gesundheit

I don't know how that man expects to get through life when "meeting the girlfriend's mother" causes him to go full psycho

I don't think anyone's car was over the edge in this episode, Stephen just went to the site of Macy's death

Yeah, "it's autobiographical" is a bizarre way to disprove plagiarism. I never used LiveJournal so I guess I'm clueless here, but considering she wrote it on her LiveJournal, it feels a bit odd that she couldn't prove that. "I don't have access to that email address anymore" is not really enough of an obstacle. I feel like we're not going to get much next week since it's the finale. No way they can wrap all this up and jump back to the 2015(?) framing scenes. I'm a bit annoyed. I'd be interested in a second season with a new story, but not another season of this story. I, too, was shocked that Stephen had enough feelings that he actually cried. (Not enough to garner my sympathy, of course!) Poor Pippa.

So disturbing. I'm struggling with Mary Ann, though. Anna Paquin does not seem like she's playing an actual person, just some sort of wind-up doll with either a blank face or a worried face, it's very artificial and one-dimensional. I'm really craving more of a perspective there and there just isn't one. I'm finding I wish Tipton and Paquin had been cast in each other's roles. Everyone else's acting is very believable, though, especially Jake Lacy. It's so funny that he's made a career of such extremes -- he seems to always be an absolute (charming) entitled creep, or the really genuinely nice dude who's never really been noticed or appreciated.

Oh, glad for that perspective because I'd definitely been wondering how this would've landed as a binge. Clearly better for relevant details like that, that's for sure!

I cracked up, too. Well done, show! But I also hadn't realized his father was still alive.

So next week is the finale? This didn't seem to really set that up -- it didn't have that "penultimate" feel, structure-wise, so I'm extremely nervous that the finale won't be any sort of resolution but just a cliffhanger hoping for another season.

That last bit was one of the most hilarious parts of the series, they just couldn't help themselves! The props department didn't exactly help with this one (though maybe on purpose? because so much of the "any normal person would..." about this show was definitely intentional, but I'm not sure what was or wasn't), but I think the camera-on-the-mailbox thing wouldn't work because these were actually meant to be coming through the mail, despite the lack of postmark in close-ups. So the camera would've only "caught" the postal delivery person. The lack of curiosity about the tunnels was also total madness, yes. "Oh, we just boarded it up, no biggie!" Brilliant move. Clearly no possible clues down there!

Oh that's the one! I was trying to remember which other campy crazy thriller streaming series I'd seen her in recently-ish (except that one wasn't campy on purpose, oops). Love her.

Yeah, that kind of bugged me too. They both had dark hair, that was about it. Completely different faces and body types, plus Marissa's outfit that day was because she was at a combat class, not because that's her usual look! I loved this episode and tried not to be bothered by the absurd conceit that (a) nobody would be working already on a Saturday and (b) Ri'Chard conveniently only needed precisely all this show's main cast members on this mission. For the most part it worked. I assume they won't follow up with Carmen or Marissa actually having to do egg-harvesting? I also wasn't sure why they said one half of the US would hate a kid from a Black egg donor and the other half would hate a kid from a Jewish egg donor. I do not think those are entirely separate halves! (But I got the point, just being nitpicky.)

Also, they had apparently kept their huge NYC brownstone this whole time and just went right back??

Now I'm sad it's over! I want more twists and suspects and madness! What a fun cast of characters. I'm honestly not as disappointed as I thought I'd be about the lack of resolution, although I still don't quite get the tunnels. I guess they were just going in there to obsess about the house? If they want to give me their terrible dangerous NYC brownstone, I'll volunteer to be the one to suffer through living there! Maybe they'll give it to me for free since Nora's living the high life off making a few bland vases! WORLD FAMOUS! I would totally watch another season but I'd be very sad have the show sans Theodora. I was sad to lose Mitch, too. And of course the dog and the ferret, R.I.P.

Absolutely dying laughing -- of course there's someone shooting up into their toes on the sidewalk outside their beautiful NYC browstone! NYC so scary!!! I friggin' love this show, it's just total utter batshit madness and I cannot get enough. The cast is amazing -- John's little deranged speech at the preservation meeting? Pitch perfect, I have to look up that actor (-- edited to add that duh, it's Joe Mantello and I can't believe I didn't put that together!). The Nora/Karen "cunt/bitch" showdown at the realty office was a hoot, too. I'm so sad there's only one episode left, this is funnier than anything I've seen in a while. Waiting for a big reveal on Theodora, who is definitely always wearing gloves for a reason. Mitch and Mo's dog is adorable, but I worry for pets on this show!

