S01.E06: Guest

[Tara Ariano]

Nora goes to New York for the second annual Departure Related Occupations and Practices (DROP) conference, but discovers that someone else has her ID badge, so she searches the convention as a "Guest," and has encounters with a salesman, an author and a rogue attendee.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Nora goes to New York for the second annual Departure Related Occupations and Practices (DROP) conference, but discovers that someone else has her ID badge, so she searches the convention as a "Guest," and has encounters with a salesman, an author and a rogue attendee.

 

 

This sounds interesting only because

none of it is in the book at all. Kind of sounds like the start of a joke -- So, a salesman, an author and a rogue attendee go to a DROP conference .......blah, blah, blah, all run into Nora at some point ... blah, blah, blah, the Aristocrats.  Ta-daa !!

[ganesh]

This sounds like it should have been episode 3 maybe. The way it's going we'll probably only get crumbs as to what this world is like. I hope I'm wrong.

[AimingforYoko]

Wayne couldn't be for real, could he?

[Primetimer]

Matt Debenham follows Nora down the Leftovers rabbit-hole of post-Rapture America. How crazy does it get?

Read the story

[stillshimpy]

Okay, so maybe I went in with low expectations and that's coloring my perception, but I thought that was a really great episode.  Whether or not Holy Wayne is for real , and it was sort of startling that he seemed to be, that scene almost had me in tears.  I'm glad I caught the preview for this episode, seeing that it would be about Nora actually made me want to watch the show straight away, and we weren't disappointed.  

 

I still don't understand how the GR hasn't been savagely attacked daily though.  Handing people grenades (clearly not live ones) as a practice , is a good way to get an ass-kicking, up to and including creative use of dud grenade perpetrated on the GR's person.  

Edited August 4, 2014 by stillshimpy

[benteen]

The two one-character episodes featuring Reverend Jamison and Nora have been the two best ones so far.

[KaveDweller]

I thought this was the best episode of the series so far. We haven't seen a lot of Nora, but did see enough that I was interested in seeing a more in-depth look at her life.  I didn't feel that much connection to the episode that did a similar thing with the minister guy.  

 

How often did she replace that cereal? You'd think she could let it sit in the cabinet for awhile (as opposed to the milk which goes bad quickly).

[toomuchtv47]

I really liked this episode.  For a minute I was scared it was going to get weird at the conference but I'm happy they didn't drag out the impersonator.

 

When the show started this evening, I found myself thinking how much nicer this opening was compared to last week's stoning and then Nora asks a hooker to shoot her.  It's a good thing these ladies are proficient with their firearms.

 

I haven't liked the changes they've made with regards to what was in the book and what they're showing but I agree with stillshimpy in that this week was good.  I thought the episode was well done and did a better job with keeping me interested in the series than some other episodes have.

[Frisson]

Okay, so maybe I went in with low expectations and that's coloring my perception, but I thought that was a really great episode.  Whether or not Holy Wayne is for real , and it was sort of startling that he seemed to be, that scene almost had me in tears.  I'm glad I caught the preview for this episode, seeing that it would be about Nora actually made me want to watch the show straight away, and we weren't disappointed.  

I found the scene with Wayne very affecting as well. After he told her that he had seen his death or something like that, I thought he was going to die while hugging her. Something about the way his expression changed made it seem like her sorrow might be too much for him?

Someone in a previous episode thread had theorized that the show would be more interesting if it focused on Nora's character, and I think they were totally right. There is something about the character/actress that is very compelling; she is a more interesting and sympathetic character than Theroux's character while still doing the same exasperated, grieving act with some smart ass thrown in. I was practically delirious when he came by to ask her out but wanted to yell that he hadn't gotten her number.

[izabella]

At the end, they show that same mother going to the playground and looking to see if Nora was watching, as usual, from her car.  Nora wasn't there.  Does that mean that Wayne's hug worked to take away her pain?

[xlibris]

Nora feels like the glorious antihero the show wanted Kevin to be. The ways her darkness leaks out of her are easy to relate to, and the ways her intelligence and wit help her regain her footing make her easy to root for. She is way out of Kevin's league, even with the faux pas in the courthouse.

