S01.E08: Ritchie

[Tara Ariano]

The prosecution acquires Ritchie's photographs of the slapping incident in the finale. Also: Harry and Thanassis leak a dark story from Ritchie's past, sending Ritchie into a suicidal spiral.

[bmoore4026]

Well, the judge was the only character I liked.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I find it really surprising that Harry's lawyer is going at this case with all the zealousness of the George Zimmerman trial.  As is the prosecution with the search warrant for his laptop and the subpoena to appear.

 

Richie's phone indicated that it was 4:54pm on Friday December 19 -- yet no matter what there seems to be absolutely no indication that Xmas is only 6 days away.  Nothing in the houses, nothing on the streets, nothing at all.

 

Richie is making his farewell tour either because he is going to leave town with his mom or kill himself.  And out come the booze and pills.  But it's Gary to the rescue.

 

Rosie still has her head up her ass after the ultrasound session with Anouk and Aisha -- she's upset that she didn't get better evidence of the crime.

 

Richie's suicide attempt doesn't seem to have any real effect on him as he is in court what looks like a day or two after the attempt.  Mind you, if Richie tried to kill himself on the Friday before Xmas, that would make this court session Monday Dec. 21 at the earliest.

 

Finally, the only person in the court room with any common sense is the judge.  Harry's guilty -- time served, now get out because I have a real crime to deal with.  I don't think Rosie had the foresight to expect that she would now be on the CPS watchlist.

 

Fade to about about 8 months later since Connie is off to college and Anouk's baby has been born. Manolis and the Mrs. talk about the trip to Greece and what a crap hole it is now.  And the Wexlers show up -- apparently only Anouk wanted them to come for the drama.

 

As soon as Anouk offered to let Hugo hold her son, I yelled out "Noooooooo !!!!"

 

What a boring finale.

Edited April 3, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[DB in CMH]

That was fucking ridiculous.

I don't know what was worse:

1. The possibility of Harry getting sent to Rikers

2. The judge being a gossip queen, then telling everybody to get the fuck out of her court room after summing up the moral of the story

3. The show not ending with Hugo dropping the baby and Anouk slapping him. Fade to black.

Everybody involved with this should be viciously slapped.

[Amethyst]

Wow, that was disappointing.  The last thing we needed was more Connie.  Ritchie's story was quite sad, and even though he's a jerk, I'm glad Gary got to him in time.  Yes, Gary, you threw that poor kid to the wolves because your wife got weepy on the stand.  You suck.

 

How much time did Harry end up serving?

 

That oh-so-important psych evaluation never happened, huh?  That would have revealed a hell of a lot more about Hugo's mental health then the damn pictures. At least Gary and Rosie have to step up their actual parenting skills, or develop some at any rate.  

 

And what was up with that ending?  It looked like everyone in the other room was gearing up for the sequel: the Slappening.  And I was just waiting for Hugo to either drop the baby or chuck it across the room.  

[LeGrandElephant]

I don't even know what to say about the show. But I have a concrete question about the timeline. At the ultrasound they said oh good Anouk's baby isn't breech - but isn't that something you only worry about fairly close to the birth? So 8 months went by between the slap and the beginning of this episode? Or was that supposed to be an earlier ultrasound?

[Amethyst]

At the ultrasound they said oh good Anouk's baby isn't breech - but isn't that something you only worry about fairly close to the birth? So 8 months went by between the slap and the beginning of this episode? Or was that supposed to be an earlier ultrasound?

 

I'm not sure exactly how much time passed between the trial and the baby's birth, but Anouk looked to be about 4-5 months along, going from the size of her belly.  Maybe she'd had an earlier ultrasound and thought the baby was breech?

[ottoDbusdriver]

I'm not sure exactly how much time passed between the trial and the baby's birth, but Anouk looked to be about 4-5 months along, going from the size of her belly.  Maybe she'd had an earlier ultrasound and thought the baby was breech?

 

The backyard BBQ was back in late summer and, per Richie's phone, this episode takes place near Xmas -- so about 4-5 months have gone by since the slap.

