Season 4 Discussion

[Ms Blue Jay]

UZO ADUBA IS A QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN

[Adgirl]

Aargh I want to set Colin on fire. What a delusional, narcissistic asshole. Am I wrong or is it a bit sadistic to watch a woman go through the whole fertility process knowing you've had a vasectomy?

I love Uzo Aduba's styling and aesthetic for the show.

I think Brooke absolutely picks up on Laila's suicide hints but doesn't want to spook her.  If they discuss suicide as something she's considering then Brooke has to alert people she's considering hurting herself. I think she wants to keep the conversation going with Laila and show her why she should stay among the living.

Edited June 18, 2021 by Adgirl
needed to expand on my Colin hate

[LoveLeigh]

On 6/6/2021 at 5:34 PM, MBayGal said:

I'm thinking maybe he is a rich boy living in that huge house just making up all these stories about being poor, etc.  LoveLeigh suggested he is delusional, but maybe he us just a bored brat enjoying the attention he gets. Saying he was hired to care for Jeremy after meeting the DeMarcos in a restaurant rang very false. If his stories are all lies or delusions, how long before Brooke figures it out, and how will she handle him?

Yes I got the feeling he was making everything up. I do not think he is a rich brat. But, we saw what seemed like a mansion in his first episode so maybe he was using some photoshop as his background.  Something is up with him. 

[BC4ME]

I realize this is a show about therapy and lends itself to such but most of the show has gotten too touchy feely for me. And I watch This is Us. 

I'm trying to hang in there but IDK.

[Empress1]

Why didn't anybody pull Uzo's wig down? The center part wig (Eladio's episode) was pushed back too far.

Also, boyfriend whose name I can't recall, you can be an "us" with Brooke anytime you want. You don't need a kid to do that. That made me mad - "this could be the thing that makes us an us!" You have known this woman for something like 20 years; if you wanted to be a couple with her, you would be.

I loved Brooke laying into Colin. When she snapped and said she thought she was past treating narcissists, I jumped. I am not sure how professional that was, but I loved that she had his number and wouldn't let him off the hook.

[txhorns79]

2 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

 

I loved Brooke laying into Colin. When she snapped and said she thought she was past treating narcissists, I jumped. I am not sure how professional that was, but I loved that she had his number and wouldn't let him off the hook.

It was an interesting situation.  I thought Uzo was great.  You could feel something change in her the moment Colin brought up his vasectomy.  I did think some of Brooke's reaction and anger was more about her own baby-related issues than anything Colin was saying, but she was right in the sense that she is just wasting her time if Colin is going to be lying to her.     

[LilaFowler]

Curious as to why they haven't touched on who the father of Brooke's son is. Don't both biological parents have to relinquish parental rights in an adoption? Was the father simply not told about the baby? It seems like it was a legal adoption, not some black market thing.

[Psalm11]

I’m enjoying Brooke’s personal storyline waaaay more than any of her patients’. 
Their stories are mildly interesting at best. And truthfully, all three patients irritate and annoy me. Pet peeves:  Why would Brooke allow Eladio to refer to her as “mamacita” (or something like that) in the first episode? That’s professionally unacceptable. (And, yeah, I know she has mommy issues.) Why does the actress portraying Laila never shed a tear during her intense responses? I mean she daps and sniffs, but there are no tears coming from her eyes, which are quite beautiful, btw. She does a good job of translating her pathos and anger but it would be so much more powerful if I saw a tear or two. How does the director not catch that?  Pet kudos: Joel Kinnaman! I’ll take that bad boy any day. Love the synergy between Brooke and Adam. And last but certainly best, Uzo is formidable in this role. Lots of depth, nuanced and sensitive. She IS Dr Brooke Taylor. Wardrobe, fabulous. House, fantastic. Her backstory, intriguing. The clients, meh. I'll keep watching just for her.

Edited June 17, 2021 by Psalm11

[Psalm11]

On 5/26/2021 at 9:43 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Did anyone recognize Laila's grandma as being Aunt Janice from Fresh Prince of Bel Air?  😀

 

On 5/27/2021 at 11:31 AM, Empress1 said:

Yes. 

Yes. Charlayne Woodard, award winning actress/dancer/singer. A favorite since starring in Ain't Misbehavin" on Broadway back in the late 70s. (Yes, I am that old.) She won a Tony, btw.  You might also recognize her from her recurring role of Sis Peg in Law and Order:SVU. She is wonderful!

