S02.E08: Zen and the Art of Pageantry

[Cranberry]

After Lauren enters a beauty pageant, Amy follows suit to prove she is a contender.

 

 

[ybrik]

Seriously Liam WTF? the title of the clip should be Liam is the worst instead of lying is the worst. I mean come on, if you weren't going to tell the whole truth you shouldn't try to tell a half truth especially when you can't lie for shit.

 

http://www.mtv.com/shows/faking_it/lying-is-the-worst-sneak-peek/1097167/video/#id=1732385

 

I really want to see what Karma's immediate reaction is or how much we will see. Or is this going to be the end of the ep?

 

About the Amy clip, poor Reagan thinking that Amy is going to be rational and all feminist and not ultra competitive.

[Cranberry]

Here's a YouTube version in case the MTV one doesn't work for anyone:

 

 

It's interesting that she jumps to "it's not like it was with Amy" right off the bat. I hope she finds out that it was with Amy quickly so that we can get that drama over with.

[Misty79]

Based on the mid-season promo it seems unlikely that Liam confesses there, as great as that would be. I'm guessing Ep9 is all about the build up to the proper confession though. I wonder how Reagan will react, too? Will she think Amy is a douche for sleeping with her best friend's guy?

[ybrik]

So is Liam going to recover enough from guilt face to lie to Karma or maybe Karma doesn't believe it is Amy? Let's face it if anyone could deny the truth to herself it is Karma. It may take Amy in the next episode having to say the words for Karma to really believe it.

 

I am not sure what Reagan will think of this. She may not care too much as it was before they got together but I wonder if she will question Amy about her sexuality.

 

The pageant has good comedy potential for Lauren and Amy. They have been getting along so well this season, it will be kind of fun to have them go after each other again.

 

Also Karma does what she always does when something unexpected happens. Instead of stopping to analyze how she feels about it, she makes some grand gesture and blindly moves forward.

[smrou]

That clip with Amy/Reagan just further convinces me that the actress playing Reagan is terrible.  Yikes.

 

It's interesting that she jumps to "it's not like it was with Amy" right off the bat.

Interesting and really weird, right?  I mean, why would that even cross her mind?  It's strange enough that I wonder if it really happens that way or if that last bit is Liam's imagination or something.

[ybrik]

Actually it seems kind of sad because I think if you tie It with what she says earlier in the scene and other things she says about him, I think she feels lucky that he likes her. She mentions that he makes her a better person and talks about him having a poet's soul and him being a Ferrari. It's almost like she feels he is a better person than she is. So she has him on this pedestal kind of so she is trying to excuse him. First she is fine with it because they weren't together and she assumed it was some nameless girl. And when he shows further guilt she basically redraws the line so that she can keep him on the pedestal because as long as it is not Amy then he can still remain this ideal person she has in her mind. Of course I also think she is saying it's not Amy because she doesn't believe Amy would ever do that to her.

 

We'll have to wait and see. I may be trying to analyze this too much at the moment.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Interesting and really weird, right?  I mean, why would that even cross her mind?  It's strange enough that I wonder if it really happens that way or if that last bit is Liam's imagination or something.

Sounds to me like she put some clues together and thinks it was Amy, but is looking for Liam to say that it wasn't.

[Milks26]

 

It's interesting that she jumps to "it's not like it was with Amy" right off the bat. I hope she finds out that it was with Amy quickly so that we can get that drama over with.

 

No, it not. They don't have any friends beyond each other. Its been said time and again

[Cranberry]

You don't think it was a weird thing to say? I thought it was a weird thing to say. It's almost as if in the back of her mind, she thought Amy was a possibility and wanted Liam to deny it. 

 

Edit: Just watched the ep. I'm so relieved that they won't be stretching that particular secret out for any more episodes!

[mjgchick]

Wow at that ending. I hate that I can't hate Liam for being truthful. Amy screwed up with this one by keeping it a secret. Karma didn't even want to touch him once she realized it was Amy. Some really good acting by Katie.

 

This episode was pretty good at the family stuff with the girls and Farrah is my favorite character on this show. (I also love Kevin Buchanan, the show needs more of Lauren's daddy.) Her progress is so beautiful to watch. Amy deciding to not embarrass her mom was pretty cool as well. I thought they were going to make her be ultra competitive but both Lauren and Amy were doing it to prove something to their parents. Lauren telling the judges "Fuck this shit." was awesome. Lauren and Amy don't realize how similar they truly are with each other.

