Flesh And Bone - General Discussion

[Empress1]

I'm not convinced the dad was abusive in their childhood. He speaks abusively NOW, but I mean ... it is asking too much of a parent to ask him to support his kids fucking. His son got his daughter pregnant. That's an abomination, IMO, even if it was consensual. I totally get why he would force them to separate, and while I don't understand how you can "make" a person over 18 join the military, I also understand why he'd want to put as much distance between the siblings as possible and to put Brian in a situation he can't come back from at will. If he'd just kicked Brian out of the house, the siblings could still be together (gross). The show hasn't done enough to show or tell me that the father's abuse began in childhood. 

 

I think Claire shoved the hospital bracelet in his mouth as a kind of "Here, this happened, choke on it" gesture. (I also don't understand why she had the baby. There are abortion clinics in Pittsburgh, she's a dancer so being pregnant would pause or end her career, and of course, IT WAS HER BROTHER'S BABY.)

[Primetimer]

Not even Kelly Bishop can save this show.

Read the story

[GaT]

I also don't understand why she had the baby. There are abortion clinics in Pittsburgh, she's a dancer so being pregnant would pause or end her career

She obviously never saw the movie "Fame"

[Fleegull]

Tiny quibble: Daphne is not in the Corps, she is a demi-soloist.

[susannot]

This show just keeps getting creepier.  I had to fast forward through the incest scenes.  Gaping at my TV in disbelief.  Where can episodes 7 and 8 possibly go after this?

[pumuckl]

Guys please help me out here. How was the scene with the baby birds filmed? Were they real or computer animated? I really hope they weren't real. That scene was so sad. :/

[Tara Ariano]

You don't actually see Paul drop the birds; he picks up a nest, but it's shot from so far away that it is almost certainly empty (or just full of model birds).

[schroob]

The glass in the slipper? Classic Showgirls moment right there.

[Empress1]

I felt sorry for Mia when she was crying about how she'd never be a prima ballerina, what am I going to do now, etc.. MS is unpredictable and manifests differently for everyone but given that her vision is impaired, I'd guess her dancing career is over.

 

Yup, that pretty much covers it. Though I'm calling bullshit on how that high ponytail cut resulted in a trendy lob (a low, nape-level ponytail cut would do the trick).

Yeah, she'd end up with a boy short haircut once it was cleaned up if she cut her hair off like that. Which I actually think she could pull off, but I'm sure it violates her contract to alter her appearance like that.

 

Speaking of contracts, I was looking at Kiira like, "but don't you have a contract?" when she was cleaning out her dressing room. I mean, if the company decided to use Claire, wouldn't they still have to pay Kiira in accordance with the contract? I feel like she can't just up and quit, but what do I know?

 

But I totally loved that Daphne refused to give Jessica the identity of the donor and I really loved that when Jessica tried to guilt trip Daphne about her responsibility to the company, Daphne reminded her that her only actual responsibility was to dance, stay skinny, and go to rehearsal. We only saw a tiny bit of Daphne's with her father so I don't want to make too many assumptions about Daphne's childhood or her relationship with her father, but it was bitchy of Jessica to assume that Daphne is rich just because her father has money. Yes, a lot of parents support their kids (especially dancers since they make so little) but Jessica was totally out of line. It's not Daphne's responsibility to find donors.

I liked that too. Her father seems to think her dancing career is frivolous but she does have that enormous apartment - you don't get that much space in NYC stripping - so I assumed he was supporting her, but that has nothing to do with the company. Daphne is a dancer, not a fundraiser.

[Straycat80]

I just watched the second episode and I'm disappointed. I wanted to like this show but it's so dark and depressing. And there is not one character I like. The men are all pigs, I'm still not sure about Romeo, and all the women are mean and bitchy. I don't want to watch Claire be victimized week after week.

The bloody toe stuff doesn't bother me that much but the puking is a giant pet peeve with me. Yuck, yuck, double yuck!

I'll keep this on my DVR only because I'm hoping to see Claire, Romeo or maybe ex-seat mate the from bus kill Claire's brother.

[susannot]

I'm binge-watching too.  Claire is one sick puppy.  She dances a great rehearsal -- one so good her rival the Prima decides to retire on the spot -- and then freaks out so much she has to crawl under a desk.  Damn. 

