Flesh And Bone - General Discussion

[lucindabelle]

That's the one!

 

I thought Alessandra Ferri was almost unreal in her perfection.

[nara]

I am really enjoying this show, but I think I have more tolerance for the inconsistencies and cliches in general than do most people.

 

Bryan is the creepiest.  The brother-sister incest in this show makes the one in Game of Thrones look healthy and normal.  I'm really curious about whether Claire's hiatus was the result of a pregnancy or a suicide attempt.

 

Did Mia lose sensation in her arm?  I hope she won't end up with some illness that impairs her muscles  By the way, I cannot get over how much Emily Tyra reminds me of Sutton Foster.  Anyone else feeling that?

 

I agree with Toni that these dancers are too robotic in the African dance.  But I was really afraid that Claire was going to give in to her brother to have the sex that Toni and Paul felt she needed.  The guy in the strip club who fell in love with her is cliche, but I'd rather she sleep with him than with Bryan!  BTW, am I the only one who thinks he will turn out wealthy and become a patron of the ballet?

[WaltersHair]

Paul made this an irredeemable series for me. I could not think of one good quality in his character. I thought an artistic director was supposed to build people up after tearing them down. Never saw him teaching them a damn thing. And the over the top scenery chewing, ,yikes.

 

I could have done just fine without the twincest and the whole stripper vs ballerinas  cliche.

 

If there's a second season, I may pass.

[nara]

I have found that I enjoy Paul more when I view all of his dialogue as intentionally campy. His whole viagra on pointe shoes/engorge me speech is ridiculous if taken seriously but hilarious if taken as comedy.

 

I must be gullible as hell because at first I thought Trey was going to Paul to try to help Ross.

 

Nick Coleman can fuck right off. A girl is not crazy for making out with you and then deciding she doesn't want to have sex with you in a bathroom stall. I hate seeing guys who act like they're entitled to sex. Guess what, dude? She can tell you to stop at any time and that doesn't make her crazy.

 

When Cameron invited Claire to his work event and then Sergei wanted Daphne and Claire to perform for him on the same night, I was convinced that the two events would end up being the same and that no matter which one she decided to say yes to, she would end up being caught (either by Sergei finding out she was seeing a client outside the club or by Cameron finding out she was a ballerina). When she was taking publicity photos for the new ballet, I wondered how long before Cameron sees them and finds out her real name.

 

And Claire, come on. You had the bouncers beat the shit out of your brother after you told him to go away. Do not send him mixed messages by calling him. I know this is more complicated than a regular breakup but dude, you told him to leave you alone and he's probably pretty mad at you so DO NOT ENGAGE.

 

1. I think that Paul is deliberately playing up the drama queen persona and means for a lot of his lines to be funny--except when he actually loses his temper.
2. You are not alone.  I thought that Trey was going to threaten Paul to stay away from Ross, but not necessarily give up the role he now has. I guess I am too optimistic for this dark series!
3. I disagree regarding Nick Coleman.  I think it's perfectly natural for him to be taken aback and pissed when Mia did a complete 180 on him.  He didn't know that she had been assaulted, and she was the one who initiated the conversation and she seemed quite eager to have sex. She willingly goes with him into a bathroom stall and they continue to advance towards sex.  All of a sudden, she screams stop and looks at him like he's a villain.  I think his reaction was normal, and note that he didn't try to persuade her to continue or coerce her in any way. He didn't act entitled IMO, but rather, like he was shocked by her change in attitude.  The only way I would fault him is for not asking her if anything was wrong--and I'm not sure it's reasonable to blame him for that.
4. I also thought that Cameron would be on the yacht.  Glad he wasn't, because he can still be a decent guy,not a creepy pedophile.
5. I get that Claire probably loves Bryan on some level--he is her brother--but I agree that she cannot encourage people to beat him up one day and then be all worried about him the next.  

 

I both hope and am terrified that we may find out what happened to the young girl on the yacht to begged Claire for help.  That's not going to end well.  And I'm annoyed that Daphne, whom I liked for being fairly down to earth and friendly to Claire, seems so casual about underage sex trafficking. 

 

I'm curious about the titles of the episodes.  They all seem to be military terms, so are the titles from Bryan's perspective, or is it simply a comparison of the ballet world to war?  In this case, it was M.I.A., which is a play on the name Mia and her food poisoning causing her to be absent.  Bryan was also missing from this episode, so it could have been meant to apply to him,

[nara]

I wasn't surprised by the pregnancy because I anticipated that Claire's hiatus from dancing was either because of pregnancy or a suicide attempt.  I was surprised that she carried the baby to term--wouldn't that alter the shape of her body enough to affect her dancing?  (Not talking fat, but her pelvis/hips). 

