ribboninthesky1

It is true there are often cast changes around the central detective in the genre. For me, the second Knives Out film wasn't as good partially because the cast was different (also, weaker storytelling). Different strokes. Sometimes the cast changes work for me, other times not so much. It'll be interesting to see if/how they decide to move forward.

This video on the ensemble cast showed up on my Youtube home page, and I watched several of the Behind the Residence videos on the Shondaland page. The cast clearly had a great time together. No idea if a second season is on the table, yet I'm ambivalent. I assume it wouldn't be another White House mystery. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Cordelia Cupp. Still, a lot of the spark for me was how she interacted with other characters. The saying "lightning doesn't hit the same place twice" is technically wrong, but I don't know if you could get the same magic with a different cast.

Overall, I was entertained, although I felt like the season could have been 6 episodes, maybe 7. This one was an hour and a half, and I felt it. The pacing and humor started off great. There were times I was laughing so hard, I couldn't breathe. But episode 6 felt a bit wobbly, save for the Mr. Doumbe intro. Episode 7 felt like filler, and the Episode 8 reveal felt a bit dragged out. I am glad that Wynter got justice. I suspected the whole "us vs them" spiel from Jasmine in an earlier episode would come into play in an unexpected way and it did. I don't know when this was filmed, but the social commentary about the rich buying their way into and having contempt for the White House, sowing malicious destruction from within, while pretending to care, was scarily prescient. Uzo Aduba seemed to be channeling Whoopi Goldberg in the trailer for this when I first saw it, and that impression remained til the end. Still, I liked Cordelia. And Uzo did a great job with the dialogue, especially the birding commentary. The cast overall was fantastic. No small parts.

Sheila was hilarious! And yes, also should have been fired. The actress looked familiar to me, but I couldn't place her. Finally looked her up (Edwina Findley), and it clicked: I remembered her from a show called If Loving You is Wrong. She was wasted there, so glad to see her shine here. She is really terrible at her job. Bless the house staff who had to tolerate her shenanigans.

Yes, I didn't understand why Lily (I think that's her name?) wasn't fired after that debacle. Ha! I'm gonna assume the whole us vs them nature of the house is relevant, but not in the way it was presented. Normally, I'd be trying to figure out whodunit, but I am enjoying the ride.

Good catch on the clothing! I assumed the hearing was held on different days based on who the Senate panel was interviewing. I think Cupp noted the lack of blood in the 1st episode. I remember her saying that the body was moved into the room where he was found and he was poisoned. So presumably, the cuts were done after he died (whether by the murderer or possible accomplice). That's my theory, anyway.

Agree that this show is highly entertaining and funny! Lot of characters to keep up with in this episode. The calligrapher had a rough night, heh. The bit with the different Georges was hilarious. I assumed Rylance was turned on by her...volatility. He was making googly eyes at her during most of her ranting about the menu. Guess he likes it rough! Interesting! I'm familiar with Julian the actor (Charmed, Nip/Tuck, etc) - didn't know about his family ties.

That's fair, and I agree that a lack of funding and resources been a recurring theme since the beginning. That doesn't mean that Ava's firing was unjust, and its why I didn't feel bad for her. Especially since she could have put a stop to it at any time. She's part of the main cast, so I'm sure she'll return, probably even next episode (pure spec on my part as I watch on Hulu and miss any previews). That was my takeaway as well. Sometimes you gotta know when to either play nice or play dumb. Why Ava chose to tell her frenemy the truth, I'll never understand.

Yeah, if I recall, she blackmailed him to get the job. Agreed. I would have felt bad for Ava if she covered for the teachers and hadn't benefited from the scam herself. I appreciated that Dia set Ava straight as she was leaving. Ava isn't just mean as a defense mechanism - she often insults people she perceives as beneath her. In any case, no doubt she'll return. I thought the brief cafeteria scenes were funny. The auditors were super suspicious because it smelled so good. Heaven forbid the kids get some delicious food!

