Maysie
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Posts posted by Maysie
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So last week I saw the last 15 minutes and never got around to watching the entire episode, so I didn't experience a change in heart about Frank (I kind of feel like if it takes seven out of eight episodes to finally come to like/get/empathize with a character that something's getting lost in the process). His opening scene with his wife this week didn't do anything to change my boredom/frustration with Frank and Jordan. For fuck's sake, I felt like he was telling the neighborhood stray dog to just go on, get out, don't come around here anymore! What the fuck??? By the time we got to his death scene, I. Did. Not. Care. Maybe it would have hit me differently if I'd had the Frank experience from last week that others seem to have had, but it didn't work that way. I half expected him to be wearing a white suit and wearing a red flower when he finally dropped over. And then came the rats. And after them, vultures.
Probably the one scene that really did it for me was when Ray went to see his kid; I thought that was a great scene and I would have been disappointed if Ray hadn't gone to look for his son. Otherwise, a whole bunch of meh. I wasn't crazy about any of the main characters throughout the season; I really didn't feel much of anything about them. Though I thought CF and RM did a great job with their roles, I have to be honest and say that I didn't much care about whether they died or not. Perhaps that's one of the potential problems with doing a show with characters who constantly brood and act so disconnected -- I can't connect with them and subsequently don't feel invested in their outcomes so much. The only thing I sensed Ray gave a shit about was his son and that's the part of the show that resonated most with me.
The fact that Ani has Ray's baby doesn't do much for me, and it seemed a bit of a neat little plot device, and not much of a surprise given the way the rest of the season went. It's strange that the show took so many twists and turns and became such a convoluted mess, but also had some very tried and true formulaic pieces, such as Ani having Ray's baby, Paul's homosexuality and Frank and Jordan's infertility problems.
I think my mother summed it up best today: "I have to watch True Detective tonight and get that over with . . ." Big difference from last season when I watched to see how it ended yet hating that it was going away.
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Loved the "Soulman Rocky Johnson" t-shirt Spence was wearing as a shout out to his (The Rock's) Dad.
I was wondering what that was -- thanks for the info.
I get the feeling Spence is acutely aware of his own poor decisions on and off the field and how they relate to his current life and that it's made him very empathetic to the current crop of players. I don't know if it's a conscious or unconscious choice on his part, but it seems like he genuinely has their interests at heart, which is why it's going way beyond the money management (imo). I'm guessing he didn't have a role model to guide him and his choices (which is why he's basically broke) and he must see bits of himself in these guys. The problem is, he's still making some poor decisions (such as lending money, not getting the MRI, etc) -- seems like he still needs that mentor or guiding hand.
And I'm not sure why, but I still like Ricky. I'd probably hate him in real life but there's something about him that hasn't turned me against him -- yet. I think it's the natural charisma Traveller519 referred to upthread. I had no idea that he's Denzel Washington's son; it would be kind of interesting if his dad turned up to play his real dad. Just speculation, nothing more, because I still think there's more to that story.
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With the exception of the ridiculous coat, I applaud this wardrobe decision. FINALLY she looks like she's dressing for some level of comfort. She is a woman who gets large when she's pregnant. Nothing's going to sugar coat or hide that fact, so I'm glad she looks comfortable. However, those coats . . . if she feels she must cover up her "fat" arms (which, really? from what I've seen they are not fat) then please choose something that isn't dragging the ground and actually fits. Maybe by kid number three she'll figure it out.
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I saw the last 15 minutes live last night and am working to convince myself to watch the entire episode today. I'm not sure why, however. I read the linked recaps; well I read the first linked recap and about half the second linked recap and realized that even the succinct recaps -- which really are excellent, by the way -- get me all bogged down.
There is entirely too much going on in this story. I feel like I need to draw an org chart or something to keep track of it. Making something complex doesn't make it good. It doesn't make it interesting. It doesn't make it art. I'm not saying I need "A --------->B" when I read/watch a story, but I sometimes feel that there's an impression that if something has lots of layers and is complex it's considered more "arty" or "highbrow," implying a certain level of intelligence or creativity to get it. I'm not stupid. I can follow multiple plot lines and understand different characters. But this? This is a mess.
