love2lovebadtv
-
Posts
758 -
Joined
Content Type
Blogs
Gallery
Downloads
Discussion
Posts posted by love2lovebadtv
-
-
On 4/12/2024 at 4:05 PM, possibilities said:
Elsbeth seems to genuinely like and be promoting Kaya. I have decided it's not an act and the trust between them is real. I just hope the show doesn't do a "shocking twist" and make Kaya turn out to be corrupt somehow.
I laughed at the "oh shit, she's investigating ME!!!" moment, but I also don't get how he didn't realize that before. What did he think she was doing as a representative of the consent decree? She is very open about how she's checking on them. Did he think he was magically exempt?
I guess he was thinking about how the consent decree covered the department and, of course, his leadership. But not his non-police activities. I'm excited for this to unfold!
21 hours ago, possibilities said:When the famous matchmaker is single, you have to wonder.
Yes, I was waiting for a mention of the matchmaker being a widow. In my head, she was happily married for years before her husband passed.
-
1
-
-
19 hours ago, possibilities said:
I never watched The Closer. Do you recommend it?
I wouldn't mind seeing the cops resist Elsbeth forever, because I like the idea that incompetent and corrupt police will not be won over by the agent of the consent decree. I just find their resistance to her to be weak and kind of unconvincing. It's like they haven't figured out yet that she's capable, despite that she solved three murderers in no time flat.
They do have a bit of a problem, though, in that if she cracks the corruption case and they take down the Chief and reform the department... then Elsbeth no longer has a reason to be there, since she's only there on behalf of the consent decree and isn't actually part of the NYPD.
I HIGHLY recommend watching The Closer. It's a different premise but there is a similar quirky approach to solving crimes and the lead on the show is also new to the city and lugs around a huge tote bag, just like Elsbeth.
I agree that the show can switch things up a bit because Elsbeth has new, unrelated crimes each episode and also works with a different detective.
14 hours ago, Irlandesa said:Kyra Sedgewick is a good actress but Brenda could annoy me quite a bit and would bend the rules in an unlikable way. Still, it's a decent procedural with a good cast. Personally, I preferred when The Closer became Major Crimes after Kyra's departure. Mary McDonnell (who overlapped a bit on The Closer) became the lead while most of The Closer characters remained. She's a little like Elsbeth in that her character came on as a member of Internal Affairs to investigate Brenda's homicide department so it's not a "cops can do no wrong" and more "pushing cops to do right" telling.
So in summary, The Closer is good (haven't seen all the episodes, though) but I'm more likely to recommend Major Crimes.
As of right now, it kind of works because she works with a different detective for each case. I imagine they'll eventually have detectives who repeat and we may see different relationships develop. Some may never accept her and others will.
I loved both shows. The Closer because of the character but Major Crimes, I think, had stronger writing.
10 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:I'm pretty sure she was simply explaining that she had earned so much money in Chicago, she could afford a pricey NY apartment.
This was my take, too. I like the little reminders of Elsbeth's career background, especially for viewers who didn't watch the other shows the character was on. Since Elsbeth isn't practicing law and is new to NYC, it is important to highlight that she was a practicing defense attorney in a big city for decades. I especially liked when Elsbeth mentioned that it felt good to be on the side of the truth, as a further nod to her motivation for taking on this assignment.
-
3
-
1
-
-
23 hours ago, kitkat343 said:
It's much worse that Neville got mad at Dan when he spent the money protecting Crystal, but even if he had just blown it at the track I would have lost a lot of respect for Neville tonight.
But Neville didn't know how Dan spent the money at first. After Dan's previous behavior where he expected someone to give him money just because they have more than him, I can see why Neville would be cautious. But once Dan opened up, Neville was fine and they had a really good bonding moment.
-
6
-
2
-
-
12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:
You are right, @love2lovebadtv.
I was having a knee-jerk reaction to Elsbeth's line of “Do you know that's something that older people do, not younger?”
Thank you for taking the time to point out specifically why this is not one of those ageist plot points.
The script is actually the opposite of ageist, although any young, ageist people watching might not notice. IDK. I guess I'll have to go on TikTok to find out what they think, LOL.But the writers even turned the scent of “Old Irish” (not “Old Spice” or “Irish Spring”) on its ageist head when it was revealed that the young assistant was using it.
So I guess I totally missed the writers (the Kings? — who are now eligible for Social Security) valiant efforts to establish that this is not an ageist scenario.❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊
And, yes, @Yeah No, most people of any age would not notice 2 spaces after a period on a printed document.
Which leads me to my other, non-agesist issue with the 2-space plot point.
- Maybe someone here can help me see the error of my ways once again, but I'm doubtful, because for many decades I created signs and signage and worked with fonts. In the 1990s, in my late 40s, on a listserv for graduate students writing and formatting their final theses, I was even punnily addressed as The Font of Knowledge. So, much like a lawyer watching Law & Order or a doctor watching Grey's Anatomy, I'm probably going to have to let this go, but, anyway…
Here goes:
When Elsbeth was looking for other examples of the use of 2-spaces after a period(*) which the young victim had seemingly used on her suicidal texts,**
I'm a bit critical of the choice to show Elsbeth determining 2-spaces were used on the printed, posted bios about the lead actresses. Font faces can vary a lot regarding the width of and between letters, and, for that matter, kerning (the space between letters) can be manually adjusted in MS Word, and often is to improve legibility for notices and posters hung on walls.
