S01.E01: Pilot

[ApathyMonger]

Another pilot online over a month before it airs. Not really looking forward to this, but I'll watch for Gillan.

 

http://www.hulu.com/watch/675805

[Whimsy]

Thanks!  I'll have to check it out.  I just very, very recently watched Dr. Who and am slightly obsessed with it so I'll watch it for Gillan as well.

[ApathyMonger]

Random thoughts while watching:

 

• God, this voiceover is awful.
• The pilot got MIA's Paper Planes stuck in my head, so I guess that's something in its favour.
• Hey, David Harewood's in this show! Also not using his British accent
• Can this show be retooled into a Better Off Ted remake with Brian Huskey as Phil/Lem and David Harewood as Veronica?
• I haven't laughed, but I kind of tittered a few times?
• I like John Cho in this more than I expected to.
• Hey, Samm Levine! ...With no lines? Poor Samm Levine.
• Please kill the voiceover.
• At least they haven't played that awful "Selfie" music that kept playing over the trailer.
• I didn't hate this as much as I expected to. It's not as bad as the trailer/first five minutes made me fear at least. I'll watch again.
• Not sure why they're showing an ad for the pilot I just watched over the closing credits. I just watched it! You don't need to show me clips!

[Whimsy]

Ok, either I'm crazy or I am really easy to please.  I liked this.  I thought Karen Gillan did a great job with that super annoying affected voice a lot of girls have these days.  I think it also perfectly showcased how some of these same girls think that their social media "friends" mean they're popular.  I like that this show is pointing out that millions of "likes" doesn't mean anything, really. 

 

I think the voice over was mostly just for exposition, but it will probably still be carried throughout the episodes.  Hopefully just less.

 

I also thought KG did a great job in the quiet moments where she doubted herself.  I liked the juxtaposition between Eliza's public persona and private persona.  I think this has potential, but will probably get cancelled.

 

Also, they did play that really annoying selfie song at the beginning of the episode.

[ApathyMonger]

Also, they did play that really annoying selfie song at the beginning of the episode.

 

Ah, thanks, there was a lot of awful stuff happening at once at the start of the episode; I must have blocked it out.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Karen Gillan and John Cho were pretty good despite what they were given, however Karen sometimes spoke WAY too fast to understand what she was saying.

 

I agree with Henry -- people that insert hashtags into regular conversations need to go away fast (and hopefully win a Darwin award).

 

Eliza is really unlikable, bordering on despicable -- she let her cat die via neglect.  That's not right, even though she kind of plays it off as something cute in the voiceover.

 

 

Can this show be retooled into a Better Off Ted remake with Brian Huskey as Phil/Lem and David Harewood as Veronica?

 

 

@ApathyMonger is right, with a company name like KinderKare Pharmaceuticals (with Kinderkare spelled out in toy blocks), and the repurposing of a pediatric nasal spray that allegedly caused satanic hallucinations by recalling/reformulating/rebranding with a trusted name is something straight out of Veridian Dynamics playbook.

 

Ewww -- not one but two really full spilled bags of vomit all over the floor of the plane. Not only would that plane would reek for the rest of the trip, but it would have splashed all over other people !!!

 

[arc]

Everything I didn't like about Suburgatory (overly heightened take on reality, dumb inciting incident, using references instead of writing actual jokes) was here in full force. I'll check a few more episodes out just for the cast but my expectations are not high.

[random chance]

I will always watch anything John Cho is in regardless, but I actually liked this way more than I expected to from the promos. I love that he's the leading man, it's about time! I'm in to the bloody end.

Karen Gillan is so flawlessly beautiful. I am always in awe of that perfect face.

[pivot]

I watched it because of John Cho but I thought the entire show was pretty cute. I hope this sticks around for a season at least. I like having Cho on my tv weekly.

