S02.E09: Snowflake

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Bridget finds herself in a difficult position when both Ray and Abby give her conflicting advice. Marvin and Rekon's music rights cause issues for the fixer. Bunchy is left in a compromising position with Patty's son.

 

Promo:

 

Clips:

 

[Kobo Duram]

Without other evidence (and as far as I can see none has been presented yet) I'm going to have to continue thinking Cookie didn't see Bridget in the back of the car.

 

I was, however, wondering if there was going to be a scene at the end of this week's show, where the cop that interviewed Bridget called Cookie after he interviewed her and said that she was refusing to say she was in the car. 

 

But alas, no payoff yet.

 

Also, Bunchy's storyline is heartbreaking.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Mickey is pathetic. He thinks the way to make up to married woman who's already wealthy is to give her a fake luxury brand bag with some pot in it? I know he's Claudette's baby daddy but I'm surprised how tolerant she is of his skeevy behavior. Why would she still be agreeing to come meet with him after the way he set her up to be humiliated at the birthday party?

 

Man, I don't know who's the worse parent, Ray or Abby but Bridget seems to be more of a daddy's girl. Abby is vile for bringing her side piece around her kid. Speaking of whom, I still think Detective Boy Toy is undercover with some law enforcement agency looking into Ray.

 

Poor Bunchy. He's probably never going to be able have a relationship with a woman and now he knows he definitely has to avoid any women who have young sons. Not only was his childhood ruined it looks like his adulthood is destroyed too unless he goes into therapy.

[comosedice]

Bunchy's story wasn't given too many minutes, but it was the most gripping part off this week's episode. I was so happy he was forming what seemed to be a nice, adult, romantic relationship. He needs a lot of help, but I think a healthy sexual relationship with an adult is one of the remedies. It seems his only experience has been as a child with the priest. 

[jonesingjay]

Bunchy's inner turmoil. I was quite vocal about thinking they wouldn't go that route. Boy was I wrong. I guess it makes sense that they would, but I was hopeful they'd choose to give Bunchy something a bit less predictable in terms of storyline. I will say that his scenes were the most engaging for me.

 

I don't care about what Bridgette is going through or whatever heist Mickey is planning. 

Edited September 8, 2014 by jonesingjay

[RandomX]

Abby is such a heinous character, nswooping in to be supermom with the side piece (love it!) along to prop her ego up instead of to help her daughter. I wanted to see more of Lena, as usual.

ETA: I laughed when Brig noted that her mother doesn't have any friends.

Edited September 8, 2014 by RandomX

[ElectricBoogaloo]

You know that your life has gone to shit when Steve Knight is the only one who asks about your day and genuinely cares what your answer is.

 

I can't believe Abby's audacity. Not only did she call her cop boyfriend and tell him what Bridget had told her in confidence, but then she told him to come over to the house to convince Bridget to tell the police what she saw. And this was after she called her boyfriend the night before and shrieked at him to go get Bridget from Ray's aparttment. Are you out of your fucking mind? That is not what "all in" means. I don't like the boyfriend but at least he had the common sense to know not to show up at Ray's apartment at 2am demanding to drive Bridget back to Calabasas. Good lord. What happens if the cop decides to tell someone that Bridget admitted she was in the car?

 

I liked Paula Malcolmson on Deadwood when she talked like a normal human being, but I can't stand how she shrieks and yells every line on this show. Fine, I get it. She's a shrill harpy, but can you please spare my eardrums?

 

I have been convinced from the beginning that the cop was a plant sent to dig up dirt on Ray and his family. I haven't seen anything to indicate that he actually likes Abby.

 

Poor Bridget. Having a boy break up with you at that age is hard enough to deal with, but watching him get murdered and then having to lie about it? Bridget normally annoys me almost as much as Abby does, but she had my sympathy this week.

 

Mickey is an idiot. He really thinks that giving Claudette a knock off purse with a few joints is going to fix everything after she explicitly told him how upset she was about the party and how upset Darryl was about the car? Mickey made me so angry when his defense was, "I invited you to the party." He really doesn't seem to comprehend that it wasn't his place to invite her to someone else's party. He is so fucking entitled that he thinks he can do whatever he wants without any consequences. I'm glad that she has finally seen the light and told him that she knows that the only person he really cares about is himself. I know Ray gives him shit all the time, but Mickey never takes it seriously because he doesn't respect Ray as a person. Maybe now that it's coming from Claudette, maybe it will finally sink in that everyone around him sees what an asshole he is.

 

Oh, Bunchy. I admire that he is trying so hard not to do anything to that kid and I almost admire him for trying to explain it to his girlfriend. He really needs some intense therapy, and not just with the SNAP people. He needs one on one counseling to work through this stuff.

