S03.E13: Making a Metamour

[possibilities]

No one seems to want to start the individual episode threads, so I thought maybe it would just be more functional to have one thread for an entire season.

 

With respect to the episode that aired last night, I missed Alice but I was glad not to see Dennis. Gael's boss is a dick, and I guess they really are going to have a Coterie baby, but I wish they'd done an abortion story because it seems a lot more realistic to me. 

[Scarlett45]

 Callie and Mariana work together to figure out what really happened the night of Zack's death; Malika pumps the brakes on her relationship with Dyonte; Gael learns that his relationship with Yuri is not what it seems.

 

Air Date: July 28th. 

[KaveDweller]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

No one seems to want to start the individual episode threads, so I thought maybe it would just be more functional to have one thread for an entire season.

 

With respect to the episode that aired last night, I missed Alice but I was glad not to see Dennis. Gael's boss is a dick, and I guess they really are going to have a Coterie baby, but I wish they'd done an abortion story because it seems a lot more realistic to me. 

I don't know if an abortion storyline would necessarily be more realistic, but it seems like Gael and Isabel are going to struggle with the kid. Her parents cut her off and she will have a hard time getting a job while pregnant. Seems like Gael would be better off going back to work as a designer for Spekulate or a similar company. He was probably making decent money before he quit to pursue his art. It may not be what he really wants forever, but neither is working for an asshole like his current boss. And I bet a tech company like that would give health insurance. 

It is nice to see everyone being so mature about the situation with Gael dating Callie but having a kid with Isabel.

I knew Mariana was going to cause problems for Callie at work. Yes, tell all her colleagues about her time in juvie. Everyone wants that known at work. At least she made up for it by pointing out that the girlfriend was very obviously being shady about something.

I kept thinking something bad was going to happen during Malika's date with Deonte's girlfriend. Like Malika was going to say something to cause problems between them.

Other than that I was a bit bored by the episode.

[possibilities]

I liked that the student protester got a support group that will help him find ways to be effective and protect himself, but I wish we  had gotten to see what they advised him to do. It seemed like a cop out to just show him smiling and not show any of what the group actually suggests.

[gesundheit]

6 hours ago, possibilities said:

I liked that the student protester got a support group that will help him find ways to be effective and protect himself, but I wish we  had gotten to see what they advised him to do. It seemed like a cop out to just show him smiling and not show any of what the group actually suggests.

Those TV storytelling copouts always crack me up. Oh, a musical montage with smiling and nodding! Checks out, who knows what was said but it sure worked! Oh hey, this character needs to tell this other character about a devastating death, I wonder how he'll break it to her? Oh okay, the sound will drop out and it'll be a long shot. Got it.

Really feeling like Malika thought none of this through at all.

I missed Alice a lot.

 

[yourmomiseasy]

I can't tell if it is me being less cranky or what, but the show seems less preachy the last few episodes and like the issues just fit in more naturally and people are more likable.  It may just be that they fixed Callie.

[circumvent]

10 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I don't know if an abortion storyline would necessarily be more realistic, but it seems like Gael and Isabel are going to struggle with the kid. Her parents cut her off and she will have a hard time getting a job while pregnant. Seems like Gael would be better off going back to work as a designer for Spekulate or a similar company. He was probably making decent money before he quit to pursue his art. It may not be what he really wants forever, but neither is working for an asshole like his current boss. And I bet a tech company like that would give health insurance.

It feels like a teenager's dream of being responsible and "doing the right thing", so I think it is a bit unrealistic. Noble, yes, but we didn't see any real conversations about the implications. It is all too fairytale to me. As for a tech company giving people health insurance, I doubt it. Tech companies is all about "we are family" but when it is about work it is individualism. And payments ae only for shareholders. But on TV things might be different.

3 hours ago, gesundheit said:

Really feeling like Malika thought none of this through at all.

Right? That confirms my peeve from last week's episode, when she said she had "come out", as if she was certain of who she is and what polyamorous is about. 

I thought the episode was boring too.

[JustHereForFood]

I guess the pandemic has really gotten to me, because my main complaint was why do we need all those unnecessary sex montages and I was wincing when Malika and Dyonte were doing petitions in public, when anyone was touching that same pen. I wouldn't do that even pre-pandemic, no matter how much I care about some issue, it's only online petitions for me.

