Pestilentia

But that's the point- she is honest and real about being calculating and cunning and not caring who gets hurt in the process, lol. It's hard to know what Marian is thinking when her affect is so flat, but sure Marian is flattered. We've been led to believe she was nearly as sheltered and naive as Gladys- neither of them have a clue what they are doing or any sort of ability to read the intentions of men. But I fail to see what Marian's response has to do with Raikes' intentions- it just means he's been very effective in his persuasive efforts, that's all. I still think she is being swept along almost under his thrall. It's a predatory technique that strong personalities use to influence weak personalities- he's moving so fast that she doesn't have time to really think. That's what his request to be allowed into her hotel room alone with her told us- he's pushing too fast and too hard. Why? What's the rush? The rush is to compromise her respectability before she knows what's happened, that's why. There's just no other reason. And it's clear Marian isn't thinking- she's reacting to the first real male attention she's ever had. She was raised to be proper- she knows how to behave, or did before her hormones flared. If she was actually thinking she'd be asking the same question I am- why is he is such a rush to ruin her reputation? What does he have to gain by doing that? Presumably he knows as well as the rest of us the damage he would be doing to her future prospects. If he truly loved her he'd want the best for her and be absolutely loathe to hurt her. Instead he's hellbent on the opposite. Why?

George and Bertha are a team. I have no doubt that their aspirations and plans were discussed endlessly during their lean, initial years and an agreement made that she handles the home and children and he handles business/finance. George disagrees with how Gladys is being handled but defers to Bertha's wishes because he supports her and her goals 100%. Bertha leaves his business to him- that's their deal. He is standing by their 'marriage rules' so to speak- the home and children are her purview, not his, so she gets her way with Gladys. I absolutely love their relationship as I am part of a marriage team as well. Their support of each other's goals despite not fully agreeing with the methodology is one of the things I like most. George trusts Bertha to get what she wants on her end and I love trust between partners. Not that they aren't ruining Gladys in the process- Bertha is making the most common parental mistake ever- wanting for your children what you want for yourself instead of what they want. It will bite her in the butt, but for now Bertha wins. So while they are hugely flawed people with questionable goals, their depiction of marriage is my favorite on television right now and perhaps ever. They are a strong couple, an absolutely perfect match. If Bertha could only get her head out of her ass she would see that her own love match is what she should wish for Gladys, not aristocracy. Bertha's flaw is that she must always claw for more- she will never be satisfied, she will always feel lacking socially probably because of her Irish peasant ancestry. There is not enough success or riches or social standing in the world that will ever make her feel the way she wants to feel- she will always need more. She blinded by her ambition and not seeing that she already enjoys the greatest thing anyone could ever aspire to- a totally devoted, loving, loyal husband who would move heaven and earth to make her happy. And it's the little things- when Bertha swept out the door in that glorious cape George gave Turner that long look that screamed "Now THAT's the woman that stirs me!" Tiny looks, touches, hints of affection- I just love their dynamic as a couple. Don't be so literal, lol, you know exactly what I mean. Small talk. Getting to know one another. "What a lovely day, I don't think I've seen a spring day this fine in years." or whatever passes for small talk within the restricted rules of the day. Raikes has never presented himself as a person. He was a lawyer for about three minutes then he was totally in love, so much so that he relocated his business and declared himself her future husband. He assumed she was 'in' and agreeable before she even understood the question. He is assuming they are betrothed and using his enthusiasm and sheer will to pull Marian along for the ride- she's thinks she's fully convinced that she loves him and they have a future. In fact I feel like Raikes is bamboozling her- he's moving so fast and assuming so much that she hasn't taken the time to think. To her it's a whirlwind 'romance' but to him he's pulling wool over her eyes and baffling her with bullshit. Not that thinking is Marian's strong suit, lol. But Aunt Agnes has his number and she is never wrong! And his behavior in the hallway of the hotel proved it. He has no concern at all for Marian as a respectable woman of her day- he endangered her entire future by snogging her in public like that. He went WAY too far- he simply has no honor and he is no gentleman. He actually implied that he wanted to be invited in? Raikes does NOT have Marian's best interests at heart, not even a little- he is up to something. Instead of wanking all the reasons he is a good guy I think we need to be worrying about why he wanted to get into a hotel room alone with Marian. What exactly could he accomplish by compromising her, what possible advantage could ruining her prospects have for him? It would make marrying her off as quietly and quickly as possible Agnes' best course of action and he knows it. Archie never stood a chance. This was no "choice" because there was no way out. This was George saying "You have NO chance at all here and if you pursue Gladys I will wipe you out." George may have framed it as a "choice" but even Archie was smart enough to understand that it was not- it was a very clear, unequivocal threat. A threat by a man who swept into NYC and outwitted the old guard at their own game, a new money railroad tycoon who is wreaking havoc at every turn and tossing out $100 bills like confetti. Archie knew he would be no more than horse crap on George's shoe if he even attempted to bargain or even continue the conversation so he bailed. He dodged a bullet and good for him. And now the racism- I see it everywhere in this show. Maybe because I watch reruns so often, but the people with non-speaking roles who populate the screen are whispering, looking down their noses, shaking their heads. It's not the dialogue people, it's the extras you need to be watching- they simply exude racism just by standing there with steely, disapproving eyes as Peggy walks by. It's very blatant to me- it radiates like a nearly visible aura.

