S02.E07: La Amara Vita

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

Alex takes a trip to finally find closure.

 

[Armchair Critic]

Welp... I figured he was going to die but I thought it would be Covid.

[funnygirl]

L'Amara Vita, The Bitter Life. 

Wow. Well that's one way to derail Maggie's book. 

Strongest episode of the season to date. Jen, Steve, and Valeria's performances were stellar.

The misadventures of Bradley's neurosis was not missed. 

[marceline]

Well this is going to lead to all kinds of mess. I hope Paola tells the world Alex came to see Mitch right before he died. His final interview is going to blow everyone out of the water and Alex will be exposed for the basket case she is. Gotta say that this was a hell of a story reset. I feel like Mitch's death will bring the show back into focus. It's seemed aimless in the last few eps. Or perhaps I just find Bradley boring.

Alex Levy is a deeply damaged and very sick woman. That whole business about how she thought she might be pregnant after they had sex and how she wanted to have his baby was just beyond gross. Did they sleep together while she was married?

[BingeyKohan]

Continue to be fascinated by their narrative choices. I had figured (before seeing the episode) Alex could come back from Italy feeling cleansed and able to actually show up for her $24M deal but this doesn’t seem like it’s going to relieve her guilt! I guess the main question is what does it all do to Maggie’s book, which is going to soon get eclipsed by COVID focus anyway. Maybe Alex’s book ends up beating hers to publication.

ETA not the ‘main’ question but rather a big Alex question I should say

Edited October 29, 2021 by BingeyKohan

[Armchair Critic]

When letting Jesus take the wheel goes wrong.

[Penman61]

RIP Mitch, I guess. Your suicide doesn't unrape all the the women you raped.

Edited October 29, 2021 by Penman61

[Snazzy Daisy]

With just 10 episodes in a season, I can’t believe they have devoted an entire episode focusing on the relationship between 2 most narcissistic characters in the show. If these characters aren’t played by 2 huge stars, not many will find them interesting! 🙄

[SoWindsor]

I didn’t enjoy this episode at all.
Why was Alex driving at night again? Didn’t she leave for the airport in the afternoon? 

Also why on earth wouldn’t they have Mitch die of Covid. That makes so much more sense. 

[pennben]

Lord have mercy, not sure I am prepared for the bouquets that will be coming Mitch’s way. Am perversely looking forward to Paola blowing everything up.  

[marceline]

1 hour ago, pennben said:

Lord have mercy, not sure I am prepared for the bouquets that will be coming Mitch’s way. Am perversely looking forward to Paola blowing everything up.  

It's going to be insane. Even if for some reason Paola chooses not to blow everything up, it's out of her hands. Alex's trip to Italy will prove to be a PR disaster. 

I look forward to seeing the reactions to Mitch's death. It will be so much projection. I expect that that "feminist" who "confronted" him in front of Paola will post another video talking about her feelings. If so I hope Paola drags her again.

 

[Maximona]

Gotta say I did not understand any of the writers' choices here except that the producers decided Mitch had to "pass"—and what's with the showrunner being unable to use the word "die" in the aftershow backflash?

Mitch's death is almost as crazy as that old National Lampoon joke:  And then they were all run over by a truck.

I do love Steve Carrell.

Jennifer Aniston doing über-neurotic, though.  Just say NO!

[juno]

Most dramatic shows such as this have protagonists and antagonists (good guys and bad guys). This show doesn't seem to have any good guys. The good guys from last year are just annoying now Bradley, Cory, Chip and Mia.

There are so many scenes this year that are full of yelling and anger. Bradley's fighting with everyone left me cold. Mia and Alex's assistant yelling at Chip turned me away from them. Chip's decision to stay in a situation where he is being abused everyday made me lose respect for him. Cory's sad lovesick puppy routine with Bradley is boring. Alex screaming at Maggie, fighting with Bradley and yelling at Mitch tuned me out. Mitch's post story being thrown at me for 7 painful episodes when they spent the entire first season convincing me that he is a criminal scumbag that should be in jail.

There is an amazing cast on the show but someone the showrunner has made everyone so unlikeable that there is no one to cheer for. I keep hoping that somehow this gets on track. I am starting to hate watch.

