The Divide - General Discussion

[mjc570]

I like the show a lot, not only because I used to work in Phila. and still live in the area.  I think it raises significant issues of family/race/class/abuse of power/death penalty etc. in an intelligent and thoughtful way.

 

I think all the characters are fully established, although I truly can't stand Christine - totally one note, a zealot willing to do anything (such as clearly taking advantage of her loving grandmother) because the end justifies the means.  I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I really hope that she ends up in prison.

 

The character that has developed the most, IMO, is Adam - I've enjoyed watching him become aware of the price of his success, and now having to decide the best way forward, both personally and professionally.

 

Minor thing I really like:  Adam looks and sounds somewhat like the current mayor of Phila., Mayor Nutter.

[ShellSeeker]

One of the things I like most about the grandmother is, despite Christine and her father's best efforts to pretend otherwise, it's clear that she loved her granddaughter. I get it, the mother was, and is, a self-absorbed twit, and her abandonment was wrong.  But it would appear that the grandmother largely accepted Christine with open arms, even if she didn't like her father.  At least with the father, I somewhat empathize with his bitterness.  Christine, on the other hand, just comes off acerbic and hostile for no (revealed) reason.  Especially for someone who only bothers to interact with her grandmother when she wants money or information.  Like mother, like daughter, I suppose.

 

I know, I've noticed this too. Clearly, Christine thinks that admitting to any kind of love or affection for her grandmother would somehow be disloyal to her father. And he has certainly helped create that mindset, given his reaction at the prison when she went to see him, and (I think) mentioned that she'd been at a family function of some sort.

 

That all-or-nothing approach, with no room for gray areas, would be understandable in a little kid, or even a teenager. It happens often, with divorced parents putting their kids in the middle and trying to make them choose sides. And when you're young, it can be hard to understand things like being able to love someone, even if you don't like how they've treated someone or something they've done. Or loving someone despite someone else that you love not approving.

 

But Christine is a grown-ass woman. She should know better.

[ribboninthesky1]

That's the thing - I'm not even sure it's really about feeling disloyal towards her father.  After all, if she was particularly concerned about that, she never would have mentioned the visit to him, knowing how he feels about her mother's side of the family.  I'm not certain that she's meant to come across this way, but as translated on screen, Christine often comes across as acerbic to get a rise out of certain people, particularly those she deems somehow beneath her or not worth her time (i.e. her grandmother, the cop "boyfriend," Bankowski's mother, Terry before it was made clear that he was innocent).  People like this put me off in real life, and it's no different on screen.  She's particularly nasty and passive aggressive towards Dan (I think that's the cop's name) - for example, inviting him to her grandmother's home without mentioning that she was wealthy, and that there was an upscale party going on.     

[Primetimer]

In a good way, mostly -- but Drunkenness Cop Sarah D. Bunting is still writing up the show for acting like tequila has no taste.

Read the story

[jhlipton]

How old was Christine when her dad was tried?  If she was 5 or younger (and then reading to her makes me think she was), she could easily have confysed one night with another.  The prosecutors ask what night the murder took place on...  and she gets all furjumbled and wrecks her alibi.

 

We jumped in at Episode 3 and are hooked!

[jhlipton]

I've made it no secret that I'm not a Christine fan, and I found myself liking her grandmother.  More of her, please.

 

Oh, YES!!!  "If pathological narcissism were a crime, Washington and Los Angeles would be empty."  Ha!!!  And the aunt was cool too:

"Show Mr...."

"Danny's fine."

"Show Mr S'fine the library..."

 

That cracked me up.

 

==========================================================

 

I figured Jenny would survive (Conservation of Characters, and she still has a part to play), but they handled that nicely.  I liked Trey's rap in Ep 4, and his subsequent guilt in this ep.  Nicely written and very well acted.

[Mia Nina]

Very tense episode. I agree that Eric Zale's characterization is excellent.

[ribboninthesky1]

I have all kinds of issues with Terry's plan - particularly that there didn't seem to be one.  But like the recap noted, there were chess pieces to be positioned, and this was the way to get there. 

 

The actor portraying Eric is scary good - the line "It was the drugs, I know that...it wasn't me" along with that vacant yet sad panda gaze almost had me.   As the recap noted, the show has done a good job showing what a sociopath Eric is, especially in this episode.  My mind was blown how he quickly he would switch it up from "bonding" with his old friend to calmly threatening him and back again.  Not to mention reminiscing about old times while showing no remorse whatsoever that his "friend" lost 11 years of his life because of him.  The entire scene was creepily disturbing, and both actors knocked it out of the park.  What's most interesting is that while both men were forever changed and stuck in time by what Eric and Jarod did, Terry's physical appearance shows the mark of aging (heck, I think he aged 10 years in that scene alone), yet Eric is still that 16 year old sociopathic, affluenzed brat.  Even down to the haircut. 

 

Also, random side note: I wasn't familiar with Joe Anderson before the show, but he has the most expressive eyes (I'm always drawn in by his focused shots).  And I had no idea he was English!   

 

What I did not expect was Billie (in all of her Olivia Pope-ish, white coat glory - I see what you did there, Tony G) go for the jugular and risk disbarment to bring Zales down.  I wished we could have seen more of her this season, but c'est la vie.

 

I think I prefer the scene between Papa Page and Adam to last week's confrontation.  I liked the scene between Trey and Adam as well.  Also, I'm gonna need for Adam to seek medical attention.  

[Kitty Redstone]

The actor portraying Eric is scary good - the line "It was the drugs, I know that...it wasn't me" along with that vacant yet sad panda gaze almost had me.

 

Was just coming to post the same thing.  When he saw Terry pulling up through the window and whispered about how freaky it was ... that was so well done.

 

I hope The Divide is getting good ratings and some critical acclaim.  I haven't loved a show or a show's cast this much in a very long time.

[Happytobehere]

The only thing that bother me is the time that took to compare DNA samples, like 2-3 weeks? this is modern times, and they show the new cars, laptops and all-in-one computers, so this is set at least at 2012, a DNA test should take at most 2 days (unlike CSI's that takes a couple of hours), unless they chose an archaic lab to do the test.

