S01.E03: Companion Planting

[peachmangosteen]

Quote

Brett navigates shared custody with Melissa and Connor. Alice's grief over her dog clouds her judgment. Catherine confesses her affair to Tucker. Birdie enlists Ford at the garden. In flash-forwards, the foursome toys with plans to dig up Quiche.

Air Date: March 9, 2025

Edited March 9 by peachmangosteen

[AnimeMania]

Michael Silberblatt as Brian

Jocko Sims as Tucker

Felix Wolfe as Ford

Jennifer Irwin as Marilyn

[babyrambo]

I really like Birdie but hate that she’s having an affair with the cop. He might be the married one but that whole set up is so ick and soapy.

And blanket body or not, Alice’s husband needs to go. Throwing the bullet and outlining how he would’ve shot the dog should’ve been her final straw but he’s been awful from the start and done nothing to suggest he cares for or even likes her. 

Unlike Katherine’s husband, who is putting on a hell of an act. At least I think it’s an act? They have no chemistry and I just don’t buy that he would forgive that quickly. Especially if he’s the one behind Community Bike getting kidnapped. Feels like he’s biding his time and I’m waiting for him to snap. 

This episode felt a little darker but still not overly serious. I’m liking the show. Especially the colourfully gaudy outfits Birdie and Katherine wear and the unraveling of the mystery. But I could do without that hazy blue filter. 

 

[Irlandesa]

27 minutes ago, babyrambo said:

Throwing the bullet and outlining how he would’ve shot the dog should’ve been her final straw but he’s been awful from the start and done nothing to suggest he cares for or even likes her. 

I must have missed how he has been awful from the beginning.  For me, being accused of shooting our dog would have been final straw territory. It just feels like a big leap. 

But Alice annoys me.

I am definitely suspicious of the husband who has just agreed to let it all go.  Either he does have a secret, or he's still checked out of the marriage, or he has disocovered fidelity doesn't matter to him but there's more to unpack there.

What happened at the very very end?  Our local channels decided to show some sports event for some reason and aired this very late at night.  It got recorded but cut off during the final bit when Birdie meets up with the cop, the real estate affair partner gets abducted, and Alice goes to hug her friend. 

It's not worth watching on Peacock.

 

[babyrambo]

59 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I must have missed how he has been awful from the beginning.  For me, being accused of shooting our dog would have been final straw territory. It just feels like a big leap. 

Haven’t rewatched the other episodes but I felt he was dismissive of her with his parents in the beginning and thought his bitterness and snide comments about the dog were cruel. I understand his disappointment about the baby, but he seems to have a lot of disdain for Alice regardless. Could also be his acting choices not working for me because I find him a bit wooden.

And as to what you missed in the end, it flashed ahead to 6 months. A cop showed up to Brett’s job and asked him about the night of the garden party but it cut off before they named the person he was talking about, presumably the dead body. 
 

Edited March 10 by babyrambo

[possibilities]

If she never wanted kids, and they agreed on that when they got married, him being disappointed when he changed his mind is one thing. But he was viciously insulting to her about it, without even trying to have a reasonable conversation first.

I think when one partner wants kids and the other doesn't, that can easily ruin a marriage. But it doesn't give one partner license to be viciously insulting to the other. You can acknowledge incompatibility and end it without being an abusive asshole.

I also think that throwing the bullet and describing in graphic detail how you could kill a dog is major red flag behavior. If he's innocent, he can be hurt that she suspected him. But the way he handled it is extremely bad.

When someone doesn't trust you, the thing to do is find out why and work on rebuilding. Tantrumming and insulting them is pretty much the best way to prove that they were right to think you're shady and not worth being with.

I also think that him hiding a gun-- even if it's for the exact reasons he said he had it, and nothing else, is bad behavior. He doesn't respect her. He knows she hates guns, and instead of talking to her about it, and coming to a mutually acceptable decision about what to do, he just hides it-- in an unsecured location, no less! 

 

[Anela]

I don't like that Birdie is having an affair with the cop, either. 

If anyone hurt my pets, there would be hell to pay. I can understand why Alice is so upset, but I agree that if she's to the point where she suspects her husband of murdering her dog, the marriage is already over. 

The body can't be the mother of Birdie's son, otherwise the policeman boyfriend would have been more shaken up, surely. I also don't think it's the guy trying to take the kids away from garden guy. 

[truthaboutluv]

Reading these comments was fascinating because I have a wildly different opinion about Alice and her husband. I spent this whole episode feeling sorry for that man and being amazed when Alice actually seemed surprised that he was leaving her. 

I'm not discounting Alice's grief over her dog. Pets are as much like family as our other loved ones and having her dog essentially murdered is all kinds of fucked up. That said, it still doesn't excuse Alice's running around just blindly accusing any and everyone based on one thing. Okay, the asshole student was understandable because he's a privileged, entitled dick who all but suggested her dog being killed was karma because she gave him a D. So that made sense. 

But to just suspect her husband who I'm going to assume, since she married the man, had never exhibited violent tendencies, of brutally, execution style murdering her dog simply because she found a gun was wild to me. More importanty that she didn't just simply ASK him about said gun like an actual grown up. 

No, she just seemingly out of nowhere demands they go to couples therapy. So they get there and this guy thinks they're there to talk about the stressors of their financial situation, his overbearing parents and the kids-no kids situation and instead she basically accuses him of murdering her dog. Does so by dramatically pulling out a freaking gun inside the therapist's office.