 

And as for the Prima retiring on the spot -- that seems unrealistic.  She could easily just step out of the new ballet so as not to be compared with the up-and-comer (and to place less stress on her injury.)  Why is everyone in the company so over-the-top?

 

I did like her supplier rejecting her advances and forcing her to do the deed herself (I'm giving you the gun.  I won't pull the trigger.)

 

So, we finally know why we've been subjected to the blonde administrator's home-life, complete with shitty ex-husband and bratty kid.  I totally did not spot that she embezzled the tuition money for her kid from the ballet.  So THAT's why she was so relieved when his check arrived.  Too bad it bounced -- because now her ass is owed by the Russian Mob.

 

 

I presume those 11 house seats are going to go to the same sleazy guys he entertained on his yacht with under-aged sex slaves.  Being a rich mobster allows you a lot of luxuries (like under-aged sex slaves) but what it generally does NOT allow you is entry into "polite" society.  It's probably going to be a big feather in Sergei's cap that he is a treated like a VIP by the ballet.  It will increase his status with his "associates."  It will also (I think) cost the company the rest of its donors and Paul's beloved company will end up being dependent on the Russian Mob for survival.  It couldn't happen to a more deserving artistic director.

 

This show is really suspenseful.  The scene between the embezzler and Sergei was really tense but the ones that really killed me were Kiira's performance (I kept fearing a catastrophic failure of her foot) and Claire handling the scissors.  I was particularly worried because I've seen a recent photo of the actress who plays Claire and she has long hair so I assume she would NOT cut her hair (and i feared she would cut something else.)  Now I recollect that this series has actually been on the shelf of a couple of years -- plenty of time for her to regrow her hair.

 

So . . . why do you think she cut her hair?  I think it was explained in the "previouslys".  They cut quickly from her brother gripping her by her ponytail during their sex scene last episode to the scene from episode 1 where a guy grabs her ponytail and she hits him in the head with a beer-bottle.  I'm assuming that the symbolism of cutting off that pony-tail is to cut her ties with all the fuck-uppery in her prior life, including schtupping her brother.  So now I'm on to the final episode hoping that Claire emerges stronger (kind of a reverse Samson effect) and, after Paul stops yelling at her about the unauthorized hair-cut, she puts on a terrific performance.

 

I guess Kiira's understudy for the other ballet is about to get her big break too (but she'll be overshadowed by Claire.)

I'm also binge-watching. One more episode to go.  I thought this episode was good and dialed back the creep quotient. It mostly followed up story lines from uber-creepy ep. 6.  So, despite everything we were shown in the first few episodes, Claire loves and needs her brother.  OK.

 Kiira is a drug addict. I also thought her foot would collapse.  She storms out.  End of her storyline?

Also thought Claire was going to cut or stab herself with those scissors.  Predict she will triumph artistically in the last episode and then die in a love/hate meltdown with her brother.

[WatchrTina]

 

Speaking of contracts, I was looking at Kiira like, "but don't you have a contract?" when she was cleaning out her dressing room. I mean, if the company decided to use Claire, wouldn't they still have to pay Kiira in accordance with the contract? I feel like she can't just up and quit, but what do I know?

I assumed she would announce that her injury had flared up, making her unable to dance.  It's the truth, after all.  An x-ray will, no doubt, reveal the stress fracture that her drug supplier diagnosed.  I don't know anything about the professional dance world but I assume their contracts have specific provisions for injuries that make them unable to perform.  She'll probably get disability payments for a time but judging from the size of that house, money isn't really an issue for Kiira.

[pamplemousse]

A dance belt is similar to a jock strap, but I've heard that it's more uncomfortable because -- to be blunt -- it goes further up the butt crack.

 

As for straight men being weird about their dance belts, I'm guessing they don't want other dudes touching them or snapping them etc.

 

I wasn't terribly impressed with the actress who plays Daphne's dancing, so I thought immediately when they didn't show the Black Swan fouettes was that a) she's not very good at fouettes, and b) in the interest of saving time which could be devoted to other things (like child sex trafficking).

