S01.E02: She’s Having a Maybe

[Cranberry]

Quote

As Zoya hesitantly explores a new romantic interest, Max aggressively pursues one of his own. Meanwhile, Julien sets out to fix her mistakes.

Original air date: July 15, 2021

[TeeVee329]

I find the family drama with Julien and Zoya and their dads interesting, I really liked that moment at the fundraiser when the daughters and dads all collided and I'm looking forward to the show digging into the history and them all trying to form relationships.  But the love triangle with Obie - while it might have parallels to what happened with the mom/Davis/Nick - isn't working.  Maybe if the breakup had happened some time ago, but I don't buy Zoya dating her sister's very recent ex.  And while I think the show views Obie as its good guy among the teens, him aggressively pursuing his very recent ex's younger sister a day after their breakup is not a good look.

Was surprised they pulled the pin on Audrey and Max so quickly, and especially that they left their hookup completely off-screen.  I'm still curious where all this with them and Aki is going, because the Max/Aki part at the bath with Max gleefully clocking that their kiss had aroused Aki worked.

Staying with Max, I'm pretty sick of teen soaps doing student-sleeps-with-teacher storylines so I'm glad that, for now, the teacher held the line in the face of Max's pursual while conceding that he'll rock Max's world once he graduates.  I actually was hoping, after the scene at the bar where those guys bragged on the teacher's prowess and kinda dismissed Max's, that it would be more about Max wanting to topple the teacher in as far as sexual reputation went, but oh well.

Still not into the teachers being Gossip Girl.  Kate Keller is not sympathetic and Tavi Gevinson's acting can't put it over.

[Primal Slayer]

This episode seemed to try very hard. These "teens" feel more like adults than our OGs did, there is nothing "youthful" to them. 

I thought Chuck 2.0 was 16? How old is this teacher supposed to be? Especially with both of them being ranked on a website that ranks the greatest sexual escapades of the gay/bisexual men in NY, including...again...a TEENAGER. I love a good gay storyline but this one isnt really enticing to me.

Serena was an IT girl for her age but it never felt incredibly over the top for the show compared to Julian having an entire "army" and following that believes anything on a drop of a dime (ok that is realistic lol). But I just cant get behind that they are shippers of 2-16 yr old rich kids. 

Im still unsure how Constance became such a relaxed school where the dress code is so relaxed that someone can show up to school in a wifebeater and skirt lol. 

The blonde teen is the least interesting of them and her generic alcoholic/depressed mother making a scene at a party didn't endear her to me.

Gossip Girl caving into the demands of the "enemy" makes Gossip Girl even less cool. Just shut down the account. Our GG was all inclusive and wasnt just a fan site of Serena. It went after multiple socialite teens.

[TeeVee329]

1 hour ago, Primal Slayer said:

I thought Chuck 2.0 was 16? How old is this teacher supposed to be? Especially with both of them being ranked on a website that ranks the greatest sexual escapades of the gay/bisexual men in NY, including...again...a TEENAGER. I love a good gay storyline but this one isnt really enticing to me.

Max (a.k.a. Chuck 2.0) very specifically said he was legal, i.e. 18, when he first hit on the teacher.  But still, I'm glad the teacher was like, that's great, still not fucking a student.

I'm now actually wondering, since they made a big point of mentioning that the art tour with the teacher Max won will be enjoyed by his gay dads, if one of them might start an affair with the teacher.

[Keywestclubkid]

I’m sorry but it’s just gross that a teacher would be gossip girl. And on no planet would that ever not be. There is no way to make that sympathetic and not weird and wrong . Plus so casually throwing a girl to the wolves for no other reason then to keep an account? 

Edited July 15, 2021 by Keywestclubkid

[Primal Slayer]

2 hours ago, TeeVee329 said:

Max (a.k.a. Chuck 2.0) very specifically said he was legal, i.e. 18, when he first hit on the teacher.  But still, I'm glad the teacher was like, that's great, still not fucking a student.

