Cheezwiz

Agreed - that was really well done, and added a bit of levity to the bleakness. I hope Mare continues to warm up to her fellow investigator. I felt kinda bad for him this episode. I can't believe Evan Peters is old enough to be playing a Detective. To me he'll always be the striped shirt kid from the first season of American Horror Story. I also can't believe that was a whole decade ago now.

As soon as the church Deacon was featured in a scene saying that he didn't really know Erin from the church group she was in that well, I knew he'd probably turn up again as a suspect. Like Frank Sheehan, it seems anyone who claims not to have known Erin actually knew her too well.

Ooooh, thanks for the tip. He was the only thing that really kept me watching The Killing series. I couldn't get into Altered Carbon, but this might be worth checking out.

God YES. That thing seemed to run for an absolute eternity, and the killer's ID STILL wasn't revealed at the conclusion of the first season. Plus the interior sets were always so dark, that I wanted to buy cartons of lightbulbs for the entire cast. Such a maddening series! I'm glad this one is limited to seven episodes, and that I'll have something to distract me from my usual Sunday back-to-work dread for the next few weeks. Although a part of me also wishes I could just binge the hell out of this.

She just seemed exhausted to me, and cranky for probably a lot of good reasons. Her decency as a person came through in spite of her grumpiness. I wonder how long it will be before her son's and the mother of her grandson's fates are revealed. On a completely unrelated note: you know you're getting old when people a bit younger than you are suddenly playing grandparents. Jesus.

Ye GODS! Has it really been that long? I loved that mini-series, and totally forgot that Pierce was also in it. I've never been a fan of his, but he totally suited the caddish role in MP. We'll see what he gets up to in this one.

I'd LOVE to see that. I adore Jacques - I find him so charming! I will say that whoever comes up for the designs of cupcakes and tiered cakes on this show is very talented - they are always soooo cute and funny - they never fail to make me smile!

Well, I'm officially hooked, and glad I have something new to watch on Sundays for the next few weeks. When I first started reading about this series, and that Kate Winslet along with some other Brit & Aussie actors starring, I honestly thought it would be set in Britain. But reading that Jean Smart was playing her Mom threw me - not sure why I was surprised, as Winslet has played many American characters before. To me, so far, the show is very reminiscent of Happy Valley, which was set in Britain. They've done a great job establishing a sense of place, as well as Winslet's position in the community in the first episode. I've never been to Pennsylvania, but anytime I see it depicted on film or TV, it just looks incredibly bleak. What really confused me at the beginning was the young teen mom, because I honestly thought they were setting her up as Winslet's daughter. It took me awhile to catch on that she wasn't related at all and was from a completely different family. The rest of her story this episode was incredibly sad - poor girl. I guess we will find out in later episodes what happened to Winslet's son. Guy Pierce - hmmm.... bad news, or red herring?

No surprise at all about Jax's back tax issues! I did laugh that the article referred to his house as "a mansion". It's basically a really large tract house in the valley. I wonder if he and Brittany will try to dump the house and move to Kentucky. Maybe karma is finally catching up to this sociopath.

Yep this. She's been in a secure bubble ever since he took up with her. No need to consider anyone else's feelings - she can be totally immune. I'm under no illusion that it was a love match - it wound up being an arrangement that benefited both of them. Perhaps two people with sociopathic tendencies found each other and made it work.

I've only watched the first episode, but having an extra person on hand is definitely not improving the quality of the baked goods, so the show still has lots of entertainment value! Bonus: first episode had Greek mythology as the theme. Anything involving snake-headed gorgons and inept bakers is automatically hilarious. I wonder how long it would ACTUALLY take a skilled pro to make a reasonable facsimile of the example baked items, since it's clear the deadlines are deliberately made absurdly short for giggles.

Yes, THIS. So many people had willful blinders on way before any accusations regarding Dylan came out: "Nope, two consenting adults, nothing to see here...Just a vengeful crazy lady trying to take down a revered genius" and it continues to this day. I'm now convinced Allen only married Soon Yi as a matter of convenience to try and legitimize the relationship in the eyes of the public. He got himself a built-in helpmate for life, and he could continue on his merry way. The arrangement worked out for the two of them, but devastated a bunch of other people.

