S02.E11: A New Hope

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Miles discovers a new clue as to who is behind the God Account when Joy reveals that his friend suggestions have all been clients of the same insurance company. Her theory is reinforced when they realize that Miles’ latest friend suggestion, Abe, a Holocaust survivor looking for information on his sister’s fate, is also a client of the company.

Airing Sunday, January 5, 2020.

[Yeah No]

I thought this was a good episode.  The God account didn't disappoint.  Judd Hirsch was amazing, too.  What a touching story, and not unlike some real holocaust stories I have heard.  I knew immediately that the watch was bought by someone in Abe's family.  Even though that was predictable,  I didn't care.  Also, for once Joy didn't annoy me to death, which I consider a great improvement.

Funny that the lead on the GA is hitting so close to Arthur.  I was suspicious of him having something to do with it for a while actually, but never could put my finger on why.  Him being so certain that God wasn't behind the GA was one reason I suspected him.  But then again knowing this show I don't necessarily think that his classmate is behind it.  Every time they think they have the person it's somehow not them and there's another layer deep to investigate.  So I'm not going to get my hopes up that they've finally got their man.  I'm just wondering how they'll handle it.  I suspect that an insurance company would want to use predictive analytics to determine client risk, so that could be one tie-in leading back to the Juliet code.

I've also long suspected that all the GA friend suggestions were connected somehow.  I think they are connected in more ways than just the insurance company, though.  We have already seen some of the friend suggestions having connections to other friend suggestions, and I don't think that's all coincidence.

I'm sorry that they've chosen to give Miles' sister medical issues.  And Cara is still a moody one and is making no sense at all.  I think the whole sub plot with her and her mother's new husband has been handled poorly.  When Abe said that Bob Dylan was Jewish, then he wasn't, then he was again I thought, "Oh, like Cara, who is with Miles, then she isn't, then she is again".  Oy vey, she's driving me NUTS.  It looks like the show intends to stop the insanity with her soon, or at least I hope so.

I had a chuckle when they focused on the Sotheby's building and the sign at the auction said "Berkley's".  I wonder if that indoor scene was filmed in an actual Sotheby's auction room.  It sure looked authentic.  Mr. Yeah No said the watch brand name had some significance too but I forget what he said.  I'll have to ask him.  I was kind of hoping Miles would have to go to Hartford and they'd focus on the Aetna building, LOL.

Edited January 6, 2020 by Yeah No

[Empress1]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Judd Hirsch was amazing, too.  What a touching story, and not unlike some real holocaust stories I have heard.  I knew immediately that the watch was bought by someone in Abe's family.  Even though that was predictable,  I didn't care. 

Listen: I bawled like a baby when Abe met his family. I thought the sister would have bought the watch, but the result was better. I also grinned when Miles said he'd be honored to be Arthur's best man. I really like how they've mended their relationship - it feels organic and earned. They didn't wrap it up tidily in one episode.

Cara's insistence that the God account fucked up her family is still on my nerves. Her mother's husband fucked up their family.

Just when they get Ali a better wig, they give her a health scare. I don't like that, though I do like that at least the actress gets something to do.

[Brian Cronin]

17 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Cara's insistence that the God account fucked up her family is still on my nerves. Her mother's husband fucked up their family.

When her MOM, whose HUSBAND is the one actually in jail, is cooler with the situation than she is, you know she is just out of whack. 

The show sure seems to want us to feel sympathy for her, but then they just write her as a total nutjob. It's quite frustrating.

But yeah, when Abe met his sister? Holy shit, this show really nails the feel good moments. It just has to work on the Kara nonsense (and, of course, on their dialogue. This show has the shittiest dialogue of an otherwise good show that I've ever seen).

[Empress1]

29 minutes ago, Brian Cronin said:

(and, of course, on their dialogue. This show has the shittiest dialogue of an otherwise good show that I've ever seen).

The dialogue really can be clunky. I find Brandon Michael Hall to be so charming, and I think his charm really saves the dialogue. (Ditto Joe Morton.)

