S02.E06: Brothers & Sisters

[AnimeMania]

Cassie faces hard truths about her path to sobriety while visiting her mom as Megan attempts to reconnect with her family, who are reluctant to welcome her back.
Original Airdate: May 12    
Sharon Stone as Lisa Bowden

[Atlanta]

That was a rough ride. I'm thinking the mystery woman is Dot.

Megan, committing treason is not a good outlet for your midlife crisis. LOL

Wow, Carol has some anger issues. 

[Llywela]

25 minutes ago, Atlanta said:

That was a rough ride. I'm thinking the mystery woman is Dot.

The show hasn't really left that many other suspects, has it? Which has me wondering if they are actually going to play that angle - since Cassie seems to trust Dot, even if we don't, the betrayal would come as a surprise to her, at least - or if there's another twist coming that we haven't seen yet. The casual fling/boyfriend in season one seemed to come right out of left field, so who else is there that no one has thought to suspect yet?

If they are throwing suspicion at Benjamin this early, he probably isn't involved. I've been wondering about Marco, but it was the boyfriend whodunnit in S1 so they probably wouldn't go to that well again for S2, so I'm thinking now that Marco maybe is no more than what he seems. And we know that Cassie's double is a woman, one who can pull off impersonating Cassie, at least from a distance. Who else is there beside Dot that it could be? Doesn't necessarily have to be blonde, but they'd need roughly the right height and build.

[Chaos Theory]

Sharon Stone was fire in this.   She had like one scene and you believed everything she was feeling about Cassie.   If you don't believe Kaley Cuoco is a legitimate actress (and I have heard people say that if it wasn't for BBT she would be a B list actress) I hand you this series to prove you wrong.  I love its honest (for tv anyway) portrayal of addiction and recovery.   I know some people hate Cassie but I can't help but feel most of these rolls of protagonist beautiful messes are reserved for men and we love them for it so why don't we love Cassie the same way?  I love her friendship with Annie.  That scene alone made the episode for me.   And her brother falling apart the same time she was and using her recovery as his own reason not to fix himself is also true to life but having it all come out.   That works for me as a family dynamic.   And mom...wow.  Mom's words hit home.  "No one is blaming you for what you did as a child.  We are blaming you for what you did as an adult."  Paraphrasing.   And then telling Cassie that she loves her but doesn't like her.   Apparently that slap was all Sharon Stone....but also perfect.  

She wasn't in this episode but it occurs to me that I am kinda hoping that Grace turns out to be a bottom feeding loser.   That once she is truly sober Cassie sees the girl for what she is and it shocks the hell out of her.

As for the big bad trying to frame Cassie.  If it isn't Dot I will be disappointed.  Again because Dot screams Bond Villain and when she is caught I will only respect the show if she acts like a bond villain.  

Second thought....I will also accept Cassie's mother as an answer.   

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Chaos Theory

[peachmangosteen]

4 hours ago, Llywela said:

Who else is there beside Dot that it could be? Doesn't necessarily have to be blonde, but they'd need roughly the right height and build.

I still think it could be Grace.

1 hour ago, Chaos Theory said:

Sharon Stone was fire in this.

That was Sharon Stone?! Wow, I had no idea.

This episode was amazingly real. It was almost too real. But it was fantastic. 

[Lethallyfab]

Fun fact I just paid $1.29 to learn, the ‘Two of Hearts’ ringtone available on iTunes does NOT start with the opening riff that Cassie’s does.

Sharon, Kaley and TR were all amazing in this and I hope that they get the recognition that they deserve.

[Atlanta]

20 minutes ago, Lethallyfab said:

Fun fact I just paid $1.29 to learn, the ‘Two of Hearts’ ringtone available on iTunes does NOT start with the opening riff that Cassie’s does.

Sharon, Kaley and TR were all amazing in this and I hope that they get the recognition that they deserve.

Try this!

https://www.zedge.net/find/ringtones/two of hearts

[aghst]

Didn't recognize Sharon Stone -- remember they had a press release about her being cast to play Cassie's mother.

I don't know how important her family dysfunction is in the context of this season.  Could be interesting in its own right but they plopped it right in the middle of a suspenseful plot.  Supposedly Stone surprised the cast and crew by improvising the slap, which wasn't in the script.