 

I wish they'd found a way to show us this much of the show's world sooner — it could have bought a lot of good will. The professional convention was a great idea, from the protesters outside the hotel to the bored conventioneers inside, and it was a great way to show Nora among semi-sorta-normal people. I'm sure Nora going to town on an inert human form was very symbolic, but it was also funny.

 

I wasn't crazy about the gun scene either, but for a different reason: If it had been edited out, you probably wouldn't have known it was missing. With all the emotional pain Nora wraps herself up in, I don't buy physical pain as an equal part of her character ... she doesn't seem like the type. Still, if they were going to go this route, they played it well, perfectly set up by the futile routine of the grocery shopping and perfectly illustrated by Nora's matter-of-fact walkthrough with ... uh, "Angel." However she's expressing her desires or grief three-plus years on, it would not be cathartic.

 

I hope there's more of this coming. Good examples of how to be mysterious even as you tie up loose ends in the plot.

Edited August 4, 2014 by xlibris

[ottoDbusdriver]

Finally, a happy episode. </snark>  But, I agree that it was as good as the Pastor Doctor Who episode.

 

Paying a hooker to shoot you in the chest, because ............ no, that's not fucked up at all.
And then expecting a inexperienced person like that to shoot a handgun, someone who's shaking like a leaf, not to miss (she hit her right below the gap in the armor under her chin).  All to the heavenly sounds of deathmetal to cover up the sounds of the gunshot.

 

The GR sticking grenades in people's hands, pulling the pin and leaving -- that's even more fucked up !!

 

Some of the signs of the protesters outside the conference. -- The WHO did it.  The Pope is still alive (popelives.com).  Bring Them Back.  We are left in Purgatory. Why Ask Why ?  Matthew 24:40. Never Forget. Acts 20:3.
You would think that the DROP conference would have better security than that -- making attendees run that gauntlet under some scaffolding seems kind of dangerous.

 

Nora makes out with a life-size doll amongst the orgy in the courtesy suite.  That only makes sense if you are high as a kite on a combo of some about-to-be-approved-by-the-FDA pill and alcohol.  Those body replacements are a salesman's dream -- premium pricetag with a guilt-ridden world beating a path to your door.  They practically sell themselves.

 

What if there was a keylogger running on that laptop ?  Because PayPal is known for its shitty security, I bet they cleaned out Nora's account.

 

Holy Wayne pops back up -- charging $1000 a pop to relieve her pain, in a shitty apartment in dirty clothes.  Hug it out, bitches !!  Wayne's a fraud too -- he's just preying on people that never properly grieved. In the book,

Nora never finds any level of post-departure happiness and never meets Holy Wayne.

 

Looks like Chief Garvey found his shirts.

Edited August 4, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[bobbyjoe]

I'm starting to wonder if they wouldn't have been better off formatting the entire show like the Netflix season of Arrested Development tried to do (though with mixed success there).  'cause the two one-character episodes have been far better than the "normal" ones. Maybe we should see every week through the eyes of only one character (and not just primarily Kevin), with the other characters weaving in and out of their episode in stories that connect in weird and unexpected ways.  The show just seems more focused in episodes like tonight's and the Christopher Eccleston one-- and definitely more like one I want to watch.

Edited August 4, 2014 by bobbyjoe

[Tim Thomason]

Wait, so was the Pope one of the Departed? That's kind of a big deal. Bigger than Bronson Pinchot, at least.

 

I wonder how the Church handled that one. Did they elect a new Pope, or are they "waiting for his return," or did they just decide it was a Rapture (even though that's not really Catholic dogma), and accept that they now live in a world without a Pope? We'll never get the answer, except in some tie-in website down the line, but it's fun to wonder.

 

Or maybe I misunderstood the sign.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Wait, so was the Pope one of the Departed? That's kind of a big deal. Bigger than Bronson Pinchot, at least.

 

I wonder how the Church handled that one. Did they elect a new Pope, or are they "waiting for his return," or did they just decide it was a Rapture (even though that's not really Catholic dogma), and accept that they now live in a world without a Pope? We'll never get the answer, except in some tie-in website down the line, but it's fun to wonder.

 

Or maybe I misunderstood the sign.

