S01.E01: Chapter One

[Roxie]

19 hours ago, Annber03 said:

23 hours ago, Dev F said:

That's Jefferson Mays. He's mostly a stage actor, I think, but I know him from a memorable turn as Walter Taffet in several episodes of Matthew Rhys's previous series The Americans. And he starred in another classy 1930s period piece: as "Daddy" in the excessively homoerotic musical Daddy's Boy, as seen at the end of a first-season episode of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Jefferson Mays was also the Black Dahlia murder suspect in “I Am the Night” with Chris Pine. 

[J-Man]

In addition to the 1950s-60s "Perry Mason" on CBS, there were a number of PM movies in the '30s. In all of them, Perry is an attorney (either in LA or San Francisco.) And he's more foppish and elegant than even the Raymond Burr version is. So--a far cry from this iteration of Perry -- except for the drinking. Both of them are big drinkers. (There were also PM radio shows, but I've never heard them.) 

[isalicat]

So, I just watched the first episode again and loved it much more. Its a little slow because there is a lot of subtle brilliant acting going on and I really appreciate that the director was willing to give each scene enough "beats" to really register the weight of this sorrowful story.

The scene with the Hollywood producer, his goons and Perry just trying to collect his payment for the pictures he was *hired to take* was actually more interesting the second time around in a way that is hard to explain but it seemed an echo of an ancient plot and a very modern one all at the same time.

I don't find the sex scenes with Lupe (hope I have her name correctly) very comical (and yes, I thought the Kama Sutra sex in The Americans was a riot). These two seem to care for another but there is no romantic love and so there is no lightheartedness about their coupling in my opinion.

 

[shapeshifter]

The internet ate my post, so, basically, too much torture for me.

[WendyCR72]

I am familiar with Raymond Burr's Perry Mason, even if I have only seen snippets of episodes (never a full one - I know!).

But the premise here intrigued me, so I started a trial membership of HBO through Amazon Prime just to check this out. Glad I did! I have never seen The Americans, so I had no preconceived notions of Matthew Rhys. But he nails the "down on his luck", slovenly, jaded PI. Still, Burr's Mason and Rhys' hardscrabble version seem as alike as chalk and cheese.

I find it fascinating how the show seemed to use historical blueprints for the story. Obviously Chubby is meant to be Fatty Arbuckle, who did end up railroaded big time in real life (look up the case!).

I think the Dodsons were obviously a poorer version of the Lindberghs. (And the upcoming Tatiana Maslany preacher seems like an Aimee Semple McPherson template.) Speaking of the Dodsons, the actress playing the mother, Emily, looks so familiar to me, but I can't place her.

About Perry's payment and the violence following, I have no doubt studios did act that dirty in the early days of movies. Maybe still do, if more refined. But I could have done without the torture scene of Perry and seeing the three goons get whacked so violently. But I won't complain as it is HBO, and I knew what I was in for!

Not a bad actor in the cast thus far, though the woman Perry is sexing up - while also good - looked a little anachronistic looks wise. She looked modern (versus 1930s-ish as everyone else did). But that's a minor detail. Everything else seemed to embody the 1930s quite convincingly.

Was shocked when I read the actress playing the starlet "Red" that Chubby was screwing played little Gracie on The Nanny (Madeline Zima)! Damn, I'm old.

Jon Lithgow's lawyer character seems like someone later Perry the lawyer would model. Don't know if this version from these books (which I was unfamiliar with) ends up as a lawyer, but I can see seeds of how he could evolve. Wonder if the through-line of Della having a thing for Perry will play out here or not.

Either way, period stuff always fascinates me, so I'm along for the ride, whether it matches up with later Perry Mason canon or not.

[AnimeMania]

38 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

Not a bad actor in the cast thus far, though the woman Perry is sexing up - while also good - looked a little anachronistic looks wise. She looked modern (versus 1930s-ish as everyone else did). But that's a minor detail. Everything else seemed to embody the 1930s quite convincingly.

It took me out of the show because the Mexican lady looked, talked and acted like an older version of Yo-Yo from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[Tachi Rocinante]

It held my interest, but a few similarities to City Of Angels took me out of it.

Also, trying to guess if someone is based on a real person or not could get tiresome.

[preeya]

Everything about the Perry Mason TV Series here:  

https://bre.is/DEhxg5Um

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Was shocked when I read the actress playing the starlet "Red" that Chubby was screwing played little Gracie on The Nanny (Madeline Zima)! Damn, I'm old.

