S03:E04 The Telephone Hour

[kassa]

On 9/29/2021 at 9:29 PM, KaveDweller said:

I had really been enjoying this, but in this episode all I could think about was how annoying Monica was. If she was my friend calling that much to whine, I would have stopped taking her calls. 

Presumably other friends had, but remember Linda was egging her on, bringing it up, directing her back to it if she spoke of other things, providing a sick atmosphere to indulge dissection of every second of any encounter.

On 9/29/2021 at 5:08 PM, poeticlicensed said:

I wonder if since we are getting the story from Monica who admits she harbors great resentment against Linda, if it might be an over the top representation. 

 

On 9/30/2021 at 8:03 PM, xhoipolloix said:

Were they waiting for Linda Tripp to die before putting this on air or would they have aired it if she was still alive?

Tripp was super visible for several years - this is how she projected in real time. She lived to see John Goodman portray her on SNL and it was vicious. 

5 hours ago, Chatty Cake said:

ML was so dumb confiding in Linda. She seems oblivious that she looks like a slutty asshole bragging about her and gross Bill. The real Monica was prettier and curvy, she was not nearly as big as the actress playing her. Was she as dumb as portrayed? I guess so since it all came out. (Eww that reminds me of the nasty dress) 

I remember at the time thinking she was very polished and composed, considering the weight of what she was dealing with in the press. A lot of the stuff we're seeing in the show -- the levels of desperation -- may have been hinted at in transcripts, but she was not a public walking basket case. 

[qtpye]

5 hours ago, kassa said:

Presumably other friends had, but remember Linda was egging her on, bringing it up, directing her back to it if she spoke of other things, providing a sick atmosphere to indulge dissection of every second of any encounter.

 

Tripp was super visible for several years - this is how she projected in real time. She lived to see John Goodman portray her on SNL and it was vicious. 

I remember at the time thinking she was very polished and composed, considering the weight of what she was dealing with in the press. A lot of the stuff we're seeing in the show -- the levels of desperation -- may have been hinted at in transcripts, but she was not a public walking basket case. 

Now THAT'S a good Clinton impersonation. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Linda calling Monica a narcissist was rich. I think Monica was very needy but Linda's ego was ravenous and predatory.

Blair Underwood as Vernon Jordan. Hmm. Whatever, I was impressed with the way Jordan handled Monica until he smacked her on the butt on her way out. Wow.

Bananas and milk day? WTF? What kind of diet was that?

I'd have complimented Linda's patience with Monica's endless phone calls but then I remembered why she was tolerating if not encouraging them. Still, she should've been charging by the hour for those conversations.

And then Linda's jealousy got the best of her. When Monica casually mentioned possibly going to the WH Christmas party, Linda went into orbit. Getting booted out of the WH really broke something in her head.

Linda was a foot taller than Monica. How could any of Monica's clothes have fit her?

Bill knew how to pick 'em, huh? Seems Monica had already been pretty much trained to be the obedient sidepiece.

Monica only had gotten notification of an interview with Revlon, right? On that alone she quit her Pentagon job?

Bill and Hillary slept in the same bed? That scene surprised me. I had thought by that point their marriage was merely one of convenience and mostly for public show.

Quote

but working at the Pentagon seems really impressive to me.

I was a DoD employee once upon a time. The Pentagon was a great place to visit and attend meetings. Going in there felt like entering one of those 1960s Cold War movies, lol. You knew majorly serious stuff was going in there to keep the country safe from nuke attacks and errant asteroids. 😏

But I think working there must've been like being in a warehouse unless you worked for someone very high up the ladder in one of the areas that had windows facing outside. Back then, to be both female and a civilian in the Pentagon--even at the pay grade Linda was likely at--was never going to be seen as impressive. A receptionist in the WH would've had higher cachet, something Linda was personally and painfully aware of.

Edited October 11, 2021 by Joimiaroxeu

[poeticlicensed]

22 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Bananas and milk day? WTF? What kind of diet was that?

I remember doing  all kinds of stupid diets back then. I did a diet where I could only eat canned tuna every day. 

[mostlylurking]

On 9/30/2021 at 3:03 PM, chick binewski said:

Tripp was conflicted about taping for some time, allegedly. 

My ass.  I don’t believe that for a second.  She taped a woman who was confiding in her as a friend.  That was stupid of Monica, but Linda was a jealous, miserable shrew of a woman to do what she did.  I don’t think she ever gave two shits about Monica, she was just an awful human.

[mostlylurking]

On 10/6/2021 at 11:37 AM, kassa said:

I had really been enjoying this, but in this episode all I could think about was how annoying Monica was. If she was my friend calling that much to whine, I would have stopped taking her calls. 

Presumably you wouldn’t be using those calls to throw your friend in front of an oncoming train, so I would agree with you.  But Linda wasn’t Monica’s friend.  She was using Monica for her own vengeful reasons.  So I am pretty sure she was very eager for each and every call.  The more annoying/gross, the better.

[chick binewski]

15 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

My ass.  I don’t believe that for a second.  She taped a woman who was confiding in her as a friend.  That was stupid of Monica, but Linda was a jealous, miserable shrew of a woman to do what she did.  I don’t think she ever gave two shits about Monica, she was just an awful human.

I dont understand Tripp's actions completely but I would argue we're not exactly getting a nuanced portrayal of her here.

[CeeBeeGee]

On 10/11/2021 at 6:08 PM, poeticlicensed said:

I remember doing  all kinds of stupid diets back then. I did a diet where I could only eat canned tuna every day. 

Good GOD. How on earth did you not die of mercury poisoning?

[SarahPrtr]

On 10/11/2021 at 10:32 AM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Bananas and milk day? WTF? What kind of diet was that?

 

It's now kind of a K-pop star diet.  Recently, this singer called Somi revealed that she ate one banana per meal - i.e. 3 bananas a day and that's it.  The thing is, she was only 19 years old, so already had a fast metabolism.  Plus, K-pop singers dance 12+ hours a day.  Just how skinny do they want women to be???  I'm sad to say that a lot of girls and women in Korea eat very little to remain in the under-49-kilogram-zone (110 pounds), regardless of height.  So, even if you're 5 ft 9 in, you still have to be 110 pounds or under... which is fine, if you're naturally very slender and that's your normal weight, but most women aren't like that. 

[roughing it]

Monica did mention that "tomorrow was beets day".  Sounds like a diet I was on for a short while around that time period - each day was something different, I think it was called the Air Force diet or something.  One day was canned tuna, one day was cottage cheese, one day was ______??? I don't remember bananas and milk.  Anyway it was horrible and I only lasted maybe a week.

[kj4ever]

6 minutes ago, roughing it said:

Monica did mention that "tomorrow was beets day".  Sounds like a diet I was on for a short while around that time period - each day was something different, I think it was called the Air Force diet or something.  One day was canned tuna, one day was cottage cheese, one day was ______??? I don't remember bananas and milk.  Anyway it was horrible and I only lasted maybe a week.

Oh you are right!  I quit on banana and milk day!

[Kel Varnsen]

I feel like a lot of this and the last episode could have been condensed into one episode. Since all the stuff with Monica obsessing about Clinton and whining about wanting to get back to the White House got super repetitive. Especially since it apparently took place over months. For this one I felt they could have broken it up more with some of what the other characters were doing.

Also I am not really sure what Lucianne's whole deal is. She seems to want Linda to write a tell all book. But even with a ton of padding, at the time at least, it doesn't seem like Linda has enough information for a chapter much less a whole book. And then she helps leak the info to Paula Jones's lawyer. But it seems that would work against her, since if the information comes out in court, a book would be a lot more interesting.