S01.E09: Escape from Shi... Mountain

[shantown]

Quote

Charlie finds herself stranded in a motel during a blizzard, where she must decipher the deadly tension between her questionable companions to survive the night.

Streaming on Peacock starting March 2

[Snazzy Daisy]

Guest stars - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Castañeda, Stephanie Hsu

 

[shapeshifter]

If this episode had run immediately following any of the 1970s episodes of Columbo, Peter Falk would have hung up his trench coat.

Just one question. 
At the end, when Cliff says on the phone that they "have" Charlie, and all he has to do is dig a hole (oh, the irony!), does Cliff believe she's dead? Or does he mean he found her in the hospital?

And just one more question.
If Cliff does think Charlie is dead, will he "identify" the body and see it is "Morty" and not Charlie? 

 

Poor Morty.
Having traveled off the grid myself in the 70s, I can attest to the wisdom of Charlie's axiom of never letting someone get you to change locations, and the corollary to that axiom, which is that sometimes a change in location is just getting into a car.

 

I was surprised Charlie didn't know that ibuprofen would never be blue pills, but I should have trusted that she would know that. 
This is not a TV show from the 70s.

 

Nice Chekhovian line of Charlie thinking she was dead after the initial accident, to be followed by her death announcement on the TV news in the last act.  

Will she go by "Jane" for a while? 

[paigow]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Just one question. 
At the end, when Cliff says on the phone that they "have" Charlie, and all he has to do is dig a hole (oh, the irony!), does Cliff believe she's dead? Or does he mean he found her in the hospital?

Cliff knows she is alive... He might have discovered that her car has been impounded / found abandoned... and bribed the cops for a description of all Jane Does admitted to Denver area hospitals...

[AnimeMania]

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Trey Mendez
David Castañeda as Jimmy
Stephanie Hsu as Morty
Benjamin Bratt as Cliff Legrand

[Ms Blue Jay]

My personal favourite was this guy played by Chris Cortez.  It was straight out of a romance novel.  I was sad thinking he'd be a murder victim, but then he just disappeared for the rest of the episode???

[paigow]

Charlie is losing her mojo. Unlimited Sexy Times with hot Lumberjack while off the grid, safe from Cliff AND the cops. She threw it away because Winter????!!!!

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, paigow said:

Charlie is losing her mojo. Unlimited Sexy Times with hot Lumberjack while off the grid, safe from Cliff AND the cops. She threw it away because Winter????!!!!

Charlie was from Vegas, and I bet Flannel Guy spent the snowy winter nights naked in a down sleeping bag in a tent.

(speaking/typing from experience)

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by shapeshifter

[kay1864]

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Charlie was from Vegas, and I bet Flannel Guy spent the snowy winter nights naked in a down sleeping bag in a tent.

1. Still, they could’ve had a throwaway line, explaining why she tired of sleeping with naked hot guy in a tent. 

2. Why would Jimmy have only one bullet in his gun?

3. Too bad ‘Jane Doe’ couldn’t find a way to claim the reward. But I guess the cop that found the ankle monitor  is the one who found Chloe—even though Charlie figured it out first.

4. How the hell did Charlie survive a  knife wound to the chest, especially when she wasn’t found for an hour or two?

Overall, one of my favorite episodes so far. Pacing really kept my interest, and great performance by Natasha. 

Edited March 3, 2023 by kay1864

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, this was not one of my favourites.  I really appreciate you bringing up these plot points.  A lot of it didn't work for me.  It was also super duper bleak compared to the other episodes.  

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, kay1864 said:

4. How the hell did Charlie survive a  knife wound to the chest, especially when she wasn’t found for an hour or two?

As Trey stabbed Charlie, and I knew it could not be fatal, I imagined the knife embedding in her sternum and not going any further.

But I am not a medical professional and not even a fan of medical shows.
But I have studied a little bit of biology and anatomy, so, maybe? 

[Irlandesa]

I must have missed how she got the ankle bracelet off of JLG's character. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

6 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I must have missed how she got the ankle bracelet off of JLG's character. 

Same.

[shapeshifter]

8 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I must have missed how she got the ankle bracelet off of JLG's character. 

Presumably, when Charlie picked up the knife on the floor and sliced Trey’s leg, the knife also sliced through the ankle monitor strap, and she managed to grab it——because when Charlie sees a bullshitter murderer, she becomes obsessed with evidence.