So I wish there was at least a throwaway line from Elsbeth mentioning they needed to find one or more digital files produced by the suspect, and to verify that there were 2 spaces after each period.
Did I miss it?
They only looked at a printed syllabus for comparison too, right?____________________
* “Double spacing” is not the same as “2 spaces,” but I'll generously let that line go with just a shivery twitch, especially since it was used by a younger, tertiary character, and might have even been put in there on purpose by the Kings as an inside joke for those of us who know better.
** But it turned out the killer had cloned her sim card and sent the texts — which illustrated that even though he was a 2-spacer, he was at least as tech savvy as most younger people.
That's just it. Older generations have decades of knowledge. I can type on a typewriter or any kind of keyboard you put in front of me because I learned one way but then had to adapt to others. I grew up with encyclopedias and microfliche but I'm comfortable using AI. I'm familiar with the Dewey decimal system and love GIFs and emojis, too. My kids could never.
I feel like Elsbeth having lived through multiple decades as a lawyer is only going to help her throughout the series and I'm here for it.
I think the two spaces (you're right, it's not really double-spacing) was just a signal for Elsbeth to look for a killer outside the college student committing suicide. Even before Elsbeth looked at the syllabus, she looked at the deceased student's former texts and they were formatted differently. That's a huge deal in a investigation. Like how the unibomber was caught because of his unique phrasing of a familiar saying.
-
13
-
36 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:
Even if he doesn’t have health insurance they wouldn’t bill up front, would they? They’d have to know what they’re treating, how many stitches, what (if any) pain meds, etc. You don’t just walk up to the counter, say “I’ve been stabbed,” and they say “it’ll cost $500.”
yes, absolutely!
When you're private pay, they have you pay up front LOL
-
1
-
-
On 2/19/2024 at 9:30 PM, Izzy85 said:
Ok, Marty made me so mad this episode, and I am usually on his side. Calvin was not in the wrong for wanting her to sign those papers. I didn't like Courtney threatening to keep the baby from him and basically blackmailing Calvin for whatever she wants.
I don't like Marty's energy here either. He's behaving immaturely but is also in a weird position since his dad has valid concerns and he's a business partner.
On 2/20/2024 at 1:53 PM, jah1986 said:Not a great episode. I don't think I laughed once. And is the Grover actor getting worse as he gets older?
I do not like where they are going with the Courtney storyline. She's already making a lot of demands and throwing down ultimatum's. This can only end badly for us as viewers.
I think she was offended by her friend who she accidentally made a baby with presenting her with legal documents to sign. She's a Canadian who's alone and pregnant in California and the people she thought were going to rally around her are asking her to sign legal documents. I can't blame her for wanting to be around her own family. She didn't expect that from Marty or Calvin.
-
1
-
-
On 2/18/2024 at 3:15 PM, shapeshifter said:
I wasn't bothered by the pregnancy plot line.
Last season there was an arc about Marty being disappointed that his gf didn't want to have kids, right?
And Tina and Calvin were at least as disappointed.
Plus, it's not an already-main character played by an actor who is pregnant IRL.
This is an intentional pregnancy story arc, even if the story portrays an accidental pregnancy.
It's a realistic part of life for characters of that age.I'm not bothered by it either. Marty was about to get married and admitted he wanted to be a dad. No parent is perfect but it's not like he's a kid. He's warm, attentive, family-oriented, and smart.
On 2/18/2024 at 5:23 PM, possibilities said:They make a lot of jokes about Marty being a dweeb, but he has more of a social/romantic/sex life than his supposedly cool brother. I like that about the show. In real life, at least after high school, intelligent, respectful, employed dudes do pretty well, and Marty is not bad to look at, besides. His family treats him like a loser but he really isn't. I actually wish they'd stop doing jokes saying he is.
It seems like Marty has had more serious relationships than his brother. And I can see why. There are tons of smart, quirky women who would love a guy like Marty. He's the kind of guy I'd introduce to my younger sister or niece. I don't dislike the older brother but Marty is obviously my favorite. He also has better chemistry with each of the parents.
-
2
-
-
On 2/26/2024 at 10:00 PM, sharifa70 said:
I have never paid for medical care up front except for my co-pay. I get treated, then if there’s an extra charge I either pay before I leave or I get billed later. I didn’t think it was weird at all that he walked out of the exam room like that - pausing at the reception desk on his way out would have been a pointless detail in the episode.
I wonder if Colter has health insurance, though/
-
1
-
-
On 2/19/2024 at 3:26 PM, LakeGal said:
I liked the first episode. But I found this one boring. I hope it improves next time.
This one wasn't as good but it wasn't terrible. I'm still hopeful 😊
-
1
-
-
On 2/12/2024 at 7:31 AM, nixgirl28 said:
It was OK. Some terrible writing in places. Some rough acting in places. We're supposed to believe he's 36? Justin Hartley is a good looking guy, but he looks his 47 years.
Meh, I think the actor can pull off an overall vibe of a 36-year-old so I'm OK with it. Plus, people age differently. I've seen 30-somethings on TV who have wrinkles and people in their 50s who don't.