The timetable of 2-3 weeks is accurate and depending on the area, generous. While the testing itself might only take a few days, you do have the wait time, which is impacted by the size and staffing of the lab and the use of it in the community.

Thus far I like what I see and agree that it's a shame that it is airing on a network with such a low profile.

While surprised, I like the execution of Bankowski, because it elevates the drama and highlights the justice system as a whole rather than this specific case. Aside from his actual presence on the scene, which both he and the flashback confirms, Bankowski did allow an innocent man to be convicted of a crime he had nothing to do with, so no, he was no victim of the system. Also, as noted above, he would have been charged with felony murder, so the sentence he received was fair based on the legal system we currently have, regardless of whether you support the death penalty or not.

[Happytobehere]

If I were writing the show, I would make Christine's father guilty in reality of the crime he is imprisoned for.  Christine's testimony, as I understood her, did not clear him.  He could have left and gone while she was sleeping.

Like FozzyBear, I too think the father did it and for many of the same reasons. I think she knows it too on a subconscious level and that might have something to do with her inability to pass the bar. As long as she is not actually the lawyer assigned to the case, she can continue to view things emotionally rather than objectively. Some part of her knows looking at things objectively means looking at Daddy off the pedestal (symbolically linking her with Adam and what he is getting ready to experience) and knowing she won't like what she sees.

[Happytobehere]

That's the thing - I'm not even sure it's really about feeling disloyal towards her father.  After all, if she was particularly concerned about that, she never would have mentioned the visit to him, knowing how he feels about her mother's side of the family.  I'm not certain that she's meant to come across this way, but as translated on screen, Christine often comes across as acerbic to get a rise out of certain people, particularly those she deems somehow beneath her or not worth her time (i.e. her grandmother, the cop "boyfriend," Bankowski's mother, Terry before it was made clear that he was innocent).  People like this put me off in real life, and it's no different on screen.  She's particularly nasty and passive aggressive towards Dan (I think that's the cop's name) - for example, inviting him to her grandmother's home without mentioning that she was wealthy, and that there was an upscale party going on.

This exactly. There is something so vile, so contemptible about this character, and she is supposed to be the driving force of the show. How did it happen that every scene with her makes me ff, turn and do something else, or get up and leave the room. I suspect it is poor acting because both Nia Long and Clark Peters play characters it would be oh-so easy, and in the case of Peter's' Papa Page, oh-so right to outright hate, yet I don't feel this way and I look forward to scenes with them in them. Perhaps in the hands of a different actress the character of Christine could have worked.

[hoosiergirl]

My brain is fried from lack of sleep (thanks to my four month old). Were we supposed to infer that Victor is guilty or innocent from Danny's visit?

[ribboninthesky1]

I think it's meant to be ambiguous until the finale. But I wasn't paying that much attention, as that storyline is the least interesting for me.

[Auntie Anxiety]

Well, I never saw all of that coming.  Yikes.  

And Christine is an idiot, but that's old news.

[Irlandesa]

I'm a bit meh on this finale.  I wanted to love Christine so why did they make it so hard?  She not only has to be the daughter of a 'falsely' accused murderer but having sex with one as well?  I'm so disappointed they went that route. 

 

Terry killing Zale Jr. was anti-climatic.  I wanted to see justice, not an execution. 

 

When Zale Sr. was threatening Christine, why did she not ask for information about her father AND freeing Terry? To Zale Sr., it wasn't about Terry or the father, it was about protecting his son.  So if Christine chose her father and gave Terry up, Terry could just threaten to take Zale Jr. with him by saying he was there.  Part of the DA's issue was not having enough to get a search warrant on Jr.  Well if Terry, who was going to be screwed anyway, started screaming that Junior was there, that would likely be sufficient for a search warrant.  I'd imagine Sr. would want to avoid all that. 

 

There was also not enough with the DA's family. 

 

Despite my issues with the finale, I've enjoyed much of this series and hope it gets a second season. I just hope Nia Long's character becomes more of the lead female. 

Edited August 28, 2014 by Irlandesa

[mjc570]

 

I just hope Regina King's character becomes more of the lead female.

 

Is she even in this?  I didn't recognize her, and I am a huge fan thanks to Southland.

 

That was some finale - RIP Bobby, Danny and Eric.  I really didn't see that coming at all, and I think it did a nice job of setting up the next season.*  I don't understand why Terry

 

 I totally agree that Christine is an idiot, and I resent her screen time.  I'd like to see more of the DA and his wife, or the Daddy smackdowns (Clark Peters vs Stanley Zale).  Speaking of Mrs. DA (sorry, just think of her as NIa Long), what was she doing at the end?  I couldn't really tell where she was.

 

* will there be a next season?  Has it been renewed?

[Irlandesa]

Is she even in this?  I didn't recognize her, and I am a huge fan thanks to Southland.

 

* will there be a next season?  Has it been renewed?

 

Ugh.  No, I meant Nia Long.  I'll edit. 

 

It hasn't been renewed or canceled as of yet.

[7-Zark-7]

What happened to Nia Long at the end?  I just saw the car in the field with the door open.

[justmehere]

Wow, that was brutal and unexpected. I thought Terry might at least have cleaned up the blood before he left since the cops will be there, looking for him, and who knew how long it would take Christine to get back. Maybe that was too rational an act for his state of mind, but, big blood stain there kind of hard to ignore. I understand that he acted in the moment, killing Eric, and I also hate it for where it puts him now.

 

I like passionate characters, even irrational ones, so I like Christine, but, wow. I'm assuming she'll get the place cleaned up and get rid of the canvas tarp so it's not obvious that something happened. Hopefully she's at least rational and smart enough to use bleach or whatever in case they come back to test the place.

 

--The whole thing sort of imploded, and now what's happened to Billie? Did she go to meet Zale Sr.? Kind of foolish if she was trying to intimidate him with evidence. --At least Eric's DNA will be all over that bar, and both men's blood is on his body, so it'll be clear that it was him (and nothing to do with Terry). Quite the shitstorm to come back to in Season 2... crossing fingers there is a season 2.

