S01.E04: Beautiful Mosaics

[AnimeMania]

A retelling of the emotional impact of Dan’s betrayal from the perspective of Dan’s wife, Beth. As the Gallagher’s settle into their new home, Beth meets potential buyers for the house they are leaving and tries to ignore the gut feeling that something is not right in her marriage, until tragedy strikes and makes that impossible.

Premiere Date: May 7, 2023    Paramount+    

[Snazzy Daisy]

So, bunny-boiling is substituted by drunk-drowning?

Unlike Mike, Conchita is a terrible friend for withholding crucial info that will help Dan's defense.

Alex worked in Victim Services. She has all the means and resources to fake her own death. At least, she's crazy enough to do so.

Quote

"When they don't have the law, they argue the facts. When they don't have the facts, they argue the law. When they don't have either, they blame the victim. The guilty always blame the victim."

"She was dead and someone killed her, and you wanted to make that her fault!"

 

[SeanBug]

This will get better as Dan and Mike try to figure out who actually killed Alex, or if she committed suicide to frame Dan, ala Gone Girl. I can't get over the fact that the daughter as a little girl (Vivien Lyra Blair, who played Leia in Obi Wan Kenobi series) is supposed to be the grown up daughter, who looks more like Ana de Armas.  

I also don't understand why anyone in their right mind would confess to a murder they didn't commit.  

Are they pulling a "Presumed Innocent" stunt and it's going to be Beth that killed her? 

[gesundheit]

So both the bunny and the dog were red herrings? "Save the pup-pup, kill the grandma." (Probably less upsetting for a lot of the audience, honestly.)

If Dan's 'fessing up to the affair this early, I wonder what it is he lied about when the murder accusation came up? I had just been assuming the lies all his co-workers were so angry about were that maybe during the investigation or trial he was still trying to deny the affair or something, but obviously not. I'm just confused about the details -- so he did go to trial for it, so he didn't take a plea. There was a defense. So at what point did he give up and start pretending he really did do it? Or is that something only recent for the sake of the parole board? 

3 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Alex worked in Victim Services. She has all the means and resources to fake her own death. At least, she's crazy enough to do so.

Did they not find her body or something? 

I still feel like this all points to the original pre-test-screening ending of the movie that they had to re-do. Which would be extra hilarious that Dan presumably did not even bother to appeal.

Edited May 7, 2023 by gesundheit

[gesundheit]

6 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

This is also driving me crazy in another show with a similar conceit (one present-day timeline, one back in the aughts) -- Saint X. What woman in 2008 (or whenever these early-timeline scenes are supposed to be taking place) was wearing high-waisted pleated jeans? Those would've been considered hideously frumpy mom jeans then, and I don't think that's the intention. I'm also enjoying that "scrunchie and bangs" are the quick code for which timeline Amanda Peet is in.

[Spartan Girl]

3 hours ago, gesundheit said:

So both the bunny and the dog were red herrings? "Save the pup-pup, kill the grandma." (Probably less upsetting for a lot of the audience, honestly.)

Yeah, but DID Alex do it? It seems quite a jump to go from stalking and vandalization to full blown murder.

Poor Beth. It’s a real dick move for Dan to tell her about the affair right after losing her mother. 

It’s really annoying how the show is trying to “both sides” Dan. Either he’s a douchey entitled privileged man that blames everyone else instead of taking responsibility, or he’s a victim of Crazy Alex and Conchata withholding evidence because she’s tired of men like him getting away everything and blaming the victim.

Edited May 7, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Broderbits]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Either he’s a douchey entitled privileged man that blames everyone else instead of taking responsibility, or he’s a victim of Crazy Alex and Conchata withholding evidence because she’s tired of men like him getting away everything and blaming the victim.

I think he can be entitled, privileged etc. but still not be guilty of murder. Ted Bundy was said to be extremely charming and personable, and yet he was a serial killer.

I can't believe the daughter is doing her dissertation on Jung and didn't know who Toni Wolff was! Guess she's going to need several extensions.

[txhorns79]

5 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Yeah, but DID Alex do it? It seems quite a jump to go from stalking and vandalization to full blown murder.

I had the same thought.  And honestly, if Dan really believes Alex had some role in killing his mother-in-law, the police need to be involved because Alex is too dangerous to be on the street. 

I'll also say I never understand the trope of having someone to your office for the express purpose of you humiliating them.  It just makes the person doing the humiliating look petty and small. 

[T Summer]

I have such a distaste for stories told in flashback to start off with,  and now with these two different time periods it can be hard to follow. Is it Beth's business partner Arthur who is talking on the phone  to his wife Julia's nurse? Is  it she  who's undergoing chemotherapy? I wonder why we're hearing quite so much about his wife's care?

 

 

The Gallaghers  had a whole conversation with guests over about how no one has one minute to push the automated pool cover button.

...and then they leave the pool uncovered with  a child under 10, and a frail possibly unsteady grandmother who's going to be walking a  good size dog that's not hers on a leash...  meaning he might mind or he might not. They've made an issue of the dog Quincy being clumsy and goofy  and  having a mind of his own. (He tore their  house up  when left alone on an earlier ep.)

