[S03.E03: Fall Brook]

I went to find Episode 8/Season and Series finale this morning. I was so surprised to find out that episode 7 was it. Talk about not with a bang but a whimper. What a let down. It isn’t even the cliffhanger so popular in these days of episodic serials. It was more of a meh, we can’t be bothered to write the easy storylines to completion and give a few hints for the futures of our main characters. 

I’d like a hint whether Jackie will fight the good fight with her alcoholism. Will Ray and Renee be stuck with each other while becoming increasingly bitter and frustrated or will they work it out? Will Osito and Charmaine get things running smoothly? Just a few hints. 

[Britannia - General Discussion]

On 4/30/2023 at 6:46 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

There's just not much room for bonkers shows these days. This would have fit right in with DaVinci's Demons and Black Sails on Starz. 

Thanks for this. Going back to Da Vinci’s Demons and giving Black Sails a try just moved up my lust. DVD first I think. What makes Black Sails bonkers? Just curious. 

[S01.E10: Track 10: Rock N Roll Suicide]

On 4/10/2023 at 10:50 AM, monagatuna said:

This was the first audiobook I ever listened to, and the actors were so convincing I went and looked up the band after finishing it because I thought they were real. I haven't revisited the book since and I wonder if I thought it was really really good because I had no other audiobooks to compare it to, and the actors did such a great job.

Then I listened to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and was blown away. I was convinced TJR was an incredible writer, a new favorite, and I would want to read everything she wrote.

So I followed that with One True Loves and Malibu Rising. Oh. Oh, god, no. Just absolute drivel. Like, yeah, it's cute that some of the characters intersect throughout the novels, but other than those little easter eggs popping up occasionally, there's really nothing special about her writing. It is awkward and clunky. It's over the top with its descriptions of how beautiful and successful yet flawed everyone is (makes you want to scream "show not tell!"). I hesitate to revisit Daisy Jones or Evelyn Hugo because I enjoyed them so much, and after thinking critically about her writing, I'm afraid I won't enjoy them a second time.

I followed a similar reading path. I read Daisy Jones and the Six first and wanted to like it more than I did. I love created documents and epistolary novels, so this should have been tailor made for me. I just felt that heart and sincerity and deeply wrought characters were missing. I reread it while I watched the series and enjoyed it more but saw no reason to change my initial assessment. 

I read the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo shortly after my first read of Daisy and loved it. This is the one I’m afraid to read again for fear it won’t be as good as I remember it. I wish TJR was a bit less successful so she could develop her talent more because I do think it’s there, but at this point she has no reason to have the fire in her belly she would need. 
 
The biggest problem is that I don’t believe that Billy and Daisy are in love in any format. All they give us is lust. Lust can be an amazing ingredient in a great love but other ingredients need to be there too. I never see them with Daisy and Billy even though the music and songwriting should be an easy entrance to artistic sympathy and a means to show them connecting but i just don’t see it. That’s what’s missing and the incredible costumes and nostalgia and acting and pretty people don’t make up for a lack of soul. 

[Six Feet Under - General Discussion]

This is one of my favorite series ever. I consider the last episode to be television as literature. Yes we needed the five years of investment in the characters for it to be as heart wrenching and satisfying as it was, but the heart piercing sincerity and the societal work done around death and grieving was phenomenal. 
 
I’ve always wanted to try a SFU experiment. I would like to find a SFU virgin and show them the pilot and the finale and see how they reacted. I watched carefully during one of my rewatches and George and the Kathy Bates character are the only two not introduced in the pilot. Their roles in the finale could be easily understood by context. I would just like to see the reaction to Six Feet Under as a de facto movie. What do you guys think? Would it still be powerful? I know not as powerful but I wonder how much would still be there. Because the pilot was stunningly written, acted and produced too. 

[S07.E10: Enemies List]

15 hours ago, NeenerNeener said:

I'm disappointed that the mental health company was a poison pill that Prince crafted for Wendy and not one that Axe created for Prince.

I'm sure Axe will come up with something equally diabolical though, to keep Prince out of the Whitehouse. At least I hope so.

Except that we saw that little smile when he heard that Mental was the company from Taylor. Soon enough Axe will know how the trap was built because Wendy’s uncovered that information. 
 
 

 

15 hours ago, aghst said:

First of all, it's Wendy's fault.  She should have done more due diligence than just ask Rian to take a look.

But she lives the lifestyle of someone worth tens of millions.  So the only way she was going to leave MPC was to line up job which would lead to another big pay day.

