S01.E02: Missed Connections

[Guest]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

So the bar was financed with money from Grey's past criminal life? That sounds like more than a little car theft. And if the scary Frank was supposedly not ever expected to get out of lock up, that also sounds like something much worse than stealing.

Frank is the guy collecting the money but it belongs to Kane. Kane is the one in for life. 

[Clanstarling]

On 10/2/2019 at 8:10 PM, Amethyst said:

Even if it was $1000, the whole plan with tracking down Katrina was skeevy.   The whole plot felt ham-fisted. 

My initial reaction was the same, but after Dex set the terms that if the woman didn't want to re-connect, then she wouldn't tell him how to find her and would still get the payment, I was satisfied. Huh, this was a minor plot on Veronica Mars, come to think of it - with the same terms.

On 10/3/2019 at 2:50 AM, Dani said:

Donna Summer’s Last Dance, The Pretenders’ Brass in Pocket, Captain and Tennille’s Love Will Keep Us Together and Hall and Oates’ Private Eyes. There were at least two others that I didn’t recognize which weren’t part of the mixtape. 

I could have done with the Captain and Tennile - but it was spot on thematically, as were all of the songs. I really love the way they're using them, the cassette deck in particular.
 

On 10/3/2019 at 9:09 AM, saber5055 said:

Since I was mostly listening instead of watching, I was pretty shocked when Dex told someone to "take care of Asshole."

Axel isn't an easy word to pronounce, I guess.

I heard "asshole" too - the name Ansel works just as well toward that mis-heard word as Axel does. So for a second, I just thought it was an affectionate nickname. Harsh, but affectionate.

On 10/4/2019 at 11:21 AM, Mars477 said:

They take care to show the guy’s gold tooth so it’s pretty clear that it’s Grey’s partner in crime and not the rich guy (who looks nothing like him).

For a hot second, I thought David Tennant was doing a guest spot. Instead it was Jay Duplass, who bears a fair resemblance when bearded. So I was a touch disappointed.

On 10/4/2019 at 12:46 PM, martha21 said:

I have very poor facial recognition. No excuse for not recognizing the gold tooth. In any case, one of the things I appreciate about this forum is finding out these details after the fact. Whenever there's a facial reveal on TV I have a hard time, especially in mysteries. The payoff never happens for me because I'm sitting there thinking 'who is that?'. I wish they'd always include names, but realize I'm in the minority with this issue.

Unless there's something pretty unique about an actor's face - or I know them well - I often have the same issue. Particularly with pretty blonds, for some reason. There are a few actors who are highly popular and well known who I never recognize, even though I've seen them often.

Edited October 6, 2019 by Clanstarling

[bamlou]

I'm surprised that there seems to be a mixed/soft reaction to this second episode based on the comments in this thread - I thought it was much stronger than the pilot, and it gave me a much better sense of what this show wants to be.

I found that first episode overly busy setting up the premise and characters and I got a little lost in the kidnapping plot so kinda mentally checked out halfway through that first ep. Glad I gave it a second episode because I found this week's case much more intriguing and made more sense so it was easier to follow.

I agree with those saying it's good they've established Dex and Grey's history, and I also really liked how they're setting up Grey to have his own backstory and problems to deal with, rather than merely being the sidekick best friend (which is how I took his role to be based on the pilot).

And I'm glad that Dex is being called out by the police for being way over her head. Dex has good instincts but still fallible. She's not some superstar PI who's better than the police, instead she's still learning how to navigate this newfound PI work, still needs to work towards a PI license, and is slowly building a relationship with the police, all of which are good building blocks for the show and gives Dex an arc that I'm now interested to follow.

[TiredMe]

I think this episode was much better. Less cheesy unrealistic stuff that the first episode was full of. I only tuned in for Cobie and she doesn’t disappoint for sure. I’m keeping it on my recording list. 

