In the Good Girls episode “Incentive,” I kept staring at the hitman across the table from Beth Boland. My initial thought was, “Is Blaine a hitman now? No…” For those of you who are a little younger, before Andrew McCarthy played Mr. Fitzpatrick, he played Blaine in Pretty in Pink. A yuppy from the right side of the tracks dating a girl from the proverbial wrong side of the tracks. I scoured the internet to prove I was right about this casting and found nothing. So I thought to myself, “Maybe I imagined this because they wouldn’t cast Andrew McCarthy as a hitman.” But the more I thought about this decision, the more I thought how brilliant it would be if they had done just that. The good news for fans is they did just that.
Most of us in my generation know McCarthy as this 1980s heartthrob. So, to see him playing Fitzpatrick is mindblowing in many ways. However, the fantastic thing about this show is seeing people who most people would never expect in these roles. No one goes to a UPS Store and thinks, “This is the place I can hire a hitman.” Additionally, now there’s a stationery store that the girls create the counterfeit money in, and now there will be a spa emporium. These so-called ordinary people would never enter the orbit of any sort of federal investigation. Then again, I imagine that Mr. Fitzpatrick will soon enter their orbit thanks to Beth. Regardless, these are ordinary people; most people would never expect to harm a fly.
Due to this demeanor, they fit rather nicely into this seedy world full of laughs. Last week’s episode of Good Girls, “Opportunity,” Andrew McCarthy revealed even more so why he is the perfect casting choice. During a scene with Christina Hendrick’s Beth, Fitzpatrick asks Beth to meet him at the location he plans on killing Rio. When the car pulls up in a pivotal moment of the show, Fitzpatrick asks her if he should take the shot. When Beth asks if he does this with all his clients, he tells her no. In this case, he wants to make sure that she has no regrets. Why? Because Rio is no ordinary hit. He needs to make sure this is genuinely not the case of one jilted lover seeking revenge on another jilted lover.
The best part of the character of Mr. Fitzpatrick is the fact that he got into the business he’s in for the same reason Beth did. He was bored. As he insists to her that they are alike, much like her, I was skeptical as to how so. Although, despite how bored most of us claim to be at this moment, I think most of us have a hard time imagining how bored someone must be to take on Rio, create a counterfeit ring empire that works, or become a hitman. Their similarities have me wondering if McCarthy’s character will be around for some time to come. I can honestly see Beth and Fitzpatrick’s paths continue to intertwine if she feels she cannot talk to her girls, Ruby and Annie. I enjoy that she has someone to connect with on that level besides the girls.
In many ways, I also envision many directions that his character can go on this show. Considering that Beth has it in her head that Dean has slept with Gayle at this point, Fitzpatrick might be the next person’s bed, she ends up in sooner than later, although we do know that he has a daughter as well. Maybe this will start with playdates and lead into something more, or nothing at all in that regard. Considering he terminated their initial contract and then picked it back up again for them, I cannot precisely see him mixing business and pleasure. This storyline would not shock me ultimately despite the fact this entire season had me rooting for Dean and Beth oddly enough.
There is something about this connection. I cannot shake it. Yes, Dean is too an ordinary person at some point, Dean has no desire to get there illegally on the proverbial paper. However, he has to know when Beth makes things happen; this is the only way she does so now. It’s honestly the only way she can think at this point. Considering Mr. Fitzpatrick is on the same wavelength as her, I am curious to see their friendship develop. I’m curious to see how the show is going to play them up and play him up as well because I cannot imagine them throwing away this reoccurring character next season. There’s too many killer twists and turns they can take with him, and I cannot wait to find out where the show can take him.
What do you think of Andrew McCarthy as Mr. Fitzpatrick so far? Is there a particular storyline you want to see him in next season? Let us know in the comments below and make sure to tune into the season finale of Good Girls this Sunday at 10 pm EST on NBC.
