S02.E01: Late to the Party

[greekmom]

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Bette is forced to navigate some major changes; Shane gets pulled into LA's poker scene; Alice and Nat readjust to couple-hood; Sophie, Dani and Finley all must deal with the fallout of Sophie's decision; Micah navigates his new normal.

Original airdate 06/8/2021
 

[greekmom]

Hoping people are still watching.
Ok, did they retool Dani's character? Because to me season 1 Dani wouldn't have told Sophie not go for the job advancement at Alice's show.
Not liking Shane and the gambling storyline. Did she even flirt with the cocktail waitress that was the other woman's wife? I thought she just asked her her name.   If that's flirting then damn... I do it all the time!

I actually do like Bette with Gigi.  I think they would make a great couple.  Gigi is the type of person that Bette needs which is a typical wife persona. On the other hand, while I love Rosie O'Donnell, I do not like the character of Carrie and do not understand how Tina would leave Bette for Carrie. Carrie is fussy and like a child herself (dinging the mailbox, not wanting to try new things). 

I understand why Bette and Tina do not want Angie to seek her donor till she is 18 (they did promise him and he was very adamant about that as far as I remember from the original show) but I do not see the harm in doing the ancestry test especially at 17. 

I was not fond of the way the episode ended with Finley showing up at the wedding.  Kind of hollywood cliché.  I'm surprised she wasn't banging on the glass window ala The Graduate. 
 

[sistermagpie]

13 hours ago, greekmom said:

I actually do like Bette with Gigi.  I think they would make a great couple.  Gigi is the type of person that Bette needs which is a typical wife persona. On the other hand, while I love Rosie O'Donnell, I do not like the character of Carrie and do not understand how Tina would leave Bette for Carrie. Carrie is fussy and like a child herself (dinging the mailbox, not wanting to try new things). 

I'm surprised at how happy I am to have these goofballs back on my TV, ridiculous as they all are!

Totally agree on Carrie. I have no trouble believing that Carrie could have a wife who loves her a lot, but I don't buy her with Tina at all. She does seem like a child and I just don't believe for a second that Tina just finds it so cute that she loves getting her to try foods like a combination toddler/old man. She seems to do nothing but smile indulgently at Carrie's non-stop routine. It was kind of satisfying when Gigi seemed to beat her at her own game with her "save it for the grown-ups" comment. And annoying when Angie and her girlfriend had to do their little Poochie moment about how Carrie is, we're to believe, "Kinda that best!" No she's not.

13 hours ago, greekmom said:

I understand why Bette and Tina do not want Angie to seek her donor till she is 18 (they did promise him and he was very adamant about that as far as I remember from the original show) but I do not see the harm in doing the ancestry test especially at 17. 

I totally don't remember who her donor even was! Was it the one guy who was on the show? The red-headed guy? You'd think I remember since I would have watched the whole story. (Oddly, the only thing I really remember that particular guy doing was once having a seriously awkward product placement line about his band was doing really well because they put up a MySpace page.)

13 hours ago, greekmom said:

I was not fond of the way the episode ended with Finley showing up at the wedding.  Kind of hollywood cliché.  I'm surprised she wasn't banging on the glass window ala The Graduate. 
 

Seriously. And also, how much of a dick is Finley supposed to be? On one hand you've got somebody who'd rather live the rest of her life waiting for the other shoe to drop because her fiance wants to have a 2-person bachelorette party and otoh somebody who thinks nothing of interupting an actual wedding to announce she slept with one of the brides. 

[greekmom]

8 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

I totally don't remember who her donor even was! Was it the one guy who was on the show? The red-headed guy? You'd think I remember since I would have watched the whole story. (Oddly, the only thing I really remember that particular guy doing was once having a seriously awkward product placement line about his band was doing really well because they put up a MySpace page.)

Her donor was Marcus Allenwood. There were issues when his then gf find outs that Tina is pregnant and threatens legal action to gain custody of the child.  

The red headed guy had low mobility sperm.  

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, greekmom said:

Her donor was Marcus Allenwood. There were issues when his then gf find outs that Tina is pregnant and threatens legal action to gain custody of the child.  

The red headed guy had low mobility sperm.  

Thank you! I totally forgot that entire thing. LOL.

I was thinking more about Carrie, and it'll be interesting to see where they go with her. Because right now it seems like they're trying to say she's well-meaning but blunt, salt of the earth who even gets the approval of teenagers with great bullshit detectors. But it seems pretty suspicious that the stuff she says seems to always undermines Bette and no one else, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was a big part of what Tina likes about her. 

