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dovegrey

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Everything posted by dovegrey

  1. Season 1 had some uncomfortable policies and tiers of virtual living, but MindFrisk and then profiting off dreams made the idea of uploading completely repulsive. I guess I don’t understand how the “dead” don’t have rights, fixed terms and conditions, or any control over their virtual lives and intellectual property... and how no one really seems to actually care. They are treated as artificial commodities. IMO, it’s pretty hard to argue they’re not real people and not alive (which gets into all sorts of spiritual arguments, right to privacy discussion, and economic-philosophical stuff), which made this episode super uncomfortable and, IMO, poorly done. 30 minutes was not enough time for this storyline. But I get a kick out of all the little charges. That’s realistic to me. (And why I don’t have many apps.)
  2. Kind of an underwhelming season, especially after nearly two years of waiting. The world felt smaller and less creative this time around. And it felt like half a season, with a lot of unresolved stories - namely, the detective piece was a big, aimless snoozer. At the end, I almost wondered if it wasn't Nathan who actually downloaded. Besides the "I lost him! He should have woken up by now!" element, there were a couple odd character beats that had me wondering if there were some shenanigans, and Nathan actually was glitched out of existence. Either Choak got to him and/or the Ludds had their own plan. (Do I really think this is the storyline? No. But it would be interesting.) Could Nora have backed up Nathan's current memories before he downloaded? Or are we possibly looking at Nathan dying and season 1 Nathan replacing him? And who does Ingrid think will be downloading into the new Nathan body she's creating...what did she do with virtual Nathan's memories? I hope there's a third season.
  3. I imagine federal tax on the $320,000 income would be in there somewhere, unless Netflix somehow took care of that. Inmates still pay taxes on income. I wonder if she walked away with any money at all, or possibly even still has a tax bill on that chunk of money? (I'm not a tax person, though. Back in college, I used to get my 1040EZ forms sent back from the IRS with corrections LOL.) In any event, I don't doubt that she will continue to profit off the added fame and exposure of the show, which has been highly popular; she'll do future interviews and probably land TV appearances.
  4. Yeah. That’s when I said that being whiny and ineffective doesn’t negate the scam. I don’t see how AmEx didn’t immediately chargeback the Anna-only charges on the work card. That was pretty clearly unauthorized use on stolen numbers. Something isn’t right and it may be that Rachel really was a sobby mess who couldn’t articulate anything or clearly state what happened to almost anyone. This is probably why Anna chose her as a “friend.”
  5. If she didn't expect to use the card, she may not have alerted the credit card company that she would be out of the country. Many cards will automatically decline international charges at point-of-sale, unless the CC company has been pre-notified about the travel. Also, Real Anna got Real Rachel to pay for the airline tickets to Morocco, which wasn't mentioned in the show, so that was all on the same personal card that was declined at the scammy house tour place. I would think her card would be nearly maxed at the point, but Rachel told Kacy that, after everyone left and Anna stayed, Anna maxed out Rachel's personal card and then put the rest of the Anna-only charges on Rachel's work card. So it must have been the international charge that was declined at first, unless the phone call to AmEx resulted in a credit limit increase (they asked how much she needed to get out of the scammy tour situation). (For fun, I googled Vanity Fair salaries for someone like a staffer/photography assistant, and Rachel likely wasn't making more than $60K per year. In Manhattan. She wouldn't have a huge CC limit to start with, unless she came from money, which I don't know.) The choppy storytelling, skimming over details, general portrayal of Rachel, and refusal to allow Rachel to do much of anything besides make sobby fish lips at people instead of telling her story...was a terrible way of telling this story. There were a couple other mini-arcs where the back-and-forth, third party recountings intermixed with Vivian manic-wailing at people along with time jumps within time jumps made it confusing and hard to follow. Also, boy, do I need a new show. 😅
  6. Until she got the statement, she had no idea that Anna charged an entire week to the cards that were physically with Rachel in the United States. Not even Nora knew about hundreds of thousands in charges until her own statement came. Hindsight being what it is, Rachel should have frozen the cards and alerted AmEx to the original forced-to-pay situation, but then again, she knew Anna as her heiress best friend and not a loser grifter, and trusted that friend not to completely fuck her over. Similar to Nora, Val, Chase, Talia… This scheme is exactly what Anna did to Hen and Talia with the covert week long stay on the yacht that Hen had to pay. At least he has money. Edited to add: American Express should have flagged these giant, atypical, card-busting international charges and called Rachel to see if the charges were legit. They were already aware she was having trouble in Morocco when she called them to help her pay for the scammy house tour. American Express’s fraud detection software/team appears to have missed the boat. (Hell, Visa called me about an $80 breakfast in Toronto once.)