Edited June 15, 2021 by Psalm11

[Ms Blue Jay]

20 minutes ago, Psalm11 said:

Actually, that is not Janet Hubert (Aunt Viv from Fresh Prince.) That is Charlayne Woodard, award winning actress/dancer/singer. A favorite of mine since starring in Ain't Misbehavin" on Broadway back in the late 70s. (Yes, I am that old.) She won a Tony, btw.  You might also recognize her from her recurring role of Sis Peg in Law and Order:SVU. She is wonderful!

That is why I said she played Aunt Janice.

Edited June 15, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Psalm11]

On 5/26/2021 at 9:43 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

 

 

3 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

 

 

Edited June 15, 2021 by Psalm11

[Psalm11]

4 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

 

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

4 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I loved Brooke laying into Colin. When she snapped and said she thought she was past treating narcissists, I jumped. I am not sure how professional that was, but I loved that she had his number and wouldn't let him off the hook.

What a scene that was.  Just amazing.

4 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

It was an interesting situation.  I thought Uzo was great.  You could feel something change in her the moment Colin brought up his vasectomy.  I did think some of Brooke's reaction and anger was more about her own baby-related issues than anything Colin was saying, but she was right in the sense that she is just wasting her time if Colin is going to be lying to her.     

I think she was also completely shocked that Colin had that level of deception to him.  That he would do that to Hannah, a woman he claims to love.  It's fucked up!  Lying about lying!  Lies on top of lies.

[txhorns79]

43 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I think she was also completely shocked that Colin had that level of deception to him.  That he would do that to Hannah, a woman he claims to love.  It's fucked up!  Lying about lying!  Lies on top of lies.

Yeah, given his whole presentation that day was one big lie, from performatively waiting for Hannah to show up to a session she had never been invited to, to admitting he had lied about his relationship with Hannah and inviting her to the session, I got why Brooke was so upset.   

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I think she was also completely shocked that Colin had that level of deception to him.  That he would do that to Hannah, a woman he claims to love.  It's fucked up!  Lying about lying!  Lies on top of lies.

I think she was also mad that she'd gotten fooled. As a psychologist she knows narcissists exist - she said she didn't want to treat them anymore, so I assume she's had narcissistic patients before. She's heard it all, she knows people are capable of lying. I think she was mad that he'd wasted their time and that he'd been lying to her off rip. When she put it all together, you could see a shift within her (great work by Aduba).

I also think the "you made her feel ashamed" was more about Brooke giving up her baby and feeling shame about it, although I would guess that Hannah did feel ashamed. A lot of women feel ashamed of/betrayed by their bodies when they can't conceive, or think they can't conceive in Hannah's case.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yes, the shift was so dramatic.  Right after that Uzo was just STARING.  She completely changed.  Ooooooh, she's so good it gives me chills.

[MBayGal]

Adam:  "I gotta come. I'm going to pull out." WTF!!!  This us 2021, not 1951!  An educated, professional woman relies on the "gonna pull out" method of birth control?!!  I'm surprised she doesn't have 5 kids  already if that's her regular approach to protection Talk about a ludicrous way to advance the plot to, I assume, get her pregnant.

[Empress1]

Does Adam know Brooke is an alcoholic? I assume so since he knows about Rita and he's known Brooke all of her adult life. If so, this is a really toxic relationship - he shouldn't be drinking with her.

[Broderbits]

2 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Does Adam know Brooke is an alcoholic? I assume so since he knows about Rita and he's known Brooke all of her adult life. If so, this is a really toxic relationship - he shouldn't be drinking with her.

He's not only drinking with her, he's actually encouraging her to drink. And I'm sure he knows her history with her mother.

I may be slow on the uptake, but I just realized that Brooke's 3 patients all embody some aspect of her and problems she needs to work on. Eladio - abandonment by mother; Colin - lying to oneself; Leila - dealing with inner fears and others' expectations. Well played, show!

[Ms Blue Jay]

 I know that a lot of people get drunk before conception (LOL) but they also shouldn't be drinking if they want to produce a baby, either.

[OldButHappy]

On 6/10/2021 at 9:41 AM, txhorns79 said:

 

I don't love Brooke's interactions with her AA sponsor, Rita.  Maybe it's just a repeating theme of the season, but they seem to have a really bad sense of boundaries.  I feel like Brooke needs some serious professional help in dealing with her issues over the baby she put up for adoption and those surrounding her father.  That isn't Rita's role, and she can't really serve as a substitute.  It also sounds like Brooke and Rita have badly blurred the lines between being sponsor/sponsee and friends, and Rita is kind of giving into Brooke's manipulations not to leave her, when Rita really needs to detach from Brooke (which Rita herself said).  

 

I really hate it when TV misrepresents AA so badly.

