S02.E06: Episode 6

[formerlyfreedom]

Against the school lawyer's advice, Leslie decides to take it upon herself to welcome Eric back to Leyland with a school-wide showing of empathy. But Eric soon discovers that his return does not sit well with some of his fellow basketball team members; Anne decides that she'd rather take the school to court over what happened to her son, Taylor, than accept a settlement, and Chris finds himself being vilified when students begin picketing Marshall high school after three Hispanic students are suspended for fighting with a black student, who received no punishment whatsoever.

[Madding crowd]

This whole episode made me so angry and so sad I'm sitting here with tears running down my face. I'm not sure I can watch any more of this story.

[janeta]

OK, clearly I've missed something--who is Richard Cabral's character and where did he come from??

[pivot]

Is Richard Cabral's character the guy who fixes computers? If so, I am guessing he finds something on a computer that hurts the school.

[mrsbagnet]

This show makes me hate everyone. Next week is going to be hard to watch.

 

Hopefully now Leyland will go down. Five athletes involved in an assault (Eric is going to be implicated), plus I'm guessing one of them will mention Kevin's name. Attacking Eric was so profoundly stupid. They just made everything so much worse for themselves. What's funny is that Kevin used Terri's word to incite violence. Her assholery is backfiring on her.

 

Eric's mom just went straight beserk. I'm glad his dad staying calm and reasonable.

Edited February 11, 2016 by mrsbagnet

[Woebegone]

That was an appalling hour of television. Just.. ugh. 

 

I still don't really know what happened at that party, but there was something off about Kevin's little rant to the team. Like he's looking at this whole thing from a very unique perspective.

 

Eric's mom is a mess. Despite her cringeworthy homophobia, I felt really bad for her.

 

Poor Taylor. It looked like he was just starting on the road to get past what happened to him, and then... Sigh.

[nutty1]

That was a tough episode. Even though he set up Taylor, I felt bad for Eric. His world as he knows it is crumbling. And poor Taylor seems lost too. Leslie bugs the heck out of me. I want to slap the smile off her face. I couldn't figure out the computer guy's character either. Was that him typing at the end, about an assault?

Next week looks intense.

[numbnut]

Yikes. Suddenly everybody is quick to incite violence. What was Leslie thinking? Isn't she supposed to be smart as well as strategic? A suicidal Eric is clearly not ready to be a gay activist. That was such a dumb move that I thought maybe she's trying to make Eric succeed in killing himself. I must have missed the backstory on Taylor's mom. Was she hospitalized for being mentally unstable in the past or something?

 

Is Richard Cabral's character the guy who fixes computers? If so, I am guessing he finds something on a computer that hurts the school.

 

He would be an unlikely hero. Wasn't he harassing someone online?

 

Eric's mom just went straight beserk. I'm glad his dad staying calm and reasonable.

 

The dad is asking a cop to threaten Taylor's mom. That doesn't seem reasonable to me.

Edited February 11, 2016 by numbnut

[Madding crowd]

I think the computer guy was looking at a used computer someone brought him; the assault stuff was probably from the party where Taylor was assaulted. I think Lesliee was seeing that at the end.

[FiveByFive]

Wow, what an episode!

 

I hope they don't kill Jessup's character because that would be a complete cliche and this show has done pretty well at keeping things much more complex.  

 

However, one thing I do love is that everything is turned on its head from episode to episode of how we should see these characters. 

 

Is Terri LaCroix a monster? No. She's just scared for her son and wants the best for him.

 

Is Michael LaCroix a good guy who was supportive of his son's dating life and the one man who could calm Terri down when she was nearing the deep end because he is so level headed? Nope, he's willing to work his connections to with the police to scare Anne into leaving them alone.

 

Is Anne, Taylor's mom out searching for justice? Not necessarily, she is obsessed with heaps of mental and past issues including a previous abandonment of her son. She is going after everyone and everyone without her son's support. 

 

Is Eric a rapist or is he an innocent guy accused of rape by someone who was confused? Innocent? Maybe but he's definitely a psycho with tons of issues.

 

Is Eric's father disappointed in his son for being gay? Nope.  He's the only one showing any sort of support for his son.