 

The house the Gallaghers moved to looks pretty spectacular, and if that's supposed to be southern California it probably cost millions. They sold their own house instead of using a realtor... why? to save the sales' commission?

 

 

 

[chocolatine]

30 minutes ago, T Summer said:

Is it Beth's business partner Arthur who is talking on the phone  to his wife Julia's nurse? Is  it she  who's undergoing chemotherapy? I wonder why we're hearing quite so much about his wife's care?

Probably to imply that his wife dies before he and Beth get together, so he's not a cheater like Dan.

[millennium]

Is it certain grandma's dead?  Is it possible she was resuscitated?   They never actually say she's dead.  And they all seem pretty chill about it.   Beth even speaks of her mother in the present tense after she's pulled from the pool.   "She was something.  Even if she can't admit that, we can."  (Oddly, my CC interpreted that line as "Even if he can't admit that, we can."  But to me it sounds like Beth says "she.")

Reactions to the last few episodes have kind of lukewarm (why does that make me think of bath water?) but I'm enjoying this show.   This episode had a lot of moving parts and the time jumps kept it interesting.   Paul recollections of Alex were creepy.

Edited May 9, 2023 by millennium

[Cementhead]

I'm still watching but this is such a strange approach to take for this particular story.  The long, drawn out retelling from different times and perspectives has killed all of the tension and nervous energy of the original.  Which is what I most remember the movie for.  I can remember feeling like I was on the edge of my seat.  Definitely not on the edge of my seat with this.

[bilgistic]

3 hours ago, millennium said:

Is it certain grandma's dead?  Is it possible she was resuscitated?   They never actually say she's dead.  And they all seem pretty chill about it.   Beth even speaks of her mother in the present tense after she's pulled from the pool.   "She was something.  Even if she can't admit that, we can."  (Oddly, my CC interpreted that line as "Even if he can't admit that, we can."  But to me it sounds like Beth says "she.")

I kept wondering the same thing. Her husband/Beth's father was remarkably calm when talking to the police, as was everyone else. Shouldn't they be hysterical? At least more than mildly bothered?

[gesundheit]

5 hours ago, millennium said:

Is it certain grandma's dead?  Is it possible she was resuscitated?   They never actually say she's dead.  And they all seem pretty chill about it.  

I really assumed she was dead because nobody's at the hospital and her husband is inconsolable and Beth made him take a pill to go to sleep.

2 hours ago, Cementhead said:

I'm still watching but this is such a strange approach to take for this particular story.  The long, drawn out retelling from different times and perspectives has killed all of the tension and nervous energy of the original.  Which is what I most remember the movie for.  I can remember feeling like I was on the edge of my seat.  Definitely not on the edge of my seat with this.

Exactly - this is no longer thriller/suspense, but more of a plodding mystery of how Alex died and by whose hand. Very different energy, and probably not what most folks showed up for.

[txhorns79]

4 hours ago, Cementhead said:

The long, drawn out retelling from different times and perspectives has killed all of the tension and nervous energy of the original. 

I liked the idea of seeing things from Alex's POV because the movie didn't really get into that.  I didn't think we got much from seeing the same scene a third time from Beth's POV, except to show she's already suspicious of Dan.

 

9 hours ago, T Summer said:

They sold their own house instead of using a realtor... why? to save the sales' commission?

So Alex could run into Beth as part of her stalking?  More seriously, I think Beth is supposed to be some kind of interior designer and she did the decor for the house, so perhaps it was a way to save money and advertise her services? 

[T Summer]

I too thought Beth's mum was dead because of the same things... Beth's Dad had to take a pill to rest and everyone was home, as opposed to at the hospital awaiting news.

 

If so, that whole conversation between Dan and Beth was very very odd. They seemed so concerned that her mother might have closed the gate without knowing where Quincy was! Or might have been unsure what she did with the gate due to having already cracked the seal on the bottle of wine.

Dan actually countered with something like: that wouldn't have made her cruel, to not care about Quincy. Who on earth would be speaking about their mother's  drinking problem and  or lack of conscientiousness while dog sitting right after she drowned in the family pool?

They'd talked about   how no one could be bothered holding the button on the automated pool cover down  for an entire minute when they had guests at the house. Really? so they  just leave it open with a child under 10 and a pretty frail looking grandmother who's going to be walking a big dog that's not hers on a leash? They've already made much of Quincy being clumsy and goofy and having a mind of his own.

Even knowing Quincy was actually at the neighbors' and that they brought him back to the Gallaghers,   the whole scenario still seems ridiculously unsafe.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

They sold their own house instead of using a realtor... why? to save the sales' commission?

Beth and Arthur have a business flipping houses. I'm guessing one of them has a real estate license or knows enough to manages sales so they don't have the expense of a realtor's commission on every sale.

[Sweet-tea]

On 5/9/2023 at 6:18 AM, Cementhead said:

I'm still watching but this is such a strange approach to take for this particular story.  The long, drawn out retelling from different times and perspectives has killed all of the tension and nervous energy of the original.  Which is what I most remember the movie for.  I can remember feeling like I was on the edge of my seat.  Definitely not on the edge of my seat with this.