Heh. I believe Zima's character was also sexing it up with David Duchovny's character in Californication, which I mention as a segue to bringing up that I am wondering how it is that Matthew Rhys and David Duchovny have never been cast as brothers. 

Rhys' arresting screen presence may  draw me to watch another episode. I don't know. Do the reviewers indicate that the torture porn is a staple on the weekly menu?

But kudos for those who turned HBO's requisite sex and nudity quotas into comedy. I LOLed at Perry falling inbetween the bed and the wall.

 

9 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Obviously Chubby is meant to be Fatty Arbuckle, who did end up railroaded big time in real life (look up the case!).

Wow. Just Wikipedia'd Fatty Arbuckle, and talk about "Born Under A Bad Sign"! Poor guy.

 

 

Edited June 23, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Dev F]

11 hours ago, isalicat said:

The scene with the Hollywood producer, his goons and Perry just trying to collect his payment for the pictures he was *hired to take* was actually more interesting the second time around in a way that is hard to explain but it seemed an echo of an ancient plot and a very modern one all at the same time.

 

To be fair to the creepy, violent goons, Perry wasn't just trying to get paid for the job he was hired to do. They tasked him with finding embarrassing photos of Chubby Carmichael so they could void his contract, and he happened to find photos of Chubby in a compromising position with an up-and-coming star whom they didn't want to embarrass, so he threatened to release them publicly if they didn't triple his fee.

Also, am I the only one who kind of hates the name Chubby Carmichael? I dunno, it's just so obviously a pale imitation of the name Fatty Arbuckle -- alliteration or no, you wouldn't nickname a jolly fat comic "Chubby" if the better nickname "Fatty" weren't already taken.

Edited June 23, 2020 by Dev F

[Domestic Assassin]

24 minutes ago, Dev F said:

Also, am I the only one who kind of hates the name Chubby Carmichael? I dunno, it's just so obviously a pale imitation of the name Fatty Arbuckle -- alliteration or no, you wouldn't nickname a jolly fat comic "Chubby" if the better nickname "Fatty" weren't already taken.

Is "Fatty" really better?

[sistermagpie]

15 hours ago, isalicat said:

I don't find the sex scenes with Lupe (hope I have her name correctly) very comical (and yes, I thought the Kama Sutra sex in The Americans was a riot). These two seem to care for another but there is no romantic love and so there is no lightheartedness about their coupling in my opinion.

Just to be clear, I didn't find the sex itself hilarious--or sexy, really--maybe for the same reason you describe here. (Also this sort of sex scene's been done too much to be particularly funny.) It was just that ending with Perry wedged between the bed and the wall with his arms stuck up that still makes me laugh. Probably partly because of MR's performance even in that moment. That position seems to be Perry's life in a nutshell. Flattened awkwardly into a tight space, squeakily asking if there's any tequila.

Quote

I think the Dodsons were obviously a poorer version of the Lindberghs.

I wouldn't say the Lindberghs. The biggest thing with them wasn't that they were rich but that Lindbergh was the most famous person on the entire planet. His is the kidnapping that has stood the test of time that people still remember, but kidnapping was a big problem at the time, though. Rich peoples' kids were always getting kidnapped. The weird thing, as Perry noted, is that these people didn't seem rich.

Quote

 

Not a bad actor in the cast thus far, though the woman Perry is sexing up - while also good - looked a little anachronistic looks wise. She looked modern (versus 1930s-ish as everyone else did). But that's a minor detail. Everything else seemed to embody the 1930s quite convincingly.

Yes, her hair seems especially anachronistic. Not only did most women by the 30s have their hair shorter or at least worn up in a way that appeared shorter, one would expect a pilot to keep her hair short, as most women pilots of the time did. Otherwise it's flying around and hard to get under a cap. I wonder about that choice.

It was also pointed out to me that it's funny that "Red" is supposed to be a big deal as a starlet since red hair wasn't much of a thing in early movies. Audiences would have to take your word for it that the hair was red.

Quote

Jon Lithgow's lawyer character seems like someone later Perry the lawyer would model. Don't know if this version from these books (which I was unfamiliar with) ends up as a lawyer, but I can see seeds of how he could evolve. Wonder if the through-line of Della having a thing for Perry will play out here or not.

Della seems like a lesbian to me...though I can't say what I'm basing that on exactly. For whatever reason I expect her to be gay--and that seems like it would be something a modern adaptation would do.

