S02.E09: Last Dance

[helenamonster]

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Tensions rise between Bette, Tina and Angie on the day Angie’s set to meet her donor; Shane struggles with a secret; and Alice questions how open she should be about her personal life during her press tour. Meanwhile, Sophie is forced to confront some harsh realities about Finley; Dani’s personal and professional life are both thrown into further turmoil by what’s happening at Nùñez Inc; and Micah navigates his changing relationship with Maribel during a visit with her family.

Original airdate: 10/4/21

[hurrrz]

This show... I've been saying that the writing is pretty bad, as in, it's all based around "how can we create conflict in the most convenient way". The problem with that is, it feels so incredibly forced.

- The conflict at the art foundation doesn't pull any weight, because we have no real idea WHY the Nunez family has been so bad for the artists. 

- Alice's conflict is such an easy one to fix - just say nothing to report. It's not that big of an issue

Bette Porter's smugness annoys me. She gets everything she wants, because she's Bette effin Porter. 

Finley... how the hell did you get into that condo building in the first place? I am pretty sure a place with that view and luxury has a door man. You weren't really close with Dani - how did you know she lives there? And pissing in the hallway? Yikes. 

Also - Maribel - your partner is trying to put in effort to learn Spanish, don't put them down with "don't ever do that again". So disrespectful. 

On a shallow note, I think this was the first episode this week without any sexy time (aside from the previously montage) and hey - this is good. We don't need to see these characters to hook up every episode. 

[Elizzikra]

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- The conflict at the art foundation doesn't pull any weight, because we have no real idea WHY the Nunez family has been so bad for the artists. 

I don't think it was necessarily that the Nunez family was bad for the artist, but that their money came from prescription painkillers, which they marketed as non-addictive, knowing that they were in fact, highly addictive. Substitute "Sackler" for "Nunez" and "the Met" for "CAC" and there you go...

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don't put them down with "don't ever do that again"

I think it was actually "that's enough for today." I think she was trying to be cute and Micah didn't seem hurt or offended. I don't think she meant he should not try to learn Spanish at all but just that his desire to learn Spanish on top of the dinner with her family, her admitting she loved him, and the fight with Sophie was enough "serious" for one day.

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- Alice's conflict is such an easy one to fix - just say nothing to report. It's not that big of an issue

I actually think this has the potential to be a really interesting storyline if they stick with it. Will the LGBTQ community have an issue with her being in a relationship with a man or will there be backlash? I'd love to see this explored more but I have a feeling it will be dropped sooner rather than later.

How old is Angie supposed to be? HS junior or senior? I know she just went to prom but she could do that as a junior and she did just get her driver's license last season (which could be this calendar year - I have no idea what the timeline is supposed to be on this show).

[greekmom]

If the reporter who was interviewing Alice actually read the book she would have realized that Alice identifies as bisexual and she wouldn't have asked "who the lucky lady is."  Then she confesses (to the same reporter?!)  Hopefully it doesn't her Alice's career.

So Angie is good enough to be a possible donor for a kidney for Marcus but not to meet him?  Now she will never get the answers to her questions.

I wonder what Mirabel's problem is. Do you think she has issues that Micah is trans? Can someone tell me what they said in Spanish?  And why is she making fun of his accent?

Findley able to get into Dani's complex is perplexing.

Was this the finale?

[Elizzikra]

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Was this the finale?

No. There is one more - next week.

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So Angie is good enough to be a possible donor for a kidney for Marcus but not to meet him?  Now she will never get the answers to her questions.

I don't think that Marcus asked her to be a donor. I think his daughter told Angie that he was sick and needed a donor and Angie wanted to be tested. Then that storyline was dropped. And as was explained in this episode, it was not the case that Marcus thought that Angie "wasn't good enough to meet;" it was that he knew he was dying and didn't want her to meet him, only to lose him again. Arguably, that's worse than never getting to meet him at all but his heart was in the right place.

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I wonder what Mirabel's problem is. Do you think she has issues that Micah is trans? Can someone tell me what they said in Spanish?  And why is she making fun of his accent?

She wasn't making fun of his accent, she said his accent was terribly, in a joking tone. I'm not fluent so I don't know but I think he speaks Spanish like a non-native and that's what she was noting. I couldn't follow everything that was said in Spanish but I think it was along the lines of surprise that she was dating Micah because they thought he was gay, along with Miracle saying she loved him and was happy so they shouldn't worry.