If Prince is as bad as she says (and she lists a litany of things this episode), why not just walk away?  But no she was going to somehow stop Prince as well as lining up another lucrative job for herself except it got her trapped.

And I'm not sure they're right on the laws as depicted on the show.  Most of the offenses occurred before Wendy accepted the job.  So how could she have certified that the start up company's financials were valid?

In the case of public companies, there would be CPAs certifying the books.  But if the books were falsified, the people in charge would be liable, not some newcomer.

Still, it makes no sense that she would certify the practices of what occurred before she took over.  But she hasn't even gone to that other job yet.  And she could work with prosecutors to testify against the company, plead that she was completely misled.

So this whole thing about her being in danger of being thrown in prison for 20 years or more is BS.  Rich white people don't go to prison, at worst they would plead it out, either get immunity or get probation for someone who's got no criminal record and above all rich and white.

So how does Axe rescue Wendy?  By taunting Prince as President Cuck.🙄

And why is Prince telling Scooter to turn all financial assets to cash?  

1. I agree. I seriously doubt that Wendy could ultimately be held criminally liable for things that went on at the company before she became CEO. Even both sets of books on her devices could be explained as high level hacking. Now if all of this had been done in Wendy’s first year or two with Mental that might be more of a threat, but as it was presented? Easily defended legally without even having to resort to rich and white to stay out of jail. 
 
2. The whole Prince will fold because his pee pee will be publicly mocked seemed ridiculous beyond words. Even taking into account that people are emotional and that perceived strength and virility are attractive qualities in a man for both men and women the idea that his wife cuckolding Prince was due to a lack of sexual prowess is a stretch. As a poster said upthread, Prince and his wife were separated for a long time and adultery is a fact of life. This just doesn’t work and Derek being a threat because he’s the proof of Prince’s lack of manhood rather than because he’s proof that Prince is capable or murder and treason seems silly too. 
 
3. I don’t understand why going to cash is a thing either but all of his courtiers looked distressed and worried. 

 I enjoyed watching this while I was watching it but you really can’t think about it at all or everything falls apart. 

[S03.E05: Love Island]

On 10/5/2023 at 4:12 PM, pasdetrois said:

Wretched episode. Not even snarkworthy. I turned it off without finishing it.

Sad but I agree entirely. When I finished it was what did I just watch and more importantly why did I bother? There was absolutely no point at all. 

[S07.E09: Game Theory Optimal]

3 hours ago, aghst said:

Wendy was going to work for Mental, some startup that was supportive of employees and providing services for the underprivileged.  But she was going to get a huge compensation package from them, in addition to feeling good about doing good.

But these are the rebels who's going to stop power-hungry Prince?

😆

Right? The start-up seemed like poisoned bait to me but I questioned how a start up with aspirations to serve those who couldn’t necessarily pay a lot could possibly offer Wendy enough money to tempt her. All of these people could not work for the rest of their lives and buy pretty much anything they want already. When does more money stop being an enticement? I’d think that point would be far below what these people have already had for years. 
 
I don’t understand what anyone’s motivations are at this point. Money? They have enough. More than enough. Power? They certainly have enough to live a secure life and none of our merry band has professed a desire for public personal power. Excellence in their field of endeavor? Again, according to the writing all of these people are successful and accomplished in their fields, in Taylor’s case to the level of savant without the problematic aspects that often come with savant gifts. So what do these people want? 
 
As for Prince being the next Stalin and the only proof we’ve been given is Wendy’s intuition and Prince’s willingness to push the nuclear button when given a hypothetical situation. Isn’t that decision always in the hands of our most powerful? Doesn’t the fact that it would always be planetary suicide either fast or slow stay people’s hands? I just wish some kind of understandable character motivations were established. 
 
If I were a megalomaniacal overlord with unquenchable ambition then life extension or immortality might be next on my list. If I were less megalomaniacal but rich enough to do what I wanted? Pursuit of an avocation or trying to truly improve the world might top the list. Or just a lifetime of happiness. What are these people pursuing? 

[S07.E09: Game Theory Optimal]

4 hours ago, ahpny said:

This is the crux of why this season seems problematic. Wendy, Taylor and Waggs didn't just work for Axe for years. At least Wendy and Waggs, in some capacity, seemed to love Axe, flaws, disloyalty and illegality notwithstanding. On a spectrum of evil or at least  duplicitousness/unscupulouslessess, what have we seen that puts Prince in a more problematic place than Axe? Yes, Axe never tried to run for president, but if he had, would this same "concerned" group have had the same level of concern for a potential Axe presidency? The writters just haven't sold the "Prince is uniquely evil" part of this story to make this all work. Casually suggesting, in a private setting, that a first strike might be considerable in certain circumstances just doesn't trigger the outrage it might have given the wackiness of current politics and the norm-shattering of the past several years in real life.