I agree about Malika. It would have been more reasonable if she did some more research into polyamorous relationships beforehand, and get more specific details about how Dyonte's relationship works. I was surprised about her being surprised that his girlfriend wants to meet her. I don't know much about polyamorous relationships, but isn't that sort of standard that all people involved know each other?

I am over Marianna. She used to sometimes get on my nerves from the beginning, but I hoped she would get more mature with time. It was really shitty of her to reveal Callie's personal information to her colleagues. And for what? So that she would feel smug for few senonds that she impressed some guys she just met recently? How adult (sarcasm). And of course, they weren't interested in any details, or how it may have affected her and went straight into making fun. I waited for all three of them to apologize to Callie later, but no such luck. And the whole storyline about Marianna helping the team with the investigation seems so laughable to me. I guess there is a potential for a TV series about young people with an education in a completely unrelated field who solve murder cases via power of social media, but what I like about this series is how it shows us real problems that people face in all walks of life, that are often overlooked on TV, so this seems like an opposite of that.

[circumvent]

1 hour ago, JustHereForFood said:

I guess the pandemic has really gotten to me, because my main complaint was why do we need all those unnecessary sex montages and I was wincing when Malika and Dyonte were doing petitions in public, when anyone was touching that same pen. I wouldn't do that even pre-pandemic, no matter how much I care about some issue, it's only online petitions for me.

Maybe I am wrong or forgetting past episodes, but I think Good Trouble was one of the few shows that did not use Covid in the plots. In that world, there is no pandemic.

I know that sex scenes are choreographed and maybe the actors are wearing some covering but I really don't see a point on those shower scenes other than get some of the audience excited. Sex scenes have been overused by shows and it has become a cliche. I also think that it puts actors in a position where they feel like they need to objectify themselves. I also believe that some of them, being so young, think that agreeing with all that makes them "liberated". I think the opposite. (in the case of Maia Mitchell, being one of the EPs, she could probably have more control, so maybe she doesn't have any objections to it)

[gesundheit]

6 hours ago, circumvent said:

Right? That confirms my peeve from last week's episode, when she said she had "come out", as if she was certain of who she is and what polyamorous is about. 

 

Basically she was into two dudes at once and felt funny about it since she was in a committed relationship, so she decided to make it a political stance. That's just kind of how it felt. And who knows, maybe she will be poly and this is just part of the process of learning about it, but it just hasn't read that way at all.

5 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

 And the whole storyline about Marianna helping the team with the investigation seems so laughable to me. I guess there is a potential for a TV series about young people with an education in a completely unrelated field who solve murder cases via power of social media, but what I like about this series is how it shows us real problems that people face in all walks of life, that are often overlooked on TV, so this seems like an opposite of that.

Yeah, I mean all I kept thinking was, "Okay, this is the only time special knowledge of how teens use social media is going to help this team with a case, so let's not pretend like this is a full reversal of fortune here." (That said, did they ever explain what a Finsta is? Because my old ass had no clue what they were talking about. But I'm not their demo!)

I loved Mariana a lot on the mothership but they are not helping her here.

[JustHereForFood]

10 hours ago, circumvent said:

Maybe I am wrong or forgetting past episodes, but I think Good Trouble was one of the few shows that did not use Covid in the plots. In that world, there is no pandemic.

Yes, I think that's the case. It's just that for me, I cannot separate the fact that this was shot during the pandemic, it seems.

6 hours ago, gesundheit said:

(That said, did they ever explain what a Finsta is? Because my old ass had no clue what they were talking about. But I'm not their demo!)

I would have no idea myself, but it was mentioned on One day at a time as well, and if I understand correctly, it is a second, "secret" account on social media, if you don't want someone of your followers to see what you post. I shall keep my opinion about the need for that to myself. 😉

[KaveDweller]

18 hours ago, gesundheit said:

Those TV storytelling copouts always crack me up. Oh, a musical montage with smiling and nodding! Checks out, who knows what was said but it sure worked!

Yes....they totally solved racism during that montage!

14 hours ago, circumvent said:

It feels like a teenager's dream of being responsible and "doing the right thing", so I think it is a bit unrealistic. Noble, yes, but we didn't see any real conversations about the implications. It is all too fairytale to me. As for a tech company giving people health insurance, I doubt it. Tech companies is all about "we are family" but when it is about work it is individualism. And payments ae only for shareholders. But on TV things might be different.