 

Benedict XVI was one of the departed (along with Gary Fucking Busey) that was indicated on a TV broadcast in the bar in the first or second episode -- since the book was written in 2011, that precedes the emergence of Pope Francis and the retirement of Benedict XVI.  So that makes things even more confusing.  If the writers updated things to current day to include Pope Francis in the show's world, then the departure of a retired Pope wouldn't be as big of a deal.

[Trick Question]

Great, was almost to the end of this very interesting episode when I realize my PVR was triple-booked and cut off the last few minutes.  Last thing I saw was the teacher (I'd presume the one Nora's husband was sleeping with) looking around and realizing Nora wasn't there.  Anything happen after that?

[thuganomics85]

The hell?  I actually really liked this episode.  Well, I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised because I personally think Nora is one of the better characters on this show.  Unlike a lot of these characters, I actually care and can even relate to what happen to her, plus understand her motivations.  Watching her trying to survive in this world is much, much more interesting then watching scenes of the Guilty Remnant being dicks.  I also do think maybe concentrating mainly on one character is also a big plus, since my second favorite episode was the Matt-centric one.

 

Of course, I think the big factor is Carrie C*** is really doing a stand-out job.  Her breaking down and accepting Wayne's Magical Hug, was probably the one time I felt emotional for someone on this show.  I was really rooting for it to work, and for her to find some kind of happiness, even if it won't change things.  Since she did look better, I guess the question is, is there any truth to the hugs, or is it just all in her head?

 

Cool seeing Tom Noonan as, I'm guessing, one of Wayne's disciples.

 

Nothing much else to say.  I wish more episodes were like this.

[tomsmom]

At the end, they show that same mother going to the playground and looking to see if Nora was watching, as usual, from her car. Nora wasn't there. Does that mean that Wayne's hug worked to take away her pain?

See, I thought that was the Pre-School teacher her husband was banging.

[Milaxx]

At the end, they show that same mother going to the playground and looking to see if Nora was watching, as usual, from her car.  Nora wasn't there.  Does that mean that Wayne's hug worked to take away her pain?

Yes  and no. Nora was cured because she stopped shopping for her entire family with the cereal no one ate, the milk no one drank, etc... She was also (at least it appeared to me) watching the playground because she missed her children. However the teacher seemed to feel guilty because she was sleeping with Nora's husband. So Nora could have stopped watching because she had moved on in her grieving her children and no longer needed to haunt the place her children played. 

 

I liked this episode right up to effing Wayne. He bugs me for some reason.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Milaxx

[izabella]

See, I thought that was the Pre-School teacher her husband was banging.

 

Ohhhh, that thought never occurred to me, but now I'm sure you are right!

[Straycat80]

Ok I have not read the book. So I am totally confused about why Nora had a hooker shoot her in the chest. That scene stuck with me for the whole otherwise great episode.

[RadiantAerynSun]

I have to agree I think this show would be GREAT if it focused on one character per episode with the others just making cameos... the ONLY episodes that have really been compelling through and through were the two one-character focused eps. Maybe they will do more of that if there is a Season 2 and are just trying to introduce us to the various characters in the other episodes, so they can do more of that later? I hope.

 

I thought the magical hugs thing was ridiculous when the concept was introduced, but damn by the end of last night's episode I was rooting for Wayne to be real. Go for it Nora!

 

I agree  that the hooker-shooting was the low point, it was a little too deliberately "symbolic". I'm not sure anybody would really go through anything that elaborate just to express their pain. THe wasted groceries was sad, but again also a little too overtly symbolic of what she was missing, but it establishes a pattern of behavior for her to later change when she is happier. I thought stalking the pre school teacher was a nice touch.

[xlibris]

I liked this episode right up to effing Wayne. He bugs me for some reason.

It looks like his special power is doing cold readings. But that's fine — it's plausible and I was dreading more mystical BS.

Edited August 4, 2014 by xlibris

[Constantinople]

I'm not a Wayne fan, but I liked it when he told Nora that he was exhausted, he didn't give a shit about her and wanted to get this over with.  Now that's a pitch.

 

I thought the grocery shopping at the beginning and end of the episode was a little heavy handed.

 

What if there was a keylogger running on that laptop ?  Because PayPal is known for its shitty security, I bet they cleaned out Nora's account.