[henripootel]

Always nice to see Roldie in anything and I like Karen Gillian, but this sorta sucked a fair bit.  The writing was paint-by-numbers sitcom material, Liza is cardboard cutout of 'modern sensibility', and the male lead who isn't Cho needs to stop doing Josh Lyman.  Was interesting that Roldie decided to help Liza because ... people on sitcoms do that kinda thing for no particular reason.

 

Points off for the bags of vomit, although I was surprised that they didn't end up all over rows 3 through 9.  Still, gross. 

[Ms Lark]

I like both Karen Gillian and John Cho. This was a lot better than I thought it would be, better than some other sitcoms out there, so I'm in unless it really goes downhill.

[Whimsy]

It may help that I also love My Fair Lady so I am a little pre-disposed to like this and I love the little homages to the movie (the singing, the poem that could have been a song and Eliza's "How are youuuuuu"- and of course their names).

[ohjoy]

I watched it last night. If it wasn't for Gillan and Cho I would not have even made it past the airplane scene (Why must there be visible vomit? WHY???), but it was fairly cute after that, if not incredible. Not a fan of the company boss at all at moment (hey, let's kiss an employee without his permission in front of all of his coworkers and then privately tell him it's "weird" that he doesn't have a significant other) but hopefully he won't be featured too prominently in the future. I'm hoping the show has time to gel as they're shooting subsequent episodes -- it seems like this one has the potential to get better and better as the characters develop. With an extremely difficult time slot and a premise that kind of requires a slow-burn progression, I don't know that it'll last the season. But I do plan to keep up with it while it's around.

[henripootel]

Not a fan of the company boss at all at moment (hey, let's kiss an employee without his permission in front of all of his coworkers

 

I thought Cho's reaction to this (and the 'I'll get you the reference') was possibly the only funny bit in the whole episode.  The many references to Pygmalion only served to remind me how good that was and how bad this is.  If this makes it 5 episodes I'll be shocked. 

[Kromm]

The many references to Pygmalion only served to remind me how good that was and how bad this is.  If this makes it 5 episodes I'll be shocked.

Here's the real issue. How do you make Pygmalion last more than a few hours?  Answer: you don't.

[Kromm]

I like both Karen Gillian and John Cho. This was a lot better than I thought it would be, better than some other sitcoms out there, so I'm in unless it really goes downhill.

I actually agree it was decent. I just feel it has nowhere to go.  It's going to be extended into a fairly standard romantic comedy, you can already tell, and in doing so the things that WERE appealing about this will be gone.  But they don't have much choice. If all you did was update My Fair Lady/Pygmailion, the story would be half over already.

I do wonder if they have Eliza decide to cut her hair at some point as proof of some transformation (or some test by Higgins).  The Pilot might have been shot before Guardians of The Galaxy, but there's no way the bulk of the series was, so if we haven't already seen some serious wig action from Karen, we soon will be.  It would dovetail nicely to use her post-Galaxy short hair as a plot device.

[ApathyMonger]

GotG was shot last year, so this was definitely after that. I assume she'll just keep wearing a wig; it's not like that's uncommon for actresses.

[Skyfall]

Thanks!  I'll have to check it out.  I just very, very recently watched Dr. Who and am slightly obsessed with it so I'll watch it for Gillan as well.

DOCTOR Who! NO ABBREVIATION!

[Whimsy]

sorry.  my bad.  Like I said, I just started watching it so I'm a newbie.  I will NEVER make that mistake again!!  ;)

[Skyfall]

sorry.  my bad.  Like I said, I just started watching it so I'm a newbie.  I will NEVER make that mistake again!!  ;)

Good!

[thuganomics85]

Saw this was availabe On Demand, so I figured I'd give it a go.  Overall, it will probably be enough to keep watching On Demand, but it was only just alright, in my book.  Much better then the god-awful TV spots made it look like, but still kind of a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy, with cliched characters, obvious writing, and hit or miss jokes.  I do think that the vomit gag was the worst of it, so it really had nowhere to go but up after that.