 

Is Kevin an asshole?  Probably but he wasn't there when the basketball team was making a plan with Eric. I also doubt he would have let that fly and would be smart enough to know the repercussions if they get caught.  (Also I've seen enough cop shows to know that the first thing the police will do is check Taylor's phone records if he is killed or rendered unconscious and see that Eric called him before the assault.)

 

Is Leslie Graham on top of things? No. Girl is about to lose it.  Then again, if anything at all that happened this episode comes to light she has a good reason to be scared because that school, that the public already hates, is going down.

 

Is Connor a liar? Apparently not because even though he has attempted to call off his mother multiple times and has denied the story publicly he is sticking to his story privately and that says something. 

[RedheadZombie]

Leslie appeared to be talking to someone with a past indiscretion. Maybe this is the "bad" teacher we heard about?

The computer repair guy was the one who typed out and sent the threat. He also had a smirk on his face afterwords. I don't think he's going to be a hero.

I didn't really think Taylor's mentor molested him, but it was good to have it kind of confirmed.

Kevin's little speech may have been pre-meditated. His character took a major turn tonight. My compassion for him is gone.

Kevin's parents care about nothing except their own. Looks like they've raised their son to do the same.

I know that homophobia is still rampant, and I realize we're supposedly in small town Indiana, but the reaction seemed a decade or two outdated. I really don't buy that not one person countered any of the heckling.

[tom87]

Yikes. Suddenly everybody is quick to incite violence. What was Leslie thinking? Isn't she supposed to be smart as well as strategic? A suicidal Eric is clearly not ready to be a gay activist. That was such a dumb move that I thought maybe she's trying to make Eric succeed in killing himself. I must have missed the backstory on Taylor's mom. Was she hospitalized for being mentally unstable in the past or something?

 

 

He would be an unlikely hero. Wasn't he harassing someone online?

 

 

The dad is asking a cop to threaten Taylor's mom. That doesn't seem reasonable to me.

That was Kevin's dad not Eric's who wants the cop to go over the mom.

I know that homophobia is still rampant, and I realize we're supposedly in small town Indiana, but the reaction seemed a decade or two outdated. I really don't buy that not one person countered any of the heckling.

That is how I felt.   But maybe that is the point until people are faced with it we really do not know how others truly think about certain issues.   Some people may  be homophobic and some people may not want to get involved.

Edited February 11, 2016 by tom87

[nutty1]

I thought having a "pep rally" of sorts for someone who just attempted suicide and was outed as being gay was a bit far fetched, even for a school such as Leyland. Nothing like putting more focus and stress on Eric.

[tonymx]

 

 

The dad is asking a cop to threaten Taylor's mom. That doesn't seem reasonable to me.

 

 

um you are confusing kevin's dad  Michael Lacroix (Andre Benjamin aka Andre 3000) with Eric's dad lol they are two different races don't see how you could confuse them lol

 

Eric's dad can't even afford a lawyer  let alone  pull strings nad get the cop's to do anything for him

[Woebegone]

I keep going back in my head to Kevin's talk with the team because it was so odd and I think that means it's probably a major clue as to what else happened in the night of the rape.

First off, I think Kevin is actually on Eric's on side, but is playing it cool in front of the team. Second, the way he describes Taylor at the party like "a bitch looking to get turned out" makes me think he knows what was going on between Eric and Taylor before all of this came out into the open. Also, although they're both co-captains, we've never seen Eric command the attention and respect of the team the way Kevin does here. I'm not sure if he's Machiavellian enough to have subtly manipulated the team into attacking Taylor, but he's definitely the guy in charge.

Eric's mom's diatribe is unexpectedly one of the highlights of the episode for me because any other show would have made her into hateful one-sided villain, but by showing us how much she's suffering, she came across as a lot more human. She's also a victim of what is happening, even though she is also part of the problem. I guess that could be said about a lot of the people on this show.

[tonymx]

Leslie appeared to be talking to someone with a past indiscretion. Maybe this is the "bad" teacher we heard about?

The computer repair guy was the one who typed out and sent the threat. He also had a smirk on his face afterwords. I don't think he's going to be a hero.

I didn't really think Taylor's mentor molested him, but it was good to have it kind of confirmed.

