alexvillage

And I think the show made the whole thing too overdramatic with Mia's overreaction when she had the dreams about the guy. She didn't seem so paranoid about being found during the day, only when she had the dreams. I think it was inconsistent. Fear does come easier in the silence of the night but real fear doesn't simply vanish during the day.

Bebe didn't abandon the baby, she left at the fire station (I guess) because she knew someone would help the kid. Any mother who made this decision under the type of distress she was into would want the baby back if she saw a chance. It doesn't matter if it was a realistic chance, or if it is fair, but having a chance to do so, a mother would probably fight to get the baby back. Not everyone in this situation would stop to think about the consequences - where to live, how to support the kid - she would just fight one day at a time. But again, the way the story was presented to us was a complete mess and we can speculate several scenarios and possibilities and none will satisfy us because the writers chose to be crappy ones.

Key word: assumption - because the writers didn't give us anything and the last scene showing total happiness was not consistent with the story they gave us. That is true. It was heartbreaking and it happens to a lot of people, some of them have time to take back the words and attempt to heal. Not in tis case They left us with: some end up unhappy for life, some are lost for life and we don't know what to do with the others so we will not give them a conclusion because we are lazy and bad at what we do.

You are right about this and it is kind of impossible to speculate about characters of a book/show if we don't have a lot of background or real story to go by - the big flaw in this plot. But it is possible that the trial would make some people who don't see color at least be aware of what they are doing. I do believe it is a minority and it was a missed opportunity by the writers who didn't care much about the complications os such a storyline. It is one of the hardest things to pick sides. I tend to favor Bebe because she was in an impossible situation but her situation didn't improve so what is the point? Love is not immune to resentment. The writers could have explored this better but they decided to go all weird "solutions" that please absolutely no one watching.

Yeah, I think they were more clueless, not overtly racist, but racist in the sense that white people don't usually acknowledge their privileges - especially race privilege - and many feel like saviors. Not an excuse but many people are like this. They clearly loved the kid. I would compare the dynamics to people I personally know, they are evangelical people, really nice at first glance, who go to Africa and come back with adopted children who they clearly love but their reasons (according to my perception obviously) is that they needed the praise, to feel like they were saving the children. In the one case I am drawing the example from the children are now adults, also evangelical, and they seem comfortable in their skin, and they don't mention any desire of knowing their roots and the culture from the original countries.

I guess the reactions might have been because the whole plot was poorly written. They just showed a black-white situation, with just a few lines to see how hard it is for a young mother with a language barrier (also badly portrayed, not consistent) to provide for a child while alone and not sure if she can ask for help because of her immigration status. But having Bebe happily sharing a car with the baby - and they made sure to have the shot of the baby as happy and comfortable with a stranger - was bullshit. That was what I wanted to say and it is a more coherent comment than mine.

Yes, it is true but if that's what they have and their plan for release of episodes, they might end up with a big hole, as in two completely different seasons, and depending on how the last timed and edited episode is, a weird "season finale" because I doubt there will be a return to filming until later next year, then the episodes released only the year after.

I was just in another thread about the book and apparently "honor the book" is not what this person thinks it is. But thanks for the link

Never read the book and don't feel like it but what a shit show the writers did with the show. From what I am reading here, this is especially true with the Bebe story and how ridiculous the whole thing happened. UGH

I agree with you. The baby smiling and happy with someone she doesn't know was a bit too much to swallow. Babies adapt faster to new situations but the girl spent the year of her life with other parents' and even recognized them as parents. That was some bad writing. Bill who? 😛 I think the point is that it was badly written. I mentioned in another comment that I am conflicted about who should have the baby, if there would be better solutions, but the way it was shown to us, the whole hearing and the reasons the laws said, then Bebe kidnapping the baby was silly, even if Bebe was a victim in all this and that was ignored.

Came here to see if there were news. I don't watch this anymore but like to read the comments. So, they never finished filming? I don't think any show that had not finished by the time the restrictions were put in place wherever they tape the episodes will not come back until later next year. This pandemic is just starting and there will be a second wave in the fall.

So I hadn't watched the episode before commenting here. I had assumed Bebe had won and then gone living with the baby in the car. While I see the stretches of the kids setting the house on fire, I guess we are supposed to see this as the metaphor for "little fires", the ones burning inside all of them that become the real little fires. Not very well done it that's the intention. I liked it though, that the kids did this unthinkable thing as a total and complete meltdown. Collective hysteria. For the ones who read the book and follow TV news closely, is this the end of the book? Is the show getting a second season and become like The Handmaids Tale, with total freedom for the writers to do whatever they want now, even if they go in a complete different direction? I would like to see what happens to Izzy and the other kids, and also Bebe and May Ling. I am conflicted about Bebe having the baby, even if she hadn't kidnapped her. I think she should had been better advised and supported because she was a victim too. Since she didn't have any support, the attorney failed her. It was a shitty plot poorly done. Editing: I don't want spoilers, I am just curious if the book ends there or if there is more to be explored in a possible second season

Every single medical show, unless the episode calls for a change in tactics from the writers who all of a sudden become knowledgeable about privacy 🙄 OTOH every other show has immediately, many times in a abusive way, sent social services to take away a child in situations much less dire than living in a car with a mother who cannot provide for them.

