S07.E02: The Arraignment

[chitowngirl]

While Frankie retrieves the cash, Grace and Nick discuss their marriage at his arraignment. Joan-Margaret hatches a plan for laundering the money.

[LuvMyShows]

So I heard what Barry said, but his "prize" is someone who he constantly has to capitulate to in order to keep her, and who genuinely doesn't care about his feelings except when she wants to.  Ordering those space heaters wasn't funny, and Brianna not caring about their impact on his collectibles was remarkably selfish.

[possibilities]

I can't stand Brianna. I don't think her schtick is funny at all. 

[Yeah No]

10 hours ago, possibilities said:

I can't stand Brianna. I don't think her schtick is funny at all. 

I found her schtick funny in the beginning but now it's wearing thin.

I didn't think Grace was that invested in Nick that she would want to work something out with him after he went to jail, but OK I guess.

[sistermagpie]

15 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

So I heard what Barry said, but his "prize" is someone who he constantly has to capitulate to in order to keep her, and who genuinely doesn't care about his feelings except when she wants to.  Ordering those space heaters wasn't funny, and Brianna not caring about their impact on his collectibles was remarkably selfish.

It's like the perfect example of everything BoJack Horseman was deconstructing.

[debraran]

15 hours ago, possibilities said:

I can't stand Brianna. I don't think her schtick is funny at all. 

No she doesn't deserve her guy, he's too nice for her. He's sees her underbelly but if we don't often, she is very unlikable. it has nothing to do with being a strong business woman, etc. If she was a guy, she would be a jerk and being female doesn't change it.

[Harvey]

Was I the only one weirded out by the judge's behavior in court? No judge is invested in the relationship in a criminal and his wife, so much so to go on a 2-minute rant about it. In any other situation the judge would want to put an end to the marriage talk and get back to the topic at hand,  but here she  didn't care about the case at all.

[Tiggertoo]

I have officially moved over to the can’t stand Brianna couch.

[debraran]

1 hour ago, Harvey said:

Was I the only one weirded out by the judge's behavior in court? No judge is invested in the relationship in a criminal and his wife, so much so to go on a 2-minute rant about it. In any other situation the judge would want to put an end to the marriage talk and get back to the topic at hand,  but here she  didn't care about the case at all.

I couldn't put my finger on what was missing for me now (especially with the big breaks from Covid and reg Netflix filming) I think it's that in the beginning you could say some things were not realistic but enough was to make it funny and relatable. Now it seems slap stick and stupid at times, like the judge. Is the show about 2 women who are aging and making the best of it or just being dumb and silly? They aren't "Good Girls" thankfully, they had good chemistry and I looked forward to them getting house back and Dolly Parton having a part even in one episode. I did read in February "Good news, Grace and Frankie fans! Dolly Parton has confirmed that she will finally make an appearance on the series and reunite with her former co-stars, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin."  I hope it's true.

I will watch it, I still laugh at the one liners, but Brianna and her whole thing is painful and circumcision story line, come on, they can do better than that and have.

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by debraran

[Bastet]

I loved this episode, wacky court shenanigans and all.  I love that Grace stood strong, and in the end was vindicated - being married doesn't work for her, but that doesn't mean she's leaving the relationship, just wanting to change it to something that does work.  I love how everything shifted when she asked why she was the one being interrogated, why wasn't Nick being asked why he's unwilling to change.

I also love Nick's lawyer, when she realizes he's going to be yet another client who screws up two words.

Brianna helping Mallory by using Barry's strategy, I'm not sure; I'll have to see how that plays out, because I'm still salty about Mallory's ludicrous promotion.

As soon as I saw that Frankie was giving the money to Joan Margaret, I somehow knew she was going to propose laundering it.  I am rather frightened to be inside the mind of Joan Margaret.

I'm trying to pace myself since there are only four episodes for now, but I'm so excited to have the show back.

[sistermagpie]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

I loved this episode, wacky court shenanigans and all.  I love that Grace stood strong, and in the end was vindicated - being married doesn't work for her, but that doesn't mean she's leaving the relationship, just wanting to change it to something that does work.  I love how everything shifted when she asked why she was the one being interrogated, why wasn't Nick being asked why he's unwilling to change.

