S02.E10: Episode 10

[formerlyfreedom]

Sebastian gets a taste of his own medicine and is stunned to discover that someone is usurping his cause and releasing emails, texts and other pieces off personal information about numerous Leyland families, initiating a chain reaction that could cause the downfall all of those involved with the events of the alleged sexual assault on Taylor, and everything that has transpired since; Dan and Steph must deal with the fallout of their daughter Becca being arrested for supplying drugs to Taylor the day of the murder; Michael goes to extreme measures to ensure that son Kevin won't be implicated as being complicit in the beating of Taylor, which doesn't sit well with Terri; and Chris makes a decision about his future with Marshall High School.

 

[Armchair Critic]

And after all that Eric is still hooking up with strangers? 

[PQuinn]

I'm destroyed.

[Primetimer]

Many questions are left unanswered, but there's no question that the bar has been reset for network TV dramas.

Read the story

[stagmania]

If anyone needs me, I'll be screaming my frustration into the night.

[janeta]

And after all that Eric is still hooking up with strangers?

I think he finally changed his mind. I don't think Taylor did though; i think he took the deal.

Nice little parallel with Evy and the principal each taking the hush money.

So who do we think was after Sebastian?

[Sara2009]

And after all that Eric is still hooking up with strangers?

I think we were left to wonder if he would finally stop or not.

[Madding crowd]

In the end, I felt frustrated and annoyed with how this season played out. There were way too many issues and it almost seems like the show is saying Taylor was in some way responsible for the many lives that were destroyed. I understand Taylor's wish to take the deal rather than have to rely on Eric's testimony. I would hope a judge would be lenient in those kind of circumstances.

 

However, the decision to bring in kids selling drugs, racisim, homophobia, politics in school, mental illness, computer hacking and rich people who try to protect their kids at all costs is one thing to many.

 

Sebastian remained a plot device and never a real person to me. There are groups and even some individuals that to expose corporations but it is unlikely that a blue collar single dad of two young girls would be able to do that. It also never made sense to me how Sebastian knew this school would have secret emails to be hacked. 

 

The emails are a bit of a problem for me too. I assume most of the school board members were executives and lawyers (as is Terri), these people are OK with putting racial comments and jokes on the internet. Emails can easily be found and of course board minutes are published and retained. 

 

I also wanted to know more about Eric. Does he suffer from a mental illness, what would he like his life to look like, etc.And I also don't believe Chris would be asked to resign from his school for suspending students who were beating up another student. Evy never told him anything and what school would say a beating is justified even if she had. IRL, Chris would hire a lawyer, he did nothing wrong. 

[represent]

 

If anyone needs me, I'll be screaming my frustration into the night.

Hehe, so funny.  I need to rewatch some scenes before I decide if I have anything else to say. 

[Broderbits]

I'm sure the writers & producers of this show think it's High Art, but I disagree. They threw together too many story lines and did a poor job of sorting things out while wasting time on unnecessary dancing & poetry. I don't need for everything to be tied up neatly, it wasn't last year but things seemed to flow better. In spite of excellent actors this season plodded along much of the time and then felt rushed at the end. And I didn't believe some of the plot contrivances, like the detective friend of Kevin's parents taking the fall.

[represent]

I did think that the last scene with Eric wasn't just about randomly hooking up, but about him taking off for good. It just looked like a dirt road to nowhere and/or hell. 

 

I think both boys Taylor and Eric are left with the questions of whether or not they think they have anything worth fighting/changing their lives for, like a fork in the road kind of decision.

 

Unfortunately,  I too will be screaming into the night since  I'll never know which road these two boys decided to take. 

Edited March 10, 2016 by represent

[venusnv80]

Overall, this season was better than the last one. I enjoyed it! I look forward to the next season (if there's one).

[Armchair Critic]

 I know Leslie said the coach set her up with fake documents, but did she initially leak Anne's medical records?

[izabella]

I'm confused.  Would Taylor be appearing in court to reject a plea deal?   Wouldn't that just be done behind the scenes?

 

I think he was preparing to accept it, and that's why he was in court.  We don't know if he changed his mind, though, I guess.

 

Not sure why they felt the needed to leave us with those cliffhangers about Taylor and Eric's choices.  Seems like a cop-out.  They didn't want to finish the story they started.

Edited March 10, 2016 by izabella

[cottagelife]

A friend of mine son is one of the lead actors. He was absolutely thought provoking and complex.

What a masterpiece of acting this show was

[Bama]

I groaned at that ending leaving us hanging like that!!!!

 

I'll organize my thoughts by character;

 

Dan - So delicious to see him placed in the same hell Anne was in and everyone giving him the "not my kid, not my problem" reaction he gave her.  When Taylor's problems got blasted on the internet, Dan was fine with that and had no trouble thinking Taylor got what he deserved but when it was Becca's life on display he was all about the "truth and other side of the story".  I'm glad he fucked over Leslie but he didn't do it for any kind of moral stance - he did it to win and for revenge.  I feel like Dan himself should have had some kind of legal consequences for what his team did.  At least we got the payoff of what Dan was doing when he snuck into Leslie's office.