I agree. I really dislike the changing time periods. It stops the momentum of the show. I’m not interested in the present day scenes at all. I don’t find the adult daughter interesting, nor do I care about her relationship with her father.

I wish they would’ve just told the story in a linear fashion from start to finish. They could’ve tacked on an epilogue at the end if they wanted to bring us to the present. 

I see these back and forth time periods in shows a lot these days. I guess directors find them artistic or maybe it’s trendy now. I rarely like it. 

I found JJ attractive in The Affair, but I don’t think he looks good on this show. He looks puffy. 

It’s odd how little Beth has reacted to her mother’s sudden death. 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Sweet-tea

[Cementhead]

23 minutes ago, Sweet-tea said:

I don’t find the adult daughter interesting, nor do I care about her relationship with her father.

The scenes with her talking to her therapist feel like a completely different show.

[Whimsy]

On 5/7/2023 at 12:43 PM, gesundheit said:

So both the bunny and the dog were red herrings? "Save the pup-pup, kill the grandma." (Probably less upsetting for a lot of the audience, honestly.)

If Dan's 'fessing up to the affair this early, I wonder what it is he lied about when the murder accusation came up? I had just been assuming the lies all his co-workers were so angry about were that maybe during the investigation or trial he was still trying to deny the affair or something, but obviously not. I'm just confused about the details -- so he did go to trial for it, so he didn't take a plea. There was a defense. So at what point did he give up and start pretending he really did do it? Or is that something only recent for the sake of the parole board? 

Did they not find her body or something? 

I still feel like this all points to the original pre-test-screening ending of the movie that they had to re-do. Which would be extra hilarious that Dan presumably did not even bother to appeal.

I think it was just for the parole board. He needed to show remorse so they could say he was reformed and worthy of parole. 

On 5/7/2023 at 3:52 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Yeah, but DID Alex do it? It seems quite a jump to go from stalking and vandalization to full blown murder.

Poor Beth. It’s a real dick move for Dan to tell her about the affair right after losing her mother. 

It’s really annoying how the show is trying to “both sides” Dan. Either he’s a douchey entitled privileged man that blames everyone else instead of taking responsibility, or he’s a victim of Crazy Alex and Conchata withholding evidence because she’s tired of men like him getting away everything and blaming the victim.

I agree, but I think that he thinks he's doing it nobly to protect his family.  Which, he's not.  He's still being very selfish, imo.

[Racj82]

On 5/7/2023 at 3:52 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Yeah, but DID Alex do it? It seems quite a jump to go from stalking and vandalization to full blown murder.

Poor Beth. It’s a real dick move for Dan to tell her about the affair right after losing her mother. 

It’s really annoying how the show is trying to “both sides” Dan. Either he’s a douchey entitled privileged man that blames everyone else instead of taking responsibility, or he’s a victim of Crazy Alex and Conchata withholding evidence because she’s tired of men like him getting away everything and blaming the victim.

That's just being a human being. No one is just one thing.

Also, cheating on your spouse doesn't make you monster. It means you are a terrible spouse/partner, it's you are weak but it can also mean you were reaching out for connection in the wrong place etc.

The show isn't haven't it both ways. Its just complicated like most things.

On 5/7/2023 at 9:16 PM, txhorns79 said:

I had the same thought.  And honestly, if Dan really believes Alex had some role in killing his mother-in-law, the police need to be involved because Alex is too dangerous to be on the street. 

I'll also say I never understand the trope of having someone to your office for the express purpose of you humiliating them.  It just makes the person doing the humiliating look petty and small. 

That doesn't actually defeat to purpose. The person is clearly being petty. Both parties know it. But, it's what they want.

[ribboninthesky1]

I'm way late to this, but just started watching.  I was a kid when the movie came out, and don't recall much beyond the pop culture references.  I plan to watch the movie again after this series run just to compare.  

That said, I found Beth really interesting in this episode.  I LOVED that, once Dan told her about the affair, she calmly and practically stated something like, "OK, so we're done.  Don't come upstairs.  Ellen and I are going with my dad to his house, and we're staying there." No hysteria. No "how can you do this to me?" yelling.  She knew something was off, and Dan's confession was confirmation of her intuition.  I thought Amanda Peet did a great job in that scene.  Beth was clearly upset, overwhelmed, even angry, but also dealing with her mother's death and her father's grief.  She didn't have time for Dan's BS. 

I never watched Dawson's Creek or The Affair, so beyond knowing Joshua Jackson is an actor, I don't have any firm thoughts on him.  Thus, for me, I have no problem seeing Dan as a spoiled, entitled man who cheated on his wife but expected no consequences of his actions. At least until Alex escalated things. 🤷‍♀️

Who knows how much longer the affair would have lasted if not for Alex's unraveling after their final romp.  He didn't stop because it was wrong/could hurt Beth/compromise his professional reputation.  He stopped because Alex showed how unhinged she was.