Kevin's little speech may have been pre-meditated. His character took a major turn tonight. My compassion for him is gone.

Kevin's parents care about nothing except their own. Looks like they've raised their son to do the same.

I know that homophobia is still rampant, and I realize we're supposedly in small town Indiana, but the reaction seemed a decade or two outdated. I really don't buy that not one person countered any of the heckling.

Honestly it doesn't have to be not a small town for people not to speak out on homophobia.   I don't know hwere you people live but  it is not uncommon even in  big metropolitian cities to see  hear homophobic language  especially coming out the mouths of young males regardless of color or class.

 

the only thing i think is unrealistic is everyone acting as if gay is some dirty word. Im like he's gay dammit  lol  they are tripping over htemselves trying not to say the word gay

I thought having a "pep rally" of sorts for someone who just attempted suicide and was outed as being gay was a bit far fetched, even for a school such as Leyland. Nothing like putting more focus and stress on Eric.

yeah that was very strange to me . THe expressions on the kids faces while Eric was speaking said it all. You are not going to convince kids to be politically correct  or have tact on issues like this.

 

All she did wsas make things worse for Eric.

[numbnut]

That was Kevin's dad not Eric's who wants the cop to go over the mom.

 

Thanks. I mixed up the dads' names.

 

um you are confusing kevin's dad  Michael Lacroix (Andre Benjamin aka Andre 3000) with Eric's dad lol they are two different races don't see how you could confuse them lol

 

Eric's dad can't even afford a lawyer  let alone  pull strings nad get the cop's to do anything for him

 

It has nothing to do with race. I can follow the storyline but just can't retain the names of the characters on this particular show for some reason.

Edited February 11, 2016 by numbnut

[Primetimer]

In an episode full of confrontations, Terri LaCroix and Anne Blaine face off. It's brief but so explosive that Paul Quinn's not sure the universe can handle it.

Read the story

[PQuinn]

Is Richard Cabral's character the guy who fixes computers? If so, I am guessing he finds something on a computer that hurts the school.

Thank you, Pivot. I was wracking my brain trying to think what this scene was setting up to do -- but it was info overload with this episode. Although he also engaged in what appears to be a nasty IM exchange with someone.

[maddog1219]

Was Kevin part of the team members that beat Taylor or not? I can't quite figure it out. I am thinking his leaving was to lead us to believe he wasn't there, but then again, he looked like one of the boys who attacked Taylor.

[Woebegone]

Oh something else I caught was the brief exchange between Taylor and Eric over the phone where Taylor basically says, "I know what happened." and Eric replies, "Yeah, you do know what happened." There's something about how the actor delivered that line like, "You know what really happened, don't you?" Probably the closest we've had from Eric to an admission of guilt or at least that the story he's told so far isn't the true or complete story.

Also Taylor is out of the Leyland loop and doesn't know about the suicide attempt because he talks about how Eric gets to just keep living his life like nothing happened (which this episode shows is distinctly not true).

Edited to add that when I first watched the attack I thought that Kevin was one of the boys. Then I read an interview with Eric's actor who said that Kevin doesn't know about the attack yet, so I think I just assumed it.

Edited February 11, 2016 by Woebegone

[xyzzy]

I think computer repair guy used to work at the school and got screwed over by Leyland somehow. It's completely a guess, but he looked so smug while he was making the IM threat that it was the only explanation I could think of. It would also make his sad little dinner for his kids and pretty poor living situation make sense in context. The guy's a smart man and clearly not living up to his brainpower, so there's something in his background that put him where he is today. And he obviously cares about his kids, so I'm not willing to immediately put him in the "bad guy" category. Desperate, angry, probably not inherently evil.

[Madding crowd]

I watched the scene with the computer guy again because I was confused as to what was going on and still am. Here is what happened: A faceless man comes into his shop and gives him a laptop. The man says "It crashed and I have lots of family stuff I need back." Computer guy says, "I will get it back but it will take some time." Then we see him making grilled cheese for his two little girls. He then goes to look at his personal computer and something pops up saying "No. Please help me. No"

Another message comes up saying "You want an assault, you got an assault" and a few other words I couldn't catch. Computer guy, does some sort of command.