Since day one he has always exhibited a sort of "false bonhomie"- he's always chattering and yet has never said one thing about himself. Past the initial meeting where he broke the bad news he has said nothing but things Marian would like to hear- not one word like "As my Mother used to say..." or "Yes, when I was a child we..." or any sort of story or anecdote concerning his past or even his life for that matter. How did he manage to leave his practice in Doylestown and move to the big city without having even one story to tell about it? One normally mentions little anecdotes when conversing and he never has. He's just too focused on being where Marian is and saying things Marian would like to hear to the exclusion of all else. He appears where she is and he is forever declaring his utter enchantment with the bag of 'meh' that is Marian. WHY is he so taken with her? It's not normal. He's after something. He's hinky somehow- I'd just bet on it.

She has a very selective memory.

The Van Rhijns are very wealthy actually, I think an executive producer confirms that they are. Agnes is wealthy only because she married into the van Rhijn family- remember Marian's father Henry squandered the Brooks family money. She married van Rhijn as a way to save herself and Ada from that exact "genteel poverty" referenced above. If she felt threatened enough to enter a loveless marriage purely for money then I think that qualifies as "having felt the sting of genteel poverty."

The conversation between Marian and Raikes in the first episode concerned railroad stock that Marian knew her father owned. Raikes explained to her that stock rose and fell in value almost daily and that all that her father owned was now worthless. Seems like stealing those/lying about it would have been the 'easiest' way to defraud Marian if this is in fact where they are going. I don't know if stocks of that day were bearer bonds where anyone could redeem then (I remember that from Bonanza, lol) or would require a legal transfer of ownership but as an attorney Raikes could easily manage to make off with the money either way.

Me thinks CN told herself that when she broke up with the father of her two oldest children. So not only is she fanwanking Miranda's life, she's actually trying to rewrite her own? Perhaps that is the pathology behind this entire clusterfuck- she's trying to rewrite her own story in her own mind. Honestly, to call fan's reactions "bizarre" just boggles. As so many other people have mentioned, she's very defensive about all of this which leads me to believe she is pissed at the reception 'her' story has received. That she feels the criticism on a personal level, that her own 'life story' has been deemed ridiculous or out of character or that we don't give her enough credit for being "brave." Ugh, Ugh. Ugh. The more she talks the less I like her, and I never liked her very much to begin with. Absolutely. Maybe they can invite Che to the van Rhijn household and screw up that show as well?

