S02.E04: It’s Easier To Handcuff A Human Being

[DanaK]

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TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT

Will and Faith investigate a small town haunted by the "Boo Hag," where a suspect is quickly assumed, but connections to the past unveil unexpected surprises. Meanwhile, Ormewood investigates a TV star's murder, and Amanda senses impending danger.

 

[AnimeMania]

CHAPEL ELIZABETH OAKS as Crystal

DAVID MALDONADO
DAPHNE BLOOMER
PHAEDRA PARKS as Adela Blakely
SEAN HANKINSON

SHAMEA MORTON as Aviva Westwood
SER'DARIUS BLAIN as Luke

[dleighg]

I absolutely HATED the "Ex-Wifes" side story. Stupid, stupid. 

Betty didn't get enough screen time this episode.

[seacliffsal]

I really enjoyed this episode.  Nico and the reference to Alfred and Batman/Bruce Wayne, the Boo Hag (?) which reminded me of the show Grimm (which I was sad eneded), the fun secondary case (I enjoyed the "ex-wives of Atlanta" sequences).  And, as always, I enjoy the character of Will Trent (well, I enjoy most of the characters).

[possibilities]

It's kind of weird, though, how Angie and Oremwood (I can never remember his first name) are on their own show with no relationship to the main story. 

[fastiller]

IDK how to quote more than one post (or I've forgotten to), so going old-school w/ a screenshot here:

 

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

I absolutely HATED the "Ex-Wifes" side story. Stupid, stupid. 

Betty didn't get enough screen time this episode.

@dleighg: it seems Betty's screen time was taken up by the dog in @AnimeMania's post above yours.

Random thought -unrelated to the COTW- glad we got an in-show comment about Faith's great style.  "The Real Real" - HA!

[catalogrrr]

I enjoyed the brief appearance by Phaedra Parks. Not enough Betty, though.

I fully expected Amanda to drop that cobbler and was relieved when she didn't.

I'm still trying to reconcile this Ormewood with the character from the books (I know they are different universes but I can't enjoy this character because of it, which is totally a me thing).

[Snazzy Daisy]

NOT enough Betty in this episode! 😭😭😭

And she even wears the same outfit that she wore in previous episode. Same day filming??!

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"A boo hag took the others."

"A what?"

"A spirit that drains souls."

"You mean like Amanda?"

😂😂😂

[KittenPokerCheater]

Liked the episode a lot but I definitely did not like the B storyline of real housewives etc show.  Not a fan of "reality tv."

[howiveaddict]

Shamea is one of Porsha's from RH Atl's best friend.  I did not recognize the housewife with the dog.  And shady Phaedra is everywhere lately.

[MerBearHou]

After seeing Phaedra on Traitors for my first time, I am absolutely NOT a fan of her fake fake fake personality and superiority vibe so I’ll be skipping this Will Trent.  Glad to read above that she was on it so I can skip it.  

[Irlandesa]

9 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I am absolutely NOT a fan of her fake fake fake personality and superiority vibe so I’ll be skipping this Will Trent.  Glad to read above that she was on it so I can skip it.  

She's on for about 30 seconds so if you feel like watching, her part is really easy to skip.  Heck, the whole plot is pretty easy to skip.

Edited March 28 by Irlandesa

[wonderwoman]

32 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

She's on for about 30 seconds so if you feel like watching, her part is really easy to skip.  Heck, the whole plot is pretty easy to skip.

that’s what i did:)

[MerBearHou]

3 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

She's on for about 30 seconds so if you feel like watching, her part is really easy to skip.  Heck, the whole plot is pretty easy to skip.

Good to know.  I really cannot abide her.  I do love me some Will Trent and hate to miss even one episode (plus I feel like the show might need as much support as it can get).  

It’s a bizarre move IMO to put a Housewives subplot in a show like this — really doesn’t fit.

Edited March 28 by MerBearHou

[Orbert]

I liked the Boo Hag case.  Of course the "witch" was never going to turn out to be guilty, but the twist was kinda cool.  Amanda being stalked will hopefully turn out interesting.  Angie and Ormewood are still on their own show, doing their own things, and Ormewood's wife finally left him, which we all saw coming so I'm not sure why that was supposed to be shocking or whatever.

The whole "reality TV" B-story was tedious.  I find people like that to be obnoxious, and don't get how watching a bunch of obnoxious, self-centered, backstabbing people is supposed to be entertaining.  I avoid them in real life; I sure as hell don't want to see them while I try to escape real life.  They're not funny, they're not interesting... why am I watching them?

