S01.E02: Chapter Two

[sistermagpie]

17 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

The song Drake was listening to in his kitchen was from 1951 (🤔) so I’m wondering if it was a little nod to “LA Confidential,” which used that tune, and they figured no one would notice the error?

Thank you! I wanted to look that song up because I, too, associate it so strongly with LA Confidential and it frankly sounds like it's from the 50s and not 30s at all. The whole solo sax thing seems very wrong for the early 30s.

 

18 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

Speaking of “LA Confidential,” Lithgow’s constant use of the phrase “boyo” here keeps making me think of James Cromwell’s character. I hope that’s not a foreshadowing...

I thought of that in the other thread where there was a complaint about Lupe using "papi" too often, because I thought it was just like Lithgow's boyo. I wonder if both emphasize Perry's immaturity at this moment in his life because he's such a mess. But he surrounds himself with people who have their shit together and don't baby him about it. Like EB giving him work he expects him to do well (and he does) and Lupe walking out when it's clear Perry's spiraling into some big dramatic fit of self-loathing.

[cardigirl]

11 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

The song Drake was listening to in his kitchen was from 1951 (🤔) so I’m wondering if it was a little nod to “LA Confidential,” which used that tune, and they figured no one would notice the error?

 

And the name of the song is? 

[sistermagpie]

2 hours ago, cardigirl said:

And the name of the song is? 

Iirc, it was Oh! Look at me Now by Lee Wiley

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, cardigirl said:

14 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

The song Drake was listening to in his kitchen was from 1951 (🤔) so I’m wondering if it was a little nod to “LA Confidential,” which used that tune, and they figured no one would notice the error?

 

And the name of the song is? 

33 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

Iirc, it was Oh! Look at me Now by Lee Wiley

Lyrics: musixmatch.com/lyrics/Lee-Wiley-Bobby-Hackett-Joe-Bushkin/Oh-Look-At-Me-Now-Studio

Listen: https://youtu.be/UL4WyAZVJFs

The song's about a woman who marries money. Hmmm...

 

[Cotypubby]

2 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

Iirc, it was Oh! Look at me Now by Lee Wiley

Yup. It fit perfectly in LA Confidential, which is set in 1952/1953, but seemed way out of place for 1932.

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, Cotypubby said:

Yup. It fit perfectly in LA Confidential, which is set in 1952/1953, but seemed way out of place for 1932.

Exactly. It's a big question I have about the show, actually, because when you do a period piece music is often a powerful force for putting you there. That song sounds like late 40s/early 50s. 1931 is very different--it's early for noir, so there's a reason we more associate it with the kind of music the show uses, but I think it's more important to use 1931 music. It's like having Perry drive a Prius. It really sticks out, and it must be an intentional choice to act like there's no difference. It's really jarring! It's like if you were making a movie about a detective in 1962 and he's listening to the Eurythmics. Even if you had never heard the song he was listening to you'd recognize the sound as being from the 80s.

(For instance, MR's last show, The Americans,generally used music from whatever 80s year they were in or earlier.)

Edited July 1, 2020 by sistermagpie

[bosawks]

This series is just further proof that Lili Taylor is always one of the best things in anything she’s in.
 

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, bosawks said:

This series is just further proof that Lili Taylor is always one of the best things in anything she’s in.
 

The movie Mystic Pizza from 1988 was on Sundance not long ago and Lili Taylor looked positively like a BABY in that. Liked her in that, too. (It was - I think - one of Julia Roberts' very first films before she became a star. Because she had not made it yet, she wasn't annoying. LOL! If I recall, Annabeth Gish, also in the movie, was the one being pushed, more or less. Sweet movie.)

[AnimeMania]

7 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

Yup. It fit perfectly in LA Confidential, which is set in 1952/1953, but seemed way out of place for 1932.