 

Leslie - I hated her character but I did love the thrashing she gave Dan.  I figured she was behind the medical records leak and I'm glad she got caught but someone like Leslie will snake her way back into power somewhere.  And the new head of Leyland will march on with the same bullshit.  And I loved the school lawyer hitting her with - "Are you saying you wouldn't have done this or are you saying you wouldn't have gotten caught?"

 

Eric - My God - why is he so angry??  I wish we got some hint.  His brother is trying and Eric won't have it.  And did Eric lie to the police when he claimed the team told him "any fag will do" when they came over and got him to call Taylor to lure him into the beating?  I don't remember that happening.  And his line about Taylor - "How does HE get to own that night?  How does he get to own ME?".  I ended up convinced that Eric did rape Taylor but that Eric will never, ever see it that way.  He's still arranging hook-ups with randoms and is so self-destructive - I just don't think he's capable of acknowledging what he did to Taylor.

 

Taylor - All he wants is to no longer be a victim.  I sort of see how that would be empowering for a damaged kid who seems like he just has his life happening around him and never gets to steer where he wants to go.  I hope he doesn't take the deal but I'm sure he does otherwise there wouldn't have even been a reason for that court hearing.

 

Finally - The Lecroixs

 

So, Michael is THE WORST.  Fine with letting his cop friend take the fall for his bullshit.  Still blaming everything on Taylor being raped.  Cares more about his kid's mythical senior year than the fact that his wife has basically lost her job and their family has been exposed to the world.  Ugh - I think I hate him the most.  Now, Terri.  I give her credit for finally realizing that their zeal to protect Kevin made things worse and that she was adamant that Kevin finally tell the truth and that she knew her husband crossed all the lines.  BUT.  I'm sorry, that horseshit that came out of her mouth when she was defending herself to her boss was just too much.  The "I'm not being racist, I'm just speaking uncomfortable truths" is the same shit that comes out of every confederate flag waving redneck's mouth.  And Kevin might have a chance to turn out to be a decent human being if his parents quit with all their fuckery.

 

Anne - Poor Anne.  I hope she survives and thrives.  The only decent human in this whole thing.

[jb1183]

This was pretty much the ending I was expecting and, although it was a bit more rushed than I would have liked, I'm satisfied. All season long, I wanted ANSWERS DAMMIT, but in the end I appreciate the ambiguity. This wasn't the strongest note to end on compared to the tremendous power of some of the earlier episodes, but I agree with Paul Quinn that this season deserves heaps of awards when the time comes.

Edited March 10, 2016 by jb1183

[cottagelife]

This show should be shown should be must watch tv for all high school students. I was moved with emotions every week. I am sad it is over

[Bobbin]

Taylor wants to be in control of his own life. I get that. I was in a similar situation when I was a few years older than him. That's a tough call to make. It's not a certainty, although unlikely, that at trial he wouldn't get the ridiculous, play on your heartstrings, maximum 30 year sentence, no matter what the DA asks for. Not mentioned is the irony of his maybe being gang raped in prison -- he would probably be kept in isolation, though, being young and gay, but that's not a certainty, either.

So everyone's life is messed up, some more than others, for what they did or didn't do. What a downer of a story.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Bobbin

[jb1183]

A friend of mine son is one of the lead actors. He was absolutely thought provoking and complex.

What a masterpiece of acting this show was

Well, whichever one of the actors your friend's son is, he did an incredible job!

[sunnyside88]

First off what a great series. The acting, the writing, cinematography all phenomenal. it set the standard for that type of drama.

 

I sort of knew it was going to end the way it did but was maybe hoping otherwise, that we would get some answers. I know the show wanted us to focus on aspects like rape, race, bullying, homophobia, social class etc and bring them to the forefront and ask questions and did a superb job in doing it.

Even though the night of the party never actually came out fully or who was in fact telling the truth i thought maybe that they we show it to us unexpectedly just so we could take a big breathe and exhale and get probably the main answer everyone wanted. But probably me just wanting to be spoiled lol.

 

Anyway great thought provoking series.

[EvilApplesauce]

Just my humble opinion: this show shouldn't be renewed for a 3rd season.

 

I think it will be hard for the producers to tempt their viewing audience to watch again after we've been trained for 2 seasons to expect no real closure on the crimes that are introduced in the story. Ambiguity may be the point of the show, but this episode was raising new plot points up to the last minute, which really confirmed my feeling that the writing lost its way around episode 6. Last season was ambiguous, but the finale did have a sense of closure with Russ, Carter, and Aubrey dying, plus Tony being set free. Compared to this season, only a very minor character (Becca) faced any consequence for her crime. The other "criminals" and their fates were left hanging in the air. Kevin's involvement in what happened that night will never be known, because the show shifted focus to how he wasn't responsible for the boys beating Taylor up.

