S01.E07: Trick

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

With the end of their journey approaching, Ruby and Billy consider their future together. Are they finally being honest with each other? Babe and Laurel are forced together as they follow a new lead.

Season finale!  Airing Sunday, May 24, 2020.

[CarpeFelis]

Well, that was a crap ending. What the hell was the point of the whole series?

[FemmyV]

Geez. If the intention of the series is to demonstrate why some people should not be together, it succeeds.

He exploited their relationship to get a book deal. Shitty, but he was prepared to be open to whatever way it went. I don't mind that he got his heart broken for it, but what she did in keeping him from going to the police was far, far worse.

ETA: If this gets renewed, I hope it picks up with the book being published, so we can see Ruby react to knowing the whole world knows what a conscience-free POS she is.

 

Edited May 25, 2020 by FemmyV

[Stella]

I personally don't believe that Billy was in it for the book deal. When he texts Ruby RUN in the first episode from his hotel room he is in bad shape emotionally and he sneaks/runs out of there. So I get it's ambiguous but IMO when he tells her at the beginning that she was the one person in his life he wanted to see - I believe that's true. And he's at this terrible low point and I think realizes that his bullshit seminar/book career is just that. I think part of his motivation is to get away from the inauthentic Billy self-help guru schtick. Ruby is basically the one authentic relationship he's had.

I see the video spiel as just that. Obviously at some point he had told Fiona about the pact. But because she is/was the mastermind of his career success it was her plan to make that video proposal. Of course there's no way to be certain without video time stamps and chronology of events. I will say this episode got me to actually care about Billy & Ruby's relationship. Going in I wasn't invested one way or the other. Now I feel definitely frustrated by the ending.

I did enjoy the series for it's crazy concept and mix of genres. I do think the mix of genres left it floundering but I would definitely watch more. At least it was different!

 

Deadline interview with Vicky Jones.

[Blakeston]

That was one of the most anti-climactic endings I've ever seen.

I watched this series because of a review that called it "Hitchcockian." I'm genuinely angry at that reviewer. Hitchcock wouldn't have touched this script with a ten-foot pole.

[scrb]

Episode was only 22-23 minutes and they spent a chunk of it on Laurel and Babe.  Babe is flustered but this show is starving for secondary characters.  Maybe they should have kept Fiona around a little longer.

They’re milking the trust issues between Billy and Ruby.

He should have known better than to give her his laptop — he could have sent her just the video he wanted her to see — but she looks at his emails?

In any event she has a big tantrum and literally goes home.  But Billy got out of her that Lawrence isn’t funny or kind and she said she was going to leave the hubby.

After 7 episodes, still not clear why she bailed on her life so quickly or why she wavered about the kids.

They must have reason to believe they will be renewed.  Even then, not sure there’s enough of a story beyond another half dozen episodes or so.  The potential murder plot shouldn’t have much left.  Maybe they will show that she really was done with Lawrence.

Edited May 25, 2020 by scrb

[CarpeFelis]

The most unbelievable thing in the whole series: Billy runs after Ruby, leaving his Macbook out on a table where anyone could grab it and when he returns IT’S STILL THERE.

ETA: a loose end I wonder about. When Babe called the last number Fiona had called, it was Laurence. I want to know just what she’d told him!

Edited May 25, 2020 by CarpeFelis

[MrWhyt]

well that really sputtered out

[Blakeston]

Does anyone know if this was intended as a multi-season series, or as a one-off?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I guess the show ended with everything kind of even on both ends since Ruby and Billy broke each other's hearts (again). But the big difference is that Ruby gets to go back to her old life with her kids and Billy is about to get arrested by Babe and implicated in Fiona's murder.

[DoubleUTeeEff]

11 hours ago, FemmyV said:

He exploited their relationship to get a book deal. Shitty, but he was prepared to be open to whatever way it went. I don't mind that he got his heart broken for it, but what she did in keeping him from going to the police was far, far worse.

He's a grown man. She is not responsible for him not going to the police, that's all on him.

Also, I think that his motives may have started out as a book deal but I think they changed almost as soon as Ruby showed up (maybe even before she showed up). He told Fiona multiple times that he was out, he was done, it was over, he wasn't coming back. That's why she was so angry and ended up chasing them.

Edited May 25, 2020 by DoubleUTeeEff

[pasdetrois]

I think this series would have been better as a movie and fewer scenes. The intensity of the premise was watered down by the hijinks (taxidermist! jumping off of trains! big bags of money! wacky lesbian romance!).

I did enjoy meeting a new native actor - Tamara Podemski (Babe Cloud).

[CarpeFelis]

2 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

I did enjoy meeting a new native actor - Tamara Podemski (Babe Cloud).

I think I’d enjoy a series with Babe Cloud as the main character.

[iMonrey]

I'm left scratching my head over what the point of this was. I guess it's sort of an interesting character study but I feel like I wasted three and a half hours of my life on this. I really, really don't understand the rationale for adding a secondary relationship story in the sixth out of seven episodes. It feels like they spent more of this episode on Laurel and Cloud than they did on Ruby and Billy and I don't get why. It almost felt like a bait and switch. Or like the show changed writers somewhere midway through it.

I adore Merritt Wever and thought she had great chemistry Domhnall Gleeson, and I would feel torn missing out on a second season of this story just based on the strength of their performances. That said, I don't think the material did them justice. Whatever they were going for with this show, it was a swing and a miss. 

[FemmyV]

7 hours ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

He's a grown man. She is not responsible for him not going to the police, that's all on him.

 

A grown man being led around by his dick.

[driver18]

I was so excited for this show. So intrigued by the premise. I love both actors. I thought they had great chemistry just based on the the trailer... and then I watched the series. Every episode just got more and more convoluted and blah and threw that premise further and further away from the awesome I thought it would be and wasted MW and DG with every passing scene.