[izabella]

1. The possibility of Harry getting sent to Rikers

 

 

I think the judge was expressing her exasperation by saying, "If I sent you to Rikers, you wouldn't be any more repentant than you are now."  I think she meant it more as a, "No punishment will ever get you to realize you were wrong and feel sorry about hitting Hugo; you're a lost cause.  I don't think he was ever in danger of going to Rikers. 

[mrsbagnet]

The ending of trial was quite satisfying. Bravo for the judge. I think my favorite moment was Gary nodding in agreement that he and Rosie are, in fact, crappy parents, while Rosie looked completely offended. She lives in a fantasy land.

Edited April 3, 2015 by mrsbagnet

[backformore]

At the end, I was expecting the baby to grab Hugo's hair, or scratch him,  and Hugo to get pissed and crack the kid's head on the table. And then for him to yell "I didn't do it!  it was an accident!"  just like when he knocked over a bowl earlier in the episode. 

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one whose brain went there.   I thought my mind was twisted by horror movies.

 

You have to admit, it would make a better ending. 

[KarmaG]

Other than the wonky timeline, with jumps here and there (going from December to ultrasound to Anouk's baby being born/Connie leaving for college?) it was a good episode minus the ending. That was lame and boring. I hope to get to watch the original version soon.

Edited April 3, 2015 by KarmaG

[Ailianna]

I just don't have words. That was indescribably awful. Anti-climactic and emotionally untrue. And don't even get me started on all the incredibly fake law going on here!

[marny]

At the end of the trial, it sounded like the judge said Harry had been being tried for the charge of "attempted assault". I'm a criminal defense lawyer and I truly have no clue what attempted assault is. An attempted crime is when you make steps towards a crime with the intent to commit it, but don't actually complete the crime. So, Harry tried to assault Hugo but didn't finish? Huh? They really needed legal consultants on this mess of a show.

Edited April 3, 2015 by marny

[CynicalGirl]

I feel like I should get a prize or something for sticking it out for this dreck. The best thing I can say is, at least it's over. 

 

Re the ending, I was really hoping Hugo would run over and give Harry a big hug. 

[Julia]

Well, that was ten pounds of awful in a five pound bag. Of course Dr. Aisha figures Rosie has nothing to apologize for. She just finished inviting the pregnant lady and the woman who breastfeeds her five year old drunk to go booze it up to celebrate a prenatal visit, and she's still holding a big fat grudge against her father in law for something his wife did, even when he tried to make it better. Aisha's not just an idiot, she's a vindictive idiot. Connie (junior division worst person in the world) thinks the best way to treat the friend whose life she broke out of sheer self-absorbed meanness is for him to make himself even more vulnerable for her so she'll feel better. Gary is a horrible person leveraging his art world connections to make himself feel better about not really giving a shit if he and his hyena ADA friend were dragging Richie into the mess he and the awful unmedicated wife he's been ignoring made. Peter, um, hits people, and Hector's a weakling and a damp rag.

 

I thought I was going to make it out of this without disliking Anouk, but no, with five minutes to go she managed to orchestrate a confrontation between the opponents for lulz, er, to make her good buddy Rosie feel loved (you know, honey, not trying to tell you how to choose a role model, but for a stay at home attachment parent whose very life is her child, many-breasted Rosie seems to leave her kid with a caregiver kind of a lot). 

 

The saddest part of all, though, was poor little Richie, because his cool new friends think multiple suicide attempts are social currency. It sounds an awful lot as if he's going to end up with his own circle of "drama whores" (and hey, thanks for passing that little gem on to the teenagers, Anouk). 

 

What was that verdict?

[KarmaG]

I feel like I should get a prize or something for sticking it out for this dreck. The best thing I can say is, at least it's over. 

 

Re the ending, I was really hoping Hugo would run over and give Harry a big hug. 

 

I totally thought Hugo was going to go to Harry, especially after the way he said he missed him in the last episode. Was completely disappointed when he didn't and simply went and played with the baby (without dropping it or doing anything to it).