It's also hard to understand how a group of very smart people like Wendy, Taylor and Waggs could have gone about their plotting in such a sloppy way and have expected Prince not to find out or at least suspect something. Maybe that's part of some yet-to-be-disclosed master plan, but this doesn't seem to be holding together so far. I still suspect Prince's wife will be involved - why raise the whole save the lover in the Himalayas story line otherwise? 

This is my question too. What makes Prince worse than any other megalomaniacal overlord ruling this world? And what makes our band of mutineers suddenly moral even in theory? Haven’t they been working for the evil overlords to get rich and using many of the same tactics even when they momentarily weren’t working for the money harvesters? 
 I think that Prince catching them at it has to be giving Prince enough rope to hang himself and to feel secure. Otherwise they’re all just really moronic. I hope Phillip is a double agent. 

[S07.E09: Game Theory Optimal]

12 minutes ago, katenm said:

It would be interesting if it turns out the anti-Prince cabal hasn't fallen into his trap, but he has fallen into theirs. Now, I have not quite figured out how that would work but it would be fun. 

I am hoping Taylor has at least one big moment before the series ends. It feels like they have had not much to do this season, which is a pity.

I was hoping this too because otherwise our stalwart band of saviors are a bit idiotic. It’s disappointing. I’d also like to see a bit more of what makes Prince more evil and megalomaniacal than our average overlord. Seems that this goes into the good idea but poor execution box unless we get a big switch up. 

[S07.E08 The Owl]

Oiph this show, lol. It could be great but somehow misses by degrees. 
 
I love Wendy and Taylor working to take down Prince and hope both that Andy joins them and that we get more of the nuts and bolts of their machinations and Wendy’s intuition. If we got more depth of character and motivation, especially with our overlords and their megalomaniacal zeal to control everything? Be immortal? Remake human life to say they can? Even if the humanity reboot isn’t an improvement? I need to understand why these people are doing what they’re doing and I just don’t. Not with Axe either back in the beginning. 
 
I loved the call out to Bohemian Grove and yet again wished they’d given us more. The ritual at the end needed more. I’ve seen intriguing little internet snippets of the BG’s last night ritual and it looks like a genuine religious ritual. 
 
Re: The magic concrete. Is cracking the only thing that goes wrong with concrete? Doesn’t it also settle, crumble and turn to dust? I liked that they mentioned Roman concrete as part of the material inspiration. I believe that Roman concrete was mixed with seawater which might explain the bacteria that helped keep it strong. 
 
Honestly, I’ve had enough of the not subtle normalization of the paraphilias and perversions vis a vis Wags. I especially hated that Wags is turned into the victim. (Poor me, I feel unlovable so I have to degrade others in the most horrible ways imaginable, says Wags.) Please. And then to add insult to injury the girlfriend figures out a way to please him, egged on by a therapist no less, and Wags then complains that her degradation isn’t complete enough because she’s explained why she would be willing to do this out of love? I had a hard time believing that a woman would be running around convincing another woman to debase herself in ways most people wouldn’t even discuss. I’m starting to wonder who in the writers room has a full scale, diagnosable perversion. 

[S05.E07: A House Full of Extremely Lame Horses]

18 hours ago, Oosala said:

OK, I'm about 8 minutes into this episode and I HAD TO POST THIS.  Rose looks positively stunning while trying to turn on the stove to make tea.  The color coordination of her dress and her necklace is SPOT ON.  I want that necklace so much I'm going to throw up.

I’m going to rewatch anyway and I will take a closer look at the necklace. I’m a maker and now you’re making me wonder if I could reproduce it, lol. 
 
I loved Midge’s blue dress too, even though it was simpler than things she usually wears. I love things that show the whole line of the torso. These styles are great for petite women too, makes them look taller. 

17 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Whether it's cancer or heart disease, if Rose only has a "brief time...left," I just can't imagine her doing 197 takes. 
Or maybe it was a burst of adrenaline and life before dying? Is that a thing sometimes?

This is actually a thing. I’ve seen it happen more than once. The terminal person rallies to get their affairs in order, see everyone they want to see and sometimes heal old wounds and breaches with other people. Those watching can sometimes almost believe that this will be a permanent improvement. But it usually isn’t. 
 