 

The incest is creepy as all hell, but am I the only one who feels a little sorry for Bryan?  He has an apparently consensual and seemingly loving relationship with Claire, and then she won't even see him or tell him where she is.  Then she encourages guys to beat him bloody when he was trying to protect her from jerks in a strip joint.  Then she comes back and not only comes to his room to snuggle, but initiates the kiss that leads to sex.  From his perspective, he seems to genuinely feel affection for her (we saw the way he smiled when watching her sleeping in a previous episode), and she is giving him some serious mixed messages.  Plus, it didn't appear that they used protection when they had sex.  Have they learned nothing?  If there is another child, I will be seriously pissed off.  I also felt sorry for the verbal abuse he was taking from his father.  Some may say that it was justified by Bryan having sex with Claire, but I suspect the abuse predated the relationship.  Also, regardless of what Bryan did with Claire, I don't feel like the language their father uses is justified, given that Bryan is helping him go to the bathroom and taking care of him.  I am a little surprised by the state of the house, given Bryan's military training and the discipline that included.  (We saw him carefully line up his boots next to the couch when he stayed with Claire and Mia.)

 

I want to see Ross further fleshed out as a character.  I was horrified that he tried to seduce Paul to get his place back.  I actually thought that Paul was doing him a kindness by not taking advantage, but clearly Paul is not that kind.  I guess i was the only one amused by his comments about Trey.  Trey did essentially blackmail him--it was nice to get tricked right back.

 

I got the impression that Paul's Thanksgiving meltdown and "surprise" party was an annual occurrence.  That's why he's surprised that Claire isn't there and someone responded that she didn't know (the drill). Perhaps his previous partner died during the holiday season?

[nara]

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?

 

1. Agreed.  Sarah Hay is a great dancer, but based on my admittedly little knowledge of dance, she doesn't seem to be quite as good as the character is meant to be.  I suspect that's why we get a lot of close-up shots.

 

2. I didn't pick up on the embezzlement either.  When Jessica got the check in the mail, I initially thought that the school returned the tuition and kicked her daughter out because she was a beeyotch to the headmistress.  Good thing I'm not a Russian mobster--I'd be rubbish at i!

 

3.  Probably no one else would care about Claire having had a baby, but it's a secret that she's tried to forget.  Having it revealed would be traumatic.  It would also hurt her image as the ingenue ballerina who became a star.  Paul's comment about her going back to Pittsburgh was just an expression, not literal.  

 

4.  I don't know if this is true in real life, but in fiction it is often the case that sibling incest ends up with one or both of the parties having serious psychological issues.  We also don't know what became of the baby.  If something bad happened to it, Claire could be holding on to a lot of guilt.  I did think it was interesting that the book on her chest when she was sleeping was Crime and Punishment.  BTW, I think the books on her body are some sort of alarm.  Her brother would have to remove them to have sex with her and she would wake up in the process and potentially stop him (if she wanted to do so).

 

 

 

While I buy that Paul called Claire's last company to ask why she left, I seriously doubt that HR would say, "By the way, there are rumors in our tiny town of Pittsburgh (population 2 million) that she was fucking her brother. But you didn't hear that from me!"

 

It would be one thing if Kiira came to her senses and decided not to dance in the A cast of Dakini because of her injury, but instead her decision was based on jealousy and insecurity. The way she cleaned out her dressing room made it seem like she isn't just skipping out on this particular show. It looked like she was planning to leave the company entirely which you kind of can't do after the season starts since you have a contract. I guess she can always use her injury as an excuse to retire, but you'd think that she would want one last glorious performance.

 

I don't get the back and forth with Claire and Bryan. He was so desperate to see her after he got discharged but now when Claire is calling him, he doesn't answer his phone and doesn't want to go to New York to see her? I thought for sure he was going to conveniently let his dad fall and hit his head while he was helping him out of the bathtub.

 

I'm just glad Claire only cut her hair. I was afraid she was going to cut herself again. Paul is going to have a shit fit when he sees her hair. Most ballet companies have a clause that says the dancers can't make significant changes to their appearance. I guess they can always give her a fall or a faux bun for performance.