[gesundheit]

11 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

Seriously. And also, how much of a dick is Finley supposed to be? On one hand you've got somebody who'd rather live the rest of her life waiting for the other shoe to drop because her fiance wants to have a 2-person bachelorette party and otoh somebody who thinks nothing of interupting an actual wedding to announce she slept with one of the brides. 

It's really such a monstrous thing to do. I know it's TV and all so they had to go the Big!Drama! route, but seriously, she couldn't have gotten a slightly earlier flight? I'd loathe her for that if I were Sophie. And what an awful position to put all the guests in, too. Wonder if Dani's dad will send Finley the bill.

I guess I'm a weirdo because I loved Carrie. She seemed very human with all her neuroses. And Gigi being all young and glam mocking Carrie for a stomach issue was so very Gigi. Though it was entertaining to watch Bette and Gigi be Mean Girls together.

Alice is usually the funniest character and it's the best thing about her, I'm not so sure I love this whole "Alice is at the top of her game" version, she's exhausting. Less relatable, less of her awkward, self-deprecating humor moments. 

On 8/8/2021 at 10:04 AM, greekmom said:

Not liking Shane and the gambling storyline. Did she even flirt with the cocktail waitress that was the other woman's wife? I thought she just asked her her name.   If that's flirting then damn... I do it all the time!
 

I'm assuming more happened later since Shane and the wife were texting back and forth, all cutesy.

[sistermagpie]

2 minutes ago, gesundheit said:

I guess I'm a weirdo because I loved Carrie. She seemed very human with all her neuroses. And Gigi being all young and glam mocking Carrie for a stomach issue was so very Gigi. Though it was entertaining to watch Bette and Gigi be Mean Girls together.

 

I don't dislike Carrie as a person/character exactly, I just don't see any connection between her and Tina. Especially since--like you say here about Bette and Gigi being mean girls--but several times Carrie made Bette even more uncomfortable, she just did it in the context of being a blunt person who doesn't see how what she's saying would make Bette uncomfortable and I'm not sure if that's true yet. Like even in the scene where Tina was making googly eyes at her, it was after Tina asked if Bette seemed okay (so bringing Bette up in the guise of being concerned about her with little reason to be) and Carrie bluntly said that no, Bette was in love with Tina (but couldn't have her, obviously). While Bette was talking to Gigi about how hurt she was to realize she was wrong to think Tina just needed time to herself and was coming back. Makes me wonder if Carrie might be the one who gets hurt in the end.

Iirc, just btw, I don't think Carrie said anything about a stomach issue to Gigi. The stuff about reflux was later with Tina, telling her how she had to know what she was ordering. I thought what she said to Gigi was something about just not liking the texture of the food she'd recommended--that's why Gigi made the "save it for the grown-ups" comment, because it took the other side of that "that food is icky" thing. It was an impressive insult since it was so dismissive of the whole persona. But no more so than Carrie's protracted, "Wow, that humiliating defeat must still sting, right?" earlier.

[gesundheit]

5 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

Iirc, just btw, I don't think Carrie said anything about a stomach issue to Gigi. The stuff about reflux was later with Tina, telling her how she had to know what she was ordering. I thought what she said to Gigi was something about just not liking the texture of the food she'd recommended--that's why Gigi made the "save it for the grown-ups" comment, because it took the other side of that "that food is icky" thing. It was an impressive insult since it was so dismissive of the whole persona. But no more so than Carrie's protracted, "Wow, that humiliating defeat must still sting, right?" earlier.

Oh you're right, she did only mention the texture. Not sure why that was childish, though. I'm sure Gigi has a food or two she doesn't like! Granted, it's one of those things that was unnecessary to say -- if someone recommends a thing to you and you're not interested but you're not actually making the decision in front of them, it's clearly more graceful to just thank them for the recommendation (then later tell Tina you don't do scallops). I think that's maybe why she's relatable to me, though! I totally do things like that and then immediately get angry at myself for having blurted out why their recommendation doesn't work for me when they didn't need to know that. Just made Carrie very human to me, she seems like a nervous talker. Smooth types like Gigi and Bette will pounce on that like the prey that it is.

I don't think there's any chance Carrie doesn't lose in this scenario, though. They really seem to be setting her up for failure, as they usually do on this show with anyone who isn't high-glam. (Well, and anyone who is a temporary Bette/Tina obstacle!)