Edited April 3, 2015 by KarmaG

[Sammich63]

I totally thought Hugo was going to go to Harry, especially after the way he said he missed him in the last episode. Was completely disappointed when he didn't and simply went and played with the baby (without dropping it or doing anything to it).

I think Hugo going over to Harry for a hug would have been the best ending.  It would have shown just how far Rosie had gone to implicate Harry.  

[applecrisp]

Everyone had such great comments.  Agree about the prosecution sending out the detective-not realistic.  When Gary and Rosie walked in, I thought Harry might leave and he would have every right to.  I would have. If Hector and Aisha want to socialize with them, fine. They are not family so quit inviting them to family events. I do know this was a baby shower for Anouk, but come on.

 

The way the adults used Richie was terrible and selfish.  I agree at the end the only people I liked was the judge and Richie.

[Darian]

I think Hugo going over to Harry for a hug would have been the best ending.  It would have shown just how far Rosie had gone to implicate Harry.  

Done with  a little subtlety that could have been really effective. This show didn't do subtle. They would have hammered it so hard with long-lingering reaction shots and.. I don't even want to think of how they'd have ruined it (last week's Velveteen Rabbit reading could have worked if done right, but it was so heavy-handed I turned into an MFA-class cliche, yelling at the screen, "Kill your darlings, Kill your darlings." Gah.)     

[blueiris]

I kept telling people to hang in there with this show - that it wasn't the shitschlock they saw it as.  Well the jokes on me!  WTF for the anticlimactic, boring and ridiculous finale!  It would've been completely poetic and plausible if Hugo had gone up to Harry and said hi like nothing happened.  Cause the kid was only every traumatized by his batshit crazy horrible parents!  Even last week with getting crazy Rosie on the stand was oh so ho-hum.  No plot development,

no big anything.  I definitely wanted to hear a psych eval on Hugo.  This show had so much potential and blew it all.  I'll probably check out the book - anyone read it? 

[kassa]

It finally occurred to me last night who Hugo reminded me of... Michael Jackson's youngest kid!  

 

I loved the judge's contempt for the whole thing, and Gary's decision to actually recognize the truth.  And I loved the moment when Aisha and Anouk exchanged "wtf" looks over Rosie's inability to see how profoundly she had screwed everybody over.  

 

I guess Richie's backstory explains his not wanting to get involved, but I wanted to shake his mother.  He doesn't need coddling and to be taken on the run.  He needs therapy to see that he was a victim who did nothing wrong, he's not irretrievably damaged by his impulsive act, and he is perfectly capable of a happy adulthood with people who love and accept him.  Not "well, we can't stay HERE!" hysteria.

 

They made a point of saying that Richie legally changed his name... but the summons to appear in court was under his old name.  ?

 

I almost sympathized with Rosie not wanting to get out of bed.  Is there a more depressing home in all of NYC?  It doesn't look like there's any insulation, half the square footage is Gary's vomited up art, and the other half is covered in Hugo's crap and whatever he broke most recently.  I'd stay in bed too.  

 

Color me disappointed that it didn't have a Rosemary's baby ending, with Anouk staring in horror at the baby's eyes mirroring Hugo's.

[Julia]

And I loved the moment when Aisha and Anouk exchanged "wtf" looks over Rosie's inability to see how profoundly she had screwed everybody over.  

 

I think I must have missed that. I did see Aisha specifically tell Rosie that she had done nothing wrong, and she had nothing to be ashamed of. 

[Former Nun]

The Australian version is available on Netflix...not on DVD, but on "Play."

[kassa]

And I loved the moment when Aisha and Anouk exchanged "wtf" looks over Rosie's inability to see how profoundly she had screwed everybody over. 

 

I think I must have missed that. I did see Aisha specifically tell Rosie that she had done nothing wrong, and she had nothing to be ashamed of.