Sure, it made for a funny scene but I wouldn't have blamed the therapist for calling the police and suggesting Alice get separate therapy for her erratic behavior. Because like WTF? And yes, her husband might have been cruel by describing what I'm sure was the fake murder (I think whoever shot the dog will be unexpected) of her dog but honestly I think he was just very fed up and pissed off by that point. 

As to his being awful from the beginning - again, haven't seen that. Putting aside that we're literally only three episodes in, I found the husband to be fairly pleasant and normal in the Pilot. He defended Alice and her dreams of being a writer to his parents and doubled down on their choices as a couple. The second episode is when we saw the first cracks but that was because of the financial strain of Alice losing her job because of the asshole student. I thought his reaction was a realistic one of someone getting older and realizing the fantasy artist life may not be all they thought it was cracked up to be. Sure, he should have discussed the gun with her, even if he didn't use it or just throw it away.

But honestly, I have found Alice to be incredibly insufferable, not to mention kind of bland. Hell, I think both her and Brett are bland so how fitting that they're putting them together. Can't say I care a lick about that pairing. Although I do want Brett to grow a pair regarding his kids because like WTAF? The ex-wife just sics a private investigator on the man, then says he's acting erracticly because gee, maybe he is because he noticed some random guy following him (obviously there's also the murder but she doesn't know about that).

And the ex-wife's husband was being a total dick about that fishing trip because he very much could have offered to have both him and Brett bring the kid to the cabin. He wanted to usurp the moment knowing that he had the financial means to do so. If there's any fucker I hate on that show it's that asshole, not Alice's husband. 

I do agree with others that I'm not buying Catherine's husband is as okay about that affair as he's letting on. I think there's a long game happening there. Of course, his revenge may solely be whatever is going to happen to the realtor guy because I cannot imagine who else is behind his kidnapping at the end of the episode. 

And finally, since I'm really with the unpopular opinions, I don't mind Birdie and the cop. Probably because I knew it was coming literally from their first scene because they had great chemistry. And while I'm never approving cheating, the wife isn't helping with all this animosity and anger. I get the insecurity of an adopted mother but she's being so hostile, right down to telling her husband the kid is not his son, because he's the stepfather. Like really? 

Edited March 14 by truthaboutluv

[blackwing]

Out of all the people on this show, the ones that annoy me the most are Garden Store Guy's ex-wife's new husband (Connor?) and Alice's husband.  If the dead body is either of them, I wouldn't be unhappy.

Alice got fired in Present Day, right?  Did the husband leave her in Present Day or 6 Months Later?  Because she's been unemployed and wholly dependent on the husband with the rich parents who she is now separated from?

Does the creator/writer of this show have some family issues that are being expressed on screen?  Of the four main characters, none of them have a strong marriage or relationship.  We have divorced Birdie trying to connect with the son she gave up for adoption years ago, divorced Garden Store Guy trying to avoid being replaced by new husband, Catherine who cheated on her husband who is acting like he doesn't care, and Alice who has all sorts of issues with her husband.

My favorite character is Garden Store Guy, who seems to be the only one whose name I can't remember.

[peachmangosteen]

On 3/10/2025 at 4:11 PM, Irlandesa said:

I must have missed how he has been awful from the beginning.  For me, being accused of shooting our dog would have been final straw territory. It just feels like a big leap. 

But Alice annoys me.

 

On 3/11/2025 at 2:54 PM, truthaboutluv said:

Reading these comments was fascinating because I have a wildly different opinion about Alice and her husband. I spent this whole episode feeling sorry for that man and being amazed when Alice actually seemed surprised that he was leaving her.

I'm with you guys. Alice kinda sucks. But then, honestly, almost all the characters do lol.

I like Birdie and I like cop guy and I'm not one to personally have a problem with affair stories but it's just that like every character wants or had someone that isn't their significant other so it's kind of overkill. But the one with Birdie/cop is at least watchable and involves characters that don't almost entirely suck so it is my favorite part of the show.

I didn't see the real estate guy getting kidnapped coming. I'm intrigued by that.

This show is obviously very stupid and silly but that is exactly the kind of thing I like so I enjoy it. But again the multiple affair type things just seems overkill. I don't understand why they needed to do it with so many of the characters.

Edited March 18 by peachmangosteen

[RachelKM]

On 3/11/2025 at 11:54 AM, truthaboutluv said:

Reading these comments was fascinating because I have a wildly different opinion about Alice and her husband. I spent this whole episode feeling sorry for that man and being amazed when Alice actually seemed surprised that he was leaving her. 

Just started watching this show and came to the board.  I will just say, if your opinions are unpopular, I'm pulling up a chair to the unpopular table

Alice has been behaving like a lunatic. And if my spouse thought for a second I could kill an animal let alone their beloved pet, I would be GONE.

And I don't really mind Birdie and the cop, Joel(?), either. I was giving a little side eye initially, while reserving judgment since I enjoyed them together. But the wife is just so much. And comment about the kid not being his son was a lot. And I can see how it might push him away. And I'm biased because I very much enjoy Birdie and Joel's reaction faces as Birdie identified the very many gardening tools they used in the murder, 

Edited March 24 by RachelKM

[Anela]

I don't especially like Alice, or her husband. I just don't think that she's more annoying than him. I do think they may both be afraid of really going for what they want, which I can relate to. She put his paintings up for sale, at a local business, and he was happy. Staying there, in their current apartment, is safe compared to putting herself out there.

I can't remember much about him, though. I know that someone will correct me if I'm wrong. that's one reason I love the internet. 

Edited March 27 by Anela