S2.E10: Epilogue

[shantown]

Quote

As he juggles the challenges of his newfound career and family life, Marcus relishes a rare night out - and reflects on how far he’s come.

Available now on HBO Max

[arc]

One thing I thought was maybe too much of a parallel to season 1 was how Darby's career was finally as a gallery owner, a sort of curator of artists, and then Marcus started season 2 as an editor, kinda a bit like Darby but for books. So it was nice to see him take a different path and write.

The whole "Little Ass Boy" play situation was hilarious.

I do love the whole tone and plot of this episode. It's a happy ending and also married life is still something to consciously work at. Romantic and realistic.

What's wrong with Sandals?

[Ms Blue Jay]

I really liked the past 3 episodes but it's hard to relate to finding your dream person and having a happy ending.  Some will relate I'm sure, but, yeah. 

[SomeTameGazelle]

On 11/12/2021 at 4:42 AM, arc said:

One thing I thought was maybe too much of a parallel to season 1 was how Darby's career was finally as a gallery owner, a sort of curator of artists, and then Marcus started season 2 as an editor, kinda a bit like Darby but for books. So it was nice to see him take a different path and write.

The whole "Little Ass Boy" play situation was hilarious.

I do love the whole tone and plot of this episode. It's a happy ending and also married life is still something to consciously work at. Romantic and realistic.

I missed whether Mia found another job or if she was a stay-at-home mother after she quit.

I laughed at Marcus and Mia's reactions to the play, but when I saw the title of the play I was surprised that Marcus could have been so shocked by the content. And I have to say I didn't quite get why or how Ola was denying that it was about her relationship with Marcus -- surely the way to smooth over the awkwardness would be to acknowledge that of course there would be elements that she had drawn from their relationship, but there were other things added to make it more dramatic etc.

I was glad that the episode was marked Epilogue so that I didn't expect any sudden swerves in Marcus and Mia's relationship. And I was glad to see Trae as Marcus' editor, and I liked Marcus running into Darby.

[arc]

18 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I missed whether Mia found another job or if she was a stay-at-home mother after she quit.

I don’t think they explicitly said, but the way Marcus was talking about encouraging her to quit, it didn’t sound to me like he thought he would be the sole earner for the family long term.

[7-Zark-7]

Twist: When the plane from Jamaica lands in NY, it will be 5 years in the future. Love Life: Manifest 

[EdnasEdibles]

I was never a huge fan of Mia so I'm glad that they have their happily ever after but I'm not sure I believe it. Marcus always seemed to like Mia more than she liked him and even at the end I saw that dynamic in their marriage. It bothered me the way she was acting at the party with the NYTimes reporter. That really bothered me. Yes, the reporter was being a dick. Yes, the other guy was being a dick but your husband wrote a book and this is an event for him and the NYTimes is there so just let him have his evening. Why are you pouting? 

[ShellsandCheese]

I'll admit, I was hesitant to watch this when I first heard about it because Hollywood has a tradition of casting black men in shows but not casting black women as love interests (they are almost always white or biracial) - so I was wonderfully surprised by this season and I really enjoyed it; in fact, I liked it more than the first season. I am glad that Marcus and Mia worked through their shit and ended up together - and in the end both seemed committed to continue to grow, evolve, and stay together. Also, I find it hilarious that Kian was played by the same actor who plays Stewy on Succession. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 11/15/2021 at 1:03 PM, EdnasEdibles said:

I was never a huge fan of Mia so I'm glad that they have their happily ever after but I'm not sure I believe it. Marcus always seemed to like Mia more than she liked him and even at the end I saw that dynamic in their marriage. It bothered me the way she was acting at the party with the NYTimes reporter. That really bothered me. Yes, the reporter was being a dick. Yes, the other guy was being a dick but your husband wrote a book and this is an event for him and the NYTimes is there so just let him have his evening. Why are you pouting? 

Yeah, that was weird.  Very weird that the solution was for Marcus to ditch the entire night to make her feel better.  Mia needs everything to be about her, and Marcus was about her, so that's why they're together, I guess.  Mia didn't really give much back.  

[SomeTameGazelle]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Mia needs everything to be about her, and Marcus was about her, so that's why they're together, I guess.  Mia didn't really give much back. 

I don't know that that's true. She encouraged him to switch from editing to writing first and became the only breadwinner for a year or more. And she was loving and supportive when he was steeling himself to tackle the edit. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, that's true.  I think I meant emotionally.

[chaifan]

I'm ok with how the season ended, but I wasn't crazy about the whole season overall.  I really love William Jackson Harper, and was so looking forward to this.  And I was disappointed.  Mostly because Marcus was just such a whiner in 80% of the episodes.  I just really couldn't get behind him, rooting for him to find true love.  The pregnant older, rich girlfriend episodes were my least favorite.  I don't think they were necessary, nothing about that character convinced me that she actually wanted to have another baby (she really seemed to like her current lifestyle) and wouldn't have just gotten an abortion, and Marcus could have had emotional growth without a pregnancy scare.  I liked Mia, and even liked the on again off again story arc with them.  When they introduced covid into the episodes I was really sure she was going to get it and die.  But I was glad she didn't.  I think Marcus' parents were my favorite characters this season. 

 

[BoogieBurns]

I loved the ending. Television LOVES trauma for Black characters, even more for Black couples.

It was a radical ending to simply let them be. 

[Kirsty]

On 11/14/2021 at 10:44 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

And I have to say I didn't quite get why or how Ola was denying that it was about her relationship with Marcus

My guess is that she didn't want to give him any credit for her work, and more than that, she couldn't admit how bitter she is about their relationship! Wishing Mia good luck was some pointed shit.

I really enjoyed this season. I love that Marcus is totally square; I'm pretty square too so I found him relatable. 😄

I didn't love the twist that Marcus the editor was really a closeted writer. I've seen too many writer characters over the years and I find it indulgent. But at least they made it work for his character.

Good show. I wonder if they'll focus on a gay character next season.

[SilverLake0315]

Overall, I just didn’t enjoy this season nearly as much as the first. I’m curious if they’ll do a third. I sort of expected a new character to be introduced at the end like they did with the S1 finale. 

[arc]

On 9/27/2022 at 4:38 PM, SilverLake0315 said:

I sort of expected a new character to be introduced at the end like they did with the S1 finale. 

I assumed they didn’t do that because they wanted to not echo the first season too closely.