[pennben]

The most fascinating thing to me on this show is what we see for 50ish minutes or so and then we see what the producers tell us in the 3ish after show minutes about what they were showing.  It’s the most amazing disconnect!!!! What the hippityhoppity are they thinking????  What they think they are producing sounds like a good, thoughtful show.  What they are showing bears no resemblance to that. Like many, I can’t resist gawking at virtual train wrecks!

[SoMuchTV]

I just figured out that the last episode comes out the day after my free trial ends.  Is it worth 5.99 to me to find out how this all ends?  At this point it’s a close call. 

[TimWil]

On 10/29/2021 at 10:37 AM, marceline said:

Alex Levy is a deeply damaged and very sick woman. That whole business about how she thought she might be pregnant after they had sex and how she wanted to have his baby was just beyond gross. Did they sleep together while she was married?

I think she was but then again it was so painfully obvious in Season 1 that the showrunners/writers quickly lost interest in writing for Jack Davenport as Jason, Alex’ husband. Remember how all last season they were in the process of divorcing but keeping it on the down low so as to spare the emotional pain it would inflict on their almost grown up daughter? So I wouldn’t put it past them to retcon the shit out of this.

To paraphrase the divine Marcia Roy-“This fucking show...”

Edited October 30, 2021 by TimWil

[Blakeston]

1. Alex is genuinely awful. Mitch tells her flat-out that he's been exposed to COVID, and she still demands to come in? Even though she's planning to fly home afterward and go back to work, and potentially infect god knows how many people?

I get that it was very early in the epidemic, but come on. Being around someone who'd been exposed to COVID would have terrified most people. But Alex was so caught up in her precious image that she didn't care.

2. I do not buy what this show seems to be selling re: Mitch.

It looks like the makers of the show want us to believe that Mitch was a good guy in many ways, and that he just didn't understand that it was wrong to have sex without consent, and that what he did to Hannah (and other women) was more the result of self-absorption and obliviousness than bad intentions.

And that doesn't match what we saw last season at all. The man was pure, utter slime when Hannah confronted him, and he manipulated her in the worst ways. He also saw no problem whatsoever with firing women once he got sick of sleeping with them. This was not someone with empathy.

[RunningMarket]

Damn, show. Is Mitch a horrid person? Yes. But Steve Carrell is so compelling, I was engrossed in the Mitch scenes. Also, is Mitch maybe capable of coming to some conclusions about what he did and wants to be a better person? Also possible. This doesn't excuse what he did, of course. I echo the sentiments of other posts when I hope that Paola releases his interview.

Is Alex potentially the worst character to grace my TV? Yes. And I say this as someone who is still watching The Handmaid's Tale. She is just so completely up her own ass. Her neuroses make Bradley look tame by comparison. 

[90sfan]

I think Alex will initially try to hide that she was in Italy even though she will be feeling extreme guilt from leaving Mitch when he asked her to stay and help him understand what he's done. I'm also almost positive she will get Covid. They made a point of her asking if she could take a sip of Mitch's water. I know that's nothing compared to sleeping next to him, dancing with him, etc. but it seemed like a line added in for a reason.

I feel so bad for Paola...just waiting for him to come back with her cigarettes. Although I didn't fully understand why he was on a long drive to buy them. I had gotten the impression she lived in the center of town, so would have thought it would be a short walk or quick drive.

At one point, I thought they were going to have Mitch and Alex crash into each other. It seemed ridiculous but not too off base for the show.

[marceline]

I can't help but notice how Alex went from being barely able to walk to slowdancing with Mitch and sleeping on his floor. As someone with two herniated discs and sciatica, this caught my attention.

Edited October 30, 2021 by marceline

[CattyK]

3 hours ago, 90sfan said:

At one point, I thought they were going to have Mitch and Alex crash into each other. It seemed ridiculous but not too off base for the show.

I also thought this is what was going to happen.  So glad they didn’t do that!  But now I wonder if it will develop that the car that blinded Mitch was Alex….I hope not, it’s too on the nose.  

[CattyK]

Some of the events in this episode don’t make sense to me.  
neither Alex or Mitch should have driven anywhere after drinking all that wine.  Alex already had one close call on that road.  If she really wanted to leave Italy  she should have known better and stayed sober.  Did she secretly not want to leave, until she saw the latest news?  Then she got scared again.

why did Mitch drive so far for the cigs?   Were all the stores closed?  Did he have to go back to the villa?  If so why would Paola have left her stash of cigs at the villa?  
 

