Freelancer

I just finished this episode, and it was my least favorite so far. I understand why they did it, in terms of establishing how self-destructive/lost Mickey is, but it was frivolous and meandering. I really like this series so very much, but this episode was disappointing and really felt like filler.

I'm up to episode 5, and IMO, this one was the weakest of the bunch so far. If you're kind of into it but not in love, I recommend that you keep watching. I find both Paul Rust and Gillian Jacobs to be completely absorbing. Great performances.

I thought this episode righted the series after a few missteps (though I did enjoy Bulnerable too), however, it alternated between tedious (Sarah's endless self-centered foibles) and truly moving (Josh's regrets and Ali's prayer). I know I'm not supposed to like these characters but Sarah is just too much for me at this point: I dread every time she comes on screen. Same with their mom. (Whose name I'm spacing on.) Alternatively, I absolutely continue to adore Josh, even if he is as nearly deeply flawed as Sarah - at least there's still some humanity and vulnerability there. I give a lot of credit to Jay Duplass's performance: I think he is truly riveting.

Yeah, these past two episodes have been a real let-down from what I thought was a really strong start to the season. For me, I am honestly so over all of the gratuitous nudity and in-your-face sex with the daughters. NOT because I have any issues with nudity or sex (I mean, I love the show, so I hope that's obvious) but rather because it feels like it's just there to be there - because we're Transparent and we do edgy sex shit! - and it distracts (for me) from the storyline. None of the nude bath stuff was necessary, nor, really was the dildo wearing during the day, other than to push the envelope. Which, again, I know is part of the point of the show. But I can't help but feel like the writers are like, "Where can we have them/what can we have them doing to shock viewers?," and it's gotten a little tiresome for me. (I hope I have my episodes right. I think both of the above scenes took place in this episode. May have been episode 4.) In better news, Josh and Raquel (sp?) are the heart of the show for me, and I look forward to their scenes throughout the episode. I also love Maura's friends and am always happy to see them. One of them is just so stunning, I stare at her throughout the scene.

Not quite related to this episode, but related to some of the discussion in this thread: I just read that interview in the media section. I didn't realize he's from Burlingame/Hillsborough. That's not rich, that's FILTHY rich. We considered moving there (just had driven through it on a vacation and thought it was nice!), and when we googled, we discovered that Hillsborough one of the top 5 (I believe) wealthiest neighborhoods in the country. I grew up with upper-middle class/wealthy folks, which is what I pegged Jason for, but that sort of wealth is just next level. No wonder he never expects anyone to say no to him. Needless to say, we landed elsewhere. :)

I'm a novelist, and I keep thinking this is the problem too. Often times, as I/we (we being other fiction writers) work through drafts, we discover that we started at the wrong point: namely, if there's a way to work the backstory into the thick of the novel/plot, you've started too early in your timeline, and readers quickly get bored. You have to drop the reader (or in this case, the viewer) right into the thick of the action, which is precisely what they did with TWD. Here, I'm just constantly reminded of one of my books in which I ended up cutting the entire first third (100 pgs! sob) during a revision: too early, too boring, too much lead time. Maybe FTWD would have worked better if we'd never seen TWD (in fact, I'm sure it would have!), but we have, and now, trying to rewind that clock and make us unknow what we already know just doesn't work.

Man oh man oh man. Confession: I stopped watching after she had that fight with Eric. She went from so-so for me to totally unlikeable with her indigence and refusal to consider his point of view. I had only watched JP's season for a few episodes, so I wasn't as enamored with her as those who had watched, and all I saw was a self-centered, dig-in-her-heels, not-particularly-empathetic figure. Anyhoo, all of this is say that this current Nick debacle is of no surprise to me. There were several times throughout the season where Andi really showed her true colors, and I just thought: Ugh, why am I watching some stone-cold bitch dick around a bunch of in-the-bubble guys? (I know, I know, that's the show! But I generally have to at least tolerate the lead to justify spending two hours of my week watching it.) Listen, sure, leading these guys on is part of the deal. Showing absolutely no empathy and responsibility is not. (As plenty of others have said already.) Good luck, Josh! I can only imagine how the fights will play out in your house. (Actually, I will imagine it: Andi will always be right.) ETA: Quinn13: I felt the same way watching the Emily-Arie break-up. That's when they started to lose me as a religious viewer. Add in the gross treatment of Brooks (and humiliating Des, who admittedly, I was never a fan of, but yeesh), and I was finally (nearly) cured of this crap.