1. She's from Polish Hill, which I assume is a small town suburb of Pittsburgh.  Likely, there are rumors there.  She carried the baby to term, so people would have known she was pregnant.  If she didn't have a boyfriend, and people noticed a closeness between the siblings, that could have led to rumors.
2. It does seem uncharacteristic of Kiira not to go out in a blaze of glory, but I assume that's why she wore her costume for the non-dress rehearsal.
3. I think that Bryan is genuinely trying to stay away from Claire after the NYC visit.  He didn't ask her to come for Tgiving, he didn't invite her into his bed, and he tried not answering her calls.  He is encouraging her to be independent.  He probably anticipated coming back to her from the war in some sort of romantic reunion. The NYC visit helped him realize that shouldn't happen and the Tgiving sex got the pent up lust out of his system.  He may end up being the one to help her escape her demons.
4. I really love her hair!  I hope she didn't cut it.  However, I would really enjoy the look on Paul's face when he sees it!  In addition to the excellent point mad by WatchrTina about the association between the pony tail and sex, it could also be symbolic of embracing Toni's modern approach vs. Paul's traditional approach.  

[Pestilentia]

Didn't much care for any of this episode- it felt icky.

 

What is the pathology of Claire's falling right back under bro's spell?

I have no experience of abuse or molestation to speak from so I don't understand why she caved and went so flat so fast.

I get that she is damaged but it just rang false to me that she would just go back inside, make dinner, and damn near tuck him in, never mind just lying there after he followed her to the floor.

[nara]

I've never seen White Fang, but Brian's demanor changed when Claire said that she needed him to see the performance so her new life in NYC can feel real. He didn't want her to be emotionally independent, so he did a 180 and decided to bail so Claire would remain stuck in their dysfunction, hence he's a monster. Lashing out about their baby, etc. was her monsterous way of striking back.

 

I actually got the opposite impression.  I thought that Bryan saw that Claire believed her happiness being dependent on him being there.  He realized that he had to be completely out of the picture for her to become independent, so he left.  I thought it was a selfless act, because while she could thrive and have a better life without him, he could never be happy without her.  She reacted in anger, calling him a monster, because she did not realize that he was leaving to help her.

 

I just finished watching this show...It was really dark and twisted, but I could not stop watching. Black Swan is one of my favorite movies, which drew me to this show. I hope there's a second season!! There was a lot left unresolved...like that last scene. I'm a little confused why Paul wasn't totally ecstatic at the end of the performance? I mean Claire (and the other performers) killed it, but he was like half-smiling and not really clapping that much. I mean I guess I could see that he was a little jealous of Claire...but idk. 

 

That ending made me feel like Paul was more of the "Dragon" than Bryan. He was so egotistical throughout the show and treated his dancers like trash. And the way he felt like he controlled Claire. I mean Bryan and Claire's relationship was twisted, but I was a little more sympathetic to Bryan. His father was terrible to him, even as a kid (that home video!?).

 

Thoughts anyone? 

 

I thought Paul was more jealous of Toni than of Claire.  It was in a dance choreographed by Toni, not Paul, in which Claire made her stunning debut.

 

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.

 

My understanding: As Claire described the Velveteen Rabbit, the rabbit is worn out from all the love it received and is unsure it can ever be happy after it is brought to life.  Similarly, Claire is worn out from the love of Bryan (and I do think his love for her was genuine, if twisted) and is unsure that she can ever be happy in her real life.  Romeo's belief is that Bryan is a dragon that is guarding Claire as it's treasure and keeping her from freedom.  He feels like he has to slay the dragon to free her.  

 

Personally, I don't feel like Bryan deserved to die or that he even had to die for Claire to move on.  He was leaving of his own choice because he understood that was necessary for Claire to live.  As long as he was in the picture, she would keep turning to him.  However, since I think he would be unhappy without her, perhaps it's best for him that he died. Regardless, once she is free of Bryan, Claire is able to assert herself and say no to Paul.

 

I really enjoyed the dancing.  I like that they saved the full-body view of the dancing for the finale--it prevented us from getting bored by the moves.  I especially liked how Ross let loose towards the end.  Fantastic!

 

Regarding the glass in the shoe, I first thought some mean person in the corps put it there.  However, it could also have been lodged there when the light burst during the rehearsal.  Not sure.  When Claire put it in her mouth, I thought we might end up with Claire and Bryan dying at the same time but in different locations.  Glad that didn't happen.  

[GaT]

Regardless, once she is free of Bryan, Claire is able to assert herself and say no to Paul.

 

Except she had no idea Bryan was dead at that point.

[numbnut]

I actually got the opposite impression.  I thought that Bryan saw that Claire believed her happiness being dependent on him being there.  He realized that he had to be completely out of the picture for her to become independent, so he left.  I thought it was a selfless act, because while she could thrive and have a better life without him, he could never be happy without her.  She reacted in anger, calling him a monster, because she did not realize that he was leaving to help her.

 

Great point. I could see that scenario as well. Maybe it's intentionally ambiguous.

