S02.E02: Quid Pro Quo

[peachmangosteen]

Airs May 12th.

[txhorns79]

I really liked the scene between Ava and Deborah at the restaurant.  You could see there were portions of Ava's letter that amused Deborah, and then watch Deborah's face turn to stone when Ava talked about her daughter, and that she only had people in her life because they were on her payroll.  Great acting by both actresses.  

I'm not sure I quite buy that Ava could or would stick around if Deborah was suing her, but it makes for an interesting plot point.

[aghst]

The scene in the store was a big set piece, at least the way they envisioned it.

Amusing, Jimmy gets the perfect assistant and has to take Kaley back to try to protect Hannah, who comes clean to Deborah right before he calls to tell her.

They were in Sedona and they drove by those mesas?  Looked amazing.

 

[arc]

AHHHHHH It's Ming-Na Wen!!!! Ahahahaha, and Jimmy inadvertently fucked himself because of a real estate thing a few months ago. (But seriously, black mold is a serious thing and I doubt Jimmy was the only person who would have found it. I guess he was the first to insist on an inspection.)

Jimmy's new assistant was too perfect. A shame for Jimmy that he lost him after half a day. A double shame that he lost him FOR NOTHING because Ava ended up confessing anyways. And he has to take a scam anger management course too! Barbara was hilarious all episode.

Edited May 13, 2022 by arc

[Fake Jan Brady]

The opening bars of 'The Bitch is Back' had me on edge and set up the tag to the episode brilliantly.

[EtheltoTillie]

Nitpick--how are they going to play out this lawsuit thing?  She can't have had her lawyers write up a giant legal complaint and file it in court during few hours between when she left her in the motel and picking her up in the morning.  Although e-filing now lets you file papers at any time of the day or night.  (Yes, I'm a lawyer.)  Still loving this show.

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by EtheltoTillie

[roughing it]

8 hours ago, aghst said:

protect Hannah, who comes clean to Deborah

Isn't the writer's name Ava?

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

She can't have had her lawyers write up a giant legal complaint and file it in court during few hours

Maybe this is something Deborah's lawyers have ready to go, they just change the name and circumstances??

I'm loving these episodes so far.  They're really hitting their stride now.

[aghst]

Wonder what Ava thinks of Linda Ronstadt or Elton John.

Decor inside Deborah's mansion is dated, as are the vinyl-laden booths at Vegas casinos and lounges.

Didn't she roll her eyes about working for Deborah initially or working in Vegas?

 

Sorry I got the name of the actress and her character mixed up.  Hannah Elbender is only 26 so she'd be almost young enough for Gen Z?  So Deborah's decor, music, style must be jarring for her.

Edited May 13, 2022 by aghst

[EtheltoTillie]

4 minutes ago, roughing it said:

Isn't the writer's name Ava?

Maybe this is something Deborah's lawyers have ready to go, they just change the name and circumstances??

I'm loving these episodes so far.  They're really hitting their stride now.

Possible, but she'd have to be a super valuable client for whom they stand by to gear up for major litigation in the middle of the night.  It's just not realistic.  But I will hand wave.  

[qtpye]

On 5/13/2022 at 7:35 AM, arc said:

AHHHHHH It's Ming-Na Wen!!!! Ahahahaha, and Jimmy inadvertently fucked himself because of a real estate thing a few months ago. (But seriously, black mold is a serious thing and I doubt Jimmy was the only person who would have found it. I guess he was the first to insist on an inspection.)

Jimmy's new assistant was too perfect. A shame for Jimmy that he lost him after half a day. A double shame that he lost him FOR NOTHING because Ava ended up confessing anyways. And he has to take a scam anger management course too! Barbara was hilarious all episode.

 

On 5/13/2022 at 3:19 AM, aghst said:

The scene in the store was a big set piece, at least the way they envisioned it.

Amusing, Jimmy gets the perfect assistant and has to take Kaley back to try to protect Hannah, who comes clean to Deborah right before he calls to tell her.

They were in Sedona and they drove by those mesas?  Looked amazing.

 

I'm loving it so far. I like the road trip with the ladies.

As soon as I saw the super-competent amazing assistant, I knew Kayla was coming back.

[ProudMary]

I do think that Deborah had been tipped off via her own Hollywood grapevine about Ava's e-mail to the showrunners, dating back to when their jet landed and her phone blew up. It's probable that she had the lawsuit for violating the NDA prepared and was just biding her time, being "nice" and anticipating that Ava (with her honest aura-that psychic scene was hilarious 😄) would confess and give her the specific details she'd need to beef up the lawsuit. I'm betting that somewhere down the line, Deborah will drop or settle the lawsuit, but not until Ava squirms for a good, long while.

I feel bad for Jimmy. The entire Kayla situation is so cringe-y. To me, it's the weak point of the show.