Im surprised that Rose’s matchmaking business is a loser. Yes, by that time formal matchmaking was on the downturn, but dating services and matchmaking have always been a thing. This doesn’t track with the other matchmakers taking mafia level defensive measures when Rose came on the scene. You don’t roll out the big guns for someone who isn’t a threat. But okay. Midge is a good daughter. 
 
The Weissman’s helplessness is overdone. Especially in American society at everything except the very highest levels. Rose isn’t what passes in America for an aristocrat. Her family money is three generations old with her being the third generation. Plus it was lucky strike oil. Do you really think that grandmama didn’t know how to turn on the stove? Or would have allowed her progeny to be not just spoiled but beyond idiocy? Meh. 
 
I’ve never watched Gilmore Girls (I know, I know) but has anyone ever accused the Palladino’s of being ham-fisted and heavy handed when it comes to both melodrama and/or when they’re virtue signaling? And that they often accomplish the opposite of what they intended? 

[S05.E06: The Testi-Roastial]

17 hours ago, bybrandy said:

No, Suzie didn't get Joel thrown in jail.   Joel got Joel got thrown in jail.   Joel made the decision to save Midge 30% and get her out of the mob by going harder with the mob than Midge ever would have been.  He made that choice on his own for whatever reason but he went looking for that choice.  He decided he needed to act on his own and he acted on his own.  

And he didn't tell Midge that Suzie was in over her head.   And he didn't tell Midge what he'd done previously for Suzie.  He let Midge believe things that weren't true.  And suddenly he's a good guy but he's as much the reason as Suzie is booking Midge in Vegas to pay off debts as Suzie is because Joel has information he doesn't think Midge needs to know.   He let Midge get used by Suzie for DECADES after he stepped in with the mob.   And you can't say he didn't know about Suzie's issues because he does.  He's stepped in there before.

I don't know while all of a sudden Joel is this hero because he made a stupid self sacrifice for stupid reasons but didn't tell Midge the things she needed to know.   I'm pretty sure ASP wants us to think this is a hero move from Joel too but it's not.  It's stupidity guised as selflessness.  If he is all in for Midge then he goes to her and gives her all the information and they work out a plan together instead he does it all by himselfe, Midge is still in the dark about Suzie's problems and Joel now in trouble too.  

And as much as Suzie used Midge, Suzie is going to get that guy fired to get the policy change that gets Midge on the show for her big break.   Suzie has to pivot every time Midge blows up her career and find new pathways for her and Midge blows up her career n the regular.   Talent and management is a parasitic relationshiip on both sides.  Midge gets to be pissed but when she dumps Suzie she's not booking Ceaser's she's booking QVC and Kansas.   

 

I’ve been thinking of Joel as a hero, but I did privately wonder why Joel didn’t talk to Midge about what was really going on because by not doing so he left Midge not only ignorant but vulnerable for years. All the time getting in deeper and deeper financially and emotionally. The only reason I can see is that Midge would quite rightly object to Joel committing crimes and being in so deep. If Joel had been honest they might have been able to affect Susie’s situation too. I fear though that someone would have had to be sacrificed because those mob guys never let go. But still, Midge reading all of this in a letter, in real time, while the father of her children is arrested before her very eyes explains why she was so furious. Midge had to be the one to reach out because she is the absolutely wronged party in all of this. One last thought about why Joel wouldn’t tell Midge the truth is that Midge would have wanted everyone to be free of mafia entanglements and Joel had done the math and knew that wasn’t an option. Midge has never really experienced something tragic and unjust that can’t be changed. Her reaction to insist that everything go her way might well have gotten some or all of them killed. 
 
Lenny, ah Lenny. You make my heart go pitterpat and make me remember the true magic that can exist between men and women. The reminder is like rain in a desert. 
 
I think that in one of the flash forwards we will get a response from Midge in some interview that asks about Lenny. Then we will get a flashback in the flash forward that shows us what really happened. That’s how we will see Lenny one last time. At least I ardently hope so. 

[S05.E05: The Pirate Queen]

8 hours ago, qtpye said:

 

Is it weird to people that this show seems to be getting absolutely no buzz when it came out of the gate so strong?

I never thought I would love Joel's parents and detest Midge's family that first season.