There is so much going on that it's exhausting to try to keep track of it and I end up not caring at all. Season 1 could have done that, with all the references to the Yellow King, etc. However, it kept the character development relatively simple (especially compared to the dysfunction of all of the characters in this season) and I have come to believe that kind of grounded last season's plot. Somehow, it worked to make a unique, compelling story that had some mystery but at its heart, was easy to follow.
This? Blue diamonds. Sex parties. Land deals. Rapes. Infertility. Sexual orientation issues. Corruption. Murder. Pornography. Communes. Rats. What else am I missing?
How to keep track of this spiderweb of stuff that may/may not be meaningful? A simple story can be interesting, if the writing and acting are good. In the end, I know on the surface this was supposed to be about Caspere's murder, but truthfully, fuck if I know what the real story was supposed to be.
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From the story:
"There was a hard time for the entire family, that we were all transitioning with her, but in front of an audience," Khloé said. "That's not really the normal way to go about it."
Well, gee, maybe you don't have to go through it in front of the audience. No one's forcing y'all to do it this way.
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I can't believe anyone's still hawking breast enhancement cream. When I was a little girl there were black and white ads in the back of magazines with attractive women with their racks busing out selling Mark Eden Breast Enhancement (or Development?) Cream. Scam then, scam now.
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I have no real reason for believing this, but I sense Ricky's sad story about his father is fiction. He can get away with it (at least for now) because of the premise that he's totally cut off his dad and his dad had nothing to do with him, so it makes sense that his dad wouldn't "claim" him. But - and this is all speculation here - I can see his father coming out of the blue to claim fatherhood at some point.
That fun house must cost someone a fortune.
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Well, my viewing has taken a dive over the past several weeks. I read the thread before I watch so I have some idea of what's going on because it's mostly boring me to pieces and I've lost track of the plot and where it's going -- the thread gets me back on track.
I've racked my brain to figure out why this season sucks so much compared to last year. Yeah, last season was hard to follow and I had to watch the episodes twice to make sure I caught everything, but it wasn't a chore to do so. I realized that this season each of the detectives and Frank is traumatized over something and it's not making them more interesting; it's only muddying the water even more and this story has spun so far out of control for me it doesn't need anything else to muddy it up.
I kind of wonder if NP thought that Rust was so well-received that instead of giving us one tortured, conflicted character he gave us four -- I mean if one gets that kind of response imagine what four tortured souls can do!!! For me, part of the beauty of Rust and Marty is that one was traumatized and the other was just a normal guy, but but both were pretty fucked up. And I felt like if Rust's kid hadn't died, chances are he'd have been the guy that Marty thought he was/pretended to be. They made good counterpoints for each other -- it provided some balance, humor and good dialogue. It feels like this season is one huge clusterfuck of dysfunction and for me, the actual story is buried in it.
This last episode about put me to sleep and that includes the scenes beyond Frank and Woman, which does not bode well for the final two episodes.
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That's all very sweet and all that but does Kim ever NOT do those motherfucking duck lips? Seriously? I hate that when anyone does it and every damned picture of her is with those fuckers. I know, I know, it's supposed to be sexy and all the hot girls do it and all that but I loathe that look. The other thought I had when seeing Kendall draped on her was "Ewwww. She'll need a shower to get all that makeup and crap off her." Kendall looks so fresh next to everyone else in the pictures. It's kind of jarring.
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Kylie seems like a big ole stick in the mud ..... the others all seem to be having fun, not her; it's like it is a chore for her to show up and support her father.
Well, I can't believe I'm typing this, but if it was a chore for her, I'd give her a pass and tell her good job for showing up. I think my greatest issue with the transition has been what appears to be insensitivity on Caitlyn's part to how this transition is affecting her children. Kylie has fucked with her appearance and played adult so much that it's easy to forget she's not yet 18. Learning your father is transgender has got to be difficult, I don't care how progressive or mature you are. If Kylie's not doing handsprings and cartwheels and all that I understand it. At least she showed up, which means she's at least trying, and that's something.
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It seems to me that if one is going to appoint oneself savior to a struggling minority, one has a responsibility not to appear vain or ridiculous. Jenner ostensibly is asking the world for acceptance; but does it hurt the message when the person doing the asking seems unable to accept themselves regarding age and appearance?
