Master Of None - General Discussion

[tennisgurl]

I'm pretty sure that was a flash forward to Dev and Francesca being together, but not being in a great place. I think Arnold called it when he said that if she broke up with her fiancé and moves to a whole new country and started a relationship with Dev, it would put WAY too much pressure on the relationship, and their month together was all romantic and dreamy, but in real life, it might not continue that way.

I actually thought this was one of the least impressive episodes of the season, even though I've generally been alright with the romance this season. Not much really happened besides Devs life totally sucking. It wasn't bad or anything, it was just pretty boring for a season finale. I totally knew that Chef Jim was going to be sketchy, and I figured he would turn out to be a serial sexual harasser when he started talking about how hot Devs make up artist friend was. No idea where Devs career goes from here, this is a pretty big blow.

Over all, I liked this season a lot, and I enjoy when shows get experimental or weird just to see what they can do. My biggest complaint was probably that Dev left Italy so quickly, even though they did keep up the Italian stuff all season. I would have liked to see more of Dev in a new culture, and see where it goes from there. Oh well, still had a good time.

[Duke2801]

21 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I'm pretty sure that was a flash forward to Dev and Francesca being together, but not being in a great place. I think Arnold called it when he said that if she broke up with her fiancé and moves to a whole new country and started a relationship with Dev, it would put WAY too much pressure on the relationship, and their month together was all romantic and dreamy, but in real life, it might not continue that way.

Ahh OK.  I originally thought it might be a flashback also, but a flash-forward makes more sense.

Overall I liked the episode - not so much the angst-y stuff but I did laugh at some of the Raven Live! ridiculousness - and I enjoyed the season.  Plus we finally had a Shannon sighting.  I was missing her this season!

I was hoping, rather than running into Rachel (which seemed kind of predictable) that he would run into the woman he met in Italy who he had the connection with. 

[biakbiak]

Interview with Aniz Ansari, Aziz's brother and writer on the show. I timber the first season a bunch of people tweeted at Aziz and Alan thinking the credits had spelled Aziz's name wrong.

[possibilities]

I think they're both wrong. Dev knows she's engaged. If she's willing to play at this clearly clandestine romantic relationship with Dev behind Pino's back, she's the sort of person who can't be trusted to be honest and she lacks the courage to respect others. If she had left Pino for Dev, I would be just as grossed out by her as if she stays with Pino despite really not liking him or the relationship. It's lazy and delusional.

I get how these things happen. But it's not admirable, it's depressing.

Also, I don't want to watch a cliche romantic movie. This is the least interesting part of the series and I wish they wouldn't waste so much time on it.

[Negritude]

Just dropping in to objectify Eric Wareheim in shorts. I'm a tall girl myself so I would totally be into TallBoys.com. He might not be much to look at in the face but those legs though ? ...nice gams boo lol.

[possibilities]

I don't mind it being more drama than comedy. Either way is fine with me.

I was bored and annoyed by the Francesca story.

Wanted more of just about everything else.

[possibilities]

On 5/13/2017 at 9:17 PM, msani19 said:

DD...where did the 2nd D come from??

All I could think of was bra size. I assume that's intentional.

[DrSpaceman73]

I'm fine with this show or any show being a drama if they prefer

I just don't like it when they them nominate those shows for "best comedy" emmies. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Aziz talks about taking his parents to the Emmys and learning languages (for the record, he studied Italian for three weeks and then lived in Italy for two months, and he spent a week asking a tutor very specific situations so he would know what to say):

Aziz talks about some of his brother's Islamaphobic experiences that didn't make it into the religion episode and the kids who play little Aziz and little Denise in the Thanksgiving episode:

Edited May 20, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Misslindsey]

Quote

I didn't fully buy the Francesca love and felt it was waaay too drawn out. The character was obviously beautiful and charming enough, but I felt Dev had better chemistry with Sarah (the black Brit he met in the premier) and Priya (well, on the first date). Dev running into Rachel at the end seemed like foreshadowing, so I'm thinking the Francesca relationship will be short-lived.

