veronicalodge44

yeah, i have to say that i had read somewhere that the premiere was "good but sad" - and i found myself hoping that her son was going to get into an accident and get killed. i have nephews just barely older than him and while they are irreverent and have their partying moments, they are lovely and loving. i just found him such a dick that i wanted to punch his face in. i wouldn't mind at all if he doesn't appear very often in future episodes. i would love to just watch mrs. fletcher get her groove back, hang out with her best friend, and well, really anything that doesn't involve her ex- or her son...

watched the pilot and i was undone. so moving and beautiful and i was tearing up before it was halfway over. the lead actor is seriously amazing, and i hope he gets all the accolades he deserves for this performance. and i did not at all mind—in fact enjoyed—the combination of realism with more poetic, "magical realist" elements (but i'm a big fan of all things afrofuturist and the broader category of black speculative arts). looking forward to seeing how the series evolves, and especially to seeing how the relationship between david and teacher played by phylicia rashad develops. so grateful this series was greenlit.

i was just coming to this forum to see what other folks were saying about the show - i'm five episodes in and starting to really enjoy it, as a soap - but i wasn't expecting to have the main "mystery" spoiled -- are forums of shows that are dropped all at once and with only one thread not required to have any spoiler tags?

watching belatedly on netflix - and so glad these discussions are here, so many insightful comments. two things: i think that joe actually had a bit of a connection with the therapist, plus he overheard dr. nicky having the 'fight' on the phone with this 'girlfriend' - when he decides to let him go, he says 'he'll get his' or something like that, which i took as joe thinking dr. nicky is fucked up and will bring pain and difficulty to himself anyway. and also - the second candace social media account, after she 'changed her name' - did joe take a bunch of her pictures and just photoshop her into the italian scenes? will someone skilled in digital forensics suss that out at some point? and if i'm right - did joe create this second account sometime soon after he killed candace? i'm probably way too fixated on this one detail, but this show kind of does that to a viewer, doesn't it? on to the finale...

pausing mid-binge for a few thoughts on this packed and very enjoyable episode... *rufus sewell is just so yummy, it's ridiculous. i've been a huge fan of his forever and his turn here did not disappoint. so adept at both the OTT comedy in the bar and the more dramatic moments at his studio. *the scene where midge and howell stood in front of his 'masterpiece' painting was so well done. the actors sold it, and the look in midge's eyes when she realizes that his pronouncements about the impossibility of having it all likely apply to her - heartbreaking. and i was really glad they never showed us the painting, only their reactions to it - much more effective that way, i think. *i love the way benjamin and midge's relationship is unfolding. she seems to be able to be completely herself -- the 'herself' that has especially blossomed in this last year -- with him. and i loved their conversation in front of his place, and felt that scene was also all the more effective for showing everything that led to midge deciding to go inside with him, and what had already been implied by that, and nothing after. it reminded me of hollywood films from an earlier era, where sometimes the suggestion of sex was so much sexier than something quite explicit (though i can enjoy those types of scenes as well, in series like in outlander). *and in another example of not having to show everything, i like that we got the quietly celebratory scene with midge and susie at the bar, but didn't see midge's preceding set. her description-- that she just recounted word-for-word the yom kippur break-fast disaster from earlier in the evening--sufficed. *mrs moskowitz has quietly become a gem of a character, love her being with joel in his new role in the family business. *again, i laughed hard so many times throughout this episode - i'm already looking forward to a re-watch of this whole season to catch all the nuances of the humor again.

