S01.E04: Brave New World

[AnimeMania]

As the guests learn more about Tranquillum’s unique protocols, everyone must decide if they will continue under Masha’s care. Meanwhile, Masha is receiving mysterious threats of her own.

Air Date: 8/25/21

[archer1267]

(I waited a week for that?)

(Thanks, Nellise, for reminding me of why Ben and Jessica weren't dosed with the others. I guess you can tell that I wasn't particularly paying attention to this episode :-p but I remember Jessica mentioning molly. If it's like ecstasy I'm guessing it's to help the two become more affectionate physically...?)

Between this and St. Vincent, I hope Melissa McCarthy continues to do more dramatic roles.

Edited August 25, 2021 by archer1267

[Nellise]

3 hours ago, archer1267 said:

(I waited a week for that?)

Any theories on why Jessica and Ben aren't getting dosed? Or is it, as Masha said, their blood work suggests that they are not ready?

Between this and St. Vincent, I hope Melissa McCarthy continues to do more dramatic roles.

Jessica and Ben were given mdma at the end, that's why she was sitting on him. Psychedelics aren't really for what they needed help with so that didn't seem odd to me.

[BoffoDaWonderSheep]

Minor point that bugged me. Masha kept changing how she pronounced Yao’s name. Flipped several times between Yow and Yoh, in the same conversation with Delilah. 

[Madding crowd]

I’m thinking maybe ai should go to this island and get my problems solved. Micro dosing is a hot topic right now but no one should be given any drugs without their consent. Who is analyzing this bloodwork they keep taking? Unless they are medical pathologists they don’t know what they are doing. I am enjoying Melissa and Bobby and like their characters. It’s also a myth that you are cured once you figure out what your problem is; that’s just the beginning.

[dmc]

2 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I’m thinking maybe ai should go to this island and get my problems solved. Micro dosing is a hot topic right now but no one should be given any drugs without their consent. Who is analyzing this bloodwork they keep taking? Unless they are medical pathologists they don’t know what they are doing. I am enjoying Melissa and Bobby and like their characters. It’s also a myth that you are cured once you figure out what your problem is; that’s just the beginning.

Same I have problems I need solved too.  I also like smoothies but don’t like chopping fruit or cleaning my blender. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

"It's called micro-dosing and it's perfectly safe", hmmm OK Masha…

This episode is not that eventful. There are only several moments that I like:

- Frances told off her ex for not loving her and the way Tony looked at her after that.

- The unlikely friendship between Lars and Zoe. Will Zoe be helping Lars in exposing Tranquillum House?

- Annie Lennox’s No More "I Love You's" playing in the end.

- Masha’s bohemian dress.

 

[chocolatine]

They should have a "language double" for Nicole when Masha is supposed to speak Russian (they did it for Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys on The Americans). She completely butchered the word блять at the end. Every, and I mean every, Russian speaker on the planet knows how to pronounce that word. It's a running joke that small children learn this word even if they grow up in the most eloquent, non-swearing of households. Obviously Nicole was never going to fool anyone that's she's Russian, but that was the last straw.

25 minutes ago, dmc said:

I also like smoothies but don’t like chopping fruit or cleaning my blender. 

There's a trick to cleaning your blender: once you're finished using it, pour in some warm water and a drop of dishwashing liquid into the pitcher, close the lid, and run the blender again for 15-20 seconds. Pour out the dirty water, rinse, and it'll be mostly clean. And you can use frozen fruit, which is already chopped. If you have a high-power blended like Vitamix or Blendtec, it can blend fruit straight out of the freezer. With a less powerful blender, you'd have to let it thaw a bit before blending. (I use my Blendtec blender multiple times a week for smoothies, soups, and home-made dressings.)

Edited August 26, 2021 by chocolatine

[Sarahsmile416]

40 minutes ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

"It's called micro-dosing and it's perfectly safe", hmmm OK Masha…

This episode is not that eventful. There are only several moments that I like:

- Frances told off her ex for not loving her and the way Tony looked at her after that.

- The unlikely friendship between Lars and Zoe. Will Zoe be helping Lars in exposing Tranquillum House?

- Annie Lennox’s No More "I Love You's" playing in the end.

- Masha’s bohemian dress.

 

I have to give it to this show for reminding me how much I friggin love Annie Lennox and that song 👍

32 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

They should have a "language double" for Nicole when Masha is supposed to speak Russian (they did it for Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys on The Americans). She completely butchered the word блять at the end. Every, and I mean every, Russian speaker on the planet knows how to pronounce that word. It's a running joke that small children learn this word even if they grow up in the most eloquent, non-swearing of households. Obviously Nicole was never going to fool anyone that's she's Russian, but that was the last straw.