I was originally interested in this show because I saw the trailer and expected something of a political thriller. Finding out the creator was the This Is Us guy, a show I couldn't get into, plus the stuff with the underground city, and I have my doubts. I am interested in how the President died (my current theory is that he "arranged" his death to investigate and thereby unearth whatever secrets there are, knowing Agent Collins would be the one to find him and be "relentless"). I'm also interested in Collins' wife and how she died. Still, I'll probably wait until the rest of the episodes drop and binge watch the rest. Otherwise.... After watching just 2 episodes, I'm not sure there is enough (interesting) story here for 2 additional seasons, even assuming 8-10 episodes. But then, I'm not that invested in the how or why logistics of the underground city because I find it kind of silly as is. The conversation between FLOTUS and Collins where he flat out called BROTUS a racist was funny. Because, well, yeah. I was confused why Agent Robinson seemed so hostile towards Collins.

Someone like Michael Fassbender would have been a better fit for me. Fassbender is also wiry, so it's not about muscles or body size. He plays efficient, ruthless sociopaths very well, and that's what the Jackal should have been, IMO.

Not discounting Bianca's personality, but I had sympathy when it was clear after Belarus she was being undermined while trying to do her job. I felt bad that Emma died because she was just a pawn. Otherwise, I didn't care about the other deaths. Bianca's family dynamic was interesting to me. She was with an older man, presumably married young and had her daughter young. Did she want a child? Or did she have their daughter because her husband wanted a child? I side-eyed the husband for rooming with the ex-wife during their estrangement. Vince was a good friend (and frankly the actors had better chemistry). I thought Eddie Redmayne was miscast in this. He was okay, but I was never rooting for The Jackal. Then again, the writing for the character was kind of terrible. He always came across as amateur beyond the actual...snipering, and it made me wonder how long he was doing the work. I also got the sense that he hadn't been with Nuria that long, which is why he could get away with being so mysterious and distant before she got wise. Yes, her family was annoying for sure, but in-laws are usually a package deal. Oh well. Agreed with others that this could have been 6-8 episodes. I tuned into this thinking it was a limited series, and mostly for Lashana Lynch. So I'm not interested in another season.

I assumed that it wouldn't be so easy retrieving Norman, but I don't hold Bianca responsible for those other cops being killed. Presumably they were briefed on the danger. Frankly, I don't understand how the mother never would have had an opportunity to get the phone number. Wait until the man's asleep and check his phone. There's nothing complicated about it - she just didn't want to cooperate. Bianca never should have used Emma as a pawn, and she is absolutely responsible for her death. And yet, I don't wish hellfire on Bianca. Also, I'll keep watching, but Charles seems more reckless than I expected. Make me wonder how long he's been at this.

I'm usually not interested in post-apocalyptic shows, but this one has intrigued me so far. I don't mind the pacing, at least not yet. I questioned this too, but a couple of scenes later on kind of explained it for me. Emma talked about how she missed people, community. And we see her crying while looking at family photos. I originally thought that the picture of young girls was of her and her sister/cousin. But after she mentioned losing two children, I'm thinking it was a picture of them. She seems more extraverted, and while I relate more to Ish's introversion/loner nature, I can only imagine how hard it must be for someone who relished community and family to be utterly alone. Listen, I watched this episode forever grateful for butchers and grocery stores where I can buy the cuts of meat I want without having to hunt. I know people who relish living off the land and such, but I appreciate modern conveniences. Especially after we see them stocking up. And it's not like Emma moved in and they had sex the same day. Plenty of time and opportunity to grab some. Because I understood Ish's initial hesitation (no docs, no hospital) more than Emma's "my body was made for this!" perspective. I'd be terrified of carrying a child to full term in such circumstances, and no I don't care that women did it for millennia before modern medicine.

All good questions that the show glossed over. I was also confused (but not really surprised) by the Miss Nancy reveal. Her motivation seemed outlandish to me, especially since she was the one who talked the white girl into taking the fall for a crime she didn't commit. And was the young man her actual son? The social worker called her a "street mom," so I wasn't sure. Overall, I'm ambivalent. Started out bad, interesting in the middle, but petered out towards the end. Would I watch season 2? Maybe. If nothing else, eye candy!