They threw in a lot, not just bad CIA moles but North Koreans operating with impunity in the US?  You'd think the CIA would know about them and at least be monitoring them.  Max hacks the couple and figures out they're tracking Cassie but the NSA doesn't?

Cassie's life is a mess.  If she survives all these forces targeting her, it will be a miracle.

Megan is not doing much better, evading both the FBI and the North Koreans.

Really the odds are not great that these civilians would evade these professional killers and spies,  much less outwit them to an extent.

On top of that they have emotional and drinking problems?  Then again, Cassie and Megan were shown to be highly functional as flight attendants last season.

When they make the international spy plots more complicated, with higher stakes, then it hurts credibility that these characters would be able to survive as long as they have, without more active involvement and help from professionals and agents like Shane.

 

[BingeyKohan]

Maybe the other part of the torn-in-half photo of Grace’s would reveal she had a twin who died, so her becoming Cassie’s double is a weird way of twinning again.

[chaifan]

Best episode of the season (so far, at least), in my opinion.  Sharon Stone was amazing, and it doesn't surprise me at all that she improvised the slap.  I love TR Knight as Cassie's brother, and their dynamic throughout the entire episode was great. 

But you'd think that Cassie would answer Annie's calls.  She knows Max is doing some super computer sleuthing, so if Annie is calling her a million times it has to be important.  Oh, and I loved Annie's explanation as to why she just can't make decisions, because she thinks she's too fucked up to make any good decisions so she doesn't make any. 

I think Dot is the obvious choice for Cassie's double, but I'm really hoping she isn't.  I'd love to have one genuinely good person in the CIA that has Cassie's back.  I personally think Grace is too obvious, but I hope that there's something else going on with her.  I like the character, I like the Grace/Cassie scenes, and I'd love for them to end up as friends when all this is over. 

I could really do without the entire Megan plot line.  It does nothing for me.  If you edited it out it would make no difference to the show.  OK, except for giving Dave a reason to play with fireworks again. 

Also, I really really love that this show drops the episodes weekly.  Maybe I'm just old, but I think having to wait a week between episodes is a good thing.  Even when I "slow binge" a show, maybe 2 episodes a day a few days a week, I think it takes something away from it.   Sort of hard to explain, but there it is.

 

 

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, Atlanta said:

Try this!

https://www.zedge.net/find/ringtones/two of hearts

I like this one better, it's more like the one Cassie has because it doesn't have that second part at the end.

It's the second one down:

https://www.meringtone.com/the-flight-attendant-ringtone-download/

[Anela]

I removed my headphones when she was fighting with her mum. I just didn't want to hear it.

 

[Llywela]

9 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I still think it could be Grace.

I had, in fact, completely forgotten that Grace exists, which probably makes her the perfect suspect!

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, Llywela said:

I had, in fact, completely forgotten that Grace exists, which probably makes her the perfect suspect!

I could actually see it being Grace.  Bets on how close she could look to Cassie with the right wig, clothing, fake tattoo and makeup.

The fact that we know she is up to something she explained away with the fentanyl excuse is a clue that she is capable of something like that.  Even if she isn't the impersonator she is definitely not to be trusted.

[peachmangosteen]

16 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Apparently that slap was all Sharon Stone....but also perfect.  

 

12 hours ago, aghst said:

Supposedly Stone surprised the cast and crew by improvising the slap, which wasn't in the script.

I'm not sure how I feel about her slapping Kaley without Kaley or anyone knowing. It feels a little icky to me. 

[Chaos Theory]

12 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

 

I'm not sure how I feel about her slapping Kaley without Kaley or anyone knowing. It feels a little icky to me. 

From what KC said the first time was improvised and Sharon Stone immediately apologized and asked if that was alright.   Once the surprise wore off she was like “did I just get bitch slapped By Sharon Stone?”   By the way there were two more takes and the third the camera wasn’t even on. KC I think it was on TR but The slap happened each time.  So I don’t think anyone minded.   This isn’t a Will Smith thing.  It’s something that Sharon Stone thought fit the moment in in her character and everyone on set just went with it because it kinda did.

Edited May 13, 2022 by Chaos Theory

[peachmangosteen]

It's nice that Sharon apologized. And it did work well. It still feels kinda icky to me though.

[BingeyKohan]

32 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

It's nice that Sharon apologized. And it did work well. It still feels kinda icky to me though.