Okay now I feel like it's the son. Or a vast, vast conspiracy between the son, the PI, and almost everyone else on this show! I'm trying to think of how to even describe this show to people. Obviously people looking for a powerful, realistic true crime drama will be disappointed. Pulp camp thriller? Is that a thing? Campy pulp thriller? I don't know! Seriously bummed I have actual human obligations and can't binge the whole thing today.

It's SO MUCH RIDICULOUS FUN.

I can't discern any of it other than the fact that she really wants to sell that house again!! I'd been very sympathetic toward the daughter because her dad's so gross to her, but that was beyond. She's actually ruined her own future in many ways by destroying her dad like that, and she knew exactly what she was doing. Maniacal.

Okay WHAT? That was a hell of an ending. About 15 new suspects and a million questions! I did raise an eyebrow when such big name actors were killed off so early in the series, but I figured they'd be used again in flashbacks, not like this! I'm so scared that (I'm spoiler-tagging this only because it's something I saw that might be about the real-life story, it's not a show spoiler though):

I know the main two characters are pretty crappy, shallow people, but even Nora doesn't seem like she'd buy into Karen's commentary that much. Getting a little tired of watching her try to get laid because Karen told her that her relationship's doomed if she's not having daily sex (??? good grief, she's probably in perimenopause, I bet there's many days where she wants no one within a ten-yard radius of her girl parts!). I'm enjoying how they're testing our limited sympathy by having these rich people so haunted by their bankruptcy that they obviously bounced back from so easily, and continuing to live a life of luxury based on the idea that he's "going" to make partner soon, rather than their actual means. Gross. Also just cracks me up that they would even bat an eye about downgrading and moving. Oh no, living in a solid upper-middle class home that you can actually afford and not having your family's lives threatened regularly, sounds awful! I'm loving the flashback stories even though it's extremely suspicious that the PI would be able to get such unprovable, precise details!

That's good to know, being unfamiliar with the real story, because it means anything I've seen in passing about the real story isn't actually a spoiler. Also good to know because this series is highly stylized and entertaining and I'm really enjoying it but if I were to be worrying at every moment about credulity and verisimilitude, it wouldn't be any fun. So I'm glad to know I can stop thinking about whether it really happened like this and just enjoy the ride

I think this is creepy fun, and especially because the main characters are the worst. But of course I also don't know the real story and am avoiding it because I don't want to know, so I imagine for anyone who does know, the whole mystery/suspense of it is non-existent (kind of like how bored I am with A Friend of the Family, since there's no tension when I know what's going to happen).

I loved that. No shaming or calling-out, just a quick gentle note. And no mea culpa or nervous apologies, just "yup, got it." Progress! Yeah, we might get sent to the principal's office but it did not involve interacting with the actual principal. Vice principal or some other disciplinarian perhaps. Cracked me up that Gregory kept pointing out how discipline "wasn't his job." Teaching is like 65% classroom management!

The Kind/Martindale combo is incredible. I don't know the true story at all, what's it based on? Or maybe it'll be more fun to watch it without knowing? Poor little ferret.

Yes, I think there are extremist cults in many faiths. Kind of like your mainstream Mormons vs the FLDS. Those are not minor differences along some reasonable spectrum.

Oh was it brother? I remembered it as sister. But yes, same idea! And normally I'll argue in favor of keeping incorrect grammar in naturalistic TV dialogue, because that's how people talk. But people who are literally teaching grammar at the level where they'd cover that on a regular basis? That seems a little less likely for sure. It would be so ingrained, I would think.

Hit home for me, I had an ex who was a lot like Tariq (in so many ways!) who did all the cooking in a way that felt like it was to shut me up about how I was the only one even trying to pay the bills (which had not been the plan). The cooking involved googling recipes and then smoking a lot of weed and drinking a lot of whiskey while cooking -- and very by-the-book about recipes. Nobody ever believed me when I explained who did the cooking, from the outside people expected the opposite roles. Now I make my own food but I still "can't cook." Which reminds me, my own teacher brain cringed when Janine said, "My mother never taught my sister and I how to cook." But it's just conversational, it's okay! She's not my student!