It was probably the writers thinking what type of music would People of Color listen to in the 1930s that might also be on the radio and after coming up blank they just decided what is an early time period song that People of Color would listen to, extra points that that song provides one more clue to what was going on in the story. Considering the other song that featured prominently in the episode, "Heigh-Ho, Everybody!" - Rudy Vallee 1929, I could see them wanting something smoother and mellower for the Drake scene since he was trying to calm down after being so wound up at work.

[Jextella]

Quick question.....in the scene with Mason, Della, EB and Stickland, Stickland, says Percy DuMott has a guilty conscience and is a sophisticated man of distinction.

Who the heck is Percy DuMott?

[AnimeMania]

2 hours ago, Jextella said:

Quick question.....in the scene with Mason, Della, EB and Stickland, Stickland, says Percy DuMott has a guilty conscience and is a sophisticated man of distinction.

Who the heck is Percy DuMott?

What!!!!!!!!!!!

Who doesn't know Percy DuMott, head of York Cosmetics who comes to a small town department store where a lovely sales clerk catches his eye. This is a character from a serialized book that was published in many newspapers in 1932 called Lipstick Girl by Edna Robb Webster.

 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

What!!!!!!!!!!!

Who doesn't know Percy DuMott, head of York Cosmetics who comes to a small town department store where a lovely sales clerk catches his eye. This is a character from a serialized book that was published in many newspapers in 1932 called Lipstick Girl by Edna Robb Webster.

 

I didn't know, and apparently Perry didn't either. From the first episode, during the stakeout:

Quote

Pete Strickland: Okay, Mason, here's one for you. Are you being cheated out of life's thrills?

Perry Mason: Probably.

Pete: Love, romance, excitement?

Perry: Never heard of them.

Pete: Mayhaps you should read Lipstick Girl by Edna Robb Webster.

Perry Mason: Never heard of her.

 Here's the intro and Chapter 11 of Lipstick Girl from the Berkeley Gazette: 
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1970&dat=19320910&id=lEgyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=A-MFAAAAIBAJ&pg=966,5035939
Kudos to the show writers for authenticity.

 

[AnimeMania]

There seems to be a pattern starting of women falling for very rich men. With the serialized book "Lipstick Girl by Edna Robb Webster" and the out of place song "Oh! Look At Me Now by Lee Wiley". The show is not that subtle, everything seems real straightforward.

[sistermagpie]

14 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

It was probably the writers thinking what type of music would People of Color listen to in the 1930s that might also be on the radio and after coming up blank they just decided what is an early time period song that People of Color would listen to, extra points that that song provides one more clue to what was going on in the story. Considering the other song that featured prominently in the episode, "Heigh-Ho, Everybody!" - Rudy Vallee 1929, I could see them wanting something smoother and mellower for the Drake scene since he was trying to calm down after being so wound up at work.

If they were actually looking for something that People of Color would listen to on the radio, they'd have chosen something that would have been on the radio, since it's not like there were stations for non-white people. And since they were tossing out reality by choosing this song from the future anyway, why choose a song sung by a white lady that was a hit with white people in 1951? Just go ahead and have him listen to a black performer.

I mean, smoother and mellower is great, but there were mellow songs pre-1932, even ones that revolved around money and sex. ("Love for Sale would have been just as on the nose) The whole sound of the song is just so off it, imo, almost undercuts Drake's presentation as an outsider. Like if he was at home after work watching a flat screen TV.

 

[meep.meep]

On 6/30/2020 at 8:03 PM, Cotypubby said:

 

The song Drake was listening to in his kitchen was from 1951 (🤔) so I’m wondering if it was a little nod to “LA Confidential,” which used that tune, and they figured no one would notice the error?

Actually, all of Drake's kitchen was anachronistic.  It's tiled in a very distinctive yellow tile with a contrasting edge color.  This was widely used in California, but not until after WWII.  I had the exact same tile, yellow with baby blue edge, in a home built in 1950.  One of my friends had yellow with green and another yellow with brown.

[Tachi Rocinante]

On 7/1/2020 at 8:28 PM, bosawks said:

This series is just further proof that Lili Taylor is always one of the best things in anything she’s in.