 

 

After the ultrasound appointment, Anouk said she couldn't go out with them because she was needed back on set to deal with a difficult actor.  Aisha made a comment to Anouk about it preparing her for dealing with a bratty kid, at which point they all froze at the elephant in the room's mother standing there.  And Rosie said that she couldn't believe how awfully she had screwed everything up and it was her fault and they looked sympathetic... until she said that she should have been more proactive to prove her version of what happened (had an official medical evaluation, looked into the existence of pictures, etc.)  And Anouk and Aisha exchanged a look, which Rosie knew was about her, and Anouk said something along the lines of "um, we thought you were upset that you brought the law into this in the first place."  And Rosie put her hand on Anouk's belly and told her to get back to her in 3-4 years, and floated out on her cloud of martyrdom.  

Edited April 3, 2015 by kassa

[Primetimer]

At the end of a season finale that is somehow the showcase episode for Ritchie of all goddamn people, who's the most slapworthy? The answer may surprise you! Unless you watched it.

Read the story

[Dave in Chicago]

In retrospect, "The Slap" was structured like an actual slap. It came on strong at first but then slowly faded.

Connie and Ritchie had way more slap-worthy lines than that. "You're going to win the Art Prize. Everybody says so."

[marny]

Thank you, Tara, for pointing out the best awful line on the whole episode: "This man is from the police!"  We had to pause the show because we were laughing so hard at the clunk of it.

[yourmomiseasy]

I wish Hugo had been called to the stand as a hostile witness for the defense.  Between his acting out and Rosie's histrionics over it, it would have been golden. 

[LeGrandElephant]

Another thing that didn't ring true to me was the treatment of Ritchie at his high school. He's in New York City. Bullying of gay suicidal teens has been a huge hot button issue in the news and in progressive circles the past few years. Maybe *someone* would write a slur on his locker but I bet there would be more people, both students and teachers, coming up to him telling him it's not his fault, it gets better, etc. Also, he was going to give up on art school because he got outed? Because art schools are known for being such homophobic places?

I guess his mom is importing their small town view that him being outed is a huge crisis and they need to run and hide, and maybe that's believable, but I didn't buy the atmosphere at his school. I could easily be wrong because I'm no a NYC high school student, but it doesn't fit with what I've been seeing in the news from big progressive cities lately.

About the very end, I also thought Hugo was going to run up to Harry and ask for a lollipop.

About the ultrasound, I thought babies turn around a lot in there for months, and they only need to get stuck head down fairly near the end of thr pregnancy. Does anyone here know if it's realistic to be concerned about it being breech at only 4-5 months?

Edited April 3, 2015 by LeGrandElephant

[Julia]

Another thing that didn't ring true to me was the treatment of Ritchie at his high school. He's in New York City. Bullying of gay suicidal teens has been a huge hot button issue in the news and in progressive circles the past few years. Maybe *someone* would write a slur on his locker but I bet there would be more people, both students and teachers, coming up to him telling him it's not his fault, it gets better, etc. Also, he was going to give up on art school because he got outed? Because art schools are known for being such homophobic places?

They can be. We have an LGTBQ school specifically for kids who felt unsafe in their local schools, and one of our local politicians protested with the Phelps family on opening day. I'm pleased to say that his career and the career of his nascent local political dynasty took a nosedive when it came out that he was crooked as a dog's hind leg (not that we didn't already know that), but he was also a fairly canny politician and he thought it would do him good to be seen picking on gay kids.

About the ultrasound, I thought babies turn around a lot in there for months, and they only need to get stuck head down fairly near the end of thr pregnancy. Does anyone here know if it's realistic to be concerned about it being breech at only 4-5 months?

As far as I know, the baby's position in the uterus becomes an issue around 36 weeks, when it starts to run out of space to swim around. At five months, the tech had trouble catching ours with the ultrasound wand because she moved around so much.

