S12.E02: Rockabye

[Mr. Sparkle]

It's awards season and Anna is primed to be a major player in contention. After a frightening encounter convinces her that she's being followed, she begins to question who she can trust.

Airs Wednesday, September 27. 

[Lily H]

NOTHING better happen to that dog.

[voiceover]

This is just Rosemary’s Baby outtakes on a fucking loop: no buildup of tension, no varying of mood.  They could have made Kim…I dunno…funny? Or the security guy might’ve been NOT in on it?

My fault for watching.  

[AnimeMania]

There is no context of what is real or imaginary, so it is hard for me to conceive what is going on. I don't care about any of the characters, so I will just have to watch till I get bored.

Did she just stab her husband in the face with a huge knife? How is he not injured?

Who lives in a fancy house and only has a string lightbulb at the top of the basement stairs. The light didn't even make it to the bottom of the stairs.

I thought Anna was listening to an pregnancy exercise tape, I didn't realize that she would have a personal trainer. I thought she was trying to get away from people. I would have understood if they had a personal cook/housekeeper, more so than a personal trainer.

[Madding crowd]

There are too many things happening to Anna. It would be scarier if it was more subtle. I would think she would have a nervous breakdown with the constant craziness that only she can see. It seems like everyone is in on this and again it would be better if we had someone that seemed like a normal ally. It also seems like no one likes this woman yet she seems like a nice person so it doesn’t make sense.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Madding crowd

[rhofmovalley]

I wonder which of the weirdo stalkers is trying to help her. Probably the "preacher" lady? There is always someone in these stories trying to "warn" the main character but instead of actually warning them they follow them around dressing strangely and acting creepy. How about just saying "you're in danger"?

[tennisgurl]

I guess I can appreciate that this season is starting out stupid instead of lulling us into a false sense of security with an interesting start and then pulling the rug out from us with a shitty ending. This is just diet Rosemary's Baby but without any of the spooky atmosphere and subtly. There is so much happening to her all at once that I cant get invested or even creeped out because it seems like nothing is actually happening. Did Anna actually think she killed a lady and then left to get her award? Did she really start coughing up black blood during her speech or did she just pass out? I am already dreading the "big reveal" when she see that every damn person we've seen, including random background characters that none of us will remember, are in on it. 

Even if he wasn't part of some kind of evil gaslight conspiracy, Anna's husband seems like a pretty crappy spouse it seems like he doesn't even want a baby, he's just doing it for Anna, which you would think she would have noticed by now. Unfortunately, Anna is so busy being gaslit that she doesn't get many chances to show her personality. 

So now not only are we getting cheap retreads of Rosemary's Baby and Rebecca, it looks like they're setting up an All About Eve rivalry with some younger actress, if Eve was as subtle as a supervillain and Margo was only a few years older than her. Seriously, I know that Hollywood has crazy standards about age, but Emma Roberts is 32 years old, she would have been a literal baby when Madonna wore that dress in 1991, its like they wrote those lines for an actress at least ten years older than how old Anna is presumably supposed to be. 

Kim K was at least better in this one, at least by RM stunt casting standards. So now we trade that for another awful performance because Cara Delevingne is here, and she's already awful. I know she was going for creepy and stoic, but her line deliveries were so painfully awkward.

We got a few actually creepy scenes, but its just way too much all of the time. Its not good gaslighting if you can tell right away that your being gaslit!

[TexasGal]

Oh, isn't Ryan Murphy clever with a throw back "icon" dress being worn by someone else.  And haha, Kim K delivering a line about ripping it.

I hope whoever composed the original creepy theme music is still making money off that deal, because for most seasons it's the scariest thing about the show.

[Starchild]

As much as I love horror (we all do, that's why we're here), I just never got  any entertainment value out of mass gaslighting. It's a huge turnoff for me. 

The false nurse was legitimately creepy. Come to think of it, so was the bathroom lady, until she got knocked out. I enjoyed those vignettes.

But vignettes do not a TV show make, we need some interstitial plot, FFS. Only David Lynch can pull that shit off.

 

[NeenerNeener]

13 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Did she just stab her husband in the face with a huge knife? How is he not injured?

Wow, Czuchry is looking old in that shot.