I'm now actually wondering, since they made a big point of mentioning that the art tour with the teacher Max won will be enjoyed by his gay dads, if one of them might start an affair with the teacher.

I couldnt tell if he meant legal as in 16 years of consent legal or legal. If he's 18 and in his Junior year, he'll be 20 by the time he graduates?

[TeeVee329]

2 hours ago, Keywestclubkid said:

I’m sorry but it’s just gross that a teacher would be gossip girl. And on no planet would that ever not be. There is no way to make that sympathetic and not weird and wrong . Plus so casually throwing a girl to the wolves for no other reason then to keep an account? 

All the while Kate was totally flirting with Nick.  Whatever, lady, your life is not that rough.

56 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

I couldn't tell if he meant legal as in 16 years of consent legal or legal. If he's 18 and in his Junior year, he'll be 20 by the time he graduates?

I dunno, it's hard to tell in a universe where teenagers are being handed martinis left and right lol.

[sugarbaker design]

2 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

I couldnt tell if he meant legal as in 16 years of consent legal or legal. If he's 18 and in his Junior year, he'll be 20 by the time he graduates?

He totally meant legal, as in age of consent, which is 17 in NY.

[zenithwit]

I didn't look that closely at the decoy picture Julien posted but I feel like it wouldn't be that hard to disprove her.  Is she wearing the same jewelry? Was a similar photo previously posted?  Someone like Julien would probably have a sizeable amount of haters that would love to be internet sleuths.

It sucks that Zoya has become the punching bag for both GG and Julien.  Guessing her secret will come back in a big way later in the season 

[txhorns79]

23 hours ago, TeeVee329 said:

 

Staying with Max, I'm pretty sick of teen soaps doing student-sleeps-with-teacher storylines so I'm glad that, for now, the teacher held the line in the face of Max's pursual while conceding that he'll rock Max's world once he graduates. 

I'm not impressed with a teacher whose ethics are: "Once my teenage student graduates from high school, they are fair game for sex."  It may be legal, but I think it's gross and predatory.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

I feel like it took me *HOURS* to get through this.  Not a good sign.

I'm just glad that Kristen Bell barely is involved.  

OBIE SUCKS. 

Why is Laura Benanti playing that part?  She looks nooooooooothing like Audrey.  I'm not a fan.

[Primal Slayer]

15 hours ago, zenithwit said:

I didn't look that closely at the decoy picture Julien posted but I feel like it wouldn't be that hard to disprove her.  Is she wearing the same jewelry? Was a similar photo previously posted?  Someone like Julien would probably have a sizeable amount of haters that would love to be internet sleuths.

It sucks that Zoya has become the punching bag for both GG and Julien.  Guessing her secret will come back in a big way later in the season 

Especially considering she was at a very public party with plenty of people around her that probably get GG blasts. 

But I hate that they already had GG basically lose the battle and have to rely on Julien to get back on the map. The teacher aspect was already ridiculous but now GG is even less cooler than it ever was. 

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

OBIE SUCKS. 

Right! He is the worst. And the actor looks old as hell. I know he's supposedly 21 but I don't believe him lol.

The guy playing the teacher that the one student wants to fuck is not attractive. Sorry to be shallow but his face ain't it. I find all the scenes with him and whathisface really cringey and gross.

I don't really like Auki (who I thought was named Auggie until I saw @TeeVee329's post) but I did like the scenes of him and whatshisface (I realize @TeeVee329 also used his name above but I totally forget it and don't feel like looking lol).

I also like whatshisface and Audrey (is that the blonde). Audrey is actually my fave at this point. Her, 'do you wanna be next?' to Auki was the best part of the ep. I like Luna too, but she gets so little screentime. Also, I'm Team Julien vs. Zoya. I borderline can't stand Zoya.

I'm at a table for 1 but I love that the teachers are Gossip Girl. I think it's hilarious.

