S02.E02: The Pupil

[TexasGal]

Quote

After experiencing a harrowing scare, Dani tries to teach the children a lesson. Still, the kids have an unsettling way of getting under one's skin.

Airdate 10.09.20

[Emmeline]

I’m just starting to watch and all I can say is thank god for skinny jeans.  That 80’s style Dani wears is the most horrifying thing so far.

Edited October 10, 2020 by Emmeline

[Garden Wafers]

20 hours ago, Emmeline said:

I’m just starting to watch and all I can say is thank god for skinny jeans.  That 80’s style Dani wears is the most horrifying thing so far.

Oh yes, it's been a hot minute since I've watched The Americans, so I'd forgotten how unkind 80's fashion could be. I hope the costume department let Victoria Pedretti burn those jeans after filming. 

[CrazyDog]

20 hours ago, Emmeline said:

I’m just starting to watch and all I can say is thank god for skinny jeans.  That 80’s style Dani wears is the most horrifying thing so far.

I agree, though my out-of-style self will always favor bootcut, lol.

I still don't have an idea as to what's going on, but Miles is both creepy and sad. I knew the poor bird was going to die, damn it. What was significant with the drawing to him from Flora? I need to look at it again.

The woman singing with Flora was creepy but the moment with Miles whispering in Dani's ear like a little adult...shivers.

Still liking Owen, and the gardener who seem somewhat normal. Hannah too, but why does she never seem to eat? 

After watching last season, I keep looking in the background for hidden ghosts, lol.

Edited October 10, 2020 by CrazyDog

[Duke2801]

So true about the 80s fashions! 🤣
 
I’ve only seen these first 2 episodes but I’m enjoying this season 2 far. Whatever was going on during that game of hide and seek was creepy. 

OK so I am sure I totally missed something but do we know why Dani got so upset when she walked in on Flora in the bedroom with the suitcase, wearing (her?) glasses? I tried to rewind a bit but still couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. 

[kieyra]

(GLOW has some truly hideous but absolutely spot-on 80s clothing.)

[festivus]

That ain't no kid anymore. He's let something in.

I don't buy someone Dani's age wearing those jeans. The other outfit with the pink sweater and high waist jeans was spot on for 1987. 

[qtpye]

11 hours ago, Garden Wafers said:

Oh yes, it's been a hot minute since I've watched The Americans, so I'd forgotten how unkind 80's fashion could be. I hope the costume department let Victoria Pedretti burn those jeans after filming. 

 

10 hours ago, kieyra said:

(GLOW has some truly hideous but absolutely spot-on 80s clothing.)

I feel like a lot of 80's clothing looked good on only one specific body type and Kerri Russell from Americans had that body type. She looked good in a lot of the fashions and so do some of the actresses from GLOW.

However, here those jeans are a hate crime against my eyes, even though the actress is attractive.

6 hours ago, festivus said:

That ain't no kid anymore. He's let something in.

I don't buy someone Dani's age wearing those jeans. The other outfit with the pink sweater and high waist jeans was spot on for 1987. 

Well, in all fairness, she can't look into the mirror. Sadly, those jeans are worse than glowing eyed monster.

Edited October 11, 2020 by qtpye

[Schweedie]

11 hours ago, Duke2801 said:

OK so I am sure I totally missed something but do we know why Dani got so upset when she walked in on Flora in the bedroom with the suitcase, wearing (her?) glasses? I tried to rewind a bit but still couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. 

I'm pretty sure they're related to the glowy-eyed ghost she's seeing in mirrors - the glowy eyes look to me like glasses hit by headlights or something, so my bet is the glasses belong to someone she knew/loved who died wearing them (hence the cracked glass) and is haunting her. (I've only watched the first two episodes, so pure speculation.)

This episode was an improvement on the first one for me! Knew the bird was dead as soon as the teacher pointed it out, but I liked the reveal   with the drawing, of why Miles was trying so hard to get kicked out. 

[CailynA]

I commented on the jeans to my hubby and son, that I'd forgotten how those jeans made almost everyone look bad. 

The housekeeper is a ghost that they all see right, that's why she never eats. Guess I'll find it as we keep watching.

Edited October 12, 2020 by CailynA

[HollyG]

17 hours ago, festivus said:

That ain't no kid anymore. He's let something in.

I don't buy someone Dani's age wearing those jeans. The other outfit with the pink sweater and high waist jeans was spot on for 1987. 

I worked for Nordstrom in the 80s as a buyer asst. for the dept that sold Guess jeans. This style and other pleated/gathered/yoked/acid wash, high waist jeans were very popular among women of all ages. We had thousands on re-order. At the time, I didn't think they were that bad. Now they look absolutely ridiculous and I admit that they weren't very flattering on most women. (including me)

[tennisgurl]

Word to everyone about those 80s jeans, it takes a lot to make Victoria Pedretti not look beautiful, and while she still looks lovely and all, those jeans are flattering on almost no one. Of course at least Dani has the excuse of hiding from mirrors. 