Especially since this is the guy that demanded she turn down money because of what turned out to be a petty grudge on his part--and then turned out to have lied to her about what he was doing. A bit weird how everyone jumps immediately to "But poor Nick has to face court alone!" rather than, you know, "Poor Grace's husband was a lie."

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

I also love Nick's lawyer, when she realizes he's going to be yet another client who screws up two words.

Brianna helping Mallory by using Barry's strategy, I'm not sure; I'll have to see how that plays out, because I'm still salty about Mallory's ludicrous promotion.

I wondered how the strategy was even supposed to work. Mallory decided to be the boss by, unsurprisingly, making dumb superficial changes in the office instead of anything much related to the business. What would be the point of Brianna taking the blame for it? Nobody wins anything except Mallory who already won far more than she deserved.

 

[possibilities]

I didn't think Brianna was trying to elevate Mallory. I thought she was using the strategy to win back her own dominance. She already got the desk back. She's going to maneuver Mallory into submission.

[iMonrey]

I thought the courtroom scenes were over the top but I enjoyed Gena Rowlands* as the judge. Glad to see she's still alive and kicking.

That appeared to be Desmin Borges playing the contractor, although the credit isn't listed in IMDb. If it wasn't him it was someone who's a dead ringer for him.

* e.t.a. not Gena Rowlands. Debra Mooney.

Edited August 18, 2021 by iMonrey

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I enjoyed Gena Rowlands as the judge. Glad to see she's still alive and kicking.

That wasn't Gena Rowlands (although she is alive and, hopefully, kicking, she hasn't worked in a while), that was Debra Mooney (I had to look up her name, as to me she's "Meg Wellman" from Roseanne).

Or maybe I'm totally off, as IMDb hasn't been updated, but I immediately recognized the voice, and she's actively working, so I'm pretty sure it's her.

[MaggieG]

On 8/16/2021 at 1:01 PM, Bastet said:

As soon as I saw that Frankie was giving the money to Joan Margaret, I somehow knew she was going to propose laundering it.  I am rather frightened to be inside the mind of Joan Margaret.

I loved that quick shot of Joan Margaret walking in with toilet paper and then stuffing it in her purse

[possibilities]

I recognized Debra Mooney as Edna from Everwood. I also got it from her voice.

[853fisher]

I too think the judge was Debra Mooney.  I'm sure I've seen her in several things, but when I was trying to recall her name, the first character I settled on was Ma Bark in "Arrested Development."  I feel so pathetic before IMDB is updated. ;)

I struggled a little with this episode.  I don't remember the first few seasons being as cartoonish as some moments in the last few.  I felt the same way about the "Shark Tank" presentation and the courtroom this time.  The judge would definitely have told them all to shut up.

Still, it's very nice to have a little helping of this show ahead of next year!  I realize I just suggested I'm not in love with the more cartoonish aspects, but I adore Millicent Martin and am thrilled they've been using her more and more.

Finally, Brianna definitely seems to me to be playing Mallory, just in a new way.  Her character was always a little over the top but she is definitely hard to root for lately.  I love the actress, which probably makes me like the character a bit more than I would otherwise.  But not much.

Edited August 18, 2021 by 853fisher

[possibilities]

There's no reason they can't have two desks, so some of the problem I have with the Mallory-Brianna conflict is that it's lazy bullshit. Brianna is terrible, but the show is making the situation ridiculously petty and contrived on top of that. 

[Bastet]

13 minutes ago, possibilities said:

There's no reason they can't have two desks,

They don't even need to share an office to begin with.  If I'm asked to accept this utterly ridiculous notion that Mallory was offered a job for which she is only slightly more qualified than my cat, and Brianna - being qualified yet having turned that job down rather than relocating - retains basically the same position despite the buyout (again, accepting the ridiculous, in taking the buyer's oh, nothing's really going to change promises as true), then any business in the free world would keep Brianna in her office and give Mallory another one - even if they had to create it by shaving existing space from surrounding offices into something new - to use when she's working in this office on visits from her home base in San Francisco.

