pezgirl7

Another great episode! Random thoughts: I had a feeling Willem was molested by his mother, and now I think I'm right. It was weird seeing him sit on the bed and talk the way he was with his mother. He seemed like a child. John's "proposal" was cute, and it was nice to see Sara smile for once. Although I don't want to see them as a romantic paring, I liked that John stopped drinking for her. Or at least because he realized he wants to move on and the drinking isn't helping anything. The hand tremors were a nice touch. I have a feeling he might start drinking again soon though. I'm glad we got to see more of Grandma Moore again, and her reaction to the phone is always funny. John always looks positively bored around her though. I really loved seeing Teddy taking things into his own hands, and kicking Sergeant Connor off the force. That was long overdue. Teddy riding through the park was nice too. So apparently it's May already. I think they could have done a little better job at showing the passage of time. With all the mommy issues going on, I'm going to guess the killer also has mommy issues.

I rewatched some of the episodes, and now I'm doubting that silver smile is the killer. We hear the killer's voice a few times, and it sounds different than silver smile, and the man Kreizler chased at the end of the first episode seemed taller. Also, Ali said "What's wrong with your mouth?" and I feel like if he was referring to his teeth, he would have said teeth and not mouth.

I'm pretty sure it was a different brothel. The one John got drugged at was the one that Giorgio went missing from, and I believe his room was on the 3rd floor. The second brothel was the one Ali (the boy found on the roof of the aquarium) was at. He was in a basement room that had a small window. The last time we saw Ali alive, he was dressed as a boy, and was staring excitingly at the small window. I'm guessing the murderer came down from the roof, through the window, and then they both left out the window. Then he took Ali to the aquarium, dressed him in a nightgown, and then killed him. I was little confused about John questioning how the killer got on the aquarium roof, because couldn't he have gotten on the same way John and company did? Using the stairs?

The trailer for Luke Evans' next film, 10x10, was just released. I think it looks really thrilling and angsty, and I'm happy with the way it seems to have turned out, since I think it had a very low budget. The film comes out on April 13th in the US.

Wow, that was so good! The silver smile was even creepier than I thought it'd be. I guess him having syphilis could explain why he's so crazy, but obviously something also happened to him as a child to make him act out the way he is. No idea why he wants to eat children. It's really twisted. I loved all the characterization we got this episode, especially with Laszlo and John. Their scenes together were great. So much power play going on. I'm glad John got his sketches back, and I liked him taking Mary out. They both seemed very happy and it was a nice distraction. When John went back to the brothel, I was screaming at my TV. 'No John, haven't you learned your lesson?!' The scene on the roof with him and Joseph was sweet. I thought maybe his arms were covered in sores from the syphilis, so he was putting ointment on them, and then covering them up. I don't think we know yet if they're all one in the same. I'm going to guess they are. I definitely think the killer is the man with the silver smile.

Perhaps they just disrobed him and smeared makeup on his face, to shame him so he wouldn't visit again. At least that's what I'm hoping happened. I doubt Connor would actually want to stick around and watch John be raped, so perhaps he's just assuming what happened.

I thought at first it would surely be a red herring, because it would be strange to give away the identity of the killer in only the third episode. But even if the killer is Willem, we only know his name, that he comes from money and has very detached parents. There's still a lot to learn about him, and to see how Kreitzler's team discovers his identity. What did you all think about Sara seeing a younger version of herself in the mirror? I didn't think it was really necessary, but I guess it did drive home that she stills sees herself as a child in some way. Maybe unsure and alone.

Yes, it was CGI. His arm looked very withered with the muscles underdeveloped, almost like he had polio. In the Inside the Episode clip, Daniel said that Laszlo probably didn't have much experience with women, and that in that scene with Mary he kind of turns into a teenager who doesn't know how to act. He also said that Mary is one of the only people who is able to calm him down, which you could see. Thinking about it some more, I do think that Willem could be the killer, because Sally had said that Gloria had a rich client with a silver smile that visited her a lot, and that he was with her the night she went missing. And we know Willem is also a rich client who favored Gloria, so I'm thinking they're the same person. Which just totally sucks that the police have been covering up all his crimes. And both his parents really seem like a piece of work, so who knows what happened to him, probably as a child, to make him the way he is. Very curious to know how he got his climbing skills too. And the one boy that was recently killed remarked that there was something wrong with the killer's mouth, so I'm picturing a mouth full of silver dentures, which is even creepier.

Yes, that was her. She was at the NYC premiere of the show. Her character is Mrs. Van Bergen.