I wondered about that too, but then I also wondered about

• having someone shoot you with a firearm she can't handle (even if you are wearing a kevlar vest)
• partying with a bunch of strangers
• taking a pill of unknown provenance
• going into a dimly lit building with a stranger

 

So I'm not sure security of any sort was Nora's first concern.

[stillshimpy]

THe wasted groceries was sad, but again also a little too overtly symbolic of what she was missing, but it establishes a pattern of behavior for her to later change when she is happier. I thought stalking the pre school teacher was a nice touch.

 

I agree that the Escort Shooting was just an over-the-top note within the story and I wish they had come up with something more nuanced to suggest that whenever Nora felt she was beginning to forget, or let go, she rather elaborately punished herself, as if she wasn't allowed to live an emotional life without her family.  Plus, I kept waiting for it to be revealed that her torso was a mass of bruises, because yes, a kevlar vest will stop a bullet, but it will also leave behind evidence of the impact.  Something that knocks you out and on your butt is going to leave a mark.  

 

But what I did appreciate on top of the groceries was the clue of the paper towel roll.  The one with just the scraps of the last paper towel that she sat staring at.  It wasn't meant to be symbolic of what she's missing, at least I got something different from it, it was a stage she was keeping set, right down to the roll of paper towels that needed to be changed.  She'd paused her reality, she wasn't just trying to pine for it, she was making sure she stayed stuck emotionally on the chance that her family was going to reappear.  

 

At least, that's what I got out of it and the biggest clue for me was the paper towels.  She tore down her personal stage and started living in the house again, instead of place-holding for something it turned out was a bit of a lie anyway. 

 

The thing is, that's something people sort of do, if not to that elaborate an extent.  Parents of missing children very often keep a child's room exactly as they left it.  They will also often refuse to move, no matter how long their child or loved one has been missing, just so that they will be there, waiting in case they ever return.  I think moving on is often confused with an act of betrayal in those circumstances. 

 

But I also think the one eye-rolling moment within the episode was the Angel house-call for a spot of bad-idea-no-really gunplay.  What helped make up for it was that wonderfully cheesy, completely "Yes, that is absolutely what would happen and how the end product would look!" commercial for the departed dolls.  The show went ahead and included a bit more dark humor on a regular basis, and that really worked.   

 

ETA:

So I'm not sure security of any sort was Nora's first concern.

 

Oh exactly.  The episode seemed to illustrate that Nora was, at the very least, passively-suicidal as it was -- just going with the exceptionally weird dude to the incredibly creepy place housing Holy Wayne indicated that Nora really wanted a way out, and was getting to the point that almost anything would do as the impetus to move on.  Coma from ill-advised drug use.  Ending her days at the end of the creepy hallway (talk about symbolism, she went towards the light, pretty literally) or hell, financial ruin that would cost her that house.  

Edited August 4, 2014 by stillshimpy

[ottoDbusdriver]

just going with the exceptionally weird dude to the incredibly creepy place housing Holy Wayne

 

That weird dude played the equally creepy 'Stewmaker' character on the The Blacklist.

[AimingforYoko]

Much like when the script calls for a homicidal villain and the casting director says, "Get me Garret Dillahunt's agent.", I'm sure when the script calls for an "exceptionally weird dude", they would say, "Get me Tom Noonan's agent."

[Milaxx]

But what I did appreciate on top of the groceries was the clue of the paper towel roll.  The one with just the scraps of the last paper towel that she sat staring at.  It wasn't meant to be symbolic of what she's missing, at least I got something different from it, it was a stage she was keeping set, right down to the roll of paper towels that needed to be changed.  She'd paused her reality, she wasn't just trying to pine for it, she was making sure she stayed stuck emotionally on the chance that her family was going to reappear. 

At least, that's what I got out of it and the biggest clue for me was the paper towels.  She tore down her personal stage and started living in the house again, instead of place-holding for something it turned out was a bit of a lie anyway.

The thing is, that's something people sort of do, if not to that elaborate an extent.  Parents of missing children very often keep a child's room exactly as they left it.  They will also often refuse to move, no matter how long their child or loved one has been missing, just so that they will be there, waiting in case they ever return.  I think moving on is often confused with an act of betrayal in those circumstances.

