S01.E04: Conspiracy Theories

[Bort]

Quote

After piecing together evidence from Alex's family home, Cassie follows the paper trail to a private jet service. But she also has to juggle a visit from her brother Davey and his family, unearthing more of her 'unconventional' childhood.

Airdate: 3 December 2020

[Bort]

I totally laughed at Cassie kicking her shoe at Miranda’s head.

I know Cassie is a hot mess but I think her brother is a dick. Their dad favoring her is not her fault and he’s clearly blaming her for it. Also, I get wanting to teach your kids that they can’t have everything they ask for, but that lesson is for when you’re at the grocery store or the mall. You’re really going to take them on a trip to NYC and not buy them a souvenir? Don’t be a dick. And if you think your kids aren’t ever keeping secrets from you, you’re kidding yourself.

Sayonara Sabrina. 

And holy shit! Bebe Neuwirth! Annie apparently is in the same type of law practice that Tom Cruise worked for in The Firm.

Additionally, was that Anthony Michael Hall as Rosie Perez’s husband?

[Zoe]

11 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Additionally, was that Anthony Michael Hall as Rosie Perez’s husband?

No, this guy: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0785352/

I recognized him from an SVU episode lol

[DiabLOL]

13 hours ago, kariyaki said:

I know Cassie is a hot mess but I think her brother is a dick. Their dad favoring her is not her fault and he’s clearly blaming her for it. Also, I get wanting to teach your kids that they can’t have everything they ask for, but that lesson is for when you’re at the grocery store or the mall. You’re really going to take them on a trip to NYC and not buy them a souvenir? Don’t be a dick. And if you think your kids aren’t ever keeping secrets from you, you’re kidding yourself.

Totally agree! I was really upset by him, actually. I do get a certain tone to this show that makes me dread that she'll try to make it all up to him which would really make me sick.

I have no idea what is going on with the Rosie Perez character ( I get the corporate espionage thing) but she makes me uneasy. 

Edited December 4, 2020 by DiabLOL
hit post too early

[Corgi-ears]

 

22 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Their dad favoring her is not her fault and he’s clearly blaming her for it.

Their dad was an asshole to Davey, probably because he was an alcoholic, homophobic bigot who turned his back on his son (hence, his saying that Cassie is "the son he never had"). Davey wasn't blaming Cassie for their dad "favoring" her; he was suggesting that Cassie refused to see the dad's behavior, and that she even took the opportunity, whether consciously or half-consciously, to bond with her dad by participating in the exclusion of Davey. And now Davey sees her as doing the same thing with his daughters: by bonding with them via a "secret" that again excludes him.

I mean, he's got a point.

[Bort]

34 minutes ago, Corgi-ears said:

 

Their dad was an asshole to Davey, probably because he was an alcoholic, homophobic bigot who turned his back on his son (hence, his saying that Cassie is "the son he never had"). Davey wasn't blaming Cassie for their dad "favoring" her; he was suggesting that Cassie refused to see the dad's behavior, and that she even took the opportunity, whether consciously or half-consciously, to bond with her dad by participating in the exclusion of Davey. And now Davey sees her as doing the same thing with his daughters: by bonding with them via a "secret" that again excludes him.

I mean, he's got a point.

But she was a child, she could hardly be faulted for perpetuating the dad’s emotional abuse, all she saw was dad wanting to bond with her. Not to mention the fact that she was likely drunk a lot of the time from their dad feeding her all that beer. It’s not surprising that her memory of their childhood is skewed. 

I do agree that she shouldn’t have bought those souvenirs for the kids solely on the fact that he made such a big deal out of not letting them have any, as it gave the appearance of undermining him. Should’ve just explained to him that it was kind of mean to not let them have one, although her reason for buying them was actually about placating the kids after scaring them earlier. 

He’s not wrong about her alcoholism but he’s setting his anger at their dad on her shoulders which can only make things worse. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

What really made me sad is that Davey has been wary of Cassie (and her known alcoholism) since the very first episode but he was still making an effort and she managed to fail him again. He knows she's been drinking since she was a kid and that she is a mess. Despite that, he wanted to see her and let the girls see their aunt. He wanted to believe that she was not an alcoholic disaster and have her in his life, but she proved him right multiple times. She showed up late, she was drunk, she explicitly went against what he told her (not buying the stuffed animals) AND told the girls to keep it a secret from him. And that was after she told him that they couldn't come to her apartment because someone had broken in.