This is how I felt as well. I was fine with Francesca and Dev as friends. In the first episode I was relieved when Francesca had a boyfriend, because I thought she would be a love interest. My relief was short lived when she did in fact become a love interest for Dev. I did not see any real spark between the two besides friendship. I did not get the impression that Dev thought of Francesca as more than a friend until Chef Jeff sort of pointed it out at his dinner party. I thought Dev had a lot of chemistry with Sarah. I wish they would have run into each other. Sure, it might be improbable, but I could hand wave it. I even thought he had better chemistry with Rachel. Though, I would be fine if they did not do Rachel and Dev again as well. 

Edited May 22, 2017 by Misslindsey

[djsunyc]

season 1 was a complete surprise for me as i didn't expect what kind of show it turned out to be.  i thought it was fantastic and one of the more smartly written tv shows in the past few years.  they covered so many different topics in season 1 that it was going to be very difficult addressing another 10 episodes of topics.  i'm sure if they knew this was going to be a multi-season type of show, they would've spread out season 1's topics across 2 or maybe 3 seasons.

with that said, i still found this season very enjoyable and much different than the other shows that are out there.  i thought the thanksgiving episode ranks as one of the best 30 mins of tv the past few years.  well written and acted and told the story in a unique manner.  i understand some of the stories had to be filler but this really isn't a regular 30 min comedy.  if this was on network tv - 10 episodes would be adding another 300 mins of footage...that's almost another 10 episodes - so basically a 20 episode network season.

what i definitely missed was more friend interactions as a group.  they all have great chemistry together.

i did like the francesca storyline - but i don't know if it's b/c of how much i'm crushing on her right now.  but it's nice to see happen over a slow burn from her POV and how dev can catch feelings much quicker b/c he was single and lonely.  and it was great how he brought up if it was the idea of francesca or if it was the woman itself.  this show really gets deep on a lot of issues and doesn't just let stuff hang - they bring it up, even briefly to acknowledge that alot of stuff is confusing with complex emotions that can pull you in so many different directions.

so in the final scene, i didn't think it was that they were in a bad place in the relationship - i think it was more fear of the unknown on her part - did she make the right choice or not?  i mean to give up everything makes it go from fantasy to real.  i still think it can work but who knows what direction they're going to go in.

on a different note - i think dev is going to be a guy that can't stay with one girl for a long period of time (meaning 5+ years).  but i will also say that i don't think the women he are dating can as well.  imho, it seems they are portraying the people on this show as people in that age group in nyc are today - people that always use the phone for their instant gratification.  people that are a bit more in tune of making themselves happy first.  this technical revolution is bringing about a change in those pre-determined ideas the previous generations lived by - get married, have kids, die.  people nowadays are thinking more about themselves and what makes them happy and are quick to dismiss others - like the girl that kept swiping on her app.  that mentality, imho, doesn't lend itself to staying in long term relationship b/c more often than not, the "spark" doesn't last the entire time.  i'm rambling a bit here but i think the show is kind of giving us that subtle message throughout these past 2 seasons. 

Edited May 20, 2017 by djsunyc

[DrSpaceman73]

I have wondered, too, if Dev, as he is currently, is the type of guy that can stay with one woman long term, but for a different reason

His personality is one that just seems always on the look out for a new adventure and what might be better.  We see it with the Cupcake Wars show.  I understand the decision there, but he had a good paying job, I am sure, a regular gig on TV, which is HARD to do as an actor, even with all the shows out there now, and he gives it up to try something better.  I think that is just his personality and curiosity.  He will always wonder if there is something or someone better and always be looking for the next person or adventure. 

Nothing wrong with that.  And I am not saying he was wrong to leave the show.  But it does make it hard to stay in a long term relationship

[msani19]

On 5/19/2017 at 8:03 PM, possibilities said:

All I could think of was bra size. I assume that's intentional.

