S01.E03: We're Selling Washing Machines

[helenamonster]

Quote

Allison discovers the truth about Patty’s Salon, while Kevin and Neil compete in a chili cook-off.

AMC+ airdate: 6/20/21

AMC cable airdate: 6/27/21

[Harvey]

I wish there was more focus on Allison in this episode. It was interesting, but the first two were better. And wow, the plot is moving ahead in big strokes. I'm curious to see where it will go, will Allison succeed by the end of the season?

[Schweedie]

I actually think I liked this better than the previous two episodes - I wanted to see more of Patty outside of the sitcom world, and we got to! At this point I'm equally interested in her and Allison. Interesting that it seems like Patty got into this dealing thing out of genuine concern for her customers, and believing she was just helping them with pain. The woman who came by when she was out of pills was clearly an addict, which Patty didn't seem to expect or understand. Telling that woman to just take a few ibuprofens until she had re-up'd seemed very naive.

I love how well they're nailing the sitcom parts. And it's not funny at all, which to me is very accurate in comparison to shows from the specific genre it's drawing from. I think it not being funny is the whole point; this isn't a comedy, with the exception of the occasional dark sprinkles of it.

[helenamonster]

Patty is awesome and I'm looking forward to her and Allison getting closer.

As it stands now, I can't see Allison succeeding with killing Kevin. She is in way over her head and her impulsivity is already getting the best of her in a plan that requires patience. If she hadn't called the cops on the mechanic, the pharmacist would still be dealing and she could have gotten what she needed from Patty. Now they need to drive to Vermont and potentially complicate things even more.

I liked that we got more insight into her relationship with Sam. Maybe I missed some lines in the first two episodes, but I thought they'd been an actual item, not the girl he fooled around with behind his girlfriend's back. If that's the case, I can't blame her for pulling away, especially if it didn't seem like there was ever a possibility of him dumping Jenn (with two Ns!) for her. Also it's unclear whether his addiction issues overlapped with their time together, but that could have been too much for Allison to handle, especially for someone who wasn't committed to her.

I hope future episodes continue to fill in more of the gaps. How did Allison and Kevin meet? Does she have any other family around except the aunt she works with at the liquor store? If she's lived in Worcester her whole life, where are the friends she had before Kevin?

I definitely think there's much more to the sitcom parts than as a framing device. The way Allison just dreads going home, eating her dinner on the front porch alone, talking about how once she's inside she can't escape, it feels like the show is conditioning us to dread those parts too. It's hard to tell if the sitcom parts are Kevin's fantasy world or how Allison sees her life with him. Since this is her show, I'm inclined to think the latter, and I have an awful feeling that they're a coping mechanism for dealing with something much darker than chili cookoffs. The way Kevin talks to her is so much worse than any of the characters he's an expy for. Something is majorly off there.

[StevenGuy]

19 hours ago, helenamonster said:

How did Allison and Kevin meet? Does she have any other family around except the aunt she works with at the liquor store? If she's lived in Worcester her whole life, where are the friends she had before Kevin?

Yes, especially with the “KTL” convo with Sam? Katie, Tami (?) , Laura convo ? I can’t recall. Where did they go? Married with kids ? All the better?! They would probably be around?! 

Watching this and loving this more and more. Btw, as an animal lover, she should have found Bill and kept him as her bodyguard.

[red12]

I am enjoying the show more as the episodes build but, something that surprises me about my experience is I'm starting to see Allison as the villain of her story more than Kevin. Her choice of Kevin as a partner is a symptom not the disease in my view.

It appears she had some level of success in high school but did not believe in her ability to build on that and leave her surroundings so, she did the thing guaranteed to keep her in the place she allegedly hates, marry Kevin. Short of a teen pregnancy or early addiction, that is the most self-sabotaging decision she could make. On top of that, there was little scrutiny of the decision because on the surface it didn't seem dumb like the other two.

As much as Allison complains and imagines a different life, she also goes back home everyday. What was to stop her from just leaving for work and never coming back at any time? Kevin isn't physically abusive and sometimes seems more obsessed with his relationship with Nick than their marriage so, why not just fade out and mail divorce papers later? Why try to generate your own "Snapped" episode within the show with the poisoning plot? Allison is more of her problem than Kevin at this point. Maybe the writers will give more information to change my mind as the show progresses.

[peace355]

 

On 6/24/2021 at 8:26 PM, red12 said:

As much as Allison complains and imagines a different life, she also goes back home everyday. What was to stop her from just leaving for work and never coming back at any time? Kevin isn't physically abusive and sometimes seems more obsessed with his relationship with Nick than their marriage so, why not just fade out and mail divorce papers later? Why try to generate your own "Snapped" episode within the show with the poisoning plot? Allison is more of her problem than Kevin at this point. Maybe the writers will give more information to change my mind as the show progresses.