I know several people who worked for tech companies in California and they all had health insurance and lots of other great benefits. Unlimited time off, free food anytime, life insurance, etc.

2 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Yes, I think that's the case. It's just that for me, I cannot separate the fact that this was shot during the pandemic, it seems.

I would have no idea myself, but it was mentioned on One day at a time as well, and if I understand correctly, it is a second, "secret" account on social media, if you don't want someone of your followers to see what you post. I shall keep my opinion about the need for that to myself. 😉

I thought they were just using a fake social media name, lol. But I just Googled and it is a "fake instagram" to only post stuff you want good friends to see. As opposed to one where you are trying to gain as many followers as you can.

[gesundheit]

46 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

 

I thought they were just using a fake social media name, lol. But I just Googled and it is a "fake instagram" to only post stuff you want good friends to see. As opposed to one where you are trying to gain as many followers as you can.

Interesting that that's considered the fake one. Seems like the fake one would be the heavily-curated-for-the-public one!

[possibilities]

The montage of the group for activists being a cop out is especially irritating to me because it makes the entire story about educating the aspiring white savior about her limits (which is worth doing) but then goes ahead and keeps the story centered on her, instead of on the empowerment of the POC. Since they were supposed to be wiser than she, why not show their wisdom? Surely that would be interesting and useful material to explore, instead of glossing over it. 

I agree Malika is using "poly" as an identity without knowing what the hell it is. Different people have different rules, so I don't think she needed to assume what Dyonte and his "primary" have agreed to. But the one thing I think I've always seen in practice, is that people discuss what the rules are, and don't continually drop them on each other unexpectedly drip  by drip. Not all poly people have a "primary," for example. And to ditch his date with no notice "because we have an agreement we can call each other for emotional support at any time" sounds not just rude, but also wildly codependent and not at all like other poly arrangements I've personally witnessed. I am under the impression that Dyonte's "primary" is not nearly as comfortable with the situation as she pretends to be. Her entire face changed when she heard from Malika about D's work, something she herself hadn't known about. Then she interrupted his date with Malika. Then she showed up at their workplace, saying he "finally" let her volunteer. Dyonte is starting to seem a bit shady to me, and I'm starting to feel like his "primary" relationship is not as wonderful as they pretend it is.

I can't get over what a dick Gael's boss is. 

I actually thought it was absurdly stupid that no one other than Mariana thought to check the social media of ALL the kids involved in the case. Isn't checking social media a standard practice for anyone vetting anyone these days?  Isn't it commonly used as evidence? Wouldn't they hope to find something that would give them a hint about what to use to poke a hole in someone's story, or to propose a motive or SOMETHING??? They are desperate. I don't even have a FB or Instagram account but even I would have thought of that.

 

 

[KaveDweller]

34 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I actually thought it was absurdly stupid that no one other than Mariana thought to check the social media of ALL the kids involved in the case. Isn't checking social media a standard practice for anyone vetting anyone these days?  Isn't it commonly used as evidence? Wouldn't they hope to find something that would give them a hint about what to use to poke a hole in someone's story, or to propose a motive or SOMETHING??? They are desperate. I don't even have a FB or Instagram account but even I would have thought of that.

You would think, yes. The police would likely have checked too, isn't that how the FBI tracked down most of the people they arrested for invading the capitol in January? All the idiots who posted videos about what they were doing. But I guess the police in this case were convinced Tommy killed Zach and wouldn't have bothered. The defense team should have been all over that.

Even if Callie and the other associates hadn't thought of it, you'd think Catherine would have directed them to do it. They just want to show Mariana being helpful before she eventually blows things up.

[yourmomiseasy]

On 7/30/2021 at 2:54 AM, circumvent said:

It feels like a teenager's dream of being responsible and "doing the right thing", so I think it is a bit unrealistic. Noble, yes, but we didn't see any real conversations about the implications. It is all too fairytale to me. As for a tech company giving people health insurance, I doubt it. Tech companies is all about "we are family" but when it is about work it is individualism. And payments ae only for shareholders. But on TV things might be different.

 

I've worked in tech in Los Angeles for 20 years.  The only time I've seen a company without benefits is when it was an entertainment company that had a tech team and was using a freelance/permalance model that is common in entertainment, but even in that case what Gael was doing probably would have been a staff position with benefits.  I've never seen a tech start-up, which is what Spekulate seems like, with no benefits.  

Edited August 6, 2021 by yourmomiseasy