S02.E02: Lolo and Lola

[Trini]

Thony's in-laws (Fiona's loving-yet-overbearing father and reserved-yet-strong mother) come to Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Thony must help Arman by meeting with Robert Kamdar (Naveen Andrews), Nadia's gregarious and charming ex-lover.

Airdate: Monday, Sept. 26, 2022

[paigow]

Props to wardrobe team for creating a miracle towel that stays wrapped during Mortal Kombat.

Thony has made bad decisions before... but staying an ocean away from Lolo is smart  

[Raja]

Lolo Jacinto was no joke. I thought I remembered that Marcos identified Fiona as his older sister in the previous season but when giving Luca his father's barong that he wore for his sister's baptism is a story that suggest that Marcos was the elder, unless they are among the 2% of Filipinos who are evangelicals and would wait for the child to make that decision for herself.

I get that a bent judge ordered Arman's release but that was before the jail homicide of Hayak. In 2022 I didn't really expect another gratuitous  bra and panties shot of Èlodie Yung. Naveen Andrews punching his henchmen almost could have been aimed at TPTB for forcing the scene. I really was expecting Kamdar to audition Thony's cleaning skills to delay her more and cause her more problems with the parents.

Las Vegas homicide did take their time to get around to interviewing the survivors, like Agent Garrett said Thony in mirroring Lieutenant Provenza of The Closer/Major Crimes, would be their chief suspect. At the bare minimum it would have been 17 hours since the parents got informed that they could have made the flights to Las Vegas.

[Irlandesa]

I did love the last minute of the show.  I like flair like that sometimes. 

[Raja]

I was looking forward to Arman becoming Mando with the Armenians after him. With Hayak being armed did they need the Mexican's double cross? That was the second time in a week that I saw a TV character survive a smuggled in knife and not a prison made shank attack.

[paigow]

2 hours ago, Raja said:

I was looking forward to Arman becoming Mando with the Armenians after him. With Hayak being armed did they need the Mexican's double cross? That was the second time in a week that I saw a TV character survive a smuggled in knife and not a prison made shank attack.

When did Arman have time to Google drug names and their lethality?

Was Infirmary guy paid to leave the door open? Or was he just dumb?

[Raja]

17 minutes ago, paigow said:

When did Arman have time to Google drug names and their lethality?

Was Infirmary guy paid to leave the door open? Or was he just dumb?

Watching the guard pull his inner Sergeant Shultz and pull out to see nothing just as the drug cabinet was unlocked a betting man says the pharmacist was bought off like everyone else.

[paigow]

7 hours ago, Raja said:

I get that a bent judge ordered Arman's release but that was before the jail homicide of Hayak. 

accidental death... He suffered a heart attack while taking a fully clothed shower... Happens every day... Signed: Gil Grissom

[Raja]

6 minutes ago, paigow said:

accidental death... He suffered a heart attack while taking a fully clothed shower... Happens every day... Signed: Gil Grissom

I already had the argument about how that accident couldn't get past Dr Jordan Quincy.

[eel21788]

9 hours ago, Raja said:

 At the bare minimum it would have been 17 hours since the parents got informed that they could have made the flights to Las Vegas.

Why did they come to Las Vegas for a funeral? Wouldn't it have made more sense to repatriate his body back to the Philippines and bury him there?

[Raja]

26 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

Why did they come to Las Vegas for a funeral? Wouldn't it have made more sense to repatriate his body back to the Philippines and bury him there?

They are playing it as if they are a small family, by Filipino standards, for their age range. As of now we have only been introduced to his parents in the Philippines. Meanwhile his son, legal wife, big or baby sister, depending on which season's clues you follow, and nephew are all TNT in America and can't leave and return. Maybe Thony being Cambodian wouldn go along with just flying the remains home but culturally people stay with the remains from death to internment like a military honor guard/escort and that leaves Jazz after the funeral which the parents would not want to miss in any case, even if it wasn't shown to us. And the show runner is interested in showing parts of Filipino culture.

I would bet that the only reason that Thony is Cambodian and Arman an ethnic Mexican  instead of being another Filipina and another Armenian is to match the actual ethnicity of the leads after they were cast as that has become increasingly important to audiences over the past decade.

[quangtran]

Quote

I would bet that the only reason that Thony is Cambodian and Arman an ethnic Mexican  instead of being another Filipina and another Armenian is to match the actual ethnicity of the leads after they were cast as that has become increasingly important to audiences over the past decade.

Yes, that is correct. Shannyn Sossamon (Hawaiian and Filipina descent) was initially cast as the lead, but her first table read didn't go well so they cast Elodie and changed the character's ethnic background to Cambodian to match the actress. Incidentally, they also did that in Daredevil, where Elektra was always white-Greek but when Elodie was cast they later changed her backstory she that she's Asian/French.

Anyone else get Lost flashbacks when seeing Naveen play a guy pining for a Nadia?

[Trini]

On 9/20/2022 at 1:03 AM, Trini said:

... I'm guessing that Hayak is the next major player to die. ...

They did throw in some new obstacles, but - dang - they really didn't waste any time getting rid of the old ones (Marco, Hayak)! They had a perfect setup to get rid of Hayak last season, don't know why they didn't just do that then.

