S05.E09: Let It Ride

[CheshireCat]

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Local law enforcement turns up the heat on the Codys as further secrets threaten to destabilize the family; Deran gets some news about Adrian; Craig discovers Renn has been keeping a secret

Air date: Sep 5, 2021

[Dowel Jones]

Spaghetti on the wall again, as far as I can see.  Craig and Renn, Deran and SOB owners, Pope and Smurf's ghost, J and the attorney, the Codys and the cops, young Smurf and Manny and Pete.  Where is this all going?

20% downgrade makes for an exciting skateboard ride.

[Marley]

Nothing is happening still. Like what is even the point of this season?

What was the point of Pam? To bring the lawyer granddaughter in?

I feel like Deran will end up hooking up with the other bar owner guy.

Why am I still watching lol. Kind of just wanna see how it ends but it’s not fun at all to watch anymore. 

Was that Adrians sister? I don’t remember seeing her before.

Seeing Baz made me miss him and miss when the show was actually good.

Craig just keeps annoying me more and more every episode.

[iMonrey]

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Nothing is happening still. Like what is even the point of this season?

I can't believe we're nine episodes in. Generally each season revolves around one or two big, major heists they plan for and build up to. This season we've had nothing since the plane they took the drugs from and that wasn't even a heist. It feels like the writers have completely lost interest in the present day story and just want to write about hot, young Smurf.

An example of how lazy the writing is for the Cody boys: they're watching this skateboard race and Deran and Craig are saying how they remember when Pope used to skate and do his OCD thing with it, but Craig is a good ten years younger than Pope and Deran is seven years younger than Craig. How the hell old was Pope when he was a skateboarder and how old were Craig and Deran if they can both remember it? Was he in his 20s? Someone writing this shit has no idea how old these characters are, they're just tossing off generic garbage dialogue for filler until they can get back to the story they really want to write: young, hot Smurf. Ooh, I know, let's have her be all bad and bossy with Pete Senior, won't that be awesome? 🙄

[Auntie Anxiety]

33 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

It feels like the writers have completely lost interest in the present day story and just want to write about hot, young Smurf.

It reminds me of Matthew Weiner’s obvious obsession with the actress who played Don Draper’s second wife, Megan. The audience doesn't give two shits about the character, but the writers can’t seem to go beyond it.

[TooMuchRealityTV]

Okay, I did not entirely hate this episode. The whole J/Deran fight for leader thing appears to be squashed. I wasn't rooting for anyone to actually win and angry Deran was annoying. Pope seems to be back with the family now. His whole wanderings in the desert thing was not interesting. I do prefer when the Cody boys are a team. So if they could just go back to planning heists that would be great.

I can still do without the whole flashback thing. For a minute I thought maybe they were going somewhere interesting with showing us why Smurf initially took Baz in. She has the mothering skills of a viper so I doubt she felt anything for him. Perhaps he showed promise at early age of becoming a good thief. But no, apparently the Baz mention was random.

I agree with others that this season really isn't going anywhere. The Cody boys aren't planning anything and Young Smurf stories are apparently not related to the present (main plot). Young Smurf almost feels like a different show at this point.

[Crashcourse]

I'm just surprised that so many people were so intimidated by Young Smurf.   I had to laugh at her walking around, boobs swinging in that shirt, acting all badass.  🙄  I guess the men thought she was hot so that's why she wasn't flat-blasted. 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I absolutely cannot stand the actress’ portrayal of young Smurf!  Can’t even be bothered to look up her real name.  Did she never watch Ellen Barkin in any of the series prior to stepping into the role??  The season is falling flat on it’s face and it is no fault of the actors playing the boys.   

[Marley]

3 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I'm just surprised that so many people were so intimidated by Young Smurf.   I had to laugh at her walking around, boobs swinging in that shirt, acting all badass.  🙄  I guess the men thought she was hot so that's why she wasn't flat-blasted. 

Lmao I think the same thing like every episode. Like why are all these serious criminals and maybe gang members afraid of this dumb bitch. I could see maybe later on when she had her sons as muscle and crazy ass Pope, but when she’s young it’s just her with some skinny small guy and a bad gambler who fucks up. Ooh scary. Better watch out.

[arachne]

I had to chuckle a bit when the attorney asked J, "Don't you ever smile?" and J does. Sure, if it gets him what he wants.

And on a purely shallow note, I enjoyed seeing Craig get out of bed. 😉

Otherwise, more of this season's mediocrity. I'll keep watching, but I can't wait for it to end. 

[Raja]

2 hours ago, arachne said:

I had to chuckle a bit when the attorney asked J, "Don't you ever smile?" and J does. Sure, if it gets him what he wants.