[aghst]

They could be doing something of an upside down sexual harassment plot with the woman harassing the man.

True she's an underling but her father has power over Jimmy.

But they seem to be mostly playing it for laughs, with Kayla being over the top.

[JakeyJokes]

The scene with Jimmy and Barbara was hilarious as it got more and more absurd with the Halloween party. Martha Kelly was great — it made me miss Baskets.

And good research by the writers, because the Tower card *is* way more ominous than the Death card in tarot!

[Bluedog100]

Polly Draper!

[gaelgirl]

1 hour ago, Bluedog100 said:

Polly Draper!

Thank you!! I was wracking my brain!

[BC4ME]

I recognize that the actress who plays Kayla excels at that particular comedic style for that character, it's just not my thing. 

[Quickbeam]

I loved Martha Kelly in Baskets and she is terrific here as the spineless HR rep. Scam anger management is priceless.

[Dminches]

Jimmy adds a lot to the show, similar to what Paul Downs added to Broad City.  He is a really funny guy and his character is great.

The Deborah lawsuit is silly since Ava has no money.  Let he sue all day. She didn’t it just to show Ava that she can forgive her but she is still powerful and almighty.

 

 

[Fake Jan Brady]

10 hours ago, Dminches said:

Deborah lawsuit is silly since Ava has no money.  Let he sue all day. She didn’t it just to show Ava that she can forgive her but she is still powerful and almighty.

Doesn't Ava have a house in LA?

[Dminches]

39 minutes ago, Fake Jan Brady said:

Doesn't Ava have a house in LA?

Maybe, but who is to say she has any equity in it.  She is a struggling writer.  Hard to believe she has amassed any wealth.  Plus, Deborah isn’t going to take it from her.

[iLoveNny]

My thoughts on the lawsuit is basically are addressed in this quote. 

On 5/15/2022 at 4:14 PM, ProudMary said:

I do think that Deborah had been tipped off via her own Hollywood grapevine about Ava's e-mail to the showrunners, dating back to when their jet landed and her phone blew up. It's probable that she had the lawsuit for violating the NDA prepared and was just biding her time, being "nice" and anticipating that Ava (with her honest aura-that psychic scene was hilarious 😄) I'm betting that somewhere down the line, Deborah will drop or settle the lawsuit, but not until Ava squirms for a good, long while.

With the addition that that Deborah will drop the suit explaining that the reason she’s dropping the suit is that Ava came clean. She was probably biding her time because while she knew of the e-mail she didn’t know what was in it and needed Ava to reveal the contents  

[arc]

Jean Smart and Carl Clemons-Hopkins read the Ava part in the email scene, opposite Hannah Einbender and Mark Indelicato as Deborah:

 

[Johnny Dollar]

Not a fan of the Kayla character. Too one-note and contributes nothing to the overall story line. 

[Francie]

I think Deborah is suing Ava as a warning shot to the show runners who have the e-mail. Since the suit is now public, the show runners have  notice* that they are basing their show on material they received in violation of a contract.  Deborah could threaten suit against them for tortious interference with a contract, if she wants to claim they enticed Ava to send her the e-mail. I'm not saying Deborah has a great suit, but showing she's litigious, and perhaps threatening to seek injunctive relief in the form of not being able to air the show, is not a bad move for someone with as much money as Deborah. 

*Ava telling them was notice, too. In fact, better notice. But people's versions of events can change, and the public filing of a lawsuit cannot. 

[Francie]

On 5/17/2022 at 8:44 PM, Fake Jan Brady said:

Doesn't Ava have a house in LA?

She'd qualify for a homestead exemption. In California, a single person can keep up to $600,000 in equity in their house when they file bankruptcy. 

[paramitch]

On 5/16/2022 at 4:24 AM, Bluedog100 said:

Polly Draper!

Love her! If you do the "six degrees of separation" thing, her character Ellyn (loved her) on "Thirtysomething" had an affair with a character played by Jean Smart's late husband, Richard Gilliland, on the show. I wonder if her appearance here has anything to do with friendship with the couple, or if it was just serendipity. I loved seeing her again -- I always loved her voice.

On 5/20/2022 at 10:37 PM, Francie said:

I think Deborah is suing Ava as a warning shot to the show runners who have the e-mail. Since the suit is now public, the show runners have  notice* that they are basing their show on material they received in violation of a contract.  Deborah could threaten suit against them for tortious interference with a contract, if she wants to claim they enticed Ava to send her the e-mail. I'm not saying Deborah has a great suit, but showing she's litigious, and perhaps threatening to seek injunctive relief in the form of not being able to air the show, is not a bad move for someone with as much money as Deborah. 

*Ava telling them was notice, too. In fact, better notice. But people's versions of events can change, and the public filing of a lawsuit cannot. 

I agree. I think there's more going on there -- that it's a lesson to Ava (I do not think she will go through with it), and is also something she is using against the show writers.