 

But, I suspect the deciding factor for me is going to be the likability of Karen Gillan and John Cho, and their chemistry with each other. So far, those two are making it work.  I am sad that I won't be getting to hear Karen's sexy Scottish accent for this one, but she's still insanely gorgeous, and was able to make Eliza somewhat fun to watch, despite being an unpleasant person at times.  I do think that's going to something she needs to stay on ball with, in order for me not to bail.  No surprise that John was awesome, and Henry was easily my favorite character.  And, it's early, but I do think Karen and John play off each other well, so that's a good thing.

 

I do hope they beef up the supporting cast though.  I guess the secretary and John's sidekick had their moments, but wasn't feeling the rest, including inappropriate boss and Eliza's hipster neighbors (that Lady Gaga scene.  Ugh, way too cutesy.)

[owlzilla]

I liked this far more than I thought I would and probably more than I should.  I am aware it wasn't anything amazing but I have a soft spot for John Cho and would watch anything he was as lead in as long as it wasn't truly horrendous.  

 

Even knowing it wasn't great, I think that Karen Gillan did a nice job of making me feel for someone I would genuinely not like in my real life.  As someone said above, her voice affect worked for me and I loved the way her character kind of hunched over much of the time.  The bad posture and the way her arms and hands stayed close to her body really made me feel like she is kind of stuck in this state of permanent puberty where she never grew up, got any less narcissistic, or more comfortable in her own skin.

 

The worst part of the whole pilot was definitely everything that happened on the plane.  I thought of recommending it to a friend but they have a weak stomach and would retaliate in some way (or at least send me a strongly worded email) if I purposefully sent them off to watch something that gross.  If enough people watching can get past that maybe it will stand a chance but I won't hold my breath.

[Featherhat]

It was alright. Not perfect but cute and yeah I like John Cho and Karen Gillan so that helps. We often wonder where pilots can go from here and sometimes is it is "nowhere" other times it is "they only planned for one season" and others its "they stretched out a premise with a supposedly short shelf life for over 100 episodes". It really depends on how they broaden it out.

 

The many references to Pygmalion only served to remind me how good that was and how bad this is. 

 

Pygmalion itself is great, but my favourite part was always the epilogue regarding the future and the story behind it.

Bernard Shaw, Anti shipper extraordinaire. Warmed my broken hearted teen self right up

[BooBear]

I liked it mostly for John Cho but even while watching it I kept wondering how they were going to sustain the show. Also the secondary characters are terrible.  They add almost nothing to the show.  I will probably watch it if nothing else is on.

[Kromm]

I liked it mostly for John Cho but even while watching it I kept wondering how they were going to sustain the show. 

So many of us have thought the same thing.

 

I hope the showrunners are smarter than we are.  Because standard Rom Com stuff just ISN'T going to do it with Pygmalion (which doesn't  HAVE a happy ending, despite what most people remember from My Fair Lady).

[ribboninthesky1]

Having cursory knowledge of the play and none of the film, I watched this for John Cho.  I think he deserves better, and I have no idea why I'm supposed to root for Eliza. It's not awful, but I think I'm supposed to believe Henry is a stick-in-the-mud and strange for being a loner, yet I completely agreed with his commentary on social media.  The show wants me to believe he's "antisocial," yet he had social graces that most of the (speaking part) characters didn't seem to have, save Charmonqiue.  Eliza's outburst to him at the church after her excruciatingly rude behavior pretty much soured me on the character.

 

I'll probably record some episodes, and tune in later to see if gets better.  Not worth my time to watch weekly from what I saw of the pilot.

[Raachel2008]

I'm not sure how long you can sustain a show based on Pygmalion, but, hey, Ugly Betty survived way more than I could have expected. I'm in this for John Cho and Karen Gillan, who are performing a miracle given the awful writing. But they do have chemsitry and I will ship Eliza/Henry hard during those five episodes before cancellation.

[henripootel]

Pygmalion (which doesn't  HAVE a happy ending, despite what most people remember from My Fair Lady).

