S01.E02: Find The Gap

[OtterMommy]

TBA

Streaming Date: August 12, 2022

[rollacoaster]

I'm excited to see Dale Dickey in this! The last thing I saw her in was Claws. I think she was in Winter's Bone, too.  

[Sarah 103]

Not every person is going to like every show. I understand that and I am totally okay with that. After the first two episodes, I am ready to stop watching the series. One of my biggest problems is with the language/dialogue. It feels like I am watching Broad City which is not a show that I enjoyed (I know that other people did and that's great).

Does the show change/improve? Is the style of the first two episodes the style of the rest of the season? Thanks to anyone who can answer my question without giving away spoilers/plot points that happen after the second episode.

[gesundheit]

33 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

Not every person is going to like every show. I understand that and I am totally okay with that. After the first two episodes, I am ready to stop watching the series. One of my biggest problems is with the language/dialogue. It feels like I am watching Broad City which is not a show that I enjoyed (I know that other people did and that's great).

Does the show change/improve? Is the style of the first two episodes the style of the rest of the season? Thanks to anyone who can answer my question without giving away spoilers/plot points that happen after the second episode.

I found every episode to improve upon the last. The choice of modern language, music, movement, etc., does not change, but I think once you get settled into it, it stops feeling "off." Regardless, the story gets terrific and the final 3 episodes are positively beautiful storytelling. (I'm sure others will disagree, but that was my experience!)

[pasdetrois]

Throughout the series some of the characters, such as Clance (whom I love), do that modern snarky patter while another character is speaking or doing something. "So we're doing this now..." "Are you really going to..." "I guess you decided..."And each comment trails off. It's meaningless side commentary that's supposed to be cheeky and funny, but it's just annoying.

I do like that the baseball players resemble real women, although I often remark that I've rarely seen an unattractive photo of a women from the 40s. So many of them took care with their hair and lipstick, even while wearing housedresses to clean house or riveting bombers in a factory, and they looked fabulous.

Edited August 15, 2022 by pasdetrois

[Cloud9Shopper]

It’s not my thing. I think I’m too much of a fan of the movie since it was on TV constantly when I was younger, and I’ll still watch when it’s on and I’m around. 

It really bugged me that they kept throwing in lines similar to the movie, except the actors couldn’t deliver them as well as Geena Davis or Rosie O’Donnell could. Even the charm school/cosmetics scene didn’t feel as well polished.

It’s not even about the LGBT stuff. My sister is out and has a girlfriend. I support gay marriage, etc. This doesn’t have any punch or zest of the movie, and for the love of whatever you believe in, not everything needs to be remade or updated. It’s OK to leave great shows or movies in the past! 

[Deskisamess]

We watched the first 2 episodes, and won't watch more. It's just not good. It's like watching people who live in the current time frame, dressed like they are in the 1940's,  but acting like it's 2022. Total fail for us.

It's an insult to the original movie.

[Scarlett45]

On 8/15/2022 at 12:13 PM, pasdetrois said:

I do like that the baseball players resemble real women, although I often remark that I've rarely seen an unattractive photo of a women from the 40s. So many of them took care with their hair and lipstick, even while wearing housedresses to clean house or riveting bombers in a factory, and they looked fabulous.

Although I agree that our culture is MUCH MUCH more casual now, we have to remember that taking photographs was much more difficult in the 1940s. It was an “event”, unless you were wealthy and super into photography. So it makes sense that people would be well beautified before having their photo taken. It wasn’t something you could just do on a whim for the majority of the population. And unless you’re looking at family albums, only the women deemed to be the most attractive would be chosen to be photographed. 

[possibilities]

Yeah, there were no candid shots taken on the fly, either. 

[Scarlett45]

I’m liking the show so far. I understand what you guys have been saying about the dialogue style, but I am enjoying it regardless. I think the characters are fully formed and have complex motivations (as all humans do). 
 

My heart was breaking for Clance, her hair style was falling a part as she just wanted crabs to impress her new in laws. The actress played it well. 

[Bastet]

It's a nice reminder of how media has changed in the 30 years since the film came out that, this time around, the charm school sequence is explicit that the reason they're subjected to it is to weed out anyone who isn't or can't pass as straight.