 

 

[pennben]

I find it fascinating that in a show where a man was a serial abuser they have written it such that his woman coworker is apparently worse than him.  Just a big nope from me. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 10/29/2021 at 6:03 PM, SoWindsor said:

I didn’t enjoy this episode at all.
Why was Alex driving at night again? Didn’t she leave for the airport in the afternoon? 

Her flight was at 6 AM.

She intended to leave at 3 AM.

She actually left Mitch's earlier than intended, so I assume around 12-1 AM.

It's so weird that they wrote Mitch doing this, especially because Matt Lauer's still around.  Awkward

On 10/30/2021 at 9:33 AM, Blakeston said:

2. I do not buy what this show seems to be selling re: Mitch.

It looks like the makers of the show want us to believe that Mitch was a good guy in many ways, and that he just didn't understand that it was wrong to have sex without consent, and that what he did to Hannah (and other women) was more the result of self-absorption and obliviousness than bad intentions.

And that doesn't match what we saw last season at all. The man was pure, utter slime when Hannah confronted him, and he manipulated her in the worst ways. He also saw no problem whatsoever with firing women once he got sick of sleeping with them. This was not someone with empathy.

So true.  And the way this show thinks I want to see a sex scene with Mitch.  Delusional

Edited October 31, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Sweet-tea]

I also was afraid they would run into each other or pass each other, which would’ve been too obvious. Maybe Mitch was driving far because it was the middle of the night and everything was closed? I don’t know where they were in Italy, but I’ve been there and depending on your location, there isn’t always a convenience store or gas station open at all hours wherever you go. 

I didn’t understand why Alex turned so neurotic in the last few episodes featuring her. She didn’t come across this way earlier. She was more professional but calculating. Suddenly she’s an emotional mess? It doesn’t make sense. I enjoy watching Jennifer Aniston on this show, but season 1, not season 2. They writers aren’t doing her any favors here. 

Nothing against Valeria Golino, but I never warmed to the relationship between Paola and Mitch. It seemed forced to me, so it didn’t really bother me when he didn’t return. His final thoughts of Alex seemed cheesy and unwarranted. There wasn’t any back story showing him in love with Alex or with unrequited feelings for her unless I missed something big. His death was a surprise, and that’s about the only positive thing I have to say about this episode. I thought it dragged as did the last one. 

How many episodes are there this season? Ten? They don’t have much time to pull everything together to create a coherent thread for the season. Right now it’s all over the place. This is one of the worst story arcs I’ve seen from what was a pretty strong show in the first season. Are there different writers for S2? I can’t figure out what happened. 

[tvfanatic13]

^sophmore slump. 

[Armchair Critic]

I was excited for the new season because in last season's finale Alex blew it up live on the show and Fred was running down the hall to stop it and they locked him out. I was excited to see the fall out. So the new season starting with a time jump was disappointing and for me they blew it and this season can't recover.

[Maximona]

On 10/30/2021 at 5:14 PM, CattyK said:

Were all the stores closed?

I'm thinking all the stores would have been closed in Italy after dark because earliest lockdown in Europe.

But come to think of it—why the hell was this taking place in Italy if they weren't going to have Mitch die of COVID?  What was the point of the location?  

[whiporee]

Do we have confirmation Mitch is dead? Maybe he’ll end up in a hospital and die of COVID that way. Or in the hallway like the first images of Italy were showing. 
I think Mitch is a fascinating character, and wish they would have spent more time with him. Because I still don’t think he thinks he did anything wrong. He asked women who worked for him to have sex. I don’t think he pressured or forced, but the power difference made it hard/impossible to say no. From his perspective, though, he could have thought they wanted to have sex with him. That does happen. Maybe Mia doesn’t regret it — maybe other people on the staff end up not pitying her or Hannah, but resentful of the fact that they DID get promoted there was a lot of stuff to do there, and the show decided not to do any of it.  But it would be an interesting thing to see that dissected. 
I’d also like to know whether Hannah actually killed herself, or if she accidentally overdosed. Last year left that ambiguous— Hannah didn’t seem like she was suicidal, mostly pissed and distressed. That’s a long way from suicidal. Would a network or a person be liable if someone over medicated? 
the show is bonkers, which is fun. But they tend to self-answer a lot of questions they raise. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by whiporee

[funnygirl]

7 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

I was excited for the new season because in last season's finale Alex blew it up live on the show and Fred was running down the hall to stop it and they locked him out. I was excited to see the fall out. So the new season starting with a time jump was disappointing and for me they blew it and this season can't recover.