 

It kinda does.  Featherhat is right (as was Shaw),

Henry Higgins and Eliza, while they came to regard each other highly, would have made a terrible couple.  She was right to marry Freddie.  There's a lot to be said for professional accomplishment but just as much to be said for being happy.

 

I share everyone's doubt that this has legs.  I also think it was wrong to make Karen Gillan a poor schlub - I thought they were gonna make her a Paris Hilton-type.  I honestly don't think Eliza works as a simple walking stereotype of 'modern mannerisms' (or, more accurately, what the writers apparently think those wacky kids are talking like these days) but she might have worked as someone who's professionally ghastly (and slowly grows out of it).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I watched this only because of my love of John Cho. I will say that they did an excellent job of making Eliza as annoying as possible. I didn't know if I would get past the first few minutes because that's how annoying she was.

 

Her biggest mistake was carrying her bags of puke back to coach. She should have dumped them on that married guy.

 

Samm Levine! I can't believe he didn't get a single line but since he's married to the boss's daughter I hope we get to see more of him.

[ApathyMonger]

They've confirmed that both Levine and Brian Huskey will be recurring.

I kind of hope Levine never gets any lines. Him just being there in the pilot amused me.

Edited September 16, 2014 by ApathyMonger

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha so he could be the opposite of Wilson the neighbor on Tool Time: seen but not heard!

[Kromm]

Ha so he could be the opposite of Wilson the neighbor on Tool Time: seen but not heard!

Is that called "The Daryl and My Other Brother Daryl" rule?

[fantique]

My low expectations paid off! The trailer genuinely made me feel like this was going to god-awful but I checked it out because of John Cho and Karen Gillan.

It was waaayy better than I expected.

I agree with most points above so really this is just a recap of my feelings (I was going to jokingly say "feels" but I couldn't):

• The voice over needs to go or be shortened (though it got less bad)
• I like the whole "sleezy pharmaceuticals" jokes... Satanic hallucinations?
• I actually liked the weird boss because if he is calling him weird then you know it's sad
• The whole plane sequence was horrifying
• 2 shallow comments - a) those tights she wore had nothing to do with her outfits!!! They need to go. b) I also am confused by plus sized skinny jeans... I have chicken thighs and just try to stay away from those.
• The "gooooood...?" response to "How are yooouuu?" is so true to form.
• I think Henry is an introvert workaholic so he probably doesn't make connections easily and wants to chill at home when done with work (hence the "boring") but I don't think he's anti social.
• Karen's performance really added layers that basically saved the episode for me because Eliza is sooo unbearable that I needed something to care/be curious whether she gets better. And I do.
• I love Henry at all times

[ketose]

It may help that I also love My Fair Lady so I am a little pre-disposed to like this and I love the little homages to the movie (the singing, the poem that could have been a song and Eliza's "How are youuuuuu"- and of course their names).

There was also the part where Henry advised Eliza how to look for the wedding, all in verse.

 

I actually laughed a couple of times at the pilot, which is a good sign for a comedy. I think the show actually has places to go, but it doesn't necessarily feel like the writers see that. For example, Eliza's lifestyle is working for her because she is the top sales rep. What happens when she dresses and expresses herself more modestly? Does she change careers or get a different job at the company? Plus, Henry apparently need to be less rigid or even get a date.

 

I actually am reminded a little of Samantha Who? Eliza used to be one way and then made an effort to be what she is. Now that she's comfortable with it, it's not working for her anymore. Then again, this could end up like the colossal flop "How to be a Gentleman."

[JAYJAY1979]

The show is more thought provoking then the promos would lead one to believe. Main character using her phone at times to deal with her emotions, and going the selfie route to get positive reinforcement for her looks.. all due to being less then popular as a youth. Even though technology has advanced, human emotions still are the same today as they were fifty plus years ago

[photo fox]

I actually really liked the pilot (the exception being the visible vomit), though I will agree that the premise seems a trifle unsustainable.

