S01.E08: Switzerland

[AntFTW]

Quote

In a bucolic Swiss village, Steve’s sins finally catch up with him. As he stares down the consequences of his actions, he makes a final, fateful choice.

Air date: January 3, 2022

[iMonrey]

My goodness, it's like they got to Episode 7 and then ran out of time! Talk about Yada-Yada-ing the ending. There was so much more to the whole sting operation to bring Steve down, I wonder if they just ran out of money or something. 

I also don't think Irene wound up owning Chippendales - if she did she must have sold it. Also, Steve had a son, not a daughter. The son was interviewed for the documentary and said there was no money because Steve had hidden it away somewhere in Zurich and he's still trying to find it to this day. He's also trying to start his own Chippendales-style show.

This was kind of a weird show. They spent quite a lot of time developing and fleshing out the characters but I don't feel like we got any payoff. Denise just sort of disappeared and Steve's ending was really rushed with the five-year jump. Like I said, it feels like they planned to do maybe ten episodes and found out they were only getting eight at the last minute.

[peridot]

I'm surprised that Steve didn't suspect anything when his henchmen kept trying to get him to talk.  The outburst about the whiskey should have given him pause.

It's disgusting that he tried to murder random dancers of a competitor.  What a warped guy.

The last few episodes were really short, I wonder if they could have combined some episodes.

The ending scene was sad - he had a successful business but his ego destroyed everything.

[Alice Mudgarden]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

My goodness, it's like they got to Episode 7 and then ran out of time! Talk about Yada-Yada-ing the ending. There was so much more to the whole sting operation to bring Steve down, I wonder if they just ran out of money or something. 

I also don't think Irene wound up owning Chippendales - if she did she must have sold it. Also, Steve had a son, not a daughter. The son was interviewed for the documentary and said there was no money because Steve had hidden it away somewhere in Zurich and he's still trying to find it to this day. He's also trying to start his own Chippendales-style show.

This was kind of a weird show. They spent quite a lot of time developing and fleshing out the characters but I don't feel like we got any payoff. Denise just sort of disappeared and Steve's ending was really rushed with the five-year jump. Like I said, it feels like they planned to do maybe ten episodes and found out they were only getting eight at the last minute.

I felt the same way. They flew through basically everything after Nick's murder, but there was a whole lot that happened in that time frame that they didn't touch on. The chain of events to getting to Steve being taped in the hotel room by the FBI could have filled another episode, easy. I think you may be right about initially thinking they were getting another couple of episodes. I can't imagine another reason to breeze past the end of the story how they did.

IIRC, Irene did get the company but I think a bunch of lawsuits and such wound up leaving them without much. I've watched and listened to enough stuff on this story to make me a little unsure where I heard what haha. I do know that Steve and Irene had both a daughter and a son, and I kept waiting for Irene to get pregnant with a second child but it never happened. She was definitely seen as a malleable character for the sake of the pacing of the show in certain ways.

I've noticed with this series that they got a lot of little details right, which I really appreciate, but the broad strokes got changed or ignored in certain places. I kind of vacillate on how accurate I'd say it was because of that. Overall, I enjoyed what I watched and would have gladly watched another couple of episodes, especially if they could have fleshed out (no pun intended!) certain things a little more.

Edited January 4, 2023 by Alice Mudgarden

[Snazzy Daisy]

Again, another time jump.

A rushed finale. Some lost moments in that 5-years time jump can be quite significant and make a big difference. What happens to Denise? What’s going on with Irene after she left the house? Both have been written out so easily.

That scene in the cell, between Steve and ghost Nick, it’s amazing. The proper build up could have made this scene more impactful.

“You know I’ll always take care of you.”

Steve’s final act - a coward or selfless??!
 

[Corgi-ears]

I can kind of understand why the writers thought it was a good idea to focus on the sting operation, because it provides a justification for the exposition-heavy dialogue. "Oh, you paid me, a henchman, to kill Nick, your business partner, played by Murray Bartlett?!" Hey, it's not that we are bad at writing dialogue, we're just pretending that Ray had to talk like this for the purposes of the sting. Now, why an audience would need exposition in the last episode is another matter; are we meant to not have understood or remember the precious seven?