I wonder if the time jump is because they wanted to incorporate Covid into the storyline? They should've just continued on with the original story concept and leave Covid out of it. It's enough that we the viewers have to deal with it every day. I want to be entertained, not constantly reminded of the real world mess going on. 

[Penman61]

3 hours ago, whiporee said:

Do we have confirmation Mitch is dead? Maybe he’ll end up in a hospital and die of COVID that way. Or in the hallway like the first images of Italy were showing. 

The after-the-show piece with TPTB said that Mitch had "passed" or talked about "Mitch's passing," so unless they're playing word games, Mistah Mitch, he ded.

I’d also like to know whether Hannah actually killed herself, or if she accidentally overdosed. Last year left that ambiguous— Hannah didn’t seem like she was suicidal, mostly pissed and distressed. That’s a long way from suicidal. Would a network or a person be liable if someone over medicated? 

I've only seen those episodes once, but my sense was that there wasn't an important different between whether she was so distressed she accidentally overdosed or deliberately committed suicide. The Mitch situation was clearly the trigger for either. 

Sorry, I don't know how to split quotes into separate boxes, so my answers are in bold.

[SunnyBeBe]

On 10/29/2021 at 12:35 PM, Armchair Critic said:

When letting Jesus take the wheel goes wrong.

I’m not sure why this struck me as so funny, except that I really like that song.  🥴

I can’t help but feel that Alex’s neurosis is overplayed in the last two episodes she appears in, including this one.  Her hysterics about the book to its author just struck me as fake and then the arrival at Mitch’s gate still in hysterics even more unbelievable.  Maybe, I just don’t get what the big deal is if it got out that she had slept with Mitch once, years ago…..so what….they’d wonder if she was impaired, taken advantage of, embarrassed, etc…..not the kind of thing you would be hyperventilating over for weeks.  And her intermittent back pain that only relented when she danced or drove a car.  Hmmm…..

How far away was Alex from the airport when she left the last time?  She’s still driving there when Mitch has gone to Paola’s had sex, slept, dressed and driven out into the country?  Odd.  
 

The way they are ignoring lock downs….is just infuriating.  It’s so true these characters are so unlikeable.   I shouldn’t be missing season one so much right now.  Mitch shouldn’t have been the most sympathetic character this season, imo. 

[RunningMarket]

32 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I’m not sure why this struck me as so funny, except that I really like that song.  🥴

I can’t help but feel that Alex’s neurosis is overplayed in the last two episodes she appears in, including this one.  Her hysterics about the book to its author just struck me as fake and then the arrival at Mitch’s gate still in hysterics even more unbelievable.  Maybe, I just don’t get what the big deal is if it got out that she had slept with Mitch once, years ago…..so what….they’d wonder if she was impaired, taken advantage of, embarrassed, etc…..not the kind of thing you would be hyperventilating over for weeks.  And her intermittent back pain that only relented when she danced or drove a car.  Hmmm…..

How far away was Alex from the airport when she left the last time?  She’s still driving there when Mitch has gone to Paola’s had sex, slept, dressed and driven out into the country?  Odd.  
 

The way they are ignoring lock downs….is just infuriating.  It’s so true these characters are so unlikeable.   I shouldn’t be missing season one so much right now.  Mitch shouldn’t have been the most sympathetic character this season, imo. 

I Googled the distance between Lake Como and Milan (where Alex was headed for the airport) and it says it's close to 90 minutes. She said she had to leave at 3:00 am for a 6:00 am flight. (I guess if you're flying private, you don't have to arrive as early? 90 minutes is pushing it nowadays.)

I also agree that the neurosis is way overplayed. She was absolutely losing her mind at what might be in Maggie's book. It's not like Alex hasn't spent many years denying or outright lying about things with Mitch, so why not just continue and claim Maggie made it up for sensationalism? Sure, Maggie claims she fact checked everything, but how do you fact check two people having sex if they never told anyone and no one saw them?