  7. I was bored and watched this episode again. I think Vivian's character, and the present-focused storyline, would have worked better if she was Todd's private investigator and her team was part of the firm. It otherwise doesn't make any sense that she was constantly barging into Todd's office, "accidentally" given access to all of his discovery/case files, begging to work together, etc. Or they should have cut out Todd. The fantastical, goofy Todd/Vivian scenes really cheapened the show. And I realized that I really don't care about Vivian's pregnancy, her redemption storyline, or the hijinks at Manhattan Magazine. Also, Alan's daughter sounded exactly like Anna (I'm trying to discover my passions; I'm too good for a boring, conventional job), and I thought it was interesting that Alan didn't make that connection despite finally seeing through his daughter's BS talk and fake histrionics.
  8. I posted a little about this in the episode 9 thread, and I recently rewatched Episode 6. It seems like Rachel took both of her cards from Morocco when she checked out and left. After Rachel discovered the charges, she told Kacy that the hotel kept her credit card numbers on file. Anna stayed for another entire week, after everyone else left. When Anna tried to check out from the hotel, she had the hotel charge that entire Anna-only week to Rachel's cards - maxed out the personal card and charged the rest to Rachel's work card. No one had permission to do that. It was fraud. It was effectively two stolen credit cards used without authorization, with the card owner having left with the credit cards a week before. It was pretty much what Anna did to Nora, when Anna wrote down Nora's credit card number and bought clothes, only the hotel did it on Anna's behalf. It was not Rachel doing to AmEx what Anna did to Rachel. The majority of Rachel's umbrage is that Anna stayed for a week after everyone left and charged all of her expenses (probably, what, $35-$45K of the $60K?) to Rachel. Did Rachel handle the aftermath well? No, not at all. But being whiny and ineffective doesn't mean it wasn't credit card theft, under duress, arranged by a now-convicted con artist.
  9. As much as Stellaride annoys me, it would be entirely awful for them to break up or not stay together after the nonstop will-they-won’t-they soap opera for the last six seasons. Like all that time wasted on Dawsey. Marriage wouldn’t functionally change anything about their relationship or Kidd’s independence (er, nonstop needing him for support). It should make one of them transfer out, though.
  10. This made me think of how unsure and insecure Anna appeared on Hen's yacht in Ibiza, when she was trying to fit in with truly wealthy folks. She wasn't even close to being dressed appropriately, which started her off on shaky footing; overall, it took her a while to get her footing there, and she ended up blowing the entire thing (losing connections with deep wealth like Talia and Hen, nearly losing Chase [and Nora by proxy], and ultimately needing to cut Val loose...that was a bad, all-dominoes-fall trip for her). Whether that was fictionalized or based on real reports, I think it underscored how careful she usually was about choosing her situations, the people she conned, and where she conned. It was all calculated. I agree she'll keep grifting and getting by, but I do wonder how successful she'll be.
  11. That's a good point. Honestly, I thought they were gearing up for Chicago OFI a few times since seasons 7 and 8. With all the Chicago shows getting "old," I'm surprised nothing else has been tried since Justice. Maybe they're even trying to keep Andy Allo around in case something like that gets off the ground, although her character doesn't seem popular. (And, this is me being negative, I think they'd be better off ending Fire and doing OFI, since Fire tilts so heavily toward procedural investigations anyway. Jesse Spencer leaving opened that door.) I haven't started the next season of Upload yet (we're finishing up a couple other shows first) but I'm looking forward to it. Season 1 was fantastic.
  12. See, I don't understand why Andy Allo keeps coming back to play this character, for all the reasons you mentioned (especially the window dressing part). I mean, a job's a job and I suppose Dick Wolf is a good professional wagon to hitch up to, but she has her own lead role on Upload (season 2 just came out whoo hoo!). I also find it weird that the writers keep bringing her back to hit on Severide, when the show appears to be all in on Stellaride. What's the point? Does Severide need to have an arson storyline that badly?
  13. Nora gave permission for Anna to sign for her account at Bergdorf. I’m no financial fraud expert, but I highly doubt Nora would have successful legal recourse for that. That’s a lesson learned: don’t give other people access to your spending accounts. (Anna writing down Nora’s credit card number during the carry-out pick up is a whole different story.) Likewise, Rachel agreed to put her card on file at the hotel and left it there when she fled the country; nothing about Anna continuing to stay there and put charges on the cards is ethically right, but Rachel put the card on file, left it there, and gave no instruction to the staff (at least on the show) to decline any additional charges. Was it truly fraud for Anna to keep charging it? I don't know, but I'm not surprised the jury declined to convict that charge. It strikes me more as a civil matter. Hindsight being what it is, Rachel should have charged all expenses at that point to the card and taken it with her, or, once she felt safe and no longer held hostage by the hotel staff, called the CC company again and put a freeze on it (or reported it stolen and had it cancelled). But Anna really had her blinded and then got manipulated by her 'friends' into continuing to believe in Anna for so long afterward. (My frustration with Rachel is she cried and groveled more than she took any action. So much crying and handwringing.) As it is, I don't think a boutique hotel clerk, a magazine assistant, and a personal trainer have contacts in Germany. Chase was new money and didn't have contacts or funds beyond his investors. The minute someone came close to discovering Anna, that person (Val) was manipulated out of the circle and cut off...and left believing Anna was the victim. Anna chose her marks wisely and had lots of excuses; this is how sociopaths/narcissists/grifters are successful, unfortunately.