So either: Computer guy is responding to a plea for help with a nasty threat. Or, he had information for the faceless guy's laptop on a flash drive of some sort and this is an audio file or group of text messages coming through. He then either sent out the threat, or captured the information and was thinking about what to do with it. I think it is the latter, and I think whatever this is, ends up in the hands of Leslie. Or he could be threatening someone, but who and why?

[Fisher King]

Wow. Such a powerful, frightening, honest, ugly, well-acted, frustrating episode.

 

I too hope Taylor doesn't die.

 

As hard as it was to watch, sadly it does depict the conflicting emotions - and actions - that we still must overcome.

Edited February 11, 2016 by Fisher King

[xyzzy]

A faceless man comes into his shop and gives him a laptop. The man says "It crashed and I have lots of family stuff I need back." 

 

I think faceless man is a Leyland parent and one of his kids uploaded photos/video from the party to the laptop to edit/disseminate. Kids are usually craftier about tech than parents are, so keeping it hidden from casual prying wouldn't be too difficult. Another option is that faceless man had child porn on his laptop and computer guy blackmails people with CP. However, if he were doing a booming business, his kids would be getting more than de-crusted grilled cheese and 1/4 cup of canned veggies for dinner. In a crazy world, it might be both--computer guy finds a jackpot of CP and video footage that discredits the richest school around and he's looking at a big payday. But the words he typed sounded so personally invested--it wasn't something like, "Pay up or everyone will know" or anything like that. It was something like, "NOW YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE ASSAULTED."

 

So I think he's the one threatening, and he's threatening Leslie. And, because of the way this show works, I'm fast forwarding in my brain two or three episodes down the road and envisioning him in a bright shade of orange and his kids being dragged off by CPS.

[iMonrey]

I just don't care about this side plot with the Latinos protesting at the poor school and the principal being accused of racism. If there's supposed to be some kind of parallel between that and the crime this show is supposed to be centered around I don't see it. It just feels like padding to me.

[PQuinn]

Edited to add that when I first watched the attack I thought that Kevin was one of the boys. Then I read an interview with Eric's actor who said that Kevin doesn't know about the attack yet, so I think I just assumed it.

 I made the same mistake;  the recap has been updated  to correct the error. Thanks for pointing it out here. 

Edited February 11, 2016 by PQuinn

[dirtypop90]

Yea Kevin wasn't one of the attackers. It was two other black boys on the team. They are bigger than Kevin and have a darker skin tone.

I'm now pretty convinced Kevin drugged Taylor for Eric after hearing his little rant. I'm not sure Eric knew about it. I think Kevin knew the hookup was about to happen whether from Eric or some other way. And he drugged Taylor for Eric just as he drugs girls for himself. I think he likely drugged the girl he slept with in the bathroom or did something to Val later which is why he gave her the expensive bracelet and she was so angry when he came to get it back.

I like where they went with the grandpa and that they didn't make him a rapist.

Liked the switcheroo with Kevin's parents as well.

Lili Taylor is awesome but her character is grating my nerves with how she's handling Taylor, not the incident; all of her focus is on the incident and none on her kid.

Edited February 11, 2016 by dirtypop90

[represent]

 

Eric's mom's diatribe is unexpectedly one of the highlights of the episode for me because any other show would have made her into hateful one-sided villain, but by showing us how much she's suffering, she came across as a lot more human. She's also a victim of what is happening, even though she is also part of the problem. I guess that could be said about a lot of the people on this show.

Yeah, because I didn't hate her or wasn't angry with her like I was when she left the hospital. This time I was just like no girl, no.  You're concerned that you can't even take him to church anymore. When you should be concerned that you believe that the church isn't forgiving nor tolerant enough to even allow those they deem as the ultimate "sinners" to cross their door steps.   

 

At any rate it was a good scene between these parents.

 

Kevin's parents, well his father apparently has a sinister side, it was definitely revealed in this episode. WTH exactly does he want his buddy cop to do Taylor's mother?   Seems like his son Kevin is actually a chip off the old block. 

 

I spent the entire episode admiring how strong Eric appeared, because I'm still not sure he's a rapist yet.  But then he had to go and set Taylor up and my heart sank, damn.