If the sitcom parts are a more idealised verson of events, I can imagine in reality Kevin is abusive to her, probably emotionally and controlling more than physically. We've already got hints of this from Alison's conversation with other people, that he's been breaking down her confidence, isolating her and controlling aspects of her life. Such as convincing her she is bad at money so he handles the finances, telling her she is a bad driver so he drives their car the most, which also limits her ability the travel. Only his friend group being around. Her comment to librarian that if she left "he'd find her" all points to abusive relationship to me.

[red12]

3 hours ago, peace355 said:

 

If the sitcom parts are a more idealised verson of events, I can imagine in reality Kevin is abusive to her, probably emotionally and controlling more than physically. We've already got hints of this from Alison's conversation with other people, that he's been breaking down her confidence, isolating her and controlling aspects of her life. Such as convincing her she is bad at money so he handles the finances, telling her she is a bad driver so he drives their car the most, which also limits her ability the travel. Only his friend group being around. Her comment to librarian that if she left "he'd find her" all points to abusive relationship to me.

Okay. I'm willing to go with that for now. Interested to see where the writers take things.

[Spartan Girl]

Well, Alison inadvertently shot herself in the foot by ratting out the street guy.

So she was basically Sam’s side-piece in high school, and it looks like history is about to repeat itself. I don’t think she has the best taste in men.

The dead pig was so creepy.

I don’t think we’re going to see “gritty reality” Kevin until close to the end of the season, if at all. 

Edited June 28, 2021 by Spartan Girl

[Chaos Theory]

Patty often tries to be one of the guys but she is actually treated as badly as Allison is.  I like the increasing bonding between Allison and Patty even though their personalities are completely different.     I can definitely see the sitcom being the idealistic version of events.  

[WaltersHair]

 The show is definitely growing on me. Allison is too fixated on the oxys, though, and it's a major plot hole. The war on opioids started years ago and the feds track every pill, every doctor who prescribes them, and every pharmacist who dispenses them. I'm not sure a pharmacist could have gotten away with this even 10 years ago. But, I'm willing to go along for the ride for now.

It's been bugging who the actress that plays Patty looks like (as she's presented in the series). She looks a little like a young Rosie O'Donnell crossed with Edie McClurg.

The best and worst thing about the show is need to have Kevin die. Painfully. The problem is that even the show is named after him.  How many seasons can Allison plot his death?

Edited June 28, 2021 by WaltersHair

[Chaos Theory]

9 hours ago, WaltersHair said:

 

The best and worst thing about the show is need to have Kevin die. Painfully. The problem is that even the show is named after him.  How many seasons can Allison plot his death?

Well technically that’s not what the show is about.  The title is Kevin Can Fuck Himself. Not Kevin Must Die.   The plot can change in a number of ways.    I always thought that Allison wanting to kill Kevin was a symptom of a problem not the problem itself which Is that Kevin is an overgrown asshole and I can see the season ending with at least a glimpse of what he really looks like in the dark and gloomy world that Allison lives in.   The push and Pull between realities makes for an interesting battle of wills.

Edited June 28, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[qtpye]

On 6/24/2021 at 3:26 PM, red12 said:

I am enjoying the show more as the episodes build but, something that surprises me about my experience is I'm starting to see Allison as the villain of her story more than Kevin. Her choice of Kevin as a partner is a symptom not the disease in my view.

It appears she had some level of success in high school but did not believe in her ability to build on that and leave her surroundings so, she did the thing guaranteed to keep her in the place she allegedly hates, marry Kevin. Short of a teen pregnancy or early addiction, that is the most self-sabotaging decision she could make. On top of that, there was little scrutiny of the decision because on the surface it didn't seem dumb like the other two.

As much as Allison complains and imagines a different life, she also goes back home everyday. What was to stop her from just leaving for work and never coming back at any time? Kevin isn't physically abusive and sometimes seems more obsessed with his relationship with Nick than their marriage so, why not just fade out and mail divorce papers later? Why try to generate your own "Snapped" episode within the show with the poisoning plot? Allison is more of her problem than Kevin at this point. Maybe the writers will give more information to change my mind as the show progresses.

One of the things about the sitcoms that this show is lampooning is that back in the day women were often told to give up their dreams to pursue marriage and raising a family.

In the original timeline of the Simpsons, Marge gets pregnant and marries Homer. It made sense for the time and also the creator's (who was a baby boomer) silent generation parents (his mother was a valedictorian and his father was a screw-up). They have always hinted that Marge would have had a very successful life had this not happened. Since they have refused to age up the characters, now Marge would be born in 1979 and it does not make as much sense for someone who graduated high school in 1997.