 

I'm so excited to see John Cho in this because, well, I love John Cho. But also, it's refreshing to see an Asian American actor as a male lead, especially as a male lead in a role that (so far) has zero to do with his ethnicity. Henry could be any race, but he just happens to be a minority. As opposed to say Anthony Anderson in black-ish, where the role is specifically written for an African American. Both bring much-needed diversity to lead roles on television, but I especially appreciate the "color blindness" of Cho's casting, if that makes sense.

 

I'm officially along for the ride.

[90PercentGravity]

I'm here for John Cho. I thought it was okay, for a pilot. I'll watch again. Karen Gillan and John Cho had good chemistry and there were a few humorous bits. I LOL'd at JC's reaction after the boss said he had read Asian men were more comfortable with friendly kisses on the mouth from other men. And then laughed again when the woman brought the article in to him.

[lucindabelle]

I really enjoyed this, loved all the shaw callous. Agree it's because the leads are so charming but I also agree that there's some real pathos in her realization that she has nobody real.

I do boo see how someone so self absorbed could be a good sales rep since sales is about faking interest but I'm in.

I hope it's just planned for one season because agree it would be hard to sustain but it's fun to watch her.

Fortunately missed the part about her cat dying. Shudder.

Yes she is beautiful... And he's very handsome. I could ship them just not right away.

[Whimsy]

And then laughed again when the woman brought the article in to him.

I laughed at this as well because the article's byline was Matt Smith. A nice shout out to Doctor Who fans.

[Guest Accused Dingo]

Watched this on Hulu.  Hmm...Better then I expected but then my expectations were so low that it could have been crap and it still would have been better then expected.  Still there are several things about this that I like.  Karen Gillian and John Cho have chemistry.   I like the main premise of them working on each other from opposite ends of the "Why doesn't anyone like me spectrum?" I like what the show is saying about social media and our obsessive/compulsive attachment to it.    Not sure  how I will last with it though.  I have an extremely low tolerance for comedies.  

[Kromm]

"Better than I expected" seems to be the standard reaction.

 

This means Episode 2 better be freaking amazing, to keep all of these people who have only hesitantly accepted the show, against their natural instincts.  Rarely has a second episode of a show been so important.  Glee is the last example I can remember where it seemed this crucial to a show holding onto an audience (and even that's not clear yet--since we have no idea what the actual broadcast ratings will be like for this show, since we all Hulu-ed it).

Edited September 28, 2014 by Kromm

[ketose]

Glee lost me after the first season. So did Lost. Even if Selfie is any good, I'll probably be watching it On Demand since Tuesday is a crowded night.

[Tabbyclaw]

Okay, I'm charmed and I'm in.

[FurryFury]

Nothing special, but I liked it, so I'm in. I kinda expect it to fail in the ratings, though. 

 

I thought the leads had an OK chemistry and the whole My Fair Lady crossed with social media obsession setup isn't such a bad idea.

Edited September 30, 2014 by FurryFury

[Primetimer]

Is it possible to salvage a show from Selfie if you chuck the premise and the heroine? ABC should find out. Sarah D. Bunting is not a crackpot.

Read the story

[Bronzedog]

Reminded me of Bad Teacher which wasn't on long enough to determine how I felt about it.

[SimoneS]

I think that it was okay. John Cho's character was fun and since I adore him, I am sticking around for however long the show sticks around.

[Lindsey]

I can see this show becoming another Cougar Town and evolving quickly past the restrictive, unfunny premise. Plus, I miss Suburgatory, so I've got my fingers crossed for good things.

[BestestAuntEver]

I liked it. It made me smile & they got a chuckle out of me. Improvements are needed with the supporting cast. Hopefully that will happen in the new episodes. John Cho & KG had nice chemistry. I'm another John Cho fan & will be in as long as he is.

[Whimsy]

I wasn't a fan of the changes they made. :(

They changed the beginning and completely reshot the end. I liked it better before.