[sleekandchic]

I guess the writers felt it was important to show a Hugo transformation? I felt that the end scene was The Rehabilitation of Mowgli. Up until last night, I couldn't remember one scene where Hugo wasn't hitting something, destroying something, screaming, playing with toy swords or popguns or aggressively driving toytrucks on walls. So where did that sweetness-and-light kiddo come from in the finale? His meek approach toward Anouk and infant, his gentle cradling of baby. Was it Anouk' s gentle, patient approach that calmed him? Or maybe he's growing up? Maybe mama Rosie switched from wine to pot? Whatever. For me, though, it was like, who cares? This show was never about a bratty kid. It was supposed to be about self-centered, ineffectual adults and the far-reaching repercussions of their various stupidities.

I agree that Hugo approaching Harry would have made for a thoughtful, intelligent finale. So, of course, it was never going to happen.

I also agree that Ritchie' s backstory and its after-effects seemed manipulative. And then all of it was tied up with such a pretty bow by the end! So realistic!

I love Peter Sarsgaard but not as Hector. Could he have been any more milquetoast in the role? I wanted to shake him, Wake Up! When he looked under the sink to fix something, I thought, suuurre......Hector really strikes me as a guy with mad plumbing skills! Ha. And while I was truly grateful that Hector wasn't the designated Hero to save Ritchie, when Hector barely reacted to Connies call, and simply called Gary for help, I again thought, Wake Up! It's like Peter S sleptwalked through his role.

And when Hector and Aisha hunkered down in front of the laptop to read the NYP's outing of Ritchie, neither actor was human. Aisha managed a slow headshake. They were practically comatose.

I better not hear that anybody gets an Emmy nomination for this mess of a show.

I noticed that Rosie' s Heidi braids were gone and replaced by a modern haircut in the last scene. I am grateful for small favors.

Edited April 4, 2015 by sleekandchic

[blanchowens]

What a shitty ending to a series of so many unlikeable characters...I want my money back lol

Edited April 4, 2015 by blanchowens

[lezlers]

At the end of the trial, it sounded like the judge said Harry had been being tried for the charge of "attempted assault". I'm a criminal defense lawyer and I truly have no clue what attempted assault is. An attempted crime is when you make steps towards a crime with the intent to commit it, but don't actually complete the crime. So, Harry tried to assault Hugo but didn't finish? Huh? They really needed legal consultants on this mess of a show.

Also a criminal defense lawyer and this ep was KILLING me.  The chain of custody argument was ridiculous (like any judge would keep those photos out based on that argument) and sustaining a leading question objection during cross examination?  Huh?  I get that not everything is going to be totally accurate, but why put something totally incorrect in there that doesn't otherwise serve any purpose? And then the whole attempted assault ruling.  Um, what?  Assault is basically attempted battery and there WAS clearly a battery here, the only question was if there was an affirmative defense of others claim.  I just...it's like they're not even trying.

Edited April 4, 2015 by lezlers

[marny]

Yes! My mind was boggled by the "leading" objection. It's cross-examination! Leading is the point! It's like they picked out a bunch of legal-sounding words and just threw them in regardless of meaning. "Attempted assault in the 3rd degree"? Not a thing!

Edited April 4, 2015 by marny

[LeGrandElephant]

I noticed some very leading questions on direct, too. Law and Order would never have stood for this. 

[LucyEth]

Well, that was pretty much what I expected.  The secrets about Richie were a surprise, but other than that meh!  Hated that the parents went to Greece alone and came home and said the trip was crappy, what's up with that?  Figured Harry would be found guilty but knew he would not do any time.  Better ending would have been for Hugo to drop or hit Anouk's baby.  That scene with Aisha and Rosie with Anouk having the sonogram was very annoying.  Boy Aisha is  so stupid and Rosie still has a face I'd like to punch.  Slap part 2? Probably not.

[TVForever]

I was disappointed with the finale. It just kind of fizzled. I too, was half expecting Hugo to do something bad to the baby and end up getting slapped again, thus setting up season 2. Okay, kidding a little. I really wanted Ritchie to get on the stand and say yes, Harry slapped Hugo, but that kid had been an absolute terror all afternoon and the only reason Harry slapped him was because he got to him first. But no, things went in a different direction. Agreed with the verdict, wished it had come way before, in the judge's chambers.