When this episode faded to black, my disappointment was officially complete.

[DrSpaceman73]

8 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

I think this series would have been better as a movie and fewer scenes. The intensity of the premise was watered down by the hijinks (taxidermist! jumping off of trains! big bags of money! wacky lesbian romance!).

I did enjoy meeting a new native actor - Tamara Podemski (Babe Cloud).

Yes I mentioned this earlier and still feel this way.  Would have been better as a movie.  There really was not much here to make it a series as opposed to a movie. 

Even if there is a second season I don't think I would tune in.

[whiporee]

It just ended up being nothing. The Fiona stuff really threw it off what I think it might have been, but maybe they had a premise and nothing much else, and the story is always in the nothing else. 

Was the book deal the reason for Billy's RUN this time? I got the feeling that was a while ago. it would have been interesting to see how often they had tested each other. Like how did Ruby react on her wedding day when Billy didn't text back? or during her breakdown? How often had Billy texted her? 

I really think there could have been an interesting, compelling story about these two people who always kept this other option in the back of their heads. Laurence knew about it -- why would Ruby tell him? All sorts of interesting ways the premise could have played out. Instead we got jumping and impaling and a taxidermist and an inept sheriff department we don't care about. Also, as a Coloradan, I can tell you the timetables were much askew. Babe's cell phone had a southeastern Colorado area code, and that's a long way from LA.  

[taanja]

On 5/24/2020 at 10:06 PM, CarpeFelis said:

Well, that was a crap ending. What the hell was the point of the whole series?

I liked it! Very ambiguous! 

It made me question if this show was just a one shot six episode kind of thing? Will it come back for a second season?

All I know is--- it is HBO -- so it will go away for like -- ever! and I will forget all about it and may or may not watch if and when it ever comes back.

That was great though. I wasn't sure what Ruby was going to decide. After the video she just saw -- she made the best decision. How can she trust Billy?

[scrb]

Tea leaves don't seem favorable for renewal.

I think the trailers made it look interesting but in retrospect, they spent too much of the season on the train, so there was little chance for secondary characters and plots to flesh out the show.

Probably would have been better as a movie or a mini series if they were going to make the train trip a big part of it.

Anyways, while Billy wasn't American, who takes trains in America?

Trying to remember, one of the Before Sunrise movies featured a lot of time on the train but that was in Europe.

[meep.meep]

On 5/24/2020 at 9:35 PM, CarpeFelis said:

The most unbelievable thing in the whole series: Billy runs after Ruby, leaving his Macbook out on a table where anyone could grab it and when he returns IT’S STILL THERE.

ETA: a loose end I wonder about. When Babe called the last number Fiona had called, it was Laurence. I want to know just what she’d told him!

I agree about the laptop.

If you mean what did Fiona tell Laurence - she sent him the recording she had made of Billy and Ruby having sex.

 

[scrb]

Vicky Jones said they had plans to do more with the laurence character because of the caliber of the actor cast for the role.

 

[Irlandesa]

6 hours ago, meep.meep said:

If you mean what did Fiona tell Laurence - she sent him the recording she had made of Billy and Ruby having sex.

On the phone, when he got the phone call from Fiona's phone again, he referenced what she told him last time was none of her business.  And wasn't sending the video to her husband what she blackmailed Ruby with? 

So I do think she may have told him that his wife was with Billy but I don't know that she had sent the video yet. 

[CinAZ]

What really bugs me was how did Cloud call from Fiona’s phone? Was it not locked??? Come on, everyone has a phone that locks.

[arc]

I haven’t got a good enough “this show derailed” joke to not be hacky, but man this show did not deliver in the season finale at all. Billy’s little monologue in the roomette was lovely. The way Billy and Ruby’s trip ended was deeply unsatisfying for all the reasons y’all have already said. Even Cloud’s little storyline didn’t get enough closure.

On 5/24/2020 at 9:35 PM, CarpeFelis said:

The most unbelievable thing in the whole series: Billy runs after Ruby, leaving his Macbook out on a table where anyone could grab it and when he returns IT’S STILL THERE.

You’re not wrong, but otoh they are on a moving train so there isn’t that much space to hide, esp if Billy had a Bluetooth tracking tag on it, not that he would — but a thief wouldn’t know that.

[Blackie]

I had forgotten I was watching this show so just went back to watch last 3 episodes and each one I was ready  to call it quits, don't know why I kept going....desperate times...

Anyways this show wasn't very good, premise was interesting but writing was generally bad and all over the place.  And what was with Babe and Laurel, are they trying to spin them off in to a show?

Well times being what they are doubtful this will go any further, I won't be holding my breath for it.

[nachomama]

On 5/25/2020 at 3:49 PM, CarpeFelis said:

I think I’d enjoy a series with Babe Cloud as the main character.

Aside from her character being a terrible cop, but in light of cops these days I'll take this one over the bad apples. Pains me to say that PWB is the weakest link. This one is missing something, my love for Merit Weaver and Domhall Gleason knows no bounds but what PWB did with Fleabag, make her a complete degenerate that no one can love – and yet we did! She didn't pull that off with Ruby or Billy.

If Lawrence was bad enough to leave, even if it was sheer boredom then there's no way he'd go pick up Ruby and return home with her. Did he listen to Billy spill his guts or had he already walked away with the boys? I know she ran to catch up with them when she left Billy but there's no way he has any illusions about what happened.

Any court case would fall apart at this point, the sheriff knows the hikers were involved, the dude had nothing to do with it. Any of her part would taint any evidence whatsoever so unless someone confessed they can get away with whatever happened even if charged.

I'm just not happy with it.