 

Exactly.  Even though it was just more sadness, Nora's story was one of the few that felt realistic to me. I guess as was mentioned upthread, Wayne could very well just be a shyster doing cold readings on grieving people but for some reason I hate the character and his stupid cult.  However once again I think the show over does it with the whole hiring a hooker to shoot her. 

 

Does anyone remember what Nora was doing to skew question #121 so that it was a YES every time?

[stillshimpy]

Wayne could very well just be a shyster doing cold readings on grieving people but for some reason I hate the character and his stupid cult.

 

Could the reason possibly be that he used his cult to sexually molest underage teenage girls?  Because that the reason I hope he's swallowed whole by a void in the universe.  

[RandomX]

Does anyone remember what Nora was doing to skew question #121 so that it was a YES every time?

I don't remember her asking the question on the show. She fills out the form, so I thought she might be always checking it yes (perhaps subconciously), unable to think of her family members not being in a better place.

[meep.meep]

That's what I thought about #121, once we finally heard it.  She has been thinking that her family would be coming back, hence the shopping pattern.  (I sincerely hope that this is the closest we get to any significant numbers on this show!)

 

I am an admirer of the actor who plays Wayne, so I'm happy when he's included in the story.  And it looks like whatever he's doing, that it works.

[Constantinople]

Would the hotel have a security camera that would have filmed Impostor Nora throwing whatever it is she threw in the bar?  I'm not saying hotel bars would or should have security cameras.  I honestly don't know.

[xlibris]

I'm not sure security of any sort was Nora's first concern.

Nice low-key references to Nora's boatloads of money this episode. How much could she be sitting on?

 

... Plus, I kept waiting for it to be revealed that her torso was a mass of bruises, because yes, a kevlar vest will stop a bullet, but it will also leave behind evidence of the impact.  Something that knocks you out and on your butt is going to leave a mark.

SERIOUSLY. But I'm glad they didn't get all HBO and show us.

[izabella]

Would the hotel have a security camera that would have filmed Impostor Nora throwing whatever it is she threw in the bar?  I'm not saying hotel bars would or should have security cameras.  I honestly don't know.

 

Even if they didn't have a camera, the bartender that night would know the difference between real and fake Nora.

[RandomX]

Much improved over Gladys -- seeing Nora go through grief shopping and the divorce proceedings gave me a glimpse into her pre-event life. I liked hearing Matt's voicemail message as well. Although she evidently hadn't returned his calls (sounded like he had been calling for longer than she had been at the conference), her saving the messsage indicated she might be open to a reconciliation.

[A Boston Gal]

Yes, yes, yes to the security cameras at some point picking up on the fake Nora. But also, if someone had taken my badge at a conference "by mistake" (especially if I was due to be on a panel and the badge was "specially marked"), you can bet I'd hightail it over to one of the conference organizers and make everyone aware of the situation. Which is what the slightly befuddled  lady handing out badges should have done.

 

I'm sure I'm nitpicking but, really, people are handing out fake grenades outside, the hotel is making everyone sign pledges to behave, while a stolen identity is no big deal?

 

Aside from all that, I also liked this episode. Anything that gets us out of that small town and into a larger sample of what the post 10/14 world is like is good thing as far as helping us to understand this show.

[The Solution]

Feh. I liked the shotgun hooker a lot more than Holy Wayne. I kept yelling for Nora not to go in that door. I do that at the movies too.

[Milaxx]

I don't remember her asking the question on the show. She fills out the form, so I thought she might be always checking it yes (perhaps subconciously), unable to think of her family members not being in a better place.

 

Thanks, I was wondering f it was in the episode where she interviews the older couple and I just missed it.

Nice low-key references to Nora's boatloads of money this episode. How much could she be sitting on?

Since she collected benefits on 3 people and appears to have a well paying job, also Pastor Matt went to her when he was trying to save the church so it appears that she is quite comfortable.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Milaxx

[Mindymoo]

I really enjoyed this one. Nora and Matthew are infinitely more interesting than everyone else on this show, and their episodes have been stellar compared to all of the others. Nora was really heartbreaking in this, and I was glad to see her be able to let go a bit, both in the hospitality suite and then after Wayne's magical hug.