[asabovesobelow]

1 hour ago, gesundheit said:

I don't think there's any chance Carrie doesn't lose in this scenario, though. They really seem to be setting her up for failure, as they usually do on this show with anyone who isn't high-glam. (Well, and anyone who is a temporary Bette/Tina obstacle!)

I totally agree - and I hope I'm not wrong. Carrie seems like a very nice person and would probably make a wonderful wife...just not for Tina. I think they have zero chemistry and I really don't buy them as a couple. I actually hate that storyline overall. They gave us no real reason that Tina left Bette, after all they went through to finally end up together. I think it was a shitty way to introduce some B&T drama that we've already seen a hundred times before, and also to let Bette date her way through the new cast. Yuck.

 

[sistermagpie]

2 hours ago, gesundheit said:

Oh you're right, she did only mention the texture. Not sure why that was childish, though. I'm sure Gigi has a food or two she doesn't like! Granted, it's one of those things that was unnecessary to say -- if someone recommends a thing to you and you're not interested but you're not actually making the decision in front of them, it's clearly more graceful to just thank them for the recommendation (then later tell Tina you don't do scallops). I think that's maybe why she's relatable to me, though! I totally do things like that and then immediately get angry at myself for having blurted out why their recommendation doesn't work for me when they didn't need to know that. Just made Carrie very human to me, she seems like a nervous talker. Smooth types like Gigi and Bette will pounce on that like the prey that it is.

What Gigi said was definitely more rude than what Carrie said. Carrie wasn't rude at all, really. It doesn't make any difference to Gigi if Carrie doesn't like scallops or whatever it was. What, does her family own a scallop farm?

I got her childish comment, though. It's that a) toddlers often don't like things because of texture or color, whatever. It's a phase. And 2) that "kids menus" are usually made up of blander, familiar foods, so Gigi was suggesting that Carrie just didn't want to eat the more fine dining stuff because that's usually more unusual/adventurous with more tastes and textures. So the grownups will eat yucky escargot and the kids will get chicken fingers.

Full disclosure--I'm somebody who's been mocked for eating "like a 9-year-old" so I'm more like Carrie when it comes to "fine dining." But I don't think Gigi really cared about the food. She just immediately picked up on how Carrie came across to Bette and found an easy way to announce she didn't think Carrie's schtick was cute.

It does seem suspicious, that in only 2 scenes Carrie managed several kind of aggressive moments towards Bette that were all supposed to be mistakes or well-meaning, so we'll see how they're playing this out. The real danger isn't that Bette doesn't like her, which Carrie can obviously take, but that Tina is using her to get to Bette, consciously or not, which would be more hurtful. 

One thing that annoyed me with Carrie--not Carrie the character, but the writing, was a clip from the previews. 

Spoiler

There's a clip of her defending Angie wanting to do the DNA test by saying, "I was adopted so I understand being curious..." This is after how in this episode she says her DNA was 100% Irish and there was "no shock there." Um, if you're adopted then yes, there is a shock there because you wouldn't know your DNA! It's no shock for Rosie O'Donnell because she knows her biological parents. Her looks aren't that uniquely Irish. We barely know this character and they're contradicting the little we do know!

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I totally agree - and I hope I'm not wrong. Carrie seems like a very nice person and would probably make a wonderful wife...just not for Tina. I think they have zero chemistry and I really don't buy them as a couple. I actually hate that storyline overall. They gave us no real reason that Tina left Bette, after all they went through to finally end up together. I think it was a shitty way to introduce some B&T drama that we've already seen a hundred times before, and also to let Bette date her way through the new cast. Yuck.

Yeah, as was said above, it sets up a whole, "Haha, of course she's not going to end up with this woman who looks like lots of women her age instead of the characters on this show.

[tvfanatic13]

I have always loved Shane (Kate M actually) but her face looked very strange. Maybe it was the bangs. Maybe something else. 
Glad this show is back. I hated Finley last season and I still do. 

[Elizzikra]

38 minutes ago, tvfanatic13 said:

I have always loved Shane (Kate M actually) but her face looked very strange. Maybe it was the bangs. Maybe something else. 
Glad this show is back. I hated Finley last season and I still do. 

It looked like a fresh haircut; I prefer the look when her hair is a little longer and thicker. 