Allison was married in 2011...hardly a time when women were forced to give up everything to be married. I agree there might be something much darker going on like Kevin is horribly abusive and she copes with it by pretending that he is just a loutish jackass from one of those old sitcoms.

I do feel like we are in for a big surprise or shock by the end of this show and I am here for the ride.

Also, I said before that it seemed unlikely that someone Allison's age would not keep tabs on a bank account online or using an app. It seems also unlikely that she was not aware of the opioid epidemic, particularly as it has devastated many working-class communities. I think that this, along with the car conversation, might be more evidence that Kevin or some other factor has kept her EXTREMELY isolated from what is going on in the real world. 

Patty seems to feel very sorry for Allison, even though at the beginning she seemed not to like her very much. We know despite her tough exterior, Patty has a bit of a soft heart. It is why she probably wanted to help her customers (not understanding addiction) and makes her put up with her idiot brother. This might also point to that Patty knows that Kevin is abusive beyond what we are being told.

 

[Spartan Girl]

On 6/24/2021 at 3:26 PM, red12 said:

I am enjoying the show more as the episodes build but, something that surprises me about my experience is I'm starting to see Allison as the villain of her story more than Kevin. Her choice of Kevin as a partner is a symptom not the disease in my view.

It appears she had some level of success in high school but did not believe in her ability to build on that and leave her surroundings so, she did the thing guaranteed to keep her in the place she allegedly hates, marry Kevin. Short of a teen pregnancy or early addiction, that is the most self-sabotaging decision she could make. On top of that, there was little scrutiny of the decision because on the surface it didn't seem dumb like the other two.

As much as Allison complains and imagines a different life, she also goes back home everyday. What was to stop her from just leaving for work and never coming back at any time? Kevin isn't physically abusive and sometimes seems more obsessed with his relationship with Nick than their marriage so, why not just fade out and mail divorce papers later? Why try to generate your own "Snapped" episode within the show with the poisoning plot? Allison is more of her problem than Kevin at this point. Maybe the writers will give more information to change my mind as the show progresses.

I have to agree with this whole post. Allison would rather portray herself as the victim instead of taking better solutions because they’re just “too hard.” When Patty pointed out that she could just refuse to help cook the chili, Allison made the excuse that Kevin would just whine about it until she caved. Just like when the librarian told her she could just leave, Allison protested that she didn’t have enough money and besides Kevin deserved to die anyway. And that’s the honest truth: she doesn’t want to make her life better, she just wants to keep playing the victim to justify murder.

And it’s pretty telling how she admitted to Patty that she messed around with Sam behind Jenn’s back in high school because deep down she wanted to beat her. She’s still attracted to Sam, but judging from her reaction when she saw Jen at the AA meeting that competitive insecurity is still there.

Maybe Allison and Kevin are both toxic people who deserve each other.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

I liked that the Kevin plot line was one we've seen on so many shows before.  The "boys" have a falling out over something silly.  They each try to work on their own.  They come together in the end but the women have to convince them it's their idea because it won't work if the women suggest it.  I rarely watch sitcoms of that type and I'm sure I've seen a variation of that plot at least a dozen times. 

Things are getting darker.  I do like seeing Allison and Patty bonding more.  Patty's "that's just the way it is, you should appreciate the life you have because this is as good as it gets" demeanor is falling away.  I also liked that Allison helped her realize that she wasn't sticking up for herself either when it came to her date of sitting in front of the TV eating bagged salad.  Oh, but the money the saved by not going out!  

I can hand wave the pharmacist being able to sell the "generic" Oxys for so long.  He could have a supplier outside of the standard process that would be under government scrutiny.  People walking out of a pharmacy with a bottle of pills doesn't raise suspicion.

I can understand having a hard time believing Allison never checked the bank accounts, but I take this back to Kevin convincing her she was bad with money.  Personally, even if I didn't control it, I would want to watch the money grow with every deposit.  

[theredhead77]

I would not be shocked to learn that Allison got together with Kevin once she realized Sam was not going to leave Jenn. When Sam asked Allison if she had ever been to a meeting, I started wondering if she had (or has) a substance abuse problem we haven't learned about yet. Drinking wine alone in the bathtub during their aniversarager was a non-issue and completely relatable under the circumstances, but now, is it a sign of something else?

Because of how strictly the Feds watch Oxy distribution I figured those generic Oxys were not oxy at all, but something else to mimic the effects.