On 6/10/2021 at 11:55 PM, MBayGal said:

 

Is it common for a sponsor to show up at the house, demand to see the bottles, and offer life counseling on all your personal. problems?  This seemed like overreaching yo me, but maybe it is the process, I don't know. 

 

No!!!!! This is really annoying. I never would have gotten sober 40 years ago if I had Rita as a sponsor. Plus, you should never go to an active alcoholic's place without another sober person. Old school.

[DanaK]

8 hours ago, OldButHappy said:

No!!!!! This is really annoying. I never would have gotten sober 40 years ago if I had Rita as a sponsor. Plus, you should never go to an active alcoholic's place without another sober person. Old school.

Isn't it also a problem that Rita is Brooke's sponsor and best friend? It seems like there's a conflict in being both and Rita needs to just be her friend and have someone else be her sponsor

[MBayGal]

11 hours ago, OldButHappy said:

No!!!!! This is really annoying. I never would have gotten sober 40 years ago if I had Rita as a sponsor. Plus, you should never go to an active alcoholic's place without another sober person. Old school.

Thank you for sharing that. I had a spider sense that Rita's behavior was not appropriate, and appreciate your confirming it.  It was interesting when Rita said Brooke's hangover was triggering her.  It surprised me when she said it, but it seemed realistic after I thought about it.

[OldButHappy]

2 hours ago, DanaK said:

Isn't it also a problem that Rita is Brooke's sponsor and best friend?

In my experience, when I came in, I got a sponsor to talk to (there's lots to unload when you're newly sober!) and to do the 12 Steps with. We were close, but I never considered her my best friend...she was my sponsor.

I assumed that they didn't know each other before AA, and that Rita was Brooke's best friend because she was Brooke's only friend. Lots of us drunks like to isolate ourselves so we can drink in peace...and lose contact with old friends in the process.

So I was projecting my experience into the script 😄😄😄...and everyone is different. But I would hate to see anyone judge AA, postpone sobriety, or avoid getting a sponsor after watching this representation of the process.

[txhorns79]

Wow.  Brooke is completely out of control.  That scene with her screaming at Eladio was scary.  Uzo was just amazing.  You see her lose it, recognize that she's lost it, then try to regain some kind of control over the situation all over the course of a minute or two.

I can't even speak about Colin.  The whole thing was ridiculous.  I don't believe for even a moment Brooke would have let him into her house, after his banging on her door and scaring her, whether she was drinking or not.  I'm also very surprised she was going to continue seeing him.  I was not expecting that after last week.     

[LoveLeigh]

Is this season over?

[T Summer]

8 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I can't even speak about Colin.  The whole thing was ridiculous.  I don't believe for even a moment Brooke would have let him into her house, after his banging on her door and scaring her, whether she was drinking or not.  I'm also very surprised she was going to continue seeing him.  I was not expecting that after last week.

Every word of this! Dr Brook  wouldn't have let him in, let him use her bathroom and sat still for him pouring himself a drink and she definetely wouldn't have  consumed the one he poured her. She knows his sense of right and wrong is completely off  nonexistent and he thinks that anything that gets him the end result he wants is justifiable. I wouldn't even be comfortable with that sicko  knowing where I reside, much less coming over for therapy sessions.

I'm beginning to be scared for her because she keeps saying she's not going to see him again and then she see's him again and he keeps pushing back against her boundaries and she weakens her resolve. He's going to continue on with that you don't really mean that... I know you feel it too BS.

[Empress1]

14 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

Wow.  Brooke is completely out of control.  That scene with her screaming at Eladio was scary.  Uzo was just amazing.  You see her lose it, recognize that she's lost it, then try to regain some kind of control over the situation all over the course of a minute or two.

She is really not the right therapist for Eladio. They both have mother issues - she has a need TO mother because she gave up her son, and he wants to BE mothered. Eladio knows this about himself and knows that she's actually doing more mothering than treating (he doesn't know why but it doesn't matter), but since he wants to be mothered, he doesn't care that she's behaving inappropriately. Brooke is right that he's very perceptive.

I can't with Colin. "No, you can't come in. Wait for your Lyft outside." That's it!

[txhorns79]

13 hours ago, LoveLeigh said:

Is this season over?

All episodes have been dropped on HBO Max, but HBO has not aired all the episodes.  They are in Week 5 this week, and will conclude with Week 6 next week. 

[LoveLeigh]

6 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

All episodes have been dropped on HBO Max, but HBO has not aired all the episodes.  They are in Week 5 this week, and will conclude with Week 6 next week. 

Thanks. Please tell me who Brooke called in the last minute of the final episode and what that person she called said. I watch this show with one eye closed. 