[Avaleigh]

On 9/28/2023 at 9:47 AM, tennisgurl said:

Seriously, I know that Hollywood has crazy standards about age, but Emma Roberts is 32 years old, she would have been a literal baby when Madonna wore that dress in 1991, its like they wrote those lines for an actress at least ten years older than how old Anna is presumably supposed to be. 

That was a weird moment. The other actress says that she'll have to watch the clip on YouTube because she wasn't even born then, but Anna would've needed to watch it somewhere else too. They could have done something else to show that Anna is insecure about her age now that she's in her thirties.

On 9/28/2023 at 8:09 AM, rhofmovalley said:

I wonder which of the weirdo stalkers is trying to help her. Probably the "preacher" lady? There is always someone in these stories trying to "warn" the main character but instead of actually warning them they follow them around dressing strangely and acting creepy. How about just saying "you're in danger"?

Isn't the Cara Delevigne character the one who is "helping" Anna? She's the one writing the messages and she's the one who got rid of the Satan baby, right?

On 9/28/2023 at 9:47 AM, tennisgurl said:

Kim K was at least better in this one, at least by RM stunt casting standards.

Hearing her sing Rock a Bye Baby in bed with Emma Roberts while she was stroking her hair was legit creepy. But I also suspect that she's trying to steal Anna's baby and is probably the big villain in all of this. 

On 9/28/2023 at 11:15 AM, TexasGal said:

Oh, isn't Ryan Murphy clever with a throw back "icon" dress being worn by someone else.  And haha, Kim K delivering a line about ripping it.

Yeah, they couldn't have Anna wear a vintage Marilyn dress, so I guess Madonna was the next best thing. I kept thinking she'd end up with blood on the dress by the end of the evening.

On 9/28/2023 at 9:47 AM, tennisgurl said:

Anna's husband seems like a pretty crappy spouse

He didn't even seem that concerned when she started puking. He seemed more embarrassed than anything else. Any other loving husband would have immediately rushed up there. I feel like even a husband who isn't that loving would have immediately rushed to her side if for no other reason than to not let the world think he's an asshole. 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Avaleigh

[voiceover]

So it occurred to me, reading over this thread, that we *as a group! could compose a fanfic that would tell this story 100% better.

This is not sarcasm.  You all know I’m right.

[GiandujaPie]

I'm just not getting it. What was real and what was not? Did Anna really start puking up black sludge when accepting the award? Was that woman in the bathroom real? Did Anna hallucinate Cara Delevigne's nurse character giving her a miscarriage? 

I wasn't going to watch this season as I hated last season and quit after a couple of episodes and I hate Kim K but when I saw that Matt Czuchry was going to be on the show, I decided to try as I really like him. I think Kim K's character is awful and she's a terrible actress. She's basically playing herself/her mother and she's not believable as a tough agent/manager whatever she is. And her face/body are distracting with all of her plastic surgery. I'm going to try to hang on for a few more episodes but I'm not sure how much more of Kim I can take. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

20 minutes ago, GiandujaPie said:

And her face/body are distracting with all of her plastic surgery.

It's her mouth. So much filler it's out of proportion. 

[iMonrey]

On 9/28/2023 at 2:36 AM, AnimeMania said:

There is no context of what is real or imaginary, so it is hard for me to conceive what is going on. I don't care about any of the characters, so I will just have to watch till I get bored.

Who lives in a fancy house and only has a string lightbulb at the top of the basement stairs. The light didn't even make it to the bottom of the stairs.

This, and this.

I have no idea what the hell is going on. How am I supposed to be invested in this? It just feels like a mad woman walking around hallucinating everything, all the time. Was she really barfing up black tar goo at the podium? Wouldn't that be the headline? If she's just vomiting regular vomit why isn't she asking everyone why she was barfing up black tar goo?

Also, that basement. Looked like a basement you'd find in 1970s suburbia, not some huge mansion with a security guard. Why wouldn't there be cameras down there? It's clearly the most obvious place to break in with those flimsy ground level windows!

[Snazzy Daisy]

Is it weird that am more interested in Siobhan than Anna? I mean, character wise. Anna’s character is all over the place. It’s too chaotic that I couldn’t feel any sympathy for her.

This story needs a baby girl, hence the miscarriage.

What iconic dress? Anna’s dress looks silkier and softer than the OG dress.