[sistermagpie]

3 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

She wasn't making fun of his accent, she said his accent was terribly, in a joking tone. I'm not fluent so I don't know but I think he speaks Spanish like a non-native and that's what she was noting. I couldn't follow everything that was said in Spanish but I think it was along the lines of surprise that she was dating Micah because they thought he was gay, along with Miracle saying she loved him and was happy so they shouldn't worry.

She was pretty explicitly making fun of his accent. Not in a mean way--she was just joking, but if he's at all insecure about trying to speak Spanish, the next time he tries he's going to know she's judging his accent. He can't not. Which is roughen given she has a family who uses it to talk about people/things in front of non-speakers. (Made me wonder if Micah speaks anything--I forget if we know that.)

I, too, don't get how Finley got into Dani's building. Pretty sure part of what you pay for in a place like that--a general sense that somebody can't walk in and piss in your hallway.

It is a bit weird that Alice just wrote a book about herself and people are apparently just ignoring the bisexual part?

Shane is still the best aunt. I was surprised nobody suggested to Angie when she was upset (good performance, btw!) that just because he didn't want to meet her didn't mean he was rejecting her. It could obviously have been something to do with his own stuff and his illness--which it turned out it was. But at least they can tell her that.

I continue to be annoyed at the way the show is presenting Carrie. First, why do people always have to annouce how sweet and nice she is and how much they like her when she's not in a scene?  I like her less when people keep telling me how great she's supposed to be. 

Also, Bette was a bit harsh to Carrie, but only in the same way Jordana was to Angie--by stating the obvious. Carrie showed up at a place where Bette was, talked shit about her to everyone and insulted Bette to her face--she's the one who started in on Bette as the cool girl who wouldn't let her sit at her table. As Bette said, this is a grown woman here--she's in her 60s. Get over the cool table. If you need Bette to make you feel secure about Tina, Bette isn't your problem.

Which leads back to how it seems like Tina being the real problem here. Why is she demanding to know why Bette isn't happy for her? Isn't it established that Tina left Bette? So why is it a big mystery? Bette got dumped, it's not her job to be happy for you. It just seems like Bette's becoming a handy tool for Carrie and Tina to pretend they're happier than they are. Tina was obviously unhappy seeing Bette with Pippa and when Bette said they should "go back" I think we were meant to think she hoped Bette was coming on to her.

[CarpeFelis]

1 hour ago, sistermagpie said:

I continue to be annoyed at the way the show is presenting Carrie. First, why do people always have to annouce how sweet and nice she is and how much they like her when she's not in a scene?  I like her less when people keep telling me how great she's supposed to be. 

Also, Bette was a bit harsh to Carrie, but only in the same way Jordana was to Angie--by stating the obvious. Carrie showed up at a place where Bette was, talked shit about her to everyone and insulted Bette to her face--she's the one who started in on Bette as the cool girl who wouldn't let her sit at her table. As Bette said, this is a grown woman here--she's in her 60s. Get over the cool table. If you need Bette to make you feel secure about Tina, Bette isn't your problem.

Which leads back to how it seems like Tina being the real problem here. Why is she demanding to know why Bette isn't happy for her? Isn't it established that Tina left Bette? So why is it a big mystery? Bette got dumped, it's not her job to be happy for you. It just seems like Bette's becoming a handy tool for Carrie and Tina to pretend they're happier than they are. Tina was obviously unhappy seeing Bette with Pippa and when Bette said they should "go back" I think we were meant to think she hoped Bette was coming on to her.

I don’t get it either, why people keep saying Carrie’s so nice. She isn’t all that nice when she’s around Bette. And Tina expecting Bette to be happy for them? Tina, she’s your ex, FFS. If you’re my ex, sure, I might be happy for you—but I certainly wouldn’t feel obligated to be. And it’s obvious that Bette and Carrie have a fundamental personality clash. It happens. That’s not anyone’s fault, it just is what it is. And Carrie being all pushy in last week’s episode sure didn’t help matters.

ETA: Am I the only one who was kinda hoping Finley really WAS dead in a ditch somewhere? She irritates the crap out of me. Grow the fuck up and GTFO of your own way, Finley!