[Mama No Life]

Did anyone else get a weird vibe when Steve invited Ray in? It was creepy.

I have to give Abby credit....every week I think I hate her to the maximum limit and then bam, she raises the bar! I've been hating Ezra too so I was glad to see him give in when it came to Bridget. I miss when Ezra and Ray were friendlier.

I don't think Cookie knows about Bridget, but his thinly veiled threats to Ray about how there shouldn't be any witnesses leave little doubt as to his method for dealing with them.

[alexvillage]

I also sympathized with Bridget this time. After all that happened to her the parents still think about themselves.

 

The Bunchy storyline is heartbreaking and all too real. I just don't think the writers will have time to work on it in a comprehensive way (which might be not too bad, considering the heaviness of it all)

 

So, the cop wants to talk to Bridget alone, she is a minor, the cop asks if there is a problem and Ray says "no"? There is a problem. She is a minor!

Not sure if the writers messed up this one or are being true to reality. It is the LAPD after all

 

Fast forward trough Mickey's scenes. Apparently didn't miss anything. Oh! And the reporter, all wounded. Poor baby. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

So, the cop wants to talk to Bridget alone, she is a minor, the cop asks if there is a problem and Ray says "no"? There is a problem. She is a minor!

I KNOW! That really bothered me too. Even if it's "just an interview" as the cop said, there was no reason to keep Ray out of the room. He could have raised a big stink about it, and I know that I certainly would have if my hypothetical child had been brought to the police station to give a statement. I'm surprised that Ray didn't say if he wasn't in the room with her then the police would have to wait until their lawyer arrived.

Edited September 8, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[paigow]

Not a compelling episode. It seemed that the writers were turning Ray into Jack Bauer. I was looking for a running clock every time he started driving somewhere new. The fight with Cookie's bodyguards was silly. Ray rings buzzer, gate swings open, bodyguards tell him to leave... wtf

[tricknasty]

 

Did anyone else get a weird vibe when Steve invited Ray in? It was creepy.

I thought that was Steve's way of saying he was okay with them having a 3some. 

 

It seemed that the writers were turning Ray into Jack Bauer.

From breaking into a detective's home, to thugs backing down from him, and the audacity of assaulting said detective right in front of a police station...*SMH*. We get it Show. Ray is a badass mofo.

Poor Bunchy, I knew that relationship wouldn't last

[Grace284]

Did anyone else get a weird vibe when Steve invited Ray in? It was creepy.

I really do love Steve. He's so inexplicably weird. It's nice to see Eion Bailey embracing his natural unsettling vibe.

 

Damn, I used to really like Abby. She screwed up a lot, but she was real and brash and likable. But now... I can handle characters being assholes, since practically everyone in the show is one, but she does it with the attitude of a bratty teenager and it's painful. Her new childboyfriend is more mature than she is, and that poor 13 year old can't even grow a real moustache yet.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Grace284

[Mama No Life]

I thought that was Steve's way of saying he was okay with them having a 3some. 

From breaking into a detective's home, to thugs backing down from him, and the audacity of assaulting said detective right in front of a police station...*SMH*. We get it Show. Ray is a badass mofo.

Poor Bunchy, I knew that relationship wouldn't last

Yes, I thought it was his way of inviting him in for a threesome also.   ACK

[Joimiaroxeu]

I thought that was Steve's way of saying he was okay with them having a 3some.

The chick (I forget her name) is about to get Eiffel Towered and she didn't seem surprised or bothered about it at all.

 

Not sure if the writers messed up this one or are being true to reality. It is the LAPD after all.

But wouldn't Ray know better? I think he was still dazed and wasn't thinking clearly. Also, he didn't want to make the detective suspicious that he and Bridget were trying to hide something.

[alexvillage]

 

But wouldn't Ray know better?

That's my point. It is absurd to allow a minor to be questioned about a crime without a parent or legal representative. Either the writers messed up and went for sloppy, or they wanted to show how fishy the LAPD is (the way the detective talked to Ray is a sanitized version of the LAPD tactics), therefore allowing that to slip and making Ray compliant

[CynicalGirl]

I agree, that Steve is one creepy guy. Plus, he's so hairy. It's very distracting. 

[scrb]

The writing on Abby is pretty inconsistent.  At the beginning, she's pliant and thinks she has it good compared to other wives because Ray still fucks her, even if it's him just grabbing her in the middle of the night and going to town.

 

Then the therapist tells her that's not good and she becomes this harridan, not only seeking out another guy (who isn't undercover, actually seems to want her, so far), but throwing it in Ray's face, inviting him to the house that Ray bought?