I hated the whole interrupted wedding thing. C'mon. These people are all connected to their phones, 24/7 and the first chance Finley has to profess her undying love is while Sophie is standing at the altar? Cliche. I did think that Dani was a beautiful bride and I'm a fan of any wedding that opens the bar before the ceremony.

More on Shane's dog please. He's adorable.

[SparedTurkey]

I don't know why but I thought that by the blunt comments and texture thing they are setting up some form of Autism for Carrie given they are the most overplayed traits in media for lower level autism.

I liked Carrie. I think Tina has too much of a vicious mean streak. Carrie is to Tina what Tina is to Bette but way nicer. Bette and Tina deserve each other - they are both mean to partners (though good friends). Bette is wicked smart and hot but exhausting.

Finley, I liked in season 1. Crashing the wedding was a dick move. Dani deserves better. Like the hot reverend. Sophie deserves whats coming.

I like Shane and Tess. Is Tess trans?

I want a fun old person back - like Helena or Joyce Wishnia

 

[izabella]

Jeez, Finley!  You couldn't have called Sophie and confessed your love before the wedding?  She is still a mess and a walking disaster.  I judge Sophie more, though, because she planned to start her marriage with a huge lie and betrayal between them.

I understand why Bette and Tina don't want to tell Angie who her donor is until she turns 18, but why can't they give her other information about him that could help Angie know about him in the meantime?   Marcus was a friend, so they could fill her in on his job, where he grew up, that he loves sushi or whatever, is terrible at parallel parking or builds birdhouses or is an excellent singer or is a kind person who takes in homeless puppies or something.   Angie doesn't have to stay completely in the dark even if they don't yet reveal his name.

Edited August 10, 2021 by izabella

[ShanesPokerChip]

On 8/8/2021 at 10:04 AM, greekmom said:

 

I understand why Bette and Tina do not want Angie to seek her donor till she is 18 (they did promise him and he was very adamant about that as far as I remember from the original show) but I do not see the harm in doing the ancestry test especially at 17. 

I have seen this comment in a few places. I assumed the reasoning (and the issue that will arise from her secretly doing it) related more to the fact that it shows family connections so if any relative has taken the test, the sites identify them as family members. I have friends who have found secret siblings out that way and my partner actually discovered his biological father wasn't the man who raised him (no one knew) and that he had multiple siblings and they suddenly learned that their father had a child before they were born. It can bring some big shocks. I figured this was setting up the donor a child of his or family member of his to be alerted to the connection and her existence and if any other family members had submitted DNA, it would violate the anonymity until 18 request  BetteTina agreed to.

[Parachutes]

I’ve been taking advantage of Showtime dropping the episodes early to stream on the app and I’m pretty excited to have the show back as I didn’t expect to see it until next year at the earliest! 
 

So far, it looks like we’ll be seeing shake-ups in the pairings of actors and I’m very intrigued to see how the newer characters will be fleshed out:

Dani and Sophie: The actors really sell me on during the love scenes but the characters seem like they could be better off with other partners. I’m not invested either way and will kind of follow the writers wherever they want to take them.

Finley: She’s a mess but never really hurts anyone out of sheer malice, so it’s much easier to root for her a little in hoping she’ll figure things out and be able to shine at some point. 
 

Micah: Do NOT want to see him do a whole back and forth with José all season. I like the friendship they seem to be setting up with Maribel, Sophie’s sister. But hopefully, they’ll give the character more to do so he’s not just token transperson on the show. 
 

Tess: Jamie Clayton was really looking great and glammed up at the Poker game. And it seems they’re setting a little thang between her and Shane. I don’t hate it!

Bette/Gigi: I mean… okay. I don’t hate this, either! Sepideh Moafi definitely was a scene stealer for me last season so glad to see she’ll have stuff to do besides being Nat’s ex-wife. And she seems to have a quality similar to Kate Moennig in which she just has raw chemistry with whomever she’s paired. With Bette as a character though? I don’t know. What will they talk about besides being cheaters? Yes, I said it! I don’t care. Fight me. 

That’s really all I have for episode one. Not too invested in Nat and Alice as it seems some more drama will be introduced into their relationship which requires Alice to do all the compromising. Stephanie Allyne has some good comedic timing and I enjoy the awkwardness of Nat when she’s engaging with other characters but I think they’ve reached the end of what they can do with Nat and she clearly has stuff she needs to explore outside of a traditional monogamous relationship.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Parachutes

[Magelans]

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