[Neurochick]

On 10/3/2019 at 2:36 PM, mommalib said:

I'm not looking forward to this love triangle because as usual I think the black guy is gonna get the short end of the stick. It looks like they are already setting Gray up as her true love and I get the feeling that Ealy's character is gonna be underdeveloped and repressed. And that's pretty much par for the course for a lot of black male characters.

I don't think that either guy will be Dex's true love.  Maybe her true love will be a woman.

[stealinghome]

11 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

I don't think that either guy will be Dex's true love.  Maybe her true love will be a woman.

Maybe Camryn Mannheim's character will end up being the OTP!

[TigerLynx]

I'm watching for Cobie and Camryn.  Why does Dex have to have a OTP?  Maybe she prefers playing the field because having a steady significant other can be a royal pain in the ass.

[Clanstarling]

9 minutes ago, TigerLynx said:

I'm watching for Cobie and Camryn.  Why does Dex have to have a OTP?  Maybe she prefers playing the field because having a steady significant other can be a royal pain in the ass.

Yeah, unless there's a relationship from the get-go, I don't tend to spend much time speculating about romantic relationships. I want to get to know the characters first.  I've barely gotten to know these characters, and it doesn't seem like any of them should be involved in anything serious at this point.

Lots of people enjoy focusing on romantic pairings, and that's a valid choice. Just not mine.

[topanga]

7 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

My initial reaction was the same, but after Dex set the terms that if the woman didn't want to re-connect, then she wouldn't tell him how to find her and would still get the payment, I was satisfied. Huh, this was a minor plot on Veronica Mars, come to think of it - with the same terms

You’re right. And I think that’s why I like this show so far. Dex reminds me of a slightly less intelligent and introspective Veronica. But she’s still still instinctive and witty like our Marshmallow. 
 

On 10/3/2019 at 2:36 PM, mommalib said:

I'm not looking forward to this love triangle because as usual I think the black guy is gonna get the short end of the stick. It looks like they are already setting Gray up as her true love and I get the feeling that Ealy's character is gonna be underdeveloped and repressed. And that's pretty much par for the course for a lot of black male characters.

I’m still stuck on the fact that they hooked up in the first place. Dex wasn’t a suspect, but she was clearly a part of the investigation. Was it even ethical for him to sleep with her? That’s keeping me from getting on board with their romance.  
 

[mommalib]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

You’re right. And I think that’s why I like this show so far. Dex reminds me of a slightly less intelligent and introspective Veronica. But she’s still still instinctive and witty like our Marshmallow. 
 

I’m still stuck on the fact that they hooked up in the first place. Dex wasn’t a suspect, but she was clearly a part of the investigation. Was it even ethical for him to sleep with her? That’s keeping me from getting on board with their romance.  
 

Like you said she wasn't a suspect.

[Jennabelle88]

I'll be the unpopular one and admit that I'm rooting for Dex/Grey. Look, they've already slept together, so that's out of the way. They've been friends for six years now, so they're comfortable with each other and know each other by now. I'm married to my best friend! I wouldn't want it any other way. So do I root for her to end up with her bestie? Absolutely!

[Mars477]

1 hour ago, Jennabelle88 said:

I'll be the unpopular one and admit that I'm rooting for Dex/Grey. Look, they've already slept together, so that's out of the way. They've been friends for six years now, so they're comfortable with each other and know each other by now. I'm married to my best friend! I wouldn't want it any other way. So do I root for her to end up with her bestie? Absolutely!

I wouldn't hate it, but I think the show needs to spend some time expanding Hoffman's character and giving Michael Ealy more to work with before worrying about love interests.

[mandigirl]

As much as I loved seeing the Dex and Grey back story, it was mistake to devote so much narrative space, straight out the gate, to Dex's ships and triangles. (I don't believe this particular triangle is canon from the comic right?) IMO a show needs more foundation before going so deep into that territory.  

I personally like ships. But:

1. I think the way they are introducing Grey as a potential love interest is too soon and too fast. I would have been fine enjoying and getting used to their friend dynamic for a couple more episodes first. 