Edited June 23, 2020 by sistermagpie

[Door County Cherry]

Hi,

I hid a few posts that talk about things mentioned in reviews that won't be revealed until later episodes. 

Reviewers have seen most, and in some cases all, of the episodes so they might be a little more lax with details they drop. 

I'll craft an official policy later but we'll let brief mentions of characters who appear in the opening credits go (as their inclusion and character descriptions were well publicized in official descriptions) and brief, well known future references (Perry is a lawyer!) go. But more specific character details yet to be revealed or when those details will be revealed should go in the spoiler thread.  

 

[Ellaria]

I will watch a few more episodes to see if the show finds some momentum but, overall, I was disappointed. 

I love Matthew Rhys but the "down on his luck slob" characterization is a poor use of his talents. I'm not sure why I should be rooting for Perry at this point (other than the fact that Rhys is a brilliant actor). A lot of characters were thrown at us in this episode...perhaps too many. 

I like the look of the show and its 1930s noir feel but I worry about the tendency to make many scenes so dark. Of course, that is a problem with many shows.

My parents watched the old Perry Mason series and I have vague recollections about that show. I have never read any of Erle Stanley Gardner's novels. I assume that we will, at some point, get current Perry to the Perry of the old show/novels. Otherwise, I'm not sure why the character was resurrected.

And come on with Chubby Carmichael. Such an obvious reference to Fatty Arbuckle and I don't understand why.

 

[BrownBear2012]

On 6/22/2020 at 5:47 PM, Inquisitionist said:

Heavy on atmosphere, shoddy on story-telling.  Reviews suggest this imbalance doesn't improve over time.  I'll watch some more, but so far, I'm more puzzled than intrigued.

 I agree...it borrows heavily from Boardwalk Empire...the era and the dark and seamy side of that era. Also several of the actors were on Boardwalk Empire. I know that the director, Tim Van Patten was the director of Boardwalk Empire so I guess we shouldn't be surprised that he stayed in that lane. I will try to hang in there but it's so dark, so depressing and bleak. I do enjoy John Lithgow and Matthew Rhys but they might not be enough for me to keep watching. I'll give it few more episodes before bailing.

[Ursula Parrott]

The case reminded me of the gruesome murder of Marion Parker in L.A.

[Annber03]

15 minutes ago, Ursula Parrott said:

The case reminded me of the gruesome murder of Marion Parker in L.A.

Holy crap, how horrifying. That poor girl. Her poor family. 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Ursula Parrott said:

The case reminded me of the gruesome murder of Marion Parker in L.A.

Yikes! It is similar in both details and level of horror and awfulness. This

Quote

Spoiler

Then, he realized that Perry wouldn’t pay for a child who was dead, so he filled her full of towels and sewed her eyes open to give the appearance of life.

seems to negate my supposition that the sewn open eyes were a message to the guilty father that his infant son was watching and accusing him. But the show may yet be go in that direction for narrative reasons. 

Edited June 25, 2020 by shapeshifter

[paigow]

7 hours ago, Ursula Parrott said:

The case reminded me of the gruesome murder of Marion Parker in L.A.

Penny Dreadful also refers to the Parker case

[Ursula Parrott]

It’s on my list, but I haven’t started it yet. Thx for reminding me.

[J-Man]

Quote

Also, am I the only one who kind of hates the name Chubby Carmichael? I dunno, it's just so obviously a pale imitation of the name Fatty Arbuckle -- alliteration or no, you wouldn't nickname a jolly fat comic "Chubby" if the better nickname "Fatty" weren't already taken.

Have you forgotten that Fats Domino begat Chubby Checker? 

[Inquisitionist]

15 hours ago, Ursula Parrott said:

The case reminded me of the gruesome murder of Marion Parker in L.A.

Good god, what were the school administrators thinking?

[sistermagpie]

23 minutes ago, Inquisitionist said:

Good god, what were the school administrators thinking?

Guy comes saying the father of two of their students on the request of their father, who was in a car accident. Seems to not know the guy has two daughters. Only requests one.

Seems legit!

And here's Perry suspicious of a mother sleeping through somebody sneaking into a house to snatch the baby.

[WendyCR72]

4 hours ago, Inquisitionist said:

Good god, what were the school administrators thinking?