There's a trick to cleaning your blender: once you're finished using it, pour in some warm water and a drop of dishwashing liquid into the pitcher, close the lid, and run the blender again for 15-20 seconds. Pour out the dirty water, rinse, and it'll be mostly clean. And you can use frozen fruit, which is already chopped. If you have a high-power blended like Vitamix or Blendtec, it can blend fruit straight out of the freezer. With a less powerful blender, you'd have to let it thaw a bit before blending. (I use my Blendtec blender multiple times a week for smoothies, soups, and home-made dressings.)

Kidman is one of the true low points to this show.  Melissa McCarthy and Bobby Cannavale are killing it, however.    

[Zonk]

Really not much happened here. I get that it was important character development in parts, but I'm starting to wonder if this show wouldn't be better binged. I did that to the first three episodes and it was much more enjoyable.

Microdosing against depression, anxiety and other problems seems to be a really promising field of study that could be a lot further along if our goverments didn't make any drug that could be potentially fun illegal and encourage doctors to hand out drugs with a ton of side effects and very little actual effect like candy, like SSRIs for example. No effect on mild to moderate depression above the placebo effect (and even the effect on severe depression is arguable), but a ton of horrible side effects. Meanwhile I have to get Amphetamin on a special script for "narcotics" that most primary physicians can't even perscribe, because maybe somebody could have fun with it (which is almost impossible, since it is chemically bonded with Lysine and thus slow release). The sideeffects of Amphetamins are laughably minor compared to SSRIs.

/rant

Back on topic, while Psilocybin is very promising, nobody should be drugged without their consent. I get that these people are desperate, but no matter how desperate I was, I would be out of there. I mean, there doesn't seem to be much actual well founded therapy other than being drugged there. If I was as rich as those people, I could score some good drugs somewhere else and do that therapy at home... Tony has opiod connections. I'm sure that dealer can hook him up with some shrooms.

4 hours ago, BoffoDaWonderSheep said:

Minor point that bugged me. Masha kept changing how she pronounced Yao’s name. Flipped several times between Yow and Yoh, in the same conversation with Delilah. 

Her accent is all over the place and certainly doesn't sound like russian. You know what it reminds me of? Heidi Klum's german accent. It's not quite there, but certainly closer than to russian.

Also the thing she said in russian at the end: I don't know how it's spelled, but I grew up with plenty of russian kids in my class, so I know how it's pronounced and how Kidman did it is not it. Not even close. It was so wrong, I'm wondering if they didn't even have a sample for her to listen to. Or is she really this tone deaf?

If there is no point to her being russian in the end, other than vague crime ties, I'm going to flip a table. So unnecessary and distracting. Just let her talk in her australian accent. That should be plenty excotic.

4 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Unless they are medical pathologists they don’t know what they are doing.

They can just send it to a lab. There are plenty of tests like Vit B, Vit D, etc, you can order online, you take some blood and send it back to a lab. If you are a high end wellness resort you'd have a contract with a lab and could just have bloodwork done there, like any doctor does. I'm sure that's actually done in real life in high end wellness resorts.

When you get the results back from the lab, most of it is just seeing if the results are within normal range. A donkey could do it. It gets complicated if the results aren't normal, but for the sake of the show, I'm just going to assume that they were.

4 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I am enjoying Melissa and Bobby and like their characters. It’s also a myth that you are cured once you figure out what your problem is; that’s just the beginning.

I don't think the show is saying that. They all know what their problems are. Always have.

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

She completely butchered the word блять at the end. Every, and I mean every, Russian speaker on the planet knows how to pronounce that word.

I'm german, don't speak a word of russian otherwise and I know how to pronounce that word. XD

It reminds me of when Liam O'Brien on critical role tries to say "Scheiße". It's not quite as bad as Kidman's performance but still irksome. If you are trying to swear in another language, do it right. There is a hard s in there, Liam!

50 minutes ago, Sarahsmile416 said:

Kidman is one of the true low points to this show.  Melissa McCarthy and Bobby Cannavale are killing it, however.    

Fully agree.

Edited August 26, 2021 by Zonk

[Madding crowd]

Well I think the guests know they are angry, sad etc but don’t really know the root of this sadness ( Napoleon thought he was responsible for his sons death). I’ve seen and read a ton of books, movies and television shows that indicated a person discovering the root of their problems ends the problem. I do think that is what they are implying . 
They are in a remote location and only there for a week and I saw nothing to indicate they are sending the blood out for testing. I still maintain that using blood test results as a basis for giving people drugs is not something a spa should do and I don’t know any wellness spas that draws people blood. Most of them do nutrition and relaxation combined with fitness, meditation etc. Anything else would be a medical clinic .

edited to add: there are medi spas and weight loss spas but if they are providing medication they are required to have nurse practitioners or nurses under supervision of a doctor. Masha is not a medical professional 

Edited August 26, 2021 by Madding crowd

[SlovakPrincess]

Nicole Kidman is a lot of fun in this role, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it.  

