S01.E04: In Us We Trust

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

When Sarah discovers that everyone in Greylock is being charged foreign transaction fees, she enlists her friends to help her create her own currency; Grover shares with Danny what really happened to Corinne after he left.

 

[possibilities]

I was surprised they actually sent the kid away to boarding school. I wonder if they'll have her agitate from the outside.

I am sick of seeing stories about closeted people, but if they're going to have a story like that, at least they aren't writing the out lesbian to be a predator. Why yes, I am damning with faint praise here. The tropes are barely evaded here. Also, how stilted is this dialogue: "That thing you did with your tongue! That thing you did with your fingers!"

There is actually a Greylock Credit Union in western MA, named after Mount Greylock.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Greylock
https://www.greylock.org/

I kind of like that they are making the local history teacher kind of a hero, and her students likewise. It's a low key nerd heaven, in that regard.

 

 

Edited July 6, 2021 by possibilities

[Lady Calypso]

Ok, as ok as the AJ/Alexis scenes are, and I do think the two have some chemistry (and it's nice to see Nicola Correia-Damude in this role after seeing her in Shadowhunters and Nurses, as of recently), I'm not thrilled that it's through an affair. Yes, Alexis' husband sucks so hard, but that shouldn't excuse cheating. Just leave your goddamn husband! Bella will 100% understand if you do!

I am also surprised that Bella actually got sent to boarding school, especially in Connecticut. Looking at Google Maps, that's at least a five hour drive away so not an easy commute if Bella wanted to visit her boyfriend.

Sorry, show. I know you're treating REAL hard to get me to sympathize with Ellen through Sarah's speech at the end, and obviously the woman needs help and rehab but...again, she was drinking up until the pilot episode. She was abusive to the point where her own son took off. I do think the show is doing a good job at toeing the line between making Ellen potentially redeemable and not excusing her actions, which is more than I can say for other shows that deal with abuse, but....they gotta be real careful here, because they could easily go in a direction that doesn't work.

They're continuing to sprinkle a little bit of Corrine/Danny in here, and we're starting to get a little more of their backstory. With how ominous Danny sounded when Corrine asked why he left her, it's made clear that something actually happened the night he left that caused him to even drop contact with her. I can't imagine a reasonable excuse that would make Danny look sympathetic for not contacting his own fiancée, but I'll wait and see.

I didn't hate the money plot. It kind of worked.

[Diapason Untuned]

I can understand why Danny cut contact with Sarah a little better now. They just started talking again and she's bringing up their mom at every opportunity. 

It's funny that their country isn't a year old and they've already started lying to the populace, for their own good of course. 

Liked seeing Danny and Grover hang out, at least someone here likes him a little. 

[thuganomics85]

Actually surprised that Bella is being shipped off after-all.  I obviously doubt that this is it for her since the actress is a regular, but I'm curious to see what this means.  Will this be an opportunity to see a more outside perspective of how people view Greylock?  Or will she simply be regulated to a few Facetime/Zoom scenes, and quickly come back when the opportunity arises?

Finally have some focus on AJ and her affair with Alexis/the former mayor's wife.  They certainly have chemistry and Nicola Correia-Damude is certainly gorgeous and makes the character likable enough to see why AJ has fallen for her, but the whole cheating aspect seems pointless.  With Belle being shipped off and the marriage clearly on the rocks, I don't see why Alexis doesn't just ask for a divorce.  Feels like the whole thing is set up to just be overblown drama later on.

Glad Ellen is entering into a form of rehab, but she really has done so much horrible stuff that it is hard to sympathize with Sarah's "But she's my mom!" speech, even if her feelings are understandable and probably somewhat realistic.

Considering how cagey he was, I suspect Danny will end up having a particular reason for why he completely cut off Corrine when he left, but he was definitely being dumb by not even thinking that his leaving would still effect her to this day.  It sounds like they were more than just boyfriend/girlfriend back then, and even if she "moved on", I have to imagine some of those cuts would run deep.

Nice seeing Grover get to have more lighter moments with everyone else.

The money plot was kind of fun. 

[possibilities]

The bee plot was good.

 

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, Diapason Untuned said:

I can understand why Danny cut contact with Sarah a little better now. They just started talking again and she's bringing up their mom at every opportunity. 

Yeah, she's really obnoxious in that regard. And for her to be weeping to him about how mommy was nice to her, when she was obviously extra cruel to him... it's gross. I don't know why he listened to that. When he stood up, I thought he was going to walk away, and I was disappointed that he didn't. It's like: "But the person who tormented you was always nice to me!" It does show, though, that you can't be an enabler without also being an apologist, and when you do that, you can't complain when people rightly tag you as complicit and cut you out of their circle. 

So, your mother is a monster. It psucks. But if your brother has to reckon with that same fact, and has managed to do so, then you can and should, too, without going to him for the self-pitying excuses. 

[marinw]

I am enjoying the premise of this show, but I have so many questions! Can the Greylockians maintain their US Citizenship? How will imigration work? What if someone needs major medical attention? Contrary to popular belief, health care in Canada usually isn't free if you aren't a Canadian Citizen.

Also, the Evil Mining Corperation could have moved the house. Moving houses is difficult, but Grover's house didn't look that big.

Edited July 7, 2021 by marinw

[SonofaBiscuit]

On 7/7/2021 at 11:30 AM, marinw said:

Also, the Evil Mining Corperation could have moved the house. Moving houses is difficult, but Grover's house didn't look that big.

They kept going on about Grover's house that he "built with his own two hands" or whatever and I wondered why the rich mining company couldn't just move it??  Probably better than burning it down, you would think.

One of my biggest problems with this show is that I don't like Sarah.  At all.  I don't see why most of the town is just falling in line behind her.  Wake up, don't you see that she just screwed you over?!  If you relied on government assistance for food, heating, school, whatever, that's now gone since you are no longer part of the United States.  Hope you didn't need your state health insurance, because realistically, shouldn't that be gone?  I mean, how does Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Hampshire cover Danny Jr's insulin in the country of Greylock?  Also, nobody should be paying into social security and medicare any longer since they aren't part of the US, so I guess for the younger folks, goodbye federal entitlements.  What I'm saying is, Greylockians should have some serious issues going forward!

Edited July 13, 2021 by SonofaBiscuit

[possibilities]

They are glossing over lots and lots of things, the premise of the show is completely unrealistic, but I think they are trying to highlight aspects of society that people don't really think about, to show all the things we take for granted. It is a real stretch, for sure. But I kind of admire their desire to try it, even if it seems to be waaaaaaay too ambitious for the execution.

 

I find myself snorting in frustration and rolling my eyes a lot. But then they drop a gem or two into the narrative and I think: aw, look at that! How many shows even try?

[AAEBoiler]

I think got whiplash from all the weather changes. We seemed to go from clear grass to the depths of winter when Sarah & Danny were talking by the lake back to completely bare roads & sidewalks when Sarah got back into town. Damn, this global warming isn't messing around!!!