I was shocked when I read the parents didn't blame them. I would have sued! It would not have brought their daughter back, but still. It's obvious the maniac did not know Marion was a twin, yet he only asked for her?

That should have set off LOADS of red flags.

[SunnyBeBe]

Well, I’m late to the party, but, I was able to finally catch the first chapter. I was enjoying the anticipation of seeing Matthew again. I developed a little crush on him a few years ago and still get excited when he appears on screen.  This character  isn’t what I had envisioned though. Still, it was good. I’m intrigued enough to follow it through. I’m also a big fan of Lithgow and hope that things will improve with the story.  It’s actually the type of thing that I normally would enjoy....not sure why I wasn’t that impressed. Maybe I’m in a bad mood or need a glass of Pinot Noir....lol.  
 

As a young child I watched Perry Mason reruns with my grandparents and great grandparents. It was their favorite tv show, besides The Fugitive. I didn’t fully understand PerrY Mason, but I understood enough to realize how Perry worked and won his cases. I was quite impressed and particularly so since Raymond Burr bore a striking resemblance to my grandfather, though He was somewhat older. It must made quite an impression, as I later became an attorney. Lol

[EtheltoTillie]

On 6/25/2020 at 4:47 PM, Inquisitionist said:

Good god, what were the school administrators thinking?

Yes, and as someone else noted, he only asked for one of the children. 

But in those days people were trusting.  They wouldn't think someone would show up at a school to pick someone up unless it were legit.  They didn't have in place all the checks and balances they now have developed based on cases like this.

Also have to wonder why the girl didn't kick up a fuss at the beginning and refuse to go.

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, GussieK said:

But in those days people were trusting.  They wouldn't think someone would show up at a school to pick someone up unless it were legit.  They didn't have in place all the checks and balances they now have developed based on cases like this.

Also have to wonder why the girl didn't kick up a fuss at the beginning and refuse to go.

Having been a child in the 1950s and 60s, these were decades when nuclear families were first growing up apart from extended families and villages in which everyone knew everyone. There were things that happened to me that did not happen to my kids because I knew to always ask where they were going, who they were with, and what were they doing? 

But perhaps even more to the point, people were hoping to climb the social strata, and part of doing that was to never look flustered or make waves. 

Assuming the article (medium.com/@hlemonroe/the-horrifying-murder-of-marion-parker-c38438e05dbc) is accurate (but bystanders never report events completely accurately), note that the kidnapper specified which daughter by name, which could have been enough to throw off any concerns the registrar had:

Quote

a well dressed and well-spoken young man entered the office of Mount Vernon Junior High School in Los Angeles, California, where the 12-year-old twins were enrolled. He introduced himself as Mr. Cooper, and asked the school registrar, Miss Mary Holt, for “the Parker girl.”

Mr. Cooper told Miss Holt that his boss, Perry Parker, was in a terrible car accident and requesting his daughter right away. When Miss Holt asked, “Which one?” the man seemed surprised and answered, “Marion.”

Successful kidnappers generally are very good at manipulating people.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Assuming the article (medium.com/@hlemonroe/the-horrifying-murder-of-marion-parker-c38438e05dbc) is accurate (but bystanders never report events completely accurately), note that the kidnapper specified which daughter by name, which could have been enough to throw off any concerns the registrar had:

I was curious enough that I read multiple stories on it and they all vary slightly but Medium is the only one that claims he asked for her by name. Most say he asked for the “youngest” or “smaller” one. One important thing missing from the Medium article is that the vice-principal was supposed to be the one who approved students leaving but was unavailable at the time. The registrar was the ones who made the decision and was under pressure because of the “emergency”. The kidnapper told her that she could call the bank if she didn’t believe him. 

[LoveLeigh]

As usual, I am lost right out of the gate. I am not sure if the volume is too low for me, if the actors are just garbling some sentences, or is my hearing is failing. But I am already confused.

Who was the guy who fell off the fire escape and what is his plot line? How does he fit into the episode and the story of the kidnapped and murdered child? And who was that group he was with in that scene prior to his "escape?" 

Edited June 28, 2020 by DakotaLavender

[shapeshifter]

58 minutes ago, DakotaLavender said:

As usual, I am lost right out of the gate. I am not sure if the volume is too low for me, if the actors are just garbling some sentences, or is my hearing is failing. But I am already confused.

Who was the guy who fell off the fire escape and what is his plot line? How does he fit into the episode and the tory of the kidnapped and murdered child? And who was that group he was with in that scene prior to his "escape?" 