He is a parent so now this is about more than wanting to have a good relationship with his sister. His daughters come first which is why he decided to go to dinner alone to talk to Cassie. She has to respect his role as a parent and the rules that he has for his kids, even if she thinks they're stupid. I get that Cassie wanted to give the girls a treat, partly because she loves being Fun Aunt Cassie and partly to make up for the fact that she obviously scared them when she yelled at them, but she still has to abide by the boundaries that Davey has for his kids because they are HIS kids and he gets to make those decisions. To her, buying a stuffed animal is no big thing but doing it right after he specifically told her not to undermines his authority. Deliberately not following the rules that he has for his kids makes her a disrespectful jerk. 

While I understand that Cassie was a drunk little girl who managed to forget the context of many of the memories of her dad, she is an adult now. Everything she does is a choice and she CHOSE to break a rule that her brother had established and explained. Again, I know that buying a souvenir seems trivial but that isn't the point. She isn't the parent in this situation. There are all kinds of rules that parents have for their kids that I don't think are necessary but if they're not my kids then I don't get the final say in the matter.

I'm the kind of person who likes to have a souvenir from my travels, even if it's something very small, so I was sad that Davey told the girls they couldn't have a stuffed whale from the aquarium, but again it's not my decision to make.

I don't think that Davey was blaming Cassie for their dad's shitty behavior, but he was mad that as an adult she is repeating his pattern of being a functional alcoholic who doesn't care who she hurts as long as she gets to do what she wants. You can say that you love someone but your actions need to reflect that. Going against what your brother just told you five minutes ago does not reflect that. It's really inconsiderate and disrespectful. I know a stuffed animal is minor but I think for Davey, it's just another example of how his sister doesn't respect or support him. Her need to please the girls and make them love her was more important than respecting the rules her brother had for his kids because as usual, Cassie thinks her needs are more important than everyone else's.

It seemed clear to me that Davey understood the difference between kid Cassie being a jerk and adult Cassie being a jerk. He resented what his dad did and he was hurt by Cassie taking his side, but he understood that she was just a kid who felt special because of the attention their dad gave her. But adult Cassie is who he can't forgive because she is old enough to know better and she chooses to make poor decisions.

It's easy for us to sympathize with Cassie because she's the protagonist but from Davey's point of view, she can't even remember what time they're supposed to meet or what day they're flying across the country to come visit her so she's already pretty unreliable even before you take into account that she's such an alcoholic that she can't go to an aquarium without drinking. And he didn't even realize she'd momentarily lost the kids because she was on the phone. Is that the kind of aunt you want your kids around? As we saw with her dad, just because you love a kid doesn't mean that you're good for them.

Edited December 4, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[hatchetgirl]

On 12/3/2020 at 9:40 PM, DiabLOL said:

I have no idea what is going on with the Rosie Perez character ( I get the corporate espionage thing) but she makes me uneasy. 

She's totally bored, really smart, housewife who send to enjoy the thrill of this espionage. Taking files from her husband! She's just like Cassie in a way, her addiction now is the rush and fear and massive amounts of money coming her way. I think the FBI will end up getting her over Cassie.

[Chaos Theory]

I think Davey was acting like a jerk.   He was looking for a reason to get mad at Cassie.  He blames her for the past when they were both children.  He can’t blame dad because dad is dead but he can blame Cassie for enjoying being dad’s favorite.   If it wasnt buying a stupid Souvenir it would have been something else.   He didn’t even want to come to NY to visit and Cassie is a flight attendant she could visit him easily.  I am curious why she doesn’t visit him.   

Edited December 5, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[meira.hand]

On 12/4/2020 at 6:29 AM, Zoe said:

On 12/3/2020 at 6:39 PM, kariyaki said:

Additionally, was that Anthony Michael Hall as Rosie Perez’s husband?

No, this guy: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0785352/

I recognized him from an SVU episode lol

Every time I see him (he guest stars on many shows) I think he is Anthony Michael Hall for a few seconds. The resemblance is uncanny.

Edited December 5, 2020 by meira.hand

[Bort]

59 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

He didn’t even want to come to NY to visit and Cassie is a flight attendant she could visit him easily.  I am curious why she doesn’t visit him.   

If he yells at her about their dad every time they see each other, I think that’s the answer to that question.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Flour is slang for cocaine or meth. Learn something new every day.