Someone I grew up with has no idea about the state of their family finances. She's been with the same asshole since high school (we're now in our mid-40s)and her husband handles everything. Not even multiple bankruptcies or having to move in with family to avoid being homeless has pulled off her blinders. If Allison and Kevin got together in high school it's not hard for me to believe she isn't paying attention to the finances, especially if she's been gaslit by him the entire time they have been together.

[tomsmom]

I’m confused. How is everyone related? Are Kevin, Neil and Patti siblings? It seems like K & N are just friends but then why does Patti live with him? Have they said and I just missed it?

[Harvey]

4 minutes ago, tomsmom said:

I’m confused. How is everyone related? Are Kevin, Neil and Patti siblings? It seems like K & N are just friends but then why does Patti live with him? Have they said and I just missed it?

Patti is Neil's sister.

Neil and Kevin are just friends.

[SoMuchTV]

This seems to be turning into Breaking Bad, with clips of the original idea for Better Call Saul interspersed.  Not that I'm complaining.

Spoiler tagging in an abundance of caution in case you don't want to see future episode titles:

Spoiler

In fact, I had to go to IMDB to check because the next episode title, "Live Free or Die", made me think of a BB episode.  Nope, it was "The Granite State".  Same state, though.

 

Edited June 28, 2021 by SoMuchTV

[tomsmom]

17 minutes ago, Harvey said:

Patti is Neil's sister.

Neil and Kevin are just friends.

Thank you!!

[qtpye]

7 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I have to agree with this whole post. Allison would rather portray herself as the victim instead of taking better solutions because they’re just “too hard.” When Patty pointed out that she could just refuse to help cook the chili, Allison made the excuse that Kevin would just whine about it until she caved. Just like when the librarian told her she could just leave, Allison protested that she didn’t have enough money and besides Kevin deserved to die anyway. And that’s the honest truth: she doesn’t want to make her life better, she just wants to keep playing the victim to justify murder.

And it’s pretty telling how she admitted to Patty that she messed around with Sam behind Jenn’s back in high school because deep down she wanted to beat her. She’s still attracted to Sam, but judging from her reaction when she saw Jen at the AA meeting that competitive insecurity is still there.

Maybe Allison and Kevin are both toxic people who deserve each other.

I am getting so intrigued by where this is going that I am thinking of theories in my head. We already have talked about Kevin being more horribly abusive than we are lead to believe.

I am not spoiler tagging this because it is pure speculation...just me spitting into the wind:

1. Kevin was actually a great husband but tragically died young in an unexpected accident. Allison uses alcohol/ pills and imagines Kevin as an oaf to deal with her grief. This would be too much like an already aired show that will go unnamed.
2. Kevin was an okay husband but left Allison for someone else. Kevin might have been fluid in his sexuality and left Allison for Neal. I notice Neal comes off as bad or worse than Kevin in the flashbacks. Kevin is awful but Neal is a blind follower who idolizes him even with the little spat they had this episode.
3. Kevin is not the greatest husband in the world but Allison exaggerates his terribleness so she can avoid responsibility for her own problems in life.

Allison is also portrayed as sympathetic but dense and not always moral (beyond wanting to kill her husband). Not only did she not check on a bank account for 10 years, be clueless about the opioid epidemic that has ravished many areas, but she made out with another girl's boyfriend because "she did not know her and wanted to beat her". Though this last one happened when she was petty young.

There have also been some throwaway lines about how the rest of the swim team hated her because she was too competitive.

I welcome everyone else's thoughts and theories.

Edited June 28, 2021 by qtpye

[SoMuchTV]

On 6/26/2021 at 5:15 PM, peace355 said:

 

If the sitcom parts are a more idealised verson of events, I can imagine in reality Kevin is abusive to her, probably emotionally and controlling more than physically. We've already got hints of this from Alison's conversation with other people, that he's been breaking down her confidence, isolating her and controlling aspects of her life. Such as convincing her she is bad at money so he handles the finances, telling her she is a bad driver so he drives their car the most, which also limits her ability the travel. Only his friend group being around. Her comment to librarian that if she left "he'd find her" all points to abusive relationship to me.

 

10 minutes ago, qtpye said:

I am getting so intrigued by where this is going that I am thinking of theories in my head. We already have talked about Kevin being more horribly abusive than we are lead to believe.

I am not spoiler tagging this because it is pure speculation...just me spitting into the wind:

1. Kevin was actually a great husband but tragically died young in an unexpected accident. Allison uses alcohol/ pills and imagines Kevin as an oaf to deal with her grief. This would be too much like an already aired show that will go unnamed.
2. Kevin was an okay husband but left Allison for someone else. Kevin might have been fluid in his sexuality and left Allison for Neal. I notice Neal comes off as bad or worse than Kevin in the flashbacks. Kevin is awful but Neal is a blind follower who idolizes him even with the little spat they had this episode.
3. Kevin is not the greatest husband in the world but Allison exaggerates his terribleness so she can avoid responsibility for her own problems in life.