 

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.

 

I thought she used the weight of the books to feel like she wasn't sleeping alone (because she missed sleeping in the same bed as her brother).

[nara]

Except she had no idea Bryan was dead at that point.

 

She was free from the time he left her for good, though she went through a bit of a transition in which she was in a daze.  She didn't need to know he was dead to start asserting herself.  That's why I don't believe he needed to die for her sake.

[Shelby]

I assumed Claire took the cocaine for the homeless guy, but all I saw her give him was an orange.

Did this episode show what she did with it? I hope she's not using it herself.

The brother was the creepiest thing I've seen, ever. Eeew and yuck.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Shelby

[Pestilentia]

Well- Paul's naked diatribe to Claire was hysterical but aside from that I want more dance and less crazy.

The in company crazy is fine but the pathological bro/sis issues are just a bit too dark IMO.

Sooner or later they have to tell us what is going on in these two siblings that rendered them both so dysfunctional.

Then get on with the dance.

 

And I do realize that I contradicted myself there, asking for less crazy yet still wanting an explanation.

I just don't enjoy shot after shot of Claire's pained face and blood fascination with no idea wtf is going on with her.

[Mozelle]

I learned of this show last night because I was looking to jump on the Survivor's Remorse wagon. (Folks I know have talked it up and I was like, OK. I need to watch.) Instead, Flesh and Bone caught my eyes.

I'm a sucker for dance shows and movies so it makes sense that I've tuned in. I don't really have anything of substance to add except to say imagine my surprise seeing Sascha Radetsky all tatted up! Quite the change from 15 years ago. :)

[emjohnson03]

I binged watched since it was free on demand.

 

I'm not a huge ballet person but I thought this might be interesting and I watched the first episode a few weeks back and enjoyed it soo....

 

TOO MUCH GOING ON! I couldn't get into any of the characters because one minute it was this person, the next another story line and then another. I thought it was very nuanced in the pacing and the shooting but I couldn't get into the too long shots of things. I get the focus on a situation or moment but did they have to linger for so long on the scene? 

 

I also felt even at the end, I couldn't get into the people because we didn't see enough of the backstory. She was dancing, having a boyfriemd, then realizing she was working for the mob but then poof, she was done with it. The manager was taking money and all the sudden we should care? Doesn't anyone never really leave?? I don't get it. Too disjointed.

 

And they did linger on Bryan's tattoo but I couldn't make it out, and why should we care? Does that mean something to us? 

 

overall, this could have been great but it was so all over the place. And sometimes I think it was extreme for the sake of extreme...there was nothing to support it. Like the boyfriend leaving the poop or all the sex...didn't do anything because it didn't MEAN anything to us the audience. I was left underwhelmed.

 

Too many people but like others have said, it needed to be tighter. I did however download that great song at the end where Bryan is beat up and Claire goes back into the strip club. Great tune!

[BigBlueMastiff]

Thank you all, so glad I gave up mid episode 4. I just couldn't take anymore of Claire and Brian, and this would have pushed me over the edge. Enjoying all the comments, much better than actually watching!

[wendyg]

WatchrTina: my thought was that the Yankee Doodle ring tone was specifically for the brother, the soldier.

 

ElectricBoogaloo: I read once that Steffi Graf was such a klutz off-court that they used to rearrange the furniture and microphones so she wouldn't trip over them on her way into the press room. That said, I assumed the trip-and-spill was deliberate.

[Lone Wolf]

I have found that I enjoy Paul more when I view all of his dialogue as intentionally campy. His whole viagra on pointe shoes/engorge me speech is ridiculous if taken seriously but hilarious if taken as comedy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This show became a lot more palatable for me when I stopped seeing it as The Turning Point and moved further down towards the Showgirls end of the viewing spectrum.

 

 

1. I disagree regarding Nick Coleman.  I think it's perfectly natural for him to be taken aback and pissed when Mia did a complete 180 on him.  He didn't know that she had been assaulted, and she was the one who initiated the conversation and she seemed quite eager to have sex. She willingly goes with him into a bathroom stall and they continue to advance towards sex.  All of a sudden, she screams stop and looks at him like he's a villain.  I think his reaction was normal, and note that he didn't try to persuade her to continue or coerce her in any way. He didn't act entitled IMO, but rather, like he was shocked by her change in attitude.  The only way I would fault him is for not asking her if anything was wrong--and I'm not sure it's reasonable to blame him for that.
2. I get that Claire probably loves Bryan on some level--he is her brother--but I agree that she cannot encourage people to beat him up one day and then be all worried about him the next.  

