S02.E03: Head to Head

[blackwing]

I said last season that I think that Carrie C is a terrible actress, and she has done little to change my mind.  The scene where she is in George's office talking about Turner  and where she is supposed to break down crying, it was so badly acted that I was cackling the entire time.

On 11/12/2023 at 9:58 PM, AntFTW said:

Turner must have really liked this other servant to keep in touch with him and tell him the details of how she met Mr. Joshua Winterton.

I don't recall seeing this guy before, during Season 1 it seemed like we only met a few of the Russell servants.  This guy apparently was supposed to have been around during Turner's time, but now it's like they have a veritable army of servants.  I was waiting for one of the Season 1 servants to say "wait, since when do you get to sit at this table"?

On 11/12/2023 at 11:02 PM, txhorns79 said:

I absolutely loved the maid seeing Turner at the Russell house, having an "OMG!" moment, then running off to gossip to the other servants, probably loving every moment of being the one with the hottest goss these people have heard since their French chef turned out to be from Kansas City.  

Yes, the glee that Adelheid had at spreading this gossip to anybody and everybody who will listen was downright enjoyable to see.  Then she meets Jack in the street and tells him, so now the entire van Rhijn / Brook house will know.  I wonder if all of Old Money New York will soon know as well?

Nice to see Robert Sean Leonard.  I always wondered why he didn't go on to have a bigger film career after "Dead Poets Society".  Seems like he concentrated on theater?

[sistermagpie]

4 hours ago, blackwing said:

Nice to see Robert Sean Leonard.  I always wondered why he didn't go on to have a bigger film career after "Dead Poets Society".  Seems like he concentrated on theater?

Yes, he's had a great Broadway career, though of course that means most people don't see him as much. Apart from DPS, they mostly know him from House, probably.

[Camera One]

I fell behind for a few weeks, but this show is easy to get back on.  

Not sure what I think of the new minister guy, but it's nice seeing Ada being happy.

Still dislike Larry sleeping with the older woman.  They were together publicly at the play, so tongues will surely start wagging soon.

Turner as expected couldn't help herself but gloat and show her hand right away.  I think I would have liked to see Bertha squirm for a bit longer.

I don't get what Bertha thinks she can gain by having the Met open the season the same night as the Academy.  It would be smarter to start by encouraging old money to get a box in both first.  I thought their plan from the season premiere was just to steal the best performers from the Academy. 

I doubt that bald servant will be leaving, so I'm guessing the secret will come out.  Or he will find out the son-in-law was paying him out without the daughter's knowledge.  Though the daughter didn't want anything to do with him either, so maybe not.

On 11/12/2023 at 7:58 PM, iMonrey said:

Has anyone else noticed the soft focus this show employs in a lot of scenes? I was particularly distracted by the scene with Marian and Peggy in Marian's bedroom when Peggy was telling Marian about her trip to Alabama. The bottom of the screen was blurry, and then I kept noticing it in other scenes. It's not in every scene though. It seems like an arbitrary choice.

The out of focus technique has been bothering me a lot this season, especially with how extreme it has been (with 1/3 of the screen blurred out).  I've noticed this effect a lot on CW shows, and I found it distracting too.  With a period drama, I especially want to see every detail of the setting.

Edited December 2, 2023 by Camera One

[HappyHanna]

On 11/17/2023 at 2:13 PM, AntFTW said:

On 11/17/2023 at 10:42 AM, RachelKM said:

Something I forgot to mention. It's sort of unimportant, but stuck in my head.  In the first episode of the season. I could swear that Marian said she only taught on Thursdays. 

But then in the subsequent episodes people keep asking if Marian can be gone for a long weekend (tennis tournament) and an evening at a play because of her teaching duties.  Did I miss something?  Is she now working at the school daily?

It also sounds like Marian bring her work home so it's possible that her work extends beyond the time she physically spends at school.

I also noticed this. Sloppy writing, I assumed,  since Marian isn't the one I think of for a witty retort.  Also,  she's grading watercolors at home? These are like 12 year olds, future wives learning cute hobbies, how are you going to grade their still lifes? 

 

[kristen111]

On 11/13/2023 at 9:23 PM, peeayebee said:

Turner must have really liked this other servant to keep in touch with him and tell him t

I wouldn’t mind sleeping with George, but sleeping with Witherton .. 🤮

Edited December 27, 2023 by kristen111

[MJ Frog]

On 11/13/2023 at 11:56 AM, ahpny said:

Perhaps, but I think Bertha's stance is inappropriately and ahistorically projecting current sensibilities back to a time when relationships between husbands and wifes were different, especially for "robber baron" types of husbands.

I think this is an excellent point and can be applied to all of the cultural norms where there is a huge gulf between our time and theirs -- sexism, racism, homophobia. No period drama is ever going to fully portray those realities. This is, in the end, a TV show and it has to be palatable to the sensibilities of modern audiences. Period dramas have always been pretty anachronistic in this way, and are only getting more so.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, MJ Frog said:

I think this is an excellent point and can be applied to all of the cultural norms where there is a huge gulf between our time and theirs -- sexism, racism, homophobia. No period drama is ever going to fully portray those realities. This is, in the end, a TV show and it has to be palatable to the sensibilities of modern audiences. Period dramas have always been pretty anachronistic in this way, and are only getting more so.

Perhaps, but I agree with @ahpny.  And I think this show could do a better job of representing the reality of sexism at the time.  As an older person I already feel like many young women don't know how it once was and so we need more accurate depictions of this so they value what they have and know how much worse it once was.

[Roseanna]

On 12/29/2023 at 7:30 AM, Yeah No said:

Perhaps, but I agree with @ahpny.  And I think this show could do a better job of representing the reality of sexism at the time.  As an older person I already feel like many young women don't know how it once was and so we need more accurate depictions of this so they value what they have and know how much worse it once was.

Well, I think Mad Men did a good job.