But Charlie miraculously slicing through the ankle monitor and holding onto the monitor——and even more so Charlie surviving her many potentially fatal injuries, as well as similar unlikely happenings in other episodes, are kind of a Magical Realism, reminiscent to me of the last episode of season 1 of True Detective, when the main character gets hoisted up in the air by a large knife held by a large villain, and yet survives.
 

[HelloooKitty]

So… this one went a bit dark, huh?

 

I too wondered what happened to mountain model man. Did he run off without her? 
 

I thought David had the ankle monitor in his hand but it was dark and there were sadly a number of bodies in the “spot”. 
 

I was hoping Charlie had an out from being in the run but it looks like they found her. 
 

I liked how the coconut rum made her think of sunscreen which made her think of that FL vacation. The weird seeming nonsequenter actually did make sense. 
even if the smurfette monokini did not. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Let’s be naughty with Flannel Fabio!

😆😆😆

[paigow]

10 hours ago, kay1864 said:

2. Why would Jimmy have only one bullet in his gun?

• He could not afford extra bullets
• Morty stole the others while she had the gun

[wanderingstar]

Charlie is like Rasputin 😆

Loved this episode! Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays murdering asshole very well. Also enjoyed Stephanie Hsu in this.

I'm really into the way this show midirects and keeps me guessing. 

[kay1864]

50 minutes ago, paigow said:

He could not afford extra bullets

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Let’s be naughty with Flannel Fabio!

😆😆😆

I wish I could give you every single emoji reaction!  Thank you!  The people who cast this show are just wonderful.

Edited March 3, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[Chaos Theory]

The real crime here was not tipping the delivery guy.  

[paigow]

22 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

The real crime here was not tipping the delivery guy.  

Why was the douchebag surprised / angry that his food ended up 10 ft. from the gate??? 

[akg]

On 3/2/2023 at 6:44 AM, shapeshifter said:

I was surprised Charlie didn't know that ibuprofen would never be blue pills, but I should have trusted that she would know that. 

I was ok with that part (I'm awful at remembering what pills are what colors) but was annoyed Charlie appeared to believe Jimmy when he claimed they were ibuprofen. I told myself it was because of the concussion but was very relieved when they showed later that she hadn't swallowed them. And that turned to love when the pills became Chekhovian and Trey ended up dosing himself.

26 minutes ago, paigow said:

Why was the douchebag surprised / angry that his food ended up 10 ft. from the gate???

He was really bad at acknowledging what the consequences of his actions would be. Who decides it's a good idea to take their super fancy expensive sports car out for drive in weather like that? Even if it had been at a reasonable speed, he was asking for trouble.

[susannot]

What happened to hot lumberjack?  Plus, I was really annoyed that Peacock cut out before all the credits ran and I didn't catch the names of the tunes that were played. 

 

Super episode.  Yes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt  has a real future in playing murderous douchebags if he wants to.

[david gideon]

Supposedly this was the first episode filmed (after the pilot I presume). I don't blame them for delaying it. How many times can Charlie suffer life-threatening injuries and still crawl her way out of a deep hidey-hole? Overall an unpleasant episode, but more to the point they're starting to give Charlie the physical invulnerability of Sylvester the cat.

[possibilities]

I loved that they established him as a bad guy via the no tipping scenes, even before we knew he was on house arrest. 

I assumed there was only one bullet because he already shot someone(s).

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by possibilities

[Chaos Theory]

1 hour ago, david gideon said:

Supposedly this was the first episode filmed (after the pilot I presume). I don't blame them for delaying it. How many times can Charlie suffer life-threatening injuries and still crawl her way out of a deep hidey-hole? Overall an unpleasant episode, but more to the point they're starting to give Charlie the physical invulnerability of Sylvester the cat.

They filmed it as #2 mostly due to the winter snow.  Episode calls for a claustrophobic atmosphere in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to go.    A small mountain motel/cottage is the perfect “welcome respite from the storm” that holds even deeper danger.  

[Kenz]

I read that the show is filmed in the Hudson Valley in New York. I was really impressed at the way they portrayed the winter scenes. So often falling snow looks so fake. I know that they must have used CGI for those majestic rugged mountain scenes behind the lake, but it was very well done. This may have been my favorite show of the series. I love how each one keeps me guessing, and the casting is excellent. Natasha should get an Emmy.

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

The real crime here was not tipping the delivery guy.  

I was waiting for that to come back into play.  Especially since I don't know why the same guy kept accepting orders from him.

[rcc]

Best episode of the series so far IMO. This show's ratings are very high for Peacock too. Natasha deserves an Emmy. 