  14. Fans have been speculating since January. In last week's episode, there were multiple shots where a bump was super obvious. I'm half convinced the "Ambo has no heat" story last week was to give Kara Kilmer an excuse to wear layers and baggy clothes. And now she's temporarily out and replaced for multiple episodes.
  15. Casey was a firefighter for only seven years when he took command of Truck. Mouch and Herrmann both had more experience than him. In fact, Kidd has more experience now (something like 9 years) than Casey did when he became Truck lieutenant. Not an issue. The only possible issue I see is that she and Mouch were peers before she became an officer. Otherwise, it’s just like the military, where having experience doesn’t automatically make you an officer. I figure Brett’s actress is out on maternity leave. I do wonder if she’ll be back next season. She doesn’t have a lot going on.
  16. I think I would enjoy it more if it was told more from that perspective than hyperfocusing on Elizabeth and telling the story through her. I don’t care about her. I care about understanding the people who bought her BS. I have no idea why any of these people buy into her (seriously, she’s charmless) and I would like more of their perspective. Damn it, this show has helped me appreciate the framing devices and journalist perspective used on Inventing Anna. Booooo.
  17. I know that. For a show, it just doesn’t work for me. Holmes is unlikeable and dull; the manic dancing and iPod rubbing doesn’t make her interesting. Sunny is creepy. Her parents are creepy. Her investors are weird. No one is likable enough, IMO, to root for or care about, so I’m having a hard time putting more time in this series. I know how it ends and I guess I don’t care how this weird, uninspiring teenager and her weird enablers get to prison.
  18. I’m not feeling this show. Seyfried is good, but there isn’t really anything compelling about Holmes, at least as depicted, and I can’t with all these people who should know better…not actually knowing better. Some entitled twenty-something college dropout who can barely hold a conversation couldn’t actually change the world and lied about it? Baffling. At least Anna Delvey was sort of fun to watch. This show takes itself too seriously. I’m out.
  19. Pretty sure the journalists were lamenting each guilty verdict. Edited to add: When Vivian announces the first “not guilty” verdict (the City National attempted grand larceny charge) over text, it cuts to the the journalists, who literally yell, “Yeah!” and “Fuck yeah! Whoo!” and throw their hands up with excitement. They were rooting for Anna. In the same episode as the passport discovery, Anna lied to the yacht guy and everyone she knew there about not being Russian or knowing Russian words. She straight up denied it. No one knew her real background or real name, which is why she manipulated Chase into gaslighting and icing out Val. Never mentioning your real name and lying about your entire past to your live-in boyfriend who is bankrolling your life is pretty sketch. I also questioned the emphasis on her being Russian instead of the lying.
  20. This one https://youtu.be/ld3D1tnHvSU tends to sound similar to Show Anna, at least to my ears. I almost didn’t watch the show because of her weird accent in the Netflix preview clip, until I heard the real Anna and figured out the actress had to develop a Russian-German accent that tried to downplay the Russian, and got pretty close, IMO. I also imagine spending four years immersed in the US (well, a prison) would affect Real Anna’s accent in the post-release interviews. The show overall is all over the place and never seems to know if Anna is the antagonist or the protagonist or an anti-hero or what. I ended up enjoying Anna’s actress quite a bit, given what it is.
  21. I get the sense that Miranda Rae Mayo/Kidd has replaced Jesse Spencer/Casey as the co-lead and also leapfrogged Kara Killmer/Brett as the show’s female lead. Just look at the updated season 10 promo poster. Really, if the producers were looking for another male co-lead, wouldn't Brett Dalton/Pelham have been it? Though I agree about Taylor Kinney’s abilities, Severide & now Stellaride have a fairly rabid fanbase out there, and the show/production is in for a world of hurt if Taylor Kinney leaves after this season, even more so if Mayo also leaves. I’ve been saying for years that this show is absolutely terrible about building out a depth chart of viable lead characters and planning for departures (five main characters have been on the show since season 1 and its two women leads have been on since seasons 3 and 4, respectively; Jesse Spencer leaving is probably not some random unicorn event). Honestly, I think it would have been wiser to retire Herrmann, have Kidd take over Engine, and keep Pelham on Truck. With season 11 guaranteed, I would have tried to keep Brett Dalton at nearly any cost, but what do I know...this show appears to be a ratings powerhouse now matter how terrible and stagnant it gets.