Hmm, I never thought of that...I'll have to rewatch, cause I don't know if I ever noticed Denise's, ummm....size.

[Zima]

On 5/13/2017 at 8:50 PM, sweetcookieface said:

 

ETA: Having re-watched a couple of episodes, I'd say my favorite ep was "Thanksgiving" by a fair margin, followed by "First Date" (I found that one pretty clever and hilarious, especially as someone who's been through her fair share of dating apps). I think my love of the premise of "Religion" initially led me to rank it a bit too high (I'm also an agnostic from a Muslim family - although, funnily enough, the one "religious" thing I do is refrain from pork). So, a very enjoyable episode for me, but perhaps not as objectively "great" as the other two.

 

I'm also an Agnostic/Atheist from a Muslim family, so I LOVED the "Religion" episode.  Like Dev, the first time I tried bacon, it blew my mind, and there was no going back. I ate a shit-ton of bacon every chance I got for YEARS. Pork is probably my favorite meat, but don't let my mom know!  The talk Dev's dad had with him about how it hurts his mom when he eats pork in front of her made me cry, because my mom is the same. She would be devastated if she knew that I was a pork-loving Atheist. 

I agree that "Thanksgiving" was the best episode all season.

I also agree with everyone who said that the romance with Francesca was the weakest part of the season, and that he had more chemistry with Sarah and Preya.  I found the hour-long episode dedicated to their relationship a bore.  Looks like she chose to stay with him though. 

Edited May 21, 2017 by Zima

[Zima]

The whole thing with the racist condom jar had me in stitches. And her retort that he thought she was a racist but fucked her anyway? Omg, I was dying. 

[zxy556575]

The panelists on the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast discussed the show recently and were unanimously over the moon about the creative risks Aziz and Alan took, the bubble episodes and Italy in particular.

Okay I can see that, but I don't watch TV as if I'm at an art museum gazing at works by old masters, fascinated by the brush strokes. If I'm more intrigued by the sausage making (specific shots, cinematography, allusions to classic films, etc.) than drawn in by the story, that's not a success for me. In the end, I just didn't care about Dev and Francesca, not the least because I never understood who she was as a person. As NY Magazine put it, "And yet, here we are again, somehow, watching a beautiful, whimsical love interest help our hero find the unexpected magic in his day-to-day life."

In general, I'm not that interested in picking apart TV or movies to find hidden meaning. The final bed scene has already spawned a hundred articles dissecting what was going on, but not getting an answer frankly leaves me more impatient than intrigued. It also seemed to me like a deliberate throwback to The Graduate, which why, again?

Even if I view it as a cliffhanger for season 3, Aziz has said he feels like he's sufficiently told the story of a 30-something New Yorker looking for love and has no idea if or when he'll product another season. If there is and if it picks up with Francesca again, I'm not interested.

Edited May 21, 2017 by Lord Donia

[Eri]

On 5/16/2017 at 2:55 PM, DearEvette said:

I wish he hadn't fallen in love with Franscesca.   Honestly episode 9 was like a needle scratch on a largely great season.  Of all the stuff that was happening, the romance was the weakest part.  I absolutely agree that she seemed like an ideal dream girl to him probably because she was unattainable. Maybe if I felt any spark between them I could have felt some of the pathos of the relationship, but I didn't.   I just kept feeling bad for Pino. 

Overall, though I enjoyed this season.  It  is nice to watch a comedy with a different flavor like this. 

I agree with you there - I got fed up of it by episode 9, they both brought the pain on themselves. As a viewer, you realise that it's unrealistic of Dev to grow feelings for someone who is taken much less overseas, but to see him pursue the train wreck of emotions anyway was a bit cringeworthy for me to watch personally. If he had found out she was engaged after getting caught up I could understand why he'd feel used...but in this instance, he knew what he was getting into. He played with fire in the same way Francesca kept playing with the idea of a new adventure with a new person. I think she was fed up with her life and saw Dev as a safety net to allowing her some freedom but still wanted her feet planted firmly in the doorway when the fantasy got too real. Dev went along with it hoping he could persuade her to change her mind and he lucked out but he should expected that.