And as for Sophie’s family: was that not incredibly rude to not only talk about Micah as if he wasn’t even there, but in a language he doesn’t understand, no less? I totally understand people lapsing into their first language when they’re getting emotional, but doing that when the person you’re discussing is right there means you’re effectively talking about them behind their back AND THEY KNOW IT. SUPER RUDE!

Edited October 5, 2021 by CarpeFelis
additional thought

[Elizzikra]

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I continue to be annoyed at the way the show is presenting Carrie. First, why do people always have to annouce how sweet and nice she is and how much they like her when she's not in a scene?  I like her less when people keep telling me how great she's supposed to be. 

I don't really like Carrie at all. I think she is pushy and can't read the room. I haven't seen anything "sweet" or "nice" about her. She said she is a lawyer, so I guess she is supposed to be intelligent but honestly I don't even get that from her. I can't see anything at all that would make Tina want to date her, much less marry her. 

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It is a bit weird that Alice just wrote a book about herself and people are apparently just ignoring the bisexual part?

I think that's kind of Alice's point. Throughout the episode, the interviewer kept referring to her as a lesbian and Alice didn't correct her. It's like people have forgotten that she is bisexual. I wonder why that is???

[sistermagpie]

3 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

I don't really like Carrie at all. I think she is pushy and can't read the room. I haven't seen anything "sweet" or "nice" about her. She said she is a lawyer, so I guess she is supposed to be intelligent but honestly I don't even get that from her. I can't see anything at all that would make Tina want to date her, much less marry her. 

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Honestly, she seems like a sort of emotional vampire where everybody's supposed to know she feels bad about herself so you can't ever tell her no. Like I remember her bringing breakfast over to Bette's and Angie clearly felt like she had to take two meals to avoid hurting her feelings--and here, when Bette said she had a big collection of cufflinks, Angie didn't say she wanted to wear a particular pair of Carrie's (which would just as easily shut down Bette's own jealous desire for Angie to wear *her* cufflinks) she said, iirc, that Carrie had already offered. Like she could say no to Bette and expect her to deal with it, but with Carrie it would probably be considered mean and she'd make it into some big, "Oh, no, I get it. Bette's cufflinks are much more beautiful than my cufflinks. They're also thinner."

Oh! Also it occurred to me that Tina saying that she expected Bette to "fight harder" to get Angie in to see her donor might have the subtext of Tina saying she hoped Bette would fight harder for her and their relationship.

Edited October 5, 2021 by sistermagpie

[Elizzikra]

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Oh! Also it occurred to me that Tina saying that she expected Bette to "fight harder" to get Angie in to see her donor might have the subtext of Tina saying she hoped Bette would fight harder for her and their relationship.

That annoyed me because Tina didn't fight at all - she just sat there. I know that Marcus's wife asked to speak to only one of them but I thought they both should have spoken to her and if Tina felt so strongly that Angie should have been able to see Marcus right then, she could have said something. 

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, Elizzikra said:

That annoyed me because Tina didn't fight at all - she just sat there. I know that Marcus's wife asked to speak to only one of them but I thought they both should have spoken to her and if Tina felt so strongly that Angie should have been able to see Marcus right then, she could have said something. 

That's partly why I thought that was meant partly as subtext for the show--here's Tina thinking somebody should have fought, but just expecting Bette to fight for what Tina wants even when Tina's just sitting there not speaking up at all.

[susannah]

If I can come late to the party here, I agree with much of what other people have said. I wasn't going to watch the show, I didn't like much of the writing by the end of the original, but I have seen the last few episodes of this season. Bette and Shane are still looking good. Maybe Helena will come back at some point? Or Dylan? I could be mistaken but it seems as though the show consists mostly of women doing nothing but having sex, whereever and whenever and with whoever they want, even if they barely know each other, like Bette and Pippa.  At the workplace, while driving, in the laundry room while the house is full of kids? I think that Bette, Shane and Alice are getting a bit long in the tooth to still be acting like teenagers, and I would like to see some real dialogue between women that isn't fighting or about to have sex.

What I really agree with is about Carrie. I get that she would be insecure next to Bette, who wouldn't be, but Bette and Tina have been apart for ages and years, and I don't get what Carrie's problem is. She is all rude to Bette, then cries that Bette won't be her best bud, then tells Tina that she can't marry her because Bette doesn't like her?? then of course Tina will blame Bette, she always does. Bette is the one who was always supposed to do everything, take care of Tina, support her, fix all problems, while Tina does nothing, and then get blamed if she makes any mistake.