And I appreciate the nuance of the cosmetics company maven, that she's willing to do the league's bidding and send women packing, but she also acknowledges the world men have created sucks, so women have to suck it up and do what they must in order to access that world, and then amass the money and reputation to do their own thing under their noses.  "[My husband] is well kept, and I keep my freedom."

The ongoing joke about Carson being referred to as a farm girl just because she's from Idaho gets even better in this one, when she responds to the "farm hands, farm face" critique by mumbling, "I've never even been on a farm."

It's sweet to see Greta, so skilled at doing what's expected of her, able to resist talking back to the asshole heckler when he's throwing his sexist garbage at her, but immediately lose her restraint when he insults Jo.

I love all the Peaches' reactions to how they're introduced on the field, especially Lupe's reaction to being misidentified as Spanish rather than Mexican.

I thought it an interesting dynamic for Dove to seem to be really into coaching these women, not seeing them as any different from himself when he was getting started.  (I like the contrast with the film, where he signs Carson's ball, when Jimmy had torn up Betty's husband's card when she asked.)  But I knew that couldn't hold, and predicted we'd find out he does find it beneath him, he's just not being openly antagonistic about it, and once he's offered something "better" - meaning, with men - he'll abandon the team.  I didn't know we were going to find his true feelings out so quickly, though, even after he cut practice so short heading into their first game.

I like Max's pitching fantasy, and appreciate the sad realism of the coach admitting she's right about his pitcher, but still saying no way to even giving her a shot at pitching in practice.  I like her idea to get around the fact the plant is hiring Black men, but only white women -- fine, put me down as Max, not Maxine.  Just like her mom getting a business loan because the bank is too stupid to know Toni is a woman's name.

I felt confident this show was going to do right by the Black characters when Carson didn't swoop in and order the crab for Max; Max stood up for herself, and Carson merely confirmed yes, she is next in line.

That whole crab misadventure was equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.  Clance so badly wanted to make Guy happy and impress his parents, and, even though Max steps up and gets her the crab, she winds up late, sweating, hair a mess, and no fancy dress.  But Guy doesn't ask what the hell happened or say his parents have been waiting on crab, he just asks Max to take care of the food and goes to tell Clance she looks beautiful in anything, but he's particularly fond of a dress she's already got in her closet.  She's still Miss Lena Horne in his eyes.  They have a lovely relationship.

I laughed out loud at the end when we found out Max is fooling around with the church lady.  It adds a great layer to her assuring Carson she didn't give a shit about what she saw between Carson and Greta and isn't going to tell anyone.  Since they're inevitably going to keep crossing paths to blend the two narratives, I like that they have a second bond in addition to baseball.

Edited September 3, 2022 by Bastet

[Mabinogia]

14 hours ago, Bastet said:

That whole crab misadventure was equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.  Clance so badly wanted to make Guy happy and impress his parents, and, even though Max steps up and gets her the crab, she winds up late, sweating, hair a mess, and no fancy dress.  But Guy doesn't ask what the hell happened or say his parents have been waiting on crab, he just asks Max to take care of the food and goes to tell Clance she looks beautiful in anything, but he's particularly fond of a dress she's already got in her closet.  They have a lovely relationship.

That whole section of the ep had me laughing and crying, feeling my heart swell (at Guy not caring about anything but making Clance feel loved) and break (the horrifyingly real issues the ladies had just trying to buy some crabs). I think the show does a lovely job of making the show entertaining but also pointing out the horrible, horrible history of racisim and sexism in a place that claims to be the land of the free. 

I do love that Carson just confirmed that Max was there first. It could so easily have slid into a white saviour story to make Carson seem more heroic so the shows restraint was impressive. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

When Clance was wailing at the seafood in the pot on the oven - before she and Max go to get the 'good crab' - Can someone explain that part to me?

[Scarlett45]

On 10/2/2022 at 10:42 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

When Clance was wailing at the seafood in the pot on the oven - before she and Max go to get the 'good crab' - Can someone explain that part to me?

Someone took the seafood that she was going to make for her husband’s family party, and prepared it for the repast meal. 

[Hanahope]

The heckling from the two guys in the stands was bad enough but even the introductions were so sexist.  
 

they force them to be virgin marys but treat them like sluts.  Geeze what women had to put up with back then.