Now I can't not think of this kind of possibility as I watch.  In my mind (so far) the non-sitcom parts are canon (as in, Kevin's still around), so that would rule out suggestions 1 & 2, but at this point, who knows.

[qtpye]

4 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

 

Now I can't not think of this kind of possibility as I watch.  In my mind (so far) the non-sitcom parts are canon (as in, Kevin's still around), so that would rule out suggestions 1 & 2, but at this point, who knows.

Another possibility is that Kevin does not exist and is an alternate personality in Allison's head but that seems way too cheesy and soap opera-like for the tone of this show.  Kevin might just the representation of how Allison self sabotages her own happiness.

[Quilt Fairy]

I understand that Neil is Patti's brother but what is Kurt (salad guy) to her?  Husband or just boyfriend? 

 

[qtpye]

3 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I understand that Neil is Patti's brother but what is Kurt (salad guy) to her?  Husband or just boyfriend? 

 

I think boyfriend, who now might be fiancé since he proposed to her in the drug store parking lot ( I am not sure if she accepted).

[Quilt Fairy]

43 minutes ago, qtpye said:

I think boyfriend, who now might be fiancé since he proposed to her in the drug store parking lot ( I am not sure if she accepted).

Duh!  You're right, I totally forgot that scene, I just remembered how confused I was in the scenes where they were in a dark room watching TV together.

[Whimsy]

22 hours ago, WaltersHair said:

 The show is definitely growing on me. Allison is too fixated on the oxys, though, and it's a major plot hole. The war on opioids started years ago and the feds track every pill, every doctor who prescribes them, and every pharmacist who dispenses them. I'm not sure a pharmacist could have gotten away with this even 10 years ago. But, I'm willing to go along for the ride for now.

It's been bugging who the actress that plays Patty looks like (as she's presented in the series). She looks a little like a young Rosie O'Donnell crossed with Edie McClurg.

The best and worst thing about the show is need to have Kevin die. Painfully. The problem is that even the show is named after him.  How many seasons can Allison plot his death?

The war on opioids is pretty big news here and is everywhere. The streets of Boston is strewn with opioid addicts (I know all adopts aren’t homeless and all homeless addicts, but it is a big problem here). Worcester isn’t a lot better. 

4 hours ago, qtpye said:

I am getting so intrigued by where this is going that I am thinking of theories in my head. We already have talked about Kevin being more horribly abusive than we are lead to believe.

I am not spoiler tagging this because it is pure speculation...just me spitting into the wind:

1. Kevin was actually a great husband but tragically died young in an unexpected accident. Allison uses alcohol/ pills and imagines Kevin as an oaf to deal with her grief. This would be too much like an already aired show that will go unnamed.
2. Kevin was an okay husband but left Allison for someone else. Kevin might have been fluid in his sexuality and left Allison for Neal. I notice Neal comes off as bad or worse than Kevin in the flashbacks. Kevin is awful but Neal is a blind follower who idolizes him even with the little spat they had this episode.
3. Kevin is not the greatest husband in the world but Allison exaggerates his terribleness so she can avoid responsibility for her own problems in life.

Allison is also portrayed as sympathetic but dense and not always moral (beyond wanting to kill her husband). Not only did she not check on a bank account for 10 years, be clueless about the opioid epidemic that has ravished many areas, but she made out with another girl's boyfriend because "she did not know her and wanted to beat her". Though this last one happened when she was petty young.

There have also been some throwaway lines about how the rest of the swim team hated her because she was too competitive.

I welcome everyone else's thoughts and theories.

I think it’s:

4. The sitcom segments are glossing over how controlling and abusive (I agree with the poster above that it’s most likely mental/verbal and not physical) Kevin is. Kevin “teases” Allison in the sitcom segments about how she’s not funny, etc. even in this episode, he was very clingy and a bit obsessive in not letting Allison leave him alone to do the chili. I just think he’s very manipulative and an asshole, quite honestly. Not saying that makes Allison right in her wanting to kill Kevin. That’s too extreme, but her desperation in wanting out of her life doesn’t surprise me. 
 

I wonder if there was a legal reason that the Kevin Hart sign said “Worcester Centrum”?  It’s been the DCU center since 2004. Not that we don’t still say centrum, lol, but a sign advertising on the building would say DCU. 
 