I kind of agree ... and also wonder if it's just a made up story to create some drama for a BTS featurette. How would that scene have played out if she hadn't slapped her, just tender face strokes then she leaves and cries in the car? The crying wouldn't have made near as much sense without the slap because the face strokes would have already indicated she had some tenderness mixed with deep regret. Not sure I buy the surprise slap (it's very Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep filming Kramer v Kramer, and not in a good way). KC def acted like it was a surprise, tho I would expect that from her regardless - I enjoy her in this but she tends to go for the histrionic choice.

Switching topics to the double: I'm a little confused with why it's so important for her to have such body accuracy that she has the back tattoo and everything, or why she needed to sleep with the guy in Berlin who got blown up. The only people who it seemed could even see the back tattoo were Cassie (who they couldn't have known would have a visual into the room) and the guy she actually slept with, who was killed anyway (unless milky-eye guy had visuals as well as audio, but I don't think that was indicated). Anyway I definitely don't understand what the Cassie impersonator is gaining by these kills - are they now one person of interest to the CIA and 2-3 actual CIA agents?

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by BingeyKohan

[shrewd.buddha]

I know it was for the sake of drama .. but Cassie's brother knew that she had just fell off the wagon the night before and he also knew he was tricking her into a intervention situation with her mother.  He could have easily prevented that by telling Cassie that her mom was not out of town and they should avoid going to her house.
.. but Cassie would have missed out on a well-deserved come-to-Jesus meeting with her mom .. and a nice slap  (Mom was just a stand-in for a lot of viewers)

And Annie could have just sent an ALL-CAPS text instead of trying to get Cassie to answer her phone (which no-one does anymore, anyway). But again: the drama is not as easy to come by if characters make sensible decisions.

At least Megan's soon-to-be-ex husband made the right call.  I'm not feeling any sympathy for her situation. 

If nothing else, after watching this show I will certainly be side-eyeing all the flight attendants on my next trip.

Edited May 13, 2022 by shrewd.buddha

[BingeyKohan]

2 hours ago, shrewd.buddha said:

If nothing else, after watching this show I will certainly be side-eyeing all the flight attendants on my next trip.

since we never actually see Cassie actually flight-attendanting a plane anymore it's actually kind of hilarious the lengths they have to go to to keep 'flights' in the narrative. I am really trying to imagine friends staying with me for a week or so and taking 3+ flights away during that same time frame! I guess for a flight attendant taking a flight is like taking the subway for a New Yorker but still. 

[Broderbits]

8 hours ago, shrewd.buddha said:

And Annie could have just sent an ALL-CAPS text instead of trying to get Cassie to answer her phone (which no-one does anymore, anyway)

Thank you! I've been wondering why Annie didn't simply text such urgent info, especially after the first 2 calls went unanswered.

The Rosie Perez storyline bores me.

[Wyndsong]

On 5/12/2022 at 5:56 PM, peachmangosteen said:

I still think it could be Grace.

This is my guess as well. Cassie seemed to rule her out because she had no back tattoo but temporary tattoos are a thing. And what other purpose does she serve this season?

I've always been kind of meh on Kaley as an actress but she has impressed the hell out of me with this series. 

[RedInk]

On 5/13/2022 at 8:26 AM, peachmangosteen said:

 

I'm not sure how I feel about her slapping Kaley without Kaley or anyone knowing. It feels a little icky to me. 

I thought the slap was a sharp-turn departure from a very believable, heart wrenching scene between two damaged and hurting people to cartoonish, supervillain-level mom. I see that people liked it, but to me it was a poor acting choice. Unless the mom is supposed to be despicable, but the subsequent scene of her crying in the car seemed to indicate that she’s supposed to be at least a *little* sympathetic. This show does so many things so well, but the last few episodes have been a draaaaaag (imo). 

[peachmangosteen]

I don’t necessarily think the slap was a bad choice, I just think it’s inappropriate that it was done without a heads-up to anyone, particularly KC.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I could really do without the entire Megan plot line.  It does nothing for me.  If you edited it out it would make no difference to the show.  OK, except for giving Dave a reason to play with fireworks again. 

Agreed. It's a completely separate story that has almost nothing to do with the main plot. I don't see any point to it. 

The Sharon Stone scenes were tough to watch. That's a little too much drama for my tastes. I'm still in this for the mystery and the quirkiness. I don't need the heavier stuff. The show has a very uneven tone.