 

Oh, another thought: Since Eric used a knife on the Butlers, I wonder if Danny and Bobby's murders can somehow tie him to the Butlers with a similar pattern.

 

When Zale Sr. was threatening Christine, why did she not ask for information about her father AND freeing Terry?

 

 

Shock? She just looked too stunned by how blatant Zale was and the possibility of freeing her father to ask questions right then. I was hoping she was somehow recording the conversation.

Edited August 28, 2014 by bets

[Kitty Redstone]

Wow.  That was brutal and sad and scary.  The way Eric stabbed those two repeatedly and with so little effort ... it was a tad too realistic.

 

Anyway, I liked Bobby and Danny and have no idea where they can go with Terry after this.  Or Billie and Christine for that matter.

 

Hopefully it will get a second season. 

[OriginalCyn]

Well, I never saw all of that coming.  Yikes.  

And Christine is an idiot, but that's old news.

 

Me either.  Yikes is right -- Kill 'em all, let god sort it out.

 

That was one way, I suppose, to try and tie everything up into a neat bundle in case WE doesn't pick up Season 2.

 

Eric Zale really showed himself as the murderous psychopath he really is -- mad props to Magnussen for his acting chops in the last two episodes.  The apple didn't just fall from the tree of Daddy Zale -- it was jet propelled from the branch with enough force to go a few yards underground.  I'm usually immune to surprises on TV shows, but when he leapt over the bar and started stabbing Danny with the knife, I about jumped out of my seat.  That's three times for me this summer, with the first two while watching Orphan Black (except OB had me simultaneously screaming "Holy shit!!" at the TV so loudly it scared the crap out of my two cats).

 

Poor Terry -- after last week's episode, I had a bad feeling about what would happen the next time he and Eric crossed paths.  

 

Last week, during and after Eric's confession about massacring the Butler family, his casual nonchalance about it, especially the part about raping and stabbing Terry's girlfriend Emily, was horrifyingly chilling -- to him, murdering three people had the same emotional impact most normal people would have to swatting a few annoying mosquitos.  When he followed that up with his not-so-thinly veiled threat that Daddy Zale could keep him out of prison *or* put him back in it, Terry's (well, Joe Anderson's) reaction was palpable.  Books often describe how a character's face "darkened" with rage or nearly vomited upon being told something, but I've rarely seen an actor pull it off as well as Anderson did -- that was one of the few times I've seen an actor's face literally grow dark with disgust and anger.  Props again to Magnussen for his delivery during that scene as *I* got rather queasy after he was done "just keeping it real" with Terry.

 

Daddy Zale revealed just how much of an evil, power-hungry shit he is, but it also re-ignited my irritation with the writers/directors of the show.  I'm not a Republican (Religious Right-Winger) nor am I a Democrat (Progressive Leftist), but their blatant "CONSERVATIVES ARE EVILLE!!" "FOX NEWS IS CRAP!!"  "WHITE, WEALTHY PEOPLE ARE CORRUPT!!" shower of anvils has kept my eyes rolling like the wheels on a hot slot machine in Vegas.  That, along with Christine being a colossal dumbass (especially for someone planning to be a criminal defense attorney), is my biggest criticism of The Divide.  If they had left out the partisan political aspect, it would, IMO, be a far better show, but they just had to go there.  Bleah.

 

Did anyone else here get as much pleasure as I did when Isaiah smacked the shit out of Daddy Zale?  And then verbally smacked the shit out of him with his parting comment?  That comment hit DZ much harder than did the physical hit.  

 

What I am still trying to figure out is why he continues to pay people off, engage in all kinds of corrupt activities, and reward his fuck-up of a son -- he *has* to know that his son is a murderous psychopath, and to me it seems out of character that someone as hard-hearted and soulless as DZ would conspire to this level for Eric's sake.  He's more the type that would have lost patience with Eric and written him off as a lost cause years ago.  Is it that he's covering up Eric's criminal activity and meth addiction to protect his own self-image?  That's the only reason I can come up with.  At one point I wondered if Eric was threatening to expose his father if he didn't bail him out, but he's a cowardly, sniveling, gutless turd when it comes to his relationship with Daddy Zale -- in fact, I don't doubt for one second that his psychopathic rage stems from feeling castrated by his domineering father, resulting in psychological transference and/or projection of said rage onto his victims.

 

Onto the rest of the Page family.....

 

First of all, the final scene of Billie's phone ringing and going unanswered on the seat of her car, which cut to a wide shot of the car with the driver's door open.  WTF was that supposed to imply/what were we supposed to infer from that?  Up until that point, it seemed like she was supposed to meet someone to hand over the goods on Daddy Zale, but when the camera panned out, it looked like the location she was at was the same place where Jenny Butler tried to kill herself.  Did one of DZ's henchmen abduct her?  Did she fall in the lake?  What a mess.

 

If the show is renewed, Adam is going to wind up with some serious PTSD when he finds out that Uncle Bobby and the Cop he brought over have been (presumably at this point) savagely murdered while working off the grid to help him nail Eric Zale, his wife has (presumably) disappeared, and his main suspect is most definitely dead from eating a bullet fired from the (presumably) murdered Cop's gun.  

 

Speaking of, Daddy Zale is going to lose his goddamn mind ten ways from Sunday when he learns that his darling progeny is taking the celestial dirt-nap and his body dumped on his construction site.  Again, if the show is renewed, I'm predicting right now that he's going to assume that Isaiah had his son killed and go after him with guns blazing.  In fact, with his precious son now dead, and with his ominous comment to Isaiah earlier in the episode about how if one son goes down, the other one will as well, I could seem him destroying Adam -- not just his career; I think he'd get his goon squad that attacked Clarke to take Adam out.  

