S01.E03: The Watchful Heart

[AnimeMania]

In the past, a look into Alex’s personal and professional life outside of Dan and a retelling of the events of their affair from her perspective. In the present Dan reconnects with Beth and hoping to find evidence to exonerate himself, begins his investigation with Mike resulting in a visit to Brooker.

Premiere Date: April 30, 2023    Paramount+    

[Spartan Girl]

Dan’s whole “I told you to stay away and move on with your life, and you actually listened” spiel had me rolling my eyes. And they say women are the ones that never say what they mean…

I’m not sure how I feel about Alex having manipulated all the “circumstances” of her and Dan being thrown together at this point. Not surprised, however, that he may not have been the only guy in her life that she was obsessed about.

Protect that poor little bunny at all costs!

[gesundheit]

I wonder if the ending will be same as the movie's original unused ending (I won't spoil it here for those who don't know, but it's easily googled if you're curious or need a refresher like I did). That would be easy to do with what they've set up so far.

Couldn't quite parse the deal with the psychologist. Obviously she can't counsel her anymore, but it was weird how she sounded encouraging and then shut down abruptly and ghosted her. Maybe they're trying to make some statement about accessibility and stigma around mental health care (i.e., if it'd been easier to get a therapist, if the alleged threat of job loss for suicidal ideation hadn't been an obstacle, etc.). But mostly this getting the 8-episode expansion with prestige actors doesn't seem to be shifting it from the garden-variety psycho-lover thriller. Which is fine, it's fun and all! But I keep feeling like they're trying to claim more than that.

 

11 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Protect that poor little bunny at all costs!

They better! I thought the bunny sighting in episode 2 was just an "artsy" surreal easter egg reference to the original, but now that it's real and in-story-context, I worry for it. And of course I worry about the dog.

[Spartan Girl]

I will say that Dan probably shouldn’t have hugged her. It seemed like Alex had temporarily gotten ahold of herself and was ready to keep things professional between them from now on, as evidenced by she aimed for a handshake. Maybe things would have been different if Dan hadn’t let his pity blind him to the fact he was unwittingly giving her mixed signals. 

[txhorns79]

2 hours ago, gesundheit said:

Couldn't quite parse the deal with the psychologist. Obviously she can't counsel her anymore, but it was weird how she sounded encouraging and then shut down abruptly and ghosted her. Maybe they're trying to make some statement about accessibility and stigma around mental health care (i.e., if it'd been easier to get a therapist, if the alleged threat of job loss for suicidal ideation hadn't been an obstacle, etc.)

I was thinking it was more like she was frustrated with Alex, had heard her excuses about not finding a new psychiatrist before and was tired of dealing with her. 

14 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I’m not sure how I feel about Alex having manipulated all the “circumstances” of her and Dan being thrown together at this point.

I really didn't like that.  If anything, it makes me more sympathetic towards Dan because Alex is working overtime to manipulate him into having a relationship with her.  Yeah, I know in the end, she didn't force him to do anything, but setting a freaking fire so they can get caught in the restaurant's sprinkler system is just too much.  For me, Alex has to be believable as a normal person before this affair.  Someone who is setting fires and making up easily disproved conversations with coma patients as part of her seduction technique is someone who seems like they are not really be able to function in society. 

I was curious what was up with Alex's neighbor.  Did he flee to get away from her?

[gesundheit]

24 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I was thinking it was more like she was frustrated with Alex, had heard her excuses about not finding a new psychiatrist before and was tired of dealing with her. 

I think that was exactly it, but it just seemed pretty unprofessional to shift from supportive to practically ghosting her mid-phone call and then cut her off forever. There are protocols besides just throwing one's hands up in the middle of a conversation. Sure, they could be illustrating that this wasn't a good therapist, but she sounded like she'd actually been a very good one up until that split second.

Also, I agree with your point about the ability to function in society -- she's got an extremely taxing job with a ton of high-stakes activity, and plus she's somehow incredibly wealthy (but I'm guessing that's from some older source), and that kind of work would have very diligent background checks. Some lies she could talk herself into believing were harmless, some orchestrated run-ins, etc., I can fully accept. But she already seems to be at fever pitch while simultaneously being able to hold down a demanding and high-stakes job in which you really cannot mess around.

[Snazzy Daisy]

The iconic line [I'm not going to be ignored, Dan] was only expressed to Dan’s voice mail, not even to his face??! Come on, that’s very lame. A wasted opportunity.

 

5 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I was curious what was up with Alex's neighbor.  Did he flee to get away from her?

Am assuming Paul the neighbor was the 1st Dan and the court bailiff was the 2nd Dan. Both rejected her attention. Then she saw the way Dan interacted with the victim’s parents, and the new target was locked. 
 

Edited May 2, 2023 by SnazzyDaisy

[txhorns79]

5 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

The iconic line [I'm not going to be ignored, Dan] was only expressed to Dan’s voice mail, not even to his face??! Come on, that’s very lame. A wasted opportunity.

It worked much better under the circumstances it was said in the movie as well.  I like Lizzy Caplan a lot.  I think she nails the character's kind of "dangerous sexuality" that would make her attractive to men, but she might be telegraphing the less attractive facets of Alex's personality a little too hard. 

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

It worked much better under the circumstances it was said in the movie as well.  I like Lizzy Caplan a lot.  I think she nails the character's kind of "dangerous sexuality" that would make her attractive to men, but she might be telegraphing the less attractive facets of Alex's personality a little too hard. 

Can I admit I look at her and still see Janis Ian from Mean Girls?

Alex manipulating the circumstances doesn’t make Dan more sympathetic in my eyes. He cheated, he’s still an asshole.

