numbnut

So cheesy. And I'm allergic to dairy so this is tough to watch. Most of the dialogue is so "written." I did like Gianni and Donatella bickering over the fashion show. Their sibling dynamic rings true.

I liked this first ep and think I'll enjoy the series more than TMitHC, though all those Matrix-inspired moments and shots bugged me a little. Hopefully the showrunner got it out of his system by squeezing them all in the pilot,

Either I forgot or had know idea that Cunanan was a serial killer. I'd like to see some of the investigations of the other murders but I doubt the show will go that deep. I tuned in to see Ramirez, as he's a solid actor, but they didn't give him much to do in this ep. I agree with the comments about the heavy-handed music and dove symbolism. I don't think Criss is Emmy worthy but we'll see. I thought his performance was camp and soapy. I haven't seen him in anything else.

I don't know much about Freeform but this felt like a typical network show, even with its diverse cast (minus Asians). It's cute but simplified, truncated character arcs are not for me. ITA.

I'm not a Ryan Murphy fan but tuned in anyway. The characters are so simplistic. I kept cringing and rolling my eyes. Would you flirt with someone right after they chopped off your pet's head? Ugh. I may be done with network TV.

An online petition was launched, calling for series showrunner Scott Gimple to be fired. At time of this writing, the petition has almost 30,000 signatures. The petition’s summary highlights how Gimple promised actor Chandler Riggs that his character would be on the show for another three years. Riggs is on record saying he’d postpone college to continue acting on the series. According to the post, Riggs was fired from the show just two weeks prior to his 18th birthday, with Gimple’s explanation being that the death simply served the show’s story. https://www.change.org/p/amc-tv-a-petition-for-scott-gimple-to-be-fired-from-the-walking-dead

Just saw this Variety blurb about Carl (RIP): The father of a key “Walking Dead” character vented his frustrations with the show and showrunner Scott Gimple on social media following his son’s onscreen death in this Sunday’s midseason finale. “Watching Gimple fire my son 2 weeks before his 18th birthday after telling him they wanted him for the next 3 years was disappointing,” William Riggs, father of Carl Grimes actor Chandler Riggs, wrote on Facebook. “I never trusted Gimple or AMC but Chandler did. I know how much it hurt him. But we do absolutely know how lucky we have been to be a part of it all and appreciate all the love from fans all these years!”

Currently on ep. 2. Ozark this is not. WTF is that dance the killer is doing? Good Lord. Is he another angel dancer from "The OA"? I'll try one more ep.

Bria's episode was a snoozefest. Can her husband track her down to create some excitement?

I forgot to comment on the second half. Didn't like Bria or the teen stepdaughter. Bria's escape and return to being an escort was boring. They should have shown why she needed the law to escape to amp up the drama.

Well, that was an improvement over season 1, though the escorts still walk, talk and bend like alien robots. I didn't recognize Anna Friel till halfway through the ep. Love her. I like the blackmail scenario. That guy is the ultimate turd.

Wow. That sounds more suspenseful than what we got on the show.

It's been a long while since I've seen it but didn't Silence of the Lambs use massive fonts to establish locations? Is the show slapping us in the face with a homage to SOTL?

**crickets**

The finale didn't wow me (I would be pissed if I waited 10 weeks just to see a panic attack) but I enjoyed the show overall. I love 70s music but I hate when song titles/lyrics are too on the nose, so the song choices made me cringe a lot, especially in ep 7. I'm still not invested in the lead; his Boy Scout from Mars persona is just too odd for me. The girlfriend didn't bug me; it's nice that they gave her an arc. Thanks to whoever mentioned Fringe; I couldn't remember how I knew Anna Torv. I def. want to see more Kemper in S2.

This ep reminded me of Zodiac. That giant killer dude is creepy AF. The odd couple dynamic is growing on me.

Yeah, several of the actors are a bit stiff. The lead is like an alien pretending to be human. I was grumbling about the show aping David Fincher's style until I saw his credit as director and EP. LOL. I had no idea this was his project. Anyway, I like it so far despite the stiff line readings.

He reminds me of Kevin Durand. They could easily play brothers.

To me, the actor playing Paul will always be the gum-chewing, cool-as-a-cucumber asshole from Terminus in The Walking Dead.

That street scene was like a stage play. I was so anxious that Candy was going to cave and allow Rodney to be her pimp that I was actually relieved that she chose to be a porn actress instead. LOL. I'm surprised that her wig didn't come off when that asshole grabbed her by the hair. Abby bores me and I still don't understand the character. Margarita L. has never impressed me in other projects. She seems to be a "hair" actress, in that she relies too much on how her hair makes her attractive. Would she ever get a pixie cut or shave it all off to inhabit a role? The twin thing is grating on my nerves. Just as I feared, Franco plays Frankie as a loud caricature in order to stand apart from Vinnie. Not enough CC. Why is Lori struggling? She seemed okay in the tunnel episode. (I can assume something happened after that but I'd rather see what happened.) Nice reveal of Darlene as a player. I'm stunned that the waitress would immediately accept being sold as a hooker. The writers cut a few corners to get there.

Did they establish that Candy lives in Manhattan? Her building looks a lot like my uncle's apartment building in Queens.

According to this R29 article (http://www.refinery29.com/2017/08/170121/is-the-deuce-true-story-porn-stars#slide-3), Candy is based on two historical figures. One was a prominent member of the adult film industry, a woman named Candida Royalle. She began as a performer in adult films before pivoting into directing and producing. Her company, Femme Productions, made sensual, female-oriented videos that struck a contrast with the majority of hardcore content being produced. Pornography Producer Angie Rowntree told the New York Times that Royalle displayed “a commitment to the principle that women have the right to explore, enjoy and celebrate their sexuality, openly and proudly, without taking any kind of metaphorical back seat to men.” Simon describes his other inspiration for Candy: “There was a Candy who was a part-time bartender at Vincent’s bar who actually started as a prostitute/street walker and was a little bit actualized, a little bit, by the politics she heard in the bar from Vincent’s girlfriend, but also had some preliminary involvement in the early days of porn.”

IKR? It's perfect for the show, catchy and fresh, as it's not as well known as Mayfield's other stuff and hasn't been used in film/TV projects ad nauseam (I'm looking at you, Radiohead "Exit Music"). Interesting. I didn't watch Snowfall because the promos looked generic. If people are complaining about its in-depth characterizations, maybe I'll give it a shot.

The pacing is slow but most of the ep was enjoyable. The twin and gangster premises aren't interesting to me, maybe because the mobsters and "bad" twin are one note (Rispoli is always the same). CC and Candy continue to steal the show for me. Gary Carr is killing it; his accent hasn't slipped once. I want to know why CC is so insecure. I'm not clear on why Larry was staring so hard at Darlene and Abby. Is he jealous?

The porn theaters may have been pushed farther west on 42nd or limited to other side streets after the 70s. I don't recall seeing them next to Loews on 42nd or beside theaters on 8th Avenue (the main thoroughfare of Times Square) in the 80s. Or maybe I was just too oblivious to see them.