I think that’s because Joel’s parents are genuine and sincere when you strip away the over the top tacky nouveau gloss the writing has slathered over them. Joel learned to be a mensch from his father. The man who made sure that Abe and Rose weren’t homeless, who made sure Midge and the kids had the apartment, who rescued people from Nazi Germany even though he had not the first clue how to go about it.
 
The only sincere kind thing we’ve seen from the Weissman’s was Abe writing Moishe’s obituary. Which said he was a mensch. I’m not saying the Weissman’s are terrible people but where the rubber meets the road you can see that Maisel family is stronger on active love and kindness. 

[S05.E06: The Testi-Roastial]

1 minute ago, wmdekooning said:

See, I have to say I pretty much always liked Joel (Cheating on Midge aside, but without we’d have no show).

Lacking much of a backstory, I think of him as being a tough guy, he’s taken at least two beatdowns I can recall, and that he was willing to be owned by the mob and was a stand up guy when he got pinched, what can you say?

Mazel tov Joel, you’re a real mensch.

So Susie became a show biz baddie. My thoughts are that when the truth came out, Midge called her out and they parted ways, that’s when Susie broke bad. Perhaps when she takes up Midge’s offer to meet she will return to the Susie we remember best…

 

I’ve always been with the family court judge, they should have worked things out. But Midge might not have been Mrs. Maisel had they done that, but then again… And this episode we hear Midge saying she’s still in love with Joel. While leaving Philip Roth at the altar. I had trouble picturing Midge and Philip Roth together, but okay. I did love Midge’s wedding suit. Very Bianca Jagger. 

I agree completely that Joel has quietly and consistently been a mensch to everyone. I’m not surprised that he protected Archie. I’m not surprised that he and Midge are in some ways still spousal. I’m not surprised that Joel was willing to quietly sacrifice so much to see that Midge wasn’t owned. 

[S05.E06: The Testi-Roastial]

Am I the only one who feels like they just assassinated Susie’s character? I don’t mean the roast either. I watched this episode avidly; it was a tight episode in terms of structure and gave us answers to the coy teases of the flash forwards, but they turned Susie into a horrible person. Vulgar, selfish, greedy and ruthless. I’ve never viewed Susie that way. Yes, she was quirky and foul mouthed, yes she wanted to succeed, but she also genuinely wanted her clients to succeed and her good heart was always apparent. The only time they showed the Susie we’ve come to know in this episode was when her mentor was dying. 
 
If I was Midge and those were the circumstances, I would have been furious too. Joel certainly ended up neck deep in things. The money laundering makes sense. Nightclubs are a great business to do the laundry, especially back in the day when they were overwhelmingly cash businesses. But I still hate how they took a truly original character and turned her into a heartless Hollywood shark. 
 
PS - Chava is beyond frightening. 

[Britannia - General Discussion]

I just read that there will be no Season 4 for this incredibly creative and original show. While I could have done without the cannibalism of Season 3, I would have loved more of this show. It’s rare to get something with very little inspiration from other works. Even with The Mists of Avalon, Vikings and The Last Kingdom all dealing in different ways with the same roughly 500 year period, Britannia stood out to me as stunningly different. 
 
The costumes and the visuals were incredible. The fact that we were never entirely sure whether we were seeing a closer spiritual reality or whether everyone was whacked on religion and psychedelics kept the question of dualism in the viewers mind without ever fully answering. I will rewatch this at some point, so farewell to a truly interesting series. 

[S05.E05: The Pirate Queen]

On 4/29/2023 at 12:24 AM, Sarah 103 said:

I have a question about this, and I realize I may be overthinking it. In New York at this time, I'm pretty sure there was a law that someone had to be wearing at least three peices of clothing appropriate for thier biological sex. Was this law only enforced when it could be tacked onto something else (a raid at a gay bar, being involved in a routine traffic stop that somehow goes horribly wrong, or something else?) 

I like that they seem to have accepted her. She has a good relationship with them and I hope to see it continue. 

Why would her income need to be laundered? Being a comedian is legal. She can honestly say she makes $X a year, pay taxes on it, and it's all good. I don't think she owns or has an ownership stake in the stripclub. The money she makes there could be counted as regular income (she could treat it for tax purposes the same as any other paying gig). 

I loved the way the thing with the jacket on the ship escalated into hilarious and insane charges against her. Gordon's a great guy, but it felt wrong seeing her at the City Spoon. Joel is supposed to be the one across the table from her there.

Are Joel and Midge going to be like Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor? Joel loves her, he cares about her, and there is still some attraction between them. 

I hope we find out what Joel went to prison for before the end of the season/series. 