Also, that woman saying she didn’t have health insurance surprised me. We basically have to have it here. We had Obama Care before it was Obama care. When I worked in HR, our employees HAD to sign up for insurance, if they were full time. So, I kinda thought everyone had to have insurance in Mass.  

[Chaos Theory]

If it was that hard to get opioids their wouldn’t be an opioid crisis in this country.   It’s all a matter of having a source and there always is one.  A doctor who knows how to play the system.  A drug addict who goes to one of those over prescribing doctors and then sells their pills for other drugs.    Honest people think it’s harder to be dishonest then it actually is.    

I can definitely see Patty having the best of intentions getting into the drug trade wanting to help one of her hair dressing clients who actually has pain but then it snowballs into to her providing opioids to outright addicts who just want drugs until Allison shows up and giving her a half assed excuse on why she wants the drugs and then without meaning to Allison dries up Patty’s supply chain.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[qtpye]

9 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

I would not be shocked to learn that Allison got together with Kevin once she realized Sam was not going to leave Jenn. When Sam asked Allison if she had ever been to a meeting, I started wondering if she had (or has) a substance abuse problem we haven't learned about yet. Drinking wine alone in the bathtub during their aniversarager was a non-issue and completely relatable under the circumstances, but now, is it a sign of something else?

Because of how strictly the Feds watch Oxy distribution I figured those generic Oxys were not oxy at all, but something else to mimic the effects.

Someone I grew up with has no idea about the state of their family finances. She's been with the same asshole since high school (we're now in our mid-40s)and her husband handles everything. Not even multiple bankruptcies or having to move in with family to avoid being homeless has pulled off her blinders. If Allison and Kevin got together in high school it's not hard for me to believe she isn't paying attention to the finances, especially if she's been gaslit by him the entire time they have been together.

Judy Garland famously once said something about how she hates handling money because it is not "feminine".

Of course, that meant husband after husband stole from her and she had no clue. She was broke when she dies despite earning millions during her Hollywood career.

I would expect someone of Allison's age to know better ( I am around Allison's age and I grew up with horror stories about women finding out their husbands had wasted all their savings or took all the money and ran off with someone else) but who knows?

[thuganomics85]

Kevin Chapman (as the male detective)!  Always great to see him.  Loved him as Fusco on Person of Interest and I hope we see more of him going forward.

Interesting that we continue to see Allison do unsavory things like pursue a married man, push someone back into the drug game when they wanted out, and, well, plot actual murder.  Surprised that they continue to go so dark with this character.  That said, I agree with the theories/speculation that we might eventually get a "un-sitcom" version of Kevin somewhere down the line, and we are going to end up seeing that he isn't just the obnoxious manchild he comes off on the show, but a true terror of some kind.

Liked seeing more of Patty this go around and the strange bond she and Allison seem to be forming.

I know the sitcom stuff is still (purposely) unfunny, but man, I feel like they've nailed that style down.  The whole "rival chilli" thing really feels like a variation I've seen of this kind of contest in various sitcoms (and with mixed results, to put it mildly.)

I do wonder if this Marcus guy will figure out Allison was the one who called the cops on him.  Pretty sure she used her actual cellphone, so it can be tracked for whatever reason, if the cops want to look more into it.

Still enjoying this: especially Annie Murphy and Mary Hollis Inboden.

[arc]

On 6/23/2021 at 1:44 PM, StevenGuy said:

Yes, especially with the “KTL” convo with Sam? Katie, Tami (?) , Laura convo ? I can’t recall. Where did they go? Married with kids ? All the better?! They would probably be around?! 

I assumed those were the kind of shallow friendships that fade out after high school even if it is a small suburb where you can snitch on a body shop guy and end up accidentally taking out your drug dealer's supplier. BTW, it was "JKL" -- Katie, Kelly, Lauren, Lindsay, Julie, Jess.

Kevin is The Worst. Weirdly, considering Kevin himself brought up insurance fraud last episode, it's weird that Allison just wants to kill him, not kill him and collect life insurance money. Is that part just assumed? 

Between Kevin, Kurt, and Uncle Frank, plus Neil and Kevin's dad, all the men in this show top out as "someone that someone settled for". Kurt is nine kinds of blah and takes Patti for granted. 

[qtpye]

50 minutes ago, arc said:

I assumed those were the kind of shallow friendships that fade out after high school even if it is a small suburb where you can snitch on a body shop guy and end up accidentally taking out your drug dealer's supplier. BTW, it was "JKL" -- Katie, Kelly, Lauren, Lindsay, Julie, Jess.

Kevin is The Worst. Weirdly, considering Kevin himself brought up insurance fraud last episode, it's weird that Allison just wants to kill him, not kill him and collect life insurance money. Is that part just assumed? 