[Melissa56789]

 

& the scene where the dancers watched the pregnant woman eat a burger were my favorite scenes.

 

I totally agree!  It's like food porn....and very on point.  <pun intended>

[WatchrTina]

I thought that the line "straight boys are so touchy about their dance belts" was just that character's way of saying "I know you touched him in an inappropriate way near his dangly bits and you can't even pretend it was consensual since the dude is a well-known player with the ladies." In other words he was just reinforcing the "I know what you did" threat.

[jrwlsju]

For all of you folks who are compaining about the lack of dancing, I don't know what to say. This show is about the inner lives and behind the scenes of the people you see on stage. It is not a performance show. Yes the dancing is integral but what happens OFF stage is the story.

 

It seems that you all simply want to see faceless princes and princesses, and not care who they really are as people -- their struggles, their traumas. Let's just stay in the fantasy.

 

I am in the ballet world and I have met people like some of the ones in the show. I know a ballerina who is an incest survivor. I know ballerinas with drug problems, drinking problems, eating disorders and self-destructive tendacies. I know ballerinas who have moonlighted as strippers. Their time on stage as princesses is an escape from some pretty dark places. And others are just priviledged women who grew up in rich families. Both have compelling back stories.

 

Yes, we are all atracted to ballet for the beauty but please remember that ballerinas are not race horses to be used and then discarded. They are people. That is what this show is about. Maybe approaching it this way will bring even more perspective when you are in the audience watching the angels fly.

 

If, in the end, you don't care about their backstories, then there is no reason for a show like this to exist and ballet will disappear from TV, once again.

[Primetimer]

Flesh & Bone's credibility problems snowball, and speaking of little round white things, Princess is AWOL and Sarah D. Bunting is v.v. unhappy.

Read the story

[susannot]

Overall, this season was convoluted and uneven in storylines and development. With tighter writing, there's some really good stuff there to be mined, should they get (I hope) a second season. Thankfully, the dancing that we got to see was beyond exquisite. As it should/is expected to be. I don't know what to make of that final exchange between Paul and Claire, and why they chose to end it there.

 

Yes, the dancing was beyond exquisite, especially the final performance. I may play that over and over again, just to watch Claire and Ross/Sascha.  

 

Agree with those who thought there was way, way too much Romeo.  The brother didn't have to die--that will just mess with Claire's mind even more.  He was about to make a clean exit from her life, doing the right thing. (Although according to other articles I have read, the ending was just right for a gothic horror narrative.)

 

At the end, I thought Claire was telling Paul "no" as a way of saying that she will no longer let men control her.

Edited November 18, 2015 by susannot

[susannot]

Overall,I really liked the show and would be very unhappy to see ballet disappear from TV.

[adam807]

I'm pretty sure the birds were some sort of puppet whenever they were seen. Other issues of shooting with live animals aside, baby birds would have created a sound nightmare. #TeamPaul

[adam807]

Yeah I think in this context "dance belt" was used to mean "bathing suit area."

And speaking of Trey and Paul , can anyone tell me why Paul, a gay man, seems to despise Trey for being "faggoty?"

This is surprisingly common among gay men. A quick glance at any gay dating app will turn up a lot of "masc[uline] only." Not that Paul is terribly butch himself but he clearly has a lot of issues around control and power. It's a legitimate note to want Trey, playing a role, to perform a certain way, but he gave it in the worst way possible, clearly on purpose.

[adam807]

 

You know what? I completely missed that the program director lady stole money from the company to pay for her child's private school and to continue their lavish lifestyle. With the hopes her husband would get her her alimony in time to put the money back.

 

I think she technically borrowed it but yeah, I missed it too. I spent a good chunk of this episode thinking it was really weird that her ex husband was also a major donor to the company until I figured out that she'd taken the money from the company to pay the tuition and replaced it with her husband's check. BAD WRITING.

 

Speaking of contracts, I was looking at Kiira like, "but don't you have a contract?" when she was cleaning out her dressing room. I mean, if the company decided to use Claire, wouldn't they still have to pay Kiira in accordance with the contract? I feel like she can't just up and quit, but what do I know?

#PedantsGuideToSmash :)

[lucindabelle]

Adam Rapp is an overrated playwright who indulges in all the cliches in this episode, imo.