Yes, that was a proper thing to do at that time and age. It's the proper thing to do now. Even my Mother calls before coming to my home, and I do so before going to hers. Marion needs a governess/keeper way more than poor Gladys who seems to be primed to age out of marriageability before her coming out even takes place. That's an exaggeration of course but sooner or later Gladys is going to rebel and cause some mighty big problems in that Russell house. Nobody pays her much attention and she's invisible most of the time but all this oppression is going to make for some consequences I think. I was quite upset with Peggy's father being such a spoil sport until he was asked whatever happened to the sloppy eater "Uncle Billy" and he mentioned that he had been sold. I have to keep reminding myself just how little time has passed since the Civil War and how fresh it all must be in Mr. Scott's mind and I lighten up on him a little. But he's as stuck in his ways as some of the white people IMO and has lost all sense of hope or trust or even the initiative to attempt change. I do wonder if we'll ever see or hear what he went through to end up a pharmacist in 1880s NYC. I know there were founding schools in the south for African American pharmacists, but there were also black students in some of the "white" schools in the north. I doubt we'll delve that deeply into Peggy's family's history but it would be interesting.

We said the very same thing- IMO it was the speech cadence.

I think George is perfectly 'nice' and fair and respectable in his business dealings. I think the point we are meant to take away is that with George you get ONE chance to complete a fair and respectable deal, but if you try to manipulate the deal or put one over on him he will go full on scorched earth. It's not a bad reputation to strive for and that's what George is doing- he maintains the veneer of respectability but those he does business with know not to push. At all. If George offers market value then you take market value if you know what's good for you. It's always amusing when those that came to power through intimidation and ruthlessness are brought down by intimidation and ruthlessness. They were so aghast that he turned the tables and used their own methodology right back at them. And while I try not to take pleasure in watching a family be destroyed I do think it is a case of "Live by the sword, die by the sword" and turnabout is very fair play. Although the conversation passed I also wanted to touch on the "No always means no and always has" topic that came up. The younger viewers among us see this as a very black and white statement and that's a good thing- it means progress is happening. But no did not always mean "No." A young woman was always expected to say no to the first advance. She would say "No" even if her knees were quivering in anticipation and she knew full well she wanted to jump his bones later than night- a lady always says no. Read it again- a lady always says no. "No" did in fact mean "maybe." A woman says no once, twice, and maybe even three times- it's a false protest, a dance done among women and men of that era. A social convention, a certain standard of conduct that was accepted as the way it was done. No amount of 2022 sensibility can change the fact that no did in fact not mean no. Not at all. I loved the yellow dress. As someone who cannot wear warm colors I always notice yellows that other people wear well and I thought this one looked very nice on her. I especially loved the shade of yellow- most yellows tend toward atrocious golds but this very pale, pastel shade looked amazing IMO. Not that Peggy's purple wasn't punchier but I noticed the yellow and liked it very much.

Bentley. He took it out of Joe's garage.

WTF with all the "fumbling around" comments? So two previously straight women wouldn't know how to have sex with each other? I've been a straight woman for 67 years and even I know how to have sex with another woman and I have no doubt I could do so in a spectacular fashion! And any "fumbling" could have added to a sense of discovery and newness and THRILL anyway. Bah humbug STUPID EXCUSE. IMO the whole concept of a "fumbling" problem is a purely hamfisted attempt by CN to justify some pretty poor choices in "telling her story." She would do anything and say anything at this point to make it seem like we the viewers are not 'getting' it so it's our fault the whole thing tanked so badly and not hers for serving us such a steaming pile of Che shit. Miranda was always my favorite character- she was smarter, less flighty, made less ridiculous clothing choices, chose Steve, and had a serious career. To see how she just trashed all of it (the internship!!!!) is insulting to me personally as a Miranda fan. If they do come back with a season 2 they better give Miranda a pretty aggressive glioblastoma or something to explain this personality change because this is not Miranda.