I don't care for Jenner or the Kardashians, but I haven't seen any evidence that Caitlyn is appointing herself as savior. Perhaps the media is moving that way, and she's not doing anything to discourage it, but I don't get the sense it's her doing. I don't think the transgender movement needs a savior, frankly. Understanding and acceptance, yes, but not a savior.
I don't sense that she doesn't accept her age or what society considers the default appearance as a 65 year old woman. Though I think it's unrealistic to look like that at 65 for most any woman (Helen Mirren excluded), I don't fault her for wanting to look what she considers her best. Most everyone I know wants to look her best and this is what Jenner sees as putting her best foot forward; this is "best" and "attractive" in her current world view. She can afford it so she does it. Is it vain? Perhaps a bit. Do I resent that she'll never have to deal with age discrimination in the pursuit of a job? Probably. However with the chatter about how she's not looking her age and that she's acting/dressing frivolously, etc. she is, in fact, facing some sort of perhaps not discrimination, but definitely criticism for not meeting what society considers appropriate for her age.
Being a woman is new for her. It doesn't matter that she's known what she was meant to be for many years; the point is she's finally able to live it. I will give her and anyone else in her position a bit of a pass to see what it actually means to live what she's been denied for most of her life. Her transition has really just begun; she's wearing it but how she lives it remains to be seen and I can't or won't judge her for what she has or hasn't done so soon after transitioning.
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Good God Khloe has devolved to Kim territory. Her ass looks absolutely ridiculous and a little terrifying.
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Well, I'm not going to pile it on Caitlyn about her voice. Granted, I never watched the Kardashian shows so I don't know how Bruce's voice was, but in the little bit of the Sawyer interview I saw, her voice seemed like she was trying to be softer. But I have nothing to compare it to. I'm also not going to fault her for spending the $$$ she has to roll out as a woman because the fact is, she's a rich, privileged person who had the resources to do it, so of course she'd do it. I don't know anyone who wouldn't in her position. I'm not crazy about Caitlyn, nor was I crazy about Bruce the more I heard about him, but it has nothing to do with the transgenderism; they are simply people who aren't my cup of tea.
But, millennium, I wholeheartedly agree with what you said about any other 65 year old woman and Vanity Fair/society's reaction. Hell, it seems that after 40 women begin to fade away, and by the time you reach your 50s you're basically invisible. ("Grace and Frankie" did a nice little scene about this, by the way) And part of what bothers me is that everyone's talking about how fabulous Caitlyn looks -- and she does, given less than a year ago she was a 64 year old man. I understand the initial focus on her appearance because the change is staggering, however I am so tired of our culture of eternal youth and superficial looks. We get it. Caitlyn looks great. I wish the conversation would begin to focus on other aspects of the transition, the ones that truly matter, which is what I think "Transparent" does so very well.
I suppose if there's any downside for the transgender community in all of this is that Caitlyn's coverage has been focused so much on how she looks, what she's wearing, etc. I can see where it would lead to the impression that transgenderism is playing dress up -- and that is not what this is about. However, I think/hope that once things start to die down, probably about after the first season of her show airs, that there won't be so much focus on how Caitlyn looks and instead it is more about how she's finding/living life as a woman.
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The ladies on Go Fug Yourself basically say the same thing about Kylie: channeling Kim, dressing/looking 10 years older than she is and basically wondering where the hell her parents are. It's not in a snarky sense, but more out of a place of concern.
Yes, she does look nice, but I think it's way too old a look for her. If she was 40 years old I'd say she looks amazing. She's 17 going on 40. I don't expect her in frilly pinafores or anything, but she has so many resources available to dress in a youthful, tasteful, fun way. Do it while you can get away with it!
All that said, she looks better than whatever that bullshit Kendall is wearing. But I loathe sheer so what do I know?
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@Maysie reminds me of a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
Exactly!
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I haven't been following this too much -- I mean I know it's happening and I have some opinions about it -- but I kind of view it as similar to the "lifetime achievement" awards that are handed out at various awards ceremonies. There is no contest, no competition such as there's a winner and loser (though God knows we can't call anyone a loser anymore). It's a random honor at a random time, in my opinion, basically some public acknowledgment.