LOL at Jessica getting jealous because she and Ben weren't being drugged.  "We're paying customers!"  She was very eager to get that MDMA!

I don't know why Yao ever thought Delilah was ok with this open relationship thing he's trying with Masha - she's clearly pissed off about all of this.

The acting has been top notch across the board.  Bobby Cannavale really stood out this week.

I don't think we've seen the last of Carmel's rage.

 

 

[Armchair Critic]

I had guessed Luke was a cop or private detective but he is an investigative journalist. This episode didn't seeem to move much, but maybe it was because I watched the first 3 at once.

*oops I meant Lars

Edited August 26, 2021 by Armchair Critic

[dmc]

10 hours ago, chocolatine said:

They should have a "language double" for Nicole when Masha is supposed to speak Russian (they did it for Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys on The Americans). She completely butchered the word блять at the end. Every, and I mean every, Russian speaker on the planet knows how to pronounce that word. It's a running joke that small children learn this word even if they grow up in the most eloquent, non-swearing of households. Obviously Nicole was never going to fool anyone that's she's Russian, but that was the last straw.

There's a trick to cleaning your blender: once you're finished using it, pour in some warm water and a drop of dishwashing liquid into the pitcher, close the lid, and run the blender again for 15-20 seconds. Pour out the dirty water, rinse, and it'll be mostly clean. And you can use frozen fruit, which is already chopped. If you have a high-power blended like Vitamix or Blendtec, it can blend fruit straight out of the freezer. With a less powerful blender, you'd have to let it thaw a bit before blending. (I use my Blendtec blender multiple times a week for smoothies, soups, and home-made dressings.)

Thank you, will do this!!!!!

[Bobcatkitten]

This one really dragged. Not sure I can hang in. I read the book and sort of just want to see how they handle the end but man this is SLOW. 

[Stiggs]

Eh, I think I'm done. I loved the book - and generally, Moriarty's humor really doesn't come across when they adapt her books for TV, and this one is starting to really not resemble the book at all - which I thought did an amazing job of telling each story. This crap is just kind of a waste of talent. 

I love Melissa McCarthy and she is perfect for her role, and I love Bobby Canavale too, and he's great - but eh. I don't think it's worth it. I'd rather watch reruns of Frasier or something. Bummer, I was pretty psyched about this becoming a series, but it just lost me. 

[rejnel]

On 8/25/2021 at 9:37 AM, archer1267 said:

Between this and St. Vincent, I hope Melissa McCarthy continues to do more dramatic roles.

My favorite of MM’s movies is Can You Ever Forgive Me? Worth a look if you like her dramatic work!

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 8/25/2021 at 12:37 PM, archer1267 said:

Between this and St. Vincent, I hope Melissa McCarthy continues to do more dramatic roles.

She was great in "Can You Ever Forgive Me".  She garnered her second Oscar nomination for that role.

20 hours ago, dmc said:

Same I have problems I need solved too.  I also like smoothies but don’t like chopping fruit or cleaning my blender. 

1). I buy frozen fruit that is already chopped for me and just dump it in my food processor.

2).  All parts of my food processor, except the base, can safely go in the dishwasher.  (Top rack)

I said this in another episode thread but Melissa and Bobby are in "Superintelligence" together on HBO as well.  

Edited August 26, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[nlkm9]

20 hours ago, Sarahsmile416 said:

I have to give it to this show for reminding me how much I friggin love Annie Lennox and that song 👍

Kidman is one of the true low points to this show.  Melissa McCarthy and Bobby Cannavale are killing it, however.    

Im terribly distracted by herunrealisticallyy severely botoxed face. But I think she is doing a good job.

[I-Kare]

I adore both Melissa and her husband, Ben Falcone, but I almost wish I didn't know he was playing her catfishing boyfriend because the scene where Frances was beating on the dummy came across as more funny than dramatic to me due to that. 

I'm with everyone else, though, Melissa and Bobby are carrying this for me. But I loved their chemistry in Super Intelligence, so I'm not surprised. 

 

[Anela]

I prefer it when we get two or three episodes together. 

I love smoothies, when my stomach can handle them. I wish I could afford to just buy one every day. I have a great blender, but I'm terrible at making them myself. Another tip: put almost everything in before you add the liquid. The author of Weelicious smoothies, said that the frozen fruit tenses up somehow, if you add the liquid first. I just bought her book, this past weekend, in an effort to motivate myself. It hasn't worked, but I might try to prep some drinks, in a while. 

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, Anela said:

I love smoothies, when my stomach can handle them. I wish I could afford to just buy one every day. I have a great blender, but I'm terrible at making them myself. Another tip: put almost everything in before you add the liquid. The author of Weelicious smoothies, said that the frozen fruit tenses up somehow, if you add the liquid first. I just bought her book, this past weekend, in an effort to motivate myself. It hasn't worked, but I might try to prep some drinks, in a while. 