Guy? There was a guy who fell off of a fire escape? In a show I watched a few days ago? (And I don't even drink or smoke or anything.)
I felt bad about not knowing who was who until I read a few comments on Reddit arguing (of course. Reddit.) about whether the kidnapper was the dad or another guy of the same size, shape, and coloring who looked like the dad.
I'm assuming I'll figure it out if I keep watching.

[dargosmydaddy]

1 hour ago, DakotaLavender said:

Who was the guy who fell off the fire escape and what is his plot line? How does he fit into the episode and the tory of the kidnapped and murdered child? And who was that group he was with in that scene prior to his "escape?"

If you mean the guy who fell off the building at the end while trying to escape the other guy, yes, he was part of the kidnapping group... I'm unsure why there needed to be so many of them (kidnappers)... there were three of them in the apartment at the end, right? All of whom got killed by the (possible cop?) guy (well, I guess the one who fell to his death wasn't technically killed, but still...), who was also obviously involved in some way, as he was handling the money (and eliminating his partners or underlings)?

[sistermagpie]

11 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

If you mean the guy who fell off the building at the end while trying to escape the other guy, yes, he was part of the kidnapping group... I'm unsure why there needed to be so many of them (kidnappers)... there were three of them in the apartment at the end, right? All of whom got killed by the (possible cop?) guy (well, I guess the one who fell to his death wasn't technically killed, but still...), who was also obviously involved in some way, as he was handling the money (and eliminating his partners or underlings)?

Yes, just to add, iirc the guy who was killing them was one of the two that Perry ran into when he was in the room that looked out on the trolley. He was the one really hostile to Perry. When Perry told him about the car that was scene he was irritated, and before killing the guys he criticized them for the car being spotted.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, DakotaLavender said:

Who was the guy who fell off the fire escape and what is his plot line? How does he fit into the episode and the tory of the kidnapped and murdered child? And who was that group he was with in that scene prior to his "escape?" 

The one who fell looks to be the one who was driving the getaway car. Based on the fact that he looked like the father and the way he talked about the little boy he’s probably the inside man. The other two men were also involved in the kidnapping. The one in the hat is the one who dropped off the body and there was a police sketch of him. 
They were all killed by the cop (Detective Ennis) who pulled a gun on Mason in a previous scene and was hostile while interviewing the parents. He must have been the one who grabbed the money during the kidnapping. 
 

16 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I'm unsure why there needed to be so many of them (kidnappers)... there were three of them in the apartment at the end, right? All of whom got killed by the (possible cop?) guy (well, I guess the one who fell to his death wasn't technically killed, but still...), who was also obviously involved in some way, as he was handling the money (and eliminating his partners or underlings)?

The way the opening played out there had to be at least four involved. One to make the phone call, one to drop off the body, one to drive the getaway car and one to be ready to grab the cash as soon as the parents ran out. 

 

52 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Guy? There was a guy who fell off of a fire escape? In a show I watched a few days ago? (And I don't even drink or smoke or anything.)
I felt bad about not knowing who was who until I read a few comments on Reddit arguing (of course. Reddit.) about whether the kidnapper was the dad or another guy of the same size, shape, and coloring who looked like the dad.
I'm assuming I'll figure it out if I keep watching.

I actually had to pause the scene with the kidnappers on my tv and scan through the episode on my phone to figure out who was who. It made me long for the traditional noir voiceover. 

Edited June 28, 2020 by Guest

[LoveLeigh]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Guy? There was a guy who fell off of a fire escape? In a show I watched a few days ago? (And I don't even drink or smoke or anything.)
I felt bad about not knowing who was who until I read a few comments on Reddit arguing (of course. Reddit.) about whether the kidnapper was the dad or another guy of the same size, shape, and coloring who looked like the dad.
I'm assuming I'll figure it out if I keep watching.

Yes, some guy was chased and fell off a roof...... I found a recap on Collider: "But while Ennis is brutally crushing the throat of the fedora-wearing man with his boot, another injured criminal escapes to the roof. Ennis follows him, only to watch the man attempt to jump to the next building over, miss the ledge, and fall to his death on the steps far below…" 

What's that plot line all about? 

 

[Inquisitionist]

13 hours ago, DakotaLavender said:

As usual, I am lost right out of the gate. I am not sure if the volume is too low for me, if the actors are just garbling some sentences, or is my hearing is failing.