 

My lord, did that gang rape him? I know they beat him up based on the scars on his face in the promo, but good lord...

 

Those other guys sitting at the table know something, the look they gave Kevin as he walked away from the table said they know he's full of shit.  They were definitely giving him what I like to call the side eye. Unless that was just them figuring that Kevin's bitch rant against Taylor was an opening to them being able to easily convince him to help set up Taylor. 

 

You know at this point, I wouldn't be surprise if all of these guys on this team and at that party were having sex and the pact is to just keep it between them. But Taylor, and now Eric blew it all up.

 

Finally, I was like, I've had it with all these kids except for maybe Taylor. They just aren't morally strong enough to make any right decisions. And they are crossing so many lines, committing straight up violent criminal acts to hide secrets at all costs.

 

 

Yea Kevin wasn't one of the attackers. It was two other black boys on the team. They are bigger than Kevin and have a darker skin tone.

 

 

But was he part of the set up? Was he not the one who called Eric?

Actually, nobody called Eric right? They just showed up at his place, but was Kevin there at his place too?

 

 

So either: Computer guy is responding to a plea for help with a nasty threat. Or, he had information for the faceless guy's laptop on a flash drive of some sort and this is an audio file or group of text messages coming through. He then either sent out the threat, or captured the information and was thinking about what to do with it. I think it is the latter, and I think whatever this is, ends up in the hands of Leslie. Or he could be threatening someone, but who and why?

 

 

This part of the show was the most intriguing.  The guy had an evil grin when he sent that message that's all I got. I couldn't even figure out if the faceless guy who brought the laptop in had anything to do with the message he sent. This is a show where I sometimes have to view scenes more than once.

Edited February 11, 2016 by represent

[Dowel Jones]

If there's supposed to be some kind of parallel between that and the crime this show is supposed to be centered around I don't see it.

 

Perhaps there is some connection between the computer guy and the three Latinos who were suspended from Marshall HS.  Two separate storylines, but they might merge farther downstream.

[represent]

In an episode full of confrontations, Terri LaCroix and Anne Blaine face off. It's brief but so explosive that Paul Quinn's not sure the universe can handle it.

http://previously.tv/american-crime/american-crime-stages-a-clash-of-the-titans/"> Read the story

 

 

Taylor gets a call from Eric, who wants to meet up and talk, and Taylor goes along because after all Eric's the only one who ever made him feel safe. But of course it's a setup, and as soon as he arrives at the designated meeting place, several members of the basketball team jump him.

I don't think this line is sarcasm and it's an interesting point. I do think that it's possible that Eric may not have known anything about the drugging as someone pointed out.  It was a planned hook up so why Eric would think that he needed to drug him is questionable. Kevin is definitely a key player in all this, because I actually think he has a thing for Eric and may have been jealous.

Edited February 11, 2016 by represent

[Bobcatkitten]

I'm so frustrated because the acting is amazing but we have essentially made no progress on what happened at that party for several episodes. 

 

The best scene was between Taylor and his grandpa and him telling him about the Colts game and him yelling queers. I had chills. So well done.

Edited February 11, 2016 by scribe95

[Eolivet]

I agree with what was said upthread that I hope the Marshall principal and those racial and ethnic tensions are going somewhere soon, because it was the only part of the hour where I felt the show dragged. It reminded me of a post in a thread that's basically off-topic and then the commenter writes in a little "just like happened with , right?" sentence at the end.

 

One moment I really liked, though, was the contrast between Terri LaCroix: she of the power and influence, yelling at Taylor's mom, and then in the car, where she's told by a beat cop whose annual salary she probably earns weekly, to not only show ID, but then to leave the restaurant because she's loitering. Regina King seemed to make herself seem small in that scene -- really effective and powerful.

 

Eric's mom, however, can take a long walk off a short pier.

[Lemons]

I'm so frustrated because the acting is amazing but we have essentially made no progress on what happened at that party for several episodes. 

 

 

I like it except the actor who plays Taylor.  I hate his speech affectations and his overacting.  His halting speech and repeating words for affect don't seem natural and are over the top. 

 

It sometimes seems like this is happening in the 1940's or something.  Everyone is homophobic?  No one is comfortable with the words gay or homosexual? What a bunch of unlikable people. 