Between Kevin, Kurt, and Uncle Frank, plus Neil and Kevin's dad, all the men in this show top out as "someone that someone settled for". Kurt is nine kinds of blah and takes Patti for granted. 

Or even worse....the type of men that nobody should settle for...particularly Kevin.

[Lady Calypso]

I think that this episode was great in giving us more glimpses into not just Allison as a person, but Patty as well. It's good to see that Patty is feeling somewhat similarly to Allison, and I do think that, with the two women sharing common feelings, it'll show us how each woman reacts and deals to it. Obviously, Patty isn't dealing that well, with her selling drugs for the last four years. But, unlike Allison, as far as we know, she isn't plotting murder. 

They are giving Allison darker/less morally sound layers than I thought. Her confession that her and Sam fooled around back when he was with Jenn, and them potentially doing it again now, along with her plotting her husband's murder and other things, is certainly not indicative of someone who is a good person, but I also think that Kevin could very well STILL be worse than her. She's not a great person, but I have to think that the sitcom moments are really masking the horrors that is Kevin. It's just a waiting game to see when that happens, when we finally peel back the curtain and take away the sitcom aspect. 

On top of that, Marcus should figure out that Allison called the cops on him, right? I think she's going to get caught at some point for buying drugs or something along those lines.

I do like how Allison and Patty are bonding now. Both actresses are doing a phenomenal job with the material. I'm curious to see how things go in the next few episodes.

[Cheyanne11]

On 6/27/2021 at 7:16 PM, WaltersHair said:

It's been bugging who the actress that plays Patty looks like (as she's presented in the series). She looks a little like a young Rosie O'Donnell crossed with Edie McClurg.

I see (and hear) ALL Rosie O'Donnell--to the point it's a bit distracting.  Still, it's not taking away from my interest in this show.  The outside world scenes are getting darker and I'm not 100% sure we're supposed to be cheering Allison on, but, for me, it's clear she's in an abusive relationship with Kevin.  Maybe not physically, but definitely emotionally, and she's reached her limit.

[seacliffsal]

I am still on the fence with this show.  Maybe it's the multiple tone changes that disrupts the stories for me.  I do see a lot of Alexis in Allison but am hoping it will become less noticeable as the show progresses.  I'm still in for now, but is it wrong that I like Patty more than Allison?  It would be really interesting IMO if Kevin's real self was actually nice and kind but Allison actually creates the boorish persona in her mind.  We shall see.

[Chyromaniac]

I’ve been spending too much time today trying to figure out what the sitcom would actually be called- I’ve settled on “For Better or Worcester.”  It’d be a funnier joke if the town was pronounced anything close to how it’s spelled, but whatevs.

[Zonk]

On 6/28/2021 at 6:03 PM, theredhead77 said:

Because of how strictly the Feds watch Oxy distribution I figured those generic Oxys were not oxy at all, but something else to mimic the effects.

Like what? Foxy?

They were clearly opiods. Nothing else does the same thing. If there was, it would probably be illegal, too (which is dumb since prohibition has never worked and will never work, but that's another story).

[meep.meep]

6 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I do like how Allison and Patty are bonding now. Both actresses are doing a phenomenal job with the material. I'm curious to see how things go in the next few episodes.

I like the bonding and liked the third episode much more than the first two.  However, it seems odd that Allison and Patty are just bonding now.  Patty is constantly in Allison's home and she and Neil live literally next door.  Why does it seem that they are just meeting now?

[theredhead77]

1 hour ago, Zonk said:

Like what? Foxy?

They were clearly opiods. Nothing else does the same thing. If there was, it would probably be illegal, too (which is dumb since prohibition has never worked and will never work, but that's another story).

I don't know. My drug making knowledge ends with Breaking Bad. It's possible drug dealers have figured out a way to manufacture something and for all we know, this "generic oxy" is something else. 

[Harvey]

23 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

I like the bonding and liked the third episode much more than the first two.  However, it seems odd that Allison and Patty are just bonding now.  Patty is constantly in Allison's home and she and Neil live literally next door.  Why does it seem that they are just meeting now?

Patty didn't like Allison so they didn't really talk to each other. The turning point was when Patty took pity on Allison and told her the truth about the life savings. After that Allison started to try to interact with her a lot more.

[arc]

Yeah, she was/is Neil's sister and basically much more Kevin's friend than Allison's friend.

[WaltersHair]

I keep getting Kevin-had-an-affair-with-Patty vibes. I could be wrong, but neighbors do such things. I mean, why did Patty look horrified when the boyfriend asked her to marry him?