 

Christine wins Dumb-ass Move by a Character in a TV Series for not calling the cops after Eric showed up at her place high as a kite on meth and covered in blood from two different people, practically busted her door down, and then attacked and tried to kill her.  He was the one who brought the gun, and if Terry hadn't returned when he did, the body count would still be three, but the third victim would have been different.  Granted, Christine likely wasn't too far off the mark when she said that DZ would cover this up (or whatever it was that she said to that effect), but I don't think even he would be able to make this one go away.

 

Lastly, Christine and Terry finally Got Jiggy Wit'It.  It's about fucking time, as those two had searing chemistry together that made the coupling of Christine and Danny as boring and bland as elementary-school paste. 

Edited August 28, 2014 by OriginalCyn

[Irlandesa]

Daddy Zale revealed just how much of an evil, power-hungry shit he is, but it also re-ignited my irritation with the writers/directors of the show.  I'm not a Republican (Religious Right-Winger) nor am I a Democrat (Progressive Leftist), but their blatant "CONSERVATIVES ARE EVILLE!!" "FOX NEWS IS CRAP!!"  "WHITE, WEALTHY PEOPLE ARE CORRUPT!!" shower of anvils has kept my eyes rolling like the wheels on a hot slot machine in Vegas.  If they had left out the partisan political aspect, it would, IMO, be a far better show, but they just had to go there.  Bleah.

 

Is this canon or projection?  I don't remember political parties being brought into this.*  Yes, Zale might seem like a Republican but he did donate money to Adam's campaign.  I also don't recall learning the political leanings of Christine's family.  Upper class whites can also be Democrats.

 

They don't like Christine's dad so we might think they're being portrayed as in the wrong but Danny's scene last week with Christine's father and Christine's confession this week that she had slept through the night call into question his innocence.  Christine's judgment isn't that great.  Maybe the family she shunts have better judgment.

 

In addition, Isaiah has also shown himself to be rather corrupt.  In fact, he was willing to use his grandson to fan the flames of racial tension in order to cover up that corruption. 

 

I don't think the themes running through this show are related to politics but rather  to class.  Sure that can be somewhat political but it's not as simple as a conservative/liberal viewpoint.

 

*Of course, I could have missed something very obviously said.  I enjoy this show but I would multitask while watching.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Irlandesa

[zillabreeze]

I thoroughly enjoyed the episode and really can't add much to OriginalCyn's very eloquent post! All the "shocker" scenes came off perfectly. I was astounded that Eric was together enough to put everything together and realize he was being set up. I, too jumped out of my skin when he leapt over the bar.

Anytime I say "Oh Shit" 6 times in an hour qualifies as Good TeeVee in my world.

[OriginalCyn]

Is this canon or projection?  I don't remember political parties being brought into this.*  Yes, Zale might seem like a Republican but he did donate money to Adam's campaign.  I also don't recall learning the political leanings of Christine's family.  Upper class whites can also be Democrats.

 

They don't like Christine's dad so we might think they're being portrayed as in the wrong but Danny's scene last week with Christine's father and Christine's confession this week that she had slept through the night call into question his innocence.  Christine's judgment isn't that great.  Maybe the family she shunts have better judgment.

 

In addition, Isaiah has also shown himself to be rather corrupt.  In fact, he was willing to use his grandson to fan the flames of racial tension in order to cover up that corruption. 

 

I don't think the themes running through this show are related to politics but rather  to class.  Sure that can be somewhat political but it's not as simple as a conservative/liberal viewpoint.

 

*Of course, I could have missed something very obviously said.  I enjoy this show but I would multitask while watching.

 

Don't get me wrong - there's a reason this show is called "The Divide" -- its themes revolve around both the divide that exists between "classes," as well as the racial divide.  If my post came across as accusing the show of centering solely around political parties, that was not my intent.  That being said, it's no secret at all that Hollywood/the TV/Movie Studios is/are controlled by Progressive Leftists and, to a lesser degree, card-carrying members of the American Socialist and Communist Parties, and they view Republicanism/Conservatism with sneering disdain and fervently believe it is an eville that must be destroyed.  If you want to work in the industry, you better by-god ascribe to their political ideology, and if you don't, you'd best keep it to yourself, because being "outed" as a Republican or Conservative in Tinseltown is career homicide (or in the case of self-identifying with the Right, career suicide).  

 

As far as the references on The Divide, off the top of my head....

 

-- In one of the first couple of episodes (can't remember which, and it's too late at night here to hunt for it on On-Demand), Clarke makes a very clear, very negative slam on Fox News, calling them out by name.

 

-- In the episode where we learn about the powerful Zale family (IIRC, it's Episode 3), he is described by someone (again, going off of memory here, but I think it was either Adam or Clarke) as being a "rich, powerful, Conservative" who's, oh yeah, corrupt -- not only has he been buying off the police to cover up his sons felonious, violent crime, his conglomerate, Zale Industries or whatever it's called, also donated and then withdrew a financial donation to a charitable organization for the poor, causing the organization to go belly-up and the property they owned to be foreclosed upon, which is then being snatched up by?  You guessed it -- Zale Industries.  The scene in which this is covered is the one where Billie (Nia Long) is the counsel representing Zale during what I think was an attempt at Mediation of some sort.  It did not end well for the charitable organization.

 

-- As far as Christine's family goes, their political leaning is not revealed, but they're very "old money" in Philly.  Granted, my experience in dealing with Old Money families is limited to a different region of the country, but where I live, they are overwhelmingly Republican/Conservative, and belong to Country Clubs with a strict "NOKD" (Not Our Kind, Dear) policy AKA the polite, blue-blood way of saying, "No Blacks, No Jews, No Hispanics, No Asians...No one but us White, Anglo-Saxon Protestants."  While assigning that to Christine's mother's family is conjecture on my part, what isn't is that Daddy Zale admitted to Christine that her mother's family concealed exculpatory evidence that would have acquitted her father at trial......it's not political, but like the characterization of Daddy Zale, it goes to the "Wealthy White People Are Corrupt!!" ideology on this show.