[T Summer]

1 hour ago, LoveLeigh said:

Thanks. Please tell me who Brooke called in the last minute of the final episode and what that person she called said. I watch this show with one eye closed. 

My cable was out Saturday  night through Sunday night so I watched it online  and I think I might have seen 5+6????

I think your question  relates to Brook week 6 episode 24 which hasn't been broadcast yet, so I'll put it behind a spoiler tag.

Spoiler

She called Rita (her sponsor) and said I'm ready. [presumably to go to a meeting]

 

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Earlier I expressed my doubts that this show wants to pay Gabriel Byrne for an actual guest spot and it's so funny how the show just keeps teasing his appearance but never actually following through.

I would have preferred that the show not mention him at all.  It feels both pandering and disrespectful.  

Mark Wahlberg is a producer of this show.  LOL.

https://www.primetimer.com/features/5-shows-you-never-realized-mark-wahlberg-produced

Edited June 22, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[txhorns79]

52 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Earlier I expressed my doubts that this show wants to pay Gabriel Byrne for an actual guest spot and it's so funny how the show just keeps teasing his appearance but never actually following through.

This annoyed me a lot, and it does feel like a cheat.  I'm also not particularly bowled over by what we got, i.e. Brooke on Brooke.  I've thought Brooke's sessions have been the weakest this season.  I want to see a real therapist, who knows Brooke's issues, challenge her, instead of watching Brooke struggle with half-measures like Rita or Adam, neither of whom appears capable of really helping.   

[BigDfromLA]

I was super excited about the scenario of Gabriel Byrne's Dr. Weston visiting Brooke at that moment and how great that encounter would have been. Then, it didn't happen. What a deflating disappointment. Brooke on Brooke was a cheap, gimmicky stunt that was salvaged by Uzo's amazing acting which saved it from being a true disaster. 

[Norma Desmond]

Brooke on Brooke was a mess, but the dark gray suit therapist Brooke was wearing was amaaazing.

 

I find Eladio's character and sessions to be the most boring to me. Colin and Laila intrigue me so much more.

And again, they do know how to dress Uzo. I wish I had her stylist.

 

[MBayGal]

I also find Eladio's story uninteresting.  Laila seemed just like an entitled brat at first, but now I am fascinated by her story.  I don't see how we can get closure on any of these stories next week. I don't want four cliffhangers! Didn't previous seasons end their stories and started with new patients the next season?I hope that happens this year, even if the endings are unsatisfying.

[txhorns79]

21 minutes ago, MBayGal said:

Didn't previous seasons end their stories and started with new patients the next season?I hope that happens this year, even if the endings are unsatisfying.

Yes, except the first two seasons both featured end of week sessions with Paul and Gina.  Otherwise, everyone else was new. 

[T Summer]

Same here, Eladio is the least interesting patient to me  possibly followed by Laila. I find myself drifting off to sleep or being distracted by other things during their sessions.

Colin  hold's my attention only because he's infuriating. By process of elimination I guess that makes the interaction between Brook and Adam  the most interesting? Her sponsor Rita is just too much. I've never seen this actress who plays Dr Brook Taylor in anything before but I'm enjoying her performances. ...and yes, her wardrobe is fire! Excellent job of dressing a fuller figured body type than we usually see in female leads. Yet every look is not loose flowing tunics. Kudos!

That gray suit...

The cream ensemble...

and she absolutely glowed in that  raspberry colored long dress

[DanaK]

I found Eladio the most interesting from the start. Laila didn’t start out interesting but she’s caught fire for me in the last few sessions as she’s revealed herself to be something other than a spoiled little rich girl

[BC4ME]

I ended up being interested in all of the patients. I didn't like the Brook and her AA sponsor ones. I disliked Adam. It didn't seem like a real relationship to me. 

I'll tell you though, that Colin ended up being a mess his last session. I mean, he was always a mess but coming on to Brook was really over the top even for him. He was all over the place. Sadly, someone like him probably doesn't even know who he is at all and has no ability to access it. Like he said, his only skill was "the lie." All he was was "the lie." How does someone like that ever get better? It's all he knows how to do.

[bobbyjoe]

Quote

I was super excited about the scenario of Gabriel Byrne's Dr. Weston visiting Brooke at that moment and how great that encounter would have been. Then, it didn't happen. What a deflating disappointment. Brooke on Brooke was a cheap, gimmicky stunt that was salvaged by Uzo's amazing acting which saved it from being a true disaster.

My husband pointed out the problem about how this was handled:  the showrunners could have simply quickly made the acknowledgement that Brooke was Paul Weston’s protege on the first episode or two, and let that be it, our connection back to previous seasons.