I don't blame her for not wanting to just uproot her whole life to move there (even though that's technically what I did when I moved to NYC recently). I could see them together later on in life but not now - as a previous poster mentioned, Dev does not have the propensity for long-term relationship status yet no matter how lonely he gets sometimes and he's only 33 so there's no rush for him to be settled anyway. I appreciated the episodes he shared with his friends more.

 

Edited May 21, 2017 by Eri

[Eri]

On 5/19/2017 at 7:49 PM, possibilities said:

I think they're both wrong. Dev knows she's engaged. If she's willing to play at this clearly clandestine romantic relationship with Dev behind Pino's back, she's the sort of person who can't be trusted to be honest and she lacks the courage to respect others. If she had left Pino for Dev, I would be just as grossed out by her as if she stays with Pino despite really not liking him or the relationship. It's lazy and delusional.

I get how these things happen. But it's not admirable, it's depressing.

Also, I don't want to watch a cliche romantic movie. This is the least interesting part of the series and I wish they wouldn't waste so much time on it.

I agree - I found Dev pursuing Francesca knowing the outcome of that to be cringe-worthy at best. Despite her unhappiness, I didn't see her willing to discuss her problems with Pino at all; instead it was just easier to crawl to Dev and seek his attention knowing he'd willingly give it to her. But then I remember that they're Italian and it's cultural for people you've known for years to just "be together." Dev had mentioned to Arnie how there aren't as many singles in Italy and everyone is a couple so if you're single and in your 20s or 30s then something must be wrong with you. I assume that must add to the pressures back home of leaving everything behind and just keeping up with the norm. Regardless, I hated seeing him go after her. They both brought the pain on themselves.

Edited May 21, 2017 by Eri

[PumpkinPK]

Loved the ending with Dev in the cab.  Soft Cell didn't hurt.

Just some of the best acting I have ever seen.  Such pain and emotion.  I must have watched that scene 20 times.

Just can't say enough how much I love Aziz and this show.

[djsunyc]

people do weird unexplainable stuff in relationships all the time.  pursue the illogical partner, have the "perfect" partner but still want something different, etc.  

i feel dev just doesn't want to be lonely and wants everything on his own terms.  and then he gets bored and wants something else.  we saw no romantic inclination with dev and francesca in italy...just a good friendship.  then he comes back to nyc and he starts trying to not be lonely again - he tries to go out on dates and we saw how that turned out.  then his beautiful/charming female friend comes back into his life and he starts realizing that his loneliness can be removed with this friend...which turns his feelings from friendship to something more.

and from her POV - she's basically had the same life since 18...absolutely no growth emotionally and spiritually.  now comes along a foreigner who lives in a great big city and potentially opens the door to a life she never thought she could have.  so i can see why she fell for him.

folks get into relationships that don't make sense more often than not.  i kind of liked the way theirs developed.  but it sounds like i might be in the minority here.

[rabidchipmnk]

It definitely wasn't a flashback.  But I couldn't decide whether it was a real flash-forward, or just an imagining on her part of what might have been, which we had seen in the last episode (the literal ripping out of his heart and putting it in a wood chipper)...

This show has all the feels.  I'll post the rest in the all-eps thread.

[rabidchipmnk]

So.  This show.  I liked it and I have so many thoughts on it.