On 2/12/2024 at 11:46 AM, Xarquol said:A couple of things confused me though. When they cut to the flashback where a young Colter was climbing, with his Dad watching from below, it took me quite a few seconds to realise that that's what we were being shown. Initially I thought it was the present day, and we were seeing the missing kid and his Dad together. The actor playing what turned out to be the bad guy looked too much like the man in the photograph that Colter took with him. It was unclear how old the photo was so it was easy to accept visual differences and misinterpret the scene.
But that's not the most confusing thing. I swear the man in the photograph is Mackenzie Crook, i.e. Gareth from The Office UK, who was also in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. If it's not him, the similarity is uncanny. And if it is him, it might be a production in-joke, but it distracted from the storyline of him being dead. I was expecting him to appear at the end magically alive. But presumably in this format, there will be a missing person of the week and we will never see this family ever again.
I was pretty confused by the similar appearance!
On 2/12/2024 at 4:42 PM, Quickbeam said:I really enjoyed this. I’ve read some of the books so I was prepared for the “he’s in it for the money” angle. Love the inclusion of a character with disabilities. Justin is easy on the eyes and has a likable on screen manner. My standards are not that high.
I didn't even realize this was based on a book series. I was just looking for something to watch while relaxing and I have seen the lead actor in a few things before.
On 2/14/2024 at 5:16 PM, Writing Wrongs said:I just started watching the episode and had my first big eyeroll with the clunky "their history" exposition of lawyer at the jail to some random cop who couldn't give a shit. I hope the writing gets better.
I HATED the lawyer's behavior. She sounded like a bratty teenager who was mad a boy didn't call her back after the dance. There's nothing about Colter that would make me think he's going to stick around once a case is wrapped up. He said he had to work and I believe him. Even if she was upset by it, either you take the case and behave professionally (as in, not sharing your sexual history with your client with a random cop) or you decline the offer.
That part was a turnoff and I hope we don't have to see a repeat of this.
-
4
-
-
On 3/1/2024 at 4:07 PM, shapeshifter said:
I saw that interview too.
In the last year I've watched quite a few Columbo episodes.The way Elsbeth managed her interactions with the killer were straight out of Columbo's playbook — especially that bit where she left his home and then came back for "just one more thing" and overheard him on the phone saying the name of the current starlet student.
------------
I'm someone who also learned to type with 2 spaces after the period, and I hated that plot point.🤬
As the Web Services Librarian in the early aughts when I was over 50, I had to create an algorithm to remove the codes inserted by the old 2-space guy because they added line breaks after random ends of sentences whenever he edited the text.
The ageist stereotyping around technology drives me batty.But maybe it shouldn't bug me here, because how old is Elspeth supposed to be?
Carrie Preston will be 57 in June.
So Elsbeth is no spring chicken, but she caught the 2-spaces-after-the-period clue because "that's something that older people do," but, FWIW, Alex Modarian was played by Stephen Moyer who's 55. 🤷🏻♀️I f'loved Elspeth's seemingly unlimited number of colorful blazers.
I don't care what the character's clothing budget would be.
Keep 'em coming.
I took it differently, I guess. Elsbeth mentioned she's been a lawyer for 30 years so the character is likely in her late 50s. Elsbeth isn't saying that no one from an older generation single-spaces or is aware that double-spacing after a period is no longer standard practice. Some folks still double-space; others don't. However, double-spacing after punctuation is a sign that something was written by an older person because the younger generations were never taught double-spacing to begin with.
I didn't find it to be ageist or even about technology. To me, it's kinda like observing the way someone does math. There are plenty of reasons for someone who's 45+ to be well-versed in the way math is taught nowadays: math teacher, military-trained, parents/family member helping kids with their homework, etc. However, if I see someone in the US (because I know math is taught differently in different places) doing math the way I learned it, I'm pretty sure the person is close to my age or older.
-
10
-
2
-
-
4 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:
In fairness, it's easier to envision/make a change from cynical womanizer to whipped family man than it is from dedicated military investigator who served with honor and integrity to sellout who is complicit in the murder of three of his friends and the agonizing dehydration death of his dog and a terrorist plot.
As others have posted, I think Reacher's gut is supposed to be basically infallible, so I tend to doubt that Swan is guilty. But it would potentially take the series in a new direction if Reacher were able to make mistaken deductions/assumptions.
Yes, I agree. Lots of single guys are cynical womanizers before they meet someone special and/or have kids. That's more of a lifestyle pivot than going from being a good guy to getting your friends and dog killed.
BUT I am still thinking something is off with O'Donnell. I just can't put my finger on it, especially when he said he gave his kids his burner cell. Was that just to show how dedicated he is to his family? It seemed like poor judgment on his part.
-
2
-
-
On 5/18/2023 at 9:54 PM, dttruman said:
Is the Chief acting like too much like the biggest jerk of all time? Why wasn't Benson there to talk to the 14 year old kid's mom? It seems like she would be the best one to sympathize with her because they both have sons?
I was glad Fin and Bruno talked to the mom instead of Benson. Hope to see more of the whole team in action instead of sitting back while Benson is a therapist, investigator, lawyer, etc. Fin saying that being gay doesn't work like that hit differently since the mom likely perceives him as a strong male figure. And Bruno sharing a bit of his experience growing into a man was especially powerful based on the mom talking about trying to raise a man.