[zenithwit]

8 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I'm at a table for 1 but I love that the teachers are Gossip Girl. I think it's hilarious.

Make that a table for 2.  It was pretty funny how Julien outsmarted the 4 or 5 adults running the GG account in like two minutes.  While the teachers didn't grow up with technology the same way as Julien's generation, influencer culture was essentially created by millennials.  It shouldn't be that hard to figure out.

But in all seriousness, I remember one of my high school teachers saying that teachers know way more of the gossip than students realized.  So in that sense, I kinda like how GG is hiding in plain sight.

 

 

[paulvdb]

11 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I'm Team Julien vs. Zoya. I borderline can't stand Zoya.

I'm the opposite. I'm not a fan of the whole social media influencer culture so I was already inclined to not like Julien because of that. And then she only wanted Obie back because she was losing followers who were more invested in their relationship than in Julien on her own.

But then Julien did redeem herself at the end when she admitted that she and Obie didn't work together and that he fit better with Zoya.

11 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I'm at a table for 1 but I love that the teachers are Gossip Girl. I think it's hilarious.

I do agree with you about that. Although the tsachers' lack of social media knowledge would have been more believable if they were older or if this was set a decade or more in the past.

[Artsda]

I find Kate unlikable with bring GG and going after a new, not rich scholarship student with something she confided her in. Digging the dirt and handing it over.

Zoya for wanting to move to be near her sister.  being so quick to jump with her sister ex isn't cool. Serena and Blair weren't related, the fighting for Nate thing wasn't this weird. It also makes teachers trying to ruin them even worse.

 

[TeeVee329]

On 7/16/2021 at 9:47 AM, txhorns79 said:

I'm not impressed with a teacher whose ethics are: "Once my teenage student graduates from high school, they are fair game for sex."  It may be legal, but I think it's gross and predatory.  

Me thinks Constance Billard/St. Jude should revamp their hiring process because, for such an allegedly elite institution, all of their teachers are terrible and problematic.  And all teach the same thing?  Are there no math teachers?

Edited July 17, 2021 by TeeVee329

[phoenics]

Even though I love this show - the Zoya/JC familY dynamic is sucking me in - I just don't like the triangles that are set up already because I don't see how they work long-term and I'm not invested?

The only character I truly like is JC.  Oh and Max.  Low key wish they'd end up together because that's the only spark I see (the other characters feel uber bland to me - esp Aki and Audrey).  Obie going for his ex of 1 day's half-sister is just cruel and mean and ruins Obie for me.  I do like Zoya - but she also went antagonistic so fast that she is suspect herself. So I' fine with Obie/Zoya happening because I've decided JC is too good for Obie - and way too sparkly for him.  I'd like to escape into this new york elite world and seeing JC constantly dissed for being an influencer and living the life is ... not what I want to watch.

Julien definitely let her insecurities drive her with letting her minions take Zoya down, but she's totally redeemed herself by realizing Obie was happy with Zoya and letting that be.  But someone like JC shouldn't be single - but right now there is NO ONE on the cast who could be that guy for her.  NO ONE.  So I guess we're supposed to be looking at Obie/Zoya as Dan or Nate/Serena part deux and Audrey/Max or Aki/Max as the new Chair, but none of those pairings make me want to invest. The Max triangle seems forced and like the writers are desperate to create Chair part 2 but I'm struggling to see it.  I love Max but don't find Audrey or Aki interesting enough on their own to go toe to toe with him.

Also the leads feel jumbled up.  If Zoya/JC are the new Blair/Serena and the leads - then both would need their OTPs but the show set them up as rivals with no obvious other for the loser to go to.  Blair/Serena had a triangle with Nate, but then Dan pops up and that's where the story begins. But here - what we're just gonna have the two leads battling over a guy - with JC losing out? meh.  Even Obie flipping back to JC seems uninteresting to me - he's so judgy and dull, I just would rather he stay with Zoya to free up JC for something more epic.  Can Max have a steamy older brother?