(Now if they could just exit Garrett, that would be great.)

It was good to see some of Thony's extended family, and a bit more of Filipino culture. I don't remember if anything had been mentioned about Fiona and Marco's ages last season, but I had assumed Marco was the older one. I get that it's going to be a rare occurance, but I hope that's not the last we see of Lolo and Lola.

For Chris' sake, I hope he does get to talk honestly with someone about Marco's death.

Not sure what to think of Kamdar yet; seems like a man prone to extremes.

And this time, they captioned/subtitled only some of the other languages spoken, I hope they're more consistent in the future.

[Raja]

2 minutes ago, Trini said:

They did throw in some new obstacles, but - dang - they really didn't waste any time getting rid of the old ones (Marco, Hayak)! They had a perfect setup to get rid of Hayak last season, don't know why they didn't just do that then.

(Now if they could just exit Garrett, that would be great.)

It was good to see some of Thony's extended family, and a bit more of Filipino culture. I don't remember if anything had been mentioned about Fiona and Marco's ages last season, but I had assumed Marco was the older one. I get that it's going to be a rare occurance, but I hope that's not the last we see of Lolo and Lola.

I could have sworn Marcos addressed Fiona as atè in the first season and that caught my ear. . The younger siblings address for older sisters, along with others as people in the society code switch in normal conversation. In the year that past perhaps I flipped the honorarium used and Fiona address Marcos as kuya. If Marcos was the elder then Fiona would address him as kuya, like  Luca does for Chris.

But as I said earlier in the thread they set up Marcos as the elder with the baptism barong story As American raised Filipinos Jazz and Chris get some things wrong like asking for the grandparents hands to perform the mano po along with the disrespect Chris showed to his Uncle Marcos by just calling him Marcos instead of Uncle or Tito Marcos

[Trini]

22 minutes ago, Raja said:

I could have sworn Marcos addressed Fiona as atè in the first season and that caught my ear. . The younger siblings address for older sisters, along with others as people in the society code switch in normal conversation. In the year that past perhaps I flipped the honorarium used and Fiona address Marcos as kuya. If Marcos was the elder then Fiona would address him as kuya, like  Luca does for Chris.

But as I said earlier in the thread they set up Marcos as the elder with the baptism barong story As American raised Filipinos Jazz and Chris get some things wrong like asking for the grandparents hands to perform the mano po along with the disrespect Chris showed to his Uncle Marcos by just calling him Marcos instead of Uncle or Tito Marcos

Glad about your input, because that's not stuff I would not notice or get. My impression that Marco was the eldest is mainly based on how they wrote him and Fiona; but then again, it's been a while, and that's not really one of the relationships I was paying attention to!

Edited September 28, 2022 by Trini

[paigow]

2 hours ago, Raja said:

Along with the disrespect Chris showed to his Uncle Marcos by just calling him Marcos instead of Uncle or Tito Marcos

Involuntary manslaughter / self defence can throw traditions out the window..

[Raja]

On 9/28/2022 at 10:49 AM, Trini said:

Glad about your input, because that's not stuff I would not notice or get. My impression that Marco was the eldest is mainly based on how they wrote him and Fiona; but then again, it's been a while, and that's not really one of the relationships I was paying attention to!

I have a lola in the home who is increasingly forgetting events so this rabbit hole caught me. Looking back at the old post I did mention in episode 10's thread that something happened in the previous one to make me think Fiona was the elder. And looking back it was Fiona calling him "Marco" instead of "kuya" like a big sister would in the first half. Perhaps they were other references but I turned away satisfied that so far my memory was okay on that count.

That episode also had the visit to the immigration lawyer and it caught me that Fiona didn't use the honorarium/title "Attorney" X like folks raised in the Philippines generally do.

[Trini]

16 hours ago, Raja said:

I have a lola in the home who is increasingly forgetting events so this rabbit hole caught me. Looking back at the old post I did mention in episode 10's thread that something happened in the previous one to make me think Fiona was the elder. And looking back it was Fiona calling him "Marco" instead of "kuya" like a big sister would in the first half. Perhaps they were other references but I turned away satisfied that so far my memory was okay on that count.

That episode also had the visit to the immigration lawyer and it caught me that Fiona didn't use the honorarium/title "Attorney" X like folks raised in the Philippines generally do.

I also think the writers, etc. are more comfortable this season including more overt references to Filipino language and culture than in Season 1.

[rr2911]

On 9/28/2022 at 12:02 PM, Trini said:

(Now if they could just exit Garrett, that would be great.)

Man, Garrett is the only one I root for!  The show last season portrayed him as a shady FBI agent.  This year they are doing a better job so far.  Thony and Arman are suppose to be the good guys but I see them as the bad guys and Garrett is trying to do his job and take out the garbage!  Thony has done all sorts of wrong and by extension, Fiona!  Of course Chris "pushed" Marco down the stairs and I hope at some point he pays for it!