Yes, at that point I turned to husband and said "And it was going so well..." I did read the books many moons ago and don't remember a thing, lol, but we're here for kick ass action, not romance. Anyone else get Drax/Dave Bautista vibe off of this guy? Something about his delivery and the dry humor struck a chord with me. Could be the massive size though as I also got a bit of Ruffalo's Hulk after the mind merge, lol. It's funny someone else mentioned the food because all along I have been worried that he's not eating enough and is going to waste away. Husband is a hard gainer and I shove chicken at him by the pound, he's forever downing protein shakes, and is never without a power bar (not a Clark bar, lol). Then the very next scene they shoved prison food at him and he chowed down, but honestly a guy that size would be consuming tons of food- they're training or eating or sleeping, that's it. Suspended belief, yeah. But we're in- I was happy with how the production was put together and nothing annoyed me too badly other than the romantic interlude. Damning with faint praise but that's the television landscape these days.

How did I miss it? Or have we not talked about the fact that Tiffany's newly repaired teeth are the same model teeth as Baby Billy himself has been wearing- she could hardly close her lips around them! Her new oversized chompers were Faye Dunaway levels of huge! If that baby comes out with Baby Billy teeth...

Well, to be fair it was the pilot episode and I try to give a series at least two or three eps to find their footing.

That was extremely insightful and will you please come analyze my own life and show me where I'm rationalizing?

Yes. Steve was always presented as a "bartender that went a bit deeper" from the moment we first met him reading behind the bar. Is it really that much of a stretch to think a bar owner could hold a conversation or appreciate anything in life other than a cold brew? He's not a doddering idiot. Are we really judging someone's intelligence and ability to hold a 'stimulating conversation' by their career choice? An affable nature does not preclude an inquiring mind or an ability to speak, nor does an MD after one's name make someone an intellectual titan or a desirable partner. Honestly, we need to apologize to bartenders everywhere after this!

Honestly, the one thing that shocks me most is how little discussion I am seeing of it. The way fans carried on and insisted on closure I would have expected a bigger turnout here. I think we knew that Ray set Mickey up and we also knew that Mickey knew that Ray knew he knew. IIRC it was presented as Mickey (perhaps subconsciously) agreeing to do the time because Ray (perhaps subconsciously) knew what a shit move it was to set him up and would (perhaps subconsciously) owe him one down the line. The whole problem with their 'perhaps subconscious' and entirely unspoken arrangement was that each of them inferred things not even considered by the other. Mickey expected things- he felt owed. Ray rationalized things- he felt justified. They both got it wrong. And that's why I think the whole finale/closure boiled down to just that issue, and is the only question I have regarding the ending. For me, the ending is Ray understanding that no matter what a shit father Mickey had been he had been an equally shit son, so Ray will be able to forgive Mickey and make a stab at reclaiming what's left of the rest of his life- assuming he's not tied up in court and legal fees forever. Conor is a non issue and I think Bridge will take a long time away from everyone. But Ray has to live with himself and really looking at himself and comprehending what he took from Mickey is essential- I think Ray has been in denial about that since forever. Not that it justifies Mickey's multiple failings and crimes against just about everyone, but more about the fact that on balance they are pretty well matched as far as a moral center and now maybe Ray finally gets that. He needs to get past blaming Mickey for his shit show of a life. My husband just thought Ray died. So what is the feeling here about Ray's state of mind/existence going forward? Also, ditto the Lena spin-off show.

I think things were all wrapped up a bit too neatly but that is better than leaving things hanging, so I guess I'm good. I could just about see the checklist of things they hoped to resolve though- it was a tad hamfisted. I was satisfied and got enough closure to suit me. Good job Ray. Happy to see both Ray and Bunchy slimmed down. Still extremely distracted by how much Bridget looks like Waylon Flower's 'Madame' puppet, though. Take me right out of the show every time.

I don't even think it's that complicated. IMO an automatic "Sorry" would have just leap out of her mouth all by itself. Heck, I tell the dog beds I'm sorry if I trip on one- it just comes out.