On 5/20/2022 at 7:23 PM, Johnny Dollar said:

Not a fan of the Kayla character. Too one-note and contributes nothing to the overall story line. 

Words cannot express how much I can't stand her. For me her scenes take me completely out of the show. I want to love her as a pretty woman of size on the show, but I just can't stand the character.

[qtpye]

4 hours ago, paramitch said:

Love her! If you do the "six degrees of separation" thing, her character Ellyn (loved her) on "Thirtysomething" had an affair with a character played by Jean Smart's late husband, Richard Gilliland, on the show. I wonder if her appearance here has anything to do with friendship with the couple, or if it was just serendipity. I loved seeing her again -- I always loved her voice.

I agree. I think there's more going on there -- that it's a lesson to Ava (I do not think she will go through with it), and is also something she is using against the show writers.

Words cannot express how much I can't stand her. For me her scenes take me completely out of the show. I want to love her as a pretty woman of size on the show, but I just can't stand the character.

I think she is pretty. However, the way she is always coming on to her boss and getting rejected makes me think they are low key fat shaming her and it does not feel right.

Her over the top behavior is just stupid. This show is great but it just is not goofy ha ha funny the way it thinks it is.
 

[paramitch]

On 5/12/2022 at 9:35 PM, txhorns79 said:

I really liked the scene between Ava and Deborah at the restaurant.  You could see there were portions of Ava's letter that amused Deborah, and then watch Deborah's face turn to stone when Ava talked about her daughter, and that she only had people in her life because they were on her payroll.  Great acting by both actresses.  

I'm not sure I quite buy that Ava could or would stick around if Deborah was suing her, but it makes for an interesting plot point.

I completely forgot to address the email, but that was an amazing scene.

Mainly because you could see how much growth Deborah had gone through -- you could see her trying to be a good sport, going, "Okay, well I did yell at her, unjustifiably accuse her, slap her, and basically fire her, so I deserved it." I loved that in the beginning, as you note, she even looked a bit amused, like, "Oh, shit, I did do that, didn't I?" etc.

Until about halfway through. And then it was just full-on scorched earth. So uncomfortable.

I have to say, personally, I would not be able to come back from that letter if I were Deb. Seriously, never. Because how could she ever really trust Ava again -- and let her back into her life at that level?

It was cruel, and I admit that it made me pretty irrevocably Team Deb. And I thought the lawsuit was delicious and absolutely deserved -- Ava keeps doing these things, and this kind of this could (and arguably should) have killed her career. Deb's response was appropriate. (Minus the crystal-throwing, of course.)

[millennium]

On 5/20/2022 at 10:23 PM, Johnny Dollar said:

Not a fan of the Kayla character. Too one-note and contributes nothing to the overall story line. 

She seems like a caricature, a cartoon.

On 5/16/2022 at 7:24 AM, Bluedog100 said:

Polly Draper!

Sixtysomething!

I read an article awhile back that a thirtysomething sequel was in the works but fell apart around the start of Covid.   They were all on board to come back (except Gary because, you know)

Where can I get one of those aura-photography programs?  lol

On 5/13/2022 at 12:35 AM, txhorns79 said:

I really liked the scene between Ava and Deborah at the restaurant.  You could see there were portions of Ava's letter that amused Deborah, and then watch Deborah's face turn to stone when Ava talked about her daughter, and that she only had people in her life because they were on her payroll.  Great acting by both actresses.

My impression was different.   I thought the scene underscored how outgunned the Ava actress is in the presence of Jean Smart (which happens to be my biggest complaint about the show).  When Jean's on, the scene sparkles.  When it's just Hannah, flat-line. 

[cleo]

The Kayla stuff is beyond awful and I'm at the point I just ff it. Which is a shame, bc I like the Jimmy character. 

[astrohip]

On 8/18/2024 at 6:25 PM, cleo said:

The Kayla stuff is beyond awful and I'm at the point I just ff it. Which is a shame, bc I like the Jimmy character. 

Stick with it. She gets better, and becomes integral to the story.

I felt the same way, and eventually got to the payoff.

[qtpye]

On 5/25/2022 at 1:58 AM, millennium said:

She seems like a caricature, a cartoon.

Sixtysomething!

I read an article awhile back that a thirtysomething sequel was in the works but fell apart around the start of Covid.   They were all on board to come back (except Gary because, you know)

Where can I get one of those aura-photography programs?  lol

My impression was different.   I thought the scene underscored how outgunned the Ava actress is in the presence of Jean Smart (which happens to be my biggest complaint about the show).  When Jean's on, the scene sparkles.  When it's just Hannah, flat-line. 

Jean Smart is an incredibly talented actress.

This is one of the many reasons Hollywood needs to stop throwing away female actresses at 30.  Women, just like men, often mature and grow with their craft.

Ava does get better but she is more of an acquired taste.