Edited May 16, 2022 by iMonrey

[chaifan]

I know everyone has their own take on this, but I am not disturbed at all by Sharon Stone improvising the "slap".  I rewatched the scene, and this isn't a Will Smith-esque wind up, full force slap.  It was more of a pat, pat, smack, from a very close (inches) distance.  It wasn't a violent slap.  I'm sure the sound was edited in to make it a bit more dramatic.  But as far as not informing KC of this beforehand, I see no issue.  I think everyone was very professional about it, and if they have no problems with it, then I don't. 

[peachmangosteen]

I don't find it professional to slap your coworker, especially if it wasn't written in the script and you didn't tell anyone you were going to do it. I do agree that it was not a huge deal and the people involved seem to be fine with it. That doesn't make me not side-eye it a bit though lol.

[Snow Fairy]

On 5/13/2022 at 7:41 PM, shrewd.buddha said:

 

And Annie could have just sent an ALL-CAPS text instead of trying to get Cassie to answer her phone (which no-one does anymore, anyway). But again: the drama is not as easy to come by if characters make sensible decisions.

 

 

On 5/14/2022 at 4:07 AM, Broderbits said:

Thank you! I've been wondering why Annie didn't simply text such urgent info, especially after the first 2 calls went unanswered.

 

I was thinking the same thing. And not to send a text "call me", texting "they know where you are" would be more efficient as she would see it straight away on her screen

[LADreamr]

On 5/15/2022 at 9:47 AM, RedInk said:

I thought the slap was a sharp-turn departure from a very believable, heart wrenching scene between two damaged and hurting people to cartoonish, supervillain-level mom. I see that people liked it, but to me it was a poor acting choice. Unless the mom is supposed to be despicable, but the subsequent scene of her crying in the car seemed to indicate that she’s supposed to be at least a *little* sympathetic. This show does so many things so well, but the last few episodes have been a draaaaaag (imo). 

I hated it.  I've always hated the trope of the daughter always slapped for one thing or another (and never anything like that to sons - not that I want anyone getting hit).  It was a terrible end to a great, honest, very well acted scene, and the words were hits enough.  I know the triggery part is all my issue, but besides that, it was a cliche end to an otherwise incredible moment.

[tennisgurl]

I am really not that interested in Megan and I don't really feel bad for her. She made her bed, she had to know that there would be huge consequences for what she did for her whole family, and its only sort of connected to the already complicated main plot. You know Megan, most people buy a corvette or take a pole dancing class when they have a midlife and want to feel special again. They don't usually committ treason.  

Everything with Cassie and her mom was brutal, I forgot that Sharon Stone was going to be on this season. Huge kudos to all three actors, they were amazingly raw in that kitchen scene, it really felt uncomfortable being there. 

Cassie's ringtone is giving me horrible flashbacks to my college roommate who had this terrible Nickleback song as her ringtone, for calls and texts, that played every five seconds and drove us all nuts. Cassie's ringtone is sweet music compared to hearing that going off at 6:00am when you have a test in four hours.

Dot feels like the obvious candidate for the double, especially in how ominous she acts sometimes, but Grace is my number one pick for the imposter.

[Llywela]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I am really not that interested in Megan and I don't really feel bad for her. She made her bed, she had to know that there would be huge consequences for what she did for her whole family, and its only sort of connected to the already complicated main plot. You know Megan, most people buy a corvette or take a pole dancing class when they have a midlife and want to feel special again. They don't usually committ treason.

I know, right! She used her husband's computer to steal state secrets from his employer and sold them to a political enemy, for personal gain and private kicks, and then did a runner when she was found out, leaving her family to deal with the fallout from a crime they were not responsible for - and then she was surprised they weren't happy to see her again? What the hell did she expect?!

Her only relevance this season is as an additional complication in Cassie's life, muddying the waters of Cassie's own issues.

[LuvMyShows]

Something that wasn't shown, but I really wonder about, is how did Cassie and Davey get from the blown-up truck to the airplane?  Not only logistically, as in how did they get a car/cab/Uber, and how did they get on a plane without any tickets or identification, but also how did they get away from the men, who outnumbered them, since the explosion was only a distraction, and didn't kill the men?

I was unclear on what they were originally going to the mom's house to do.  Were they planning to clean it out completely?  Just go through their own old belongings?  And why were they doing this?  Were they only planning to stay a day or so?  And most importantly, what happened to all their stuff that they had brought, but weren't able to take with them, because they had to leave so quickly? 😉  And I know it was necessary plot-wise, but it really made no sense that Davey would have thought he could take that fireworks bag onto the plane!