 

Shane and Duke wasn't as fun as last week. I'm not even sure how to go about that situation with Duke. His dream is to be Brock Lesner but it ain't going to happen if he comes out so Shane should just stop trying it with him until he's ready.

 

Amy and Reagan continues to be hot and that's all that matters to me in that relationship. lol

[Valny]

 

 

Edit: Just watched the ep. I'm so relieved that they won't be stretching that particular secret out for any more episodes!

Finally! Now I don't have to hear anymore of Liam's I have to tell Karma ...I can't keep this secret...blah blah blah.. Anymore. So yippee!

Edited November 12, 2014 by Valny

[ybrik]

Wow was not expecting Zen to be such a jerk. I had assumed he would be cliché golden child who just was perfect and naturally got all the attention. Now it seemed like he intentionally tried to get all the attention and be the favorite child.

 

Amy love you and all but advising Karma about telling the truth is kind of ridiculous. I mean how many lies did you tell in this episode? However, always get a kick out of competitive Amy. I like the chemistry between her and Reagan and am all for the kissing and Amy getting some but not really feeling the actress playing Reagan. That scene at the end where she is talking about her ex was bad. Her acting there was cringe worthy. Speaking of the story about the ex, something tells me that was a little too foreboding. Either she is going to have a negative reaction to finding about Liam/Amy hook up or we'll be seeing more tension filled moments with her and Karma. Was also glad that Farrah seemed okay about them as a couple. That was pretty surprising. 

 

Liam if the words it was not Amy weren't going to come out of your mouth there was nothing else for you to say there and you needed to get the hell out. Seriously what the hell were you going to say in that situation?

[Latverian Diplomat]

I really felt like this one was firing on all cylinders. 

 

Even the Shane subplot gave him something reasonable to upset about, w/o trying to drag someone out of the closet.

 

The stuff between Lauren and her dad was very uncomfortable, but Bailey De Young sold it, and the sold the big speech too. She really is this show's secret weapon, IMHO. Glad somebody got to condemn pageants, and glad that Amy didn't have to do it so she and her mom could have a connection.

 

Loved Karma's inverse coming out ("But you're 100% sure you're not even questioning?"). Zen is terrible, now that he's in country, I'd like to see that play out in a way that gets him a bit of a comeuppance.

[Misty79]

I always enjoy Amy-her mom-Lauren scenes so that was all good. The actress that plays Amy's mom is pretty super. Reagan was annoyingly pushy but at least that behavior was explained by the end of the episode. I don't dislike the actress at all, although the "moo" scene was a little odd.

 

I'm shocked that Liam told Karma, I was sure they'd leave it for the finale. So does this mean Amy and Karma do sleep together in the final episode? Or is that some dream that Amy has, I wonder...because what else are they saving as a cliffhanger now?

 

Shane's holey t-shirt was so distracting. His story-line continues to feel really cliched to me. I don't feel like we've seen a properly 'vulnerable' Shane yet, which suggests to me we haven't seen him with someone he really cares about (or the actor is just poor). 

 

I have a feeling Zen might be a one episode plot device, at least for this season. 

[JaM]

Btw, name of next episode is "Karmic Retribution"..

Edited November 12, 2014 by JaM

[gesundheit]

Can someone remind me what happened to Lauren's birth parents? I thought Kevin Buchanan was her always-father, but then she had that line about his finding out she was intersex when she was 5? I feel like I've forgotten some back story. 

 

The actress playing Reagan is... not improving. Oof.

 

This season has pushed way too hard with this "Liam has literally never told a lie in his life!" nonsense. Last season he was in a secret relationship with Karma for most of the season, so we already know about some lies. We're also told that he was the ultimate player. Players lie, it's part of the game. It's just all a little too forced.

 

I enjoyed the episode though! I was glad that Reagan's backstory involved a "you were a phase, I'm going back to boys" ex, since that is of course so real. Finding out Amy slept with Liam so recently is going to be rough on her. But I'm still glad the girls had sex! In full-coverage bras, of course! (Mostly because they needed to get it out of the way, since prior to now the only person Amy'd ever slept with was a guy.)