$300 a month to belong to a gym. Is that normal or just Manhattan pricing? Yikes.

Is it possible this undercover stuff Megan is involved in is related to what Cassie found on that private jet? And does she know? Maybe she killed Alex.

Wow, Megan threw her own kid under the bus about her husband's laptop issues. What is she into?

Trying to reason with alcoholics is an exercise in futility. I think Cassie's brother probably should keep his daughters away from her until and unless she gets sober, or else never leave them alone with her. For Cassie her need to drink and satisfy her immediate impulses will always take priority over everthing and everyone.

[divsc]

1 hour ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

$300 a month to belong to a gym. Is that normal or just Manhattan pricing? Yikes.

That is normal pricing for many Manhattan gyms unfortunately. 

[emma675]

I'm finally caught up and I love and hate this show.

I love the cast of characters, so many layers with so many issues; I love that Cassie is such a disaster but she's uncovering more than the FBI at this point; I love that Annie is a shady attorney with a hacker boyfriend who has BeBe Neuwirth as a boss; I love that Megan is so messed up that she's taking money from the Chinese (?) government to hack her husband's laptop and throws her son under the bus; I love that Shane is outraged at being dragged to Alex's funeral and still hooks up with a waiter and tells off a busboy. 

I hate that I'm an exhausted, anxious mess during every episode. But I guess that says a lot about the story and acting.

ETA, I love that Cassie kicked her shoe at Miranda and Miranda tossed Sabrina off a building after arriving at her front door with very expensive cupcakes. 

Edited December 6, 2020 by emma675d

[hatchetgirl]

12 hours ago, emma675 said:

I love that Megan is so messed up that she's taking money from the Chinese (?) government to hack her husband's laptop and throws her son under the bus

North Koreans. 

[lasu]

On 12/5/2020 at 9:22 AM, hatchetgirl said:

She's totally bored, really smart, housewife who send to enjoy the thrill of this espionage.

But she's not a housewife.  She has the same job Cassie does. 

[hatchetgirl]

On 12/7/2020 at 11:57 AM, lasu said:

But she's not a housewife.  She has the same job Cassie does. 

Yeah but sure seems to take on the role even though she does work. She wants excitement and cash. She's not getting it at home or in the air. 

[Irlandesa]

On 12/5/2020 at 1:23 PM, kariyaki said:

If he yells at her about their dad every time they see each other, I think that’s the answer to that question.

Based on their phone calls prior to him coming out, where he showed hesitancy but she kept saying it'd be fine, I don't think they'd ever had quite that conversation.  I suspect it has been focused around her drinking.

 I think Cassie buying the toy and telling the kids that it's their "secret" was the last straw for him.  When she ran off for her empty flight gig, everyone still planned on going to dinner.  While she was working, he found the toy.

 

[memememe76]

I have no kids and am an uncle to my sister’s kid and an uncle to numerous kids of friends and cousins. Regardless of whether I agree with their parenting styles or not, I would never buy a gift that would be against that parent’s wishes. She did that because she felt guilty for losing sight of the girls and then yelling at them.

If the scene of that egg spoon game played as was, how did she not realize that she didn’t win? Did that school or whatever still give her the award for winning when the dad clearly interfered? I figure she blocked it out due to years of alcohol abuse. 

[LuvMyShows]

On 12/4/2020 at 6:08 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

What really made me sad is that Davey has been wary of Cassie (and her known alcoholism) since the very first episode but he was still making an effort and she managed to fail him again. He knows she's been drinking since she was a kid and that she is a mess. Despite that, he wanted to see her and let the girls see their aunt. He wanted to believe that she was not an alcoholic disaster and have her in his life, but she proved him right multiple times. She showed up late, she was drunk, she explicitly went against what he told her (not buying the stuffed animals) AND told the girls to keep it a secret from him. And that was after she told him that they couldn't come to her apartment because someone had broken in.

He is a parent so now this is about more than wanting to have a good relationship with his sister. His daughters come first which is why he decided to go to dinner alone to talk to Cassie. She has to respect his role as a parent and the rules that he has for his kids, even if she thinks they're stupid. I get that Cassie wanted to give the girls a treat, partly because she loves being Fun Aunt Cassie and partly to make up for the fact that she obviously scared them when she yelled at them, but she still has to abide by the boundaries that Davey has for his kids because they are HIS kids and he gets to make those decisions. To her, buying a stuffed animal is no big thing but doing it right after he specifically told her not to undermines his authority. Deliberately not following the rules that he has for his kids makes her a disrespectful jerk. 

