S01.E07: Welcome Back

[Guest]

Airs December 8, 2019

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Eve celebrates a life-changing decision; Brendan has an epiphany about college; Sanjay does a good deed.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Lol, Amanda is not slick. I think she planned from the get-go to start a three-way with Eve and Julian. She just needed to get them both tipsy enough. This was not her first time at the rodeo. 😮

When your kid comes home from school early and catches you naked in the afterglow of an orgy. And oh look, there's the guy he bullied in high school. Small world.

So was Brendan basically acknowledging to Julian that Julian had achieved payback by screwing Eve? (Not that that was Julian's intention but Brendan would likely see it that way.)

But how was that the finale? They can't leave everything hanging like this! There has to be another season!

[Harvey]

That scene when Brendan was trying to apologize and his roommate sent him away was painful to watch.  And also when that guy found him naked in the shower, crying.

Edited December 9, 2019 by Harvey

[AnimeMania]

If there is another season of Mrs. Fletcher, can the show still be called Mrs. Fletcher since she changed her name.

If you don't want to read the book, but want to know what happens after this point is the story, this article has horrific spoilers.

Let Kathryn Hahn and Tom Perrotta Make More ‘Mrs. Fletcher,’ Damn It

I read the article because it mentioned a Season 2, but so far, the people who make the show want to do it, but HBO hasn't committed yet.

I really liked this episode, it is what I hoped the entire series would have been like, realish looking people exploring realish flawed sex and fetishes with all of it's baggage. All the I would have been happier if they would have condensed the non-sex and non-Mrs. Fletcher story lines to increase the sexual content to make content that people normally think of as shown on HBO.

Some things that may or may not have significance if there is a Season 2 (I wouldn't mind seeing this)

I would like to see Chloe's life get ruined for the what she did to Brendan. Brendan told Sanjay (guy who drove him home) that Chloe punched Brendan in the balls. I would like to see the college focus on Chloe's assault on Brendan, rather than Brendan's insensitive behavior. Brendan didn't do anything right, but he also didn't do anything wrong. (How could Brendan know that Chloe was having trouble breathing since none of the other women he saw do the same act complained and he has never been in that situation himself). I would be great television to see Brendan come back to college as a hero and Chloe vilified. Chloe drops out college and Brendan is given a tutor and a little more time to get his bad grades up.

I would like to see a Julian, Brendan confrontation at some point.

I would like to see how a man dates (learns how to navigate the differences with) a transgender woman.

If you are going to explore characters that are not Mrs. Fletcher. Make the interactions more of a sexual nature.

[Tryangle]

Wow, I saw it coming but that was some sexy stuff there.

[Harvey]

This might be a little out there, but....when Brandon said: "There is always 1 asshole..."

Did he refer to himself? 🧐

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, AnimeMania said:

I would like to see Chloe's life get ruined for the what she did to Brendan. Brendan told Sanjay (guy who drove him home) that Chloe punched Brendan in the balls. I would like to see the college focus on Chloe's assault on Brendan, rather than Brendan's insensitive behavior. Brendan didn't do anything right, but he also didn't do anything wrong. (How could Brendan know that Chloe was having trouble breathing since none of the other women he saw do the same act complained and he has never been in that situation himself). I would be great television to see Brendan come back to college as a hero and Chloe vilified. Chloe drops out college and Brendan is given a tutor and a little more time to get his bad grades up.

This would have the internet in FLAMES, not to mention various groups on this fictional campus. A girl defends herself because she's choking during what she perceives as, as best, a sexual encounter gone wrong and SHE gets expelled ... not a good look.

And why should Brendan be given a tutor? What stopped him from finding one when he was failing, or just doing the work in the first place (did we ever see him study)? Why should he get "more time" than anyone else? Brendan's whole arc has been him discovering that he's actually not that special; I think it would be a huge regression to have him get any kind of special treatment. He fucked up. That has consequences. He needs to face them.

