S02.E01: The Great Good Place

[TexasGal]

Quote

A bright-eyed American au pair hopes to make a difference caring for two orphans in a grand English manor. Yet the feeling of dread is undeniable.

Airdate 10.09.20

[PWHCHCH]

Wow these accents are super cringe. It’s really distracting me. They’re hamming it up big time. 

[non sequitur]

This seems like it might be a struggle to get through.

[krankydoodle]

This isn't off to as good a start as The Haunting of Hill House. I don't like Carla Gugino's voiceover and even Victoria Pedretti, who I loved in Hill House, seems a bit flat here. And while the child actors aren't bad, they don't make an immediate impression like the Hill House kids did.

Anyway, I should stop comparing and take this series on its on terms. I am happy to see Rahul Kohli and the setting is promising. I also like T'Nia Miller as Mrs. Grose, and the ghost that's stalking Dani via mirrors is genuinely creepy.

[CailynA]

15 hours ago, PWHCHCH said:

Wow these accents are super cringe. It’s really distracting me. They’re hamming it up big time. 

Yeah it's a bit much for me. Might be tough to get through.

[LakeGal]

I enjoyed the first episode.  It has my attention.  

[CrazyDog]

3 hours ago, LakeGal said:

I enjoyed the first episode.  It has my attention.  

I agree, the atmosphere is great and the way the characters and scenes are just a little off kilter is adding some suspense. I'm intrigued. Dani and the kids are interesting and I'm liking Owen and Hannah.

And holy crap, that was Greg Sestero. As a huge lover of The Room and his book The Disaster Artist, that was very cool.

[Blue Plastic]

I like it so far.  Love that the story seems to be set in the 1980s.  The kids are creepy so i think it’ll be interesting to see what’s really up with them.

[Cheezwiz]

Only on episode 1 - I'm enjoying this so far. I'm a huge fan of Henry James' novel Turn of the Screw and the 1961 film adaptation The Innocents, so I'm curious to see what Director Mike Flanagan has up his sleeve for this updated version.

I really like the lead actress - she played Nell in Hill House, and looks sooo different in this! I actually never would have recognized her had I not read some of the pre-show publicity. The kid actors are not grabbing me the same way the Hill House kids did, but they're kind of supposed to be creepy, so I don't mind. The country manor house atmosphere is also working for me.

I kind of wish they had cast a British actor to play Lord Whatshisface, but I have a soft spot for Henry Thomas, so I'll endure the OTT accent. It's weird how British actors can usually slip seamlessly into American accents, but it rarely works the other way around. Really like the actors who play Mrs. Gross & Owen - they're excellent.

1 hour ago, CrazyDog said:

And holy crap, that was Greg Sestero. As a huge lover of The Room and his book The Disaster Artist, that was very cool.

Greg Sestero is in this? Was he in Episode 1? Wow, good on him for getting a legit acting job! I saw him once at a live presentation of The Room and he was quite hilarious in person.

[Schweedie]

6 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

Greg Sestero is in this? Was he in Episode 1? Wow, good on him for getting a legit acting job! I saw him once at a live presentation of The Room and he was quite hilarious in person.

Yeah, he was the groom-to-be in the beginning, in the frame story. I had the exact same thought, heh. Good for him!

Didn't love it, but I'll keep watching. I think the fact that I've read the Turn of the Screw (and didn't like it) is messing it up for me a bit - I keep thinking ahead and wondering how close an adaption this will be, since The Haunting of Hill House was VERY loose. I really need to turn that off, but it's hard.

[tennisgurl]

So, who do we think is already a ghost? 

I like this so far, its got a very spooky atmosphere and I am curious about how they plan on adapting The Turn of the Screw with also bits of The Romance of Certain Old Clothes in it. The Haunting of Hill House was a loose adaptation of The Haunting that worked out really well despite the many changes, so it should be interesting to see the changes they make here. The kids are going a bit too hard on the cute British accents, but they are doing a good job at being cute one second and creepy the next. In general we have a good cast here, I am always happy to see Rahul Kohil showing up, and Victoria Pedretti really impressed me last season so I am excited to see her and her 80s Working Girl outfits here again as the lead. Also, was that really Greg from The Room? In an actual real production? Good for him!

I just always love a haunted house story, so I am really excited for this. 

[laprin]

17 hours ago, CailynA said:

Yeah it's a bit much for me. Might be tough to get through.

Interesting because all of the actors playing British characters are in fact British except Henry Thomas. 

[JAYJAY1979]

The turn of the screw was pretty straight forward, though I often wondered if the ingenure in the story imagined some of the haunting.

The lead character in this does have a train wreck vibe..so I'm wondering if the show runners will focus more on her mental state...with the kids gaslighting her.

