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pelicanlover

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  1. Could be wrong of course, but I figured that when Bell heard that Nic, Devon, and Conrad had already called the FBI he felt trapped because he knew he'd be implicated, so he quickly figured out a way to cooperate with law enforcement early by suggesting a sting, thereby shifting all of the blame to Lane and saving his hide. Deliciously smarmy move. This is a great series. Like the rest of you I'm looking forward to Season 2 in the fall.
  2. So much this, John M. I am worried about Whitney, and after this episode I am even more concerned. I think that the producers of all "reality" shows manipulate that reality with no regard for the well-being of the actual subjects of the show. Whitney is obviously a deeply flawed individual (as are we all) and she has a food addiction which she still can't acknowledge. The producers appear to have a master script from which they're working though, with a clearly defined arc. I don't believe that we are seeing a true slice of Whitney's life, I think we're seeing augmented reality. Season one, Whitney's joyful and fun side is emphasized. Uh oh, Season Two... she gets a hint of how being fat can threaten her health. Season Three, her physical limitations and emotional fragility are highlighted. I worry that now we are going to go into a phase where she loses her friends, one by one. It is like we are watching the deconstruction of a human being and I don't want to see that, for her or anyone. I like Whitney and want her to succeed. I want her to recognize that she has an addiction and get help. Whenever I am frustrated with the same personality traits that you all have mentioned I think of the pure joy I see on her face when she is dancing and her lovely funny family, and I know that she has a good heart. I'd hate to have that production crew following me around all day and choosing and filming my worst moments and broadcasting them as if that's really all I was. No amount of money would make me submit to that personally. We are seeing a highly manipulated plot line on this show, not a true and unbiased picture of a real person's life. I don't know where it goes from here but hope she comes out of it whole and strong. Just my opinion.
  3. I agree with everyone here about the power of this episode. It still stays with me all of these days later, particularly the scene of Sister Monica Joan bathing Sister Mary Cynthia. What amazing writing and acting. I was reminded in that scene of Sister Julienne's sadness in Episode Four about not baptizing the thalidomide baby who died in her arms. She explained that you don't have to be a priest to perform a baptism. I immediately thought of that while watching Sister MJ bathing Sister Mary Cynthia. It was like she was baptizing her again, renewing her faith, and that renewal seemed to to give MC the calmness and strength to fight and pursue the attacker who was preying on women. What a beautiful, uplifting scene.
  4. Brilliant. The entire season was brilliantly conceived, produced, written, acted, and presented. I am astonished that it was delivered on a broadcast network, but have decided that I can now forgive ABC for a lot of dreck in honor of their willingness to take a chance on this amazing series. Watching Season 2 has made me think hard about many assumptions I have developed over the years, and that to me is the definition of high art. The show turned a merciless beacon on attitudes toward all forms of racism, education, sexual orientation, law enforcement, social media, and violence. Most particularly the series focused on what adults do to guide (or not guide) and form their children. If I had to isolate one "take away" from the season it would be the profound sadness I experienced while watching adults in almost every case using their children as tools to selfishly enhance their own lives, rather than treating them with the respect and honor that a developing human being always deserves. That was most pronounced in the Leslie character, but even the ostensibly most caring adults in this drama (Anne, Terri, Dan) used their own children and others primarily as methods to advance their own agendas, almost without regard for the basic needs of the kids. Terri redeemed herself somewhat at the end; I had the sense that she was starting to "get it." Anne, however, as much as she loved Taylor, was determined to push him into doing what she wanted, what HER sense of justice demanded, than honor what he wanted. The kids were uniformly the victims in this drama, and that to me was the true American crime. I could quibble with a few small things in the series and wonder about others. The film editing was still jarring, but much improved from season one. (I think that if someone is watching a series as rich and dense as this one was, they can probably hear the word fuck without fainting, and if the censors won't allow that, a simple mute of the word would suffice and not detract from the story as the blacked out screens did.) The Sebastian storyline was interesting, but not fully developed. I guess I assume it was a call back to the "Mr. Robot" themes. That story was important though and deserved more attention since the whole series of events was uncovered by stupid use by kids of social media. I wasn't bothered by the indeterminate ending because I knew that this work was always meant to be a "slice of life" rather than a neat package. We don't know if Eric was going to leave with the guy in the hot car like he did in Episode One or turn back to his brother. We don't know what will happen with the other kids either, but since we're still talking about it I guess that's a tribute to the skill with which these questions were presented to us. I wish I could shake the hands of everyone involved in this production.
  5. I'm probably in the minority, but I have really enjoyed watching this season, and particularly this episode. Tim Gunn seems genuine and I think for the first time that Ken Paves came up with some flattering haircuts and colors. In general, I like Bob and Dolvett and Jen, although I do agree that Bob might want to cut back on the drawing out of stories like poor Colby's. That was horrifying and needs an actual psychologist to help Colby cope with the memory, I think. Felicia did seem to overdo the eye rolling this episode, but I often wonder if viewers are being deliberately manipulated by the producers and editors to include scenes like that for pure dramatic effect. How typical could that behavior be, really, if the rest of the contestants are still speaking to her? Personally I can't imagine what viewers that sort of negative drama appeals to, but maybe the producers think it helps ratings to always have a villain. Now that Richard's gone, the next candidate for that role is evidently Felicia. Liking the season, liking the trainers, liking the contestants. I'd feel comfortable if any of them won this year.