With the Max triangle, I'm not sure who's the center? Are they going for a throuple? 

I'm twisting into a pretzel but basically I don't see how the Zoya/JC/Obie triangle is sustainable past a number of episodes.  I also don't see Audrey/Aki/Max having much staying power as a threesome.  So eventually the OTPs will have to emerge - which will leave 2 characters OTP-less, unless they bring on more cast members.

Basically - lead status will depend on who's romance is front and center - so right now it feels like that's Zoya/Audrey or Zoya/Max?  JC feels like she's gonna get the Nate treatment unless a twist is coming up.  Not cool.

I think the teachers should be arrested and their motivation doesn't match their actions - if they wanted to scare the students why not go after the worst one (Monet), not Zoya, Obie and even JC who seemed to be the least problematic ones.  My fondest wish is that they lose control of GG to someone really dastardly and get blackmailed into quitting.  And PLEASE don't let Zoya's dad hook up with Kate Keller.  Gross.

Also - still wondering if KK had a motive against JC before she came to Constance.  Her wearing SVW's same outfit from the OG pilot and watching JC videos on the train beforehand feels suspect.

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by phoenics

[tennisgurl]

I find the teachers being Gossip Girl to be pretty hilarious, but I don't like or feel bad for them. What they're doing is seriously messed up, targeting Zoya and trying to ruin her relationship with her sister just to try and use a catfight to keep their Instagram game going. Its especially creepy if Kate does go through with passing on whatever information she got about Zoya if she continues to flirt with Zoya's dad, and even worse, its information that Zoya gave her as a trusted authority figure. 

The dynamic between Julien, Zoya, and their dads is decently interesting, although I hope it doesent go constantly back and fourth between them feuding or bonding every other week, that just sounds exhausting. As is Zoya dating her sisters ex about three days after they broke up. Zoya and her new boyfriend are seemingly being set up as the "nice" kids, but none of this is a good look on them, especially when Julien actually did the noble thing in realizing that they were a better match. You would think they would both want to at least wait a minute. 

Speaking of creepy teachers, even if the teacher that Max keeps eyeing isnt going to sleep with him as his student, its still really sketchy that he is basically saying that he is looking forward to boning his teenage student the second he gets his graduation cap off. Seriously, does this school just not do background checks? 

[Bill1978]

On 7/17/2021 at 8:02 AM, peachmangosteen said:

I'm at a table for 1 but I love that the teachers are Gossip Girl. I think it's hilarious.

 

On 7/17/2021 at 4:56 PM, zenithwit said:

Make that a table for 2.

Is there a room for a third person? Honestly the teachers are the only reason why I'm tuning in each week at this stage. I guess since I am a teacher I am finding it absolutely ridiculous that the show honestly thinks this is something teachers would participate in. Sure we might think it would be fun, but no way are we putting our jobs on the line. I like to think of the teachers as being a sitcom within a drama. It is honestly like watching two different shows at the same time.

And I realised during this episode that without the teachers being Gossip Girl there would be no show, cause at this stage GG is creating all the drama on the scene. Whereas the original GG just reported gossip on everyone, this GG seems to only care about the rival between the sisters and for some reason the show thinks I care about that when I don't.

I am so so so glad the teacher rejected the student (initially) that plot has become such a massive trope, making it male/male does not make it edgy it is still tired. And just exactly how long will the teacher keep the student 'edging'. I have no idea how old the older students are, they are giving off major 'This is my senior year' vibe.

 

 

Edited July 22, 2021 by Bill1978

[Bill1978]

On 7/18/2021 at 2:40 AM, TeeVee329 said:

for such an allegedly elite institution, all of their teachers are terrible and problematic.

I feel their relaxed attitude to uniform would indicate they really aren't as elite as the show thinks it should be. Here in Australia I know public school more strict that the school on GG in regards to uniform. So if they don't care about the uniform why care about the teacher's background haha