 

I'm curious about the titles of the episodes.  They all seem to be military terms, so are the titles from Bryan's perspective, or is it simply a comparison of the ballet world to war? 

 

1. I don't think it is.  If I were him, I'd have gotten out of there as soon as she started freaking out, no questions asked or opinions opined.  From his perspective, obviously she had issues - what would have kept her from taking it to the next level and start screaming rape?
2. I tend to be more black-and-white in my view of the world than is good for me, so I couldn't understand why she would have called him at all.  My best guess was guilt over him getting beat up, but screw that - he deserved it. 
3. I've assumed the latter, mainly because I dislike Brian so much that I don't want his perspective tainting the show to that extent.  But maybe it's both. 

[editorgrrl]

I'm curious about the titles of the episodes. They all seem to be military terms, so are the titles from Bryan's perspective, or is it simply a comparison of the ballet world to war?

Episode 5 was "M.I.A.," which is a play on the name Mia and her food poisoning causing her to be absent. Bryan was also missing from the episode, so it could have been meant to apply to him.

Has anybody figured out the relevance of any other episode titles? After all, "F.U.B.A.R." could apply to any & all of them.

[WearyTraveler]

Claire didn't go back to the strip club, she was in her own dressing room at the theater, presumably because now that Kiira left, she's going to be the prima ballerina.

 

My take on the end scene with Claire and Paul was that Paul lives vicariously through his dancers.  He sucks their energy, so to speak.  When Paul was talking to his Latin boyfriend while watching video of Paul in his hey day, he seemed pretty nostalgic and depressed that he didn't get to enjoy a standing ovation anymore.

 

I think it was meant to show the balance of power shifting between Paul and Claire.  Before she killed that performance, he was in control and she needed him more than he needed her, so he used the threat of exposure as a way to control her.  Now that she has proved on stage how much she's worth, Paul is the first person interested in not messing up with her career, because it would be messing up with his own career.  So, now she's the one that holds the power, and she understands that Paul needs to hear he experience in order to feel almost like he used to feel when he was the performer; she's paying his cruelty back with some cruelty of her own.

 

As for Romeo knowing where Bryan was, I just assumed he had been following the guy at a distance from the moment he left Claire's building and just waiting for the right time/place to slay the dragon.

[Duke Silver]

I've been binging on this show; just finished this episode last night.  It was a train wreck from jump, but I stuck around for the dancing.  This episode made it the end of the line for me.  I won't bother w/ the final two episodes.  Terrible writing/acting/directing; terrible storyline.  Neither the writers nor actors are early good enough to deal w/ complex dysfunctioal family/incest issues.  This show is just terribad, and the dancing isn't near enough to make me watch more of it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Somehow Flesh and Bone was nominated for two Golden Globe awards:

Best TV Movie or Limited-Series

Best Performance By an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Sarah Hays

Edited December 10, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[GaT]

Somehow Flesh and Bone was nominated for two Golden Globe awards:

Best TV Movie or Limited-Series

Best Performance By an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Sarah Hays

That's.....interesting? I honestly can't imagine how this happened.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I know! I thought the show being nominated was one of those "we liked the last thing you did so here is some recognition" things for Moira Walley-Beckett, but Sarah Hays being nominated in the best actress category? That makes no sense at all. Her acting consisted of looking scared, and not in a good way. If she actually wins over Kirsten Dunst, Felicity Hoffman, Queen Latifah, and Lady Gaga (ha, when did this category take a turn into the American Music Awards?), I will be really shocked.

Edited December 10, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Crim]

I really don't think she'll win, but yeah, weren't there any other actresses who actually deserved that nomination? They were aware that she was a ballerina, not an actress who had to work hard to pull off the physicality of this role, right? I am flabbergasted.

[Lone Wolf]

Forget the incest/asshole bully/suicide attempt plot lines. There's some piss-poor property management going on here.  Robert Durst would be appalled if there was a homeless guy living under the stoop and setting up an office on the roof of one of his buildings.  Whoever's collecting the rent and replacing the light bulbs and unplugging the toilets needs to check the exterior once in a while.  Or is Romeo supposed to be Building Security in exchange for living outside the premises?  Okay, yeah, no liability situation there.

 

Just sayin'.  Please resume your regular program commenting.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2016 Critics' Choice Award nomination:

BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES

Sarah Hay – Flesh and Bone

Edited December 15, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Readalot]

I know nothing of the ballet world but still I am entertained by the dancing and the dark story line. I just watched the first episode while the kids weren't home. I'd love to binge watch the rest of the season but now that the kids are home during the day for winter break I might have to wait until next year. Boo.