2. What they are setting up is not a ship, but a love triangle. And I have NEVERRR seen a network procedural do a love triangle in a satisfying way. Maybe others have, but I haven't seen it yet.

Love triangles are almost always a sloppy mess-- both in characterization and narrative. Immediately putting so much focus on a love triangle is foolhardy and is already pulling focus. They should use this time to develop the side characters and side plots (including with some of the potential baddies we saw in the pilot).  I'm rooting for this show, but pushing this love triangle so early has the potential to back fire. 

Edited October 8, 2019 by mandigirl

[Mars477]

14 minutes ago, mandigirl said:

As much as I loved seeing the Dex and Grey back story, it was mistake to devote so much narrative space, straight out the gate, to Dex's ships and triangles. (I don't believe this particular triangle is canon from the comic right?) IMO a show needs more foundation before going so deep into that territory.  

I personally like ships. But:

1. I think the way they are introducing Grey as a potential love interest is too soon and too fast. I would have been fine enjoying and getting used to their friend dynamic for a couple more episodes first. 

2. What they are setting up is not a ship, but a love triangle. And I have NEVERRR seen a network procedural do a love triangle in a satisfying way. Maybe others have, but I haven't seen it yet.

Technically not.  Comics Grey is pretty clearly in love with Dex, who doesn't seem to see him that way, while Detective Tracy Hoffman in the comics is a woman and Dex's teammate from her soccer team who she may or may not have been in a relationship with but she isn't hooking up with her the way Show Dex is hooking up with show Miles Hoffman.  (Also, Dex is already working as a PI when the comics begins.)

I thought that flipping the "Will Grey and Dex/won't they" on its head by revealing "They did" and rolling them back to being just friends was a good move, though.  I'm liking show Grey a lot better than Comics Grey, which is important given that this is a different medium where everyone's roles will probably be significantly expanded from the comics (which only have four arcs).  I also don't really see it as a love triangle per se, because everything we've seen about Dex suggests that she's not ready for a relationship period.

[leighdear]

I see the stuck mix tape like the "Room of Requirement" in Harry Potter.  It provides the appropriate music that's needed by whomever is in the car!  I think it's a hilarious and unique hook. 

I'm still on board, it's growing on me.  I don't know the comics, but I'm liking it more & more.  

[mandigirl]

On 10/7/2019 at 6:36 PM, Mars477 said:

I thought that flipping the "Will Grey and Dex/won't they" on its head by revealing "They did" and rolling them back to being just friends was a good move, though. 

Super helpful and explains the problem. The writers are very familiar with the comics and may have been trying to de-escalate the Grey/Dex UST like you suggested. But they were solving a problem from the comic.  From the pilot, we had no reason not to take the Dex/Grey friendship at face value. There wasn't any 'will there or won't there' yet.

The next few episodes will truly tell which way they are taking this story line. 

[Danielg342]

So much for Donal Logue being on this week. Welp.

For an episode about a con woman, I sure felt conned this week.

Ironic...and not cool.

That's a minor issue.

What really gets me is just how over the top this show is with its characters. They've all got 300 problems- lost lovers, drinking issues, commitment issues, money problems, trust issues, legal problems...

...and unpaid parking tickets.

(OK, that part was amusing)

That wasn't the worst of it. No, the key problem is that, for the second week in a row we had Dex carry the "Idiot Ball", diving in to things recklessly, carelessly and thoughtlessly, piling up problem upon problem on herself that she could have avoided if she just spent one second to think things through.

I mean, great that Dex has all this gusto...but when I'm starting to wonder how competent she really is that I wonder how she even gets her own clothes on...that's not a good sign.

I hate to say it, but it's hard to relate to someone when you think they're "too dumb to live". Dex's characterization really threatens to get down to that level.

There's "reckless" and then there's "stupid". The writers need to understand there's a difference.

What saved this episode for me is that Cobie Smulders really elevated it. She managed to give this episode soul and heart, bringing to life a character that's really cookie-cutter even by Hollywood's standards.

