S01.E01: Pilot

[formerlyfreedom]

Rebel stops at nothing to convince Cruz to join her fight against Stonemore Medical and simultaneously enlists Lana and Cassidy to protect a woman from her abusive boyfriend. While Rebel is out saving others, her husband, Grady, stands on the sidelines and picks up the pieces at home.

Airing Thursday, April 8, 2021.

[ESS]

Thank you so much for posting this!! I can't wait, only a week left! 

[maggiemae]

I want to know if her name is Rebel or ripple.

[ESS]

On 4/4/2021 at 12:25 AM, maggiemae said:

I want to know if her name is Rebel or ripple.

her real name is Annie Flynn Ray Bello, but she's called Rebel.

Edited April 5, 2021 by ESS

[ESS]

I loved the first episode!!

Rebel made one hell of an entrance I loved it and when she fell I was shocked..

I already love Rebel & Lana's friendship!

Wow I was so hoping Grady wasn't cheating, but damn what happened was worse I think! a divorce attorney ugh poor Rebel so glad he got punched out because he deserved it. Ziggy and Sean are kind of cute...but I can't say too much at this point on them. 

I couldn't believe Cruz fired Rebel, but I knew she'd be back and that abused woman's boyfriend I loved both Rebel and Lana's approaches on him he deserved them all. 

I loved Rebel and Benji's little scene I think I might be shipping them already...can't help it. I love that Benji still seems to love her even though they aren't together anymore, it's sweet. 

I can't wait for next week's episode.

Edited April 9, 2021 by ESS
Removed spoiler box

[KaveDweller]

So, am I supposed to hate Rebel?

I liked the rest of the characters, but Rebel annoyed me so much I don't even care that she's trying to help people.

[Diana Berry]

Way too loud way too many characters

[Bastet]

I don't care for most professional wiz but personal disaster storylines for women, or adult children pissy that their moms had important work to do in addition to raising them, and this is short on nuance and subtlety, but it's a first episode - and shows have been a lot more obvious about a lot less important subjects.

I don't know a lot of these actors, but it seems to be a good cast.  I came for Mary McDonnell, but I liked the performances overall.

And I like some of the relationship dynamics, and Rebel herself - the pull between emotional tugs like "I'm going to pay for her valve replacement myself" and economic reality that if she does that she can't afford to help anyone other than that one person.

I like the investigator, and hate the junior associate at the one ex-husband's law firm; if they dare set up a sexual tension scenario between that dick and the daughter, I will be pissed (no, TV writers, we do not actually harbor secret attraction to men whose worldviews and life's work we find repugnant).

There's definite room for improvement, but decent promise in a first episode.  How can I not like "You are 72 hours short of the goal, you son of a dick!" and "To cook you dinner?!" in unison by all the women?

Pretending COVID doesn't exist is distracting, and there are some scenes I can see how they were filmed with minimal risk and others I wonder about, but I'm in.

[OoogleEyes]

5 hours ago, Bastet said:

 

Pretending COVID doesn't exist is distracting, and there are some scenes I can see how they were filmed with minimal risk and others I wonder about, but I'm in.

I did appreciate Mary McDonnell's COVID hair, however. 

I love Katey Sagal. 64 years old and still kicking ass! I liked the show, so far. I think it has potential 

[Chaos Theory]

I am in for the Katey Sagal And Mary McDonnell scenes.   

I think I am going to hate the lawyer daughter with the father who wants her at his corporate law firm.    But she seems like the only character on the show that outright annoys me.  So yay.

I kinda appreciate the no Covid world and am not going to question it.

 

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[Jillybean]

Definitely a Krista Vernoff show. When the lawyer daughter was giving her monologue about her birthday or whatever, I could practically hear it in Dr. Maggie Pierce's voice. Ugh. Love Katey Segal and John Corbett, but I'm on the fence. 

[atiyah9369]

I am distracted by the hair and wardrobe. I kept thinking could they have styled the character differently? I will probably stick with is I am a fan of James Lesure. 

[DearEvette]

Maybe I have a low entertainment threshold but I liked this.  It was frothy in placed and serious in others.  Very ABC aesthetic.