But instead they kept mentioning Paul, again and again over the different episodes, and kept Brooke mentioning her upcoming session with Paul.  This is setting up a promise that the show didn’t deliver, and there was no reason to do that.

Because of how they did this, we really expected at least a cameo from Gabriel Byrne as Paul by the end of the season (even if it was a quick call on video).  It’s not that big a deal, considering how good Uzo and this season was otherwise, but I almost wonder if they’d planned for a Gabriel Byrne appearance when they started scripting the season and it fell through at the last minute.

Edited June 27, 2021 by bobbyjoe

[Ms Blue Jay]

The latest Colin episode.  Yikes!  I was really shocked at how everything progressed.  Congratulations to the writers for really surprising me.

Edited June 28, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[txhorns79]

I liked how Brooke got Eladio to recognize she could no longer be his therapist.  She handled it in a kind way that I appreciated.

I have no idea why Brooke is going to continue to see Colin.  I feel like his sessions are 99% him completely missing what Brooke is trying to say, her getting angry and him having a minute or two of real introspection under duress.

[marybennet]

6 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I have no idea why Brooke is going to continue to see Colin.  I feel like his sessions are 99% him completely missing what Brooke is trying to say, her getting angry and him having a minute or two of real introspection under duress.

I thought about this, too. And I think there’s something in her way of conducting therapy that involves meeting people where they are, tailoring things for them. And I think she’s decided that this is how he works, that cataclysms are what it takes for him to make progress, so she’ll go with that, since she really does see him making little bits of progress. 

 

 

[txhorns79]

18 minutes ago, marybennet said:

And I think there’s something in her way of conducting therapy that involves meeting people where they are, tailoring things for them. And I think she’s decided that this is how he works, that cataclysms are what it takes for him to make progress, so she’ll go with that, since she really does see him making little bits of progress. 

I do see that, but I feel like he'll come back the next week as though his moment of truth didn't happen or it will be reframed in a way that negates everything Brooke is trying to do. 

[marybennet]

53 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I do see that, but I feel like he'll come back the next week as though his moment of truth didn't happen or it will be reframed in a way that negates everything Brooke is trying to do. 

I think that’s likely. But she did get him two inches further in that last session than he had been in the session before. Maybe that’s enough?  I laughed a bit at that last minute, when we expected her to dismiss him for good, and in stead she said ‘see you next week.’  Maybe the laugh is the point for the show, but I kept wondering what my laughter was supposed to tell me about therapy. Not sure I know yet!

[T Summer]

In what was supposed to be their last session (the one before he showed up on her doorstep), Dr. Brook  said  to Colin "That's all the time we have. "That's all the time I have. Goodbye."

That was right after he revealed he went through  keeping up a charade as one half of a couple trying everything short of invitro to conceive, when in actuality he'd undergone a vasectomy and kept that from his wife.  Clearly this is a person who doesn't know right from wrong and it came across loud and clear Dr. Brook was done. I don't see this woman we've gotten to know  speaking to him ever again!

...and I don't see her writing anything on his behalf  suggesting  he's reformed or that he's unlikely to repeat his crimes

Why is this still going on?

[txhorns79]

7 hours ago, T Summer said:

 

That was right after he revealed he went through  keeping up a charade as one half of a couple trying everything short of invitro to conceive, when in actuality he'd undergone a vasectomy and kept that from his wife.  Clearly this is a person who doesn't know right from wrong and it came across loud and clear Dr. Brook was done. I don't see this woman we've gotten to know  speaking to him ever again!

The best I can come up with at this point is that I think Brooke blurred the boundaries with Colin badly by inviting him into her home while she was drinking, and she feels some guilt for that.  So instead of standing firm and suggesting he find another therapist, she's trying hard to make this work with him. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Brooke should not see Colin again if I was designing the universe, but hey what can I say.... 

[txhorns79]

I really liked Brooke's session with Rhonda, and wanted someone to slap Laila for doing her best to make everyone think she killed herself.  

I didn't really care about Brooke and Adam.  They telegraphed repeatedly that they were not a good match, and I couldn't really imagine them staying together if Brooke was going to try to get sober again.  

Overall, I was glad to see the show back, but felt like the patients were not the most well developed.  I didn't get a particularly good sense of any of them outside of whatever tropes or cliches they represented, and felt like Brooke's episodes really suffered from the lack of therapist to bounce her issues off.  Rita did not serve that purpose and Adam honestly was interesting enough to sustain the time where it was just he and Brooke.  If they get another season, I hope they'll revisit that.