S02.E01:VIII/ E02:IX

[Affogato]

Hope I got the designation right.  I meant ‘apoilers for episode’. I can’t seem to delete it. 

is anyone else watching? I thought a lot of interesting things happened in these two episodes. 

[Medicine Crow]

Yes, I watched Part I & quite enjoyed it.  Will watch Part 2 tonight.

[Bcharmer]

It's been two years since season one. When so much time passes, it's easy to forget what was going on, and I really don't want to rewatch the whole first season. Is it easy enough to catch up from this first episode?

[Medicine Crow]

Yes.  I thought the same as you, so I watched the last episode of Season 1 & everything fell into place for this season.

[AimingforYoko]

Plus they had a recap at the top of Episode VIII.

I see why they dropped the two episodes together, since they both covered the same time period. And I like that everyone is shaded in grey, no absolute good or bad guys. Except maybe Omar.

We know Bridges ain't the one getting shot, so it's either Harold or Hamzad.

[Affogato]

I watched the last episode of season one as well and it helped. Hulu only lists two more episodes, so things will have to happen fast. 
it looks like Abby was a cold and calculating mother and Chase never got as close to Emily as he would have, if left to his own devices. 
 

so was the end of episode 2.1 the same time and place is the end of episode 2.2. In which case, did Hamzad shoot chase or just shoot his gun off for emphasis. Or am I confused?

[Dowel Jones]

Since Disney owns FX Networks and they're currently in a pissing match with DirecTV, they are refusing to air any programs on any of their proprietary channels.  I may have to break down and pay for Hulu, at least for awhile.

[AimingforYoko]

5 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

Since Disney owns FX Networks and they're currently in a pissing match with DirecTV, they are refusing to air any programs on any of their proprietary channels.  I may have to break down and pay for Hulu, at least for awhile.

Settled

[Bcharmer]

2 hours ago, Medicine Crow said:

Yes.  I thought the same as you, so I watched the last episode of Season 1 & everything fell into place for this season.

Thank you! I'll take your advice.

[Affogato]

The trailer for episode 3 seems to answer the question of who gets shot. 
 

i’m guessing the love/trust dichotomy is a major theme and she will make decisions based on the two old men  and how she feels about them. 
 

what is going on with the lithium? 

[paigow]

Confused that Harper did not shoot Omar before riding away

[Medicine Crow]

Who is the guy with the eye-patch supposed to be?  TIA

[paigow]

37 minutes ago, Medicine Crow said:

Who is the guy with the eye-patch supposed to be?  TIA

He is a Taliban spy who pretended to be the Resistance contact for our dynamic duo .. Chase / Johnny gave him  a perma-scar

[Affogato]

14 minutes ago, paigow said:

He is a Taliban spy who pretended to be the Resistance contact for our dynamic duo .. Chase / Johnny gave him  a perma-scar

Semi dynamic duo. Omar. The Taliban is upping sanctions against women. If the show had time this could be an interesting angle. 
 

 

 

Edited September 15 by Affogato

[aghst]

They completely dropped the plot from season 1.

It was all about Hamzad coming for Chase, how he was getting US govt. cooperation to deliver Chase to Hamzad.

Now that Emily/Angela learns her true identity and didn't kill Hamzad when she had the chance, she's getting to know and like her cousins and nephews -- presumably that's what the lille boy was.

So first, Chase was on the run because they were coming for him.  Then season 1 ended in a cliffhanger with  Angela abducted and Chase and Harper deciding to sneak into Afghanistan to rescue her.

Now, Hamzad decides he no longer wants his daughter to stay.  At least they explained that Hamzad had control over lithium deposits and the US would only trade with him, not the Taliban, so the Taliban had to let him have his own enclave, free from Sharia law.

Otherwise, we wouldn't see the faces of those pretty cousins of Parwana.

Also the reason why the US govt. was ready to give Chase to Hamzad.  

So now, from the previews, the new mission or plot engine is to have Chase, Harper and Angela try to protect her relatives from the Taliban.

There is no way, other than to get them out of the country.

 

There are other sources of lithium in the world and the Chinese would have cut a deal with the Taliban so this premise of Hamzad being able to carve out his own fiefdom under the Taliban is also unlikely in the real world.

 

[paigow]

It was established last season that Morgan Bote deemed Angela expendable to re-bury the Hamzad debacle. Now there are additional wild cards: Old Russian & Lone Survivor of the original CIA ops team.

