S01.E05: Sweet Surrender

[AnimeMania]

Zoe’s birthday celebration reopens old wounds, even as the group begins to grow closer.

Air Date: 9/1/21

[Armchair Critic]

Please don't ruin Grease for me.

[QQQQ]

I might be out. I don't care about any of these characters, the pacing is incredibly slow, and I'm not sure which is worse -- Nicole's extensions or her accent.

[BeckyThatcher]

Sex with floating hands? Why? Sex in the hot tub? It’s not a hot tub, writers, it’s a warm spring. Stop calling it a hot tub.
 

[SHD]

Were any of this episode's events in the book? I honestly don't remember any of these storylines. (It could totally be me and my bad memory, I'll admit.)

[BusyOctober]

How is this all going to wrap up in one more episode??  Or will this same group continue in Season 2?? I don’t see how that would be possible…they are more than half way through their session.  But, if Bart Simpson can still be in 4th grade, and Nicole Kidman still gets acting roles with her disturbing frozen face, bad wigs and egregious accents, anything is possible.

This started off promising (didn’t read the book- don’t see a reason to now), but the pacing is slow, too little movement once the characters’ stories are “micro- dosed” to us. I almost fell asleep during this episode…and I didn’t have a bowl of Quaker Oats to break my fall.

[Nellise]

47 minutes ago, BusyOctober said:

How is this all going to wrap up in one more episode??  Or will this same group continue in Season 2?? I don’t see how that would be possible…they are more than half way through their session.  But, if Bart Simpson can still be in 4th grade, and Nicole Kidman still gets acting roles with her disturbing frozen face, bad wigs and egregious accents, anything is possible.

This started off promising (didn’t read the book- don’t see a reason to now), but the pacing is slow, too little movement once the characters’ stories are “micro- dosed” to us. I almost fell asleep during this episode…and I didn’t have a bowl of Quaker Oats to break my fall.

I think it's 8 episodes not 6, so there are 3 more still.

This show doesn't work in episodes like this. It's trying to tell 10 stories in 40 minutes so almost nothing happens and there's no forward movement. There's no beginning, middle, and end to these episodes, it's like we're watching the middle of a movie and get cut off. I'm still interested enough to finish it, but I'm going to wait till it's all released.

[BusyOctober]

12 minutes ago, Nellise said:

I think it's 8 episodes not 6, so there are 3 more still.

Thank you Nellise…maybe 3 more EE’s can make a difference.  And maybe the Lottery Winner and his Influencer wife still have a chance to get some screen time.  Their individual stories and their couple story have been nothing but tropes so far.

[archer1267]

Was that erotic reiki I just saw? I don't know how else to describe it.

Lars hasn't been particularly like-able but I enjoyed his friendship with Zoe, and his attempt to listen to Carmel instead of pegging her as a crazy person to avoid.

I know Nicole Kidman's the biggest name in the cast but oddly, I'm not really interested in her character at all.

[dmc]

So Masha is romantically involved with both her employees?

ménage wellness? 
 

seriously Masha is sketchy

I’ve read the book I don’t want to spoil anybody on that.  So I won’t compare her in the book and her here. 
 

Also I think it’s called a warm spring not a hot tub

 

Am I the only person who thinks all these people minus like three of them are annoying?  I feel like at this point we’re supposed to care about some of them. 

 

Edited September 1, 2021 by dmc

[Britneys Scrunchie]

I think the episodes would work better if they focused on one person’s story at a time instead of all nine at once + Masha and the workers. Everything feels fragmented, and there seems to be little discernible story arc within the actual episode. Contrast that with Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects, where each episode was kind of a standalone story unto itself.
 

The characters seemed well-drawn at first, but I really don’t care much about them. Although I do find Carmel oddly endearing in her bewilderment. Her interaction with Lars felt like the only real high point in today’s episode. I want to like Delilah and Yao, but it seems almost too much about them has been revealed and there is no longer any mystery about them. They seem as broken as the guests.
 

The show is visually beautiful, glossy, well-edited, and beautifully scored, and yet…I wish I liked the series more than I do.

[Anela]

I liked this one.  Both Lars and Carmel, and Tony and Frances.  I also liked the Marconi’s diving into the water.  The wife’s “fucking hell!” and then doing it anyway.  

[h2ogirl]

I just want this show to be better. The cast is really great, the premise is intriguing, but everything is just flat for me while watching. I suppose it's the writing. David E Kelley is usually so good, not sure what is wrong here. 

[dmc]

19 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Please don't ruin Grease for me.

This scene was so cringe. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Quite a boring episode for me. How are they supposed to wrap everything up in 3 more episodes?

Wait, what? Masha and Dee are secret lovers? And Yao is just their playmate? Is this the nature of their relationship in the book?

Were Dee and Yao having reiki sex and giving each other reiki orgasms? 😳😱

What does it mean when Masha told Zoe “ you are the key”? Key for what? 

[Roxie]

8 hours ago, archer1267 said:

Was that erotic reiki I just saw? I don't know how else to describe it.

Hmm - that wasn’t part of my training. Maybe a specialty area?