Yep, that's Woody in a nutshell. People are merely things to him, simply to be moved around like pieces on a chess board. He fooled everyone with a manufactured persona of a lovable nebbish. He is devoid of any compassion, empathy or humanity. As evidenced by his phone recordings and own biography, EVERYTHING is about him. Not to drift off topic too much, but as a more recent example, I would venture the same assessment of Louis CK. I was a fan of a lot of his standup - some of it went too far for my taste, but so much of it seemed perceptive and intelligent. Then when the allegations about his harassment (which had been percolating for a long time) finally came to light, the mask began to seriously slip. After his initial apology, he started doubling down, and displaying the REAL person behind the "bumbling regular guy trying to do his best" persona. His subsequent behavior has revealed him to be what I also believe is a complete sociopath. I think this topic fascinates me, because in my life I've been very fortunate to escape any kind of entanglement with this sort of person. I think I'm trying to study up on them, because they initially must have a great deal of charm and charisma, and it must be absolutely devastating to have one in your life.

I never imagined when I was watching that batshit saga last year, that it would be the most normal thing to happen in 2020!

Yeah, I also had no idea that it had largely been dismissed in therapy circles. The saddest takeaway I had from this episode was just how many children who have tried to report abuse have been separated from guardians trying to protect them, and forcibly delivered right back into the hands of their abusers by the court system. Awful and heartbreaking. So glad Allen was unsuccessful at his custody gambit.

Yup THIS. Allen's supporters always take Moses's recollections as gospel, but the police drawing showing the train set is a pretty damning rebuttal. Moses didn't start siding with Allen until much later in life, claiming he was fearful of reprisals from Mia well into adulthood. There could be any number of reasons, but I think his motivations are certainly questionable. Sadly, Woody probably doesn't and likely never has given a shit about Moses. Dylan's mixed emotions about not taking the stand were pretty wrenching, hopefully she found some measure of peace in talking with the prosecutor who decided not to pursue the case. I'm glad he kept an open offer to to meet with Dylan and discuss the case.

I was wondering about this as well. I'm just guessing, but maybe it's because Mia had residences in both places and travelled back and forth?

Yeah, he definitely inherited Mia's genes. Interestingly, Frank & Mia shared very similar features, so looking at photos of Ronan beside Frank is striking regardless of actual parentage.

Just watched the most recent episode. Good grief. The Yale New Haven study that all of Allen's defenders love to cite was clearly compromised big-time, as was the parallel NY investigation. That poor case-worker who got railroaded - I'm glad he successfully fought to get his job back. This is the kind of detail I didn't know about and am finding interesting to watch. Allen sounded so utterly evil in his taped phone conversations. As much as I'm not a fan of Mia, I've got to hand it to her for holding her own with him in those conversations. There's no way I could have maintained my composure on the phone like that - any communication would have had to have been through lawyers at that point. I do remember Allen getting thoroughly dragged by the judge when he attempted to get custody, so at least that's something.

Yeah, I think he had a bit of resurgence with "Blue Jasmine" which had Cate Blanchett in the lead (she won the Oscar for it). And people were eager to work with him again after that, but the Me Too movement sort of slowed things down once again - he hasn't been able to get US distributors for his films recently.

I think Mia has serious mental problems that go far beyond simply wanting to have a large family like the one she grew up in. To me it almost seems similar to the compulsion that drives people to hoard animals. I can't imagine bringing even more kids into that maelstrom. The thing is, I believe each of the children's recollections of their upbringing by Mia are probably true. I think some were neglected/abused and treated as the "help", while others had loving care.