"are you having an orgasm?!" ... "are you having a stroke?!" i laughed so many times during this episode, but the exchange between midge and susie at the stage deli was a highlight.

i so enjoyed the rose and abe scenes, and i like that so much of it involved showing rather than telling, to use that creative writing workshop formulation. i'm glad i've never seen an episode of monk, so i'm just able to enjoy tony shaloub in this role without other points of comparison. and i've been a big fan of marin hinkle's ever since her turn as sela ward's sister on once and again, so it's nice to see her getting more substance in her role this year. i recall a poster here commenting on a last-season episode that it's from her mother that midge gets her comedy and timing, and i agree. and perhaps even moreso than with midge, with rose, there has always been that layer of sadness underneath -- nice to see that brought to the surface for the start of this season. i smiled to see abe's shift back in manhattan, so it's not just a reset to the stereotypical roles from before - would enjoy seeing some of the audited art classes, too, though not sure they are going to continue the deep dive into midge's parents' storylines. i do have to say, that i cannot wait for them to find out what midge has been up to. you could see she almost told them in the kitchen, but thought better of doing in during her father's "5-8 minutes" before he rushed off to columbia. the opening montage of susie at the weissmans' apartment was just gold. my favorite cut was from susie laughing at the raunchy redd foxx comedy album then crying while reading charlotte's web. and susie playing the piano so well -- who knew? and the little touch of her tuning the off-note... just loved all of susie in the apartment. oh and also the little detail of ethan taking a swig of that beer in front of the tv with susie, loved that, too. and all the susie-midge scenes have been just as wonderful as last season. i find myself grinning from ear to ear whenever they're on screen together. (well-deserved emmys, that's for sure) regarding midge performing at the new club - i know some folks will probably say that her feminist sensibilities as expressed in her set are anachronistic. i don't carry if they are - if was so satisfying not only to see those guys get their come-uppance, but to see just how she would do it. that kind of smarminess still gets thrown around by guys like that in certain settings, so i was anticipating a vicarious enjoyment of their take-down and it did not disappoint.

i'm catching up on this series way after the fact, but after watching this episode i just have to comment - why is there constant drama? there are barely any times in-between dramatic, heavy, painful events. i would really enjoy seeing more of some scenes of just "slice of life" types of moments and interactions, and some episodes where, i don't know, maybe only one dramatic thing occurs. since claire has returned, we have had: an attack and attempted rape, a man die and need to be disposed of, an "inspection" by percival, a break-in to the print shop, a fire to said print shop, discovery of jamie's seditious treatises, and jamie needing to rescue young ian. when i'm watching this show, i feel like i get whiplash when so many melodramatic developments occur in a row like this. while i was glad they didn't rush the sex scenes between the reunited jamie and claire, i can't help but wonder why can't other types of scenes be given a more leisurely pacing, or even be included between all the constant drama? (and i did agree with some other posters that the sex scenes went on for too long in the end.) i used to think it was all the constant killing and rape threats and the like that kept me from enjoying the scenes set in the distant past, but now i think it's more of this pacing issue for me. i would give anything for more 'casual' scenes between characters, scenes that are allowed to breathe. perhaps my frustration is, in part, that i am much more into characterization than plot, or, to put it another way, i rarely enjoy shows that do not sacrifice characterization for constant plot (this is the main reason why i gave up on game of thrones around season 5). does anyone else have this experience whilst watching this show?

i actually loved all the grace & noah scenes, even the "countdown" part -- i took grace's statement that she is done with pursuing emotionally unavailable men at face value and i liked how the scene combined comedy and pathos. and man, debra messing does both comedy and drama so well and can turn on a dime from one to the other (i enjoyed sharon stone's compliments to her about her acting in this show, on an "actors on actors" video by variety, which i caught on youtube recently. i think stone is right about messing's abundant talent, which just shines in this role.) and yes, the snapping back and forth between will and noah was hilarious. really, their timing was ace in their time alone together. and while i was not as enamored of the karen and jack storyline, i still laughed out loud more than once - that chemistry between the actors as well as some sharp writing of admittedly juvenile humor got me.

wow, the tension and climactic moments of this episode were very intense. and i loved how the timelines converged, in that in each, we see the moment when heidi learns about and faces reality, and in neither instance is it easy to digest. her anguish is real, both in the moment in her office and when she remembers everything (or at least enough to know that colin is a snake and he's ensured that she is the one implicated in everything!). and i'm at that point, similar to when reading a kick-ass novel, when i both want to plough through and see immediately what happens (or what happened, in this case, too), and i want to delay doing that, because i don't want the text to be over...