A huge part of young adulthood is learning how to manage your life. Brendan wasn't ready to do that and it's not really a school's job to manage your shit. (Though I do think if he drops out, Eve should require him to work and pay rent - he's not the kind of kid who takes initiative on his own, as we've seen.)

I bet $5 Ted cheats on wife #2. He clearly does not want a third child. (I actually don't blame him, given his age* and the needs of his second child.) We don't know the circumstances of his infidelity during his marriage to Eve, but Ted strikes me as a "bail when things get tough" kind of guy. 

*I know men have babies in their 40s and beyond, but that doesn't mean everyone wants to. 

I wondered if Julian was thinking "HA! I fucked your mom" when he walked by Brendan. I totally would be, in his position.

[Joimiaroxeu]

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I would like to see Chloe's life get ruined for the what she did to Brendan. Brendan told Sanjay (guy who drove him home) that Chloe punched Brendan in the balls. I would like to see the college focus on Chloe's assault on Brendan, rather than Brendan's insensitive behavior

I don't agree with this, at least not the part downplaying Brendan's "insensitive behavior." I think he assaulted Chloe too, from the point where he knew she was gagging and unable to breathe, and was trying to push him away. He's going to have to learn the hard way that what he got away with in high school probably isn't going to fly in the real world with women who have more ambition than to be just some guy's jump-off.

It's been interesting to see how sheltered Brandon's been and how that's largely why he's having such a hard time fitting in at college.

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I wondered if Julian was thinking "HA! I fucked your mom" when he walked by Brendan.

Julian doesn't strike me as the type of guy who'd have that kind of attitude. I don't think he was ashamed of what he did but I don't think he felt like a score had been settled either. He just had a crush on Eve and it blew up in the worst possible way short of his own mother walking in on that scene. I do think however that Brendan saw as it payback.

[AnimeMania]

14 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

I don't agree with this, at least not the part downplaying Brendan's "insensitive behavior." I think he assaulted Chloe too, from the point where he knew she was gagging and unable to breathe, and was trying to push him away. He's going to have to learn the hard way that what he got away with in high school probably isn't going to fly in the real world with women who have more ambition than to be just some guy's jump-off.

There are going to be people that take Chloe's side and there are going to be people who take Brendan's side since he did stop when he realized that Chloe wanted him to stop and he did try to apologize for what occurred. Men feel that in the #METOO era, they are always going to be portrayed as the villains no matter what the situation is. I was pointing out a scenario where Brendan might fail forward which is always an interesting tactic for major characters in TV shows. I would not be mad if this happened since the male college administration probably wouldn't want women to complaint to much about how they are being treated sexually on campus. That would be a very difficult discussion to have, better to bury it.

[VagueDisclaimer]

3 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

There are going to be people that take Chloe's side and there are going to be people who take Brendan's side since he did stop when he realized that Chloe wanted him to stop and he did try to apologize for what occurred. 

No, he only stopped when she punched him. He was completely unaware and uncaring about what he was doing and that there was another person involved in the act. He was focused only on getting to where he was going and didn’t care until he was forced off her. It doesn’t matter how other women acted in the past or how it’s portrayed as porn, every person is different and if Brendan cared to check in at all, he could’ve seen Chloe was choking/gagging and wanted him to stop forcing her head down. She should’ve used her teeth. 

3 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Men feel that in the #METOO era, they are always going to be portrayed as the villains no matter what the situation is. I was pointing out a scenario where Brendan might fail forward which is always an interesting tactic for major characters in TV shows. I would not be mad if this happened since the male college administration probably wouldn't want women to complaint to much about how they are being treated sexually on campus. That would be a very difficult discussion to have, better to bury it.

Lol this isn’t about vilifying anyone and neither is the #MeToo movement. Men acting as if it’s women out to get them, maybe ought to examine their actions as to why they feel preemptively guilty. In this specific case, I doubt Chloe would bring any charges and if Brendan brought any in regards to Chloe’s defensive move, then Brendan would find campus life even less welcoming. The point of this story was for a a dude who got away with acting the douche in HS, realizing that acting the same way in college would get him nowhere fast. 