[Armchair Critic]

The only characters I felt bad for was Richie when he was feeling good about himself after displaying his photographs and then he walked out and the reporter started asking him questions about his past, and of course his Mom. Felt a little sympathy for the grandparents, but they should probably be slapped too for putting up with the annoying younger generation. Otherwise like others have said, the rest of the characters were just unlikable.

 

The little Hugo actor is also on The Girlfriend's Guide To Divorce, he plays annoying too well as he gets on my nerves on that show too.

[marketdoctor]

 

It's like they picked out a bunch of legal-sounding words and just threw them in regardless of meaning.

 

As a non-lawyer, I was curious how long it would take to learn if "attempted assault" was a valid legal concept.  It turns out, it took me ten grueling minutes and I had to go to three different web sites provided by Google on the first page, but it was worth it to learn:

 

In the US, not only is it not a legal concept, but if it were a slap immediately after being hit with a baseball bat would appear more of a reflex, and probably fail to meet the "mens rea" standard.  

 

In Australia, however, "attempted assault" IS a legal concept, but actionable in civil, not criminal court; there's even an established fine of $130 to $650 (Australian dollars); it's the lowest amount a victim can get under that particular law.  It's kind of impressive that if the verdict was consistent across mediums, the US version was much worse for staying faithful to its source.  

 

I'll bet a legal consultant or one of the actors with a lawyer friend or someone with a few minutes and an iPhone pointed out the flaw, but NBC had already committed to the verdict.  (Also stupid, they could have digitally edited out the word "attempted" and slowed the credits or something.)

 

Also, I think NBC should send a t-shirt or something (a page of the script?  A chunk of prop?) to anyone who can prove they watched all 8 episodes.

Edited April 4, 2015 by marketdoctor

[Broderbits]

I would watch "The Slap, Part 2" if it involves someone slapping Rosie. Preferably me.

[Ailianna]

And then the whole attempted assault ruling. Um, what? Assault is basically attempted battery and there WAS clearly a battery here, the only question was if there was an affirmative defense of others claim.

In the US, not only is it [attempted assault] not a legal concept,

And here we have a perfect example of the differences in law between having 50 different states and a federal government that all have their own penal laws, with their own terms, definitions, crimes and meanings.

There is no "assault of a minor" crime in NY (the judge found him guilty of "attempted assault of a minor in the third degree") and there's no crime of battery in NY. Assault is the crime, and, as I have mentioned in a couple other threads, requires sufficient injury to meet a physical injury definition that a red mark on the face is never going to satisfy. However, there is such a thing as attempted assault (of any degree). It means you tried to cause a (specified level of) injury, but your actions didn't actually cause that injury. It might be you shot at someone and missed them, for example (you meant to hurt them but didn't) or in this kind of a situation, it means you hit someone, you intended for them to have physical injury, but the hit (or slap, in this case) didn't actually cause injury.

If you drop the "of a minor" part, it would actually be a potential real outcome for this case, but you would have had to have proof that Harry intended to cause harm to Hugo, as opposed to a reaction or overreaction to Hugo's actions. It also means that the judge found that Hugo didn't have injury from it.

It's a mistake to view US criminal law as a monolithic whole. There's a whole different set of rules every time you cross a state line, and sometimes even within different portions of the same state. Google is not really your friend on this kind of thing either, since it doesn't have a meaningful way to sort out these definitions in different places.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Ailianna

[Moxie Cat]

Throw a T-shirt to me. I watched all 8 eps. Not sure how to prove it, except I think I might remember something from each character's specific story. 

 

I also thought Hugo would run over to Harry at the end. It would have been a natural followup to the scene from last ep, which showed that he wasn't nearly as tormented (or: at all) as his parents thought (or hoped). Hugo hugging Harry would have paved the way for the Wechslers to stay at the party and show the promise of some type of detente among the players. And in the larger picture, it would have shown that nothing that happened in the series really mattered; that this huge event that tore their lives apart was actually completely irrelevant. (And appropriate ending for this show, actually.)