It's interesting to me that everyone seems to dislike the Francesca storyline.  Which I kind of get, I really enjoyed the other episodes they did that were not that this season, but also just to me personally that one was faaaar too relatable.  He falls for her because she's unattainable (which he even wrote on his pro/con list at the end).  She represents a time in his life when he was happy and had none of the stresses of work/real life (Italy).  Because their relationship is inherently temporary because geography, and the sucky nature of the internet dates he went on, and he's just so happy to realize that he can still feel feels for anyone, so every good thing about their interactions is magnified. And from her point of view, she's never known any other relationship from Pino, so she has absolutely zero perspective for whether it might be a good relationship or not, and also has zero perspective on whether this thing with Dev might be real or not, but also has like this false wall up which indicates "I'm in a relationship so nothing will happen" until you suddenly realize it's gone way over that line.  Interestingly I watched this after getting only as far into Kimmy Schmidt S3 to where 

Spoiler

Titus lets Mikey go on his gay rumspringa in the hopes that he will come back to him, but he realizes that he can't have perspective about whether it's really Titus that he wants or just hasn't realized what else is out there, which is basically the same idea.

...of course, the whole "we have too many options compared with previous generations, which is why we obsess over dating like we do and are less happy even though we really have more options" was a main theme of Aziz's Modern Romance, I thought, so this is entirely an expected theme to see in this show (as it was last season too).

But then Tim and Eric Eric is TOTALLY RIGHT, because if she were to actually stay... then what?  She's given up her whole life because of one month?  That's a hell of a lot of pressure to put on that relationship, and any time they fight she'll be able to say "I moved here for you, I'm more invested in this relationship than you are because look at how much I sacrificed!" (*ahem* ...hypothetically) even if it's not really what happened because it was also about the city and the life and art history etc.  And he'll feel guilty about that, and the relationship goes on longer than it should have because sunk costs etc etc... which, speaking of, if the point was to make Dev look like an irrational whiny baby by saying "you only used me!" in their last argument well then that mission was accomplished.  Totally Team Francesca on that one.

Ah, media that brings out the lit major in me... But yeah.  As someone who has been on both sides of this equation at different times, this whole storyline rang VERY true to me.  

Other comments: it was an interesting choice to expand the universe of the show away from the main characters of last season... maybe just due to logistical constraints (I assume that's why there was like, one scene with Brian in the whole thing?), but I thought they handled it as well as they could have: that social circle still seems to exist (even if Jon Benjamin also only shows up for about 8 seconds), and there are only so many stories which can be told in a season...

[rabidchipmnk]

On 5/14/2017 at 11:29 AM, tennisgurl said:

Oh Lord, dating is a bitch. Online dating has lead to me meeting some really cool people, and some REALLY weird people. I would totally swipe for Dev, he's cute and I love me some Whole Foods! Guys totally do all just send really lame "Sup" styles message's to me when they want to connect! Like, put some effort into it, bro.

Ah, internet dating... am I the only one who had a pretty decent experience (on OKC of all places but hey, I'm not gonna PAY for this nonsense)?  I mean, there are the creeps of course, who e.g. message you even though we're an 8% match and he answered yes to "women are obligated to shave their legs and also to take the man's name when they get married and also yes there ARE circumstances under which someone is obligated to have sex with you" (all actual OKC questions... all obviously dealbreakers to escalating degrees).  I hear it's very different coming at it as a guy, but omg the number of "sup" or "hey cutie" messages... I think I uniformly ignored all of those, because there are just so many hours in a day and if you don't have 8 seconds to write something substantial, I don't have time to respond to it. (interestingly, I think the two actual relationships I started online were where I messaged the guys... guess I win at this game???)  Also is this the part where we should discuss Modern Romance?  Actually Aziz's standup too.  He has a whole bunch of stuff in there about online dating and specifically messaging and what works and obviously doesn't work.

Anyway I know the point was to show how sucky it is, but man, a few of those should clearly not have passed the IRL filter... or maybe I'm just overly cautious.

[rabidchipmnk]

3 hours ago, PumpkinPK said:

Loved the ending with Dev in the cab.

Seconded.  Been there, dude.  I have so been there with those feels.

[rabidchipmnk]

On 5/16/2017 at 4:53 AM, Eri said:

The deaf couple was my favorite part of that episode along with the doorman. It was the funniest ASL exchange I've seen in a while, especially with the lady who confronted them in the store.