 

Midge’s money wouldn’t have to be laundered, but the mob guys said they were getting ten percent of Midge and ten percent of Susie, which to me means all of Susie’s clients. Explaining where that much money went and possibly why they weren’t paying taxes on kickbacks to the mob might be part of the issue. There would almost have to be some creative bookkeeping going on. 
 
I agree that Midge and Gordon were out of context in Midge and Joel’s special diner, it was jarring. But I still liked their scene together and loved Midge explaining the actual conditions of women’s lives to him. Because she would be the girl who slept with Gordon. If there were consequences to bear, she would bear them. This hasn’t really changed, imo. Even now, it’s usually not the male half of the office romance who finds themselves clutching a pink slip. It isn’t the philandering husband who gets called a home wrecker. Midge is smart not to go for that poisoned (but very handsome and charming) bait. 
 
I love that Joel still cares about Midge and that he’s worrying about the mob guys. His worries are justified. Whatever Joel is in prison for, I think the seeds of it are here if not the actual crime. 
 
Piracy! I love it. It’s the kind of throw the book at them charge that would be dropped during negotiation. Thought to be considered international waters I think it is either one or two miles offshore. Certainly not so close that you can practically touch the lights of Manhattan.
 
And good for Midge for defending the waitress. I waited tables when I was young. Too many people treat you like you’re a prostitute who happens to be carrying food. And sometimes the women who are higher up the food chain treat you like you’re invisible when these things happen for fear of losing what little safety and status they have. 
 
PS - I thought the jacket ended up in the water accidentally on purpose. Whoopsie. 

[S05.E04: Susan]

7 hours ago, janie jones said:

That was my first thought, too, but what reason do Mei's parents have to help him now?

Well, he is still their tenant. And their daughter did just break his heart. Joel’s clearly gutted by that. Of course they feel bad for him. It couldn’t be helped, but it is hurting Joel. Not saying they aren’t completely loyal to their daughter but there would be an element of “oh you poor bastard” when it comes to Joel. Then there was Chekhov’s mob guys last season who were genuinely afraid of Mei’s family and their associates. That’s how they will save Susie and Midge. Though I wish Midge had behaved better at the show. Sometimes you need to play the long game. Especially if there’s even an outside possibility of being buried in New Jersey marshland. 

[S05.E04: Susan]

On 4/21/2023 at 1:04 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

I want Nina Arianda’s coat. 

Interesting reveal about Susie’s past finally, and now we know what caught her eye in that photo, but really wouldn’t she have already known who Gordon Ford’s wife was?  He’s so famous. 

We did get a clue in Susie’s line about “wives who shouldn’t be wives”, so I was wondering. Visually the show presents Susie as a slightly gender non-conforming lesbian but we’ve never seen her involved with anyone. A heart beyond shattered makes sense to me with Susie.
 
And yeah, this means that Gordon might not just be shoveling the usual nonsense of married men looking to play away from home. I thought Midge and Gordon had chemistry. Not like Lenny, but chemistry. 

12 hours ago, Francie said:

Man, Alex Bortsein got to me. What a performance at the end there. I felt her heartbreak, hard.

I've been waiting for the shoe to drop with Nicky and Frank, and I'm glad it's happening early enough on this season. I've dreaded seeing how bad they could be, because I didn't want darkness this season to ruin re-watches of earlier seasons. I need Joel to figure out what's going on and call in some chips with Mei's family. I really want to see Mei again, too. 

I’m wondering if Joel might bail them out via Mei’s parents too. Joel already quietly bailed Susie and Midge out when Susie gambled Midge’s Shay Baldwin money away. In some ways I’m with the family court judge who suggested that Midge and Joel shouldn’t divorce. Maybe they should have come to some sort of arrangement themselves. 

38 minutes ago, Francie said:

Susie mentioned once, under her breath, having gone to law school. 

She's a rare individual who grew up in very modest circumstances,  had street smarts and was on her own since she was young, and then went to college. And learned to ice skate. And play classical piano. The woman has talents and depths. 

It seems like Susie reinvented herself as a more polished Susan in college. But somehow she got knocked down and retreated back to her Susie roots. Whether it was the heartbreak or something more, maybe we'll find out. 

 

The more I watch, the more I adore Susie. She reminds me of so many scrappy, resourceful, resilient and brilliant women who never really get the credit they deserve for bravery and endurance let alone anything else. In the characterization of Susie, for whatever reasons, the Palladinos have held back a little and Susie feels more like a character instead of a caricature than any other player on the show. 