She has a bit to go to outdo Amy Madigan's performance of the same character type in the just-finished season of Penny Dreadful.

Also, I am loving Shea Whigham in this. 

 

[paigow]

25 minutes ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

She has a bit to go to outdo Amy Madigan's performance of the same character type in the just-finished season of Penny Dreadful.

Not being able to play the Nazi collaborator trump card on top of just being Mommy Dearest is a disadvantage for Taylor....

[TobinAlbers]

On 6/29/2020 at 3:58 PM, sistermagpie said:

Nope, I saw it and I did wonder if there was some connection even though it wasn't a turtle. Even if the turtle wasn't a hiding place maybe there was some connection.

I think the initial connection will probably be that it’ll be a circumstantial tie that further strengthens the idea that Emily was in on the kidnapping/murder in that turtle was bought at the same place as the alligator found at George’s house, i.e. George bought both items and gave the turtle to Emily as a ‘gift’ for George which she put in his room. Also explains why she was focused on the turtle being her son’s favorite as it was a gift from her lover. There may be a secondary more important tie to come later.

Also good point that the church may play into this as Emily mentioned that George was a church friend/friend from church. 

I laughed way too hard at Perry’s line: I’m working the case, Della. I don’t have to explain shit (to you). On one hand, I agreed with him. She can have her intuition, but that doesn’t mean he can’t also follow his leads/hunches which turned out to lead him not only to Emily’s lover but also someone involved in the child’s kidnapping/murder.  On the other having watched the original series in reruns I was like ‘Damn, Perry oh no you didn’t talk to Della like that!’ 😂

At only 8 episodes I’m in for the season. I like the tone, the actors, and that the pacing makes this a mini-series centered around this one case (so far).

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by TobinAlbers

[chlban]

On 6/29/2020 at 9:39 PM, Vella said:

Much, much better than the pilot. Loved the strong introductions for Paul Drake and Sister Alice.  Really loved the back and forth in the Della/Perry/Pete/EB scene where we see so much of each character's personality come out.  I feel like EB is a good man and good lawyer, but that he's a wee bit in over his head and I get the sense that Perry realizes this too.

Loved Della getting more to do and the phone battle between Della/Perry at the restaurant.  Can't wait for Paul to join the mix. 

The scene when Emily got arrested and Della looks back? Oof, so much good stuff going on there. EB fully aware and quibbling with the DA, Perry quickly realizing what had been arranged and Della, looking back. for help or support and finding she's alone and just stares at Perry, grasping what's actually happened. Shock and anger and disappointment on her face but resolute to still support Emily.  Perry, ashamed, looks down. Just sublime.

I get the impression that Sister Alice is a medium of some kind. She seemed to read something off Emily the moment their hands touched when they first met and then after her sermon, she looked right at Perry. I really like the power vibe between her and her Mother.

Yeah, I especially noticed her reaction to Emily. Seemed she definitely got some kind of vibe or vision there.

[spaceghostess]

On 7/1/2020 at 9:41 PM, WendyCR72 said:

The movie Mystic Pizza from 1988 was on Sundance not long ago and Lili Taylor looked positively like a BABY in that. Liked her in that, too. (It was - I think - one of Julia Roberts' very first films before she became a star. Because she had not made it yet, she wasn't annoying. LOL! If I recall, Annabeth Gish, also in the movie, was the one being pushed, more or less. Sweet movie.)

I live within walking distance of the Mystic “drawbridge“ (which is technically a bascule bridge, but whatever) on which Taylor and Vincent D’Onofrio’s characters have a big scene. Although the movie was a legit location shoot, none of the pizza place stuff was shot at the actual Mystic Pizza, which is a few blocks from the bridge—but that doesn’t mean they haven’t capitalized on the movie for decades, heh.

On topic: Late to the party for this episode, but had to chime in to agree about the casting for Paul Drake—Chalk captures the tension inherent in Paul’s position as a cop of color in LA (or anywhere, for that matter, at that time, I imagine). I’m so looking forward to more of this character.