Is it terrible that I already knew the sign for "vagina" because I've been in enough Comic Con panels where the panelists say something crude, realize there is a poor ASL interpreter standing off to the side that signs everything they say, and then they keep trying escalating terms to see what the signs are in an infinite feedback loop?  (Nah but Comic Con is pretty great for accessibility options actually!)

[tennisgurl]

10 minutes ago, rabidchipmnk said:

am I the only one who had a pretty decent experience

Actually, most of the people I actually met were really cool. The worst one I met was the boring guy who wouldn't stop talking about farming :) I actually dated one guy for three years I met on a dating App, and I met the guy I am currently seeing on another dating App! Its really not that sketchy, as long as you make good choices!

[rabidchipmnk]

On 5/19/2017 at 4:49 PM, possibilities said:

I think they're both wrong. Dev knows she's engaged. If she's willing to play at this clearly clandestine romantic relationship with Dev behind Pino's back, she's the sort of person who can't be trusted to be honest and she lacks the courage to respect others. If she had left Pino for Dev, I would be just as grossed out by her as if she stays with Pino despite really not liking him or the relationship. It's lazy and delusional.

I get how these things happen. But it's not admirable, it's depressing.

Also, I don't want to watch a cliche romantic movie. This is the least interesting part of the series and I wish they wouldn't waste so much time on it.

I posted on this (probably too much) in the all-episodes thread but... yeah.  Assuming she and Pino have already had the conversation about what they need to be happy... she needs to break up with him, have like a month of honeymoon with Dev (I'm sure he'd be into it) and then go find some Italian dude who's a better fit for her.  Of course, late-20s singlehood is a lot different in Europe than the US, is a fair point...

There's a secondary motive of her career (life goals?) which was sort of teased but then dropped... making a big move like that for herself would be (IMO) a lot more defensible than doing it for a guy... but that's sort of what it's being portrayed as.

[Delwyn]

11 hours ago, PumpkinPK said:

Loved the ending with Dev in the cab.  Soft Cell didn't hurt.

Just some of the best acting I have ever seen.  Such pain and emotion.  I must have watched that scene 20 times.

Just can't say enough how much I love Aziz and this show.

The David Gray version of this song that also samples Into the Mystic by Van Morrison is one of my favourite songs. Aziz absolutely crushed my soul with the way his performance slowly built up and shifted with the song. At first it was just disappointment; the gradual and relentless climb to feeling heart-sick caught me by surprise. I had to take a break from the show after that to just sit with it and I hope he gets the kudos he deserves for the work he put into the scene - just sitting there with a camera on you for that amount of time, exposing your emotions and taking the audience with you. 

[PumpkinPK]

2 hours ago, Delwyn said:

The David Gray version of this song that also samples Into the Mystic by Van Morrison is one of my favourite songs. Aziz absolutely crushed my soul with the way his performance slowly built up and shifted with the song. At first it was just disappointment; the gradual and relentless climb to feeling heart-sick caught me by surprise. I had to take a break from the show after that to just sit with it and I hope he gets the kudos he deserves for the work he put into the scene - just sitting there with a camera on you for that amount of time, exposing your emotions and taking the audience with you. 

You said everything I was trying to say, just far better.

No dialogue, but it crushed my soul.

[PumpkinPK]

On Sunday, May 14, 2017 at 7:41 PM, Maire said:

It bothered me that Dev didn't just go back to the restaurant and get the girls info after his phone got stolen. She made a reservation so for sure they had her number.

What I didn't understand was why they didn't call Dev's phone while the policeman was in the kid's apartment.

[PumpkinPK]

Until I read this thread, I thought the aunt was played by Jackee Harry.

[BoogieBurns]

1 hour ago, PumpkinPK said:

Until I read this thread, I thought the aunt was played by Jackee Harry.

I find the two actresses appearances somewhat similar, but Jackee is more broad in her acting. She is more of a leading lady, while Kim is often cast as a sister, aunt, coworker, sidekick type. They could definitely play sisters if they haven't.