Dex is a screwup...a really bad screwup...but she means well and she really wishes she could stop being a screwup and have some degree of normalcy in her life, if it's even possible.

The ingredients are there to make a memorable, even a classic character- the writers just have to get there first.

[thatgirl-itsjess]

On ‎10‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 9:14 PM, Mecca said:

 I don't really have an affinity for these actors because I missed seeing their other big roles.  I didn't watch How I Met Your Mother and the only thing I saw the bartender guy in was Spiderman.   Having not seen much of her before I think CS is doing a pretty good job bringing the snark.  She has to make a generally unlikeable character likeable and so far I think she's straddling the line pretty well.

NEW GIRL. It's a great rewatch. Seasons 1-3 are good, Season 2 is great and the rest are good (especially to see Nick, Winston & Schmidt's progression). Jake Johnson also was bartender in New Girl, so the type casting here is interesting. His chemistry with Zooey Deschanel was always very good & I like seeing him in a similar friend/SO role.

The changes to Grey have been great so far & I hope it gives Jake Johnson some more dimension to work with.

HIMYM is fantastic. No one beats Robin Scherbatsky, if you want snark and being able to go toe to toe with NPH.

[Kroliosis]

On 10/4/2019 at 1:47 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Hey! They made Dex bi after all! Sweet.

Where was this?  Totally missed any gay/bi reference. 

[Anela]

2 hours ago, Kroliosis said:

Where was this?  Totally missed any gay/bi reference. 

I think she mentioned a woman she'd been involved with.

[Mars477]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

I think she mentioned a woman she'd been involved with.

Plus she gave the hot psycho con artist an eyeful at the apartment building.

[Mecca]

9 hours ago, thatgirl-itsjess said:

NEW GIRL. It's a great rewatch. Seasons 1-3 are good, Season 2 is great and the rest are good (especially to see Nick, Winston & Schmidt's progression). Jake Johnson also was bartender in New Girl, so the type casting here is interesting. His chemistry with Zooey Deschanel was always very good & I like seeing him in a similar friend/SO role.

HIMYM is fantastic. No one beats Robin Scherbatsky, if you want snark and being able to go toe to toe with NPH.

ah, New Girl.  I couldn't remember the name of the show he was on.  I like ZD's movies.  I'm not sure why I never got around to watching her show.  I think it's on Hulu or Netflix.  I'll have to make time to binge watch.

Whenever people mention bad final episodes, HIMYM is usually on the list.  I'm kind of reluctant to dive in at this point.  A really bad ending can ruin a great series. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

As much as I enjoy seeing recognizable guest stars, it definitely points to the characters they're playing so as soon as I saw Jay Duplass and Zosia Mamet, I knew they would be important to this episode's plot. I did like that when Dex agreed to track down the mystery woman, she made sure to tell the client that if she found the girl from the bar she would only put him in touch with her if she agreed to it first.

I liked the flashbacks of how Dex and Grey met, as well as why they decided to just be friends. And we got to see how she got the vomit colored car (and the accompanying mix tape!).

[chaifan]

I'm enjoying this show.  I tuned in for Colbie Smuthers, have liked her in HIMYM and Marvel.  I'm a bit tired of the police officer/detective/PI with the troubled past trope, but I appreciate the somewhat new twist on why Dex is such a mess. 

Like someone else said, it is a little unrealistic that Dex gets into all these fights and never has a bruise.  Reminds me of Alias in that way. 

My one quibble with this episode is that there is no way you find out a check bounced the same day you deposited it. 

[ctlady]

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 12:03 PM, chaifan said:

Like someone else said, it is a little unrealistic that Dex gets into all these fights and never has a bruise

For a woman who gets the crap kicked out of her 2-3 times an episode, can makeup please give her more realistic after-effects rather than just a split lip?  Oh...and not a hair out of place and still retaining it's curl?

