S02.E05: They Made Me a Killer

[txhorns79]

Quote

Alma learns how cruel a wounded Rita her advantage. Bertram feels tempted to resume his "hobby," leading him to seek counsel with a trusted figure from his past.

Streaming Date (US): June 24, 2021

[shapeshifter]

Quote

Alma learns how cruel a wounded Rita can be, but quickly realizes she can use the situation to her advantage. Bertram feels tempted to resume his "hobby," leading him to seek counsel with a trusted figure from his past

Wow. This show embodies the definition of "guilty pleasure," doesn't it? 

I thought this would be a departure from Lana Parrilla's evil queen persona, but they're just really going there.
Since we know Rita doesn't do her own gardening, I wonder if we will ever know who she hired to destroy Alma's pride and joy garden, and, more importantly, if they noticed a hand sticking up among the daisies?

And Alma has also been totally given over to the dark side. 
Just in case anyone doesn't know, the bible verse she quoted:

Quote

Rom 12:20
Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

...is supposed to encourage the injured person to care for the offending person so that person might feel guilty and then want to apologize and mend their ways, and also so the injured person won't be burdened with negative feelings like anger, hurt, revenge, etc. and will be able to forgive the one who hurt them. 

But clearly Alma knows the words and not the meaning.  
ETA: Although Alma may think on some level getting Bert to kill Rita’s husband for her (for Rita—but also for Alma) is some kind of mitzvah, that’s a twisted version of the meaning of the Bible verse in the voice over.

OTOH, the alcoholic priest who just fell off the wagon does seem to understand the better meanings of such writings. 
He cut right to the heart of the matter when he pointed out that Bert is motivated to relieve his own compulsion more than alleviate the suffering of the terminally ill. 

I had missed that, perhaps because for the first 3 years after my elderly father died, my elderly mother begged us to kill her. Eventually she couldn't speak any more due to Parkinson's, and not being able to say it seemed to bring her some peace . 
Anyway, my point is that writing is spot on.
And Daniel Zacapa as Carlo Castillo delivers a perfect performance, reinforcing that those who are suffering in their bodies do not necessarily want to be "put out of their misery."

Edited June 26, 2021 by shapeshifter

[txhorns79]

39 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I thought this would be a departure from Lana Parrilla's evil queen persona, but they're just really going there.

It was interesting to see she's about two steps ahead of Alma in terms of her scheming.  I think the Alma/Rita scenes are the best on the show.  I don't really care about Dee, and feel like her relationship with the detective is less about true love and more about a guy who is disfigured, very lonely and going for the first woman to show him affection after having his fiancee abandon him.     

[CRT]

This episode's title comes from a 1946 film noir starring Robert Lowery, Barbara Britton, and Lola Lane.  Other similarly dramatic titles from the same era include They Made Me a Criminal and They Made Me a Fugitive.

So Bertram learned how to kill people because his mother taught him how to kill her, with the music playing and everything.  That's twisted!  I enjoyed seeing Devious Maids' Rebecca Wisocky as Bertram's mom.

How long can Scooter keep up his lies around Catherine?  He's bound to say something stupid that will out him.

I sensed that Dee was going to get some medical surprise, and my first fear was that she was dying and would eventually tell her dad, so  I was happily surprised when she learned she was pregnant.

With this episode, the season is half over, and ending the first half of the season on Alma deciding to have Bertram murder Rita is a great way to move into the season's second half.

[Kiddvideo]

That priest isn’t doing anyone any favors. It’s the 2nd time he’s offered Bertram blanket absolution.

For some reason I wonder if Rita destroyed Alma’s garden or if it were someone else. If Rita were so confident that no one would believe Alma, why would she feel the need to cut up the flowers? That’s a bit risky if she were to be seen. Thinking of people with motives, there’s the other woman in the club who’s having an affair. Plus we haven’t had any payback from Mrs. Yost’s family. Then there’s the Niece whose aunt Bertram was planning on killing. 

So Dee’s pregnancy interferes with Scooter’s seduction of Catherine, and makes Rita hate them even more. I feel badly for the PI. I don’t want him to lose another love.

 

 

[txhorns79]

52 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

For some reason I wonder if Rita destroyed Alma’s garden or if it were someone else.

The letter she got said "Threaten me again, and this will be your family."  I don't know that we've seen Alma threaten anyone aside from Rita.

[CarpeFelis]

Loved these lines:

“What’s hard? You get up, you go to work, you don’t kill, you come home.”

”How much of that whiskey do you intend on drinking?” “How much will keep me from remembering this conversation tomorrow?”

“Someone’s in a good mood.” “Yes. So please don’t ruin it by speaking. Or breathing.”

“That’s when this timid, awkward mouse of a woman remembered… she was married to a serial killer.”

I can’t wait to see how Alma is going to make use of Bertram being a serial killer. Especially now that the priest has convinced him he should always take her advice!

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, CRT said:

...Alma deciding to have Bertram murder Rita...

Does Alma know Rita wants her husband killed? I was thinking Alma and Rita might strike up a deal to have that happen via Bertram, which would give Rita more to hold over Alma's head, but which Alma might not consider.