[FiveByFive]

Thanks. I mixed up the dads' names.

 

 

It has nothing to do with race. I can follow the storyline but just can't retain the names of the characters on this particular show for some reason.

 

Honestly, when I was writing my last post on the show I needed to have an IMDB page open to remember who was who. So I totally get the mix up. I think it's because they have very normal names. "Eric," "Michael" and "Kevin" are no "Temperance," "Olivia" and "Booth." I can only recall Terri LaCroix, Leslie and Evy off the top of my head.

[RedheadZombie]

One moment I really liked, though, was the contrast between Terri LaCroix: she of the power and influence, yelling at Taylor's mom, and then in the car, where she's told by a beat cop whose annual salary she probably earns weekly, to not only show ID, but then to leave the restaurant because she's loitering. Regina King seemed to make herself seem small in that scene -- really effective and powerful.

 

Eric's mom, however, can take a long walk off a short pier.

If I was supposed to feel compassion for Terri, it was a major fail. She storms into Anne's place of work and makes a scene, screaming that Taylor is a whore. Well we've already seen that any partner, male or female, is the whore - not her little precious. If Anne even dared enter HER work place, she would have had the white trash immediately removed, while she stood with her cold glare and nose pointed straight to the sky. The breakdown did not move me. I despise her. Anne didn't have anyone to run to and be coddled by. No one to fight her battles, no strings to pull in the police station, no power to give sinister threats. And being asked to move along is nothing compared to how it could have been handled by the police. She lied outright to the cop and got away with it.

I'm impressed how this show turns things on its ear. Any other show would have me feeling for Terri when she was being questioned by the cop. I would have assumed she had committed the crime of driving while black. But not Terri. I don't think she was intimidated by the cop, she actually challenged him. If she made herself look small, maybe she had a few seconds of clarity and realized she's just really shown her ass, and was shamed by her attempt to intimidate and threaten Anne. Lucky for Terri, when she's worn out from screaming, humiliating, threatening, and intimidating people, she can tag her husband to come in and take over for her.

[Soobs]

I feel good that I'm not the only one having trouble remembering everyone's names and following the plot. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad one that not only is it hard to figure what is happening but also why. It's alternately frustrating and intriguing which I guess is why I keep turning back in. The subject matter and the way it's presented seems pretty edgy for network TV.

[numbnut]

Honestly, when I was writing my last post on the show I needed to have an IMDB page open to remember who was who. So I totally get the mix up. I think it's because they have very normal names. "Eric," "Michael" and "Kevin" are no "Temperance," "Olivia" and "Booth." I can only recall Terri LaCroix, Leslie and Evy off the top of my head.

 

IKR? And it doesn't help that it's a large ensemble with actors that had different character names last season. I now just refer to the coach as "Coach."

 

I like it except the actor who plays Taylor.  I hate his speech affectations and his overacting.  His halting speech and repeating words for affect don't seem natural and are over the top.

 

I think the halting speech works really well for Taylor's character and story. I just hope that the actor doesn't continue to do it in other roles.

Edited February 11, 2016 by numbnut

[Eolivet]

I'm impressed how this show turns things on its ear. Any other show would have me feeling for Terri when she was being questioned by the cop. I would have assumed she had committed the crime of driving while black. But not Terri. I don't think she was intimidated by the cop, she actually challenged him. If she made herself look small, maybe she had a few seconds of clarity and realized she's just really shown her ass, and was shamed by her attempt to intimidate and threaten Anne. Lucky for Terri, when she's worn out from screaming, humiliating, threatening, and intimidating people, she can tag her husband to come in and take over for her.

 

I don't know...to not feel sympathy for her, to me, assumes we're supposed to feel happy or satisfied when racist behavior happens. Of course she challenged the cop -- she wasn't doing anything wrong. And yet with all her power and influence, she still had to show her ID. She was a big power broker inside the diner, but outside, she was just another black woman. That was the contrast that I saw, and found it very effective, though obviously mileage varies.

 

I do think we're supposed to feel badly for her, otherwise the show is assuming I will cheer on institutionalized racism because the woman acted like a jerk several moments earlier.