 

-- While there's definitely evidence from what Uncle Bobby discovered and told Adam as well as the reveals by Isaiah to Adam, there's a ideological bent that while what Isaiah (and the men under his command) did was corrupt, it's not "as wrong" because the "end justifies the means" -- regarding Social Justice and striking a blow for racial equality in Philly's Judicial System and in its Law Enforcement and balancing the "power" in the City of Brotherly Love.

 

-- There's also an ideological bent on the show in that the Conflicted Hero/Male Protagonist of the show is from working Blue-Class/lower Middle Class America.  Oh, and that the EVILLE antagonist/criminal is a Privileged White Male.  As is his father, who has very little character development other than to be a mustache-twirling villain.  When I re-watched the finale, I paid close attention to him during the opening scene when he meets Eric at the construction site and his meeting with Christine, and everything from his dialogue to his body-language is cringeworthy, bordering on Days Of Our Lives levels of eville character portrayal.  He could have been a graduate of the Stefano DiMera School of Villainy. 

 

To sum it up, I think had they stuck strictly to the themes of Class and Race, it would have been a better show.  Resorting to clichéd political characterizations of Conservatives and juvenile pot-shots at a News Network despised by TPTB in Hollywood is a cheap and shallow tactic for a show that wants to be received by viewers as intelligent.

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the episode and really can't add much to OriginalCyn's very eloquent post! All the "shocker" scenes came off perfectly. I was astounded that Eric was together enough to put everything together and realize he was being set up. I, too jumped out of my skin when he leapt over the bar.

Anytime I say "Oh Shit" 6 times in an hour qualifies as Good TeeVee in my world.

 

I've had the unfortunate situation of someone previously in my life who was a Meth addict, and if someone is familiar enough with it's effects, like Eric Zale, they can easily tell if someone is screaming high or not, even when they themselves are screaming high themselves.  

 

One thing I found astounding about Billy Magnussen in tonight's episode (as well as last week) is that he had the body-language, complete with tics, the rapid, rambling speech, the jittery eyeballs -- all of it, so perfectly that after watching it both times, I wasn't too sure he wasn't hopped up on Meth during the filming of his scenes.  His portrayal was that realistic.

 

If you like good TeeVee that makes you say "Oh Shit" (as I do), you need to watch Orphan Black (if you're not already doing so).  If this show has you saying it 6 times in an hour, Orphan Black will blow your fucking mind.  As will Tatiana Maslany.[/shameless plug for my favorite TV show]

Edited August 28, 2014 by OriginalCyn

[Auntie Anxiety]

 

  That being said, it's no secret at all that Hollywood/the TV/Movie Studios is/are controlled by Progressive Leftists and, to a lesser degree, card-carrying members of the American Socialist and Communist Parties, and they view Republicanism/Conservatism with sneering disdain and fervently believe it is an eville that must be destroyed.  If you want to work in the industry, you better by-god ascribe to their political ideology, and if you don't, you'd best keep it to yourself, because being "outed" as a Republican or Conservative in Tinseltown is career homicide (or in the case of self-identifying with the Right, career suicide).

Totally agree with you.  As if the Hollywood Progressive crowd never does anything nasty or selfish/self-serving.  I'm sick and tired of being lectured about the environment and big bad business (read Conservative/Republicans) when the Hollywood bigwigs (read hypocrites) take their private jets and huge SUVs and limousines (carrying one or two people) to events and then get on stage and berate everyone who isn't as "ecologically aware" as they are.  They scream about those nasty immoral Koch brothers but give opportunists like George Soros a pass because he throws billions of dollars to their causes.  If I want political news and commentary, I'll read some articles or watch news shows.  I don't need it in my hour drama series.  Don't mean to start a battle here, but I'm tired of remaining silent while idiots like Selena Gomez weigh in on issues that they know nothing about.

 

Looks Like Christine never got the memo that it's 2014 and that there are video cameras at just about every job site.  My first thoughts were that she's on tape dragging Eric's body and she'll be found out very quickly.  And if Terry was going to take off the cuff anyway, why didn't he just remove it and get rid of the body himself?

 

Billy Magnusson is a terrific actor.  I never heard of him before this but now his name keeps popping up (he's starring in a play opposite Anna Gunn; I saw some scenes and he killed it).  That kid will go far.

[Curious5]

If Terry had just held Eric down, called the police, he'd be a free man.  He would have been cleared of the family murders. 

 

This was a realistic example of drugs frying  your brains.  Life everyone else - never saw it coming.  It sounded like some of the drugs were fake after Eric made the comment to the cop.  How would they control who took what?

 

A great episode!  Watched The Bridge right afterwards and had to concentrate to keep the two plots separate. I kept waiting for the DA to walk in to a scene.

[Primetimer]

The Divide's finale is exciting, but it may have driven the train off a bridge. Sarah reviews the first season.

Read the story

[tljgator]

 

...this is a bridge too far for me, I'm afraid...

 

Gotta agree with Sars on this one (and especially with the wtf-ness being parallel to the FNL story line that we all just pretend never happened) -- moving the body tipped things over the edge for me.  I was already inching close to "too far" territory with cop-boyfriend smoking the crack when offered (but I can handwave that to some degree), but the notion that moving the body instead of calling the cops was the best course of action really lost me. 

 

It's a shame, because I had enjoyed the season up until this finale.

[Irlandesa]

To sum it up, I think had they stuck strictly to the themes of Class and Race, it would have been a better show.  Resorting to clichéd political characterizations of Conservatives and juvenile pot-shots at a News Network despised by TPTB in Hollywood is a cheap and shallow tactic for a show that wants to be received by viewers as intelligent.

 

 

Fair enough.  I just didn't think the good/evil of the characters' political leanings was as heavy handed as you did. 

 

Billy Magnusson is a terrific actor.  I never heard of him before this but now his name keeps popping up (he's starring in a play opposite Anna Gunn; I saw some scenes and he killed it).  That kid will go far.

 

 

I'm surprised he's not a huge success already.  I remember first seeing him on a soap and he got raves in a movie he filmed then.  Then he got raves on Boardwalk Empire and pretty much everything he has been in since.  Looking at his IMDb, it looks like his movie career is taking off which is almost a shame.  I enjoy when he pops up randomly on TV shows I watch.