[rr2911]

The Cleaning Lady is a damn good show and that's why I end up with a headache after watching this show.  Thony and Arman are the bad guys here but you wouldn't know it by the posts here.  My wife was laughing at me becasue I was hoping Hayak would kill Arman once and for all!  Thony has had people beaten up, doesn't show any emotion for Marco's death and continues to commit crime by association with Arman.  By contrast, FBI agent Garrett is portrayed as a sleazeball.  How dare he try to stop crime!  I get the writers are sending the message that a mother will do anythng for her kids, but let's be real here, she is breaking the law.  I hope when the series ends, Thony will at least pay for the wrong she has done!

[paigow]

1 hour ago, rr2911 said:

 By contrast, FBI agent Garrett is portrayed as a sleazeball. 

Deservedly so. He insists on risking the life of his C.I. by visiting her house. If her boyfriend [or a minion] was there, she would have burned at best, dead at worst.

[vibeology]

I think the point is that nobody here is a good guy. People make morally compromised choices all the time for reasons they can justify to themselves but that doesn't make them right. Thony has "reasons" for doing what she does but that doesn't make it okay. Garrett slept with his CI and puts her life in danger and he'd say it's because he cares about her but it's still wrong. Arman probably didn't have many opportunities in his life but resorting to a life of crime isn't fine. For me the show isn't about finding the "good guy" and wanting them to stop the "bad guys." It's about watching complex people navigate morally difficult situations and seeing how they all change as a result.

[Jax7917]

21 hours ago, rr2911 said:

The Cleaning Lady is a damn good show and that's why I end up with a headache after watching this show.  Thony and Arman are the bad guys here but you wouldn't know it by the posts here.  My wife was laughing at me becasue I was hoping Hayak would kill Arman once and for all!  Thony has had people beaten up, doesn't show any emotion for Marco's death and continues to commit crime by association with Arman.  By contrast, FBI agent Garrett is portrayed as a sleazeball.  How dare he try to stop crime!  I get the writers are sending the message that a mother will do anythng for her kids, but let's be real here, she is breaking the law.  I hope when the series ends, Thony will at least pay for the wrong she has done!

This! And I hate that Thony thinks she is always doing the right thing for her family, meanwhile in real life , she'd be caught and put in jail for the rest of her life for what she's doing and then what? What would happen to her son then? She thinks Arman is hot (I mean he is but...) so she is willing to do all of this for him. If he were ugly, she wouldn't be as into crime as she is. I also feel like all the sister does is go around apologizing for things with wide eyes. I think she should go back home with her kids because otherwise she is getting caught up in all of this. 

Also, why is Thony more upset about Arman, a guy she only just met, getting beat up in jail by his crime boss than her husband being murdered by her nephew?

[rr2911]

17 hours ago, vibeology said:

I think the point is that nobody here is a good guy. People make morally compromised choices all the time for reasons they can justify to themselves but that doesn't make them right. Thony has "reasons" for doing what she does but that doesn't make it okay. Garrett slept with his CI and puts her life in danger and he'd say it's because he cares about her but it's still wrong. Arman probably didn't have many opportunities in his life but resorting to a life of crime isn't fine. For me the show isn't about finding the "good guy" and wanting them to stop the "bad guys." It's about watching complex people navigate morally difficult situations and seeing how they all change as a result.

And you might right about the show!  I just feel that TPTB are trying to make Thony the "I'll do anything for my son" type of parent even if it means breaking the law, getting people beat up or covering up her husbands murderer.  I think the show is portraying Thony as a "good guy".  But of course this is just my opinion. 

[cameron]

Thought the actress portraying Fiona looked older than the one playing her Mother in this episode.

[Raja]

7 minutes ago, cameron said:

Thought the actress portraying Fiona looked older than the one playing her Mother in this episode.

Lola hasn't acted much lately as she has been working as a RN in America but I do believe they tried to age her up some to match Lolo's apparent age. Meanwhile from a quick search Martha Millan/Fiona has shielded her actual age from the public 

[paigow]

On 10/3/2022 at 2:20 PM, Jax7917 said:

Also, why is Thony more upset about Arman, a guy she only just met, getting beat up in jail by his crime boss than her husband being murdered by her nephew?

Arman is her only protection. If he dies, Hayak will kill her next.  He also genuinely wants Luca to survive.

[eel21788]

3 hours ago, paigow said:

Arman is her only protection. If he dies, Hayak will kill her next.  

Hayak is already dead, or so we have been led to believe.

[eel21788]

4 hours ago, Raja said:

 Meanwhile from a quick search Martha Millan/Fiona has shielded her actual age from the public 

If she lives in Santa Ana, CA then she is 61. Then again, she could be using a stage name, and the person I used my super ninja googling skills on is another person entirely.

[Raja]

6 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

Hayak is already dead, or so we have been led to believe.

Thony has yet to rise up to be the Queen of the South. The exact particulars of the Armenian gun cartel is beyond her immediate need to know. Meanwhile under boss Arman helps while the US government threatens her son, sister and nephew 

[paigow]

11 hours ago, eel21788 said:

Hayak is already dead, or so we have been led to believe.

She had no idea that Arman was planning to kill Hayak. She needed to pay the bribe ASAP so Arman could get out of jail.