[Ms Blue Jay]

Why is Maggie writing this book?  What is her motivation?  Is she a journalist?  Thank you.

[BingeyKohan]

On first viewing I really felt like this episode retconned Alex's original account of her encounter with Mitch in Chile -- the first time she described it she made it sound like she'd been unable to give consent because he'd gotten her very drunk. I read an old recap that framed the original in-show presentation as Alex threatening Mitch she could frame it that way (when it didn't really happen like that; more in line with the version of events from this episode, after which Alex happily thought she was pregnant) Anyway I blame the 'previously on' segments for that because they have used that old exchange in the previously-ons before, free of context, so I came to believe it really was a lack-of-consent issue!

Anyway, I too now wonder about the wisdom of the time jump vs what we've gotten. In a fiction workshop the rest of the class would definitely criticize the choice to jump over all the interesting stuff that happened in the interim for the much less interesting stuff happening in the foreground.

Also, thinking back on Alex's memoir writing (most of which happened in the time jump) it's sort of hilarious to me that the final words of her book are "stay tuned for the twist..." Now that I understand what the twist is (I didn't for a long time; now I take it to be the official name for their version of The Third Hour of Today) I think it's deeply weird to close her book on an expression that is a handoff to a show she is not even on, starring a guy she screwed over (and which she has probably only been saying for the last couple of years of her career, since Third Hours haven't been around all that long relative to the span of her career).

If Mitch is dead and Alex really does develop Covid when she gets back then it's game over for any other storyline this season that seemed to have momentum going into this episode ... but were there any storylines that seemed to have momentum?

[SunnyBeBe]

I guess Alex was really clueless or in denial about covid. She was all over Mitch and even drank from his water bottle.  She seemed to lack appreciation for the risks she was taking. And the risks she presented by returning home and exposing others there.  

Edited November 1, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[BusyOctober]

As much as Alex’s manic hysteria over “THE BOOK!!!!” is so overwrought,  I much preferred spending time watching Alex rant on rave with Mitch, and Mitch and Paola scenes vs. Bradley, Laura, Corey and Chip.  I have zero interest in any of the Network people since the writing for that side of this show became a badly written soap opera.

 I have liked Reese Witherspoon in the past, but Bradley has become so unlikeable (for me).  I don’t like Julianna Margulies as an actress, but I kinda hope Laura sticks around long enough to turn and burn on Bradley.  But if Laura ends up taking over for Alex, and this show focuses on her, I will stop watching.  I really like Steve Carrell, and I wanted to see the outcome of any litigation re. his past actions.  But if Mitch is dead, I don’t know if anyone else can hold my interest. 

Purely speculation, but Alex is definitely getting COVID.  Why else have her take a sip out of Mitch’s water?  That was such an obvious “hint”.  I know Mitch only had 2-3 more days left of isolation, but I got COVID on day 11 of my doctor-advised TEN day isolation, so Mitch could’ve  definitely been positive.  So if Alex is carrying COVID back to NYC a on a presumptive crowded international flight, she will potentially infect many travelers.  And when she waltzes back to the studio to cover her AWOL ass, which of her coworkers will be the first one impacted?  My guess is weather guy, millennial guy or Daniel.
 

 

[SoWindsor]

The events are taking place in Feb 2020. I feel like Covid wasn’t taken seriously in the USA until March 11th or so.

Maybe that explains why Alex wasn’t that worried.

[SoMuchTV]

57 minutes ago, SoWindsor said:

The events are taking place in Feb 2020. I feel like Covid wasn’t taken seriously in the USA until March 11th or so.

Maybe that explains why Alex wasn’t that worried.

Can we hope that Alex returns, infects the whole newsroom (but somehow no innocent bystanders), and the final episode shows everyone being disconnected from their ventilators?  Too dark?  

[Trillium]

Are they going for Alex as Patient Zero in the US (which factually was in January but this show doesn’t seem care about facts) or will be stricken had by COVID and come to some epiphany (again). I really don’t get what this show is going for. It seems to think it’s about deep and profound social commentary. It’s like they spent all their money on actors, sets, costumes and production (it’s aesthetically beautiful) and cheaped out on writers. It’s a very dressed up daytime soap. 
 