[Lemons]

I don't know...to not feel sympathy for her, to me, assumes we're supposed to feel happy or satisfied when racist behavior happens. Of course she challenged the cop -- she wasn't doing anything wrong. And yet with all her power and influence, she still had to show her ID.

 

I thought she did do something wrong.  She went into the restaurant and caused a scene, disorderly conduct, whatever you would call it.  The restaurant called the police.  When they came she was sitting outside of the restaurant in her car, not leaving.  Think about someone coming in to your work screaming in a threatening manner.  You look out and they are just sitting there.  Are they waiting for you to leave?  Of course the cops are going to say move along. 

[RedheadZombie]

I don't know...to not feel sympathy for her, to me, assumes we're supposed to feel happy or satisfied when racist behavior happens. Of course she challenged the cop -- she wasn't doing anything wrong. And yet with all her power and influence, she still had to show her ID. She was a big power broker inside the diner, but outside, she was just another black woman. That was the contrast that I saw, and found it very effective, though obviously mileage varies.

 

I do think we're supposed to feel badly for her, otherwise the show is assuming I will cheer on institutionalized racism because the woman acted like a jerk several moments earlier.

What Lemons said. But that's what I mean about the show turning tropes on their ear. I'm extremely sensitive to racism, and was accused in another thread of falsely seeing racism everywhere.

Terri could have gone to jail. Instead she was a little mouthy with a cop, and she was allowed to go on her way. Race has nothing to do with it. Although I'm sure Terri has a lifetime of experiencing racism, let's not forget that she picks up a phone and arranges for another driver to be taken care of. They pull strings and cops come to her house while she demands that they do something for her (after just firing a woman and then mocking her for asking for help).

I can't stand her, but I appreciate that she's no stereotype. She's a strong Black powerful woman who loves her child, and just happens to be a cold-hearted bitch.

[PQuinn]

I don't think this line is sarcasm and it's an interesting point. I do think that it's possible that Eric may not have known anything about the drugging as someone pointed out.  It was a planned hook up so why Eric would think that he needed to drug him is questionable. Kevin is definitely a key player in all this, because I actually think he has a thing for Eric and may have been jealous.

I mentioned that and took the line verbatim from episode five because it's what Taylor says to the cops about Eric: "He made me feel safe."

 It struck me because it was the first time I heard him say anything affirmative about anyone or anything, so it made sense to me that he would agree to meet Eric again, which is why the subsequent ambush was even more awful.

Edited February 12, 2016 by PQuinn

[represent]

 

I don't know...to not feel sympathy for her, to me, assumes we're supposed to feel happy or satisfied when racist behavior happens. Of course she challenged the cop -- she wasn't doing anything wrong. And yet with all her power and influence, she still had to show her ID. She was a big power broker inside the diner, but outside, she was just another black woman. That was the contrast that I saw, and found it very effective, though obviously mileage varies.

Actually, I saw it differently. I saw a little polite exchange, and then they let her go. They didn't ask her to exit the car which I believe they sometimes do when they think you might be a threat.  I mean she did go into that restaurant huffing and puffing in a threatening fashion. I know that Taylor's mother if not the owner called the cops, they must have filled them in on the incident. Everyone in the restaurant saw it. Yet the cops didn't even bother to fully get into it. They just asked her for ID pretty much, said if she no longer had any business here she needed to leave. 

 

I mean that went pretty well considering she was the one who was in threatening mode.

Edited February 11, 2016 by represent

[LotusFlower]

I watched the scene with the computer guy again because I was confused as to what was going on and still am. Here is what happened: A faceless man comes into his shop and gives him a laptop. The man says "It crashed and I have lots of family stuff I need back." Computer guy says, "I will get it back but it will take some time." Then we see him making grilled cheese for his two little girls. He then goes to look at his personal computer and something pops up saying "No. Please help me. No." Another message comes up saying "You want an assault, you got an assault" and a few other words I couldn't catch.

 

No, the chat messages here are inaccurate, and the differences are enough to create a very different interpretation. Here's what the screen said: First pop-up message: "Stop it. Please, stop it!" Computer guy's reply: "Now you know what it feels like to get assaulted." So while some of you are guessing this guy is probably evil, I'm thinking that he's stalking someone online - maybe someone who assaulted him or a loved one (or Taylor?) as a way to harass or "assault" the person the way he himself was physically assaulted; to show what it feels like. Just a theory.