[peeayebee]

I don't care about Angie and Ormewood. I think the show is struggling to fit the characters into the show. However, I didn't mind the Real Housewives story. I've never watched one of those shows, I'm not a reality TV fan, but the humorous aspect of this plot line was an interesting contrast to the seriousness of the rest of the ep. There were a lot of jokes betw Angie and Ormewood at the beginning, too -- the pudding conversation -- so maybe the show is going to do more funny stuff with them regularly. Maybe.

And the wife being gone is ok by me. Ormewood being married did its part in the show, and now there's no need for it anymore. My guess is that this will free up the character to have some sexual/romantic relationships.

I remember watching Gullah Gullah Island with my son long ago. I don't remember if there was any mention of Boo Hags, but probably not since it was a children's show.

I agree that there was not enuf Betty. Funnily enuf, as I was watching the ep, I glanced over to our kitchen and caught a glimpse of the knife block, and it looked like Betty! Something with the dark brown and light brown wood and the kitchen shears in the block.

Any idea where Amanda's stalker/whatever guy came from? Had there been a hint about this before? (I can't remember.)

[SnapHappy]

Not bad, I'm glad Ormewood's wife finally pulled the trigger & left.  The tears were a good touch, that or rage is usually the result when a dude finds an empty closet & a note. 

I like Betty fine, but what all is she supposed to be doing more of in the show?  I don't get when people say they want more. Her licking her butt?  Slurping water?  Chasing a ball?  Lying on the couch?  Dogs do that, but I can't see the need to film it.  She's an accessory, like Nico.  Who I still don't like.  

I liked the little "Ex-Housewives" plot.  It was amusing, and brought Ormewood & Angie into a story.  A little ridiculousness among the murders, attempted rape, dead birds and stalking is fine with me.  

Edited March 29 by SnapHappy

[Irlandesa]

15 hours ago, Orbert said:

Angie and Ormewood are still on their own show, doing their own things, and Ormewood's wife finally left him, which we all saw coming so I'm not sure why that was supposed to be shocking or whatever.

I think what was surprising is that she didn't just leave  Ormewood but left their children as well.  The note said they were at the neighbor's house.   If she were just going to leave him, as in divorcing him, I suspect she would have asked him to leave the house. 

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, I was shocked she would just leave the kids. Although, I think they've been suggesting she has depression so that might explain it.

Edited March 29 by peachmangosteen

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

I like Betty fine, but what all is she supposed to be doing more of in the show?  I don't get when people say they want more. Her licking her butt?  Slurping water?  Chasing a ball?  Lying on the couch?  Dogs do that, but I can't see the need to film it.  She's an accessory, like Nico. 

I like seeing cute dogs. No, I don't want to see her lick her butt. I love her little face. I love her little sweaters. I loved seeing her woof at the bottle of evil spirits. I even just loved when she was laying there and Will was absent-mindedly petting her. Dogs make me happy.

Sometimes -- often? -- dogs are just gimmicks in shows/movies. If she is here, I don't care. Like I said, seeing her is always a bright spot.

[Johannah]

11 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

Not bad, I'm glad Ormewood's wife finally pulled the trigger & left.  The tears were a good touch, that or rage is usually the result when a dude finds an empty closet & a note. 

I like Betty fine, but what all is she supposed to be doing more of in the show?  I don't get when people say they want more. Her licking her butt?  Slurping water?  Chasing a ball?  Lying on the couch?  Dogs do that, but I can't see the need to film it.  She's an accessory, like Nico.  Who I still don't like.  

I liked the little "Ex-Housewives" plot.  It was amusing, and brought Ormewood & Angie into a story.  A little ridiculousness among the murders, attempted rape, dead birds and stalking is fine with me.  

I agree with everything except I like Nico.  I, also agree that Betty is cute, or maybe I just like how Will is around her, but I don't need more of her.

I don't watch the Housewives shows, either, so I just took it as a fun aside.  Actually, it was Ormewood and Angie that were amusing.  Plus, one of the housewives goes to jail, so that should make some of you happy.

[Clanstarling]

On 3/27/2024 at 5:06 PM, KittenPokerCheater said:

Liked the episode a lot but I definitely did not like the B storyline of real housewives etc show.  Not a fan of "reality tv."

And the B storyline is at all accurate - it's one of the reasons I don't watch those shows. ugh..

14 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Any idea where Amanda's stalker/whatever guy came from? Had there been a hint about this before? (I can't remember.)

I was wondering if I missed something in an earlier episode.

[fastiller]

14 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Any idea where Amanda's stalker/whatever guy came from? Had there been a hint about this before? (I can't remember.)

 

11 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I was wondering if I missed something in an earlier episode.

I don't know whether this has been hinted at in an earlier episode.  I do, however, enjoy and appreciate how that they dropped her flat tire at the park story at the start of this episode.