I am not sure what the disabled woman's name is but I do not like her. She called Sophie? out for not telling the truth about Finley, saying she was dishonest, and then got mad when Sophie told her secret. It is also extremely rude to speak in another language in front of people who don't speak it, no matter what they are talking about, and she did say that Micah's? attempts at speaking Spanish were bad and to stop, not sounding like a native speaker. If I heard that, after trying, I would sure enough not try anymore. Also, I guess Finley is in a world of mess, but I like her, and I don't think Sophie is nice to her.

[MicheleinPhilly]

Damn my sense of nostalgia and loyalty for forcing me to continue watching this hot ass mess. And here I thought the OG was the gold standard for running a beloved series off a cliff. 

These storylines are so contrived and immature and basically just exist to show more bed-hopping. Baby gay Michele wanted this level of bed-hopping and drama 17 years ago. Approaching middle age Michele is now like, "Ugh, give it a rest, ladies." 

Alice being bisexual has been canon since season 1 of the OG so I'm confused as to why there is suddenly this concern about revealing that she is dating a man??? Did the interviewer read her book??? Has Alice been identifying publically as a lesbian??? I know that there are issues with biphobia within the larger LGBTQ+ community but this was just a very clumsy way to address that. 

I hate Carrie, I've always hated Carrie. I'm glad she didn't attempt to insert herself into the whole "meeting Marcus" incident and thrilled that she didn't show up for the prom send-off because she would have found umpteen ways to make it all about her AGAIN. 

And I think she's starting to rub off on Tina because this episode was the first time in 17 years that I actually rolled my eyes at the prospect of Bette and Tina getting back together again. Bette, go live your best hot ass life with Pippa. 

Finley needs to go away. Gigi needs to go away. Dani needs to grow a pair. 

Micah and Maribel and Tess and Shane can live happily ever after. 

*end grumpy old lady rant* 

[Elizzikra]

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I am not sure what the disabled woman's name is but I do not like her.

Maribel

[susannah]

1 hour ago, Elizzikra said:

Maribel

Thanks!

[DXD526]

I love how casually Bette said she had a drawer full of cuff links. Of course she does! Like, doesn't everyone?

Agree with the puzzlement about Alice. She's been bi since the original show's inception, and has always been 'out' about it. I don't know why it should be a drawback. If anything, it should add to her whole 'Alice' mystique that she dates whoever catches her eye.

I'm so done with Carrie. Her showing up at the party unexpectedly and trying to force Bette to hang with her was insufferable. Bette basically said it's nice to see you, but I have plans for the evening, in about four different ways, before finally losing her temper (and she was still pretty civil, she could have been much more savage). And now Carrie's giving Tina a hard time about it? I've never been a huge Tina fan, but I have no idea what she sees in Carrie. She's so needy and whiny. She certainly doesn't come off as someone intelligent and disciplined enough to pass the bar in two states. 

Finley the hall-pisser can go away, too. I've never found her act to be cute, and now she's a drunken mess besides. I hope she cleans herself up and goes far away to do it. 

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, DXD526 said:

And now Carrie's giving Tina a hard time about it? I've never been a huge Tina fan, but I have no idea what she sees in Carrie. She's so needy and whiny. She certainly doesn't come off as someone intelligent and disciplined enough to pass the bar in two states. 

Seems like now both of them are going to be relieved to have Bette to use as a fake excuse for why they shouldn't get married. 

[Elizzikra]

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I've never been a huge Tina fan, but I have no idea what she sees in Carrie. She's so needy and whiny. She certainly doesn't come off as someone intelligent and disciplined enough to pass the bar in two states. 

I think the whole thing was stunt casting of Rosie O'Donnell and it just didn't work...

[susannah]

On 10/8/2021 at 7:43 PM, Elizzikra said:

I think the whole thing was stunt casting of Rosie O'Donnell and it just didn't work...

That could be true, but I think that the bottom line is that Tina thinks Bette will sabotage her relationship with anyone, because Tina thinks that Bette has been carrying the torch for her all these years. She even asked Bette at the hospital if she was still in love with her. WTH? Tina is not right in the head and never has been, and I agree that she is going to use Bette as an excuse not to get married, and blame her for it. I agree that Bette was very polite in declining Carrie's invitation. It just occurred to me to wonder if Carrie is using Tina to get closer to Bette, in hopes that Bette would like HER.