[JaM]

Wait, in season 1, he didn't wanted to continue with Karma, so she proposed the threesome.. It was not his idea, it was all Karma.. He really didnt lied entire first season, except for the sister situation in episode 4, which we only learned as lie in season 2..

[ProwlingBee]

A few things:

 

- I think in the next episode (if it picks up where it left off) they'll show Amy's mind being blown after having sex with a woman/Reagan for the first time but when she says "whoa" (as we saw in the preview clip) she will be fantasizing Karma saying "I know" instead of it actually being Reagan. Proving to herself she is not as over Karma as she thought. I do love that we, at least, get to see Amy temporarily happy with Reagan but that actress playing her sure makes it hard to root for them completely.

 

- It's a bit odd that Karma would jump right to Amy when asking Liam if it's someone she nows but a) she has no other friends and b) she's insecure and maybe a part of her was still nervous because of the kiss he and Amy shared during the threesome.

 

- I think people are right about Theo being a cop and I think one of the cliffhangers is going to be Karma's parents being arrested for peddling "baked goods" (wink-wink). Noticed how they "were" having money problems until, as they said, introduced baked goods to their menu.

 

- Amy and Karma will definitely bounce back from Amy sleeping with Liam but it's going to take more than a few episode. That's a pretty big betrayal to have your best/only friend sleep with your BF no matter how drunk or angry you were at the time. Amy acts impulsively when she's upset and it's catching up with her. I also think Reagan might beak-up with Amy when she finds out for fear of history repeating itself.

[Milks26]

A few things:

 

- I think in the next episode (if it picks up where it left off) they'll show Amy's mind being blown after having sex with a woman/Reagan for the first time but when she says "whoa" (as we saw in the preview clip) she will be fantasizing Karma saying "I know" instead of it actually being Reagan. Proving to herself she is not as over Karma as she thought. I do love that we, at least, get to see Amy temporarily happy with Reagan but that actress playing her sure makes it hard to root for them completely.

 

- It's a bit odd that Karma would jump right to Amy when asking Liam if it's someone she nows but a) she has no other friends

 

- I think people are right about Theo being a cop and I think one of the cliffhangers is going to be Karma's parents being arrested for peddling "baked goods" (wink-wink). Noticed how they "were" having money problems until, as they said, introduced baked goods to their menu.

 

Oh, no Amy is definitely not over Karma no matter what she tells herself.

 

Theo cop - the mid season trailer showed Karma's parents food truck being surrounded by police so its very plausible scenario right about now.

 

Like you said it wasn't a big leap that she jumped to Amy that's her only friend but, also that the impact would be totally different if it was just a random classmate. 

[gesundheit]

Wait, in season 1, he didn't wanted to continue with Karma, so she proposed the threesome.. It was not his idea, it was all Karma.. He really didnt lied entire first season, except for the sister situation in episode 4, which we only learned as lie in season 2..

But he was definitely lying the whole time he was dating Karma. There are several examples of his having lied, so this "never ever" thing is just overkill. 

 

I enjoy the little romances on this show but I foolishly have faith that it'll ultimately still be focused primarily on Amy and Karma's friendship as the central focus of the show. I'm almost glad the Liam/Amy secret is out because that pushes the issue of the friendship back to the forefront instead of all the unrequited-feelings stuff. 

 

These people are major oversharers. Shane's boyfriend's dad sure seemed unfazed having to hear about his son's gag reflex.

[Misty79]

 

I think in the next episode (if it picks up where it left off) they'll show Amy's mind being blown after having sex with a woman/Reagan for the first time but when she says "whoa" (as we saw in the preview clip) she will be fantasizing Karma saying "I know" instead of it actually being Reagan. Proving to herself she is not as over Karma as she thought. I do love that we, at least, get to see Amy temporarily happy with Reagan but that actress playing her sure makes it hard to root for them completely.

 

I think you're very likely right, which is cynical by the producers. I tried re-watching the mid-season promo with the context we now have and it's amusing how many of the scenes are cut out of context, like Karma's mother saying "Dear Gaia" in this episode, but in the promo it's supposed to be in response to Karma finding out about Liam and Amy. Looks like next episode will be the one in which Karma shoots Liam with whatever that thing is when they are doing a play or something, though I'm not sure if the jail scene will happen next episode or the finale. My hunch is the finale. The key question I have at this point is what will be the cliffhanger - Karma rejecting Amy's attempts to keep the friendship alive? That seems a bit lame. Amy and Reagan breaking up? Again not really that big a deal given they've been together such a short time. It has me scratching my head. 