[Cheezwiz]

2 hours ago, laprin said:

Interesting because all of the actors playing British characters are in fact British except Henry Thomas. 

And Carla Gugino at the beginning.

I'm so happy this has premiered just as spooky season has gotten rolling! I'm trying to dole out episodes slowly rather than binge.

[Corgi-ears]

I see what you did there with the episode titles, Mike Flanagan.

(They are all named after other short stories by Henry James.)

[CailynA]

On 10/10/2020 at 11:41 AM, laprin said:

Interesting because all of the actors playing British characters are in fact British except Henry Thomas. 

Really it's the on again off again "southern" accent at what sense to be a higher pitch than the actress's normal that's getting me, or maybe it's her normal pitch and she spoke lower in Hill. That and everything being perfectly splendid which I get there's a reason for but it's making me buggy.

[overtherainbow]

I enjoyed it very much! It's already very eerie with the creepy kids that don't speak like it's the 1980s and background shadows and obviously there is something off about Dani. I definitely rushed through Hill House so I'm going to try to go slow and not binge this one all in one sitting.

[lightninggirl]

20 hours ago, Corgi-ears said:

I see what you did there with the episode titles, Mike Flanagan.

(They are all named after other short stories by Henry James.)

COMPLETELY fangirl swooning here as HJ is my favorite author. Shirley Jackson is another favorite, so I'm here in absolute hog heaven hoping that this series will unfold nicely for us. 

[AzraeltheCat]

17 hours ago, CailynA said:

Really it's the on again off again "southern" accent at what sense to be a higher pitch than the actress's normal that's getting me, or maybe it's her normal pitch and she spoke lower in Hill. That and everything being perfectly splendid which I get there's a reason for but it's making me buggy.

I don't like it either, and I don't know what it's supposed to be, but that ain't southern.  Born and raised in the South and heard a LOT of accents but hers is not.  

[Straycat80]

On 10/10/2020 at 10:58 AM, tennisgurl said:

So, who do we think is already a ghost? 

 

Mrs. Grose and possibly Owen. Because I’ve only watched this first episode and you don’t see them eating or drinking.

I’m in. I’ve read some bad reviews about this but I’m loving it so far, the creepy kids, the mystery about the lady of the lake, the dolls and the talismans. I’m intrigued by Dani and what that black thing with the flashlight eyes is that’s haunting her. 

Edited October 12, 2020 by Straycat80

[kieyra]

8 hours ago, AzraeltheCat said:

I don't like it either, and I don't know what it's supposed to be, but that ain't southern.  Born and raised in the South and heard a LOT of accents but hers is not.  

Which actress are you guys talking about? If Dani, I’ve felt like she’s trying to do some broad northern thing, either like she’s in a Noah Hawley show, or she’s ... channeling Melanie Griffith in Working Girl? 

Agree there’s no southern there.

[CailynA]

17 hours ago, kieyra said:

Which actress are you guys talking about? If Dani, I’ve felt like she’s trying to do some broad northern thing, either like she’s in a Noah Hawley show, or she’s ... channeling Melanie Griffith in Working Girl? 

Agree there’s no southern there.

Whatever she's trying for it's not consistent. I'd have to watch again but there were a few moments in this first episode or maybe the second that had a bit of a drawl. It's distracting for me, which is unfortunate bc I like the actress and the story.

[Razzberry]

I've just started this and it has my attention, though I'm confused as to why this is season 2 already?  Creepy kids with creepy dolls and a haunted mansion!  The lead actress is new to me and she's especially good, imo.  I knew this when she fell asleep in the car with her mouth agape.  Most actors are too vain - you'll never see Meryl Streep like this.

[Cranberry]

@Razzberry Have you not seen The Haunting of Hill House? She played Nell Crain in that one. If you end up liking this series, I'd give that one a watch, too! She's a standout. (I hear she's good in You, as well, but I can't bring myself to watch that show just for her.)

[Mabinogia]

27 minutes ago, Cranberry said:

(I hear she's good in You, as well, but I can't bring myself to watch that show just for her.)

I did watch Season 2 of You because of her (I couldn't stand the first season and didn't make it all the way through that one). Victoria P. was a standout on You. Her character was very different than those in Bly and Hill House and I just find her very engaging to watch. She has a very natural acting style.

[Razzberry]

37 minutes ago, Cranberry said:

@Razzberry Have you not seen The Haunting of Hill House? She played Nell Crain in that one. If you end up liking this series, I'd give that one a watch, too! She's a standout. (I hear she's good in You, as well, but I can't bring myself to watch that show just for her.)

I'll definitely check those out, thanks.  She's very impressive, natural and unselfconscious.