S04.E09: That’s Me in the Spotlight

[Scarlett45]

Quote

The FCGs give their approval for Mariana to date Evan, but she is conflicted; Alice tries to gain the courage to go back on stage; Joaquin gets a tip on his sister's whereabouts; Isabella's parents propose a new idea for the baby.

Air Date: May 4, 2022

[KaveDweller]

Was this the season finale? It did not seem like much happened.

Mariana and her partners are terrible at running a business. First, they have a stupid idea. Then, they don't get funding when they want it, so they try and sue Evan, and basically blackmailed him into giving them money. Then they do lots of other dumb stuff I won't recap. But now when they have a threat of competition they go running to Mariana's rich ex to buy out the competition to make it easier for them. Maybe if they had gotten more actual business experience before trying to start their own company, they'd be better equipped to deal with actual challenges.

So now that new guy has seen his sister and knows she's alive and just really doesn't want to see him, will he stop looking? I'm guessing no.

Good for Alice for talking about her experience. 

The burlesque show bored me.

I am glad Malika broke up with her poly dude. He was being a dick about her job. I am not looking forward to more of the political drama with the council person she works for though. 

Isabella's parents are pretty crappy. Offering to buy her a place if she gives the baby up, but refusing to see the baby if she has it? Way to try to control her. That doesn't justify her trashing his car though. She sure has a dark side, and I am sure that will come back to haunt Gael.

 

Edited May 6, 2022 by KaveDweller

[possibilities]

I've been annoyed by the show recently, but I really liked the one that aired this week. I loved seeing Malika speak truth the Dyonte, and find a way to protect her job-- the boss WAS in fact retaliating against her for dating the ex, in previous episodes, so it was especially satisfying to see Malika use that route in her protection strategy. I figure there will be more drama, the boss is going to continue her machinations. But I still thought this was an excellent episode for Malika.

I don't get the Davia story at all. I liked her more as a teacher. 

I'm sickened by the Isabella/Gael story on so many levels. 

How do people just walk into the Coterie without announcing themselves and getting buzzed in or something? Are they just completely open to anyone who wants to enter the building and take the elevator up there? Evan should have called or texted, not just shown up; it's one of my pet peeves about TV that people think it's okay to just drop in and then make life-changing decisions based on overheard or seen stuff that is 99% misunderstandings and also none of their business.

Why do Mariana's co-workers act like junior high schoolers? It's really hard to take.

I'm glad Alice found her voice again.

 

Edited May 6, 2022 by possibilities

[circumvent]

7 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Mariana and her partners are terrible at running a business. First, they have a stupid idea. Then, they don't get funding when they want it, so they try and sue Evan, and basically blackmailed him into giving them money. Then they do lots of other dumb stuff I won't recap. But now when they have a threat of competition they go running to Mariana's rich ex to buy out the competition to make it easier for them. Maybe if they had gotten more actual business experience before trying to start their own company, they'd be better equipped to deal with actual challenges.

Which completely undermines the initial plot of the women leaving Spekulate because they claimed they deserved the same pay for the same level of competency - just to then prove they are incompetent, therefore not deserving any pay, really. Find another area to work on. It is the usual thing they do in this show, and I commented on it before - they have all these issues that are actually important social issues and deserve attention, discussion and debate, but it is all signaling. They throw the theme then use all the tropes and cliches to fall back into soap opera mode. Some issues remain longer but eventually get messed up too.

[Aaron4102]

On 5/5/2022 at 8:14 PM, KaveDweller said:

Was this the season finale? It did not seem like much happened.

 

 

This was the spring finale, as in the last episode of the first half of this season. The second half of this season will begin on Thursday, July 7th

[circumvent]

I didn't hate the episode, I liked parts of it. I liked the Burlesque show. I also prefer Davia as a teacher but I am partial to dance, so I enjoyed it. For the first time in a long time I liked Alice. I thing the writers go round and round with the same couples way too  much, it gets repetitive and boring. Davia/Dennis are at it again, Mariana/Evan seem to be good together but then the show inserts a character without purpose and things are going to start to get muddled, Malika doesn't know what she wants, it is like being Poly is a fun game, where she gets to mark on her calendar who is the day's lover. 