Benson would have made it more about her emotions and Noah rather than understanding and addressing the mom's concerns.
On 5/19/2023 at 12:29 AM, Xeliou66 said:I’ll post all of my thoughts on the season finale crossover here
This was actually better than I expected - the case was interesting enough and the crossover elements worked well for the most part. Benson didn’t annoy me as much as normal.
Best part of the episode was Fin and Bruno, they make for an awesome pairing, I loved them tracking down the serial perp. I really hope they bump Bruno up to opening credits next year - he’s great. I liked seeing him and Fin take the lead by themselves on a case and talk to victims and get their statements and act on their own without St Olivia swooping in to save the day. Always nice when it’s not all Olivia.
More Fin and Bruno, please. They have a good rapport with each other and with the victims/families.
On 5/19/2023 at 11:34 AM, slowpoked said:As great as it was to see Amanda - I know, I know, I'm the only Rollins fan in the world - her role would have been better served for George Huang. Now that would be a deep SVU pull. But maybe he's no longer profiling.
Agree 100%. I love Rollins, drama and all (though I want to see her balanced and not distressed) but psych consultant she is not.
On 5/20/2023 at 12:09 AM, DaynaPhile said:Was the federal judge that got killed a judge we knew? I didn’t watch OC between last week and this week. And it seems I’ll have to watch the OC ep that continues after this if I want to see Liv get shot?
I don't think we've seen the judge but she resembled RBG. Or did I imagine that?
On 5/21/2023 at 9:50 PM, WendyCR72 said:You sort of answered your own question. Many in the audience are not 'shippers; many are. So in pairing E/O, it risks alienating a portion of the audience that watches for the cases, just as it risks it in NOT pairing them for the other half.
Frankly, I think alluding to the POSSIBILITY is a fair compromise 'til the end of the show. Then the audience - whichever segment - can imagine the outcome.
I love hearing that not everyone is an EO shipper. I watch the shows for the cases with a little personal stuff sprinkled in but I have no interest in seeing EO. I'm not interested in rehashing the way Eliot left. I like them as friends/colleagues.
-
6
-
-
On 5/14/2023 at 7:41 PM, Xeliou66 said:
The Carisi stuff was all about making St Olivia look great by giving him a speech assuring him he would do great. The show never misses an opportunity for Olivia worship. It’s really nauseating and no one likes it but MH and her die hard fans but her ego is so big they won’t stop it.
I would have preferred a fatherhood chat between Carisi and Fin.
I don't know your daughter's situation and feelings are just as valid as any other stepparent but I don't think that's every stepparent's experience/feeling. Carisi already knows what he's got with his stepdaughters. He is a great dad to kids he already knew and whose lives are better because he's in it. And that's different from what he's about to embark on.
On 5/12/2023 at 10:20 PM, wknt3 said:I think at this point we can pretty much assume that both the audience and the writers have forgotten farther back than last month. And even if we didn't they've pretty much done every plot twice other than a few crazy monkey in a basketball type stories that they no longer have the personnel or budget to do these days.
My theory is that it was all a comedy of errors situation. McGrath was in Benson;s office while Rollins was escorting a Fordham admin. He was telling Benson that Rollins was a "complete psycho" when they arrived at the door. McGrath thought she was bringing in the union lawyer and quickly added "logical profiling expert" and it all snowballed from there. My other theory is that it's all a plot by Nicole Wallace to torture Goren by having her paraded in the local media as a NYPD detective who is a leading expert in criminal psychology,
Nope. Unless Mariska takes a massive pay cut they can't make the numbers work. And even if they could make the budget they would still have the creative issue of too few characters and no new dynamics to work with.I'm getting the sense that she may come back to the franchise but just not to this show. I like Amanda but I'm not a fan of her as a profiling expert.
-
2
-
-
On 6/7/2020 at 12:32 PM, iMonrey said:
I for one really enjoyed this show. I found it compelling and easily watchable. It kept me hooked, it kept me surprised, it didn't try to jerk me around like so many shows do these days or jump around in the timeline or try to be overly arty or clever.
That said, I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. We really don't know if Jacob was guilty or innocent and I guess that's the point. There was a definite element of The Bad Seed in this story - except they called it The Murder Gene instead. Possibly to avoid copyright infringement. But much like the movie version of The Bad Seed, this ending almost felt dictated by The Hayes Code which forbid murderers from getting away with their crime, so they had to punish Jacob by turning him into a vegetable. Although even that wasn't clear since the parents were under the impression the doctor saw positive signs in his recovery. Or maybe they were just fooling themselves.
Anyway, I enjoyed the ride. I'm just not sure they stuck the landing.
I saw The Bad Seed a long time ago and it freaked me out so I missed a few parts. But it didn't occur to me that this plot was the same. I feel like when The Bad Seed came out in the 50s, there wasn't as much knowledge about genetics so it wasn't labeled that way. Is this show really similar to the movie?
-
1
-
-
2 hours ago, wknt3 said:
The Good:
Fin is back! And actually played a big role, even if he should have gotten more to do in the beginning. At least they let him have the end and show us and Benson how these conversations can be handled without losing sight of what your actual job is or thinking you are some sort of guru. It was old school SVU in a good way.
It is nice to see that they seem to be committed to having all the squad acting like actual professional investigators. Or at least everyone except the CO.