I think there's always political maneuvering, grandstanding, deals made, etc. with most of these achievement awards (I mean I grew up realizing that some of them were given out because well, so and so's barely upright anymore so it's time to honor him before he kicks off - that kind of thing). I'm not saying that the people who get these awards don't deserve them but I always look at these things with a bit of the side eye because they are so completely subjective.
Would Caitlyn Jenner have been my first choice? I doubt it. But I won't begrudge her her night in the sun. The fact is, however, that when she's long gone I'm not remembering her as "Caitlyn Jenner, ESPY winner," I'm remembering her as "Caitlyn Jenner, formerly Olympian Bruce Jenner."
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I don't get how some people think she's faking pregnancy. She's been showing plenty of bump, etc. lately.
I won't get on her case for gaining weight while she's pregnant. I will, however, comment on her awful wardrobe choices she makes in her effort to cover her weight gain. No one should fat shame her, especially when she's pregnant. But I feel like she's kind of fat shaming herself when she wears long dusters in the middle of summer or layers of spanx so she can feel okay about wearing a form-fitting dress.
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These shots are hilarious. It's kind of a cross between the old "farmer's daughter" jokes and poor white trash glamming up for a photo shoot. And that body suit -- is that one of Kanye's creations? I can't remember his fashion show (kind of blanked that out) to know if it's his creation or not.
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The thing is there's so much intense hatred for Kanye and the Kardashians that even when they do anything remotely decent there's always got to be an ulterior motive, or they are doing it for photo ops. I've even seen people say on TMZ Kim can't stand North (calling a child things like 'her spawn') and is forced into toting her around. You would think this family is the Antichrist by the level of pure hatred out there.
I don't like any of them, but you're right. I question a lot of what they do -- mainly their motives -- but I can't criticize or question Kanye taking the kids out. He did a good thing and props to him for doing it. And if he hadn't he'd be criticized for it. There are plenty enough reasons to criticize Kanye and Kim but I won't pile on either one of them when they do something good. And this was a good thing.
Don't worry; he'll do or say something asinine soon enough; and if he doesn't, well that's even better.
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That said there a side of me tgats still skeptical about all of this. Afterall, the cameras are rolling. And it makes great drama...
Yeah, it crossed my mind too. However I imagine the public response would be similar to the Kris H disaster. I think it's one thing to exaggerate or make up storylines for the show that are relatively harmless, but this would cross the line - again, like the Kris H disaster. I still think Kim and the rest of the family owes their current wave of fame to Kanye.
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I've noticed my viewing of this season is dwindling -- I don't watch it when it airs on Sunday, like I did last season, and I'm not bothering to re-watch at this point to get the little things I may have missed in the first watch. It's just not doing it for me. At some point -- I think VV may have been in the casino or something -- I realized I was bored with the whole thing.
And really, that's a bit weird because at its heart, this is probably an easier story to follow than last year's story. I mean it's a basic corruption/murder story underneath it all, told in many different ways over time. Last year's plot could have gone anywhere, and it kind of did, but it worked. And like someone said upthread, part of it may have had to do with the setting and I think that WH and MM just sold the hell out of it. I'm beginning to wonder if the first season was a one-off.
I think the acting all the way around was stronger the first season and the weird dialogue fit the characters and the story. I feel a bit like Nick Pizolatto felt like he developed a reputation with season one that he has to live up to, however he can't do Rust and Marty again, so he has to come up with a new story in a new place -- which yes, I get that and agree with it. But I feel like they're trying to force a vibe or an atmosphere they developed last year into something that can't hold it this year.
I mean for fuck's sake: much of the discussion here has been about who the hell is Stan??? Somehow I don't think that's what Nick Pizolatto's going for.
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Piper continues to be Carrie Bradshaw in prison garb. A self-absorbed, insufferable, horrible person.
Yes. Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.
Whereas Piper annoyed me last season I grew to hate her by the end of season three. I thought she was incredibly cavalier about Alex's situation, particularly since she helped get Alex back into prison. And then the final shot of her giving herself her infinity tattoo just seemed so - I don't know. It's like I was watching a different show. There were enough references to Breaking Bad that I felt like we were seeing her turn into her own version of Walter White, which is a bit cheesy.