i think she knew that the medication would take away the traumatic part of their memories and the associated feelings - clearly she didn't expect it to wipe away whole portions of their memories and, as she said about walter, make them into a seemingly different person. and i think we're supposed to see hiedi as somewhat troubled herself, from a lower- or working-class background, took some time to find herself and what she wanted do with her life, somewhat of a loner, close to her mother, and probably she was thrilled to get this job and did believe she was helping people. and yes, the scene with walter in therapy where she realizes his memory has been majorly wiped - very intense. heidi is trying to hold it together as she starts to understand the extent of his forgetting, and walter picks up on it. she has to deny it's anything to worry about. i was wondering if tom c. listening to that session's recording in his car in the future timeline, understood the significance of their exchange. . . when she drives off with colin at the end - i am feeling so anxious for her! and i am terribly worried about walter and wishing, against the signs i know, that he is in the later timeline somehow ok (at least alive, and not as damaged as shrier)

by this episode i really started noticing how amazing stephan james is. i find him so watchable. and he seems so natural even while he's magnetic. i am loving the chemistry between him and julia roberts. and i care more about his character, walter, than anyone else in the series. really terrific performance.

this is the episode that has made me feel the most so far. while i enjoyed the first five, i was somewhat more focused on the pieces and putting the 'mystery' puzzle together. each episode the characterization got deeper and the story is starting to come together. i love marianna jean-baptiste (got to see her live in the vagina monologues in london once - a real treat), and watching her character's realization and then trip to tampa to find her son, oh my. and the scenes with walter and then with heidi when she's leaving - gold. so interesting but also felt true that her character puts the pieces together about the company sponsoring this "treatment" and its inevitably nefarious aims. i felt her frustration and even though i knew it was unrealistic - given generic conventions but also what we know of the characters thus far - still wanted to scream at both walter and heidi to give in to her wishes and then to get the hell out of there for themselves as well! and the colin-heidi scenes were heartbreaking. heidi's revelations about her own lying and pretending were powerful, and the later cut to her buttoning her shirt in the motel room with colin - so, so sad. there were even some moments where colin seemed more sympathetic in these scenes, but nonetheless he's a scoundrel who is definitely in CYA mode. looking forward to the rest and wondering if frankie shaw's character is going to come into play again - seems like a role/actress that would be used for bigger plot points. perhaps she will have something to do with heidi realizing who colin is - i'm definitely excited for that reveal, that's for sure.

i'm just over halfway through - no spoilers, just wanted to say that after watching the first episode i was mildly intrigued, but a few more episodes in, the series really grabbed me. i like that it has so many homages to hitchcock and other filmmakers/films, but it is also its own thing. and i do feel like the style - visual and aural - suits the content. looking forward to the last stretch - hope folks stay with it...

i do remember the blond country singer, kristen merlin, from a long-ago season, who was montaged and then had her microphone go out for around 30 seconds on a live show. but she did make the finalists, so there is precedent. on the voice uk and australia, all of the battles are shown in full. i much prefer that format. and for folks who were waiting to hear kennedy and kurt, especially, the montages in this episode were frustrating. i had thought, oh, they're saving them for this final battle show, but nope. and i'm *still* puzzling over mikele buck's being montaged last ep - we don't even hear him sing a note. i find it hard to believe his performance was that bad, not after that blind audition (which i've rewatched a few times, and i'm not even a big fan of country music). kelly was so intentional about wanting more male singers, too, but then didn't keep him - makes me think it was something behind the scenes, either his politics or something about him that the producers were nervous about, or maybe he was difficult to work with or something. and thanks for that list of the complete teams as they stand now, PhD-Purgatory15. there are more than three that i think are pretty great on each of the coaches' teams. will be interesting to see how the knockouts go.