An interesting idea. Nothing really new of course, but that's a function of being on air since the Nixon administration. Still a strong concept to build an episode around if you can execute it competently.
Carisi. The courtroom scenes are a real strength and the legal side has been very strong - in part because they can't have Carisi falling in love with Benson or go too far in making him the enemy for wanting actual evidence that can get a guilty verdict as both the viewers and the squad know whose side he is on.
The Bad:
The opener. It was excruciatingly long and did not hold my interest at all. It just felt like we could have lost most of it and then left the exposition to the investigation. We really don't need you to beat us over the head with who we're supposed to sympathize with us show. It would have been much more interesting if we opened on the squadroom and the cut to the bus being set on fire as it would have been an actual dramatic moment to catch and hold our interest.
Holy cow was the Benson Stuff piling up deep this week. "Let's take back your power"? Seriously??? Did the SVU writers go on strike early? Or is Dick Wolf leading the charge on ChatGPT scripting?
Overall this was another meh episode in a string of meh episodes. Strong moments and some great acting, but mostly another strong idea with weal execution and Mariska's dollar store therapy sessions with the victim. Resolved: NBC should announce that the next season will be the last and give the fans what they want and deserve.I thought this was an interesting enough episode. I was cooking at the same time so I missed a few things so I was surprised by the mentor/chaperone reveal. But then, there was such an obvious setup between the victim and the boys on the debate team that I didn't think it was them. I 100% agree that the opener was too long.
And I also agree that there was some less-than-great dialogue, though I was intrigued by the young lady's (victim's) dialogue. I know she was intentionally shown to be someone who puts a lot of effort into honing her debate skills to the point of researching and bringing up facts in other conversations. I started to wonder if it was going to present an issue in the courtroom, making it seem like she weighed her options and chose what narrative to tell. Like the way a debater doesn't always argue what they actually believe but they research and learn enough to prove the viewpoint that's assigned to them. I liked how she was inspired by Carisi.
-
3
-
-
11 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:
I’m sure all have more to say as I watch more episodes but- Yes Alex is a young pretty thin white woman, which is certainly a currency in the heteronormative market place (I am sure it played into her receiving help from Nate). But depending on where you live (I’m speaking of the USA since that’s where I’m from), young thin pretty white women aren’t an oddity, many have college degrees (including incomes of their own) and no children. Yes Alex could’ve sought out a male partner with resources to provide a better life for her and Maddie, but 1. That takes time (not as if said guy was going to appear out of thin air tomorrow and solve her problems), 2. She runs the risk of attracting another Sean (even if he has more money/status) and possibly endangering her and Maddie further, which is the last thing she wants.
Has anyone else here read Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage? Some of the themes are similar.
It looks like you quoted the person I was quoting lol. I actually agree with you here that Alex has "pretty privilege" here in the US but that doesn't mean she automatically has her pick of partners.
-
1
-
-
On 11/12/2021 at 2:31 AM, Kirkydee said:
Pretty good question about retail jobs. Or fast food or any other entry level job with no experience/degree. We see the Walmart when Paula uses the parking lot as a home. I guess i can hand wave it for tv purposes to illustrate the only job the lowly abused single mom could get is cleaning up after others. Similar to shows where the down on his luck man is a garbage collector
Most other jobs would have taken time to apply for, interview for, train for, and get a pay stub. Money was only part of the equation. To move forward with much-needed services, Alex needed a pay stub. And she needed it fast. I'm not saying cleaning houses is sustainable forever, but I totally get why Alex started there. Cleaning also offers much more flexible shifts than retail, fast food, or serving. It's hard to get daytime hours when you start those jobs.
On 11/21/2021 at 2:16 PM, dubbel zout said:What frustrated me most about this show was that they piled so much on Alex. Alcoholic/abusive ex, absent/abusive father, undiagnosed/unmedicated mother—I don't think all of that was necessary.
Maybe it doesn't seem necessary but I like that the show told the story of someone who really doesn't have a support system and how that came to be. It makes sense to me that a passionate, creative, mentally ill Paula married an abusive alcoholic. And I'm not surprised her husband built a better/new life for himself through AA and religion but not without blocking out parts of his old life. And I'm especially not surprised that Alex found herself in a domestic partnership with someone who could relate to and wouldn't judge her for her upbringing (we saw how great Sean was with both of Alex's parents) and was also an abusive alcoholic.
There are people who come from a healthy, loving home and find themselves in an abusive relationship that makes people question how and why that happened. And oftentimes, because the person came from a supportive background but ultimately found themselves in a terrible situation, they have people in their life who will help them. And then there are people who have no one. That is Alex.
On 1/24/2022 at 7:49 PM, RachelKM said:As to the last point, wealthy people, self-made or otherwise, vary wildly as to frugality, both between and among them as well as single individuals by circumstance. I've known wealthy people that would waste irrational amounts of money in one are of their lives and become oddly conservatives in others.
*By way of explanation, I live in Sacramento and organic fruit and vegetable delivery is common and pretty reasonable here. Less reasonable if you forget to fucking cancel.
This is so true. Not every wealthy person is the same. I've had some wealthy bosses who were generous to the point that it was uncomfortable. But then, they also were not the kind of people to use a cleaning service. They would have had referrals from other wealthy people who they'd likely treat differently from the cleaners from the cleaning service.