I haven't seen the episode yet but CLOSE UPS? Is that a Hulu thing, the irritating endless close up like in THT?

That was my take too. I watch this on Hulu and there is one more episode announced. So maybe not a cliffhanger?

I agree. Kids are annoying most of the time, this kid just looks more real in comparison to the usual TV children who are incredibly thoughtful and cute all the time, when they are not the total opposite: sociopaths. I really like the show and I usually can't stand comedies. I guess it is a cultural thing.

I didn't find a unpopular opinions thread so I will say it here: I like Izzy. She is a young teen dealing with things she can barely understand, in a family that does not understand her, parents who don't allow her to be who she is and want her to express herself in a way that pleases them, she probably feels like they never wanted her, she probably sees her siblings as "perfect" while she is a failure. Then she finds an outlet, she finds someone she thinks is just like her, an artist, "different", rebellious. She acts on this. But she is still a young teenager who will fuck things up a lot and maybe learn her lessons. Anyway, I like Izzy. It is the only one of the kids I am interested in watching. the one I can't stand is Pearl.

Just remind me, please: the place where Pearl was with Tripp, wasn't that the place where Moody took her to begin with? Wasn't it Moody's "cave"? Or am I imagining this? Because all of a sudden it is Pearl's and Tripp's sex den?

I agre with you and about Reeses acting being superior. I am not a huge fan, I like some of her stuff but she does this kind of character really well, so it is almost impossible to hate the character all the time. I don't think it is because ht parents are paying that they have the right to damand what the kids need to wear. I was never part of this kind of tradition but even if it sounds a little silly to me, it is something that kids grow with in families. On the other hand, Izzy is a rebel, she is 14, she feels like she is not loved, wanted or understood. She is finding her sexuality and she is gay, she sees Mia as her hero. The whole story was a bit OTT top to me. The photographer was so bad that he couldn't find ONE good photo the first time, than things need to be rushed?

It is her paycheck so she wouldn't care at all Aren't they all sociopaths like, all of the characters? I was never able to get into this show to follow it closely but decided to give it a second chance in these times of pandemic distancing. I started a soft binge and am now on season 4. Usually, I can't watch anything Shonda related but this show seems to have a tiny bit of a looser Shonda grip. I still hate all characters, just not all at once. As I watch the seasons, I realize that I even feel warm towards one or the other sometimes. I actually hated Wes most of the time he was more of a regular.

I think it was one of the best in at least a few years. Yes, and I sometimes like the nonsense, which works as a way for me to not think about things when need a break from reality, but I usually end up hate watching because nonsense can also overwhelm. I wish they had tried harder to keep up. I believe entertainment has an educational and social awareness role to play and the writers were goin going in the right direction to reach a balance with the stories.

Well, this sucks. But many shows will not come back anytime soon anyway because this virus is not even close to disappearing. And then it will be back in the fall. I really don't understand audiences when compared to what I like on TV shows. I think I must be weird because while there were things that' could be criticized, I thought it was well done, well acted (the actors grew on me as the season progressed) and even the annoying moments I could understand with a little dose of reality.

The white family's racism is the institutional racism, when society "trains" us to see whiteness as desirable. Elena is the racist who is pretending to not be by doing and saying very racist things and clueless about it. Same for the oldest daughter. It is the "I have a black friend..." Not only white people are racist but racism as oppression is based on power dynamics, so Mia might not like white people but the power is not on her side. In most countries white people hold most of the power.

I disagree. While this is true, the show is in the 90's and I don't remember "wokeness" being something a teenager - she is 14 after all - would be aware of. And I thought the dialogue was written from a perspective of the current time and events. Izzy was trying to do something, to express her disgust with the system probably because she seems to admire Mia so much. It was awkward, it was a mistake but the reaction of the students and Mia's were disproportional considering the decade the story happens. And I don't think the students would be so vocal about the obviously racism. Again, they were talking as students know how to argue against racism today. Back in the 90's I believe it would be more likely they would see the absurdity but not act on it. I cannot stand KW and Mia is awful. I don't like Elena either but I can watch her because RW plays the bitchy rich white woman really well.

Don't ask when, just be glad that they did. This one went downhill in the first season, imo. Could never get into it. Tried, hated it. Agreed. And also because there are so many possible outcomes. Just this past week a disabilities advocate died. He had some muscular degenerative disease, don't think if the same as the kid in the episode, but Max basically saying that the kid's life would be over was not only ableist, but too OTT. And what everyone else said about trials. If you are interested https://www.tampabay.com/news/2020/03/26/michael-phillips-tampa-disability-advocate-dies-at-age-39/ I am not sure if cancelling the pandemic episode was the best decision - really, I can see bot arguments - but the explanation given was acceptable. People will react differently but since I double that any show will come back in the fall, it doesn't make much of a difference. We might have to deal with reruns for the rest of the year and into next year. I like the new doctor, so far.