[Absurdist1968]

 

Why is everyone in the company so over-the-top?

Because it's television, and people behaving sensibly isn't very interesting for a television audience?

[Readalot]

Based on what he said in an earlier episode about being kicked out of the army for "some bull shit," I thought he had been mistreating the locals overseas. I'm not convinced that he was tying up Claire when they were both living at home. I mean, it's possible, but I got the feeling that the hog tying was something he picked up while he was in Afghanistan.

It's definitely realistic and i think part of it is just the whole "devil you know" thing, but I think another factor in her decision was just wanting to get the hell out of the city/Paul/the company to take a break from ballet. Dancing in a company is pretty intense especially right before a show opens. You basically spend 10-18 hours a day with the same people and then you go home and have to deal with at least one coworker who is your roommate (and sometimes more if other people come over to hang out or you are a broke corps member who has multiple roommates). In other words, it's 24/7 with the same people for months on end. In Claire's case, she seems that of all the people in the company, Daphne is the only one who is even remotely friendly to her so it's like being alone in a crowd all day, every day. Yes, her dad is a jerk and yes, she has major issues with her brother, but at least they acknowledge her presence, unlike most of the ballet company who either ignore her or are staring daggers at her. Plus Thanksgiving is a family holiday that she is used to spending with her dad and brother which probably seems more appealing than sitting in her apartment with Mia. And from what it sounds like, she has never missed Thanksgiving since her previous ballet company was in her hometown. It's hard to break the habit of spending every holiday with your family (and the first time is always the hardest) so I think she probably felt obligated to go home. I'm not saying that going home for Thanksgiving was the healthiest choice but I get it. I also think that she wanted an excuse to go home and see if Bryan was mad at her.

Romeo is supposed to be psychic or something. Remember in an earlier episode when he talked about a vision he had of white and people screaming and Bryan freaked out because he was describing what he saw in Afghanistan? I'm not saying I totally buy the "Romeo is psychic" angle, but he definitely had no other reason to run down to their apartment and find Mia.

I thought it was Mia's music that was causing the shaking and that's what caught Romeo eye and he decided to check it out. - I also thought there was going to be a fetus in the box, I was side eyeing the screen in case I had to look away. But little did I know I'd be freaking out more with that bedroom scene. Yuk and yuk and yuk. I don't get how everything is going to be wrapped up in two more episodes. What about the Strip Club Owner and the child slaves? Was was the point of showing us that? Or is this just a "slice of a ballerina's life" series? (Did anyone else think that Claire was much younger? Like 17 and she was running away from home in the first episode?

[Readalot]

Love these thabks ElectricBoogaloo! I appreciate the time you took to transcribe these. They are classic. I can't pick a favorite. . I need to figure out a way to incorporate them in a conversation. (Btw love your name. I transport to 1984 everytime I read it).

[Readalot]

So I found a way and finished the series today. I must of missed something between Trey and Paul. Can anyone direct me to what episode I would find this please? Thanks!

[ethalfrida]

Too dark for me and I didn't even catch the brother part.

 

Not homophobic but I truly do not want to pry into the lifestyle and actual performance parts of the gay world... something tells me I will be watching lots of old movies and documentaries.

Checked out on this one after first episode.

I was into this series for the ballet part.

[JustaPerson]

Really confused as to what happened to Cam, the guy who had a crush on Stripper!Claire and wanted to get to know her. She obviously didn't go to his work thing and he was never mentioned again. I mean, she also stopped going to the strip club after seeing those sex trafficking so was that it? He seemed to be into her as a person, and I felt like would have been a little more persistent. The storyline was a bit cliched I guess, but he seemed like a nice, semi-normal  guy. I liked that he pushed Claire behind him when Bryan (to him an unknown assailant) started charging at the two of them in episode 4.

 

On an unrelated note, who'd thought I'd end the series almost feeling a bit sorry for Bryan? Outside of Claire, his life was so empty

[Babalu]

Just finished watching the series last night. I'd been watching it weekly as it aired on Starz, rather than binging because I couldn't stand to watch more than an episode a week, but when I finished episode 7, I decided to get through 8, as well, just so I'd be DONE with it.

I did love the dancing, but even at the end there were times when there would be quick cuts from the performances to Romeo and Bryan, so I couldn't even enjoy that without cringing. I was pretty sure that Romeo was going to kill Bryan from the second episode (I think? The one when Bryan first came to New York), but in my mind, he was going to tumble off the rooftop of the apartment building with Bryan and die, as well.