[AnimeMania]

15 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Any idea where Amanda's stalker/whatever guy came from? Had there been a hint about this before? (I can't remember.)

No, it just sets up the next episode.

It is kinda like when all of a sudden Will is having distractive flashes of his younger self, which I am sure will tie into a later episode.

Does anybody think that Pee-Pee Percy might still be working for James Ulster, keeping tabs on what Will is doing.

[Orbert]

Okay, I guess I'm rethinking the reality show murder B-story.  It did add some lightness, which was nice because the Boo Hag story was pretty dark and serious.  It's just that any time any of the "ex-wives" was on screen, I just wanted to hit the FF button (which I really try not to do).  Also, I'd forgotten about the "pudding" convo, which was fun, and the point about Ormewood being single now as character development and maybe we're done with his home life for a while is a good one.

Between two cases each week, the ongoing arc with Will's uncle, and seeing his younger self, and the glimpses into everyone's private lives, I still think they're juggling more characters and stories than really necessary, but I do have to give them high marks for their juggling ability.

[Badsamaritan]

I love Betty but yeah, I don't need her shoved into episodes constantly. I'll take more of Faith and Amanda over Betty any day though, since they can actually verbally spar with Will. If we're getting rid of characters to make room for more Betty though? Bye, Ormewood. I don't care about you or your sad wife. And, fuck them kids too. 🤷🏽‍♀️

I'd honestly be ok with them getting rid of both Ormewood and Angie. As someone stated above, it feels like 2 different shows, and when they aren't connected to the main mystery they feel completely irrelevant. I'm already tired of the teen girl that killed her mom's boyfriend popping up. I'm positive that coverup is gonna come back around, unfortunately. 

Who has the mother fucking balls to target Amanda?? Could James Ulster be involved somehow? I want to see Will affected by his surrogate mom being stalked, and for him to realize how much she loves him. It probably won't happen but, I want a real, loving hug between them. Ever since they showed Young Amanda picking baby Will up out of the brand new crib she bought for him and the utter look of love on her face, I have wanted to see them hug for real.  I feel like that's a payoff the audience deserves but the show is holding it back. 

I did enjoy the humor in the B plot with the ex-wives. And, it actually did make sense to me since this show is set in Atlanta and one of the Real Housewives was set there for years as well. Given that they used Phaedra, I'm guessing that was the writers thoughts too. Atlanta has become a production site for Hollywood and of course Tyler Perry so I won't be surprised if there are other storylines that pull from that as well.  

I wonder if Will will tell Nico about his dyslexia. I could see Nico, in their capacity as Will's 'Albert', helping him find ways to learn to read better so he doesn't get so frustrated. He could still use his recorder for crime scene notes. And I absolutely loved Faith having Will's back and making him talk about the visions he's been seeing. And Will giving her compliments after pissing her off, they could do that more too lol! 

Almost forgot - I did call that the one guy was involved somehow from jump, with drugging the girl and her boyfriend. And, the NotDead guy was living in the woods and would end up being innocent. 

Edited March 29 by Badsamaritan

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, Orbert said:

It's just that any time any of the "ex-wives" was on screen, I just wanted to hit the FF button (which I really try not to do).

Not having seen any RH shows, I didn't know Phaedra, but if she was the one who actually pushed the other ex-wife off the roof, I thought she was hilarious as she tried to escape from the police station and finally ended up in the storage room. :D

[peachmangosteen]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

Not having seen any RH shows, I didn't know Phaedra, but if she was the one who actually pushed the other ex-wife off the roof, I thought she was hilarious as she tried to escape from the police station and finally ended up in the storage room. :D

That was hilarious, but it wasn't Phaedra. Phaedra was the first HW they showed.

[peeayebee]

Well, that gal was very funny. The scene was great.

[Irlandesa]

18 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Well, that gal was very funny. The scene was great.

I'm pretty sure she was an actual actress.  The real housewives got very little screen time.

[peachmangosteen]

Oh, was the other one an actual RH as well? I only recognized Phaedra.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

Oh, was the other one an actual RH as well? I only recognized Phaedra.

I only recognized Phaedra because of The Traitors but she and another guest star, Shamea Morton*, got special position in the credits.  Plus, I remember seeing something in my feed about housewives guest starring so I'm assuming the other one was a housewife. 

But I'm pretty sure the assistant character wasn't a reality star but rather a regular actress playing a reality star.

*Yes, I had to Google it. :) And in doing so, apparently, Shamea's actually an actress too but appearas as a "friend" on RHOA.  The more you know.