[MaryWebGirl]

The Dev/Francesca relationship was my least favorite part of the season, too, and I think that comes down to two reasons. 1) I'm not single, so I can't relate to relationship angst, especially modern, app-fueled, intercontinental relationship angst. 2) I think Aziz doesn't do so well with dramatic material. It was well written but I think he personally just can't sell it as an actor. And I do think the actress playing Francesca did a good job, so that made it even odder.

I really liked the Chef Jeff storyline. It's probably something a young, ambitious celebrity like Aziz actually worries about--agreeing to work with a peer you respect only to find out they're an asshole, then you're tied to them (*cough*Kanye*cough*).

[MaryWebGirl]

On 5/18/2017 at 4:06 PM, tennisgurl said:

I think Arnold called it when he said that if she broke up with her fiancé and moves to a whole new country and started a relationship with Dev, it would put WAY too much pressure on the relationship, and their month together was all romantic and dreamy, but in real life, it might not continue that way.

I was confused by him calling it so accurately and truthfully because he had been so enthusiastic about helping Dev hook up with her. Where was that insight when it started happening? 

[rabidchipmnk]

3 hours ago, PumpkinPK said:

What I didn't understand was why they didn't call Dev's phone while the policeman was in the kid's apartment.

I assumed they tried that but we didn't see it... If the kid had turned off the phone already (probably a good move) then they're SOL.

[rabidchipmnk]

23 minutes ago, MaryWebGirl said:

I really liked the Chef Jeff storyline. It's probably something a young, ambitious celebrity like Aziz actually worries about--agreeing to work with a peer you respect only to find out they're an asshole, then you're tied to them (*cough*Kanye*cough*).

Forgot to mention, I thought they did a really good job on that, from conveying how the guy would be so charismatic that everyone would just excuse the behavior, to explaining why women don't always come forward and would rather just move on even taking professional hits, to how male colleagues should react to those sorts of revelations.  And, heh, that it might behoove said male colleagues to have thought out their public response to this kind of thing ahead of time, like "I personally have not witnessed this kind of behavior from Chef Jeff because I am a male, but if I had I absolutely would condemn it and I support the victims who have come forward."

Also condemn vs condone... man, those two words are kind of similar but actually totally opposite! I thought he was going to correct himself that way, which would have made more sense.

[zxy556575]

Whereas I fast-forwarded that taxi scene after 10 seconds or so. I got it, already! Heh.

Realistically, I'm another tick on viewer ratings which is good for show creators, but I'd suspect a lot of them would hate my half-assedly watching ways. I was in a movie theater recently and unconsciously started pressing my thumb down in an attempt to FF the movie.

[zxy556575]

I wasn't sure if Jeff was deliberately being portrayed as having sketchy undertones or if my personal distaste for Anthony Bourdain colored my perception, but I don't think anyone was surprised when he turned assy.

[possibilities]

I wasn't surprised at all when Jeff was revealed to be a harrasser; he gave me extremely skeevy vibes every time he was on screen. I think even Dev was a little taken aback by his demeanor, as well, in the beginning. But he was ultimately very nice to Dev, and I think a lot of the time people who are being treated nicely simply don't suspect that person of bad behavior towards others.

[April Bloodgate]

Yeah, I also thought the taxi scene was too long. I got the point pretty quickly. Continuing it didn't drive it home for me any more. Also, I thought it was weird how much he rubbed his face. I love this show, but that scene didn't do it for me.

[msani19]

18 hours ago, possibilities said:

I wasn't surprised at all when Jeff was revealed to be a harrasser; he gave me extremely skeevy vibes every time he was on screen. I think even Dev was a little taken aback by his demeanor, as well, in the beginning. But he was ultimately very nice to Dev, and I think a lot of the time people who are being treated nicely simply don't suspect that person of bad behavior towards others.