As soon as you saw the baby birds you knew Paul would just kill them in a selfish rage. Predictable and gratuitous in an attempt to be upsetting.

I know the creator of this series used to dance but the idea that lascivious board members pull that crap is seriously LAUGHABLE. Iv'e worked on many not for profit orgs and the notion that this would happen is hilarious, especially in this day and age when sexual harassment suits are no joke.

This show is using cliches that were old when "The Turning Point" came out. Seriously, seriously, bad.

And most strip club owners are NOT members of the Russian mafia, jeez louise, they are small time business owners terrified of losing their bar licenses.

[pamplemousse]

Adam Rapp is an overrated playwright who indulges in all the cliches in this episode, imo.

As soon as you saw the baby birds you knew Paul would just kill them in a selfish rage. Predictable and gratuitous in an attempt to be upsetting.

I know the creator of this series used to dance but the idea that lascivious board members pull that crap is seriously LAUGHABLE. Iv'e worked on many not for profit orgs and the notion that this would happen is hilarious, especially in this day and age when sexual harassment suits are no joke.

This show is using cliches that were old when "The Turning Point" came out. Seriously, seriously, bad.

And most strip club owners are NOT members of the Russian mafia, jeez louise, they are small time business owners terrified of losing their bar licenses.

IA, lucindabelle, and he has a tin ear for dialogue (but, then again, so do most of the other writers for this show). It's funny you should mention The Turning Pointe because, while I am not a ballet dancer, I have two family members who have both danced professionally (one still is) and so as soon as I finished this show, I had to contact them and asked if they'd watched. Both mentioned, independently, that as chock-full of cliches as it is, The Turning Pointe is still the gold standard when it comes to fictionalized media portrayals of the world of professional ballet (not to mention all the ballet luminaries of the '70s and '80s who were featured and how much dancing was shown!). They even preferred Center Stage to this show.

[qtpye]

Hmmmm. I think it's interesting that you've all posted mostly positive reviews. I really WANT to love this show. I am totally in the target market. But so far I don't love it. I just keep scoffing at everything. The artistic director deciding that she's a STAR! after one adagio? Seriously? And she's so trigger happy about inappropriate touching that she whacks a guy in a bar upside the head with a beer bottle when he touches her hair but she's able to flirt like a champion with the big donor? I"m just not buying it. Yet. I'll hang in for all the positives you've already listed but I really hope this improve

 

I agree with you.  I want to really love this.  I rolled my eyes as the rich girl slumming as a stripper.  Is this supposed to show us how "down" she is, since she is the only one nice to the main character?  Could we have a movie about talented lady dancers without a stripping scene?  This is not Showgirls.

 

Also, of course the main character is the most talented amazing dancer evah and her damage just makes her more intriguing.

 

I thought it was shot beautifully, but the writing could be better and we need a drinking game for every dance movie cliché, but I am in it for the long haul.

[WatchrTina]

Does anyone else find it unlikely that Claire -- dark, broody, troubled Claire -- would choose "Yankee Doodle Dandy" as her ring tone?  <scoff>

[lucindabelle]

Yeah, The Turning Point (I don't think there's an e at the end, though it would have been cute) has more nuance than this piece of crap.

There was some other movie with Mikhail Baryshnikov in the 80s that was better than this nonsense.

 

The dialogue sucks but also the plotting and the stereotypes are just laughable. Ugh.

[Primetimer]

The finale of Starz's 'limited series' reminds Adam Grosswirth why he was excited for this show in the first place...and why it was such a disappointment.

Read the story

[jrwlsju]

Adam Rapp is an overrated playwright who indulges in all the cliches in this episode, imo.

As soon as you saw the baby birds you knew Paul would just kill them in a selfish rage. Predictable and gratuitous in an attempt to be upsetting.

I know the creator of this series used to dance but the idea that lascivious board members pull that crap is seriously LAUGHABLE. Iv'e worked on many not for profit orgs and the notion that this would happen is hilarious, especially in this day and age when sexual harassment suits are no joke.

This show is using cliches that were old when "The Turning Point" came out. Seriously, seriously, bad.