[Orbert]

I was ready to write this show off, but decided to give it one more chance.  After the break, could they do better?  Joy was back -- ugh.  Yet another "This time we'll finally get to bottom of who's behind the God account!" -- ugh.  Cara is still convinced that TGA caused the mess with her family when even her mom said "No, it was Paul who did it" -- ugh.

But then the story of the week, and Judd Hirsch, were both pretty great, and the lead with the guy who served in Viet Nam with Dad sounds interesting.  So I guess I'm still in.  But they're making it hard to care about these characters when nothing they do makes any sense any more.

[MissLucas]

Dear Lord (no kidding) - I just realized that right now I can spend my Mondays bawling my eyes out over this show AND Call the Midwife. Note to self: reschedule your show consumption.

The moment Judd Hirsch showed up I knew this was going to be great and it certainly was. Yes, it was predictable but nevertheless touching and poignant and the way this plot was tied to Miles' and the question of faith was amazing. Loved the quote about Bob Dylan, he!

Less in love with whatever is going on with Ali. I'll just focus on that amazing coat - which is not listed on wornontv.net, arrgh!

It makes a lot of sense that the GA is somehow tied to Arthur but I doubt it's as straightforward as Miles & Co assume.

 

[Empress1]

55 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

Less in love with whatever is going on with Ali. I'll just focus on that amazing coat - which is not listed on wornontv.net, arrgh!

I LOVED that coat!

[tennisgurl]

Oh man, its been awhile since this show made me cry, but Abe realizing that not only did his sister survive the war, but is still alive, and that he has this whole big lovely family, really got the tears flowing. Judd Hirsch was wonderful, he made Abe so instantly likable and charming, while also nailing the more dramatic scenes with his grief and regret. Its so tragic that he lost the rest of his family and that he and Rose were separated for so long (and Rose lived all this time thinking that he was probably dead) but its wonderful that they found each other now. The story was decently predictable (I knew it was a member of Abe's family who had gotten the watch) but I loved it so much, predictable or not it was so sweet and heartwarming, just the way I want this show! I also really liked Abe's talks with Miles about faith, it tied in with the themes of the show really well. 

That whole plot was really good, and I liked Joy was more in this episode than I did previously, but the Cara stuff is still infuriating. She is just hot and cold seemingly at random lately, and her blaming the God Account for what Paul did is just stupid. I mean, even her mom (his wife!) doesent blame anyone but Paul and is just looking to move forward and not waste time sulking. So has she made her choice now? Or will it change again by next week? 

Arthur asking Miles to be his best man and Miles saying how honored he would be was a great moment, and its great to keep seeing how much their relationship has improved since the start of the show. I am not thrilled about this possible cancer scare plot with Ali though. Dont we have enough personal drama with Cara and Miles family already, or that we just got done with? Poor Ali, they never know what to do with her, so they had her and her girlfriend break up, have her thesis rejected, have people at her dads church be homophobic, and now they might give her cancer. Can they give her a subplot where she adopts a kitten or something instead?! 

So the connection is actually with Arthur, and not Miles! I dont think we are ever going to get "real" answers about the GA, so while this might lead us to more information, I dont think we are getting answers any time soon.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I never got the sense that Judd Hirsch was feeling deeply the outrageous swings from disappointment to hope and back and then to pure joy.  He was cast really well for the arc he was in.  He never sold me on the enormity of his situation.  YMMV.

A young PD who is expert in business law.  Riiiiight.  Then again, the recovery laws regarding Holocaust property didn't immediately spring forth in her mind?  It was the first thing I thought of - there had to be exceptions, and are, and auction houses all over the world were/are steeped in them.  Berkley's, or whatever, would have instantly understood major liabilities and would have, at the least, postponed the auction until provenance was settled.  That all Abe wanted was the provenance?  No worries.  Done.

Unless AI is involved to degrees currently undocumented/publicly known, the GA responses to several of the adventures Miles has been on would not have been possible.  How many seeming dead ends arose?  Why would the Sun Account care that Miles has been made to work for so many clues?  Personal growth over results?  Really?  The SA wouldn't simply have given Miles a list of contacts and clues beyond the subject?  Not even the nature of the problem the person had?  If the point was to ensure success, what sense was there to withholding crucial data already known to the Sun?