But to have exposition-heavy dialogue be performed by two of your show's worst actors? Why didn't they also put Denise in the room, to complete the horrible acting trifecta? 

However, "and a brick just in case" is one of the (unintentionally) funniest lines I've heard a pseudo-hitman utter.

Edited January 4, 2023 by Corgi-ears

[Johnny Dollar]

Interesting choice to make a hero out of a convicted murderer because he killed himself so his ex-wife can become a millionaire. If true, it seems like the RICO statutes may need some tweaking. Regardless, I hope Melanie isn’t relying on this scenario to keep herself in fur. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Interesting choice to make a hero out of a convicted murderer because he killed himself so his ex-wife can become a millionaire.

Oh, I don't think that makes him a hero, and the show did nothing to make him look heroic. I think they did a fairly good job of explaining his background that motivated him to balance things out, but that imaginary confrontation by Nick in his cell at the end was definitely written for him to get his "comeuppance." Frankly I found the scene rather indulgent but I certainly think it illustrates that the show considered Steve a villain.

[HunterHunted]

On 1/3/2023 at 6:36 PM, peridot said:

It's disgusting that he tried to murder random dancers of a competitor.  What a warped guy.

A competitor started by former Chippendales dancers. He also put a hit out on a former Chippendales dancer who was putting out his own calendar. 

[kwnyc]

I agree with those who felt like the last episode was rushed. it felt like a recap!

But damned if it didn't catch a place and time very well...and there was some excellent acting. (Though I can't tell whether I thought Steve's minion was just badly acted or terribly written. I mean, I felt disgusted on behalf of people who are from the Bronx!)

The leads were strong, the hair and music were on point, and it was a story I didn't know about at all...now I have to go find the documentary!

[slowpoked]

I went into this series not knowing a single thing about the origins of Chippendales, and wow. I would have never thought that the origins of the first male stripper club in the country was full of deceit, lies and murder. Like most of you said, if this entire saga is not a true story, I would have also found this to be ridiculous and over-the-top - what was Banerjee thinking?! That he can kill his way to be the sole, only owner of a male strip club? I'm surprised he didn't trademark the actual concept. It sounds ludicrous, but it's not something I wouldn't put past of a man with this gigantic ego.

Man, if I founded a business where I can just sit back and watch the cash roll in, while not lifting a single finger and other people were doing the hard work for me, I'll be set for life. I'll enjoy my family and nice house, travel the shit out of the world, buy whatever I want, etc. Passive income is the way to be! But to Banerjee, success isn't simply financial success that provides stability for his family - he wanted to be part of the inner, royal circle. He wanted to be part of "U.S. Royalty". He was thirsting for the Hollywood and elitist recognition, thinking that people would look past his skin color as long as he was making it rain, while he's comfortably passing judgment on other people solely based on his skin color. There are some truly despicable people in the world.

Off to watch the docuseries - I'm now expecting to be even blown away by more ridiculous, but true stuff that happened. 

[Scarlett45]

On 1/16/2023 at 1:37 PM, slowpoked said:

Off to watch the docuseries - I'm now expecting to be even blown away by more ridiculous, but true stuff that happened. 

Finally catching up- I watched the documentary first, but my Mom is interested so we are going to watch that next. (We usually watch tv together on Sunday evenings)

 

I have to say the entire cast did an excellent job. Kumail Nanjiani could get an Emmy for this one!

[lucindabelle]

I was surprised some recappers  misunderstood the final

scene: not a flashback but chippendales as it should have been, with Steve able to appreciate Nick, congratulate him, and watch happily from above, knowing he owns it. As it should have been. Which makes it so sad.

 

I understand the real life story is nastier and most likely the real guy was a stone cold psychopath but here I did feel a bit sorry for him. He was so close to having it all if he could have just gotten out of his own way.

Edited February 10, 2023 by lucindabelle