And most strip club owners are NOT members of the Russian mafia, jeez louise, they are small time business owners terrified of losing their bar licenses.

Most strip club owners are not Russian mobsters but they aren't the friendly green grocer either.

Adam Rapp is an overrated playwright who indulges in all the cliches in this episode, imo.

As soon as you saw the baby birds you knew Paul would just kill them in a selfish rage. Predictable and gratuitous in an attempt to be upsetting.

I know the creator of this series used to dance but the idea that lascivious board members pull that crap is seriously LAUGHABLE. Iv'e worked on many not for profit orgs and the notion that this would happen is hilarious, especially in this day and age when sexual harassment suits are no joke.

This show is using cliches that were old when "The Turning Point" came out. Seriously, seriously, bad.

And most strip club owners are NOT members of the Russian mafia, jeez louise, they are small time business owners terrified of losing their bar licenses.

Most strip club owners are not Russian mobsters but they aren't the friendly green grocer either.

[GaT]

It seems that you all simply want to see faceless princes and princesses, and not care who they really are as people -- their struggles, their traumas. Let's just stay in the fantasy.

 

Yes

 

If, in the end, you don't care about their backstories, then there is no reason for a show like this to exist and ballet will disappear from TV, once again.

I also watched Breaking Pointe, a ballet "reality" show & people had the same complaints about that show & the more time it spent on the backstories, the more the ratings dropped until it was canceled. The dancing is what makes this show different, that's why I watch it, otherwise the backstories could be on any Shonda Rhimes hospital/lawyer/White House show, & I have no interest in those.

[Sarah D. Bunting]

I watched the first seven, read Adam's excellent piece, and won't bother with the finale because life's too short. Especially if I'm being asked to care about Mia. Hardest of passes.

[adam807]

I watched the first seven, read Adam's excellent piece, and won't bother with the finale because life's too short. Especially if I'm being asked to care about Mia. Hardest of passes.

 

Heh, thanks. Would it help if I told you that all the male dancers are shirtless for the entirety of Toni's piece? No? 'Kay.

 

I didn't even mention the part about how Romeo sleeps in a kayak. Covered in bottle caps. How would that work? Does he not move at all all night? This show, you guys.

[Jadzia]

The stripper scenes made me laugh because it only reaffirmed the Flashdance parallels (she's even from Pittsburgh!) Although, while Flashdance was about an exotic dancer who dreams of being a ballerina, this was almost like a ballerina who wanted to be an exotic dancer.

 

Actually that wouldn't have been a bad idea for a series: what happened to the Flashdance character after she joined the ballet conservatory.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

There was some other movie with Mikhail Baryshnikov in the 80s that was better than this nonsense.

White Nights with Gregory Hines!

Edited November 18, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The dancing is what makes this show different, that's why I watch it, otherwise the backstories could be on any Shonda Rhimes hospital/lawyer/White House show, & I have no interest in those.

ITA - the dancing is what sets this show apart and honestly if it hadn't been set in the ballet world with real dancers in the cast, I wouldn't have bothered watching any of the epispdes.

Like Flesh and Bone, Breaking Pointe had potential but they wasted too much time on Allison and Rex alternating between staring at each other and fighting instead of showing more dancing. I wanted backstage drama but not the Allison and Rex show. The producers must have thought they struck gold when they found out about their relationship but it bored me. And yes, not enough dancing!

Ballet West update (thanks to the fact that I had to check the BW company page because I couldn't remember Rex's name): Christiana has left the company but her ex-husband Chris is still there as a principal, Beckanne and Rex are now principals, Allison is a first soloist, Ronald (Rex's brother) and Joshua are in the corps, Ronnie (the guy from Texas who was injured in S2) is no longer with the company, and Chase (Beckanne's boyfriend during S2) is now a soloist.

ETA: Are Breaking Pointe episodes still available online? Would you guys be interested im having a separate forum to discuss old Breaking Pointe episodes? If so, let me know and I will request a new forum for it!

Edited November 18, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I watched the first seven, read Adam's excellent piece, and won't bother with the finale because life's too short. Especially if I'm being asked to care about Mia. Hardest of passes.