In the Thanksgiving episode, I tried to decipher the tattoo on Bryan's chest but I couldn't make it out. Even though they showed it at great length after Romeo stabbed him I still couldn't tell what it was supposed to say. When Romeo held the knife up to his own chest, I thought he was going to kill himself so I was surprised when all he did was carve the same tattoo onto his own skin.

And what was the meaning of the symbol on Brian's chest (and now on Romeo's chest)? We'll never know.

And they did linger on Bryan's tattoo but I couldn't make it out, and why should we care? Does that mean something to us?

I'm not sure about this, but I studied Farsi many years ago, and it looked to me like Bryan's tattoo said "Claire" in Arabic script. Which means that, when Romeo carved it on his own chest, he did so backwards. Which seems about right for this mess of a story - that the prophet doesn't know what the symbol means.

Oh, well, at least I got to see a little more Alex Freaking Wong, especially in the finale. And read more of Adam Grosswirth's writing, which I've enjoyed very much, both here and in the Smash re-watch conversations between him and Tara.

Edited December 28, 2015 by Babalu

[Muffyn]

I was concerned we would have an episode without a bloody toe or Claire putting something disgusting in her mouth.  I’m glad this show is done.  Otherwise we would have to bet on what Claire would be putting in her mouth each week. 

 

If only I had a super comfortable kayak full of bottle caps to sleep in.  How is everyone in the building okay with Romeo living there, running up and down the fire escapes and looking in their windows?  And of course he can walk through NYC with his bottle cap coat and find Bryan.  And all of this is happening while Claire is on stage.  Dramuhz!   We finally see some dancing and they intercut it with this bullshit. 

 

What a waste this show was.  So many talented dancers thrown into this mess to waste their talents.

[Lone Wolf]

Notwithstanding some good interpretations given above (which work for me as well as anything I might come up with), an uneven, weirdo, disjointed finale that tried to hard to be too many things of an uneven, weirdo, disjointed series that tried to be too many things.  

 

For the most part I enjoyed the choreography and the music, and I lerrrrved the dancing and the beautiful bodies.  So that's the redemption of the time I invested.  

[HumblePi]

It looks like I'm in the minority here regarding my impressions of this limited series. STARZ certainly isn't the giant that HBO or Showtime are but I think this attempt at creating a limited mini-series was at the very least an admirable effort. I had seen promos for this series and blew it off choosing to pass because I didn't think the subject was anything that could hold my interest. After watching a couple of episodes later on, I decided to get them all on demand and watch from start to end. By the time the last episode aired, I was anxious for more.

 

I like any series that doesn't have all the old, familiar celebrities that these mini-series seem to have. I like the fresh unknown faces and new talent. Especially intriguing to me was the fact that the ballerinas were ballerinas first and actors second. In between watching this series from week to week, I happened to see the HBO documentary 'Bolshoi Babylon' which is the accounting of an incident that happened to the ballet manager at the Bolshoi in Moscow. This was a pretty brutal expose' of the famous Bolshoi Ballet company in Moscow. It was so good that I watched it twice. The story focused on the politics of this famous ballet company and particularly of an incident in 2012 in which their ballet director Sergei Filin was attacked by two men and had a bottle of acid thrown in his face. During this documentary, several of the cast members of the ballet told about incidents involving someone putting needles in the toe of their 'on-toe- shoes, or pins being stuck in someones costume to stick them during a performance. So, the crushed glass in the toe-shoe of Claire was something that really does happen with rivals in a ballet company.

 

I liked the series and hope they produce another season.

[maryam]

Hello there, <br /><br />Thank you for this post. I don't know if you guys have this information or not but I know what the tattoo on Bryan's chest means as it's written in Arabic and it's my mothers tongue. It's pronounced "Kafer" and it means "non believer" or "denier of the truth" it was used to describe those who don't follow the Islam faith. It's not used commonly now. <br /><br />Thanks

[Spiderella2]

Great input everyone. Regarding the glass, my thought was that Claire put it there herself. She dances best when she has some sort of emotional or physical pain ailing her. Since she had let go of the emotional angst of Brian, she needed another stimuli of pain. Hence her first putting the glass in her slippers, and then putting it in her mouth. The more pain she has, the better and more transcendent she dances.

The series had so much potential, but it did feel very clunky and all over the place. Would have been better if they had just made it s film or 4 hour miniseries, and focused on the Ballet Theatre, cutting out all the weird bits like Brian, Claire's home life, and the crazy dude upstairs.

[tennisgurl]

You know, there really is a lot to like about this show. The dancing, the performances, the atmosphere, and I love seeing the inner lives of ballet dancers, their struggles and their triumphs, and I love seeing the inner workings of a ballet company. The big problem this show had? It kept cutting away from all that to the incest brother story line, which, while could maybe be an interesting backstory, was just so damn boring and melodramatic. 