[Broderbits]

What the hell was that death match between Emily/Angela and Hamzad?! I just don't understand why a father would go to such effort to reunite with his child and then try to kill her. She had no choice in leaving and apparently her "loving" mother lied to her about her whole life. And then Hamzad decides to keep her safe in the cave hideout like the fight never happened.

[aghst]

18 minutes ago, Broderbits said:

What the hell was that death match between Emily/Angela and Hamzad?! I just don't understand why a father would go to such effort to reunite with his child and then try to kill her. She had no choice in leaving and apparently her "loving" mother lied to her about her whole life. And then Hamzad decides to keep her safe in the cave hideout like the fight never happened.

Supposedly the Taliban wanted her so Hamzad was going to kill her or else their entire little enclave was in danger.

But he couldn't do it, even when she fought back.  She could have killed him but didn't so I guess now Hamzad is going to try to hide her.

Now Dan, Harper, Angela and probably Zoe when the show brings her back are all having to deal with the Taliban and Bote coming for them.

So much for them Golden Years for Dan and Harper.

[Broderbits]

8 hours ago, aghst said:

Supposedly the Taliban wanted her so Hamzad was going to kill her or else their entire little enclave was in danger.

That doesn't really make sense to me since he would have known what the Taliban's moves would be even before putting the whole kidnap plot in motion. Plus I think the enclave was well aware that they were always in danger and the lithium mine was just a temporary stop-gap measure. You don't get to be an Old Man in Afghanistan without knowing your enemies well.

[aghst]

6 minutes ago, Broderbits said:

That doesn't really make sense to me since he would have known what the Taliban's moves would be even before putting the whole kidnap plot in motion. Plus I think the enclave was well aware that they were always in danger and the lithium mine was just a temporary stop-gap measure. You don't get to be an Old Man in Afghanistan without knowing your enemies well.

Yeah the old woman seemed surprised to learn Hamzad missed a payment to the Taliban and she rushed out to see that the Taliban were in the mines.

I get that the US wouldn't trade with the Taliban.

But surely the Chinese would since they're trying to lock up as much lithium supply chains as they can.

Though I'm not sure if the Chinese established diplomatic relations and trade with the Taliban after they took over.

In the previews it looks like Angela/Emily/Parwana is going to try to convince Chase and Harper into rescuing Hamza's clan, since she got to know her cousins and that little boy.

But realistically what can they do?  They're just two old man against an entire govt. and they don't even have official US backing.

Maybe if they decided to help extract as many of the clan as possible.

 

[paigow]

Omar and the Taliban have incomplete intel. Emily is a high-value target of unknown backstory. Two old guys are there to rescue her from an old warlord and one of the Americans is Baba Yaga 

[UsernameFatigue]

On 9/15/2024 at 2:53 PM, aghst said:

They completely dropped the plot from season 1.

 

 

Yep, and I am completely underwhelmed by this season so far. In addition, the reason I started watching was for Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow, so an episode with neither of them in it is just plain annoying. And boring. Yawn. 

[roughing it]

I. Don't. Care.

Gawd, the exposition by the two Old Men just goes on and on and on.  My eyes were glazing over.  My husband likes this show and because we typically watch together, I get roped in.  Maybe for payback I'll make him watch Emily in Paris with me.

[paigow]

2 hours ago, roughing it said:

Maybe for payback I'll make him watch Emily in Paris with me.

Yikes! You jump straight to Defcon 3....

[iMonrey]

I re-watched all of Season 1 before starting this. I didn't remember anything past the first couple of episodes, so I have a feeling I must have given up on it early on. I can see why. It seemed to start out as one thing then became a different story altogether.

Jumping from the end of Season 1 to the start of Season 2 was a visual jolt because Jeff Bridges has visibly aged. (John Lithgow, seemingly, has not.) 

I was pretty bored with the first episode. A lot of yammering and the flashbacks and dreams/hallucinations are pretentious and pointless. But I sort of liked the second episode, surprisingly. So I might keep watching for now.

[Medicine Crow]

Is there a new chat for last night's episode?  If so, link please.  TIA.

[Affogato]

12 minutes ago, Medicine Crow said:

Is there a new chat for last night's episode?  If so, link please.  TIA.

I made one. Anyone can.