And on a purely shallow note, I enjoyed seeing Craig get out of bed. 😉

Otherwise, more of this season's mediocrity. I'll keep watching, but I can't wait for it to end. 

I saw the smile and thought that J. looked like a Terminator trying to smile. He is as scary in his way as uncle Pope

[Auntie Anxiety]

5 hours ago, Foghorn Leghorn said:

 

I absolutely cannot stand the actress’ portrayal of young Smurf!  Can’t even be bothered to look up her real name.  Did she never watch Ellen Barkin in any of the series prior to stepping into the role??  

 

I say the same damn thing every week! For this actress, JOB 1 should have been to sit down and watch every last minute of every episode in every prior season. The writers, producers and directors should have made that her homework. And when she would finish watching all those episodes, she should have been made to watch them again. Everyone is complicit in this atrocity.

The only other thing I can come up with is that she tried a number of times to carry off the Smurf persona, failed miserably time and again and TPTB said, “You know what? Just do it how you feel comfortable. No one will care because Covid! And we need to crank these episodes out.”

If they were going to find a shitty actress to play this (iconic) role, the least the could have done would have been to find a shitty actress who resembled Ellen Barkin.

Edited September 7, 2021 by Auntie Anxiety

[MaggieG]

14 hours ago, arachne said:

I had to chuckle a bit when the attorney asked J, "Don't you ever smile?" and J does. Sure, if it gets him what he wants.

And on a purely shallow note, I enjoyed seeing Craig get out of bed. 😉

Otherwise, more of this season's mediocrity. I'll keep watching, but I can't wait for it to end. 

Best part of the episode. I cheered while my husband rolled his eyes lol.

J and that lawyer are so going to hook up

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, MaggieG said:

J and that lawyer are so going to hook up

Yes, and I have a feeling that things won't go well for her if that happens.

[Laurie4H]

20 hours ago, Foghorn Leghorn said:

I absolutely cannot stand the actress’ portrayal of young Smurf!  Can’t even be bothered to look up her real name.  Did she never watch Ellen Barkin in any of the series prior to stepping into the role??  The season is falling flat on it’s face and it is no fault of the actors playing the boys.   

She is Vincent D’Onofrio’s daughter and is married to Sean Penn.  I am also sick of her bad ass braless act.  
I hoping something connects with present day.  Maybe show how they got the house or how Julia turned on the family.  The other kids being born.  I would find that more interesting.   

[Foghorn Leghorn]

38 minutes ago, Laurie4H said:

She is Vincent D’Onofrio’s daughter and is married to Sean Penn.  I am also sick of her bad ass braless act.  
I hoping something connects with present day.  Maybe show how they got the house or how Julia turned on the family.  The other kids being born.  I would find that more interesting.   

Yes know her parentage (including Mom Greta Scacchi) and about Sean Penn which makes me wonder why she isn’t better at this role?!  They have wasted so much air time on young Smurf doing heists, stomping her foot to get her way and being a shitty mother instead of how all the kids came to be and how they got that house!  

[Auntie Anxiety]

3 hours ago, Foghorn Leghorn said:

Yes know her parentage (including Mom Greta Scacchi) and about Sean Penn which makes me wonder why she isn’t better at this role?!

More likely than not she got the role because of her pedigree. To hell with her ability.

[iMonrey]

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[Leila George] is Vincent D’Onofrio’s daughter and is married to Sean Penn.

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More likely than not she got the role because of her pedigree. To hell with her ability.

She only has six acting credits on IMDb, including this one. It really feels like someone high up made some sort of deal to put her on the show. The whole things seems sketchy as hell. 

[Auntie Anxiety]

16 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

She only has six acting credits on IMDb, including this one. It really feels like someone high up made some sort of deal to put her on the show. The whole things seems sketchy as hell. 

To me, the worst part is that anyone with two brain cells to rub together would see that she is not right for the role and that her acting sucks. Everyone on that set noticed it. How could they not? It’s like a big Fuck You to us viewers. I’ll probably be done with this crap fest unless something seriously changes in the last few episodes because right now I can’t justify wasting my time.

ETA—her acting might be good enough to land her a role in a Hallmark Movie, but that’s it.

ETA—Just read an article about the Monica Lewinsky project and Annaleigh Ashford, who is playing Paula Jones in the miniseries. She would have made a fantastic young Smurf, in my opinion.

Edited September 7, 2021 by Auntie Anxiety

[sugarbaker design]

16 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

ETA—her acting might be good enough to land her a role in a Hallmark Movie, but that’s it.

No offense, but the only actors in the cast that aren't Hallmark Movie material are Shawn Hatosy and Finn Cole.  When Speedman and Barkin left the show the Bell curve for acting went way down.