Homemade smoothies are not only more cost-effective than those you buy at a smoothie place, but also much healthier because you fully control the ingredients. If smoothies are difficult on your stomach, I suggest starting with just two or three ingredients - my favorite smoothie is just blending a ripe banana with a cup of frozen blueberries and some water. Go for fruit only and don't mix it with any greens, yogurt, or protein powders. That way it should be easier to blend as well.

Topic? I think Delilah is going to take down Masha. She was not on board with the "protocol" and she's definitely not on board with Yao and Masha having sex.

[RealReality]

On 8/25/2021 at 6:19 PM, Sarahsmile416 said:

I have to give it to this show for reminding me how much I friggin love Annie Lennox and that song 👍

Kidman is one of the true low points to this show.  Melissa McCarthy and Bobby Cannavale are killing it, however.    

Thank you for this comment.  I've been mostly lurking to see if anyone else feels this way. 

I like Nicole Kidman and think she is an okay actress. 

But not only is her accent awful, it's extremely spotty in every situation (which maybe by design but that should be explained)....she just isn't great in this role.  She isn't a good charismatic leader.  

I can't understand the rush to cast her in every role that calls for a willowy woman of a certain age.  

[Nellise]

3 hours ago, RealReality said:

I can't understand the rush to cast her in every role that calls for a willowy woman of a certain age.  

She's an executive producer on the last few series she's done so I'm guessing she's choosing these for herself mostly.

[RealReality]

1 hour ago, Nellise said:

She's an executive producer on the last few series she's done so I'm guessing she's choosing these for herself mostly.

LOL, that'd do it!

[Sarahsmile416]

16 hours ago, RealReality said:

Thank you for this comment.  I've been mostly lurking to see if anyone else feels this way. 

I like Nicole Kidman and think she is an okay actress. 

But not only is her accent awful, it's extremely spotty in every situation (which maybe by design but that should be explained)....she just isn't great in this role.  She isn't a good charismatic leader.  

I can't understand the rush to cast her in every role that calls for a willowy woman of a certain age.  

She certainly seems as if she is in everything these days.  I like Kidman too - and loved her in Big Little Lies but maybe getting all these roles is spreading her thin and thus her performances are being effected 

[Nellise]

7 minutes ago, Sarahsmile416 said:

She certainly seems as if she is in everything these days.  I like Kidman too - and loved her in Big Little Lies but maybe getting all these roles is spreading her thin and thus her performances are being effected 

She played a Russian woman in Birthday Girl too, so you'd think she'd be better at the Russian accent. As for her looks, yeah the wig seems pretty bad, but she's also in her mid-50s and I think we're not accustomed to see women that age in films and tv (Melissa McCarthy is 3 years younger than her and definitely looks good for her age too). I don't deny Nicole had work done (people complained about it 10 years ago at least), but I can't see what's so off-putting.

[lucindabelle]

I’m also in my mid 50s and this is making me sad.

people who say “age naturally” generally haven’t gotten there yet. If it were just some lines ok. But when your eyelids droop and you start to get jowls your look in the mirror and a face you do NOT recognize stares back that you- it’s like a second puberty. 
 

it’s quite misogynistic in fact to critique women who  do a little work when you’re fine with them dying their hair. 
 

in Nicole’s case the neck doesn’t match the face and for me that’s the issue.

not denying some actresses have gone overboard and DONT look good at all.

but I agree women in their 50s just aren’t seen on tv; we go from 40s to Old Woman. According to magazines it’s 55 and up as if suddenly my nbeaufy needs are just like my 89-year old mom’s.

I will be happy never to read another post complaining about Nicole’s looks.

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, lucindabelle said:

I’m also in my mid 50s and this is making me sad.

people who say “age naturally” generally haven’t gotten there yet. If it were just some lines ok. But when your eyelids droop and you start to get jowls your look in the mirror and a face you do NOT recognize stares back that you- it’s like a second puberty. 
 

it’s quite misogynistic in fact to critique women who  do a little work when you’re fine with them dying their hair. 
 

in Nicole’s case the neck doesn’t match the face and for me that’s the issue.

not denying some actresses have gone overboard and DONT look good at all.

With all due respect, Nicole has had a lot more than "a little" work done. She barely looks like the same person anymore. This is what she looked like when she became famous in the 90s:

Obviously every woman has the right to do whatever she wants to her face and body, but if an actress who became famous for her unique features goes and changes them completely, you can't blame people for noticing and commenting.

 

[lucindabelle]

When anyone starts out “with all due respect” they are about to say something disrespectful in my experience.

And that’s what you just did.

I do t k ow whether You’re a man or a woman but you totally ignore the substance of my post in favor of age and plastic surgery shaming Nicole Kidman. I really don’t understand why it’s OK for people to do this. Shaming is shaming. Maybe if as a society we allowed people to age and still gave them Roll’s we’d be in a different place. But again as a woman in her mid-50s I am telling you she has only had a little bit of work done and the proof of that is her neck. She’s had filler and Botox and possibly a facelift but I don’t even think so.