Edited December 9, 2019 by VagueDisclaimer

[AnimeMania]

Just now, VagueDisclaimer said:

In this specific case, I doubt Chloe would bring any charges and if Brendan brought any in regards to Chloe’s defensive move, then Brendan would find campus life even less welcoming.

I don't think it will be Chloe that complains, but her friends, as they tell more and more people what happened, the rumors will start to spread like wildfire. The same with Brendan, he wouldn't tell the rest of the campus Chloe punched him in the balls, Sanjay might do it defending Brendan. Since each side only heard one side of the story, they will be biased. Brendan and Chloe might both be at home and by the time they come back to campus, a shitstorm might be brewing.

[Liamsmom617]

9 hours ago, Tryangle said:

Wow, I saw it coming but that was some sexy stuff there.

Right? I’m so gonna download that “Is It Any Wonder” song!!

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, VagueDisclaimer said:

No, he only stopped when she punched him. He was completely unaware and uncaring about what he was doing and that there was another person involved in the act. He was focused only on getting to where he was going and didn’t care until he was forced off her. It doesn’t matter how other women acted in the past or how it’s portrayed as porn, every person is different and if Brendan cared to check in at all, he could’ve seen Chloe was choking/gagging and wanted him to stop forcing her head down.

Right - he thought she was into it and said as much when she finally forced him off her. He had no idea that she wasn't into it because he didn't care, or didn't know enough about sexual interaction to know how to notice or care (which is the more charitable interpretation). If I recall correctly, she was pulling back because she was choking and he was holding her head in place and telling her not to stop. If she hadn't hit him, I don't think he'd have stopped until he came.

[MrWhyt]

10 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I would like to see Chloe's life get ruined for the what she did to Brendan.

yeah cause women deserve to have their lives ruined when they stand up for themselves. (obviously this is sarcasm, what kind of piece of shit would actually believe that)

[RedInk]

11 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I would like to see Chloe's life get ruined for the what she did to Brendan. Brendan told Sanjay (guy who drove him home) that Chloe punched Brendan in the balls. I would like to see the college focus on Chloe's assault on Brendan, rather than Brendan's insensitive behavior <snip> I would be great television to see Brendan come back to college as a hero and Chloe vilified. 

This is a lot to unpack, what you've written. I'm 40, and I think my perspective is a little skewed because my college campus was crawling with Brendans in the 90s and it's not easy to make me uncomfortable. MY unpopular opinion was that Chloe was more upset than I would have thought she'd be days after the event. But of course she did not "assault" him; she defended herself. I also think you may have misinterpreted the conversation with Sanjay. Sanjay realized that Brendan did something to warrant that punch, which is why his awkward silence in the car caused Brendan to reassess and admit his fault. Why on earth would Brendan return to school a hero? I'll admit that he is a very flawed person, although not an irredeemably evil one...but what could have been perceived as something heroic? This reads like you really resonate with the "old" Brendan.

Edited December 10, 2019 by RedInk

[tennisgurl]

Yeah, this whole semester has just been a garbage fire for Brendon. Basically everything has gone wrong, the only upside is that he hasn't been kicked out of school and is still alive. Hopefully this will actually finally get him to realize that his actions have consequences and he needs to drop his asshole alpha jerk thing and start learning more about empathy. Even he seems to have realized that he is "the asshole" in all of this, his complaints to Sanja was incredibly half assed, like even he knows that this is on him, and is still trying to process all of these emotions he has never felt before. 

And because this hasn't been enough of a mess, he walks in on his mom having a three way...with a guy he bullied in high school! I am sorry, but I still cant get behind Eve and Julian hooking up. He is still a teenager, a teenager who still looks like a teenager, even if he is pretty mature for 19 and is legally an adult. At nineteen, your brain is still doing a lot of developing, your really figuring your life out, and being with someone at such a different stage in her life just seems like it could be really messy. I mean, I am all for Eve having new experiences and growing further, but this just seems like it could go very badly, especially if Julian gets really invested in Eve, while Eve is just trying to get her groove back.  