Really? I don't get that impression at all. I think she's has little to no experience with men. That's why she as so flattered by Laszlo last episode, and didn't really know what to do when John kissed her. Also, her friend assumed that Sara would be disappointed in her for getting engaged, so we can assume Sara doesn't care much about marriage. If John really was raped, and they're just gonna breeze over it, and never mention it again, I will be very disappointed. That's not something to be taken lightly. I'm hoping Captain Connor is only assuming what happened. John didn't seem to show any pain. Do you guys think the wealthy couple in the beginning are the parents of the murderer? I'm thinking it could be a red herring, and Willem is not the murderer, but the police are assuming he is and are trying to cover for him because they're getting paid to cover up his indiscretions. John really has bad luck with women, but it's amusing to watch!

That actually makes perfect sense and I'm annoyed I didn't think of it myself! :) We've already seen that he seems to be more sensitive to the killings. He's mentioned on three occasions now, I think, that the image of the dead boy will stay with him forever. And Laszlo called him "delicate" while Sara said he's not as strong as he'd like you to think. I do think some of him wanting to shield Sara from everything does have to do with the way women were viewed back then, but I think he also is thinking of her well-being and not wanting her to have to experience something that will cause her distress, like it has him. There was a Q&A with the actors where they talked about their characters, and Luke said that John is old school and thinks he's doing the right thing to Sara, but quite often it's completely the opposite of what she wants or what she requires from him.

They saw him at the opera, sitting in his opera box, and Laszlo comments that every young women he shows up with is his "niece". Then later they run into him when talking to Teddy. J.P. says "TR" while he walks by, and Teddy replies "JP". I actually liked that little exchange. Here's a publicity photo from the episode where you can see him in the middle.

The boy at the end looked especially young. I'm surprised someone thought Flora looked like a teenager. The actress is 26 but I actually think she looks older.

I'm pretty sure the script was written well before Luke was cast, and I still don't understand what him being gay in real life has anything to do with his character's sexual hangups. Guess we'll just have to disagree on this point. And maybe he wasn't so much as terrified the whole time as shocked, uneasy and unsure of what he was going to see. Although for me, seeing children (which is what I would call them) behave the way they were would certainly terrify me.

I'm sorry, I don't really understand what you're trying to say. It sounds like you're saying that because Luke is gay in real life, you think he was playing the final scene as if he was overwhelmed with feelings of attraction towards the boys? And therefore the show is saying gay men are pedophiles? I don't think Luke's sexuality should have anything to do with the scene or the interpretation. That's why he's an actor. I also don't think the show is implying that homosexuality=pedophilia. I think John looked terrified and sickened the entire time he was there, and that's pretty much how Luke said it was to film that sequence. I think Sara showed a little more warmth toward John in this episode, but she seems more tolerable of Laszlo at this point. I'm not really sure what to make of their scene in the carriage. They seemed to be flirting, which I really didn't want to see.

The end scene was super creepy and hard to watch. I knew I was going to have a hard time watching the boys at their job, but it was harder than I imagined. I felt bad for John when Laszlo told him that perhaps his work was done, and I just knew he was going to end up doing something stupid. I hope Stevie can save John, but I'm not sure how he'll manage it on his own. This episode had some good, chummy dialogue between Laszlo and John that was missing from the first episode. And John is more witty and sarcastic than I thought. I loved his lines "Perhaps you should measure her skull" and then when he wakes up at the opera, "Is it over?". Also when he grabs two drinks, but Laszlo declines one so he says "I shall be forced to drink for two". I also enjoyed watching him draw. Didn't really understand the point of the scenes with the one twin and the woman he picked up.

From indiewire.com: ‘The Alienist’: Luke Evans Sheds Light on His Character’s Sad and Twisted Brothel Habits Also has some info about John's relationship with Sara, and this bit, which I think some viewers didn't really grasp from the first episode.

Something I noticed upon second viewing is that Sara has to take Laszlo's hand to shake it, because he couldn't lift his arm up all the way. When they showed that scene during the previews, I thought he was jilting her by refusing to shake her hand. I didn't realize that he physically couldn't put his hand out all the way. Not all women. Here's an excerpt from a book about The Gilded Age that states some women of the 1890s abandoned the chemise and wore only the corset cover. I mentioned this before, but I also was really annoyed by the fake snow! It's like the set decorators had never seen real snow before and didn't know that it should have looked smooth on the ground.