When the person broke in to Cassie's house while Max and Annie were in the other room, to plant the gun, or knife, or whatever it was on that kitchen shelf, why did the camera make a point of showing that big butcher knife being left on the counter?  Annie didn't notice it when she went into the kitchen to cook, so that seemed like a 'Chekhov's gun' moment.

On 5/12/2022 at 12:52 PM, Atlanta said:

Megan, committing treason is not a good outlet for your midlife crisis. LOL

They can really miss me with the whole Megan plot.

On 5/12/2022 at 5:56 PM, peachmangosteen said:

That was Sharon Stone?! Wow, I had no idea.

I hadn't known either at the time I watched it.  She was sooo good!

On 5/12/2022 at 5:56 PM, peachmangosteen said:

I still think it could be Grace.

Unless they do something with CGI, Grace has a pretty different build from Cassie, and definitely walks very differently.

On 5/12/2022 at 1:24 PM, Llywela said:

And we know that Cassie's double is a woman, one who can pull off impersonating Cassie, at least from a distance. Who else is there beside Dot that it could be? Doesn't necessarily have to be blonde, but they'd need roughly the right height and build.

OK, so what confuses me is that whoever the double is looks nothing like Cassie from the back, even from a distance.  The wig doesn't at all look like Cassie's hair.  But what's more confusing is what I think I asked about from a previous episode, which is, that the answers in the psychological interview profile are things Cassie said she didn't say.  So, that means either the double was so outstandingly similar in every possible way that she fooled Benjamin, or that Benjamin made up the answers and no profile interview ever took place.  Neither of those seem likely.

[Atlanta]

It's Carol. She's mad about not being invited to brunch. ;)

[Zaffy]

I dunno, I was just bored... the whole AA drama is kind of dragging, takes a lot of plot time, there is no balance. I know it is the main issue of the lead, but I prefer the spy plot than the family drama. 

Same with Megan, as much as I appreciate the actress, this whole story is uninteresting.  As it also was in season 1.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Ruh roh, is Berry already sprung after one night with Cassie or is he just trying to use her to save his own skin? Or perhaps a bit of both.

The makeup people did a good job making KC's face look puffy from crying.

Cassie's mother was a toxic bitch. She had some valid points but she made them in an unnecessarily hateful way, IMO. Meanwhile, Cassie is waste of time at this point. She'll drag down anyone who'll let her so why engage? Whatever satisfaction you get from it will likely be short-lived, witness Cassie's mother crying in the car afterward. Blah, blah, wrestling with pigs, blah, blah.

Sharon Stone brought it. Brava. An Emmy nom is in her future, I'd bet.

Ditto comments upthread, what was Megan thinking? That all the treasonous secret agent stuff she did would magically go away? She destroyed her family's life and she doesn't even have an addiction to blame for it. So stupid.

If anyone is taking votes: I think the double is Grace (temporary tattoo) because Dot would be too obvious. However, Dot is likely connected to Grace in some way and they're working together to frame Cassie. As far as the slap is concerned, I don't think it added anything to the already intense scene. Sharon could've just as soon popped a balloon in Kaley's face AFAIC. Plus, I don't ever want to see a parent hitting their child, even if they are both adults.

Edited May 21, 2022 by Joimiaroxeu

[MaggieG]

On 5/13/2022 at 4:26 PM, BingeyKohan said:

since we never actually see Cassie actually flight-attendanting a plane anymore it's actually kind of hilarious the lengths they have to go to to keep 'flights' in the narrative. I am really trying to imagine friends staying with me for a week or so and taking 3+ flights away during that same time frame! I guess for a flight attendant taking a flight is like taking the subway for a New Yorker but still. 

Apparently Imperial Atlantic has only five flight attendants because of course Carol was on this flight

[edhopper]

They are pointing to Dot too much for it to be Dot. Could be Grace.

[txhorns79]

On 5/17/2022 at 2:44 PM, Llywela said:

What the hell did she expect?!

This.  Rosie Perez is acting her heart out, but Megan as a character makes little sense to me.  At best, she's an extremely selfish, deeply immature, person whom doesn't appear to have a good grasp on reality.   

This episode also made me wonder how is it that Cassie isn't in therapy.