  22. I think it was because Anna tended to rip off giant financial institutions, like Fortress, and wealthy society folks, who tended to lose their reputations more than their livelihoods (look at Alan, who got a promotion but lost his preferred squash court). Rachel and Neff appeared to be the only marks who could have lost their entire livelihoods, and Rachel was ridiculed/shamed because she pivoted, made money off of it, and still went gunning after Anna (good. for. her.). If Anna had made a game out of ripping off "regular" people, I imagine it would have been easier for all these people, including the journalists, to see right through her. People seem to really like to see rich folks get taken down a peg. That's the only way I can understand the Scriberians, and many of the characters, continuing to actively root for Anna. Otherwise, Todd has his whole working-class-to-upper-class imposter syndrome complex, and he all but told his wife that he feels like a con artist who doesn't belong in her circles; Anna busted down those doors and manipulated him like the sociopath that she is. And, although I still don't understand Neff's complete inability to extrapolate how she would have felt had Anna not repaid Neff and the hotel (and accordingly empathized with Rachel), I think doing that would have required Neff to recognize and admit that she happily became Anna's smizing, drooling lapdog to pluck up all those pretty hundred-dollar bills (Episode 5 isn't terribly good for Neff). It's easier to rationalize that Anna was a friend. But I don't "get" Vivian's histrionics at the end or her prioritizing Anna over her own newborn child. And I don't understand Kacy's back-and-forth waffling.
  23. I don't doubt this part at all, to be honest. I once worked with a narcissistic mid-career colleague who had been through no less than eight employers in about fifteen years, taking significant pay cuts with each job hop. After they were caught in an embezzlement scheme at my company, among many other improper things too specific to mention, they were very quietly terminated. The company refused to blacklist them. Refused to press charges. Refused to talk about it. Refused to give a bad reference. It was far easier to pretend it had never happened, save face, and be glad this colleague was someone else's problem, apparently. Turns out they'd done the same sort of things at the other companies, and none of those companies had ever blacklisted the colleague either. The colleague also leaned on their network of loose professional connections (especially ones who were still being charmed and refused to believe the truth), to find new jobs. It definitely happens, and so I had no problem with Nora. As a more general comment, being part of that disaster and getting drawn into that con is why this series and Anna's story is interesting to me. I've seen it. I've experienced the cold, eye-opening moment, where all the little things finally added up together into crystal clarity, and I decided to stop being a mark. I bought Rachel's explanation that Anna's long-game grift was a very traumatic experience that made it hard to trust others, and I absolutely don't blame her for capitalizing on it; those two things aren't mutually exclusive, not when someone has lovebombed you, screwed you, blamed you, gaslit you, and ridiculed you for it. Overall, people tend to find it very hard to say "no" and are generally quite susceptible to believing what they're told versus what they see/experience (see also the book The Gift of Fear, for those wondering what the little "tells" are that give away con artists). That's the part of the series that I enjoyed watching the most. With all that said, this episode made no fucking sense, and I agree with everyone who's saying it ruined the series. Kacy shaming Rachel for turning in their "friend" was just about it for me (whether it was criminal or not, no "friend" keeps charging another friend's credit cards, and then lies about reimbursement for three months). I didn't buy Kacy's about face on that; I figured she'd say that Rachel helping Anna get arrested in the middle of another grift was karma. Certainly, the theatrics with Vivian and Todd boo-hooing about Anna going to prison was definitely the moment that ruined the series. Those two deserve each other. I enjoyed the first seven episodes, except for Anna Chlumsky's bad acting, but these last two episodes were like watching the Twilight Zone.
  24. I want to like this show, but I'm stuck on the actress who plays Vivian/the journalist reminding me of a Kate McKinnon SNL character, and not in a good way. The actress is super hammy.
  25. This. Since Mitchell was so desperate to work with *the* SG-1 and groveled for them to abandon their next big projects, he should have deferred command to Sam and enjoyed learning the job. And I never understood why they didn’t build on the season 5 arc of Sam mentoring new recruits with her mentoring a new SG-1 recruit in season 8. The writers didn’t even try to make it work. I’m at the point in season 9 where I remember why I stopped watching. The fanboy self-insertion writing of Mitchell is becoming insufferable (…single-handedly storming a mothership to save Teal’c while Sam nags… no one knowing if Sam or Mitchell are in charge to the point that the confusion of having two lt colonels with the newbie in charge over the seasoned SME getting the Prometheus destroyed with no professional fall out…) Still love the show but the internal inconsistencies and writing choices dragged it down for me.
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