[Darian]

Fair enough.  I just didn't think the good/evil of the characters' political leanings was as heavy handed as you did. 

I agree, though I don't know that it's even there. One thing I've liked is that everyone on this show is flawed. Some of the most sympathetic characters have done pretty awful things, some of them to cross a divide (rich/poor, powerful/powerless). The number of folks involved in covering up various crimes and doing unsavory things to help themselves or someone they love is pretty darn high. 

[MorbidPet]

Man that finale had like enough material for the entire season. Too bad, I've liked the run of the season but this finale was just way [[way]] over the top for me. We've seen the Christine/Terry thing coming and even though I love flawed characters I kept hoping she would not tap that. I just love Danny. Speaking off, I hope he pulls through.

I've just seen the finale like five minutes ago so my head is a little all over the place and I'm out of the loop whether or not there's a second season but it sounds like it and if that's the case I can see Daddy Zale being like full out Godzilla come season 2.

[OriginalCyn]

#1)  Totally agree with you.  As if the Hollywood Progressive crowd never does anything nasty or selfish/self-serving.  I'm sick and tired of being lectured about the environment and big bad business (read Conservative/Republicans) when the Hollywood bigwigs (read hypocrites) take their private jets and huge SUVs and limousines (carrying one or two people) to events and then get on stage and berate everyone who isn't as "ecologically aware" as they are.  They scream about those nasty immoral Koch brothers but give opportunists like George Soros a pass because he throws billions of dollars to their causes.  If I want political news and commentary, I'll read some articles or watch news shows.  I don't need it in my hour drama series.  Don't mean to start a battle here, but I'm tired of remaining silent while idiots like Selena Gomez weigh in on issues that they know nothing about.

 

#2)  Looks Like Christine never got the memo that it's 2014 and that there are video cameras at just about every job site.  My first thoughts were that she's on tape dragging Eric's body and she'll be found out very quickly.  And if Terry was going to take off the cuff anyway, why didn't he just remove it and get rid of the body himself?

 

#3)  Billy Magnusson is a terrific actor  .....  That kid will go far.

 

#1)  OT for a moment, but you hit the bullseye WRT the Progressive Left, particularly the Hollywood Elite.  Their raging hypocrisy tends to make me stabby, as does each time some TinselTown Bimbo or Himbo takes to Twitter, gets on their proverbial soapbox, and then proceeds to makes a comment that highlights that he or she is an ignorant twatwaffle when it comes to current events, history, economics, or *insert subject matter here.*  (See: Gomez, Selena; Cruz, Penelope; Bardem, Javier; Cruise, Tom, etc.)

 

#2)  I hadn't thought about security cameras on the jobsite, but Christine did seem like she was doing her best to obscure her face/head within the voluminous depths of her oversized hoodie.  As far as DNA evidence that could link both she and Terry to Eric's murder though?  Given her sloppy-ass housekeeping, she's fucked.  

 

As for Terry's monitoring cuff, there's no way that Christine would have allowed him to do that.  In addition to the avalanche of problems that would cause, it doesn't jive well with her Rescuer Ideation.

 

#3)  I haven't seen him in anything else, but if his acting in other things is at this level (or higher), this guy could end up being the next generation's L. DiCaprio, D. Day-Lewis, or R. DiNiro.  Y'all heard it here first! ;)   

 

 

#1)  If Terry had just held Eric down, called the police, he'd be a free man.  He would have been cleared of the family murders. 

 

#2)  ....  It sounded like some of the drugs were fake after Eric made the comment to the cop.  How would they control who took what?

 

Answering #2 first as it applies to #1....

 

#2)  There were definitely fake drugs in that Methamphetamine Smorgasbord....When Eric first arrived at the club, the owner introduced Uncle Bobby as "The Bartender" -- he was the one selecting the meth rocks to smoke and chopping/setting up lines to snort.  

 

One of the things that Meth does to the brain with prolonged abuse is that it causes all kinds of paranoia (both with and without delusions or hallucinations).  I could easily believe that Eric wanted the fucking drugs that were offered up to him on a silver platter by the best dealer in Philly, but after learning in that same phone call that on Daddy Dearest's orders, his Goon Squad was breaking the bones of every drug dealer/party buddy Eric knew, something about this wasn't passing the Sniff Test (not to be confused with the Meth Sniff Test which, according to Uncle Bobby, Smells Like Edelweiss.  Or Teen Spirit.).

 

Eric had already needled Danny about how mellow he was (when he's supposedly doing lines) while he was still seated in the booth and knocking back tequila shooters (which for all we know were "tequila" shooters). The easiest way to figure out if he's being set up in some way was to make damn sure that the guys he's with are taking the drug and not some sort of placebo.  As soon as ?Armando? (his name began with an "A" but I can't recall what it was) split, Eric's radar started pinging off the scale, and it didn't take long for Zale to jump behind the counter, announce that he's the new bartender, and take control of cutting the lines and packing the rocks.  He then gets all up in Danny's grill about how he "needs" to take a hit and then proceeds to practically force-feed a big bowl of Edelweiss into his lungs.

 

As soon as Danny took that hit of real Meth, his Façade Du Tweak was proverbially fucked -- with the neurons in his cerebral cortex firing on about 80 cylinders, Eric would have figured out the game in about two nano-seconds.    

 

#1)  After pondering on things for a bit, I can't help but think that Christine isn't the only one with a pathological need to play the role of Rescuer.  Zale brutally raped Terry's girlfriend (a relationship that Eric was fully aware of) right after they'd been making the Beast with Two Backs.  They'd had yet another heated discussion about telling her folks about them -- and that very afternoon, Terry had wanted to come clean to them about their relationship, but Emily wouldn't agree to it.  Terry's harboring some massive guilt because he wasn't there to "save" Emily from Zale.  During his and Christine's "Boo Boo Kitty" ( <------ LOVE THIS TERM!!) post-canoodling Chatty-Cathy-fest, he straight-up said that even though he didn't kill any of the Butlers (especially Emily), he feels like he caused  and is responsible for her death.