If you've already watched the first seven episodes, I would fast forward to the end so you can watch the actual dance performances. They're nowhere near as campy and entertaining as the magical red shoe/hair change in the Center Stage finale but if you've come this far, you might as well be rewarded by a shirtless Sascha and uninterrupted dancing!

[Fleegull]

Jeffrey had Jessica's job. It's pretty easy to infer that he was also Paul's lover.

[lucindabelle]

Yes White Night, but that's not the one I'm thinking of. This was a ballet movie. I remember very little about it except that he kept comparing women to birch trees, and one sweet young thing cut herself a piece of cake while all the other ballerinas looked on aghast.

Most strip club owners are not Russian mobsters but they aren't the friendly green grocer either.

Most strip club owners are not Russian mobsters but they aren't the friendly green grocer either.

Meh, I knew strip club owners in Pittsburgh. They were not very different from owners of any bars anywhere.

[GaT]

Ballet West update (thanks to the fact that I had to check the BW company page because I couldn't remember Rex's name): Christiana has left the company but her ex-husband Chris is still there as a principal, Beckanne and Rex are now principals, Allison is a first soloist, Ronald (Rex's brother) and Joshua are in the corps, Ronnie (the guy from Texas who was injured in S2) is no longer with the company, and Chase (Beckanne's boyfriend during S2) is now a soloist.

THIS is the kind of backstory stuff I want to watch, I want to know how Allison reacted when Beckanne was made a principal, I want to know why Christiana left the company & if she's still dancing. I realize that the dancers also have lives, I just don't care about them.

[pamplemousse]

I think it's Dancers: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092822/

 

I remember watching it and marveling at a young Julie Kent -- such a beauty and a beautiful dancer, with an unusual voice.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Haha when I saw that Allison is a first soloist and Beckanne is a principal, I thought ooh I bet that caused so much drama! I agree that it would have been nice to see why Christiana left and get reactions to the various promotions (or lack thereof - was Ronald in BW2 or in the corps when the show was on?). That is the kind of behind the scenes drama I want to see, not Rex pouting about Allison à la The Hills.

[GaT]

was Ronald in BW2 or in the corps when the show was on?). 

I believe he was in the corps. The idea of the show was better than the actual show.

[HotForBacon]

I just binged the whole series and I'm not sure what the spoiler policy is for the All Episodes discussion so to be safe I'll leave my thoughts here.

There were things I loved about the show - the dancing was beautiful, the actress who played Claire was excellent and I did enjoy the darkness though it felt artificially gratuitous at times. I know she was cliche but I loved Kira! Especially watching her dance, she was phenomenal.

Way way too much Romeo. Through the whole season. He wasn't charming or endearing and they spent an insane amount of screen time on him. I wish they could let us watch more of the dancing without interspersing it with other dramatic/annoying moments. It seemed like they started with Brian as a straight up molesting psychopath, but switched gears midway through to make the situation a bit more Flowers in the Attic. I don't mind that though, Claire is way more interesting that way than just as some timid ingenue. She's completely nuts but they have her be lucid and self righteous at times. If it gets a second season they really need to decide who they want her character to be.

I guess I would prefer more Center Stage/Fame and less Black Swan if the show comes back.

 

I agree with everything you said especially the one I bolded. I think the only reason they had him do that thing at the end so that we'll go "ooohhh he HAS A PURPOSE!" but it was just too convenient. How did he even know Bryan was going to be there? Everything about Romeo just disinterested me so I fast forwarded through all his scenes. I felt like the writers just wanted a creepy crazy character that will spout all these profund line (but actually mean nothing and not related at all to the major story lines) OH and let's make him HOMELESS! and sleep in a kayak covered by bottle caps! So artistic and creative! Not.

 

The show was alright. I came for the dancing, stayed for the weird creepy relationships. But many times I felt like the show was trying too hard to be artistic, to be different or gritty or dark. Like all the mood shots. Did I really need to watch Romeo poke holes into the bottlecaps for 30 seconds? Too pretentious. 

 

Are they making a second season? I really LOVE the dancing in the finale. Beautiful. I hope they stick to more dancing next time or at least develop the characters and not just drop a plotline after an episode.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This was originally supposed to be S1 but before it aired, Starz announced that this was a limited run series (meaning this is supposed to be all we will see of this show).