 

At least with Black Swan, another look into the super intense world of ballet in NYC, the main characters issues still tied into her being a dancer. This just seemed like a Law and Order SVU plot got cut into a completely different show. I guess I wanted this show to be something it was not. I kind of expected a much darker version of Mozart in the Jungle ( a show about a young, female oboist, and the lives of musicians in NYC), more about the various people involved in the ballet world, and the dark side of the beautiful performances that people see. When it focused on that stuff, I thought the show was quite solid, if still rather melodramatic. Its whenever Bryan or the homeless guy arrived (homeless Dewy Crowe seemed like he got more screen time than ballet itself did sometimes) that the show started going off the rails. It just had nothing to do with anything, and just seemed to be added to be "dark" or something. Couldn't they at least tie all that "darkness" into ballet somehow? I really just kept wanting them to get back to the wings, or the characters associated with the ballet, or anything.  

 

All that being said, I am glad I watched this, and I hope that ballet does not disappear from TV permanently. 

[Funzlerks]

In NYC, I don't think you can avoid the Russian mob in the white strip clubs. If the owner isn't in the mob, the management is or 50 percent of the dancers are privately "managed" by them. And if you don't count drugging customers, selling them artwork, and scamming dancers out of tips by using funny money while not providing security in the VIP area, they are all great guys. I watched because I heard this was about strippers. The ballet surprised me. The club vibe seems right for a very nice boutique club in Manhattan. Though, I have always thought the Law and Orders got them pretty right, too.

[qtpye]

Yeah, it would be nice if this show about ballet, would actually be about Ballet.  Instead, they went with a V.C. Andrews' Flower in the Attic story line, none of which was compelling.

[marriedaniac]

This was one fucked up show. The dancing was exquisite, but it needed more, much more!

Nice (finale) recap, Adam! I got added pleasure from the MS/Stockard Channing shoutout. :)

[myname2use4now]

This show was so over the top in its misery, that I'm glad it's over. But I do admit that I loved watching them dance.

[teapot]

It made no sense whatsoever that Paul asked Claire to tell him everything she was feeling. The girl literally barely speaks (not even to those she's kind of close to), let alone suddenly pouring out her heart to someone who basically threatened her in the last episode.

[Anothermi]

Just now plowing my way through this... basically because of the infrequent glimpses of Alex Wong and hopes of seeing some dancing.

The story line is a bit over the top but I've decided to just take it as it comes. Only one episode to go.

Some observations to this point:

- due to the Alex Wong slant I have on this show I keep thinking the "mother earth" choreographer is loosely modeled on Mia Michaels (or perhaps Sonja, but I lean more to M M). Don't think it's supposed to be complimentary if she is modeled on MM but then Paul is clearly winning the jerk awards so perhaps it is somewhat complimentary.

- When Kiira's Mother-in-law was talking I think she ended with an unflattering description of her (ex?)husband. Yet the description sounded just like Kiira's drug provider - who let drop he has a medical degree. Don't see the point of the guy she is most attached to (due to drugs but who also seems to be smitten with her) being the father of her husband, but the plot is unnecessarily convoluted in so many other aspects why not? Just a wild though I had when MIL was talking.

- Bryan has been a major coat rack on which to hang red herrings in this story. This episode, when he finally answered her calls, he was the one being the supporter. He used phrases like "you are real" which made me think of the Velveteen Rabbit book and that maybe HE was the one in her f**ked-up young life who loved her enough to make her feel real?

Not sure why I would really care, but I guess I've got caught up in the plot enough to have fanciful musings about it. 

The best thing about this episode and last episode was a lot more Alex Wong sightings. It seems they borrowed his snapped Achilles tendon experiences for Paul's story line. Except Paul gave up dance because of it and Alex recovered from both and continues to dance beautifully.

[Anothermi]

OK. I'm with Adam's POV on this over all. (Thanks for the great blog on this last episode.) Ended up just shaking my head at the story line. I suppose I can just tell myself that the writers planned to make sense of things in subsequent seasons which they never got. That way I can just remember what I did like.

I agree with those who felt there was just too much going on with too little follow through. Sigh. I still hope there is someone out there who CAN make a ballet show that achieves the fine balance between dancer's lives and their "work". I don't think this one did.

On the good side... I loved the rehearsals, the dressing room dynamics, the admin crises and of course the performances. I loved that Alex Wong was shown a bit more towards the end as he was my main reason for getting into the show in the first place. I think my fav characters were Ivana (& dog) and Pasha the pianist.