 

JustYou’re a man or a woman but you totally ignore the substance of my post in favor of age and plastic surgery shaming Nicole Kidman. I really don’t understand why it’s OK for people to do this. Shaming is shaming. Maybe if as a society we allowed people to age and still gave them Roll’s we’d be in a different place. But again as a woman in her mid-50s I am telling you she has only had a little bit of work done and the proof of that is her neck. She’s had filler and Botox and possibly a facelift but I don’t even think so.

 

Just tell me why did you post a picture of her from 30 years ago?

just to shame her. People age. I personally think she does look like the same person her hair is different and a few other things.

 

Ultimately I think it’s sad how many people would rather discuss her looks than the show. I think she looks odd in the show and I think that’s because the character is odd.

 

but it’s quite something how many people who would never harp on someone’s weight will go on and on about what work they have or haven’t done and their age.

[dmc]

I cannot believe no one has mentioned how annoying the husband character is.  Any time he speaks, I cringe 

 

when he referred to the smoothies as a cup of yum yum

 

he talks like a synchronous preschool teacher and HR person at GOOP

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, lucindabelle said:

When anyone starts out “with all due respect” they are about to say something disrespectful in my experience.

And that’s what you just did.

I do t k ow whether You’re a man or a woman but you totally ignore the substance of my post in favor of age and plastic surgery shaming Nicole Kidman. I really don’t understand why it’s OK for people to do this. Shaming is shaming. Maybe if as a society we allowed people to age and still gave them Roll’s we’d be in a different place. But again as a woman in her mid-50s I am telling you she has only had a little bit of work done and the proof of that is her neck. She’s had filler and Botox and possibly a facelift but I don’t even think so.

 

JustYou’re a man or a woman but you totally ignore the substance of my post in favor of age and plastic surgery shaming Nicole Kidman. I really don’t understand why it’s OK for people to do this. Shaming is shaming. Maybe if as a society we allowed people to age and still gave them Roll’s we’d be in a different place. But again as a woman in her mid-50s I am telling you she has only had a little bit of work done and the proof of that is her neck. She’s had filler and Botox and possibly a facelift but I don’t even think so.

 

Just tell me why did you post a picture of her from 30 years ago?

just to shame her. People age. I personally think she does look like the same person her hair is different and a few other things.

 

Ultimately I think it’s sad how many people would rather discuss her looks than the show. I think she looks odd in the show and I think that’s because the character is odd.

 

but it’s quite something how many people who would never harp on someone’s weight will go on and on about what work they have or haven’t done and their age.

"With all due respect" means that I respect you, but disagree with your definition of "a little work" and whether it's necessary for actresses of a certain age in order to get roles. That's all it is.

For what it's worth, the book on which this show is based

Spoiler

has a negative stance on plastic surgery. The Jessica character is supposed to have had several procedures after she and Ben won the lottery, and all the other characters, including Ben (the book switches between the characters' POVs), remark how unnecessary and unflattering it was. The author is a woman in her 50s.

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by chocolatine

[chediavolo]

9 hours ago, chocolatine said:

With all due respect, Nicole has had a lot more than "a little" work done. She barely looks like the same person anymore. This is what she looked like when she became famous in the 90s:

Obviously every woman has the right to do whatever she wants to her face and body, but if an actress who became famous for her unique features goes and changes them completely, you can't blame people for noticing and commenting.

 

Exactly. When they a sign on to become public figures and are lucky enough to become “superstars” and bring in the billions they no longer have a right to complete privacy. And they have to take the criticism along with the money. Nicole looks awful and this Has to be the worst acting I’ve ever seen her do and I generally like her a lot 

[wendyg]

Let's at least agree that the wig looks awful - and decidedly un-Russian. I've seen lots of Russian women with long hair, and they all know how to take meticulous care of it.  I also happen to think Kidman looks terrible as a blonde and that she's nearly unrecognizable and that her face barely moves.

It's true that we have gotten much less used to seeing normal aging on TV. I remember the first episode I watched in THE RANCH and being actually startled to see Debra Winger's forehead wrinkle. Kidman is 54, Winger was 61 when the first season of THE RANCH was produced.

You want to see natural aging? Have a look at British actresses: Diana Rigg, Maggie Smith, Glenda Jackson, and Judi Dench were all Kidman's age around 1990.

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by wendyg

[dmc]

I think Nicole looks great and I’m not just saying that…I thought so when I first saw her in this.  I don’t think she still looks like the older picture someone posted from her Days of Thunder days but because her face is more chiseled.  She’s had work done but I think it looks good.   I think the argument is over people who prefer natural versus work done. I prefer the work done.  
 