[S05.E03: Typos and Torsos]

On 4/16/2023 at 8:11 AM, Cramps said:

I normally don’t care for Joel’s parents, but I was howling at their interruptions during Midge’s attempted act. And thought their bit in bed at the end was very sweet. 

So far I like the future-based framing devices.  Unfortunately for them, Hacks got there first. Much of Midge’s career has mirrored Joan Rivers, so seeing her end up a success is not a surprise.

I felt like the airport scene in ep 1 will be the last time we see Lenny. Which would be a shame. Luke is magical.

Lenny is magical and I’m definitely on board the “wow, he’s so handsome and charismatic” train that other posters are riding. Imagine what flirting with him must be like, even as banter and acting. Swoon. 
 
I really hope that isn’t the final scene with Lenny, that we didn’t say goodbye to him in an airport hallway and send him off into tragedy. At the very least I hope we get a glimpse of Midge’s regret and grief for a fallen friend. 

On 4/18/2023 at 8:28 AM, shapeshifter said:

I rarely laugh at jokes in any context, but I am amused at least half the time.
In addition to being present in the room to get the group effect of any contagious amusement, any comic's jokes are funnier at the moment they are told, with few exceptions, due to current events and norms, and sometimes geographic differences.

But I wonder if the Paladinos think Midge's jokes are funny to us, the Prime viewing audience?

I’m the same way. It’s rare that I guffaw, but I often find things funny. This show though? No, that isn’t why I watch it. I find the writing for Joel’s parents a mean spirited portrayal and Rose and Abe not much better. I don’t like comedy that relies on cruelty. 
 
At this point I’m watching just as much for Susie as for Midge. I’ve been rewatching a bit while waiting for other episodes to drop and I’m liking Susie more and more. I hope we get to see more of her journey to success. 

[S01.E06: Track 6: Whatever Gets You Thru The Night]

On 3/24/2023 at 12:17 PM, millennium said:

I love this reference, lol.  I actually have one of those Stillwater t-shirts.

The show is 100% character-driven.   The story is soooo formulaic.  The thing is, it seems like there are only two or three real characters.   The rest are props. 

I just ordered the book because I figure there has to be more to this thing.   I doubt the book would have gotten such rave reviews if it consists of only the pap we're seeing onscreen. 

I mean, it's watchable.   It passes the time.  But it's not exactly compelling.

I find myself wondering if Daisy smells.   She's an addict, an alcoholic, a chain smoker and from the look of things hygiene isn't a priority.

You just made my day! I was waiting for someone to get the allusion. I figured there would be a lot of people watching this who saw Almost Famous. 
 Don’t count on the book being a lot more compelling. Somehow it just isn’t. I actively disliked it the first time through and read I again because of the show. It was better the second time through but not a ton. It still reads like a combination of sixties and seventies rock cliches and someone writing a report on the classic rock era. None of the characters read as real people. Though in these last episodes, they do start selling me Billie and Daisy as in love. 

On 3/24/2023 at 1:48 PM, Haleth said:

I’m on the final episode and I still can’t tell you which guy is Graham and which is Eddie and which one of them is Billy’s brother. 

Well, Graham is Billy’s brother if that helps. But your point is well taken, the secondary characters are flat to say the least. 

[Mayfair Witches: The Books]

On 2/6/2023 at 7:40 AM, Ohiopirate02 said:

If the show keeps to the books, that was not Lasher possessing the random guest at Courtland's party.  It was Uncle Courtland.  I get the feeling that the show is giving Courtland the powers shown in the book that his father Julien had.  Julien could change his appearance, and delighted in it.  Julien was to put it mildly a manwhore who had a mission to impregnate as many women as possible during his long life while also being bisexual.  In the books, Julien is one of Michael's great-grandfathers, and one of Rowan's two.  Uncle Courtland is Rowan's father, grandfather, and her other great-grandfather.  Lasher is fine with all of this as long as Julien's and then Courtland's agendas match his own because in this world multiple generations of inbreeding results in creating a very powerful witch in Rowan instead of King Carlos II of Spain.

Thank you for working out the multiple  degrees of relation that happen when multiple generations commit incest. I’ve read the Mayfair history set piece several times and love it, but I’ve always shied away from figuring out just how many multiples there are in this family. This will help my next reread some years down the line. 