Edited May 2, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[gesundheit]

I'm half expecting the new husband/dad to be the real killer or something.

Edited May 3, 2023 by gesundheit

[JAYJAY1979]

In the movie, he was clearer that this was a brief fling..and she agreed then changed her mind quickly..and became obsessed almost overnight.

This episode is showing the process that has led her to become fixated on him.  Including the mixed signals from him post affair, etc.

Hopefully future episodes will continue to provide more dimension to both characters that we didn't get in the movie version 

[jendigo]

Psychologist here. It's illegal to practice in a state you're not licensed in. In the phone call with Alex the psychologist told her this (and it seemed like this wasn't the first time). I'm guessing Alex hasn't found a new provider since relocating and keeps contacting her former psychologist for help, which the psychologist can't legally provide. Getting a license is actual decades of work, you don't want to jeopardize that. 

[Kiss my mutt]

I was noticing the set they used for Alex’s apartment has been used in a lot of fillms. Just a weird thing I noticed. I’m an warming up to Lizzie in this role, but the last thing I saw her in was “Fleishman is in Trouble” so It has taken some time to adjust. 

[millennium]

Alex cannot or will not recognize the boundaries that govern the rest of us.   In a single episode, she drove her therapist to ghost her, her neighbor to flee in the middle of the night, and Dan to threaten her.   Those extreme reactions suggest she pushes everyone to the ends of their ropes. 

On 5/1/2023 at 9:34 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Maybe things would have been different if Dan hadn’t let his pity blind him to the fact he was unwittingly giving her mixed signals. 

She's on a vendetta.  Nothing he said or did in that situation would have made an ounce of difference.  She would have immediately translated it into terms that support her inner narrative.

If the writers think they're making Alex "more sympathetic," they're mistaken.

Nice to see Dee Wallace as Alex's neighbor.

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by millennium

[AstridM]

9 hours ago, millennium said:

Alex cannot or will not recognize the boundaries that govern the rest of us.   In a single episode, she drove her therapist to ghost her, her neighbor to flee in the middle of the night, and Dan to threaten her.   Those extreme reactions suggest she pushes everyone to the ends of their ropes. 

She's on a vendetta.  Nothing he said or did in that situation would have made an ounce of difference.  She would have immediately translated it into terms that support her inner narrative.

If the writers think they're making Alex "more sympathetic," they're mistaken.

Nice to see Dee Wallace as Alex's neighbor.

 

Why exactly was her neighbor so terrified that he had to flee in the middle of the night?

[chocolatine]

50 minutes ago, AstridM said:

Why exactly was her neighbor so terrified that he had to flee in the middle of the night?

Alex heavily implied that he was doing something illegal (maybe dealing drugs?) and that, if he didn't continue his relationship with her, she would report his illegal activity because her job mandates it.

[AstridM]

6 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

Alex heavily implied that he was doing something illegal (maybe dealing drugs?) and that, if he didn't continue his relationship with her, she would report his illegal activity because her job mandates it.

Thanks!

[jackjill89]

I tried, but I'm done with the show. The leads have no chemistry. It moves at a glacial pace and I am bored. It takes a lot for me to abandon something, but I'm done. 

I watched the movie recently. The show had a lot to live up to -- Glenn Close was so perfectly unhinged, she and Michael Douglas had great chemistry, as did Douglas and Anne Archer. There was so much tension when Alex decided it wasn't going to be over. 

I think casting is part of the problem. I'm not seeing any spark. 

[millennium]

15 minutes ago, jackjill89 said:

Michael Douglas had great chemistry, as did Douglas and Anne Archer.

Anne Archer was integral to the equation.   She made me think, "How could anyone cheat on her?"  Amanda Peet?   Not feeling it.

[Vivigirl10]

On 5/1/2023 at 9:42 PM, gesundheit said:

and plus she's somehow incredibly wealthy (but I'm guessing that's from some older source)

Interesting comment that Alex is wealthy (family money?).  I hadn't thought about that and had been trying to figure out how her salary warranted such an amazing loft with views to die for.  But tv and movies repeatedly show housing that is completely unattainable for the characters' means. I had just chalked it up to that.  

On 5/6/2023 at 1:12 PM, AstridM said:

Why exactly was her neighbor so terrified that he had to flee in the middle of the night?

She was warned that type of sandwich would turn into a soggy mess!  😆

On 5/2/2023 at 2:48 AM, SnazzyDaisy said:

court bailiff was the 2nd Dan

I didn't understand what was going on with the bailiff and the apple fritter.  It seemed like a bribe but I don't know what for. And then he later gave it away.

I thought this episode was horribly boring.  Yes, we gained some insight into Alex's relationships and her perspective of events.  But mainly it just felt like we were subjected to watching the exact same scenes with a different camera angle. 

[chocolatine]

28 minutes ago, Kiki620 said:

I didn't understand what was going on with the bailiff and the apple fritter.  It seemed like a bribe but I don't know what for. And then he later gave it away.

I thought he was also someone she'd slept with and then become obsessed with. He didn't want the fritter for the same reason the neighbor didn't want the sandwich.

[Sweet-tea]

On 5/8/2023 at 11:18 AM, chocolatine said:

I thought he was also someone she'd slept with and then become obsessed with. He didn't want the fritter for the same reason the neighbor didn't want the sandwich.

This was my take on it too. I think they were trying to show Alex’s pattern of latching onto these guys and freaking them out. 

[Jennabelle88]

On 5/1/2023 at 9:09 PM, txhorns79 said:

I was curious what was up with Alex's neighbor.  Did he flee to get away from her?

That's what I assumed. I mean, wouldn't you wanna get away from her? 😆