I do agree her acting in this is awful.  But weirdly this is not the first Russian role Kidman has played accent and all.  She was in a movie called Birthday Girl and she played a Russian mail order bride 
 

 

Edited August 29, 2021 by dmc

[lucindabelle]

Again; when people say “age naturally” you’re almost always talking about people blessed with very firm jaws and non drooping eyelids.

Do YOU look the way you did in 1999? And no, being famous doesn’t mean you have no right to privacy. I don’t accept that for a second.

she’s not a supermodel but an actress, celebrated FOR her acting.

I think Masha looks suitably mysterious.

to an extent the way a performer looks is worth noting but only to the extent that it fits or does not fit the character. Nobody has yet said anything about that, just age and surgery shamed the actress.

we’ve no idea how old Masha is supposed to be.  I find it perfectly plausible that that character would also have had filler and Botox.

choclatine, there’s a big difference between perfectionism plastic surgery and people wanting not to have jowls. To many people, loss of a jawline affects their look as badly as losing their hair. Many men wear toupees, see Ted Samson, but nobody hair shames them…

And liane Moriarty’s age does not seem especially relevant and I don’t know why you’d assume I don’t know that. I propose that people who want to talk about the foibles of the actors instead of the characters fo so on a general page.
 

This is meant to be about this episode.

So back to this episode!

we hear Masha scream- but nobody reacts- so is the scream in her head?

also I was surprised Napoleon wanted to leave because Carmel got violent. That technique of hitting someone who hurt you is old old old; the sword was a wrinkle but otherwise it’s very standard therapy and prettty accepted. 
 

I have a bad feeling about that sweat lodge.

there is chemistry between Lars and Zoey, although Lara is gay. 
now that she is 21, will she be drugged too?

 

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by lucindabelle

[Haleth]

The scene with Tony telling Frances about the bar fight was well done by both actors. 

[Zonk]

On 8/26/2021 at 4:12 AM, Madding crowd said:

Well I think the guests know they are angry, sad etc but don’t really know the root of this sadness ( Napoleon thought he was responsible for his sons death). I’ve seen and read a ton of books, movies and television shows that indicated a person discovering the root of their problems ends the problem. I do think that is what they are implying . 

Most of them also know where the root of their problems lie. They have made that pretty clear. I think the only ones who don't know are the influencer couple, at least not fully.

They are just making a lot of progress because the Psilocybin allows their brains to form new connections and clear blockades. Which is a real thing. It does work wonders against depression. It often helps literally unbelieveably good. As in nobody can believe it when they first see it.

I'm not sure about MDMA and relationship therapy, but it helps amazingly in trauma therapy. You can basically just work on the trauma in therapy without having to carefully step around it to avoid retraumatisation. The patients brains are so flooded with serotonin, they literally can't be traumatised. That takes years to decades off the time it tales tp wprk through the trauma.

On 8/26/2021 at 4:12 AM, Madding crowd said:

edited to add: there are medi spas and weight loss spas but if they are providing medication they are required to have nurse practitioners or nurses under supervision of a doctor. Masha is not a medical professional 

Pretty sure the people taking the blood are nurses.

I doubt Masha cares about the laws on who can administer drugs, since you know, they are illegal drugs anyway.

19 hours ago, lucindabelle said:

it’s quite misogynistic in fact to critique women who  do a little work when you’re fine with them dying their hair. 

How exactly is that misogynistic?

3 hours ago, lucindabelle said:

Again; when people say “age naturally” you’re almost always talking about people blessed with very firm jaws and non drooping eyelids.

Maggie Smith has the droopiest of eyelids and she looks and is amazing.

3 hours ago, lucindabelle said:

Do YOU look the way you did in 1999?

God I hope not, I had very awkward teen years.

3 hours ago, lucindabelle said:

And no, being famous doesn’t mean you have no right to privacy. I don’t accept that for a second.

When you are an actress your face isn't private. Showing it to the world is literally your job.

Look I personally don't care about Kidman's face even 1% as much as her infuriating inability to put on a half way convincing accent, but she really overdid it with the plastic surgery. There is having your drooping eyelids lifted and then there is being transformed into a wax figure.

Edited August 29, 2021 by Zonk

[SunnyBeBe]

I’m relieved her accent doesn’t bother me at all.  The only kind that annoy me to no end are the fake southern accents you see occasionally.  Omg. Most non-southerners over do it on the twang.   I couldn’t watch Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer due to that.  
 

 

 

[dmc]

5 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I’m relieved her accent doesn’t bother me at all.  The only kind that annoy me to no end are the fake southern accents you see occasionally.  Omg. Most non-southerners over do it on the twang.   I couldn’t watch Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer due to that.  
 