 

Christine is (presumably) the first woman he's been with since Emily.  Along with having jizz backed up into his Astral Body , that's bound to cause to serious attachment and infatuation issues, especially with the woman who is got him out of prison and is trying to do everything in her power to make that permanent by clearing his name.

 

At the apex of the episode, Eric Zale once again is going to attack and murder (and rape?  There's no telling WTF his meth-infused, swiss-cheese-addled brain was thinking about when it came to Christine) Terry's New Squeeze?  Oh Hellz Naw, not if he can help it.  In addition to being the right thing to do, rescuing Christine from being murdered by Zale became a metaphorical/symbolic rescue of Emily from the same situation, which he couldn't do all those years ago.  At that point, that was, IIRC, the first time we've seen Terry not in full control of his thoughts and emotions, and I think Terry's rage and hatred of Eric Zale completely consumed him in that moment.  Of course, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he'd fantasized about putting a gun in that worthless sack of shit's mouth and pulled the trigger -- he'd been in prison for how many years?  Prison often gives inmates way, way too much time to think about shit, and being wrongfully convicted/incarcerated as well as knowing that your life was being sacrificed so that this psychopathic, murdering, brain-fried douchenozzle can continue to waltz around the City with Daddy's Key?  That'd make just about anyone bitter and vengeful, no matter how hard one tries to ignore it.   

 

 

I agree, though I don't know that it's even there. One thing I've liked is that everyone on this show is flawed. Some of the most sympathetic characters have done pretty awful things, some of them to cross a divide (rich/poor, powerful/powerless). The number of folks involved in covering up various crimes and doing unsavory things to help themselves or someone they love is pretty darn high. 

 

You just nailed why Battlestar Galactica was such an amazing series and such a departure and breath of fresh air to both the Drama and Science Fiction genres.

[ribboninthesky1]

I agree, though I don't know that it's even there. One thing I've liked is that everyone on this show is flawed. Some of the most sympathetic characters have done pretty awful things, some of them to cross a divide (rich/poor, powerful/powerless). The number of folks involved in covering up various crimes and doing unsavory things to help themselves or someone they love is pretty darn high. 

 

I don't think it's there, either. I've watched and commented on every episode, and while I definitely think the show could get heavy-handed on the racial angle (words cannot express how much I hated the scene between Zales and Papa Page), I've never thought the show was blatant about left vs right wing, conservative vs progressive, Republican vs Democrat politics.  It was more an exercise in how muddled the waters of race and class could get, with some politics thrown in.

 

Anyway, the only things that surprised me about this episode was Christine moving Eric's body, and that Christine has known all along that her father was (possibly) guilty.  It seems to explain her lethargy about passing the bar, the "passionate" work at the Innocence Initiative, and why she even bothered to tell Terry about Zales' offer. The opening episode quote should have included "Spoiler Alert!" as it was a blaring sign that Terry would take Eric out.  But maybe I'm the only one who pauses my recording to read/reflect on the opening quote.   

 

I knew things at the bar wouldn't end well for a few reasons:

1. the scene was going on way too long for it to be as simple as Eric getting picked up on the drug charge,
2. Eric's reaction when Ambrose left,
3. that he immediately flipped the script on Bobby by going behind the bar,
4. his facial expressions during Danny's spiel about the building,
5. and when he started holding the knife for no legitimate reason. 

 

I couldn't tell if Bobby was playing high or really was high at first, but Danny should have known better.  He's supposed to be vice, right?  I knew Eric would attack Danny, but I was hoping Bobby was quick enough to take him down.  That Eric really took his time to murder Bobby was particularly disturbing - he really is a bigoted son of a bitch.  Dude switched hands and kept on stabbing.  He didn't stab Danny nearly as many times.  I was hoping for justice against Eric as well, but I can't say that I lost any sleep over Terry blowing his brains out.

 

Frankly, I thought it was weird that Danny just up and decided to seek Eric out.  He didn't have an actual assignment, so I don't get what his plan was. His sole purpose seemed to be the losing end of a love "triangle."  I liked the character, thought he deserved better, but I don't know where else that character would have gone in another season. Bobby is the one I'll miss. 

 

Billie better be alive.  Nia Long was one of the primary reasons I was even interested in the show, and I'm already ambivalent about the finale as is.  If there is a second season, and she's dead, I doubt my interest will remain.  Adam was more interesting because of her, and I never cared about Christine's angsty, self-destructive BS.  Billie never struck me as stupid, so I was annoyed that she was seemingly downloading files and decided to meet someone with evidence against Zales in an abandoned parking lot at night.  But hey, there was enough poorly thought out behavior to go around this episode, so why wouldn't she get a hit of the stupid stick as well?   

 

The one bright spot was Clark all hopped up on pain medication.  The actor was hilarious, however brief his scene was.

[MarciaR]

I think Danny the cop should live!! There was too much killing of the good guys--give us viewers a break!!!! Fingers crossed!!

[Happytobehere]

Well, that was certainly a finale. I hope against hope that if there is a season two, they will find a way for both Reg E. Cathy and the actor from Ripper Street who plays Danny to survive because that was all kinds of wrong. It just amazes that those two are most likely dead and the complete lead anchor that is Christine lives to more and drone on a mother day.

I agree that if Nia Long is out, I might have a hard time tuning back in. That scene at the end does not bode well for her character. I remember her telling the lady she went to turn on Zale to that there was a mole in her office. I would hate to think that she was stupid enough to trust her staff after that. Although the staff could be irrelevant if she herself is on Zale's payroll. If he can get to a state Supreme Court judge, he can certainly get to a political appointee.

I love Clark Peter's but his character is far too a moral for me to root for, not matter how much I love Mr. Peter's.

[Curious5]

This post caught me off guard

"That Eric really took his time to murder Bobby was particularly disturbing - he really is a bigoted son of a bitch.  Dude switched hands and kept on stabbing.  He didn't stab Danny nearly as many times."