This season is really coming along, this episode succeeded in actually creeping me out, especially the guy in the mirror, Miles and his creepy whispering, and the faceless thing in the attic with Flora, although I did find it a tiny bit hilarious when Flora shushed the ghost doing her death wails. Like, would you keep your howls of the unholy down, we are trying to play a game here!

I knew that bird was dead the second they pointed the poor thing out, but that was seriously messed up. I guess he was trying to get home, and thats probably for the worst considering the house seems to have a ton of creepy going on, and his teacher really did seem to be trying to help him. I wondered before, but now I am pretty sure that Miles is being possessed, with the talk about Jesus expelling the Legion demon and him going from pretty normal kid to creepy little adult and back and fourth. Is he possessed by multiple beings? In fact, are both kids possessed? Maybe thats why Flora acts so overly cute and twee sometimes, its some spirit or demon that is trying to act like what they think a kid should act like. 

I like the rest of the cast, I wasnt sure about the gardener but I liked her this week, although I do keep noticing how we never see Hannah eat or drink anything...

[Straycat80]

Miles is possessed. Flora knows it too, she said something like ‘he’s not really my brother’ at the beginning. 
Pretty sure I had a pair of those hideous jeans in the 80’s too *shudder*. I had those white Reebok hi-tops too. 

Edited October 12, 2020 by Straycat80

[Paloma]

On 10/11/2020 at 3:37 PM, CailynA said:

The housekeeper is a ghost that they all see right, that's why she never eats.

My husband and I thought she was a ghost in the first episode because she didn't eat and also because of her odd behavior (acting kind of spaced out, especially when Dani found her in the chapel at night). But now I'm not so sure because this episode showed Hannah acting quite normally and having a sense of humor with the other characters. It could be that at this point the writers are just trying to make us wonder about Hannah with the not eating and drinking when she is with others, but we don't know if she is eating and drinking privately. The only other thing odd about her that I noticed this episode was that she saw a crack in the kitchen wall, but the gardener did not see it later--but that could be attributed to the house being haunted rather than Hannah being a ghost. 

That image in the mirror makes me jump and let out a little scream every time I see it. I feel like this easy scare tactic is being overused (or maybe I am just more easily scared than most), and in general I feel like this season relies more on scary setting and images than on characters and relationships than season 1 did. So I'm having a harder time getting into this season.

Also, I know that darkness and shadows are a big part of what makes this show and horror movies scary, but it does sometimes take me and my husband out of the story when Dani is wandering around in the dark and doesn't think to turn on any lights. (We know that there are lights in at least the upstairs hall because a couple of them came on at one point when she was looking for the kids--presumably she turned them on.) We were also yelling "Get a flashlight!" when she was going to the cellar to retrieve the doll and the light switch at the top of the steps did not work. 

[Ilovepie]

On 10/11/2020 at 2:47 AM, Schweedie said:

Knew the bird was dead as soon as the teacher pointed it out, but I liked the reveal   with the drawing, of why Miles was trying so hard to get kicked out. 

So true! As soon as they showed that bird, I said to my husband  “he’s so going to kill that poor bird.” Maybe that drawing was supposed to make us somewhat sympathetic towards Miles, but that kid is creepy as all get out. 
And why on earth would she allow hide and seek after being locked in a closet the day before? Why not just say “Hey! Let’s play Candyland!”

And I hate to say it, but look in any clothing store right now and you can find similar pants - light wash, high waisted with pleats. The 80’s fashion has returned to haunt us in 2020. 

[methodwriter85]

On 10/10/2020 at 5:37 PM, Garden Wafers said:

Oh yes, it's been a hot minute since I've watched The Americans, so I'd forgotten how unkind 80's fashion could be. I hope the costume department let Victoria Pedretti burn those jeans after filming. 

I'm impressed that this show doesn't sacrifice era authenticity for flattering modern looks. The costume design for this feels so much more accurate compared to Hill House, where the "before" was set in 1992 but you wouldn't know it by the clothes.

[marieYOTZ]

On 10/18/2020 at 4:08 PM, Ilovepie said:
And why on earth would she allow hide and seek after being locked in a closet the day before? Why not just say “Hey! Let’s play Candyland!”

Amen!!! If you want to reward the kids, how about a good old fashioned game of War? Agreeing to hide and seek in the dark right before bed time seems like a super boneheaded choice - and if Flora’s so worried about being in bed before the witching hour, i’m not sure why she suggested it.