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

I was waiting for that to come back into play.  Especially since I don't know why the same guy kept accepting orders from him.

Not sure how many Uber Eats drivers are needed in a town that small...

[Ms Blue Jay]

7 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

The real crime here was not tipping the delivery guy.  

I missed that.  Was that shown on his app?

I was wondering why the hell he didn't specify the driver to come closer, and yes, he should have tipped him mightily.

3 hours ago, Kenz said:

Natasha should get an Emmy.

I think even if not the acting one she still has the writing/producing/directing opportunities.  I think she'll definitely get rewarded somehow.

[paigow]

6 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I missed that.  Was that shown on his app?

There was a super close-up of him selecting No Tip each time

[paigow]

6 hours ago, susannot said:

Super episode.  Yes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt  has a real future in playing murderous douchebags if he wants to.

Seems like he is only a good guy in Christopher Nolan movies...

[SoMuchTV]

Speaking of the delivery driver, I really thought he could have been Pete Davidson. But, he didn’t show up in the credits. On the other hand, I didn’t see anyone credited as the delivery driver. On yet another hand, I guess he didn’t actually have any lines? Stealth cameo? Or just my fuzzy vision?

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 minutes ago, paigow said:

Seems like he is only a good guy in Christopher Nolan movies...

And Third Rock from the Sun!  

Here's the full cast list:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19698926/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm

[Spartan Girl]

Can’t wait for the finale.

I hate to try to decider villain/troll logic for Sterling Sr, but why blame Charlie for his stupid son killing himself? He was fleecing poker players and killed himself because Daddy had just found out. Or am I missing something?

[Ms Blue Jay]

I forgot all of that myself.

This is a pretty lengthy summary:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Man's_Hand_(Poker_Face)

Edited March 4, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, paigow said:

Seems like he is only a good guy in Christopher Nolan movies...

I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I've watched a bunch of stuff with him and it's always good. But I've never seen him as a bad guy before!

[Shorty186]

I'm really confused. I though Charlie was driving further east with every episode, but she's only in Colorado? Or was this episode actually supposed to be aired 2nd? 

[Jordan Baker]

On 3/2/2023 at 6:44 AM, shapeshifter said:

Poor Morty.
Having traveled off the grid myself in the 70s, I can attest to the wisdom of Charlie's axiom of never letting someone get you to change locations

I thought that line might have been a nod to Jack Donaghy's "Never go with a hippie to a second location."

I suspect this show will dominate the Outstanding Guest Actor/Actress category at the next Emmy awards. The acting, from both well-known and little-known actors, is just superb.

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

27 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I've watched a bunch of stuff with him and it's always good. But I've never seen him as a bad guy before!

He starred as the CEO of Uber in "Super Pumped".  But I didn't much for the pilot and didn't continue the show after that.

I assume Poker Face will be treated as a limited series and then indeed they will probably get all of the awards especially if White Lotus is not competing the same year.  I found it unfair that WL was treated as a limited series when it's already shooting Season 3 and yet they get to dominate all the Limited Series awards.  I can see Poker Face being treated the same way.

Edited March 4, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[paigow]

8 minutes ago, Shorty186 said:

I'm really confused. I though Charlie was driving further east with every episode, but she's only in Colorado? Or was this episode actually supposed to be aired 2nd? 

Yeah... all the locations are messed up...The Retirement Village & Racing episodes were in the South-East, but then she was helping Nick Nolte in California... It would make more sense that this episode happened after Albuquerque, since New Mexico & Colorado share a border.  

[Paloma]

I was very confused by this episode, even after rewatching key scenes. Here are my main questions: How did Charlie get out of the hole by herself with a broken (or badly injured) leg and a knife in her chest? And how did she get to the hospital? Or was she found by the police after the parole officer got a location on the ankle monitor? Either way, why wasn't her rescue mentioned in the TV news report? Whether she was still in the hole or got out of it herself, she couldn't have gone very far, so presumably her presence as a victim of serious assault in the area would have been mentioned (even as a Jane Doe) when the news reported that there were two more recent murder victims found along with the long-missing Chloe. Also, the wording of the news report seemed to be intentionally misleading--it sounded like there were two recent murder victims found WITH Chloe's bones, but Morty's body was in the car that went over the cliff and not in the hidey-hole.

