S01.E04: Switch Hitter

[OtterMommy]

TBA

Streaming Date: August 12, 2022

[Megan]

I'm starting to think that the movie's Dottie and Kit relationship is somewhat mirrored in Carson and Max. Max is always freaking out, flying off the handle and is super emotional. Carson is way less confident and comfortable in her own skin than Dottie was though. Being in the closet may have something to do with that.

And it's still surprising to me when Greta kissed Carson that Carson just went for it. In most movies or shows she would have freaked out or gotten mad and then laaaaaater we would have seen her grab and kiss Greta.

I remember reading that they did a bunch of baseball training, but they look bad. When the Cuban girl went to steal second in this episode, she was just kinda walking. More like if the batter got walked so she had to move to 2nd. Wtf was that?

And a lot of them hold the bat weird. 

[gesundheit]

3 hours ago, Megan said:

I remember reading that they did a bunch of baseball training, but they look bad. When the Cuban girl went to steal second in this episode, she was just kinda walking. More like if the batter got walked so she had to move to 2nd. Wtf was that?

And a lot of them hold the bat weird. 

I agree, some of those in-play scenes look awkward, despite some of them having a lot of experience. I only know baseball, though, so if the actresses are coming in with softball experience I confess I'm ignorant of the finer-points distinctions, but maybe that has something to do with it?

I think the game play does look better as the series goes on, though

[Haleth]

I didn't come to this show to watch these women explore their sexuality.  I think way too much time is spent on Carson and Greta and how they will hide their relationship.  I just don't really care.

It was brave of the writers to show Max isn't as good as she thinks she is, at least when it comes to pitching to the men.  I guess that had to happen though for her to approach Carson with a deal.

So is Dove gone?  Just like that?  I did like how Carson and Lupe together solved the problem of the other team cheating.

Edited August 19, 2022 by Haleth

[Mabinogia]

10 hours ago, Haleth said:

I think way too much time is spent on Carson and Greta and how they will hide their relationship.  I just don't really care.

While I liked both characters their relationship was the weakest part of the show for me, also the least interesting. I was just never invested in them as a couple. 

As heartbroken as I was for Max, I thought it was smart to have her choke. It makes for a much more interesting story. I'm loving pretty much everything about the Max side of the show. 

[Scarlett45]

I did observe that when Greta was talking about “being seen on a man’s arm to keep herself safe”, is that we do have to remember Greta could’ve been criminally prosecuted or committed for same sex sexual activity. The married women were even in greater danger because their husbands had so much social and legal power over them. 
 

On 8/19/2022 at 4:53 PM, Mabinogia said:

As heartbroken as I was for Max, I thought it was smart to have her choke. It makes for a much more interesting story. I'm loving pretty much everything about the Max side of the show. 

I was heartbroken for Max too. Chante Adams (Max) has such a charm and a joy in her face, the heartbreak is palpable. I also like seeing Clance & Guy’s relationship.  I don’t blame her for being concerned about finances, a better job at the factory will be good for them. Guy broke my heart, he was afraid of losing his glasses! I think of the men in my family who served in WWII and had to come back to segregation. 
 

I think Gary does actually like Max, but she doesn’t care about him (at all). She was using him to get a job/as a beard even if she didn’t realize it. The coach did a decent thing and let her keep her money. 
 

I didn’t know “invert” was slang for “lesbian” though. 

[Bastet]

There were so many great allusions to the film in this episode, with the newsreel being my favorite. 

Watching Max choke was painful, but between what she overheard her mom say and the fact she'd never had the opportunity to pitch to a proper hitter before, it was almost inevitable.  And then Clance quite understandably does not have time to listen to her about all this, so she's completely at sea.  I love that she goes and gets Carson; it's a realistic way to put them together again, that Max needs someone to hit off her and Carson both fits the bill and has to because s he owes her for keeping quiet about Greta.

I like the relationship between Max and her dad, and how he picks his battles when he's going to take up for her to Toni.

Clance and Guy on his last night before shipping out were very touching.  As someone who can't see more than a foot in front of me without glasses, I appreciate losing his glasses being one of his fears.  I love Clance coming up with a comic book character to represent him, and saying of course Lt. Victory is scared, because he has so much to lose, but that's why he's going to stay safe, because he has so much to come home to. 

Earlier, when he flapped his gums again and revealed Gary had been named starting pitcher, I love when she said, "You are gonna give those damn Germans our coordinates, aren't you?"

I like that Clance and Max are going to be together at the factory, and Clance was hilarious in her "so, uh, what do we do here?" introduction to the others when Max just ran off three minutes into her first day to chase down the coach.

Carson's room switch plan was great, for Lupe's reaction when she and Esti were the first ones paired up: "Wow, how absolutely random."

Greta explaining to Carson the rules she plays by to keep her safe and Jo later telling Greta she's not being careful were good scenes.  Also Greta laying out what this fling is and how things will go when the season is over -- Carson will be back with Charlie, Greta will be in California with Jo, and they'll both be glad they had this adventure together.

I also liked Carson and Lupe co-coaching -- that included another good allusion to the film, where they're giving the same signs as contrasted to that moment when Jimmy finally decided to be a coach and was giving contradictory signs to those Dottie (who'd been de facto coach while he slept one off) was giving, leaving Marla at a loss as to what to do -- especially when they dealt with the cheating. 

I also like the brief moment between Sarge and the cheating team's chaperone, about the "gentleman's agreement" against stealing bases. 

Edited September 5, 2022 by Bastet

[Hanahope]

The Comets must practice at night.  That was sneaky to turn off half the lights.

i did not realize being a lesbian was a crime.  Wow.  We cannot go back to that

[jacehan]

On 9/2/2022 at 6:07 PM, Scarlett45 said:

I didn’t know “invert” was slang for “lesbian” though. 

It's not. At the time of the show, it was the scientific name/theory for homosexual/queer people in general (the idea being that an invert has had their masculinity/femininity inverted).

[Scarlett45]

2 hours ago, jacehan said:

It's not. At the time of the show, it was the scientific name/theory for homosexual/queer people in general (the idea being that an invert has had their masculinity/femininity inverted).

Thank you. I had to look that up further after watching the series.