Sorry, I feel like I'm the history police here, but I thought the reason for wearing a chemise was to protect the corset from the dirt and oil from the skin, not to protect the skin. From what I've read, corsets of the 1890s were much more tightly laced than in the past, and many women did not wear chemises underneath them. I would think they would wrinkle and bunch up. It would be like wearing a cami under your bra now. It just wouldn't look or feel good. Although I think that even if she wore something under the corset, the whale bone would still leave marks. Women did wear corset covers over the corset to minimize the lines of the corset through the dress, and to prevent snagging of the dress on the clasps. Anyway, I think the whole point of that scene was to emphasize the male-dominated society that Sara lives in. That even women's underwear, which was uncomfortable to the woman, was a necessity in order to make the female figure more pleasing to men.

I know we're not suppose to discuss the book here, and I haven't even read the book, but I believe Sara was written to be modern in the book. The show is based on the book, so to change the part of her that makes her unique and is the main basis for her character would not make much sense to me. Also, how do you guys know the cigarette was inaccurate? They had mass produced cigarettes back then, even ones made specifically for women. Women did smoke in the 1890s, although most smoking was done by upper class women in the home, at private parties, or at socials. So I don't think it's odd to see Sara smoking in her bedroom. Here's some more info: I think Sara definitely fits in with the “New Woman” of the 1890s. I feel like a lot of the complaints I've read in reviews and from general viewers has to do with the more "modern" elements of the characters, but those elements are why I find the characters interesting, and why I believe they are the focus of the story. Laszlo Kreizler, a German-born doctor, seems to have very specific, new ideas about psychology, and is called a "fraud" and shunned by some people because of those ideas. He specifically studies and treats children with emotional and psychological disorders, and therefore would not care that the murdered boy was a child prostitute. You have John Moore, who despite being an upperclass gentleman that is handsome, drinks and frequents brothels, is actually incredibly sensitive, caring, and artistic. When he sees the murdered boy, all he sees is a mutilated, exploited child, and therefore takes issue with the police officer calling him "it". And then you have Sara Howard, who despite being upperclass, is independent and has ambitions that are were not normal for women of that time. She soliders on despite the discrimination and sexual harassment that she has to deal with. Even the secondary characters are nonconformists for that time period. The Jewish twins, who are ostracized not only for their religion, but because of their new methods of forensic science that they employ. And Teddy Roosevelt, who seems very unpopular among his subordinates. His main concern seems to be cleaning up the city and the corruption on the force. I'm looking forward to learning more about the characters as the episodes progress. I think the journey they will go on while hunting down the killer will also bring them closer together and will bring out their character traits even more.

Via How The Alienist Re-created 1896 New York in Budapest:

If you would like to submit feedback to TNT about The Alienist, you may do so here: https://t.co/qX4RlVQj2u It took me about 20 minutes to fill out the survey, since they asked to be as specific as possible, which I tried to be. :)

In one of the behind the scenes featurettes, they mentioned that every woman in that time period, even the poorest, wore corsets. Women didn't start burning their bras until the 60s, and when they did, people went nuts. I can't even fathom Sara, working in a police department full of men, arriving to work one day without an undergarment on. There were no other choices besides corsets then. I hope there is actually a reason for John being fully clothed. Otherwise, having the woman completely naked, and not the man, is just ridiculous. And I'm not saying that just because I like seeing Luke with his clothes off. :) I got the feeling that they were trying to show nudity for the sake of nudity, just because they could. You'd think he would at least have his shirt off, or his pants down. From reading spoilers, I know what's going on with the ring, but there could be a reason for him keeping his clothes on. It could be a way for him to stay unattached, or for her to "bare" herself to him, while he remains closed off. In one of the trailers for the show, they showed Flora talking a stroll in a park-like setting during the day, so perhaps she will have a bigger role than just "John's favorite prostitute." One of my biggest complaints about the first episode is that it almost moved too quickly and so much happened. To expect them to cover everything about each character and their backstories in the first episode is unrealistic.

I really enjoyed this, although the story seemed a bit rushed or jumpy at times. From reviews I've read, that should get better with the second episode. The sets, costumes and cinematography were amazing, especially for a TV show! Although I was slightly annoyed that the freshly fallen snow wasn't smooth on the ground. :P The scene with John walking up the bridge was really breathtaking. I liked how Laszlo basically took it upon himself to investigate the new murder. I guess he feels remorse for what happened to the first boy that was under his care who got killed. After seeing the dead boy, John seems determined to help, even if it's going to cause him a lot of sleepless nights. I'm not sure what I think of Sara yet. Even though I hadn't read the book, I thought Dakota was miscast when I first heard she was playing Sara. Does she ever smile? I get that she works with a bunch of assholes and has to have a hard exterior because of that, but I hope she becomes less prickly when she's around John and Lazlo. Although her causing John to have deer-in-the-headlights expressions multiple times was amusing. :)

How ‘The Alienist’ Finally Found a Screen https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/arts/television/alienist-tnt-caleb-carr.html