On 1/31/2022 at 1:04 PM, dubbel zout said:It doesn't seem like it, though if he had, I wouldn't be surprised if Paula used it for herself instead.
Hank didn't seem like a huge earner who'd be paying a ton in child support. And Paula didn't seem to live extravagantly. I could buy that, if she received child support, she needed it for room & board and other basics, as Alex's primary parent.
On 7/11/2022 at 10:54 PM, Hava said:The problem with Nate wasn't that he liked Alex and asked her out, it's that he continued to ask her out after she declined the first time.
This is the issue. It makes it seem like he continued to help Alex with the hopes of changing her mind after she already declined.
On 2/18/2023 at 11:03 PM, aghst said:Loved the show and Qualley's performance.
Her attractiveness does seem to be a factor in this story. Not just a case of casting some young, pretty actress for a lead role -- she doesn't have heavy makeup but presumably she had some light eye makeup and lipstick on when she's suppose to be cleaning houses.
She's attracted not only Nate but that college student who was her Tinder date, so she probably had other options, including dating someone who was in a higher socioeconomic class.
Maybe young women aren't so status conscious -- Alex is suppose to be in her early to mid '20s?. But they might be more inclined to date someone who has a steady, relatively well-paying job.
She tells Nate that they can't date because they're unequal and at the time, he was providing food and shelter for her and her daughter. But she started dating Sean, stopped working and was utterly dependent on him financially.
There was that early scene where she looks past Nate and sees Sean at the restaurant where she waited tables and it seems like the reason she was interested in him was that he was reading Bukowski.
Maybe she was consciously trying to be different than her mother, who seemed to attach herself quickly to men whom she thought would provide for her. Yet it turns out she chose an abusive man, just as her mother had chosen her father.
It's not clear how long Alex and Sean were together before he showed his ugly side. The argument they had over her not having an abortion should have been a big red flag but she stayed. This is when she could have left and even consider not going through with the pregnancy if she found no way to provide for her child.
But also it's not just providing for the child's immediate needs. It's about being able to support her for almost 20 years at least, maybe planning to save for college for the child. Still a difficult thing for a young person to decide.
Unless I missed it, they didn't say why she went to Missoula, enjoyed the area around the campus, and then didn't stay in college. That's another decision that could have changed the course of her life. Maybe there was an emergency with her mother or maybe taking out a huge loan was daunting.
After she started cleaning houses, she said Maddy is her whole life, which didn't sound too promising, because she was still young herself and she would probably burn out doing backbreaking manual labor without anything else to look forward, the prospect of bettering herself -- finding work she enjoyed or was passionate about -- as well as improving their standard of living.
Then Alex became focused, not just on writing but learning all the things she could do to go back to college. Otherwise, she might be exhausted at the end of the day to do anything else than be with Maddy.
She believed that her happiest days were ahead of her, as she looked to a new life with her daughter in a new place, a new metier.
I do think Alex's attractiveness is a factor in how she's perceived and whether people are willing to help, not so much whether she's wearing makeup or other enhancements. Young and pretty is just that: young and pretty.
My understanding is that Alex earned acceptance and a scholarship but then never enrolled. She called the college long after to ask if her acceptance and scholarship were still valid. She ended up having to reapply and it's possible her financial aid package was different this time around since her needs were different; she would be staying in family housing and putting Maddy in daycare (I think on campus?).
Alex's Tinder date was a casual encounter and the evening seemed to be an opportunity for her to live out a rich person fantasy. That is different from Alex's interaction with Nate, who knew her and who she'd likely see again. And Alex's interaction with Nate is way different from her domestic partnership and having a child with Sean, who seemed to be from a similar socioeconomic background. They understood each other; they could relate to one another. Alex could have dated Nate if she wanted to but the imbalance was an issue for her, and I respect and understand that.
And I do love that Alex's happiest days were ahead of her.
-
2
-
2
-
-
On 4/6/2023 at 10:29 PM, Iguessnot said:
Also, when Muncy was telling Churlish about her brother's bad choice in women, I foresaw Churlish being his girlfriend. She was tired from a long night.
I had no clue that was her son. Their whole dynamic with the counselor was freaky and the age difference was obvious. When she went upstairs to christen the apartment with the other dude, I, was surprised she was openly doing that in front of her "husband". I thought his visits with the designer were payback for his wife's indiscretions. When he ran to her crying mommy after the rape, I thought they were still doing some kind of freakish role play.
Did I miss something in the beginning that clearly stated they were mother and son?
It wasn't clearly stated, no. It was meant to make you second guess. They seem like a couple - older wife, younger husband, in couples therapy. Then you get the impression that it's a marriage of convenience because the wife (mother) doesn't hide her sexual activities from her husband (son). It's not until after the son rapes Mona that the mother-son relationship is confirmed.
2 hours ago, txhorns79 said:Not to mention the nanny looked young, like perhaps too young for someone who was supposed to be out of high school 20 years ago. It's just hard to get past the father thinking it's better to leave his kid with a mom whose straddling the line of incest, than to take him with him when he leaves.
I was annoyed when the father said he didn't want his son to go into foster care. No one would have put his son in foster care because he cheated. If the mother went to jail for child abuse and incest, he would have custody of his son unless there were other issues. As far as we saw, there weren't any.