 

Question: does anyone know who played Nora's boss? I can't find it on IMDB, but he looks so familiar that it is driving me insane.

[izabella]

I question why Nora or anyone needs to do those interviews in person.  Why not just have people fill it out online, where they don't have to be sitting face to face with the interviewer asking such personal questions?

 

People do and file their taxes online, so I don't get why these intrusively personal questions can't also be answered from the emotional safety of a computer.

[benteen]

I'm not a Wayne fan, but I liked it when he told Nora that he was exhausted, he didn't give a shit about her and wanted to get this over with.  Now that's a pitch.

 

I thought the grocery shopping at the beginning and end of the episode was a little heavy handed.

 

I wondered about that too, but then I also wondered about

• having someone shoot you with a firearm she can't handle (even if you are wearing a kevlar vest)
• partying with a bunch of strangers
• taking a pill of unknown provenance
• going into a dimly lit building with a stranger

 

So I'm not sure security of any sort was Nora's first concern.

 

I laughed at Wayne not being able to remember Patrick and saying he already had Nora's money.  A good bit of humor there.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Question: does anyone know who played Nora's boss? I can't find it on IMDB, but he looks so familiar that it is driving me insane.

 

I recognized him from Revolution (I'm not proud of that) where he played Roger Allenford, senior aide to the President of the Patriots.

 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048379/

[ganesh]

I'd like to know how 1/128000 odds were calculated because that's way way too high. I said in the thread for E5 that it should be 10^-33 based on what the show has told us and basic probability theory. Which, again, if the town/city has a higher concentration, that's fine, but we need to know this. 

 

Wouldn't there be counseling/therapists specializing in helping people who lost family due to vanishing? 

 

I like how Nora really doesn't take any bullshit. "Fuck your daughter." 

 

So this is a "small town", but they have ads for escorts in local papers? I could buy that it's a small town if Nora when on craigslist and hired someone from the nearby city, but this was a local paper.

 

"Nobody knows anything" but there's this whole data collection and analysis going on? And they're looking for patterns. And they're an actual Department. That's just in this country; presumably, other nations have something similar in place. There's massive data collection and no speculation, nothing. Except someone is trying to do some analysis. I find this highly disingenuous because it indicates that TPTBs kind of want to have their cake. 

 

Did they actually use an answering machine to deliver exposition? When is this show taking place?

 

Someone in a previous episode thread had theorized that the show would be more interesting if it focused on Nora's character, and I think they were totally right.

 

That might have been me. I suggested that her job was a way to do some world building, which they've painstakingly been avoiding. This should have aired maybe in place of the pastor in E3, or swapped with. 

 

It seems the GR is in NYC too, which I can buy. But, no one knows anything about them either. 

 

All to the heavenly sounds of deathmetal to cover up the sounds of the gunshot.

 

Why not just buy a silencer?

 

Would the hotel have a security camera that would have filmed Impostor Nora throwing whatever it is she threw in the bar?  I'm not saying hotel bars would or should have security cameras.  I honestly don't know.

 

I know. Like much of this show, regular, sensible things are sloppily discarded. For some reason, there's an enormous aversion to video footage because I still have yet to hear why with a government department collecting data that no one is looking at any video footage of anything. Except that Nora had to video her interviews. Why not just ask the bartender to ID who threw the bottle? 

 

I question why Nora or anyone needs to do those interviews in person.  Why not just have people fill it out online, where they don't have to be sitting face to face with the interviewer asking such personal questions?

 

I actually don't have much of a problem with this. It's a reasonable fanwank to think that the Department might want someone present to determine if the people applying for benefits aren't lying. Nora might have additional paperwork for each interviews.

 

The actor is a lot of fun to watch, and this is an overall better episode, but it's still a sloppy show and I'm still skeptical that TPTBs really know what world this is. 

 

The show really should have only stuck with one of the cults. The actor playing Wayne is pretty good in everything so I'd lean towards him. The GR is just ridiculously stupid, and while maybe interesting on paper, just is too difficult to execute as a television plot. 