I love big messy family dynamics and I really enjoy the make up of the family here.  I really like the two ex husbands and their relationship with her and each other.  I like all three of the kids and how different they are.  I am looking forward to seeing the sibling dynamic come into play. And Rebel and her BFF.   I liked the surprise party scene the best.  Some great lines there especially James Lesure asking befuddled "how did we get pulled into this?" when Rebel unloads on her husband.  And the "Cooking you dinner?" outraged line from ALL the women.  Also, when they were told to hide, James Lesure just lay on the couch in full view. LOL.

Rebel is .. a LOT.  But Katey Sagal is good in the part. 

[dogfish]

I found the scene where Rebel threatened the battered woman's husband to be a little hard to swallow.  While we were supposed to feel all, "you tell him Rebel", it seemed to fall short.  My first thought was that anyone who would stab his wife, head-butt a police officer, and attempt to stab other folks is potentially psychopathic.  They are harldy going to be moved by threats of "bankrupting his parents". and "haunting his every day".  They are more likely to be thinking, if I could slip these handcuffs, you would be dead right now.

[circumvent]

Watched this out of curiosity. It is meh, something I can watch without worrying too much about following the plot

but

Kid, you are not obsessed with David Bowie if you say that he IS a singer....I had to go check if this show is new (post 2016) or something that Hulu is putting on to fill up the Covid void.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I love big messy family dynamics and I really enjoy the make up of the family here.  I really like the two ex husbands and their relationship with her and each other.

Yeah, I'm really interested in continuing to see that dynamic, where these guys are still part of her life, not just fathers to their kids.  At the party for Husband Three, Husband One and Two are there, because they're family. 

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Rebel is .. a LOT.  But Katey Sagal is good in the part. 

I agree.  Rebel is a LOT, because Erin Brockovich is a LOT, and I think Sagal is doing a good job with how, sure, there are messy and tacky aspects of her, but the bottom line is she's smart and strong and spends her days helping people. 

[Chaos Theory]

 

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

Yeah, I'm really interested in continuing to see that dynamic, where these guys are still part of her life, not just fathers to their kids.  At the party for Husband Three, Husband One and Two are there, because they're family. 

I agree.  Rebel is a LOT, because Erin Brockovich is a LOT, and I think Sagal is doing a good job with how, sure, there are messy and tacky aspects of her, but the bottom line is she's smart and strong and spends her days helping people. 

if anyone is going to play....”a lot” Erin Brockovich it’s the person who played both Peg Bundy and Gemma Teller.  

[tinderbox]

I'm on the fence and must remember this was just the pilot.  Way too many characters to track, imo.  I disagree with Chaos Theory...I do like Katey Sagal but I'm not convinced she is the best actress to portray the Erin Brockovich type.    I'll watch the next episode and then decide if I will continue with this show.

Edited April 10, 2021 by tinderbox

[Shellie]

3 hours ago, tinderbox said:

I'm on the fence and must remember this was just the pilot.  Way too many characters to track, imo.  I disagree with Chaos Theory...I do like Katey Sagal but I'm not convinced she is the best actress to portray the Erin Brockovich type.    I'll watch the next episode and then decide if I will continue with this show.

I like Katey Sagal in this part so far, but I'm with you on being on the fence and watching one more episode to decide. 

I tuned in because of the sheer star power.  I couldn't keep track of all the characters, and the show was loud. Yelling and loud music. I kept thinking this episode was way over the top for my tastes.  But often, pilots are somewhat dissimilar to the next episodes. 

[chitowngirl]

Considering John Corbett is second lead on the show, what are they going to do with him? Throw him in the pile with the other ex-husbands? We know the first two are part of her “team” for her work...

[dshgr]

I'm not a fan of John Corbett.  And can Katie Sagal play any characters that don't dress like Peg Bundy?  I'm here for Andy Garcia.  

[DearEvette]

On 4/9/2021 at 11:40 AM, circumvent said:

Kid, you are not obsessed with David Bowie if you say that he IS a singer....I had to go check if this show is new (post 2016) or something that Hulu is putting on to fill up the Covid void.