[Zonk]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

I don't know. My drug making knowledge ends with Breaking Bad. It's possible drug dealers have figured out a way to manufacture something and for all we know, this "generic oxy" is something else. 

Drug Dealers aren't magicians. It is possible that "generic oxy" is something else but it's clearly an Opiod. Could be Heroin, could be Fentanyl, could be any Opiod, really. But most likely it actually is "generic oxy" as in produced in some illegal drug lab. Probably with a bunch of impurities that are detremental to your health, which is another reason why prohibition is bullshit.

Related and since you mentioned Breaking Bad: While Walter White is clearly a bad person, he probably saved a lot of peoples lives with his medical grade methamphetamin. All those horror pictures you see, of people visibly degrading, losing all their teeth, etc. that's from the impurities that get introduced with bad manufacturing. Medical grade methamphetamin is generally no more dangerous than other amphetamins (although more potent) and is still sold as medication.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Zonk

[gesundheit]

On 6/27/2021 at 11:03 PM, Chaos Theory said:

Well technically that’s not what the show is about.  The title is Kevin Can Fuck Himself. Not Kevin Must Die.   The plot can change in a number of ways.    I always thought that Allison wanting to kill Kevin was a symptom of a problem not the problem itself which Is that Kevin is an overgrown asshole and I can see the season ending with at least a glimpse of what he really looks like in the dark and gloomy world that Allison lives in.   The push and Pull between realities makes for an interesting battle of wills.

Yes, I have to say it hadn't even occurred to me to think of the show's premise as "Allison plans to kill/does kill Kevin" -- that's just a plot point/idea right now. Just kind of a Trojan Horse for her personal journey, whatever it may hold. 

Edited June 30, 2021 by gesundheit

[qtpye]

6 hours ago, Chyromaniac said:

I’ve been spending too much time today trying to figure out what the sitcom would actually be called- I’ve settled on “For Better or Worcester.”  It’d be a funnier joke if the town was pronounced anything close to how it’s spelled, but whatevs.

I love you...that is gold.

2 hours ago, WaltersHair said:

I keep getting Kevin-had-an-affair-with-Patty vibes. I could be wrong, but neighbors do such things. I mean, why did Patty look horrified when the boyfriend asked her to marry him?

This certainly could have happened...maybe Kevin used to be much more charming and better looking when he first got married? Otherwise, I have no idea why Allison or  Patty would want to do anything with the bozo we see now.

[nilyank]

In the sitcom world, Kevin accidentally caused the chili to spill on her.

In the real world, I think Kevin threw that chili on her on purpose because she had plans and looked really nice.

I have feeling that Allison and the mechanic are going to continue to escalate in their war with each other.

[arc]

7 hours ago, WaltersHair said:

I mean, why did Patty look horrified when the boyfriend asked her to marry him?

Because settling for an extremely boring guy who also doesn’t really care about her seems like a horrifying prospect? The date was a bagged salad dinner, a premium cable show, a little light conversation about how much money he was saving with that dinner, and then hopefully sex. And this is before he gets married and really lets himself go!

I think knowing how she’s at a big risk that Terrence flips on her and the rest of his downstream network might also have been occupying her thoughts in that moment.

[MBayGal]

"This seems to be turning into Breaking Bad, with clips of the original idea for Better Call Saul interspersed.". As a major fan of BrBa, and a regular watcher of Saul, this show in no way reminds me of either.

[chediavolo]

On 6/26/2021 at 5:15 PM, peace355 said:

 

If the sitcom parts are a more idealised verson of events, I can imagine in reality Kevin is abusive to her, probably emotionally and controlling more than physically. We've already got hints of this from Alison's conversation with other people, that he's been breaking down her confidence, isolating her and controlling aspects of her life. Such as convincing her she is bad at money so he handles the finances, telling her she is a bad driver so he drives their car the most, which also limits her ability the travel. Only his friend group being around. Her comment to librarian that if she left "he'd find her" all points to abusive relationship to me.

He is definitely emotionally abusive. Abusive period. There are places that can help with that. At least in my county. She needs to leave the asshole, not kill him.  

[chediavolo]

4 hours ago, arc said:

Because settling for an extremely boring guy who also doesn’t really care about her seems like a horrifying prospect? The date was a bagged salad dinner, a premium cable show, a little light conversation about how much money he was saving with that dinner, and then hopefully sex. And this is before he gets married and really lets himself go!

I think knowing how she’s at a big risk that Terrence flips on her and the rest of his downstream network might also have been occupying her thoughts in that moment.

Patty’s boyfriend is Also an asshole. Didn’t he say to her something snarky about all the carbs & animals she eats? I forget the context now.  Patty & Allison  have more in common then they realize