I guess it's possible that the local police were in cahoots with Sterling (the one who wants Charlie dead) and covered up the news of her being found with or near the other victims, told the hospital she was a Jane Doe, and let Sterling's hit man know where she was. But even if that's the case, there should have been a couple of clues dropped to how it went down. I don't need it all spelled out or even all realistic, but this episode was not as clever or tight as the others. 

With the repeated scenes of Trey not tipping the delivery driver, I thought the driver might end up murdering Trey. Also, I noticed that in addition to "NO TIP" being shown on the app, there was a sound effect that played each time it showed that message--something like a disappointed or booing exclamation.

[molotovcupcake]

11 minutes ago, Paloma said:

Also, I noticed that in addition to "NO TIP" being shown on the app, there was a sound effect that played each time it showed that message--something like a disappointed or booing exclamation.

Every time it did that I laughed.  

[susannot]

51 minutes ago, Paloma said:

I was very confused by this episode, even after rewatching key scenes. Here are my main questions: How did Charlie get out of the hole by herself with a broken (or badly injured) leg and a knife in her chest? And how did she get to the hospital? Or was she found by the police after the parole officer got a location on the ankle monitor? Either way, why wasn't her rescue mentioned in the TV news report? Whether she was still in the hole or got out of it herself, she couldn't have gone very far, so presumably her presence as a victim of serious assault in the area would have been mentioned (even as a Jane Doe) when the news reported that there were two more recent murder victims found along with the long-missing Chloe. Also, the wording of the news report seemed to be intentionally misleading--it sounded like there were two recent murder victims found WITH Chloe's bones, but Morty's body was in the car that went over the cliff and not in the hidey-hole.

I guess it's possible that the local police were in cahoots with Sterling (the one who wants Charlie dead) and covered up the news of her being found with or near the other victims, told the hospital she was a Jane Doe, and let Sterling's hit man know where she was. But even if that's the case, there should have been a couple of clues dropped to how it went down. I don't need it all spelled out or even all realistic, but this episode was not as clever or tight as the others. 

With the repeated scenes of Trey not tipping the delivery driver, I thought the driver might end up murdering Trey. Also, I noticed that in addition to "NO TIP" being shown on the app, there was a sound effect that played each time it showed that message--something like a disappointed or booing exclamation.

Charlie dug herself out of the hole the first time using her stabby-stick which was Chloe's bone.  She was not thrown into the hole again but was stabbed and left for dead by Trey in the motel, next to the other (dead) guy.  The police found her clutching Trey's ankle monitor and she was taken to the hospital, where she was designated as Jane Doe.  We don't know how Sterling and Cliff found her--yet.

[paigow]

56 minutes ago, Paloma said:

it sounded like there were two recent murder victims found WITH Chloe's bones, but Morty's body was in the car that went over the cliff and not in the hidey-hole.

Yes. It was poorly written... alongside implies that the other two victims were next to Chloe. But the report did say that Charlie / Morty was in a wrecked car nearby. 

[RobertDeSneero]

27 minutes ago, susannot said:

Charlie dug herself out of the hole the first time using her stabby-stick which was Chloe's bone.  She was not thrown into the hole again but was stabbed and left for dead by Trey in the motel, next to the other (dead) guy.  

They showed him throwing her body down the hole after he stabbed her.

[shapeshifter]

10 hours ago, possibilities said:

I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt. . . .

9 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

He starred as the CEO of Uber in "Super Pumped". 

Fun opening scene inside-joke to those familiar with Joseph Gordon-Levitt having previously played an Uber CEO, here being an equally rich jackass not even tipping his regular food delivery person in the snowy hinterlands.

I was not familiar with J G-L in the Uber CEO role, so didn't get the joke. I wonder what percentage of viewers would? 

Anyway, that opening scene tells us in Chekhovian ways that J G-L's character deserves every bit of comeuppance he gets, and that the Hell he lives in is entirely of his own doing, due to a complete lack of empathy.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was totally the Sociopath Of The Week.
Moral of the story: If your hometown friend is incapable of empathy, do not answer the door when they knock.

Edited March 4, 2023 by shapeshifter

[possibilities]

I thought the cops located the ankle monitor and pulled her out.

I think that Morty stole Charlie's wallet, which led the cops to identify her as Charlie. I don't know why thy wouldn't realize the wallet was stolen, since I'm sure Charlie's driver's license has a photo and Morty doesn't look anything like Charlie. 

Whether the casino hit man realizes yet that "Charlie" is actually Morty, or whether he knows "Jane Doe" is the real Charlie, I'm not sure. Did the news report about "Jane Doe" show a picture of Charlie?