But since I’m paying for Apple TV for Ted Lasso and the upcoming Shrink Next Door, I might as well keep going and just realize this is a hot mess and roll with it. 

Edited November 2, 2021 by Trillium

[Blakeston]

6 hours ago, whiporee said:

I think Mitch is a fascinating character, and wish they would have spent more time with him. Because I still don’t think he thinks he did anything wrong. He asked women who worked for him to have sex.

In Hannah's case, Mitch didn't ask. 

I think he felt genuinely bad about that after Hannah died. The interview seemed genuine, and he didn't want it shown to anyone.

Also, he was extremely reluctant to have sex with Paola. I think he was a sex addict who went cold turkey because he was disgusted with himself, and sex with Paola brought a feeling of shame that led to his suicidal state.

I have no idea what point the show is trying to make by depicting Paola as sexually predatory - refusing to take no for an answer and even striking Mitch in an attempt to get him into bed.

36 minutes ago, RunningMarket said:

I Googled the distance between Lake Como and Milan (where Alex was headed for the airport) and it says it's close to 90 minutes. She said she had to leave at 3:00 am for a 6:00 am flight. (I guess if you're flying private, you don't have to arrive as early? 90 minutes is pushing it nowadays.)

I also agree that the neurosis is way overplayed. She was absolutely losing her mind at what might be in Maggie's book. It's not like Alex hasn't spent many years denying or outright lying about things with Mitch, so why not just continue and claim Maggie made it up for sensationalism? Sure, Maggie claims she fact checked everything, but how do you fact check two people having sex if they never told anyone and no one saw them?

The only way it makes any sense to me is if Alex told some friends about the sex with Mitch, and they blabbed to Maggie. Mitch apparently didn't talk to Maggie, and even if he told some people that he slept with Alex, it would mean nothing.

And if the confirmation came from Alex's friends, it should be written as, "Several people close to Alex say that she told them that she slept with Mitch," as opposed to "Alex and Mitch slept together!"

29 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Why is Maggie writing this book?  What is her motivation?  Is she a journalist?  Thank you.

She's a journalist, and she's supposed to be brilliant. I guess her motivation is to show that the sexual harassment isn't just a Mitch problem, but is something that was tolerated (and sometimes covered up) by UBA and top people on The Morning Show.

If she's writing a book like that, it should really be focused on Fred, not Alex.

[Ms Blue Jay]

That's a good point about Maggie's claim about Alex and Mitch --- if nobody else knows FOR ABSOLUTE SURE, just keep denying it.  I don't think her family and REAL friends would betray her confidence, and who cares what other people are saying?

I do understand Alex not liking it getting out, though.  It's her private business.  Just because you're in the public eye doesn't mean who you have sex with should be in the public eye.  And Alex and Mitch were equal coworkers right.  

Edited November 2, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[BingeyKohan]

Part of me thinks the book will never come out - Mitch dying and COVID arriving will derail it. This show is all about dropping anvils (Alex taking a sip of Mitch's water might as well have been accompanied by Dark Shadows-like organ music) -- I wonder if Alex thumbing through the empty pages of that mock book in Maggie's hotel room was similar; it foreshadowed the book will actually amount to nothing.

I very well could be wrong and if I am my feeling is it will feel clear to Alex that however the sourcing is positioned in the book she will know it was Laura who was behind it, which will be part of the point of her character in the first place. (in Laura's mind it will be revenge on Alex for having outed her.)

[lovinbob]

On 10/29/2021 at 6:03 PM, SoWindsor said:

Also why on earth wouldn’t they have Mitch die of Covid. That makes so much more sense. 

I think they were going for some kind of redemption arc. First he helps Alex by acquiescing to Her weird and unnecessary blackmail-ish scheme. Then Alex grants her approval/blessing of his character by cuddling with him and wanting his baby. (What??) Then she reveals herself to be a spineless liar, which presumably will invite the audience to sympathize with Mitch.

THEN he has consensual sex with an age-appropriate (White!) woman (after repeatedly demurring politely). Paola “absolves” him with her vagina—is that something Italians can do? 

To cap it off, he passively commits suicide to spare the world his existence.  

DID NOT LIKE, Steve Carell or not. 
 

Also, I hope they don’t let Alex on the plane, so she has to stay in Italy and then her bosses find out that she traveled out of the country without telling them a week after they hired her. 