[ybrik]

I don't think Karma was jumping to the conclusion that Amy was the girl he slept with. As I posted above she was trying to be okay with what he was saying. Basically sleeping with Amy was the final line in the sand where she couldn't forgive Liam.

[RachelKM]

I don't actually think it was a leap to Amy so much as when Karma said "It's not like it was with one of my friends" or someting to that effect Liam gave an guilty "Oh Shit" face and that is when she went to "It's not like it was Amy" to which he made a guiltier "Oh Shit" face. 

 

My thought was that it was a sincere attempt to be rational about him sleeping with someone else when they broke up and that it shouldn't matter since he didn't owe her anything in that moment and he didn't do something to her or that would effect her.  And then she saw his face which clearly said that it was with someone she care about which, at that point, almost had to mean Amy since Karma doesn't really have any other friends and certainly none they both know.

Edited November 12, 2014 by RachelKM

[mjgchick]

Some think Karma and Reagan ends up having sex out of betrayal or that Karma pretends to have feelings for Amy,Amy breaks up with Reagan because she thinks Karma wants her for real this time. Karma will then admit she lied so Amy can have no one.

I on the other hand have no clue what happens next. So many possibilities.

[shantown]

I agree the scene with Reagan mooing was awkward. It reminded me of RENT when Maureen is mooing and makes everyone join in. Why is it so uncomfortable to watch people making cow noises?

[JaM]

Btw for those interested, last night Faking it got much better ratings, it had 912k viewers, UP 240k viewers from last week, where it had 670k in live+0. That's practically second best ratings this season! (best ratings had S02E01 with 1.1mil viewers) It also rose up in main demo F12-34, where it got 1.27, which is huge improvement from last week 0.87. 

 

http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-25-tuesday-cable-originals-ratings-network-update-11-11-2014.html

Edited November 12, 2014 by JaM

[LoneHaranguer]

On a trivial note, I liked this week's opening title, with the shiny lettering and shape of a tiara behind it. I thought it was a little more creative than usual.

[superman1204]

Was I the only one who thought this episode was meant in part to contrast Amy's current relationships with Reagan and to her relationship with Karma in "Remember the Croquembouche"?  Karma spent most of "Remember the Croquembouche" trying to stop Amy from blowing up the bridal shower, because she knew Amy's relationship with her mother.  In comparison, Reagan saw Amy doing basically the same thing and Reagan encouraged her and even tried to stop her from backing out.  It seemed like they are trying to show even with all the bonding Amy and Reagan have been doing they are not even close to having what Amy has with Karma.  As for what that means for the Amy and Reagan ship, I see things going one of two ways.  One possibility is the relationship eventually falls apart, because Amy wants/needs the closeness she has with Karma and its just not there with Reagan.  The second possibility is, since Amy decided to not blow up the pageant, the writers are trying to show that Amy does not need to have a someone carrying her epipen for her and that she can function without Karma looking after her.  Personally I think the first one is more likely, since I am almost positive at some point we will see Karmy happen or a situation were it looks like Karmy will happen.  Either way, I just thought I would throw out my idea.

[RachelKM]

It would never have occurred to me to compare the closeness of Amy and Reagan's few week relationship to Amy and Karma's decade of friendship.  That Karma knows her and understands her family dynamic better is not a valid commentary on Amy and Reagan in my opinion. 

 

I do think it there is an interesting comparison to be made as to Amy's relationship with her mother and with Lauren since "Remember the Croquembouche."

Edited November 14, 2014 by RachelKM

[Milks26]

I do however think Regans fiery personally is a bad match for Amy because Amy doesn't need someone like that, she needs someone to calm her down and not someone adding lighter fuel to an already made fire.

Which is what Karma was trying to do in 'Remember the Croquembouch'. Plus, the actress is bad...I believe casting failed here.

[mywinston]

Don't like the actress playing Reagan. I just can't help it, her delivery is so awkward it's making me find her character annoying.