The one single moment that annoyed me most was directly after Che said "I want you in bed, naked..." and Miranda uttered the most breathless and virginal "Really?" Not even Molly Ringwald in her prime could sound so innocent and shoot so many stars out of her eyes. It was just so junior high school. "You really, really like me?" like kids passing notes. I get being old and thinking the best sex of your life might be behind you. Then meeting someone new and exciting and a bit dangerous who sparks some of the old mojo and it is an invigorating feeling. But as a woman of a certain age Miranda would know this is just the first flush of excitement that you get in any new relationship- she would not confuse it so easily with love. She would know the difference. And poor Steve was literally ambushed while trying to put out a fire at his business- he was on the phone trying to take care of a problem at his business. Had anyone walked in on competent-Miranda while she was working she wouldn't have tolerated it. She utterly lacks the ability to put herself in Steve's shoes and objectively evaluate her actions. And if anything we get better at this as we age, not worse. These are adolescent schoolgirls. And speaking of, who did KD piss off in the wardrobe department? Everything she had on this episode made her look dumpy and thick around the middle near pregnancy levels. The cute little tennis outfit and the auction outfit and one other dress ALL had juvenile little ribbons around the middle that only served to accentuate the thickness. All those outfits lacked were white anklets and patent leather mary janes topped off by a huge hair bow and a lollipop. She looked absurd. We change how we dress as we get older. Comfort starts to be more important than being Vogue worthy and we are less willing to stuff ourselves into three layers of Spanks to look good. And yes you can dress comfortably and in an age appropriate manner and still look classy and put together and stunning. IMO a stunningly put together older woman is 15 levels of WOW! above an older lady wearing preteen sundresses and bows in their hair. And I know it's television and everyone should look perfect at every moment, but between Charlotte's juvenile wardrobe and Carrie's body hugging dresses I don't even see as much as a nod in trying to illustrate how style changes as you age. None of them are hard up for money. I'd like to see at least one of them trying on clothing and working with a stylist to help them find classy clothing that doesn't make them look like they are hanging onto youth. There could be many great conversations about "Is this too young for me?" and "I want to look put together and cool but not like a teenager." and how to keep a fresh look without looking ridiculous. I'd like Carrie sitting in a hair salon talking about "Does this make me look old?" or get a gentle suggestion on how to use hair to soften and lift her look and take the focus off some of the aging. She could refuse the advice but I'd like to see them at least question whether their never changing styles need a bit of tweaking. The whole lot of them can't be this clueless about how they look. At some point a woman faces that she can no longer keep up with Instagram girls and it usually happens around 55 or so. It's hard to accept and I'd expect at least one of them to be facing this realization and mention it. These three ladies are all so immature in so many ways. How mature actresses can bemoan the lack of substantive roles for women of age, get an opportunity like this to illustrate otherwise, then walk on screen acting like lovestruck teenagers boggles my mind. And yes, I'm looking at SJP and CN- you had such an opportunity and instead chose to try and relive glory days of the old SATC. Their core viewers grew up, why can't they? Mature women have plenty of issues worthy of exploring (do none of these women have aging parents?). Eh, enough. Just such a wasted opportunity.

If you rewatch I'm pretty sure she peed in the bottle and then spilled it in the bed while struggling to get back up/in. Just how desperate were they to get the reboot going that they agreed to this? Were the two crappy movies not enough? Did they really need so badly to do it yet again that everyone so easily agreed to wholesale character assassination?

To be fair, that was a different climate- the bodies froze immediately so were preserved and could be pulled out later and eaten after the survivors worked up the nerve. Until it turns to winter these girls are in a more temperate climate and the dead would be inedible fairly quickly- if and when they decide on a meal they'll have to do things a bit differently . I think it was manipulative crying, yes, but I wouldn't go as far as "no humanity or morals left." I think she has them, they are just skewed and malleable. On this one I wouldn't think it this black and white- nothing is behaviorally. Her genetics and childhood gave her various qualities that were of course severely influenced by 18 months of trauma and witnessing all she witnessed as well as participated in. Any perfectly fine person would have been affected by that, but that it took place during their very formative years means it took a bigger bite out of them. I loved how they all told Taissa she looked like a tree and we saw her scratching around in the dirt, too.

Parker, Nixon, and Davis commented regarding his latest 'troubles' so I very highly doubt they would even bring him back on set. The show already has enough trouble.

Back in that laundry room with Steve she looked very much like a woman in love to me.