[GaT]

I HATED the camera work during Claire's performance. Seriously, you guys, stop trying to be artsy. Just let me see them dance.

 

I think they do the "artsy" shots because while Sarah Hay may be a very good dancer, she probably isn't the absolutely incredible dancer that Claire is supposed to be.

 

Count me in as one of the people who didn't catch that Jessica embezzled the money & couldn't understand why they spent so much time on Jessica's life. I wish they had just figured out a way to let us know that she stole it without wasting all that not so interesting time on her.

 

I don't get why it's such a big deal that Claire had a kid, it's 2015, it's not uncommon, & I don't believe everyone knows her brother is the father unless she told them. Paul saying he would send her back to her small town didn't make any sense, he doesn't own her, she doesn't have to go back there.

 

I really don't understand what is wrong with Claire. Are they holding something back from us? Why is she such a nutcase? Yes, having a baby by your brother is bad, but that really doesn't explain why she's in such a state of crazy all the time, & what's the deal with the books?

[GaT]

Okaaay, so that happened. I called Romeo killing Bryan back a few episodes ago so that was no surprise to me, I still don't understand what he was talking about though. That whole store with the Velveteen Rabbit book & the dragon, no idea.

 

I'm glad we finally got lots of dancing, but I don't understand why they kept doing those really long shots, why wouldn't they keep the camera closer?

 

So it turns out that Bryan wasn't a pedo, he was wondering if any of those kids were his, that's sad. I can't decide whether he was a bad guy or not. Having sex with your sister is gross, but she was a completely willing participant, so I can't blame him for that. I guess we never find out why Claire is such a nutcase, in fact, I wonder if she wasn't the driving force behind their relationship.

 

What was the whole Sergei/the strip club/ballet benefactor plot for? There wasn't any point.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One of the most disappointing things is that after all eight episodes, they never explained why Claire insisted on covering herself with books to sleep.

[Empress1]

I don't get why it's such a big deal that Claire had a kid, it's 2015, it's not uncommon, & I don't believe everyone knows her brother is the father unless she told them. Paul saying he would send her back to her small town didn't make any sense, he doesn't own her, she doesn't have to go back there.

And Pittsburgh isn't a small town, it's a city! With a major university and a ballet company. It's so weird to me that they're trying to spin it as this tiny town where everyone knows everyone; that's just not what Pittsburgh is. If they wanted her to be from that kind of town, they should have picked someplace else.

 

Also, if Paul kicks her out of the company, couldn't she just audition somewhere else? There are other prestigious companies out there, and she's supposed to be so good that her performance in dress rehearsal causes the prima ballerina to quit on the spot - she'd have options. Call Joffrey! I'd think Paul would be the one trying to keep HER happy, not the other way around.

[pamplemousse]

So it turns out that Bryan wasn't a pedo, he was wondering if any of those kids were his, that's sad. I can't decide whether he was a bad guy or not. Having sex with your sister is gross, but she was a completely willing participant, so I can't blame him for that. I guess we never find out why Claire is such a nutcase, in fact, I wonder if she wasn't the driving force behind their relationship.

 

What was the whole Sergei/the strip club/ballet benefactor plot for? There wasn't any point.

I just don't get the whole incest storyline at all, so pointless. It was like just another thing the show tried to throw in there to be dark and gritty. At this point, thanks to Game of Thrones, Dexter, and a bunch of other shows & movies, sibcest is the trendy 'shocking' twist for writers to work in. It's pretty daft. I think the only actually original thing about this whole silly mess of a show was that Claire didn't have a love interest. But, then again, neither did Natalie Portman's character in Black Swan, so I guess not so original after all.

 

I guess the whole Sergei thing was to throw another hot button 'shocking' issue in there -- child sex trafficking -- so the show could seem all edgy, topical and 'real.' And to show that pretty much everyone in Flesh & Blood's version of Manhattan is a sketchy POS.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

FYI - we now have a Breaking Pointe forum so come on over and we can discuss Beckanne's meteoric rise from corps to principal in just five seasons, the Allison and Rex show, and all other things Ballet West outside of the Flesh and Bone threads!