I didn't have too much difficulty with the sound on this broadcast, but in general, I've noted a severe deterioration in sound quality in a LOT of TV programs of late.  It is annoying.

[sistermagpie]

9 hours ago, DakotaLavender said:

Yes, some guy was chased and fell off a roof...... I found a recap on Collider: "But while Ennis is brutally crushing the throat of the fedora-wearing man with his boot, another injured criminal escapes to the roof. Ennis follows him, only to watch the man attempt to jump to the next building over, miss the ledge, and fall to his death on the steps far below…" 

What's that plot line all about? 

 

The main one. Those were the kidnappers. Ennis was the leader. He was supposed to be bringing them the money they were going to split and instead he killed them.

[preeya]

On 6/25/2020 at 6:03 PM, WendyCR72 said:

I was shocked when I read the parents didn't blame them. I would have sued! It would not have brought their daughter back, but still. It's obvious the maniac did not know Marion was a twin, yet he only asked for her?

That should have set off LOADS of red flags.

Not in 1927.

[shapeshifter]

This article also mentions that one of the kidnappers resembled the baby's father --which makes me wonder if he was recruited for the crime because of his resemblance (so the father would be blamed), and the article also recaps the last scenes for those of us who didn't quite see everything, which were pretty dark, with the action so fast that it was a mental blur for me: menshealth.com/entertainment/a32908213/perry-mason-episode-1-ending-explained

[Guest]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

This article also mentions that one of the kidnappers resembled the baby's father --which makes me wonder if he was recruited for the crime because of his resemblance (so the father would be blamed), and the article also recaps the last scenes for those of us who didn't quite see everything, which were pretty dark, with the action so fast that it was a mental blur for me: menshealth.com/entertainment/a32908213/perry-mason-episode-1-ending-explained

I’m nearly certain the the guy who looked like the father is supposed to be the inside man. He said the baby’s name like he knew him. My guess is a brother or cousin. Someone who would know the father’s schedule and get in and out of the house easily. 

[LoveLeigh]

On 6/25/2020 at 9:03 PM, WendyCR72 said:

I was shocked when I read the parents didn't blame them. I would have sued! It would not have brought their daughter back, but still. It's obvious the maniac did not know Marion was a twin, yet he only asked for her?

That should have set off LOADS of red flags.

Who is "Marion?" I thought the kidnapped child was "Charlie." Who asked for Marion and why am I still so confused after watching this episode 3 times? 

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, DakotaLavender said:

Who is "Marion?" I thought the kidnapped child was "Charlie." Who asked for Marion and why am I still so confused after watching this episode 3 times? 

That’s part of a side discussion of a real life case that has some similarities to the plot of the show. 

[Door County Cherry]

Since it appears as if the show is taking inspiration from real life cases and people, I've created a thread where those can be discussed in depth.  

 

 

[sue450]

On 6/21/2020 at 8:43 PM, scrb said:

 

Maybe I misunderstood it but is Perry suppose to evolve into the character portrayed by Raymond Burr?

I didn't watch that show but he's some slick lawyer right, who turns cases on his legal eloquence?  Very low affect, purely about grand legal concepts?  Or maybe I got the wrong character/show.

Also, isn't the original show based in the 50s or 60s?  So he's got 20-30 years to become the smooth talking lawyer?

The fat comedian is suppose to be Fatty Arbuckle, who supposedly had sexual feats which would have been scandalous back then?  And was that really Groucho Marx who shook down Perry for those pictures?

Perry is hard up for money but he's taking pictures of everything like he's got an iPhone.  He may develop his own film but was film cheap back in 1931?

My guess is one of those parents of the kidnapped/murdered child is the illegitimate child of Baggerly?  Otherwise how did they pay a $100k ransom?

The shot of the child with his eyes sewn shut looks like something out of ...  present day HBO, like True Detective or The Outsider, like the murderers weren't content with just the kill, they had to stage some scene or look.

So either this season is a backstory before Perry becomes this iconic lawyer or did they just decide to make a LA Confidential/Chinatown type of noir but decided to attach the Perry Mason name to it?

 

 

the childs eyes were sewn OPEN not sgut very creepy and based on a true  kidnapping case  of marion parker...she older 12 at the time but her eyes were sewn open

[sue450]

On 6/27/2020 at 6:17 PM, DakotaLavender said:

As usual, I am lost right out of the gate. I am not sure if the volume is too low for me, if the actors are just garbling some sentences, or is my hearing is failing. But I am already confused.