 

And what the fuck did Ray ever see in her in the first place?  She kept quiet, didn't ask any questions about his "dirty" business for years, didn't complain that Ray just grabbed her and went to town in the middle of the night.

 

Maybe as a victim of child molestation, a lousy father, a mother who died when he was young, Ray can't have been expected to make good relationship choices?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I agree, that Steve is one creepy guy. Plus, he's so hairy. It's very distracting.

I like that he isn't waxed to look like a prepubescent boy.

[ethalfrida]

That's my point. It is absurd to allow a minor to be questioned about a crime without a parent or legal representative. Either the writers messed up and went for sloppy, or they wanted to show how fishy the LAPD is (the way the detective talked to Ray is a sanitized version of the LAPD tactics), therefore allowing that to slip and making Ray compliant 

There was an incident in my town where a group of kids got out of hand and were arrested. We had a community meeting with the city attorneys and the media. At that meeting it was stated by the court officials that minors under arrest become the wards of the court and parents have little or no rights until court is held. They essentially are the judge's kids until he says they are not. That's it in a nutshell but it is somewhat more complicted. The parents of these teens had the same concerns because they were not allowed to be there for the questioning...

[alexvillage]

 

At that meeting it was stated by the court officials that minors under arrest become the wards of the court and parents have little or no rights until court is held. They essentially are the judge's kids until he says they are not.

There is a lot of lack of justice in the justice system. Still, Bridget was not under arrest and was not a suspect. She was also invited to talk to the police, who called Ray and asked him to bring her to the station. I am curious now about the writers intention: make the plot easier to write or really criticize the LAPD

[TexasGal]

But wouldn't Ray know better? I think he was still dazed and wasn't thinking clearly. Also, he didn't want to make the detective suspicious that he and Bridget were trying to hide something.

The only thing that makes sense to me was that he was trying not to act suspicious. But I was shouting at my tv during that scene - yes, that is a problem! Fuck you! Scared my dogs...

Bunchy breaks my heart. Did he not tell her about his abuse because he was embarrassed, or is he restricted from discussing it as part of the settlement he got?

Edited September 11, 2014 by TexasGal

[alexvillage]

I think he was embarrassed and when the kid hugged him he might have "felt" something that made him think he is just like his abuser. It is heartbreaking and very real.

[monakane]

I think he was embarrassed and when the kid hugged him he might have "felt" something that made him think he is just like his abuser. It is heartbreaking and very real.

 

Poor Bunchy.  I find his story the most compelling.  The other stories are escapism, but Bunchy's story is very real.  It seems that the writers are trying to handle it realistically and with sensitivity.  Most child molesters were molested themselves.  Obviously, not everyone who has been molested will do the same.  It was uncomfortable to watch but true to life.  I don't necessarily think Bunchy will be a molester, but his interaction with the kid obviously stirred up a lot of conflict for him.  My heart broke for him when he tried to tell his girlfriend about it and she realized what he was trying to say.

 

ETA:  The mother having a man she's only known a short time take care of her child was some bad parenting.

Edited September 11, 2014 by monakane

[BigDfromLA]

Ray is scared of Cookie, which I find kind of odd.

 

First time i have ever seen Ray scared of any man this whole show. If he wasn't scared of Cookie, he would be doing everything in his power to destroy the guy for putting his daughter in danger.

[amarante]

I think police are permitted to question a minor without a parent being present. There is no requirement that anyone answer any questions by police so Bridget could have refused to answer questions - or made having a parent be present a condition of agreeing to be questioned. 

 

The issue of parental presence is more relevant when the minor is being questioned as a suspect rather than a witness since there may be issues of whether the minor was competent to actually waive Miranda rights.

[alexvillage]

I have no doubt that this is done. The problem is, as a parent, Ray should have said no, if I can't get in, she will not answer questions either. It is a safeguard, knowing how "honest" the police force is. The detective got what he wanted too easily from Ray, a guy who confronted the FBI so many times.

(of course, the brat would have said she wanted to talk to them just to go against her father)

[amarante]

Ray is scared of Cookie, which I find kind of odd.

 

 

I don't really have personal experience with gangsters but theoretically (at least in books and movies), there seems to be a divide between the "old school" criminals who have their own code of ethics - i.e. you don't kill family and police and those without those kinds of boundaries.

 

In general, Ray is more of the old school. He is not above blackmailing - i.e. revealing Ann Margaret's child but he wouldn't kill the child whereas Cookie actually killed just to make a point. 

 

Cookie would kill Bridget - Ray would find a way to blackmail "Bridget's" parents but wouldn't kill the child.