Oh—and for my fellow Rhysaholics, may I suggest  The Scapegoat? It’s based on the du Maurier novel, set in the early ‘50s, and offers double mid-century MR, as he plays a dual role. 

[Dev F]

I caught up on the series this weekend, so I didn't have the chance to ask this earlier: Am I crazy, or were Paul Drake's introductory scenes presented out of chronological order? First we get the scene in which the cops pop in on the Dodsons at the Radiant Assembly church and ask them to come to the station to look at a line-up. Then a few scenes later is Paul Drake's introduction, in which he discovers the bodies of the kidnappers and Matthew Dodson's suitcase. Then we cut to the Dodsons at the station, and the suggestion is that the police have lured them there with false talk about a line-up when really the point was to confront them with the suitcase that supposedly proves Matthew's guilt. But unless the scenes are out of order, the police didn't know about the suitcase until after they lured the Dodsons down to the station, so how could that have been the plan all along?

The only other explanation, it seems to me, is that the police were originally bringing the Dodsons in to actually look at a line-up, like they said -- but then Drake called in the new evidence, the police immediately processed it and confirmed that it was Matthew's suitcase while the Dodsons were en route to the station, and got all their ducks in a row in time to confront Matthew with it when he got there. That seems like a whole lot of stuff to happen all in a huge rush, so I think "The Paul Drake scenes actually took place earlier in the day than presented" actually makes more sense.

Or am I missing something here?

Edited July 14, 2020 by Dev F

[AnimeMania]

9 hours ago, Dev F said:

I caught up on the series this weekend, so I didn't have the chance to ask this earlier: Am I crazy, or were Paul Drake's introductory scenes presented out of chronological order? First we get the scene in which the cops pop in on the Dodsons at the Radiant Assembly church and ask them to come to the station to look at a line-up. Then a few scenes later is Paul Drake's introduction, in which he discovers the bodies of the kidnappers and Matthew Dodson's suitcase. Then we cut to the Dodsons at the station, and the suggestion is that the police have lured them there with false talk about a line-up when really the point was to confront them with the suitcase that supposedly proves Matthew's guilt. But unless the scenes are out of order, the police didn't know about the suitcase until after they lured the Dodsons down to the station, so how could that have been the plan all along?

The only other explanation, it seems to me, is that the police were originally bringing the Dodsons in to actually look at a line-up, like they said -- but then Drake called in the new evidence, the police immediately processed it and confirmed that it was Matthew's suitcase while the Dodsons were en route to the station, and got all their ducks in a row in time to confront Matthew with it when he got there. That seems like a whole lot of stuff to happen all in a huge rush, so I think "The Paul Drake scenes actually took place earlier in the day than presented" actually makes more sense.

Or am I missing something here?

Possible, but I thought the main reason they brought the Dodsons in was there was a witness that saw George entering the house during the time of the kidnapping. My memory could be fuzzy though.

[Dev F]

10 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Possible, but I thought the main reason they brought the Dodsons in was there was a witness that saw George entering the house during the time of the kidnapping. My memory could be fuzzy though.

I think the episode implies that the witness was pressured into implicating Matthew only after they'd already assembled a case against him: "Mr. Kitt originally told the police he 'saw a man.' Turned into 'saw Matthew' third time they leaned on him." They did have a few other pieces of seemingly incriminating evidence -- Matthew's debts, his secret parentage, and a patrolman who supposedly falsified his original alibi. But it still seems weird that they would've brought him in to ambush him with mostly circumstantial evidence related to his possible motive, and then just happened to acquire the especially damning physical evidence, processed it at lightning speed, and developed a coherent picture of the criminal conspiracy while he was en route to the station.

Edited July 15, 2020 by Dev F

[RedbirdNelly]

On 7/10/2020 at 10:54 AM, spaceghostess said:

I live within walking distance of the Mystic “drawbridge“ (which is technically a bascule bridge, but whatever) on which Taylor and Vincent D’Onofrio’s characters have a big scene. Although the movie was a legit location shoot, none of the pizza place stuff was shot at the actual Mystic Pizza, which is a few blocks from the bridge—but that doesn’t mean they haven’t capitalized on the movie for decades, heh.