Who was the guy who fell off the fire escape and what is his plot line? How does he fit into the episode and the story of the kidnapped and murdered child? And who was that group he was with in that scene prior to his "escape?" 

they were the 3 guys who kidnapped the baby..the one  basically killed off the other 2  he shot both but  the one got got away until he tried to jump across the building and fell

 

On 6/28/2020 at 1:09 PM, DakotaLavender said:

Who is "Marion?" I thought the kidnapped child was "Charlie." Who asked for Marion and why am I still so confused after watching this episode 3 times? 

Marion Parker   she was kidnapped in  1928  she was a lot older but she was killed and her eye sewn OPEN like the the kidnapped baby in episode 1

Edited June 29, 2020 by sue450

[Netfoot]

I watched some of the original Raymond Burr episodes when they first came out. Sitting in my mom's lap, or beside her on the sofa. She loved that show.

This not my mom's Perry Mason!

OK, so the character has been displaced in time, and otherwise re-imagined. Where does it say that scruffy, P.I. Perry will transmogrify into suave, lawyer Perry? The character has been re-imagined. Instead of being about a lawyer who works with a P.I., it is instead about a P.I. who works with a lawyer. John Lithgow plays the lawyer part of that dynamic duo, and Matthew Rhys plays the P.I.

Many posters have suggested that Perry will clean up his act and become a force to be reckoned with in court. While this is always possible, I see nothing so far to indicate that's where this must be going. Am I missing something? Or is it just a general opinion that Matthew Rhys must become Raymond Burr for the show to be legitimate?

[Domestic Assassin]

47 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Many posters have suggested that Perry will clean up his act and become a force to be reckoned with in court. While this is always possible, I see nothing so far to indicate that's where this must be going. Am I missing something? Or is it just a general opinion that Matthew Rhys must become Raymond Burr for the show to be legitimate?

From what I understand from various reviews and interviews:

Spoiler

This season is showing how Perry Mason and various other characters came to be working together in the professions for which they are known. This origin story is wholly the invention of the writers of this series. However, they are basing this on the original Erle Stanley Gardner books rather than the series, so he isn't ever likely to become the Raymond Burr version of the character.

 

Edited June 30, 2020 by Domestic Assassin

[Guest]

 

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Many posters have suggested that Perry will clean up his act and become a force to be reckoned with in court. While this is always possible, I see nothing so far to indicate that's where this must be going. Am I missing something? Or is it just a general opinion that Matthew Rhys must become Raymond Burr for the show to be legitimate?

When this episode started I assumed that they were just writing the book Perry as a PI. It wasn’t until the courtroom scene that I began to think that the writers plan on this Perry Mason becoming a lawyer. He was acting more like a lawyer than the actual lawyers. 

[S45apUSA]

Just a couple questions why did they choose a PI of a Lawyer and they make Paul  Drake a policeman and not a PI and black with racial relations or better said non relations what they were in 1932 even in LA?

[chlban]

On 6/24/2020 at 10:25 PM, Ursula Parrott said:

The case reminded me of the gruesome murder of Marion Parker in L.A.

That is exactly the case I was trying to recall. I remembered the horrifying details, but not the name, but, yes, reminded me of this.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

On 6/30/2020 at 8:24 AM, Domestic Assassin said:

From what I understand from various reviews and interviews:

  Hide contents

However, they are basing this on the original Erle Stanley Gardner books rather than the series, so he isn't ever likely to become the Raymond Burr version of the character.

 

Gardner actually hand-picked Burr for the role: he hadn't liked any of the actors that the network had brought in to play PM, but Fred McMurray was leading. Burr, who had played the bad guy in several films, was brought in to read for the role of District Attorney Hamilton Burger. When watching Burr's screen test, Gardner stood up, pointed at the screen, and said "That's him! That's Perry Mason!" His PM novels during and after the TV show were obviously written with Burr in mind, as Mason's physical description and speech patterns were changed to more closely match Burr's.

On 6/22/2020 at 10:30 PM, J-Man said:

(There were also PM radio shows, but I've never heard them.) 

You're thinking of the radio soap opera Edge of Night, which included Perry, Della, and Paul as regular characters. When they made the transition to television in the 1950s, the series was split in two, with Perry, Della and Paul going to the Perry Mason series which was strictly episodic with no soap opera elements, and Edge of Night having those three characters renamed.