This was a very disturbing episode to watch. I't clear that even if Woody is no serial pedophile or perhaps more typically attracted to teenagers, it does not mean he never abused Dylan. Again, he was caught in questionable situations with Dylan by others outside the family unit well before his relationship with Soon Yi became known. He had been censured for his obsessive interest in his adoptive daughter. It's clear from his own words along with Mia's recollections, that he is a narcissist and a control freak. Not all people who harm others fit neatly into predictable behaviour patterns (the Nightstalker mentioned above is a good example of this). Woody's thing is clearly about POWER, and controlling others, not just sexual compulsion & gratification. It may be in a much more subtle manipulative way than what we might typically imagine, but he's a text-book abuser. His separation of Mia from other friends, her agent, and potential employers is a standard tactic, as is the gradual chipping away at her self-esteem. Whatever my feelings about Mia (and I do think she's got serious mental issues on her own), I found this almost as chilling as Dylan's testimony. As others have speculated above, I almost wonder if part of his motivation for affair with Soon Yi was to provide perfect cover for even worse impulses. Something that wasn't shown in this episode (which surprised me) were the recollections of Mariel Hemingway, who played his teenaged paramour in Manhattan. She has stated in interviews that once Manhattan wrapped, Woody pursued her avidly, and wanted to take her on a trip to Paris. Although interested in travel, Hemingway was extremely wary, and rightly assumed that she would be expected to share a room with him if she went. When she questioned him on the room arrangements, Woody avoided answering. Mariel told her parents hoping they would back her up and refuse to allow her to go. To her horror, they rather than putting their feet down, they were mildly encouraging of the trip. She wound up saying no in the end. Woody is a creep. Full stop.

Yeah, I had no idea that they had adopted and raised two daughters together ((shudder)). I wonder how long it will be before one of them writes a tell-all.

Holy sh**balls! I didn't think it was that many! I thought it was maybe 9 or 10 max! I also didn't realize she had 3 biological kids with Previn - for the longest time I always thought they just had one kid together. For me, that just reinforces how much of a nutter she must be. Even with $$$ and paid helpers, there's no way you can properly look after that many children in a household - especially when several of them have special needs. There would have been huge gaps in the ages of the kids too, which would explain their differing impressions of their upbringing. Those poor kids.

Agreed - I'm curious to see what else the filmmakers will be revealing in future episodes. Even the cursory glances at the comments sections of news articles have been disappointing. Armies of people still defending Allen as an innocent victim. What frustrates me most is that so many people seem to be incapable of comprehending that two things, or even multiple things can be true at the same time. Personally I think both Allen & Farrow are BOTH completely nuts. The only victims are the children who had to grow up in that effed up dynamic. My guess is that Mia is not the saintly United Nations Mom she liked to portray herself as. I find both Moses' & Soon Yi's accounts of her behaviour towards them credible and compelling. I think it's entirely possible if not probable that she had a hierarchy for her children, and meted out abuse to her international adoptions. It's not uncommon for children within the same family to have completely different impressions of their growing up years. Why people (even those with means) would be allowed to adopt that many children is beyond me. I have actually been unable to keep track of the total number of adopted and biological kids under Mia's care. To me, this speaks of compulsion and ego burnishing. Three of the International adoptions wound up dead as young adults under tragic circumstances. Allen had been displaying extremely odd possessive smothering behaviour towards Dylan that several others had noted well before the Soon Yi scandal broke. He attended therapy sessions over this for god's sake. From his own memoir and Mia's description of their relationship, it's clear he was a narcissistic turd. Numerous people around the household caught him in compromising positions with Dylan. He was also clearly not an occasional arms-length guest who dropped in once in awhile, he absolutely had a parental role in all of those children's lives. He was in a prime position to groom someone neglected like Soon Yi. I also think it's entirely possible he could have molested Dylan at some point, but things are so warped and tangled, no one will ever know for sure, unless someone comes out with it and confesses. I do 100% believe that Dylan is speaking her truth as she recalls it, and is not trying to pull one over on anyone - I don't get the impression she's being dishonest at all, and I believe her younger brother Ronan is simply trying to support her. I also believe Moses's account of his upbringing, but I think he was looking for validation (and who knows, perhaps financial support?) from a father figure, so he's now firmly in Allen's orbit. Both Allen & Farrow have people in their camps who they could have manipulated.