 

2 hours ago, CRT said:

I sensed that Dee was going to get some medical surprise, and my first fear was that she was dying and would eventually tell her dad, so  I was happily surprised when she learned she was pregnant.

But it's Scooter's. Scooter would make pretty enough babies, but, no.

 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Alma is dressing slightly more colorfully around the house now.

Lol, Scooter talking off his shirt off at the water fountain. Catherine could barely keep her composure and Carlo was about to turn that ball into a diamond he was squeezing it so hard. And me looking at that fuzz on Scooter's chest and trying not to heave.

Alma was like, "Vengeance is mine, baby! Yay the Bible!" Then Rita was like, "Um, no. I'm a disciple of Satan."

I love this show. So much messy.

[AllyB]

I miss the multiple timelines. I binge watched the first series and was never bored but I find every episode of this really drags in some places with a lot of very similar scenes and/or some scenes just feeling way too long. I end up feeling bored and keep checking how long is left or browsing on my phone. I absolutely couldn't binge watch this. I kind of like it enough to keep watching but it's a lot of filler.

[tennisgurl]

Alma is certainly looking more and more colorful with her dresses. Her expression when she realized that, oh yeah, her husband being a serial killer could certainly help in her getting revenge against her rival, was priceless. 

Lana Parrilla was certainly channeling her inner Evil Queen in this one, enacting petty and disproportionate vengeance over minor slights, except in this show she's still a villain, even if she has her moments of sympathy. So when she had people tearing the garden up (I cant imagine she would damage her nails and do it herself) did no one notice? Did whoever she hired happen to find a hand or two in the lawn? 

We get some of Bertram's backstory, and yeah I can certainly why that would mess him up. The priest brought up a good point, that this is more about Bertram's urges and unpacked childhood issues then about him wanting to help people who never asked to be "helped." 

Hopefully Dee's baby takes after her in the brains department.  

[shapeshifter]

On 6/26/2021 at 2:57 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Alma was like, "Vengeance is mine, baby! Yay the Bible!" Then Rita was like, "Um, no. I'm a disciple of Satan."

😆🤣😂
This comment, @Joimiaroxeu, is better than any published review I've read of late for any show!

[TV Anonymous]

I guess there was no such thing as wrongful termination in 1949? The diner owner fired Dee just based on anonymous, uncorroborated phone call.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, TV Anonymous said:

I guess there was no such thing as wrongful termination in 1949? The diner owner fired Dee just based on anonymous, uncorroborated phone call.

In the early 1970s, I showed up for work at Mr. Donut and was told I wasn't working there anymore because of "complaints." It turned out a friend's roommate had been making complaint calls at the same time she was applying for a job there. She got my job.
But even today, I'm sure many instances of wrongful termination are never dealt with because the employee doesn't have time or resources to confront the employer, especially with minimum or lower-than-minimum wage jobs. As a waitress who is presumed to get tips, Dee would have worked for less than minimum wage, which was about 40 cents an hour (dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/history/chart).

Edited July 16, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Irlandesa]

On 7/15/2021 at 7:14 PM, TV Anonymous said:

I guess there was no such thing as wrongful termination in 1949? The diner owner fired Dee just based on anonymous, uncorroborated phone call.

 

On 7/15/2021 at 7:38 PM, shapeshifter said:

But even today, I'm sure many instances of wrongful termination are never dealt with because the employee doesn't have time or resources to confront the employer, especially with minimum or lower-than-minimum wage jobs.

While it's true a lot of protections didn't exist when this was taking place, what happened to Dee wouldn't even be considered wrongful termination in today's day and age--or at least not in the legal sense.

Dee wasn't fired because she's a woman, or because of her race, or because she's pregnant, or because she's over 40 or because of her religion.  Those would be protected under the law; although the diner might be too small and even be exempt from many of those protections.

She was fired because her jerk of a boss believed an anonymous customer over his long term waitress. That might be wrong in the moral and ethical sense but it's not "wrong" in the legal sense where people could bring a case against her employer.  At most, she might have a case against Rita for slander but that would be hard to prove. 

Edited September 13, 2021 by Irlandesa

[TV Anonymous]

On 9/13/2021 at 1:57 AM, Irlandesa said:

She was fired because her jerk of a boss believed an anonymous customer over his long term waitress. That might be wrong in the moral and ethical sense but it's not "wrong" in the legal sense where people could bring a case against her employer.  At most, she might have a case against Rita for slander but that would be hard to prove. 

Got terminated because of an uncorroborated report? It is the definition of wrongful termination where I am.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, TV Anonymous said:

Got terminated because of an uncorroborated report? It is the definition of wrongful termination where I am.

I don't know where you are but unfortunately, with the exception of one or two US states, it might be wrong but there's nothing that can be legally be done.

[shapeshifter]

I'm combing through recaps and these boards trying to pick one or two character moments that could be nominated for The Primetimer Awards  (this show should have more nominations, but it aired a year ago) and I happened to come across this great line quote:

On 6/26/2021 at 2:19 PM, CarpeFelis said:

“What’s hard? You get up, you go to work, you don’t kill, you come home.”

I made a note for next year's awards to nominate "best line" for the new category. 

Edited June 13, 2022 by shapeshifter