[Johnny Dollar]

I seriously can’t recall a more boring character in a somewhat “prestige” show than Masha. 

[Quickbeam]

Frances really brightens the screen for me. Also, I like Lars a lot. Carmel’s whiny stress face makes me want to turn the channel. And godalmighty could they not get a better wig on Kidman? It’s just laughably bad. 

[bilgistic]

10 hours ago, archer1267 said:

Was that erotic reiki I just saw? I don't know how else to describe it.

It immediately reminded me of the Sasha Cobra episode of the Netflix series "(Un)Well". She "performed" the same kind of thing on (to?) men to "heal their trauma". Complete crackpot, much like Masha. "(Un)Well" is a series about real-life Mashas. Completely batshit and I 100% recommend it for the WTF factor alone.

Edited September 2, 2021 by bilgistic

[DiabLOL]

I really can’t stand Carmel. She’s been stressing me out from her very first scene and it’s just getting worse.  I immediately thought she was someone I would go out of my way to avoid. 
I’m only sticking around for Frances because I love Melissa McCarthy. The show has failed to make me care about the plot or anyone else.

[chocolatine]

13 hours ago, SHD said:

Were any of this episode's events in the book?

Spoiler

No.

2 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Wait, what? Masha and Dee are secret lovers? And Yao is just their playmate? Is this the nature of their relationship in the book?

Spoiler

Also no.

 

[SHD]

23 hours ago, Nellise said:

This show doesn't work in episodes like this. It's trying to tell 10 stories in 40 minutes so almost nothing happens and there's no forward movement. There's no beginning, middle, and end to these episodes, it's like we're watching the middle of a movie and get cut off. I'm still interested enough to finish it, but I'm going to wait till it's all released.

I kind of felt this way about the book. It didn't make me care enough about any character because it was cramming too many stories in at once and not being detailed enough about any of them. Maybe the series could've worked if each episode focused on one character's story at a time. 

12 hours ago, chocolatine said:

  Reveal spoiler

No.

  Reveal spoiler

Also no.

 

Thanks!

[ribboninthesky1]

20 hours ago, Britneys Scrunchie said:

The show is visually beautiful, glossy, well-edited, and beautifully scored, and yet…I wish I liked the series more than I do.

Agreed.  I don't particularly care about any of the characters, although I did enjoy Delilah's exasperated "Fuck off, Tony" in this episode. But mostly I watch this because I'm kind of bored, there isn't much TV catching my interest, and the smoothie scenes make me want one (sans illegal drugs).  Oh, and the pretty scenery. 

On 9/1/2021 at 11:51 AM, Nellise said:

This show doesn't work in episodes like this. It's trying to tell 10 stories in 40 minutes so almost nothing happens and there's no forward movement. There's no beginning, middle, and end to these episodes, it's like we're watching the middle of a movie and get cut off. I'm still interested enough to finish it, but I'm going to wait till it's all released.

In hindsight, maybe I would be more interested if I binged all episodes.  Watching the 1st 3 in short order piqued my interest, but the last 2 weeks, I've been like, "Wait, what happened last episode?" And I've no interest in rewatching any of it, so I'm halfway confused through bits and start scrolling on my phone in disinterest.  Shame, too, since there's a lot of talent on screen and they're doing their jobs.      

[BingeyKohan]

1 hour ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

Oh, and the pretty scenery. 

    

I don't even think the scenery is that pretty so I don't know why I'm still watching! Also every episode they make a point of having one of the staff announce what the day's activities are but then said activities seem to take like 10 minutes? What are they doing with all their time??

[LADreamr]

On 9/1/2021 at 9:58 AM, BusyOctober said:

Or will this same group continue in Season 2??

I must be drinking a spiked smoothie.  I hallucinated a suggestion of a Season 2. :)

[JasonCC]

I liked Carmel and Lars moment together but that's about it. Lamest episode so far, agreed this might be a show that would benefit from a one binge?

[Anela]

4 hours ago, BingeyKohan said:

I don't even think the scenery is that pretty so I don't know why I'm still watching! Also every episode they make a point of having one of the staff announce what the day's activities are but then said activities seem to take like 10 minutes? What are they doing with all their time??

I don’t think it is, either.  

[QQQQ]

5 hours ago, JasonCC said:

I liked Carmel and Lars moment together but that's about it. Lamest episode so far, agreed this might be a show that would benefit from a one binge?

Or one purge.

[MaggieG]

I'm really confused about the Delilah/Masha/Yao triangle. So Dee and Yao are in a relationship but it's not real to Dee because she's in an actual relationship with Masha? And Yao can't know? But Yao is sleeping with Masha as well and Dee knows about it? And Dee wants Masha to stop hooking up with Yao. Why was she doing that in the first place? And why if Dee wants to be with Masha, doesn't she just break up with Yao? I think Masha is using them both.

On 9/1/2021 at 9:15 PM, SnazzyDaisy said:

What does it mean when Masha told Zoe “ you are the key”? Key for what? 