 

Who in their right mind would let Hugo hold a baby?! And how was that relevant anything in the show? This show should have ended with the judge's wrapup--it was the first common sense thing that happened.

 

I would have excised the Anouk episode, which had nothing to do with the larger plot, and alloted episodes to Gary and/or Harry's wife (whose name escapes me). The episodes that worked were those that forwarded the plot: Harry's ep when he gets arrested, Manoulis's because it introduced the lawyer, even Aisha's because it brought the affair into the light. But Anouk's and arguably Connie's? A waste, IMO.

 

One last thought: Hugo reminds me uncomfortably of Max Braverman, and after six years, I thought that trauma was finished. Alas. I guess now it finally is.

[Armchair Critic]

I watched all of the episodes, I am a glutton for punishment that once I start watching something I like to see it through to the end. It had a good cast and I thought the acting was also good, but the story was lacking. I had hoped it would do better in the ratings because I miss the good old days of miniseries and the two part made for tv movies that were on Sunday & Monday. I grew up in the hey day of Rich Man Poor Man, The Thornbirds, North and South, etc.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Armchair Critic

[kassa]

It might have been funny for Anouk to break out a bottle for her baby while Rosie watched, horrified.

[mrsbagnet]

 

Also, I think NBC should send a t-shirt or something (a page of the script?  A chunk of prop?) to anyone who can prove they watched all 8 episodes.

 

I think the best prize would be the chance to slap your least favorite character. Not feasible, but I can dream, right?

[Madding crowd]

I watched it all but didn't get anything out of the show or any kind of bigger picture. There were too many characters, many of which had loose connections with the others. I found Ritchie very sympathetic and glad things worked out well for him but I didn't understand why he would be hounded for his personal pictures, especially since Harry never disputed that he slapped Hugo.

 

Characters like Anouk were not needed and I didn't know enough about her to care about her or her relationship to the other cast. Peter Saarsgard is a great actor, but wasted here in a very small part. I think this is supposed to be a bit like American Crime Story which is trying to show how one act can tear apart many lives, but both shows are failed/are failing for different reasons. This show has too many characters and we don't know enough about them to care, the other show has only criminals, racists and other hateful characters so again, no need to care.

[JudyObscure]

I also thought Hugo would run over to Harry at the end. It would have been a natural followup to the scene from last ep, which showed that he wasn't nearly as tormented (or: at all) as his parents thought (or hoped). Hugo hugging Harry would have paved the way for the Wechslers to stay at the party and show the promise of some type of detente among the players.

Not only would it have been good from the standpoint of winding up the issue, it was also the natural expectation after Hugo said Harry had always given him candy. That would have been Hugo's first thought and he would have run to Harry and asked for candy. Everyone would have paused for a second and then burst out laughing.

I like this kind of thing. I loved "The Affair." I guess I just like looking at rather ordinary issues from several points of view. Such a nice change from thinking about the motivations of murderers.

[kassa]

I actually enjoyed the series for what it was.  I agree that they could have cut Anouk out entirely and not damaged anything, except maybe she served as the "impartial" person needed to represent the audience, the one person not too involved on one side or the other to dismiss the slap outright or think it was worth making a federal (or municipal) case over.  Yes, he was wrong to slap the kid; no it was not worth the misery rained down upon so many people.  

 

I'd have to watch the show again (and I won't) to see how Aisha was with Harry at the party.  Because that's an interesting dynamic -- keeping your friend's marital secret and being forced to socialize with someone you despise because of it.  Ordinarily you'd kind of phaseout the couples thing and have the husband pursue his cousinly relationship with Harry, while you spent time with his wife.  But this family is so intertwined it doesn't seem like that kind of distance was ever possible.  And maybe that fed Aisha's contempt for them?

[Tim McD]

I'm in the minority I guess. I loved this show and hated to see it end. There is one thing we can all agree on though; Richie's art show photographs were terrible.