But, as dumb as this all is, and with the trepidation I have, I still hold out hope this will play out in a way where Brianna proves she plays the corporate game better than just about anyone, especially Mallory, and this very different, Barry-induced, strategy of hers is what works this time - but in a way that doesn't topple Mallory, who is realizing her shortcomings yet not her total ineptitude, but gives her a reality check and we settle back into the delicious conflicting styles between the sisters that gives Mallory her due without falsely elevating her. 

I think - hope! - Grace advising each of them separately, knowing their strengths and weaknesses and not rooting for one over the other but for both to succeed in a logical way, will continue.  So I'm here for all of this, just a little cautious.

[debraran]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

There's no reason they can't have two desks, so some of the problem I have with the Mallory-Brianna conflict is that it's lazy bullshit. Brianna is terrible, but the show is making the situation ridiculously petty and contrived on top of that. 

That's part of what I meant as 'dumb" You could have funny and realistic. It wasn't like this in the beginning. They can have issues that make more sense and take more than half a brain to figure out.

[Yeah No]

On 8/15/2021 at 6:07 PM, Harvey said:

Was I the only one weirded out by the judge's behavior in court? No judge is invested in the relationship in a criminal and his wife, so much so to go on a 2-minute rant about it. In any other situation the judge would want to put an end to the marriage talk and get back to the topic at hand,  but here she  didn't care about the case at all.

Not unless it's Judge Judy.  But I'm willing to suspend disbelief for courtrooms in southern California, where things might be more "loosey-goosey" than in other parts of the country.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Really don't get Mallory's makeup for the office. She almost looks kabuki-esque to me.

OMG, Grace in Frankie's clothes. I thought she looked like she was going to a Halloween party as a homeless person.

[shapeshifter]

[Nick's lawyer] Just 2 words.
[Nick] a jet

Can someone please post the link to the main Grace and Frankie forum page here?
I can't get to it. 
Thank you!!!

[Bastet]

@shapeshifter, here it is: https://forums.primetimer.com/forum/1666-grace-and-frankie/

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

@shapeshifter, here it is: https://forums.primetimer.com/forum/1666-grace-and-frankie/

That link is still timing out for me with both Windows 11 and my iPhone.

Maybe the Sunday board software update will fix it.🤷‍♀️

(I can’t get to the Bugs report threads either.)

Thanks, anyway, @Bastet👋! 

Edited April 30, 2022 by shapeshifter

[SoMuchTV]

5 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

That link is still timing out for me with both Windows 11 and my iPhone.

Maybe the Sunday board software update will fix it.🤷‍♀️

(I can’t get to the Bugs report threads either.)

Thanks, anyway, @Bastet👋! 

That’s a bug that’s been going on for a lot of users for a while now. Sometimes it helps to try a different browser or try to open the forum link in private mode. There’s a notice about site downtime for maintenance happening tomorrow so fingers crossed that will help. (ETA: you already said that. It helps to read the whole post:). I’ll leave that part in for extra finger-crossedness. )
 

Here’s the link to the bug post. Looks like you’ve already btdt

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by SoMuchTV

[shapeshifter]

16 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

That’s a bug that’s been going on for a lot of users for a while now. Sometimes it helps to try a different browser or try to open the forum link in private mode. There’s a notice about site downtime for maintenance happening tomorrow so fingers crossed that will help. 

Oof. So close! The private/incognito tab loaded the page. But then in order to "follow" it, I had to log in, which triggered the "This community is temporarily unavailable" error message. 
It's weird, because I did not have this issue when folks first started posting about it, about a year ago.

So, yeah. Here's hoping it's better by tomorrow evening.🤞

Anyway, I've watched through episode 7.6 and am enjoying it. Not LOL so much, but just appreciating the nuances of the stories.

ETA: Links to forums now working on Edge on Windows 11 and Chrome on iPhone, but not Chrome on Windows 11 or Safari on iPhone.

Edited May 1, 2022 by shapeshifter