While I understand that Cassie was a drunk little girl who managed to forget the context of many of the memories of her dad, she is an adult now. Everything she does is a choice and she CHOSE to break a rule that her brother had established and explained. Again, I know that buying a souvenir seems trivial but that isn't the point. She isn't the parent in this situation. There are all kinds of rules that parents have for their kids that I don't think are necessary but if they're not my kids then I don't get the final say in the matter.

I'm the kind of person who likes to have a souvenir from my travels, even if it's something very small, so I was sad that Davey told the girls they couldn't have a stuffed whale from the aquarium, but again it's not my decision to make.

I don't think that Davey was blaming Cassie for their dad's shitty behavior, but he was mad that as an adult she is repeating his pattern of being a functional alcoholic who doesn't care who she hurts as long as she gets to do what she wants. You can say that you love someone but your actions need to reflect that. Going against what your brother just told you five minutes ago does not reflect that. It's really inconsiderate and disrespectful. I know a stuffed animal is minor but I think for Davey, it's just another example of how his sister doesn't respect or support him. Her need to please the girls and make them love her was more important than respecting the rules her brother had for his kids because as usual, Cassie thinks her needs are more important than everyone else's.

It seemed clear to me that Davey understood the difference between kid Cassie being a jerk and adult Cassie being a jerk. He resented what his dad did and he was hurt by Cassie taking his side, but he understood that she was just a kid who felt special because of the attention their dad gave her. But adult Cassie is who he can't forgive because she is old enough to know better and she chooses to make poor decisions.

It's easy for us to sympathize with Cassie because she's the protagonist but from Davey's point of view, she can't even remember what time they're supposed to meet or what day they're flying across the country to come visit her so she's already pretty unreliable even before you take into account that she's such an alcoholic that she can't go to an aquarium without drinking. And he didn't even realize she'd momentarily lost the kids because she was on the phone. Is that the kind of aunt you want your kids around? As we saw with her dad, just because you love a kid doesn't mean that you're good for them.

All of this may be true, but clearly she has been this way all their adult life...so why is he expecting something different? 

Also, it is not very believable to me that, if this were real life, they wouldn't have had that type of honest conversation before.

[kay1864]

On 12/5/2020 at 7:15 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Flour is slang for cocaine or meth. Learn something new every day.

I thought they were saying flower, as in cannabis. An unemployed actor (or Cassie for that matter) can’t afford cocaine, and I don’t think they were doing meth.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

I thought they were saying flower, as in cannabis. An unemployed actor (or Cassie for that matter) can’t afford cocaine, and I don’t think they were doing meth.

Okay but whatever it was, didn't they sniff or snort it? That's not the way cannabis is partaken, is it?

[iMonrey]

Quote

Wow, Megan threw her own kid under the bus about her husband's laptop issues. What is she into?

I thought the implication was that it was her husband who was looking at porn, by the way she sarcastically asked who else could have had porn on his open browser if not their son. 

I agree the whole story with her is confusing though. Have they said what her husband does for a living? Or why the Koreans want info from his company?

Who has an enormous shower in the middle of their living room, like in Annie's apartment? That seems wildly impractical. What if you have guests staying with you and you want to take a shower?

[Milburn Stone]

On 12/26/2020 at 11:38 AM, iMonrey said:

I agree the whole story with her is confusing though. Have they said what her husband does for a living? Or why the Koreans want info from his company?

I couldn't figure out why she needed her husband's work laptop to go on ebay (or whatever). This household has not a single computer or other device that can access the internet?

[shapeshifter]

On 12/13/2020 at 11:42 PM, Irlandesa said:

I suspect it has been focused around her drinking.

Cassie's drinking and the homophobic rejection by dear old dad are both triggers for Davey. 
My mom used to tell stories about her fun single aunt (her mom's sister) who would jump up and down on the bed with her like it was a circus trampoline way back in the 1930s and 40s. I'm sure that wrecked the bed springs --LOL-- and likely the aunt told her not to tell her mom. But Aunt Anne was not a drunk. 
I think Davey might have just rolled his eyes at the stuffed fish and told his girls that he was glad they didn't lie to him if Cassie's drinking wasn't always a disaster waiting to happen.

 

Poor Sabrina.
So Miranda is what? An OCD serial killer?

Edited January 23, 2021 by shapeshifter