I get it - she's former military, but she ain't made of steel.  All that being tossed around a room, slammed against walls, head butting with the hood of a car, plus numerous kicks and punches, she should be a black and blue mess walking hunched over while holding busted ribs.  Really - come on!  This is my biggest point of contention with any fight scene be it male or female.  Mr. Ctlady and I were watching this and remembering how much Kurt Weller on Blindspot gets beat up every episode and looks no worse for wear.

I agree with the poster up-thread that she's a bit of an idiot.  She's too reckless and acts mostly on the fly because she doesn't think things through.  She needs money right away so taking time for formulate any kind of a plan seems like a waste of time to her.  Her character reminds me of the female lead on Good Behavior (which I also stopped watching because - UGH, skinny tough women who can take on 4 men with guns) so I'm hoping I don't get aggravated and bail on this one because Mr. Ctlady and I are caught up with our favorite shows On Demand and need something new, but I'm not sure how this will pan out.

[Gothish520]

On 10/11/2019 at 11:31 AM, thatgirl-itsjess said:

NEW GIRL. It's a great rewatch. Seasons 1-3 are good, Season 2 is great and the rest are good (especially to see Nick, Winston & Schmidt's progression). Jake Johnson also was bartender in New Girl, so the type casting here is interesting. His chemistry with Zooey Deschanel was always very good & I like seeing him in a similar friend/SO role.

The changes to Grey have been great so far & I hope it gives Jake Johnson some more dimension to work with.

HIMYM is fantastic. No one beats Robin Scherbatsky, if you want snark and being able to go toe to toe with NPH.

On 10/11/2019 at 8:51 PM, Mecca said:

ah, New Girl.  I couldn't remember the name of the show he was on.  I like ZD's movies.  I'm not sure why I never got around to watching her show.  I think it's on Hulu or Netflix.  I'll have to make time to binge watch.

Whenever people mention bad final episodes, HIMYM is usually on the list.  I'm kind of reluctant to dive in at this point.  A really bad ending can ruin a great series. 

HIMYM has its moments both good and bad, but New Girl is awesome. Definitely binge-worthy. 

I like Cobie here more than in HIMYM simply because Robin was often presented as the coolest but she was mostly a hot mess. 

I have watched New Girl three times and am always thinking of binging it again. I've only seen HIMYM once but I would still watch it again with someone else if they were so inclined. Like I said, it had its good moments.

[cleo]

The ending of HIMYM ruined the show for me. But Robin was a good character, the early seasons are good.

On topic- i hate the tape deck and music. Glad it was less prominent. It's not an issue with the songs, it' something about how they're used here.

[saber5055]

I watched the rerun of this episode last night after only partly watching the first time, and caught a lot more and, frankly, enjoyed it. The flipping the live scenes into comic graphics before each break seems to have been dropped in later eps. I also caught Dex saying her former squeeze was female, so her hooking up with that (gross) rock star later should come as no surprise.

I liked getting to know how Dex and Grey got together, didn't mind they were a one nighter. I don't see any love triangle coming, for which I'm grateful. Not everyone on tv needs to hook up. I hope it stays that way.

Ansel was also cool in his scenes with the Gold Tooth guy, and this time I looked for the gold tooth in the dead body at the end whereas first time I had to find out here who he was. It was a good setup for episodes to come.

I don't remember if Dex ever got her thousand bucks though. And yeah, I figure the con woman skated free with the best set up rich guy ever. She ended up being the winner of this episode.

And Cameron tells Dex to get her PI license. Alrighty then!

[SnarkyMcSnarkerson]

On 10/8/2019 at 10:02 AM, leighdear said:

I see the stuck mix tape like the "Room of Requirement" in Harry Potter.  It provides the appropriate music that's needed by whomever is in the car!  I think it's a hilarious and unique hook. 

I'm still on board, it's growing on me.  I don't know the comics, but I'm liking it more & more.  

It reminds me of the radio in Bumblebee in the Transformers movies, which I also love, so I'm a fan too!

[Prower]

Guess I was wrong, the tape did come with the car.