Agreed. Doesn't this raise an interesting question about how people react when a friend or colleague is accused of an egregious act, particularly celebrities? There's the usual well he never acted like that with me or around me or I never heard them say something like that, so it can't be true, she's lying, she wants money, she wants fame. Can't think of any real life examples at all! I often wonder how'd I'd react in a similar situation. I know I'd be horrified and angry that anyone I knew would be someone like that and wonder how I would have missed such a huge character flaw. Dev did notice how Jeff was just slightly off especially with his first comment about Lisa. After that, it wasn't terribly hard for Dev to believe it. 

It's no wonder she just took another job. Who wants to go through the hell and attacks that would follow. 

[KaleyFirefly]

On 5/21/2017 at 10:57 PM, rabidchipmnk said:

There's a secondary motive of her career (life goals?) which was sort of teased but then dropped... making a big move like that for herself would be (IMO) a lot more defensible than doing it for a guy... but that's sort of what it's being portrayed as.

She was from a small town in Italy and hadn't had much chance to see the world, so part of her decision at the end was that she wanted to have some adventures (in NYC or elsewhere) before she settled down. Nothing wrong with that. But she could do that without jumping into a relationship with Dev right away. That seemed to be a mistake, as we see in the last scene, where I think she's thinking "Oh God, what did I just do?"

[tennisgurl]

52 minutes ago, nosleepforme said:

but at the same time I question myself and wonder what's the line between having a "type" and "fetishizing

I'm sure there are really deep and interesting papers and analysis of this, but the way I've always seen it, having a fetish for a type of person usually means dating a person based solely on their (often "exotic") looks, and not really caring about them as a person. Having a "type" I think is more like having a certain look that your more physically attracted to, but also wanting to get to know them and are actually with them for their personality.

[KaleyFirefly]

Even if I got back into online dating again (I probably will because I don't meet many people my age in real life...I work at a school right now), I won't use one of those apps like Tinder because it seems only based on what the picture looks like. I need to see more than just a photo; I need to know something about the guy's likes and dislikes, personality, etc. And I do have some definite dealbreakers. 

The realism of this show is one of the things I like about it. On a different show, everything would have been exaggerated, like the girls' quirks would have been too obvious or "quirky." Here they seemed like regular people with flaws, basically like everyone you meet while dating.

[theatremouse]

So far this season is just making me want to eat. (Although I actually don't eat pork, still all the food focus is making me snacky.)

[theatremouse]

I've noticed that's a pattern on this show in general. I get shooting that much footage so you're sure you have enough, but there have been several scenes besides this one that I thought could've cut a beat or two earlier. This one seemed to very intentionally linger extra long. Like waiting for something else to happen long. But there have been others as well where they could've, and for me I'd say should've, cut even 4-6 seconds and it would've been an improvement. On the one hand, I like that they're not as bound to exact episode length as they would be if it were on TV with with ads, but in some ways having that restriction forces some tough choices in editing that do tighten things up for the better.

[theatremouse]

I was so tense the whole time they were arguing in ASL in the store, thinking, why are you continuing to have this argument in the middle of a store, so when the mom came over and was like "um, we know what you're saying, stop it" I was sort of relieved in a way.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 5/13/2017 at 8:34 PM, msani19 said:

 We were raised Catholic and I feel like if you want to raise an Athiest or an agonist, raise your kids in the Catholic church.

Or you could simply marry someone of a different faith.  Being raised in a house with two religions with my parents arbitrarily picking the 'better one' for me does not exactly bode well for me believing shit.

[zxy556575]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Or you could simply marry someone of a different faith. Being raised in a house with two religions with my parents arbitrarily picking the 'better one' for me does not exactly bode well for me believing shit.

Ha! My parents, in their wisdom, decided to alternate children with regard to their religions -- Mom's faith/Dad's faith. Pfft. We ended up atheists.

[msani19]

2 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Being raised in a house with two religions with my parents arbitrarily picking the 'better one'

Curious on how they decided which was "better"?