[Dowel Jones]

Well, that elevator door is going to be topic of conversation for a long time, however the Amanda crisis is resolved.  He could have used a Sharpie at least, so the message could be cleaned off.

[possibilities]

I guess terrorists aren't known for being considerate of the maintenance staff.

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, Dowel Jones said:

Well, that elevator door is going to be topic of conversation for a long time, however the Amanda crisis is resolved. 

I didn't think about other people seeing it. We SHOULD hear various characters talking about it. I guess at this point Amanda doesn't know the threat is directed at her.

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, Dowel Jones said:

Well, that elevator door is going to be topic of conversation for a long time, however the Amanda crisis is resolved.  He could have used a Sharpie at least, so the message could be cleaned off.

I just thought about what a long time it would have taken to scratch that into the doors - and no one needed the elevator or noticed?

[dleighg]

55 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I guess at this point Amanda doesn't know the threat is directed at her.

I think she does- she got a threatening phone call earlier.

[SnapHappy]

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I wonder if Will will tell Nico about his dyslexia. I could see Nico, in their capacity as Will's 'Albert', helping him find ways to learn to read better so he doesn't get so frustrated. He could still use his recorder for crime scene notes. 

This would be such a GREAT solution.  The way Nico is written, so non-judgmental and calm, I think they could come up with some great ways to help Will deal with reading & writing in ways that are current and accepted. 

Will came up in a care system 20+ years ago where educational models for the students that don't process things like others do got left behind or pushed aside.  They have GOT to address his deficiencies in a more strategic way.  Just letting him flounder is BAD TV.

[peeayebee]

5 hours ago, dleighg said:

I think she does- she got a threatening phone call earlier.

I thought she hung up like it was a wrong number. 

[Calvada]

22 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I just thought about what a long time it would have taken to scratch that into the doors - and no one needed the elevator or noticed?

This was my thought too.  What kind of security do they have in this building housing a state agency?  And if the threat is directed at Amanda, what timing to have her be the first person to see it!  It would have made more sense if her car had been vandalized in the parking lot.  

[possibilities]

3 minutes ago, Calvada said:

This was my thought too.  What kind of security do they have in this building housing a state agency?  And if the threat is directed at Amanda, what timing to have her be the first person to see it!  It would have made more sense if her car had been vandalized in the parking lot.  

Unless it's an inside job-- i.e. the threats are from a staffer?

[Calvada]

5 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Unless it's an inside job-- i.e. the threats are from a staffer?

I thought of that too, but I can't get past the amount of time it would have taken to scratch that huge message and no one noticing, as well as timing it so Amanda was the first one to see it.  I know, we're not supposed to think of these things!  That's the disadvantage of watching episodic TV weekly vs. binging it.  As you go immediately into the next episode, there's less time to wonder about things such as how someone gets from one side of a large city to another in less than 10 minutes.  

[Nialla]

On 3/27/2024 at 9:41 AM, possibilities said:

It's kind of weird, though, how Angie and Oremwood (I can never remember his first name) are on their own show with no relationship to the main story. 

I had the same thought. I wonder if it would work better if Ormewood and Angie were recurring characters? I don't like that for the actors, but I might be best for the plot to not have to shove an APD story alongside the FBI one. Just use them when necessary.

[Simba122504]

I enjoyed the "Boo Hag" COTW. 

[tennisgurl]

I really enjoyed the story with the Boo Hag, I grew up watching Gullah Gullah Island as a kid and lived in South Carolina for awhile so I was excited to see some of that culture depicted. I knew right away that the "witch" would be innocent and guessed early on that the preppy looking older guy would be the villain, but I still enjoyed the case and liked how it all played out.

Its interesting that this is the second episode where Will learns about faith, with the pastor in the last episode and now the women here, two different faiths but Will had sort of similar arcs. I don't except Will to find religion or anything, but it seems like he is coming to terms with having faith in something he cant see isn't always a bad thing and people who practice it aren't always bad people. 

Ormewood and Angie are in a totally different show this week, it was a pretty funny b plot to have as relief with the more serious main plot. Not surprising that Ormewood's wife left, I don't blame her, but I hope she's not leaving the kids behind fully, and I don't love that she left him via note. I totally get her being done with him, but they at least need to talk.

[Clanstarling]

22 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Not surprising that Ormewood's wife left, I don't blame her, but I hope she's not leaving the kids behind fully, and I don't love that she left him via note. I totally get her being done with him, but they at least need to talk.

Yeah, I don't blame her for leaving. But leaving the kids in limbo irks me and makes me less sympathetic, even if she has put herself in a care facility. Damaging her kids to fix her damage just doesn't work for me. BTW, this sounds like I care a lot more than I do about this part of the show.