Ted seems like he isnt at all thrilled about having another kid, it seems like he will pretty quickly start cheating on his new wife and will be running off pretty soon. And did he actually forget to count Brendon as one of his kids?! I mean, I knew that he was pretty much totally checked out as a parent to Brendon (the only thing he seems to have given him are a lot of his toxic attitudes) but thats brutal! 

[sadie]

I really enjoyed this but it did seem an odd ending? I liked that a lot of this felt real, real looking people (who weren’t all perfectly beautiful in the Hollywood sense), real situations (the kind of lame party and most of Brendans stuff) but boy the ending just seemed wrong. I hope there is a second season to explore the fall out of these situations, I really liked the actors and the two main stories. 

[Tryangle]

16 hours ago, RedInk said:

I would like to see the college focus on Chloe's assault on Brendan, rather than Brendan's insensitive behavior

I suspect, not to put words in anyone's mouth, that it's more of the OP wondering what would happen if in the show, Chloe gets seen as the bad guy, as opposed to the truth that Brendan was being a (dangerous) jackass. Perhaps the old slut-shaming routine. I suppose if S2 happens they could create conflict if say Brendan keeps trying to get back with her.

[Elbow]

11 hours ago, sadie said:

I really enjoyed this but it did seem an odd ending?

The ending felt quite theatrical to me -- and I don't mean that in a negative sense, but that it literally felt like ending or act break of a play, moreso than that of a (mini) series or film. It was a very strong, unanswerable beat to land upon and TV, in particular, even when it's interesting TV, rarely closes with such discordant notes.

[scrb]

Ending with the most awkward moment ever.  Didn’t know the creator wanted another season so maybe he ended it like this.

You hear voices in your moms bedroom and your instinct is to fling the door wide open?

He didn’t keep up with classes and didn’t fit in anywhere.  He seems like the type who’d have gone hardcore for fraternities, just go to those parties all the time instead of fixating on Chloe.

But he got himself thrown out of the only circle who would have had him.

I’m not sure this story has any more legs.  If you pull back, it’s a little story about a single middle aged woman coping with some major changes in her life.

Similarly Brendan couldn’t make the transition to life after high school, living at home, being the focus of attention of his parents.

Why did he grow up to be a lout?  Some of it is a reflection of the parents.  Or on a more macro level, who cares?

Eves story is of some interest, as someone who made her life entirely about her son who’s faced with discovering what she wants.  But the story is over now.  Whether Brendan leaves for college again or becomes  a dropout, she’s probably not going to withdraw into her shell again.

After all, she is no longer Mrs. Fletcher.

[VagueDisclaimer]

14 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I am sorry, but I still cant get behind Eve and Julian hooking up. He is still a teenager, a teenager who still looks like a teenager, even if he is pretty mature for 19 and is legally an adult. At nineteen, your brain is still doing a lot of developing, your really figuring your life out, and being with someone at such a different stage in her life just seems like it could be really messy. I mean, I am all for Eve having new experiences and growing further, but this just seems like it could go very badly, especially if Julian gets really invested in Eve, while Eve is just trying to get her groove back

Agreed. It was obviously brewing and the scene was handled as tastefully as it could, but...he’s a kid, comparatively. He might be more mature than some of his peers, but that just makes him a mature teenager. Just because the narrative is focused on Eve’s awakening and empowerment, this still pings all the same icky factors as that of a midlife crisis dude, hooking up with the barely legal that just *gets him*. 

No idea if there will be a S2, but if there is, I’m hoping this will be an eye-opening and fun hookup that they can look back at fondly, but nothing more. 

[Harvey]

17 minutes ago, VagueDisclaimer said:

. 

No idea if there will be a S2, but if there is, I’m hoping this will be an eye-opening and fun hookup that they can look back at fondly, but nothing more. 

In the book it was just that. 

[Empress1]

8 hours ago, scrb said:

You hear voices in your moms bedroom and your instinct is to fling the door wide open?

That is bad home training! Who just opens a closed door without knocking?