 

 

 It doesn’t bother me either but I’ve never heard a Russian accent lol. So I don’t think I’m the best judge. 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️

[RealReality]

20 hours ago, dmc said:

I cannot believe no one has mentioned how annoying the husband character is.  Any time he speaks, I cringe 

 

when he referred to the smoothies as a cup of yum yum

 

he talks like a synchronous preschool teacher and HR person at GOOP

LOL, yeah.  I think Michael Shannon is an AMAZING actor (I think I first saw him in Boardwalk Empire) so I feel like this is exactly what the part calls for, but I have no idea how he ever found a woman to marry because he seems absolutely exhausting.  I cringe everytime he references "The Marconis"  

I'm hoping there is much, much more to the character, because his "deep moments" don't feel like much of a contraposition to the hilarious mixture of GOOP HR person and preschool teacher you're talking about.  

5 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I’m relieved her accent doesn’t bother me at all.  The only kind that annoy me to no end are the fake southern accents you see occasionally.  Omg. Most non-southerners over do it on the twang.   I couldn’t watch Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer due to that.  
 

 

 

Its not so much the accent (which is bad) as much as it is the inconsistency of the accent.

Sometimes its there, sometimes its not, it can change in a scene!

If there is a reason for this, then I wish it would be explained (maybe her origin story is fake and she is just putting on an intermittent accent?

**that is not a spoiler, I'm just saying it would be a valid explanation

[dmc]

2 minutes ago, RealReality said:

LOL, yeah.  I think Michael Shannon is an AMAZING actor (I think I first saw him in Boardwalk Empire) so I feel like this is exactly what the part calls for, but I have no idea how he ever found a woman to marry because he seems absolutely exhausting.  I cringe everytime he references "The Marconis"  

I'm hoping there is much, much more to the character, because his "deep moments" don't feel like much of a contraposition to the hilarious mixture of GOOP HR person and preschool teacher you're talking about.  

Its not so much the accent (which is bad) as much as it is the inconsistency of the accent.

Sometimes its there, sometimes its not, it can change in a scene!

If there is a reason for this, then I wish it would be explained (maybe her origin story is fake and she is just putting on an intermittent accent?

**that is not a spoiler, I'm just saying it would be a valid explanation

Wasn’t he also in Knives Out? 

[RealReality]

12 hours ago, lucindabelle said:

Again; when people say “age naturally” you’re almost always talking about people blessed with very firm jaws and non drooping eyelids.

Do YOU look the way you did in 1999? And no, being famous doesn’t mean you have no right to privacy. I don’t accept that for a second.

she’s not a supermodel but an actress, celebrated FOR her acting.

I think Masha looks suitably mysterious.

to an extent the way a performer looks is worth noting but only to the extent that it fits or does not fit the character. Nobody has yet said anything about that, just age and surgery shamed the actress.

we’ve no idea how old Masha is supposed to be.  I find it perfectly plausible that that character would also have had filler and Botox.

choclatine, there’s a big difference between perfectionism plastic surgery and people wanting not to have jowls. To many people, loss of a jawline affects their look as badly as losing their hair. Many men wear toupees, see Ted Samson, but nobody hair shames them…

And liane Moriarty’s age does not seem especially relevant and I don’t know why you’d assume I don’t know that. I propose that people who want to talk about the foibles of the actors instead of the characters fo so on a general page.
 

This is meant to be about this episode.

So back to this episode!

we hear Masha scream- but nobody reacts- so is the scream in her head?

also I was surprised Napoleon wanted to leave because Carmel got violent. That technique of hitting someone who hurt you is old old old; the sword was a wrinkle but otherwise it’s very standard therapy and prettty accepted. 
 

I have a bad feeling about that sweat lodge.

there is chemistry between Lars and Zoey, although Lara is gay. 
now that she is 21, will she be drugged too?

 

 

 

I did reference Kidman as nabbing all the roles for "willowy woman of a certain age" and that does have to do with her looks as it applies to her roles.  In the recent roles I can think of (The Undoing, Big Little Lies, now this) each role kind of called for a beautiful, but kinda willowy, physically weak (this is not the best word, reserved, kind of quiet, mysterious woman.  

In The Undoing she was a therapist who listened a lot, she was generally kind of a beta personality and her blonde friend was much more of an alpha.  She was reserved, rich, wife material, well spoken.

In Big Little Lies, kind of the same.  

Even here, where she is an enigmatic and charismatic leader, she still listens A LOT.  She is a mystery and so I get it, like we can see her seducing Yao but we dont really know exactly how they connected or how she actually feels about him.  When she is talking to Delilah there are very few words spoken and she has such a facade.  You can see whats going on with Delilah, but not with her, so to me, its kind of the same character.  

I hadn't noticed the plastic surgery until it was pointed out on a forum about the Undoing and then I was like oh yeah, she probably had plastic surgery, but I still think she is beautiful.  But give other willowy 50 year old woman a break Nicole, turn down a role or two!

