to do? Was he forced out? What role does his ex-partner and/or ex-wife play in it? I hate to say it, but if some of these answers aren't given soon people are going to lose sympathy for Hank's plight. As lovable as Hank first seemed, he's slowly dropping into the realm of unredeemability. Thinking to forge the bankers name as his dead body lay bleeding on the sidewalk just so he could keep the house he can't afford in the first place was so shocking an act, it's hard to find ways to forgive him. Hopefully Hank will swing out of his downward spiral before his lost all likability.
Britt, on the other hand, seems to be running from his past as fast as he can. We were finally given a little detail into his criminal past and how ashamed of it he is. We met one of his old partners, Ray, and were told how he came to meet both Hank and his girlfriend, Katie. Britt broke into people's houses, into places of business, pick pocketed bystanders. Unlike Hank, who is actively chasing his past, Britt has a chance to take up his old ways dropped in front of him and chooses to pass. And it makes him so much more likable. Britt is far from grown up, but is so much more mature then the guy who robbed people blind. Britt knows the future he wants, one that includes Katie, and knows he won't get it as a thief. That realization is a level of maturity that is lost on Hank. Will Britt ever be tempted back into a life of crime? I'm sure that's a story line somewhere down the line. But for now, Britt has moved on and we're left wondering if Hank will be able to join him.
Other Things From Episode...
What was with that last scene? Was that really another person in the house? Or was it a flash back to something that happened in the past similar to those scenes in the episode "Dog And Pony"? There haven't been enough episodes to tell if those scenes were a style the show will repeat or not. If it was a person who broke into the house, who? Does it have to do with the Lindus storyline or is it something new to us? We'll have to wait and see.
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