I can't front  I still refer to Prince in the present tense.

[chitowngirl]

Prince is always with us because he was never of this mortal world. He just visited us for a while!

[EtheltoTillie]

I thought Adam Arkin was Ben Stein!

Anyway, I hated this.  It has that fake frenetic energy of all the Shonda Rhimes productions, which I've never liked. I understand the showrunner comes from Gray's Anatomy, but GA was a Shonda creation.

 

On 4/10/2021 at 4:01 PM, Shellie said:

I like Katey Sagal in this part so far, but I'm with you on being on the fence and watching one more episode to decide. 

I tuned in because of the sheer star power.  I couldn't keep track of all the characters, and the show was loud. Yelling and loud music. I kept thinking this episode was way over the top for my tastes.  But often, pilots are somewhat dissimilar to the next episodes. 

See my comment above.  This is straight out of the Shonda Rhimes playbook.  I think the Shonda Rhimes DNA will control. 

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by GussieK

[xtwheeler]

She had me at "son of a dick." 

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, xtwheeler said:

She had me at "son of a dick." 

I have already used that twice since Thursday night.  I love it.

[cameron]

I'm into this show because of Andy Garcia.

[eel21788]

On 4/3/2021 at 10:25 PM, maggiemae said:

I want to know if her name is Rebel or ripple.

It does sound as though she is saying "ripple," which, of course, leads the mind straight to "nipple."

I don't like that she calls herself Rebel. It just sounds too gratuitous and arrogant.

[eel21788]

On 4/9/2021 at 9:23 AM, DearEvette said:

I love big messy family dynamics and I really enjoy the make up of the family here. 

I missed how Cruz fit in. Everyone else she is related to by blood or marriage, but where Cruz fell in which category escaped my grasp.

[DearEvette]

Cruz's now dead wife was Rebel's best friend.  Both Rebel and her daughter works for him and he and Rebel have what felt like a lived in relationship.  So I got the impression he and his wife are long time close friends of the Rebel family,

[eel21788]

3 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Cruz's now dead wife was Rebel's best friend.  Both Rebel and her daughter works for him and he and Rebel have what felt like a lived in relationship.  So I got the impression he and his wife are long time close friends of the Rebel family,

thankx

[ESS]

8 hours ago, eel21788 said:

It does sound as though she is saying "ripple," which, of course, leads the mind straight to "nipple."

I don't like that she calls herself Rebel. It just sounds too gratuitous and arrogant.

I can hear her clearly say Rebel and maybe why she's called that is because she earned the name somehow and it's easier for people to call her that instead of Annie. Just saying. 

[CrystalBlue]

8 hours ago, eel21788 said:

It does sound as though she is saying "ripple," which, of course, leads the mind straight to "nipple."

I don't like that she calls herself Rebel. It just sounds too gratuitous and arrogant.

Apparently Annie was born Annie Rebelsky, which is a real surname, but not common, found in the USA and Germany.  She calls herself Rebel after that last name and because it suits her personality.  Bello is her present married name from her third husband, Grady Bello (John Corbett).

How do you feel about Rebel Wilson?

In the pilot, Rebel/Annie (Katey Sagal) rattled off her full line of married names but I didn't catch it and am too lazy to rewatch or do any more research on the matter.

[eel21788]

5 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

How do you feel about Rebel Wilson?.

Since it's a stage name, I can grant her a little leeway. If her parents had put it on her birth certificate, I would have called them weird.

[ESS]

2 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

Apparently Annie was born Annie Rebelsky, which is a real surname, but not common, found in the USA and Germany.  She calls herself Rebel after that last name and because it suits her personality.  Bello is her present married name from her third husband, Grady Bello (John Corbett).

How do you feel about Rebel Wilson?

In the pilot, Rebel/Annie (Katey Sagal) rattled off her full line of married names but I didn't catch it and am too lazy to rewatch or do any more research on the matter.

OMG that's right!! I forgot about that for a minute until you mentioned it, thank you,  since you didn't catch it, her full name is Annie Flynn Ray Bello. 