[Arcey]

I've learned a lot from these threads. As a Boomer, I didn't understand the Chloe and Brendan BJ scene the way other people on the thread did (prior episode). It didn't occur to me that porn is such a huge part of teenager-hood, at least not in a super-conscious way. Your insights really opened my eyes, and now that scene makes more sense. I'm not shocked about the porn and teenagers, it just wasn't really something I've thought about much.

The slow run up to the threesome was completely unsurprising, but I think it was portrayed perfectly. Yes, it was still a bit yucky to see Eve and Julian and Amanda and Julian having sex (he's young in real life too, I'm sure), but it was inevitable and well done.

Agree that Ted is a douche and was [most likely] hitting on Eve when he told her how great she looked. I'm sure he would have jumped into bed with her in a minute if she wanted it. She played her part with him perfectly. I think Kathryn Hahn has been terrific in this series.

[QQQQ]

Between Eve being Amanda's supervisor and Julian being so young, it all felt really icky to me. If Eve had been a man taking these actions, I think fewer people would see it as sexy or positive. I'm not saying Amanda and Julian were incapable of making their own decisions, but it didn't leave me (as a viewer or reader) in a good place.

[archer1267]

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I would like to see Chloe's life get ruined for the what she did to Brendan.

While I agree that in general it's bad to hit people in the genitals, she was gagging and trying to get him to stop. He was holding her head down, as guys sometimes do when they lose themselves in the moment and forget to be mindful of their partner. (It feels like your face is getting raped, to put it bluntly - I don't wish that on anyone.) Chloe had a right to have things stop, and she had a right to not want to continue to see him. I think this stuff happens ALL THE TIME, and not just with college students - people misread signals, things just don't go the way you expect/hope them to. I was disappointed because Brendan seemed to be growing a bit in his friendship with Chloe, and then he treated her so roughly.

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I would like to see the college focus on Chloe's assault on Brendan, rather than Brendan's insensitive behavior. 

Was it assault, or self defense? The act started as consensual, but then it became clear that she wanted it to stop, and he wasn't stopping, whether he missed her cues or ignored them.

I have a bad habit of reading through books and promptly forgetting them. But I do remember that the ending of the book by Tom Perrotta was quite different from the TV series. In the book, 

Spoiler

Eve gets remarried, if I remember correctly...and is the guy a high school shop teacher? 

[QQQQ]

2 hours ago, archer1267 said:

I have a bad habit of reading through books and promptly forgetting them. But I do remember that the ending of the book by Tom Perrotta was quite different from the TV series. In the book, 

I don't think the show has reached the end of the book (meaning, that's for season 2). But 

Spoiler

Eve ends up dating or marrying George, who is a plumber, and her son also starts to work for him.

Edited December 17, 2019 by QQQQ

[txhorns79]

On 12/16/2019 at 10:32 PM, archer1267 said:

I was disappointed because Brendan seemed to be growing a bit in his friendship with Chloe, and then he treated her so roughly.

I thought it was an interesting contrast with the scene from the episode where Chloe kept trying to force feed Brendan that sushi he didn't want.  She misread the signals, he got angry and an awkward silence commenced.   I don't recall that she even apologized, or they discussed the event at all. 

[Watcher842]

On 12/9/2019 at 9:35 AM, Empress1 said:

I wondered if Julian was thinking "HA! I fucked your mom" when he walked by Brendan. I totally would be, in his position.

It probably would have occurred to him, but I was much more focused on the poetic justice echoing back to the first episode and his mom was the one stuck waiting out on the porch for him to finish having sex. It's her comeuppance, not Julian's.

[jeansheridan]

On 12/11/2019 at 1:12 AM, VagueDisclaimer said:

Just because the narrative is focused on Eve’s awakening and empowerment, this still pings all the same icky factors as that of a midlife crisis dude, hooking up with the barely legal that just *gets him*

This. Yeah, I would be thoroughly grossed out if Ted hooked up one of Brendan's classmates. It would feel predatory. And in fact Abigail was being a bit predatory towards him. The flirting and drinking and pushing him. They never clarified her age. I think she's 28ish in the book. 