Edited November 3, 2021 by lovinbob

[luvthepros]

Why the blinding lights from an oncoming car? Why the pure resolve and total relief, on Mitch's face as he was about to meet his demise? Was it an accident or suicide?

[wlk68]

On 11/1/2021 at 8:02 AM, Maximona said:

I'm thinking all the stores would have been closed in Italy after dark because earliest lockdown in Europe.

But come to think of it—why the hell was this taking place in Italy if they weren't going to have Mitch die of COVID?  What was the point of the location?  

I'm thinking Alex will be bringing COVID back to the States with her.  NYC was one of the first true hot-spots here in the US.  She's not going to be Patient Zero but definitely a contributor to the initial spread. People weren't taking it seriously enough at that point. 

Edited November 3, 2021 by wlk68

[Blakeston]

On 11/3/2021 at 7:22 AM, luvthepros said:

Why the blinding lights from an oncoming car? Why the pure resolve and total relief, on Mitch's face as he was about to meet his demise? Was it an accident or suicide?

I think the idea was that when Mitch was at a deep level of depression, and when the speeding vehicle came towards him, he was presented with the options of making an effort to stay on the road or just accepting death - and he chose death. I'd consider that a suicide.

A lot of people who are extremely depressed are literally too depressed to kill themselves - they're too depressed to take any action at all. I think Mitch was in that state.

Edited November 4, 2021 by Blakeston

[Maximona]

On 11/1/2021 at 1:07 PM, Penman61 said:

Sorry, I don't know how to split quotes into separate boxes

Hit the + sign on your computer while you hit the "quote selection" sign on your computer screen.

[whiporee]

On 11/2/2021 at 1:10 PM, Blakeston said:

In Hannah's case, Mitch didn't ask. 

I think he felt genuinely bad about that after Hannah died. The interview seemed genuine, and he didn't want it shown to anyone.

Also, he was extremely reluctant to have sex with Paola. I think he was a sex addict who went cold turkey because he was disgusted with himself, and sex with Paola brought a feeling of shame that led to his suicidal state.

I have no idea what point the show is trying to make by depicting Paola as sexually predatory - refusing to take no for an answer and even striking Mitch in an attempt to get him into bed.

But Hannah didn't say no. I'm Mitch's age -- we were raised and taught that not saying yes is different than saying no. I understand it was  wrong -- I understand that current morays see it much differently and that enthusiastic consent is a the way things should work -- but we were taught no means no. That's why he never considered that Hannah thought differently about their encounter than he did -- it's why he was okay saying something like he did to her about things working out okay for her (getting promoted to head booker). And he was used to women wanting to have sex with him. So he didn't think -- probably until Hannah died -- that he had done anything wrong.  When the even took place -- late 2017 -- enthusiastic consent was just starting to become the norm in colleges. The Weinstein stuff didn't start to break until '17. Cosby wasn't convicted until '18. 

So even now, Mitch thinks he's a good guy. He's always thought of himself as a good guy. His identity was that of a good guy -- almost, it seems like Tom Hanks' level of America's Good Guy -- and now he realizes he's not, and will likely never be seen as a good guy again, no matter what he does. Everything he does is going to be seen through the prism of a not-good-guy, even through the idea of being a sexual predator. 

Paola doesn't see him that way. Maybe because she's the same age, maybe because she's Italian, maybe because, like the Second Sex said, she's responsible for her own orgasm. I didn't think there was anything predatory in what she did, no more so than what people had been doing in movies when it comes to these kinds of romances since they've been portrayed. He had a degree of confirmation -- she wanted him. 

So he had this moment with her, and then he had the rest of it thrown right back in his face. He'll never get away from it. So he let go of the wheel.  

[SoMuchTV]

On 10/29/2021 at 11:04 PM, SoMuchTV said:

I just figured out that the last episode comes out the day after my free trial ends.  Is it worth 5.99 to me to find out how this all ends?  At this point it’s a close call. 

Problem solved!  I got another free trial (12 months!) from my cell provider (T-Mobile).  At this point it's a matter of principal to not pay for AppleTV.  Oh and it's 4.99, not 5.99, but still...

No doubt the last episode of the next season of Ted Lasso will fall right after this free trial expires.