Edited August 4, 2014 by ganesh

[Davey]

Didn't hate this episode. Nora actually acts like a human being for the most part unlike everyone back in Crazytown, NY. Didn't totally buy that she would follow Lurch back to that dingy apartment based only on his lame "do you want to feel this way" sales pitch though. Interested to know if it's true that all you need is a hug from crazy-eyed child rapist but only so I can make fun of it however it turns out. If it is true then how did a creep like him get this magical power? And if it's not then anyone who fell for the old $1,000 for a magic hug trick better check their tailpipe for bananas. 

 

They should have put this episode before the last one to hide the fact that they completely dropped the break-ins plot line making the Chief look like an ineffectual dipshit. Sucks that, as someone mentioned, the episodes without him are so much better. 

[Arynm]

Solid episode, the actress that plays Nora is fantastic. I really felt for her as she was buying the same food every week and then having to throw it away. The paper towel holder is what really sold it for me. The fact that she could not make even that small change really showed her pain and loss. I was a little shocked that after Holy Wayne hugged her, she changed the roll without a thought. I guess he really can take the pain away. I guess I feel like she should have had to work for it, but after 3 years I guess she was just not able to. I probably would not be able to either.

Nora was not going to change her last name with the divorce, she likes the notoriety that comes with being a 3 times legacy, she wanted the name badge with her 3 orange stickers. I did however allow her to see what the other side felt, the people that haven't lost anyone close to them, I bet some are sick of bowing and scraping and saying how sorry they are whenever they meet one.

I totally missed that the woman at the playground was the woman her husband was having an affair with. I just thought she was watching kids around her kids ages.

I really hope that Holy Wayne is the real deal and able to do what he claims, and have it stick, I hope it's not a temporary thing,

[ganesh]

I bet some are sick of bowing and scraping and saying how sorry they are whenever they meet one.

 

I forgot to mention this, but this was actually a rare good detail. Not everyone is going to be affected by this. 

 

I think Wayne is a typical scam artist, and that's fine. I wish the show would build on that though.

[Latverian Diplomat]

I'd like to know how 1/128000 odds were calculated because that's way way too high. I said in the thread for E5 that it should be 10^-33 based on what the show has told us and basic probability theory. Which, again, if the town/city has a higher concentration, that's fine, but we need to know this. 

 

 

If you have three people in your family besides you, and a 2% taken rate, the probability that you are not taken and they each are: 

 

(98/100)*(2/100)^3 = 0.00000784=1/127551.

 

Edited to add, the chance that a family of four would have one leftover and three departed is four times that, if you don't specify which family member is the leftover, or about 1/31887. Given the number of families of four in the US, Nora is not unique.

 

The in person questionnaire is there for the drama, and I don't think they really thought too deeply about it. But who doesn't love a good fanwank, so

They seem to be modelling it on in-person census taking. Which is mostly for people who don't respond to the census forms in the mail. Perhaps they had a low response rate, or perhaps they showed a high level of careless or random responses (there are ways to check for this, by including the same question in multiple forms and seeing if the answers all match). So it's possible to imagine that they did something else first and it wasn't working.

 

I'm not sure giving the same survey to millions of participants is the right strategy though. They really should just ask any given question of a good sized sample. They could have tens of different surveys given to randomized groups. This would allow them to have even more questions in total, while asking each participant fewer questions on an individual level. If they find something in one questionnaire, they could give that questionnaire to another sample group as a check. Also, there is such a thing as an overpowered study. If you have too large a sample, any slight anomaly can attain statistical significance. That's the kind of false positive you would really want to avoid.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Latverian Diplomat

[Milaxx]

So this is a "small town", but they have ads for escorts in local papers? I could buy that it's a small town if Nora when on craigslist and hired someone from the nearby city, but this was a local paper.

 

 Especially since they've established that the town is small enough for the GR to break in and steal everyone's photos while they were at the town holiday party. Now the town is large enough to have pages of escorts? 

[90PercentGravity]

I thought this episode was really good. It was nice to see that some people do have fun and some people even think all the grieving and suffering is BS.

 

Nora is an interesting character and she has good chemistry with hot cop. I'd rather watch her than anyone in the GR.

 

I'm still not sure what the deal is with Wayne. Is he for real? I can't tell. It seems like maybe he just forces people to deal with their grief and admit they want to let it go. Then he gives them a way to do it without having to feel guilt, by taking it from them.

Edited August 5, 2014 by 90PercentGravity