Why was Miles down the list as a Prophet if it is about combat buddy Arthur?   

Cara gets to decide how much risk she wishes to take in her life.  Good luck to her.  How she is the right one for Miles is quite beyond me.  For a gentleman whose whole deal is to glean clues, he is so terribly blind.  Not the first smitten dude to be in this predicament.

I like Joy in full.  She is fully congruent now.  Of course, life has a way of shaking things up.  😉  But, at least for now, she is an exemplar of faith being rewarded.  Good for her (and the show).

Points to TPTB for at least trying to come up with a rational, secular origin story.  Points rescinded for taking on such a momentous Holocaust story in a single ep.  The incredibly deep meaning was cheated, if not cheapened, imo.  What a trove of lost opportunity by limiting this arc as they did.

 

 

 

[Orbert]

I guess Joy wasn't so bad this time after all.  Her direct approach even came in handy once or twice.  I forget exactly what was happening, but Miles was waffling around, trying to figure out how to ask about something, and Joy just came right out and asked.  And I was glad.  Get to the point, and let's get on with the story.  If Joy is going to be like this from now on, I guess I'm okay with that.

[andromeda331]

I loved this weeks friend suggestion.  Not surprising since its Judd Hirsch. I knew the other bidder on the watch was his sister or her family. Abe seeing is sister was amazing. Very well done and acted. It was so perfect. I was happy to see Joy again.  I did wonder why it took her so long to remember Holocaust property. All she had to do was mention that before the auction and they would have stopped it until that was settled.  I knew that I wasn't a lawyer. 

Watching Abe's story unfold going from trying to get the watch, to losing it, to learning it ended up in Auschwitz and thinking his sister was killed there and never made it out and thinking he was all alone while also blaming himself for what happened. It really highlighted how even more stupid Cara is being and how pointless her crap is. I almost wish she had been along or heard about it at the end to realize how stupid she's being. Her mother's let go of her anger and realized it was all her husband's fault but not Cara nope its still the God Account she blames. Her mother points out that it did bring them together. Which is true. She wouldn't have her mother and sister in her life if not for it. So what's her problem? She's afraid of risk. Good luck with that Cara how do you avoid risk. Abe went through the unimaginable as a kid and manage to make it go and make life for himself and marry. She can get over herself and do the same. Although I'm not sure why Miles should. He really love the God Account and helping people. If they wanted us to be sympathetic to Cara they failed all they ended up doing was making me wonder why he should stay with her.

So it all leads back to Arthur and Arthur's friend? That's interesting.  

I hate Ali being sick. They were going to give her more to do and they really haven't. She's still barely on and when she is its to give advice or to lose something. Her girlfriend, her thesis rejected, left her dad's church, new church, and now she's sick? It can't be that hard to come up with more/better stuff for her. Bring her into the God Account team. She's always given them advice so why not? She's a really cool character and their not giving her anything to do. 

[MissLucas]

4 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I hate Ali being sick. They were going to give her more to do and they really haven't. She's still barely on and when she is its to give advice or to lose something. Her girlfriend, her thesis rejected, left her dad's church, new church, and now she's sick? It can't be that hard to come up with more/better stuff for her. Bring her into the God Account team. She's always given them advice so why not? She's a really cool character and their not giving her anything to do. 

All of this - and quite frankly: If Miles really wants to hand over the prophet job she'd be the perfect candidate. 

[Trini]

Great friend request story, though I missed Cara being a part of it. So I guess the 'drama' between Miles and Cara is over? I'm glad for that, but I just don't understand the way the writers keep changing their minds about where they're going with them.

Speaking of relationships and whiplash, I can't believe Arthur and Trish are getting married so soon! I wish they'd take the time to build back up and flesh out that relationship.

So Ali is sick? Ugh - why? But seeing how the rest of this season has gone, she might be cured in 3 episodes.

Edited January 12, 2020 by Trini
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