  6. I think he's already had that scenario. IMO, he did a fantastic job with Amber Riley who certainly wasn't athletic, fit, exhaustively trained, or particularly well known at the outset. His genius seems to be in watching his partners early-on, discovering their talents and deficits, and designing dances to hide the flaws and accentuate the positives. He's an amazing choreographer.
  7. I like Whitney, too. In fact, I wish I personally knew most of the people I have seen in this show (particularly Babs!). They all appeal to me in different ways. And kudos to that great "big girl dance" group. I think that Whitney is a beautiful woman just as she is, but I worry that her weight is going to destroy her health completely. For her sake, I wish that she would find a good psychotherapist who would help her understand why she is eating in such a way to maintain that weight and risking so much for the transitory pleasure she gets from a comforting meal at the sacrifice of her long term well-being. What Whitney is doing with her NBS campaign is admirable, but for her sake I would like to believe that she will start taking care of herself more, at least for now.
  8. Yep. Looked like the asphalt filled in underneath him and pushed him to the top of the pile. Will he get out? Will Lou find it and put the pieces together? Only time will tell. I didn't think this show could get any better than the first season, but golly gee, it has outdone itself. You betcha. :-)
  9. I'm enjoying this show tremendously and have recommended it to many people. I understand that it's a bit wicked and isn't for everyone, but if you like the offbeat humor in HBO's "Getting On" or "Curb Your Enthusiasm," you'll probably like this. Who knew that Patrick Stewart was such a talented comedic actor? :-)
  10. Here's a link to a nice article about what Panda is doing now. Sounds like he landed on his feet and has a good perspective on weight loss. I enjoyed this episode, but also like Heidi and would have liked to have seen more of her. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2015/08/former_camp_counselor_reflects.html
  11. Great recap, Ms.Bunting. I agree with Crim, above, who commented that this was one of the worst shows s/he had ever finished. I had the same feeling and have been trying to figure out how and why it went so horribly wrong for me. I think the problem was always the writing and art direction. I never felt I knew enough about Caspare to care whether he had been killed or not. I never felt that the community was well enough defined so I cared much about Vinci either. The entire time I was watching I was aware of the art direction, and in my opinion when that is done well it adds to the drama, not detracts from it because of its "oh so arty" self-consciousness. Give me a break. I don't think that the bird mask or singer in the Sad Sad Bar were supposed to make me laugh, but they did. And poor Vince Vaughan was horribly served by some of the clunkiest dialog and direction I have ever seen. Ye gods. I probably kept watching because it was hard to avert my eyes from the impending wreck, but it was not edifying, enjoyable, or educational. I hope that HBO gives the show another chance, but makes sure that the next case is presented with enough linearity that it can reasonably be followed and enjoyed.
  12. Well, dammit, the time slot did it in. In the prime demographic you can't compete with a show like this airing opposite HBO's Sunday night offerings. I would love to see "Battle Creek" picked up by AMC (home of "Better Call Saul") or TNT (home of "Rizzoli and Isles"). Either network would be a better fit for this show, I think. Given the quality of the writing and acting, it needs another chance.
  13. So many broken people. Ultimately we'll all put our own interpretations on the story this excellent series is telling, but as the plot turned its arc last night it seemed to me that the most important message the writers are trying to convey doesn't have much to do with the story of the actual American crime portrayed. In my interpretation, the crime is the just the focal point used to examine the values being taught in families. Where those values are/were strong and positive, we got the sense last evening that the families will ultimately survive. Where the values were narrow and perverted, the families and individuals will probably fail. Cases in point: Barb is a racist, and while she did everything for her children, you sense that both of those boys cruelly jumped the rails and that she won't make it either. Alonzo also did everything for his children and while they both have strayed a little, last night's episode made it clear that they and the family will be OK because of the love and positive desire to achieve good in that family. Aliyah's goodness may or may not save Carter, but the potential is there. And the episode made clear that Aubry is a lost cause, whether or not she was raped or is the killer. Last night we were told of her early years in the horrific family situation that doomed her. I am so glad that I found this show. Felicity Huffman deserves an Emmy for her portrayal of Barb, and the writers do too. Yes, the film editing is jumpy and too distractingly self-conscious, but all in all I believe that this series is an example of the best television can be. I'll be sad when it ends.
  14. I agree. As wrenching as this show has been to watch, I think that it is fairly realistic; truly a "dark slice of life." It shakes the belief that most of us would like to adopt, that people who commit crimes are always 100% evil, and victims are always 100% good. In that way the writers force us to think about crimes and the courts in new ways. I find the show to be exceptionally well done in the manner it illustrates the ambiguity that so often exists in situations like this. The fact that I can't quite believe that Aubry was the shooter (but can't totally dismiss the idea, either) really shook me, and I guess that's the hallmark of good filmmaking, as it is of good literature. Well done, show.
  15. mjc520, I'm not sure that the first "reporter" was actually a reporter. After Holly's confrontation with him another reporter describes the man identifying himself as the first reporter as having a "Napoleon complex" because he is a "short guy." Holly seemed puzzled because the "reporter" she confronted was tall. Made me wonder who the first "reporter" really was. I think it might be tied into whatever Milt is doing there (not a spoiler, just pure speculation). I love this show. It is witty, tightly written, and well acted. It reminds me of a much more sophisticated version of "The Mysteries of Laura" on NBC, also a cop show with a few comedic twists. I certainly hope it survives, if not on CBS, then perhaps on cable. CBS really hurt the show by scheduling it on a night where the starting time floats around so frequently due to overages in sports programming. That probably hurts the ratings a lot.
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