While I like real bodies threesomes are always going to look weird on screen. It's just all so awkward. I had to fast forward. I just felt embarrassed for the actors.

Hey Brenden, maybe try writing her a letter to apologise. But I also kind of wish the guy driving him could have had a real talk with him. Like dude so not cool and this is why. Because I am not sure if he will understand what he did wrong. He truly seems baffled and it makes me sad no one is willing to guide him. He is young enough to.change.

Nothing was sadder than Julien walking off into the night in his oversized coat and skinny legs. That actor does awkward so very well.

 

[jeansheridan]

On 12/15/2019 at 7:20 PM, QQQQ said:

Between Eve being Amanda's supervisor and Julian being so young, it all felt really icky to me. If Eve had been a man taking these actions, I think fewer people would see it as sexy or positive. I'm not saying Amanda and Julian were incapable of making their own decisions, but it didn't leave me (as a viewer or reader) in a good place.

Totally agree. And I think the problem partially stems from that the source material is a guy. The novel barely pays lip service to these concerns. Eve is aware she has been unprofessional with Amanda but no consequences at all. 

So while you can make a sexual awakening complicated, it didn't need to be this messy. She could have explored with someone who had a complicated family situation or with someone younger but not THAT younger.

I did like the slightly downer ending with Brenden reeling and mom a bit bashful. The fantasy is done. Real life resumes.

[Sam Spayaid]

As you can see by the date, I started watching this show very late, On Demand because I am, as most people are now, SUPER, SUPER BORED so I am watching anything and everything!

Seeing as no one will likely see this, what the hell. Remember...I'm bored.

Okay. Very quickly in I wondered if I would even proceed because the son was such a horrible character. An obnoxious, sexist, obviously narcissist entitled little prick who also appears to definitely "be on the spectrum". I recall Bunchy on Ray Donovan always getting asked that. I mean look at this guy! He makes weird contorted faces and he gives the impression that he's as dumb as a bag of rocks. And didn't Mom say he was IN PRE MED?!!!!

And of course, when he moves to collage, she does EVERYTHING for this lazy asshole, down to making his fucking bed!!! But I had a friend who was like her exactly with her surly son so I guess it does happen.

He's bad enough but then there's Mom,who was married to a massive asshole - like Father? - on his second marriage and ends up with a real autistic kid to have to deal with and No 2 is knocked up so he's not thrilled about that either! 

Does this Eve chick do anything else other than wank and watch porn? Oh..wait a minute..she did have a threesome with a TEENAGE BOY and her work buddy which was witnessed by her son. 

Obviously, I am missing something here. I thought this would be about a single empty nester, opening up all sorts of new possibilities. Instead I got a drab doormat of a woman who can't seem to stop watching porn and rubbing one out. 

Hope this shit doesn't come back for another season. 

Okay. What can I binge now?

[Blakeston]

On 4/13/2020 at 11:29 AM, Sam Spayaid said:

As you can see by the date, I started watching this show very late, On Demand because I am, as most people are now, SUPER, SUPER BORED so I am watching anything and everything!

Seeing as no one will likely see this, what the hell. Remember...I'm bored.

Okay. Very quickly in I wondered if I would even proceed because the son was such a horrible character. An obnoxious, sexist, obviously narcissist entitled little prick who also appears to definitely "be on the spectrum". I recall Bunchy on Ray Donovan always getting asked that. I mean look at this guy! He makes weird contorted faces and he gives the impression that he's as dumb as a bag of rocks. And didn't Mom say he was IN PRE MED?!!!!

I'm reading this! I just finished the series now.

Brendan didn't strike me as being on the spectrum in any way. He was oblivious to social etiquette, but I think that was just because he was so cocky that he didn't believe that social rules apply to him.

I have to say, one thing that irritated me throughout the season was that the actor who played Brandon looked way too old to be 18. I know TV is filled with 20-somethings (and even 30-somethings) playing teenagers, but this seemed like a really egregious example. Couldn't they have at least covered up his receding hairline?

Edited September 7, 2020 by Blakeston