On topic: Late to the party for this episode, but had to chime in to agree about the casting for Paul Drake—Chalk captures the tension inherent in Paul’s position as a cop of color in LA (or anywhere, for that matter, at that time, I imagine). I’m so looking forward to more of this character.

Oh—and for my fellow Rhysaholics, may I suggest  The Scapegoat? It’s based on the du Maurier novel, set in the early ‘50s, and offers double mid-century MR, as he plays a dual role. 

I was born in Mystic and have memories of walking across that bridge. Great town. Have pics of the Charles W Morgan in my house. 

On topic--I enjoyed this episode but had to look away and have my husband narrate the going into George's house part--was gross and I just knew someone would whack him on the back of the head. Glad that type of thing didn't happen. 

Also worried that Officer Drake would get killed but am hoping he sticks around.

 

On 7/13/2020 at 10:36 PM, Dev F said:

I caught up on the series this weekend, so I didn't have the chance to ask this earlier: Am I crazy, or were Paul Drake's introductory scenes presented out of chronological order? First we get the scene in which the cops pop in on the Dodsons at the Radiant Assembly church and ask them to come to the station to look at a line-up. Then a few scenes later is Paul Drake's introduction, in which he discovers the bodies of the kidnappers and Matthew Dodson's suitcase. Then we cut to the Dodsons at the station, and the suggestion is that the police have lured them there with false talk about a line-up when really the point was to confront them with the suitcase that supposedly proves Matthew's guilt. But unless the scenes are out of order, the police didn't know about the suitcase until after they lured the Dodsons down to the station, so how could that have been the plan all along?

The only other explanation, it seems to me, is that the police were originally bringing the Dodsons in to actually look at a line-up, like they said -- but then Drake called in the new evidence, the police immediately processed it and confirmed that it was Matthew's suitcase while the Dodsons were en route to the station, and got all their ducks in a row in time to confront Matthew with it when he got there. That seems like a whole lot of stuff to happen all in a huge rush, so I think "The Paul Drake scenes actually took place earlier in the day than presented" actually makes more sense.

Or am I missing something here?

I thought that part was kind of odd and assumed they were kind of collapsing the timeline/running things a bit out of order. Like Drake stuff happened earlier and they were just layering scenes if that makes sense. 

[Milburn Stone]

On 7/1/2020 at 7:28 PM, bosawks said:

This series is just further proof that Lili Taylor is always one of the best things in anything she’s in.
 

I'm glad you said that. For me she gave the best performance in the episode. Making the most of every moment she had.

So the "suicide" guy was the same guy who fell off the roof? I did not know that! Thanks, New York Times!

[shapeshifter]

43 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

I'm glad you said that. For me she gave the best performance in the episode. Making the most of every moment she had.

So the "suicide" guy was the same guy who fell off the roof? I did not know that! Thanks, New York Times!

TheSpool.net has helpful recaps: https://thespool.net/reviews/tv/2020/06/perry-mason-chapter-two-recap-hbo/

[Kel Varnsen]

On 6/30/2020 at 4:15 AM, Dani said:

I think there was some reference to prohibition in the last episode. It was illegal to make, distribute or sell alcohol but it wasn’t illegal to drink. Between bootleggers, speakeasy, and corrupt cops and officials it was pretty easy to find alcohol particularly for the rich. There was also an exemption for medicinal whiskey and sacramental wine. 

You were also allowed to drink booze that you had from before prohibition went into effect. So while it might be a longshot, the snooty rich guy private club they were at might still be sitting on a massive stock pile of pre-prohibition alcohol.

On 6/30/2020 at 11:03 PM, Cotypubby said:

Seaking of “LA Confidential,” Lithgow’s constant use of the phrase “boyo” here keeps making me think of James Cromwell’s character. I hope that’s not a foreshadowing...

That is not so bad, because everytime he says boyo I think of Mr. Krabs from Spongebob.