[amarante]

I have no doubt that this is done. The problem is, as a parent, Ray should have said no, if I can't get in, she will not answer questions either. It is a safeguard, knowing how "honest" the police force is. The detective got what he wanted too easily from Ray, a guy who confronted the FBI so many times.

 

 

I give the writers a pass on this one as I think the dynamics of the situation were fluid since Ray had no idea what Bridget was going to say and what might tip the balance one way or another in terms of what would push her.

 

There really wasn't anything Ray could have done in the situation since his presence would not have stopped her from saying she was there - if that was what she wanted to do. The issue of parental rights is really in terms of manipulating a suspect rather than a witness. I'm not sure what the "honesty" of the police force has to do with it since they weren't attempting to manipulate her to incriminate herself or a loved one.

 

Of course it is a common trope in terms of *ghetto* murders that the police want witnesses to speak against their own self interest because of probably gang retaliation. However, I don't think the police really would be thinking that an upper middle class white girl would be in physical danger if she testified.

 

I think all can agree that both the parents are horrendous parents - it's a miracle that Bridget is as *normal* as she is but the dynamics are pretty similar to Meadow and AJ in the Sopranos with the older daughter being, on the surface, a high achiever and the younger son being somewhat of a fuck up. But, in the end, Meadow wasn't able to escape the trajectory of her genes or upbringing since she essentially renounced the *good* part and threw her lot in with a gangster rather than escaping as I assume her parents probably wanted for her.

[alexvillage]

 

I'm not sure what the "honesty" of the police force has to do with it since they weren't attempting to manipulate her to incriminate herself or a loved one.

The honesty of the police, in particular the LAPD, was my observation outside the show, speculating that the writers know about the fishy tactics they use and wanted to point this out. 

We know now the detective didn't try anything manipulative with Bridget, but Ray didn't know that. He was hoping she wouldn't say anything, but he wasn't certain. And this is out of character for him, to simply comply with a detective he should not "fear".

I would never allow someone I was responsible for to talk to any police officer alone, if there was an option for me to be there. I would actually call a lawyer.

But you  are right. White middle class girl gets the soft treatment, every time.

[Happytobehere]

I can't get over how vile Abby is on every conceivable level. She literally makes my stomach turn to the point where I can actually taste the bile. I just can't with her anymore. I so want the boytoy to be a plant just so Ray can throw it in her face. What a selfish, hateful, b***h.

At least Ezra actually seemed concerned about Bridget for Bridget's sake.

Perhaps this whole Cookie storyline will provide a reason to usher Abby and the kids away permanently as a means of protecting them.

Poor Bunchy. Sometimes watching his reality is too painful. The emotions conveyed are real and raw. FANTASTIC ACTING!

Mickey truly is delusional. Did he really think that his pathetic gifts would make Claudette forget and forgive what he did to her and Daryll? I wonder if we will ever see Daryll again given he now sees Mickey for who he is and his connection to the core brothers is fragile at best.

Ray's life truly is hell on earth. I actually give him a tentative pass on the ish he does because that family of his is the prison sentence that never ends. He for all intents and purposes is serving a life sentence, the nice house, clothes, cars and other women just allow him to pretend he is free. It's no coincidence that the only time he seems truly happy (read free), is when they are not around.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Happytobehere

[ZulaMay]

I like Ray and cannot stand Abby.  I think both are messing up their kids, but Ray is carrying so much baggage that it's all he can do to keep up an appearance of normalcy.  It's amazing he doesn't crack more often.  He lets them down, he screws around, he's involved in a sleazy business: but I think he is trying to be a "rock" for them in a way his father wasn't.  He just has no concept of the right or "normal" way to do it.

 

And IMO he was rightly scared shitless about the potential threat to Bridget's life.  If it took my daughter lying to the cops to protect her from a remorseless killer like Cookie, I wouldn't think twice about it.  Even if she testified and he goes to jail, she's still going to end up dead.  YMMV.

[ethalfrida]

OMG, Cookie is a partner and is concerned with catching the killer! Amazing...

 

Still hating Abby and the kids although the less Connor says I more I like him.

 

Or no they are not going to mess with Mickey! Besides Ray and the guy who works for Ray he is my fave. Such a sleaze but he's a fave. The parole officer is sad and he makes me cringe.

[FozzyBear]

God Abby, shut up. I haven't had to tell a character in a show to shut up this much since Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girl. It wasn't even that she was wrong exactly (I could see both arguments), but I couldn't shake the feeling that she was telling Bridget to tell the police everything because Ray was telling Bridget to lie. Your daughter's decision about whether to testify against a dangerous gangster is not the time to get into a marital game of chicken!