I haven't read the book, so this is pure speculation but I think she needed someone who could have an actual hallucination without being asleep. Lars and Napoleon mentioned they had very intense/real dreams and then of course Frances with her real seeming dream. But Zoe wasn't sleeping when she saw and spoke to her brother, she was awake. And she was awake when she saw him at the birthday celebration as well. Maybe that is somehow Masha's endgame? Who knows.

I don't care about Ben and Jessica. I'm on board the Frances/Tony ship.

[chediavolo]

On 9/1/2021 at 7:51 PM, dmc said:

This scene was so cringe. 

On 9/1/2021 at 11:18 PM, DiabLOL said:

I really can’t stand Carmel. She’s been stressing me out from her very first scene and it’s just getting worse.  I immediately thought she was someone I would go out of my way to avoid. 
I’m only sticking around for Frances because I love Melissa McCarthy. The show has failed to make me care about the plot or anyone else.

Carmel has big time anger issues & is going to hurt some innocent person, she’s a loose cannon. She should be in intense therapy, not at this drug resort. 
What father dances around in his boxers in front of his daughter😳? In real life there would have been a dick  slip. 

On 9/1/2021 at 7:51 PM, dmc said:

[SunnyBeBe]

I had been finding Michael Shannon’s voice annoying, but I’m getting used to it. Maybe, the singing is helping. Lol I just realized that he has been in a lot of movies over the years.  I recently saw him in one from 2011 called The Shelter.  It was pretty good.  His voice seems normal in other projects.

I liked this episode fine.  To me a lot happened.  For me, the show is about people who are thinking about their troubles and trying to deal with them. And, that may progress in different ways. 
 

I’m not easily disappointed in tv series anymore.  After enduring the last season of Fargo and all the network medical dramas….my expectations are modest. I’m looking forward to the next three episodes.   

Edited September 4, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[Roxie]

On 9/2/2021 at 11:39 AM, BingeyKohan said:

What are they doing with all their time??

This is a very good question, especially considering what they paid. I’d expect many more planned activities. That said, I’m hoping for Frances and Bobby to spend some of their time in some really fun activities!

[Kiss my mutt]

I’m starting to lose interest in this series. Granted, NPS is my least favorite Liane Moriarty novel, so I’m surprised I’ve gotten this far. There are much better novels of hers that would for a better series. Maybe Nicole had a hankering to play a Russian goddess like guru than some of the plainer protagonists. 
I like Kidman overall but her accents are all over the place compared to her Australian peers. 
Melissa McCartney is the GOAT of this series which is no big surprise. 
This episode was pretty slow, I was reading the forums here while it was on. 

[weaver]

I'm tired of the series as well.  I'll stick it out until the end, but I have trouble remembering the names from week to week.  I don't think I've ever seen Nicole Kidman be outright terrible in a film, but I find her outright terrible in this one, not helped by the wigs.  She is slipping in and out of accents.  What happened?   I'm liking Frances, Tony and Lars.   I"d like to see more of Jessica.  Maybe if it were more fast paced I'd enjoy it more; it has all the ingredients but it isn't coming together.  

 

Edited September 5, 2021 by weaver

[weaver]

3 hours ago, weaver said:

double post

 

 

Edited September 5, 2021 by weaver

[MicheleinPhilly]

I've always found Michael Shannon to be kind of creepy - probably that Bug movie I saw with him and Ashley Judd years ago - so seeing him play this dorky dad has been a little off-putting. I mean he's doing it well but there is a disconnect for me. 

I think the show may have benefited from doing, what are they called, bottle episodes? Capsule episodes? Where they focus primarily on 1 character or family each week. But then I guess we wouldn't get Melissa and Bobby each week which frankly is what has been sustaining me. 

I totally laughed when Masha thought that Zoe seeing her brother was evidence of some breakthrough. Countless people who have lost loved ones have experiences where they "see" or "talk" to that person. It's a well-documented psychological coping mechanism so this idea that Masha thought she played any part in it was 🙄.

I'm still thoroughly perplexed as to what the influencer couple is doing there. Is it to revive their sex life? OK, mission accomplished. I'm not familiar with either of the actors but their characters just seem like filler to me. 

[bilgistic]

7 hours ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

I've always found Michael Shannon to be kind of creepy - probably that Bug movie I saw with him and Ashley Judd years ago - so seeing him play this dorky dad has been a little off-putting. I mean he's doing it well but there is a disconnect for me.

I think he's so creepy! I'm glad I'm not alone.

[topanga]

On 9/5/2021 at 5:26 AM, weaver said:

I'm tired of the series as well.  I'll stick it out until the end, but I have trouble remembering the names from week to week.  I don't think I've ever seen Nicole Kidman be outright terrible in a film, but I find her outright terrible in this one, not helped by the wigs.  She is slipping in and out of accents.  What happened?   I'm liking Frances, Tony and Lars.   I"d like to see more of Jessica.  Maybe if it were more fast paced I'd enjoy it more; it has all the ingredients but it isn't coming together.  

 

I guess I'm in the minority because I'm enjoying the series--more than I did the novel. Sometimes the episodes drag a bit, but the cast is great. 

 

[KrissA]

He's here. Zoe is the key. Is Marsha trying to bring back all of the dead people she sees? 🤔 🤔