I don't know...to not feel sympathy for her, to me, assumes we're supposed to feel happy or satisfied when racist behavior happens. Of course she challenged the cop -- she wasn't doing anything wrong. And yet with all her power and influence, she still had to show her ID. She was a big power broker inside the diner, but outside, she was just another black woman. That was the contrast that I saw, and found it very effective, though obviously mileage varies.

 

The police officer asked for her ID only because the restaurant called the police after her threat/disturbance, and she was still in the parking lot, not because she was black. This wasn't a random stop-and-ask-for-ID.

[Madding crowd]

The Abc.go website for this show has some info regarding the possible role of computer man. Didn't see a spoiler thread here so I won't post it.

[mrsbagnet]

For me, one of the biggest character fails in this episode was the coach. His weak "Let's all support Eric" pep talk was so half-hearted that it's no wonder that the team treated Eric so badly. Coach is still freaking out over Eric's suicide attempt and him being gay. When they practically shunned Eric on the court and lost the game, the coach should have reamed them. He is showing no leadership here.

Edited February 12, 2016 by mrsbagnet

[Neurochick]

What I like about this show is everybody thinks they are doing what's right.  Taylor's mother thinks she's doing the right thing, when maybe what she should do is take the cash and get her son some therapy, and maybe therapy for herself too.  Kevin's parents are just trying to protect their son, Kevin's dad is using his power to protect his child.  Leslie is trying to protect the school.  Coach has no idea what to do, so he's doing the best he can.

 

At the Marshall school, the principal is doing the correct thing, but the Hispanic parents can't see that and the principal can't see it from their point of view.  He said in the firsts episode when a teacher told him how the breakfast was discriminating against the Hispanic children something to effect of, "how can they be discriminated against, I don't see any hoses used on them no dogs."  I had to agree with him then, I mean I just watched the movie, Selma and I was like, these Hispanic kids are just a bunch of cry babies.  

 

But then I remembered an incident, on Live Journal about twelve years ago.  There was a white girl who wrote something like, "I think all blacks should be lynched" or something like that.  A black girl, who was very proficient in photoshop, took this girl's photo that she had on her page and made a gif of her performing fellatio.  The white girl went to the manager and the black girl's account was shut down.   We were like, WTF and went to Live Journal and said why did they do what they did and they said that even though what the white girl wrote was wrong, it was protected speech and they didn't consider it hate speech.   Needless to say, Live Journal isn't as popular as it once was.   I have also known people who have had their Facebook pages taken down because some people thought what they wrote was racist (in this case this was a black on black issue).  But in all these cases, everybody thought they were doing the right thing.  Everybody did.  And I think that's what's happening in this show.  

 

I get why the Marshall school is in this show.  See the folks in Marshall are fighting among each other, which is stupid because they're all at the bottom of the pile. They're like a group of kids fighting over the last cookie at the table, meanwhile in Lealand, they're covering up a rape.  An interesting scene was between Evy's father and Taylor's mom.  Evy's dad listened to Taylor's mom half heartedly, then said he had to get back to work, he knows what he has to do.

 

I thought it was interesting how Terry was asked to show ID by the police officer; to him she was just another "angry black woman."  

[Bobcatkitten]

Just wanted to add that my teenage daughter tonight came home and told me about a kid at her school calling her gay male best friend a queer in the cafeteria. I thought it was interesting given some of the responses on here that the reactions seem more like from 20 years ago. And, by the way, I live in Indiana.

[LotusFlower]

Just wanted to add that my teenage daughter tonight came home and told me about a kid at her school calling her gay male best friend a queer in the cafeteria. I thought it was interesting given some of the responses on here that the reactions seem more like from 20 years ago. And, by the way, I live in Indiana.

I don't think it's surprising that people still use gay slurs, but rather that it seemed so widespread and tolerated by the school and the community. That, to me at least, feels very 20 years ago.

[formerlyfreedom]

The Abc.go website for this show has some info regarding the possible role of computer man. Didn't see a spoiler thread here so I won't post it.

There's a spoiler topic now, so please feel free to head over there!