On 2/14/2023 at 10:14 AM, Ohiopirate02 said:

I got the feeling that the show has decided to combine some of the various storylines from each generation into very specific ones while still keeping it to 12 witches before Rowan.  I think the show is combining Suzanne and Deborah into one person and we will see Suzanne flee the Scottish village and meet up with the show's version of Peter.  She will still have Deborah, and Deborah will do her thing in France, followed by her daughter in Haiti. Which will probably make the show's version of Peter Deborah's father and the father of Charlotte. I think this has to do with the show trying to reconcile the 40 year gap between book Rowan and show Rowan.  

I wish the show runners had kept the 90s time period for Rowan. This is after all a fantasy universe. I’m sure the thinking was that the 18 to 35 demographic couldn’t cope if the main storyline wasn’t absolutely contemporary, but I’m thinking their efforts would have been better spent on a coherent storyline. 

On 2/14/2023 at 7:46 PM, Art Of Noiz said:

I have been so disappointed in the series, I ordered the books to reread. Im reading Lasher now, so this is fairly fresh. 

Angelique had Remy, Katherine and Julien. Katherine wasn't a strong witch, but Julien was. J let Lasher work through him, and  impregnated her. His daughter was Mary Beth. Julien impregnated his daughter, who had Stella. He impregnated his gdaughter, who had Antha. Julien's son Cortland did Antha, (technically his sister), then through her, sired  Deirde. Cortland raped Deirde, who had Rowan.

Julien raped Sister Bridget. The Michael line comes from her.  

Thank you as well for helping sort out the genealogy. What a tangled web incest weaves. Talk about wishful thinking. Lasher was more than lucky that thirteen generations of incest produced Rowan instead of dying out generations before as the recessives gave people mental and physical congenital deformities. 
 
The only other time I’ve seen such wishful thinking in an author was George RR Martin and his super tough army of castrati. Because that isn’t what happens when you castrate men. Worse Martin knew it as evidenced by the characters of Theon and Varys. 

[Lyrics and stuff: Book Talk]

4 minutes ago, lasu said:

I have weirdly decided this isn't actually a good book.  Anyone I know who has read it with their eyeballs has not liked it.  The ONLY people I know who genuinely enjoyed it have been those who did the audiobook version, and I just think the voice actors elevated the actual material.  I've read a couple of TJR's other books, and I've strongly disliked them.  I suspect if I had read the print version, I may have disliked it as well.

I still think the audio version is fantastic.  The show is a bit of a disappointment, as I've found the deviations from the book to be odd.

I read it with my actual eyeballs, lol. I’ve also toyed over the years with an idea for a Hollywood novel that was a combination of straight narrative and created documents. It was really a disappointment when this book was such a disappointment. 
 
To be fair, the only other Reid novel I’ve read was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I liked that while I was reading it. 

[S01.E08: Track 8: Looks Like We Made It]

9 hours ago, grawlix said:

 

I think Camilla suffers from the sunken cost fallacy.  She has  invested so much into her relationship with Billy that she can't just give up on him for the sake of their daughter.  …

At that point in time, Camilla photography is more like a hobby than a profession.  She doesn't have the reputation to merit the responsibility of an album photo shoot.   The band doesn't have enough clout with the publisher to request Camille be in charge of the photo shoot.  How they manage to get two buses for the tour seems like pure fiction to me. 

Oh that sunken cost fallacy has brought many people to grief over the years. One of my grandfather’s favorite aphorisms was “Don’t throw good money after bad.” He didn’t just mean money either the way he used the quotation. The idea that things just have to work out/pay off if only you just persevere is a common slow poison. 
 
As for the photography, everyone needs a first break. The show has talked about Camille having photography gigs here and there. The idea of trying to at least suggest her for the album cover or get her there so she could assist and learn from the principal photographer for a credit doesn’t seem so crazy to me. Especially for a band that has recently gotten breaks they needed. 
 
While I like Camille better than Billy or Daisy, she is written as a bit of a trope. The rock or artist wife attracted by talent but with none of her own. In reality, talented and creative people like to be around other talented and creative people. 
 
The show goes down easily enough when I’m watching, as is the reread of the book so far but when I think about it a lot of things just fall flat. 

[S02.E01: Welcome to New York]

On 3/17/2023 at 8:31 AM, dubbel zout said:

How, exactly? By dating instead of cheating? 

I'm hate-watching this show, and it's pretty satisfying on that level for me. I'll probably watch the rest of it to see how ridiculous it gets, but it's not the boundary-pushing show it thinks it is.

This show thinks it’s pushing boundaries? It’s one long ridiculous cliche fest and while the first season was fun to hate, this season is beyond boring.