The Wilde shade is funny. 😆

Quote

“We are going to pull a ‘Wilde’ card. Don’t mention what happened and wait till everyone forgets, slash lowkey gaslight the people that do ask and make them think that they’re the problem because, you know, sexism.”

Is Siobhan a witch? First the doll, then the red vials and the shattered mirror.

⚠️[ Putting my tinfoil hat on ]⚠️

The red vial - is it really liquid B12 or is it Adrenochrome?

🤔🤔🤔

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[iMonrey]

26 minutes ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

Is it weird that am more interested in Siobhan than Anna? I mean, character wise. Anna’s character is all over the place. It’s too chaotic that I couldn’t feel any sympathy for her.

Yeah I know she was freaked out by the fan in the restroom and maybe in shock, but to just turn and leave her there to go and collect her award made her seem so self involved and heartless that I don't know how we're supposed to care for her or ever feel sympathy for her. And surely we're supposed to care if we're to be invested in this story. 

I just don't understand what they're doing here. A totally unlikeable, unsympathetic character walking around hallucinating strange crap every five seconds. Like, why? And, so?

This is going to rank as one of the worst seasons ever if the first two episodes are any indication. Even Roanoke started out better than this. And I can't think of a single single that started out this badly but then got better.

Edited September 29, 2023 by iMonrey

[Snazzy Daisy]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

so self involved and heartless

She didn’t give much thought on her baby’s safety either.

Without hesitant, she drank that B12 just because Siobhan said it’s safe.

And that violent transvaginal ultrasound? Why can’t she wait for a doctor first, for consultation.

 

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I just don't understand what they're doing here. A totally unlikeable, unsympathetic character walking around hallucinating strange crap every five seconds. Like, why? And, so?

IVF-induced psychosis??! 

[Mattipoo]

This second episode is even worse than the first. Just another slow-moving uneven mess where nothing happens.

Kim Kardashian's line readings are starting to grate. Seems like she is playing the exact same character as Leslie Grossman in previous seasons.

What age is Emma Roberts' character supposed to be? She doesn't seem much older than the other actress she met at the awards ceremony? I think maybe the part was originally written for an older actress like Sarah Paulson, who probably turned it down after reading the scripts. LOL

[rhofmovalley]

To me, that other actress appears to be about 20 years old, while Emma Roberts is in her early 30s (I believe).  And that age is the KISS OF DEATH in the film industry.  Look at their habit of casting actresses in their 20s to play opposite actors in their 40s as their love interest.  Happens all the time.  Coupled with her infertility and I can see why she'd feel threatened and insecure.  And this gaslighting BS plays right into all of that.  Psychologically it's kind of genius.

But I still don't think this is original or even that interesting.  I hope I don't spend the entire season hoping it gets better.

[iMonrey]

2 hours ago, Mattipoo said:

This second episode is even worse than the first. Just another slow-moving uneven mess where nothing happens.

I would argue a lot happens but it's impossible to tell if any of it is real. The whole show might just be one long fever dream as far as I can tell. It's just a lot of atmospheric creepiness and gory imagery.

[SHD]

On 9/28/2023 at 1:15 PM, TexasGal said:

I hope whoever composed the original creepy theme music is still making money off that deal, because for most seasons it's the scariest thing about the show.

I often think the opening credits (music AND visuals) are the best part of any season.

[FilmTVGeek80]

I usually try not to nitpick this stuff, but the part I couldn't get over was how Siobhan was going on about how her winning a Gotham Award made getting an Oscar nomination a lock. The Gotham Awards are not really a major industry precursor. BAFTAs, Golden Globes, SAGs, and even the Independent Spirit Awards are more important. Not that getting a Gotham Award isn't prestigious and can't be seen as a stepping stone, but it was not what Siobhan was making it out to be.

I agree that some of the stuff is confusing as to whether it's real or a dream. Maybe that's what they're going for—disorienting the audience as much as Anna—but it's annoying. Part of that was not knowing if the bathroom incident was real. Yeah, it was callous of Anna, but it was so unbelievable that I had a hard time really holding it against Anna.

I've seen some praise for Kim K (even some wild speculation that she has an outside chance at an Emmy nomination), but it feels like expectations were so low that her being less wooden than she's been in previous performances is being blown out of proportion. As someone else said, she's basically playing the same part Leslie Grossman played in the Double Feature season.