Then there are the characters that serve as comic relief but that are actually just annoying and useless, like the Bulk Beauty women and Kelly.

The writing at times are just clichés: Isabela wondering what she is going to wear to meet her parents. I really don't know anyone that would react like that in the same situation. So much to ponder, worry, expect, and she is concerned about what to wear? And the parents being horrible, I expect that the birth will be difficult, people are going to be worry, they will come around, happy family - just the smae recycled story that every drama show has done since the dawn of television.

It was better than last week's, but still very weak.

[Wizardpatch]

I am glad the show isn't portraying Isabella's parents as cliche middle class bible beating scolds but instead as some weird libertine rich people who just don't want to be grandparents. 

Edited May 8, 2022 by Wizardpatch

[KaveDweller]

On 5/6/2022 at 6:25 AM, circumvent said:

Which completely undermines the initial plot of the women leaving Spekulate because they claimed they deserved the same pay for the same level of competency - just to then prove they are incompetent, therefore not deserving any pay, really. 

Exactly! I am a feminist, but I also think that if people are incompetent they shouldn't get paid the same as their colleague who perform well at their jobs. Mariana is the only one of her team who has shown any ability to do her job, but even she has been a bit of an idiot in these last few episodes.

On 5/6/2022 at 11:48 PM, Aaron4102 said:

This was the spring finale, as in the last episode of the first half of this season. The second half of this season will begin on Thursday, July 7th

Thanks. Hopefully something will happen in the second half.

[possibilities]

I'm realizing I liked parts of the episode and hated others. 

In thinking about Davia and Dennis, I'm thinking that most people who break up don't continue living together. I think it's a different kind of challenge to stay friends and continue sharing the household and I kind of appreciate the way they are highlighting that the Coterie develops interpersonal dynamics that promote this kind of maturity. It's a bit tiresome to watch these two characters, but I do think that long term collective households have a different culture than "transient roommates" or communities where people don't live together. The Coterie has way less drama than real world collectives that I've observed. And I do see both Dennis and Davia growing as people in terms of how they react to and interact with each other. 

I actually think Malika is being a good example of a poly person who is NOT just there because she's indecisive. She is interested in more than one relationship, she's open about it with everyone, she holds her boundaries, and she negotiates with her partners. Dyonte is the one who I think showed himself to be struggling with the situation, and unwilling to be clearly respectful of his partners, basically using them for his own selfish motives. 

I really hate that the brother is pursuing the sister despite her definitely not wanting to see him. If they turn it around and say he was right after all and she needed him to "save" her, I'm going to be really angry at the show. He throws off all the signs of an abusive stalker who fancies himself entitled to the other person, suspects anyone who interrupts his narrative of being a perpetrator of foul play, and imagines himself as a victim/savior. The way he went crazy in the ex-boyfriend and accused him of murdering her? Scary. He was nice to "the homeless guy" so they are trying to make it more complex than "obvious scary guy who everyone should have seen as a threat from day 1". I'm really worried they are also going to wind up saying that he really is a savior and not a stalker, and that really bothers me.

The Bulk Beauty story is incredibly insulting. I agree the women all come across as total dimwits. I think they were trying to say that Mariana is naive and open-hearted, she invited the wrong people, she trusted the wrong people, but it's making me sick. 

[Scarlett45]

Things I liked about the episode- Davia/Dennis, Malika setting boundaries with Dante, I even kind of liked Isabella and Gael. Her vandalizing her parents car- look, her parents have every right to cut her off financially (she’s a full fledged adult), but they were just assholes.

Pure assholes. No, they don’t have to support her and the baby, that’s not their responsibility, but she’s pregnant, she didn’t commit a crime. If you don’t want to be in her life, leave it, don’t stick the knife in and try to bribe her into doing what you want “if you follow our rules we will love you”. Of course that’s no excuse for vandalism (and her parents are the type that would press charges) but I understood where her anger was coming from. 
 

I am glad Alice got back on stage- she loves being a comic, that asshole can’t take her joy.