And that nanny looking younger than the child she supposedly looked after had me cracking up!
-
5
-
-
On 3/17/2023 at 11:36 AM, Starchild said:
This is where I'm a little confused. If she is keeping her money separate from Neville's money, then why is Neville funding gas, and why did she have to ask him for $1000?
Jackie owns a business and has her own income from it. We don't know how well or badly the Lunch Box business is doing, but it's been a going concern for a while. I'm going to go ahead and assume she pays her family members who work for her. But they don't pay rent on the property right? They got it from Bev? So there's a huge business expense that they don't have, that many other businesses do. Jackie's business must be paying her some kind of a salary. She shares shelter costs with her husband, so she can't be using all of it on personal or household expenses.
Unless the Lunch Box is bleeding money, it's hard to believe Jackie couldn't afford to pay for at least part of this road trip without begging Neville.
Or have I missed something?
Even if they keep their finances separate, Neville can give Jackie money for a trip - it's a gift. She asked him for $1000 because she wanted to give it to Dan and she likely doesn't have it herself - that's separate from paying for the trip; it's money that Dan asked her for to purchase merchandise. Jackie has a business but even if she doesn't pay rent for the property, there are a ton of other business expenses. And I doubt she's making a ton of money from the Lunch Box.
On 3/17/2023 at 9:33 PM, Irate Panda said:I still don’t understand why Dan was so upset about the food bill. I generally watch this on DVR and fast forward a lot which is bad for. a 22 minute sitcom. Did Jackie do anything in regards to ‘flashing money” besides pay for gas? Also if she’s paying what I would assume to be at least few hundreds of dollars why is Dan moaning about splitting the Denny’s bill? BTW does Dan say where he got all the money he’s using to buy this material or is he using the hardware store’s account and does Ben know about any of this?
Dan was terrible here when he referred to Jackie as "flashing money." It was terrible for him to expect her to pay for everything, even after she was already funding the trip.
On 3/21/2023 at 8:55 AM, Pi237 said:This show keeps ruining the original characters with totally out of character behavior. Dan would Never have demanded money from Jackie. Original Dan was too proud to take Jackie’s check. Roseanne accepted it, Dan got mad because it meant “Jackie was taking care of his family, instead of him” and tore up the check. Later after Jackie talked to him at the Lobo, explaining that Dan always helps her out and it would just be a loan, he begrudgingly agreed to take it. Once episode, Bev bought DJ the game he wanted for his bday without asking, got Darlene aVCR I think and Becky her car, Dan flipped out. She explained that with her husband always being the fun one and cheating on her, she just wanted to treat the kids and they worked it out. Dan was Never the kind of man that would ask for money from family, let alone demand it. Ridiculous
Yes, old school Dan was a proud man...he would never!
-
4
-
-
On 2/12/2023 at 11:30 AM, aghst said:
You can't not notice how artificial Christa Miller's face looks whenever she's on screen. There was one profile shot and her chin was elongated, not in a flattering way.
It's tough for an older actress, you want to see them keep getting roles and such. But is she suppose to be a contemporary of Jimmy, around the same age? Liz and Jimmy have children who are around the same age too.
Paul has Parkinsons, won't tell daughter. Sean probably has PTSD, won't talk about his war experience. Jimmy is still in grief, can't be a good father to Alice. So they're all working through various levels of dysfunction, while being funny? Or maybe the pun in the name of the show is that they're shrinking in different ways from their responsibilities or courses of actions they know they should undertake.
I think Liz and her husband are probably older than Jimmy and his late wife.
On 2/10/2023 at 11:23 AM, iMonrey said:I must be the only one here who likes Jason Segel. I get a kick out of Jimmy and his antics. It's Harrison Ford I'm not entirely sold on. Not that he isn't up to the job, it's just weird seeing him do a sitcom.
I like Jason Segal in this. But I really love Harrison Ford. I couldn't see him doing a traditional sitcom but this grumpy, insightful comedy style suits him.
-
3
-
-
On 4/22/2020 at 6:43 PM, Dminches said:
This episode ended it to for me. Too many things happened which make no sense. Among them:
- Mia can barely afford to put food on the table or rent a hotel room (they slept in the car) but she is willing to sell her most valuable artwork and give $30,000 to someone else? Also, if Mia is that poor how is she associated with an art dealer?
- Did smoke alarms go off when she burned the art work?
- Mia is depending on Elena for the bulk of her salary but she has no issue crossing her and basically asking to be fired.
- How clever for one brother to like Pearl but Pearl wants to sleep with the other one.
- How is it that the couple couldn't find another baby to adopt? The one left in Cleveland was the only baby available?
I really like the actors they picked for this but the writing and storyline are embarrassingly bad.
No clue about some of this stuff but...
Mia seems to live on the run and isn't completely without resources.
Since Mia knew she was going to burn something, wouldn't she just take out the batteries/remove the smoke detector? Or maybe they went off and we just didn't see since it's a tedious detail? Mine go off quite a bit when I'm cooking and it's no big deal to shut them up.
She said her artwork is the bulk of her income. She's more creative in the morning and that's why she takes on non-creative work in the afternoons or at night. Not defending her behavior but I doubt she cared about Elena firing her since she wasn't that interested in the job in the first place.