Edited April 15, 2021 by ESS

[dogfish]

On 4/14/2021 at 8:40 PM, ESS said:

OMG that's right!! I forgot about that for a minute until you mentioned it, thank you,  since you didn't catch it, her full name is Annie Flynn Ray Bello. 

I thought Rebel came from “Ray Bello”

[CrystalBlue]

It guess between husband number two and husband number three she would have been Rebel Ray Bello.

[ESS]

40 minutes ago, dogfish said:

I thought Rebel came from “Ray Bello”

Yes but she's been married three times, Flynn is from her first husband Woodrow who is the cop we saw in the first episode. Ray is from her second husband, Benji who is the lawyer and Bello is from her third husband, Grady. 

29 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

It guess between husband number two and husband number three she would have been Rebel Ray Bello.

Yes 

[toodywoody]

Omg it's Glenn from The Wedding Singer. I wasn't going to watch this but damn Glenn and Andy Garcia. I'm in just for eye candy.

[susannah]

I have just seen the one episode so far and not sure how I feel about it. I do know that "Rebel" might be a cute nickname for a 10 year old but for a woman in her mid 60s, it sounds pathetic. Also the clothes make her seem like she is trying desperately to hang onto youth long gone. It seems like she has a very big heart and truly cares for people in need, but doesn't recognize the impact her caring for everyone else has on those around her who also need her, and the consequences of that caring, the frequent arrests, breezing in and out of jail because her exhusband is the police officer, etc.  She seems to think that everyone around her should just be fine with it all because of her motivations.

I agree with the comment that drug/drummer guy wouldn't give a rat's hiney about his parents or anyone else, he was a psycho, so Rebel's threats were pretty thin. Even if he did leave Naomi alone, what about the next girl, who he might succeed in killing?

Her husband was a total jerk, and the "cook you dinner?" line in unison was gold.

[ESS]

On 4/20/2021 at 10:06 PM, susannah said:

I have just seen the one episode so far and not sure how I feel about it. I do know that "Rebel" might be a cute nickname for a 10 year old but for a woman in her mid 60s, it sounds pathetic. Also the clothes make her seem like she is trying desperately to hang onto youth long gone. It seems like she has a very big heart and truly cares for people in need, but doesn't recognize the impact her caring for everyone else has on those around her who also need her, and the consequences of that caring, the frequent arrests, breezing in and out of jail because her exhusband is the police officer, etc.  She seems to think that everyone around her should just be fine with it all because of her motivations.

I agree with the comment that drug/drummer guy wouldn't give a rat's hiney about his parents or anyone else, he was a psycho, so Rebel's threats were pretty thin. Even if he did leave Naomi alone, what about the next girl, who he might succeed in killing?

Her husband was a total jerk, and the "cook you dinner?" line in unison was gold.

The nickname Rebel comes from her birth name Rebelsky and because as @CrystalBlue said it suits her personality which she definitely lives up to her nickname for sure, but okay, me personally I love her clothes. 

Edited April 22, 2021 by ESS

[Dowel Jones]

On 4/15/2021 at 7:09 PM, dogfish said:

I thought Rebel came from “Ray Bello”

Grady says as much in the latest episode.

[ESS]

1 hour ago, Dowel Jones said:

Grady says as much in the latest episode.

Yeah I was surprised by that. 

[CrystalBlue]

5 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Grady says as much in the latest episode.

I noticed this too (S01E03 "Superhero") but I still stand by the research I found.  Maybe Grady doesn't know Annie's maiden name?  😧  Either that, or they're retconning already!

[ESS]

7 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

I noticed this too (S01E03 "Superhero") but I still stand by the research I found.  Maybe Grady doesn't know Annie's maiden name?  😧  Either that, or they're retconning already!

Yeah so do I though because I also found that  when I was going through spoilers a year ago.(I just had forgotten about it until it was mentioned again because the description was changed a short time later) Maybe it was just a mistake on Grady’s part. It’d find it very strange he doesn’t/didn’t know her maiden name though as he has been married to her for 10 years.