Hated the Norma storyline, but I don't much like Norma anyway. Also didn't care about Stella and the meth heads bored me. And I kind of like Piper's brother, but I had a feeling when he and his wife were working on creating more soiled panties that it was channeling a poor version of Zach Galifianakis's character and his girlfriend in Bored to Death, which NO. Just no. There is only one Super Ray.
Hate aside, there were good things about the season. The first of which was no Vee and no Larry and Polly. Happy to lose that shit. I am happy they called back to Suzanne's dependency on Vee and I liked that they showed the fallout from that. The really great thing about the season is that I found I liked characters that I thought I hated: Pennsatucky, Boo and Soso -- or at least I cared about them. I was sold on Soso's and Poussey's isolation/loneliness and figured they'd end up together in some form but I think it's awesome that the black crew welcomed Soso in.
I kinda love Red and she did what I thought was impossible, which was to make Healy somewhat sympathetic. Don't get me wrong: I think he's an asshole who wants to be Big Daddy to all the ladies, which is creepy. But his interactions with Red showed some sort of humanity in him that I rarely see otherwise.
Fig and Caputo having sex: no more, please. And no more bad mullet wigs on Caputo again either, please. Somehow I'm shocked to know that Caputo is actually a good musician (or at least talented enough to establish a hit band) and wrestler. He never instilled me with a feeling of competence, so that was a bit of a surprise . . .
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And Brody's going to do all his promotion for his show by talking about the family, yet also claims they're not family anymore.
Eh. I'm not trying to defend him because I wouldn't know the guy if he showed up at my front door, but I will say that he's probably responding to questions about his family. Let's face it, between Caitlyn, Scott/Kourtney, Kendall's modeling career and Kim's second pregnancy, the whole family is pretty much all over the internet/entertainment news these days. Of course they're going to ask him about it and of course he'll talk about it. That's what journalists do anymore: they take the smallest thread, no matter how tenuous, and try to turn their stories into something that will generate interest. Because really, how many people are interested in his show on its own merits? He probably only has the show because of those connections, so of course everyone asks and he's only too happy to pimp it out.
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No, no and no. They are the same person. Transitioning is not a mulligan. That's like saying it was Bruce who killed that poor woman in the car wreck, not Caitlyn. We are all responsible for our actions -- especially where children are involved -- regardless of what pressures might be bearing down on us. Just because Jenner throws on a dress, gets hair extensions and has a couple of saline bags inserted into his chest doesn't wipe the slate clean.
I totally agree. When I wrote what I did above, I was trying to make the point that I feel like we're getting a bit of a sales job. I think Bruce was genuinely unhappy and transitioning, etc., however I do think that it became an opportunity for Caitlyn to whitewash her past and blame stuff on Bruce -- poor, old, unhappy, unfulfilled Bruce. I take exception to that for exactly the reasons you state above -- Bruce/Caitlyn/whomever is still responsible at the end of the day. And when I read about how good and truly pissed she was at her children over the tv show, I don't totally buy into the change we're being sold. So it's kind of a double negative for me; blame Bruce and airbrush Caitlyn's image for television, ala Kardashian.
Caitlyn's actions after the tv cameras are gone are what's really going to tell the tale.
S02.E08: Omega Station
in True Detective
Yeah, I found Ani's change to be fast and radical. Okay, I could buy her getting busy with Ray given both their histories and circumstances. And I do get that they were becoming more comfortable with each other, but I didn't buy off on such a dramatic change after one night in the sack -- certainly not to the extent that she apparently felt it when Ray was killed. I rolled my eyes at that one because 1) it was ridiculous and 2) they had just pulled that same bullshit the week before with Paul's girlfriend.
Why? Why did NP choose to do such a stupid thing? Is it to sell some sort of deep connection in these relationships that otherwise we wouldn't get? Does it communicate some sort of premise that Paul and Ray live on in these women and their children? Dramatic effect??
I'm not saying that Ani's past precluded parenthood, but I just never got the warm fuzzy vibe from her. I guess a night with Ray's magic penis changed that!
As for VV, I never cared one way or another about him, other than occasionally looking at him and thinking "boy howdy he's a tall one!" I was unenthused about his casting because I was sure it would be a drag on the show because I frankly didn't think he was up to the task. Ironically, the writing wasn't up to him. I think he did as well as he could with it and I guess we'll never know how he would have fared with something that was well-written.