Adoption is hard for couples who want infants. They were already waiting for a baby when May Ling was found.
-
On 4/1/2020 at 6:52 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:
And once again, Mia uses the threat of moving to try to get Pearl in line. GROSS.
I liked that we got to see that Elena is good at being a tenacious journalist, but it made me sad to think about how she wanted to work for the New York Times and gave it up to get married and live in her hometown. Bill clearly didn't give up his career aspirations. She might love her family but it's clear she regrets not making it to New York. I laughed when she told the cab driver that she was a journalist at "a prominent newspaper."
But what was up with an art school roster having all the students' home addresses? That was not a thing at any school I attended.
I hate the way Mia emotionally manipulates Pearl.
Elena did want to work for the New York Times but it seemed like she wanted to live in her hometown first and never managed to leave. Bill didn't want to work in a big corporate law firm so I would say he gave up his career aspirations, too.
It's perfectly normal for schools to have students' home addresses. It's not something you would have seen as a student. But colleges send mail to students - tuition bills, grades, etc. As a college, the art school would have had a temporary address and a permanent home address. Students would not have seen this roster but college employees have access to For the sake of the plot, the show pretended that a NYC college would have given out someone's personal information because she brought Magnolia cupcakes and they also sped up how long it might have taken to produce a report and printout of students who attended 16 years earlier
On 4/2/2020 at 4:12 PM, OtterMommy said:So, was this anachronistic? On the poster in the clinic office when Lexie went in, they had an IUD listed as a form of contraception. Weren't IUD's off the market in the 90s?
I think IUDs were around in the early 80s when this took place.
On 4/3/2020 at 4:38 PM, peachmangosteen said:Wow, I did not realize it sold for that much. OK that makes zero sense. That must mean Mia is some huge art person, which doesn't track with how her and Pearl live or with how she's being presented as someone who is hiding from someone/thing.
Mia makes money from her art but she does not command such a huge price tag. The money is for selling a valuable art piece. It so happens that she was the subject but she didn't create it.
On 4/3/2020 at 9:48 PM, ShellsandCheese said:I’m not excusing Mia’s behavior. I’m simply saying it doesn’t make sense that she’s still running after all this time. Unless there was a custody battle and she actually breaking the law. Keeping your kid away from a parent, as distasteful and unfair as it may be, is only a crime of you are in violation of a legal custody decision / agreement. It still makes no sense that Mia is living like a vagabond and going through periods of homelessness; especially considering that she can easily sell a piece of art for almost half a mil.
Mia's lifestyle is extreme but not because of a traditional custody battle. She's afraid of Pearl having any other parents in her life. That's why she doesn't even tell Pearl anything about her father or even her grandparents. She doesn't even have friends or romantic partners. It's not just about what's legal or not. I don't agree with it but I think this is the rationale behind her behavior.
Selling the piece of art is actually what put her back on the radar. It was only a matter of time before other people from Mia's past found her. She would no longer have Pearl all to herself.
On 4/4/2020 at 3:31 AM, chocolatine said:The photo was taken by a famous photographer, Pauline Hawthorne, which is why it commanded so much money. Mia was just the model. Anita was essentially saying that Mia's own work would never fetch as much.
Yes, I think people may have mistaken this for a self-portrait.
On 4/16/2020 at 1:00 AM, Aqua said:I think he did give up his career aspirations because he was a public defender and gave it up to work in a law firm to raise a family. I was a public defender and I know many lawyers are idealistic and love that kind of work, helping the people, but for many it becomes financially impossible. So I think he did give up his dreams to some extent.
Yes, Bill did give up his career aspirations. They're both working in their intended fields but not in the way they wanted to.
On 4/6/2020 at 11:27 AM, Kiki620 said:Me tooooo.
In my opinion, this was the best episode so far.
Thank you for confirming this! I was starting to think I had made an assumption that was not correct. I'm afraid I took it a step further though. I had assumed that Mia was acting as the surrogate for Pauline. Did anyone else think that?
I still don't understand why Mia would get the money for a print that she was not the artist of?
She sold a valuable piece of art that was left to her. Like if someone had sold any other valuable item that had been left to them.
-
On 4/6/2020 at 11:29 AM, peachmangosteen said:
I am thinking that's a definite possibility, too.
I don't understand that either.
She got money for selling a valuable piece of art created by a now-deceased famous artist.
-
1
-
Episode Discussion: Season 3 and Onward
in Law & Order: Organized Crime
Sam's hair definitely wasn't that curly. When I saw the texture, I immediately thought it was the Black man Stabler had a run-in with. I think the show wanted to leave room for doubt.
No, Elliot was a Marine and realized he had served with that guy's dad. Since his dad is deceased, he's not able to ask him about that guy "Hank" he served with. But Elliot tapped into the parts of his story that are true and got the guy to trust him. In typical Stabler fashion, he's pretty close to people who could easily recognize him or be suspicious enough to look into him. But he's so endearing and good and forming bonds with people, that they take him at his word. But I'm always afraid someone will recognize him - not just from the news, but from his actual life as a lifelong NYC resident, cop, etc.
Not sure yet what Joe Jr.'s situation is beyond the fact that he's using. I think that fancy place is a hotel and his brothers broke into his safe - was his cash there and that's why he shook down his poor mom?