 

I never thought of race with this violence.  The guy was totally deranged - not bigoted.  IMHO

[tinapova]

Was not expecting that!  Not sure where they go if there is a season 2.  Maybe focus on a different "wrongly" accused?  Sadly, I think Nia Long's character is no longer with us.  Even though she seemed to change her tune with her husband the last couple of episodes I think she was still conflicted on whether doing the right thing was worth it.  

 

The whole bar thing - was that the bar where Terry and Christine work?  I assumed it was and then Christine lives upstairs. Christine mentioned something about the bar right before she answers the door to Eric (and DUH who doesn't ask "who is it?" before just opening their door).  I just don't understand why they didn't go check the bar before they did the whole stupid "let's move the body" thing.  Or, did no one outside of Danny & Bobby know about the bar set up?  

 

Despite the flaws I really liked this show and would give another season a try.  It was so much better than that awful Murder in the First which I will not be watching again.  I'm bummed though that both this and Rectify are done (for now at least). Where can I get my tortured wrongly accused felons with hearts of gold now? 

[jhlipton]

I looked closely at Billie's last scene.  It's really hard to make out, but she's sitting at a bunch of picnic tables away from her car.  All the papers (and her phone) are still in the car, though.

[jhlipton]

Taking "the Progressive Left, particularly the Hollywood Elite" to Small talk.

[ribboninthesky1]

This post caught me off guard

"That Eric really took his time to murder Bobby was particularly disturbing - he really is a bigoted son of a bitch.  Dude switched hands and kept on stabbing.  He didn't stab Danny nearly as many times."

 

I never thought of race with this violence.  The guy was totally deranged - not bigoted.  IMHO

 

If he hadn't viciously murdered a black family, on top of raping the teenage daughter, I might be on board with Eric just being deranged. As far as we know, he's not murdered anyone else, though I'm sure he's been high and paranoid plenty of times in his life. Danny has a (slim) chance of being alive, and I thought it interesting that Eric didn't shoot him when he got his gun.  Really, if he wanted to, he could have gotten away without causing serious injury to anyone.  He also had plenty of time to shoot Christine before Terry stormed in.  Of course, the latter sort of screams "plot device to put the female protagonist in peril but not actually kill her," so it may not count.

 

ETA: He also could have taken Terry out while they were alone for HOURS at his home, with a reasonably legitimate excuse that Terry attacked him.   That didn't happen, either. 

 

But hey, if you don't see the bigotry behind his actions, especially on this show, I don't know what to say about that.

Edited August 29, 2014 by ribboninthesky1

[bentley]

OMG I need season 2 like NOW.

 

Eric Zale is scary smart. If he didn't have a drug problem that also made him scary stupid, he'd be some kind of evil genius.

 

The possibilities for season 2 are mind-boggling. Daddy Zale will be gunning for half the remaining characters because he won't know who did it. So he'll choose the nuclear option and destroy them all..Christine, Adam, Adam's father, Terry. And because Terry ran, he'll look guilty of Eric Zale's murder, despite all the evidence that will surely come out about the bar deaths. And ironically, he IS guilty this time, but he could have overcome if he hadn't blown it with the coverup. If he's gonna let Christine move the body to obscure who did it, he can't then F things up by cutting and running. The timing looks very very bad. And like an earlier poster, I was thinking, Dude, at least clean the blood stain up before you go. The police are on their way.

 

Will Christine be a future Innocence Project client? Can she and Terry have conjugal visits to their respective prisons? Hmm...

 

Poor Danny. Christine's father pegged him correctly. He was doing whatever he could to hang on to his girlfriend, probably thinking the sooner Eric Zale is caught, the sooner this scruffy, shady but attractive guy with whom his girlfriend has decided to shack up/protect/defend will be out of his life. Not wanting to admit that the horse had already left the barn, the ship already left the dock, the conviict already left the prison.

[coloradoqt]

 

I looked closely at Billie's last scene.  It's really hard to make out, but she's sitting at a bunch of picnic tables away from her car.  All the papers (and her phone) are still in the car, though.

Billie was going to turn incriminating files to the State's Attorney (?). So she would have to behind any harm coming to Billie. I think and hope Billie got out of her car to tinkle. The files and the cell were  clearly still on the seat. 

[justmehere]

Looks like repeats are starting late-night this week for anyone interested in re-watching or catching what they missed.

[justmehere]

The whole bar thing - was that the bar where Terry and Christine work?

 

 

No, different bar and different owner who sold drugs.

 

And ironically, he [Terry] IS guilty this time, but he could have overcome if he hadn't blown it with the coverup. If he's gonna let Christine move the body to obscure who did it, he can't then F things up by cutting and running.

 

 

Exactly! He totally wigged out - understandable after killing someone - but really blew it by running.

[topanga]

 

My brain is fried from lack of sleep (thanks to my four month old). Were we supposed to infer that Victor is guilty or innocent from Danny's visit?

 

I think it's meant to be ambiguous until the finale. But I wasn't paying that much attention, as that storyline is the least interesting for me.

 

I remember those days, hoosiegirl. Keep telling yourself that sleep is overrated.

 

I agree that Victor's storyline isn't very interesting, and it's also confusing. I don't understand how six-year old Christina's testimony somehow led to her father's conviction. How reliable are children as alibi witnesses, anyway? And it took me a few episodes to figure out Maxine's role in the story.

 

And Christiana, please stop cheating on Danny with Terry (even though it's just kissing for now). They're both good guys, and they deserve more than your neurotic, inconsistent, self-serving affection.

[JodhaBai]

So there is  going to be S2?

[justmehere]

Bad news: WE cancelled the show.

[ShellSeeker]

I'm disappointed to hear that. I really enjoyed it. I think if it had been on a network other than WE, it would have performed better. I think people probably scrolled past it thinking it was some reality show of "the Snapped" or "Say Yes to the Dress" genre.

[ribboninthesky1]

I'm not that surprised.  While yes, there were some loose ends, I was skeptical about where the show would go for another season.  The wheels kind of came off the bus towards the end, at least for me.