@lucindabelle - I feel your pain and am sorry for it.  I think the times, they are a changing.  Women 55+ have careers and disposable income, so I think the beauty industry is starting to fill that market.  Makeup brands like Dior, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Marc Jacobs and YSL all have products geared towards a more mature market.  I know for a fact that Urban Decay has an eye primer for more mature consumers (I know because I purchased it).  If you ever stop by a Sephora, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.   

[Haleth]

1 hour ago, RealReality said:

I have no idea how he ever found a woman to marry because he seems absolutely exhausting

My impression is that he took on this hyper happy personality only after their son's death.  He's overcompensating to cover his own grief and guilt, and is trying too hard to encourage Heather and Zoe to be happy again.  He sees himself as the glue holding them together.

As for Nicolle, she's in an industry that doesn't like women who look a certain age.  She does what she has to do to keep getting roles.  Good for her.  She was gorgeous in The Undoing; here she is meant to appear a bit harsh.

[lucindabelle]

Lars and Zoe. Thoughts? They actually have chemistry which is weird on a lot of levels. 
 

thanks @RealReality- but this is a drumbeat I’ve been sounding for years. Once in style called me for a survey. I’d just turned 40 and when they heard my age they were like oops sorry. Now? 40 considered young.

so a lot of this is 100 percent constructed.

as for me I’ve just started a new career and so far so good.

I think Nicole looks good, we don’t know how old the character is meant to be and the constant harping on her age and plastic surgery is just shaming. And irrelevant. 

[JasonCC]

I'm a man pushing 50, but I think what is tough in this industry is people will compare you to how you used to look. Kidman looks great but does she look like 90s Kidman? No. If she was a new actress seeking roles for fortysomething characters I don't think we'd even comment (aside from her shitty Russian accent and bad wig). However, because we all have a soft spot for "Far & Away" era Kidman we judge her face based on that. She doesn't look like that anymore. She also doesn't look like our 54 yr old coworker. 

Gossipy moment? My sister in law met her in Nashville (she lives there part of the year) and said she looks great in person, stripped down, little make-up but needed to know where the back door was to have a cigarette. She was very kind and down to earth. She's a heavy smoker, which is probably how she stays so thin.

I think all the acting is top notch in this. Kidman gets extra scrutiny because she is a holdover of the Big! Movie! Star! days. I think with streaming and international markets that unique hierarchy is in decline.

Edited August 29, 2021 by JasonCC

[dmc]

1 hour ago, lucindabelle said:

Lars and Zoe. Thoughts? They actually have chemistry which is weird on a lot of levels. 
 

thanks @RealReality- but this is a drumbeat I’ve been sounding for years. Once in style called me for a survey. I’d just turned 40 and when they heard my age they were like oops sorry. Now? 40 considered young.

so a lot of this is 100 percent constructed.

as for me I’ve just started a new career and so far so good.

I think Nicole looks good, we don’t know how old the character is meant to be and the constant harping on her age and plastic surgery is just shaming. And irrelevant. 

100 Percent constructed 

 

yep there’s a vibe between Lars and Zoe.  Maybe he’s bisexual  or maybe the actors have chemistry 

Edited August 29, 2021 by dmc

[chocolatine]

19 minutes ago, dmc said:

yep there’s a vibe between Lars and Zoe.  Maybe he’s bisexual  or maybe the actors have chemistry 

Luke Evans is also gay, so whatever chemistry he has with the actress who plays Zoe is not sexual. I don't think there's a "vibe" between Lars and Zoe, they just share a similar sense of sarcasm and bonded quickly over that, being in a highly unusual environment. I don't want to stereotype, but I (a straight woman) have often befriended gay men quickly over shared interests or pet peeves. Part of it is that they tend to be engaging conversationists, the other part is that I feel I can let my guard down around them because they don't turn out to be creeps, like some overly friendly straight men do.

[dmc]

5 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

Luke Evans is also gay, so whatever chemistry he has with the actress who plays Zoe is not sexual. I don't think there's a "vibe" between Lars and Zoe, they just share a similar sense of sarcasm and bonded quickly over that, being in a highly unusual environment. I don't want to stereotype, but I (a straight woman) have often befriended gay men quickly over shared interests or pet peeves. Part of it is that they tend to be engaging conversationists, the other part is that I feel I can let my guard down around them because they don't turn out to be creeps, like some overly friendly straight men do.

I meant maybe the character is bisexual.  I don’t know anything about the actor.  But I would agree chemistry doesn’t need to be romantic.  But I think there is a vibe there.  Zoe says it herself…when she says what would (insert his partner’s name because I forget it) have to say about that.  It was very much a flirtation 

[chocolatine]

2 minutes ago, dmc said:

But I think there is a vibe there.  Zoe says it herself…when she says what would (insert his partner’s name because I forget it) have to say about that.  It was very much a flirtation 

I don't know. I have a hard time differentiating flirting from sarcasm, which is probably why I'm single. 😀