 

I think it was insensitive of the writers to use the topic of rape as a "hook" for a story about a school shooting. They could've made Taylor just as sympathetic by making him a target of bullying, rather than trivializing how devastating rape really is by not fleshing out that story. Eric thinks he wanted it, Taylor's mom had a mental illness so maybe Taylor inherited it, Taylor admits he "lied about some things", Taylor gazes longingly at Eric while he plays basketball - it's like the writers wanted us to doubt Taylor's credibility, no matter how much he insisted that he didn't want what happened that night. 

 

Sebastian, as one of the comments mentioned above, was a plot device, but not even one that made a lot of sense. (I found it slightly amusing that for the 2nd season in a row, the actor's last scene happened in a car!)

 

I guess my personal preference for storytelling is anything but the soap opera format. I don't want storylines that seem to lead to more storylines and new characters blowing into town. I think it's possible to raise questions / awareness and still provide closure in a 10-episode arc.

[starri]

 Kevin's involvement in what happened that night will never be known, because the show shifted focus to how he wasn't responsible for the boys beating Taylor up.

Kevin may not have been held legally responsible for what happened, but I'm not so sure the show viewed him that way.  Like everything else, I think it's left for us to decide.

 

However, that last scene between Terri and Kevin?  Almost totally redeemed her to me.

[WhosThatGirl]

I don't know. I sort of knew nothing was going to be answered or tied up in a bow and I remember saying that I did sort of understand that life is never tied up but then there's that so many things were added into this story that didn't make sense.<br /><br />And I agree the implication that Taylor is at fault for everything that happened is sad. <br /><br />I will say that this season captivated me. I didn't watch last season, I didn't like the first episode but did not continue. But this season really resonated with me, maybe it was the kismet issues I felt when watching the show but despite the ending of this season that I'm meh on, I watched each week. <br /><br />

[vixenbynight]

And after all that Eric is still hooking up with strangers?

Sadly, I'm not that shocked by Eric's continued risky behavior.

He is still this walking pit of anger and self-hatred AND he views himself as a victim. He still doesn't believe that he raped Taylor.

[Chaos Theory]

I know there will be people who don't like the ending but I think it was brilliant and one of the reasons I really enjoy this show. It would have been easy to paint either Taylor or Eric as a villian but the show didn't do that. Hell I don't think it portrayed anyone as a villian.

I really liked how everyone in the end in one form or another paid for their sins. I think my favorite line is(and I might be paraphrasing) "No one is going to get off this time."

But in the end the final line is directed at us and again I might be paraphrasing "Do you accept or reject that which as been presented to you?"

I for one accept it.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[stagmania]

I was fully prepared to get no firm answers on the initial crime-I think the show has made it pretty clear that Taylor was raped, and that Eric is simply unable or unwilling to admit, even to himself, that he raped him. I didn't need to see it or hear Eric confess to know that's what happened. The ambiguous ending for both of them was a bridge too far for me, however. It honestly felt a bit like trolling. After everything that's happened, I needed more than that. I know that the creator likes to say that you don't get resolution in real life, but this isn't real life, it's fiction. We're watching a story unfold, and we should get some kind of closure after investing ten hours into this narrative. 

 

So much of the character motivations are still elusive to me, despite the top notch performances from the actors. The finale continued to pile on plot and reveal new information while stubbornly refusing to address plot threads that were left dangling weeks ago. Why did we need to introduce another hacker, and what was the story purpose of having him go after Sebastian? What was the point of Mrs. Sullivan's threat last week, when the opportunity to use that lie was never a factor in Becca's arrest? Did Wes really say that "any f** will do", or did Eric make that up? If so, why would he do that? If her experience with being groped and not wanting to tell anyone was so eye opening for Evy, why was she so cold to Taylor when she last saw him? How was Kevin involved in the rape, and why did Taylor put him on his list? How was the story with the principal at the other school really related to any of this? 

 

As much as I think this show hit some amazing heights and featured incredible performances this season, I just can't ignore the way it never came together. I shouldn't be left with this many questions about basic plot and character beats at the end of a story. 

Edited March 10, 2016 by stagmania

[sjohnson]

Perhaps I've misunderstood the last scene. I didn't read it as Eric making another of his hook-ups. I thought Eric had his duffel bag with him and his was skipping the jurisdiction. I expect he'll be trading for his ride. And very likely for everything else in his life on the streets.

 

I hope the freeze is not intended to be ambiguous. But then, I believe the notion that ambiguity is somehow artistically superior to be vacuous, at best. I hope the freeze was to emphasize that these choices were the end of the story. After all, if Taylor did suddenly change his mind, Eric's testimony is absolutely vital to corroborate the beating. But really, I don't think there's any doubt that Taylor takes the deal. Taylor has consistently tried to put it past him by denial.

 

Evy's delusion that the folks at Leyland actually helped her is explained I think by vanity. She wouldn't want to see it as taking money to not testify for Taylor in a lawsuit (or rape/murder case,) would she? The interesting thing is the way the show explicitly parallels Dixon taking the severance to her taking the settlement. To me, the contrast should be with Leslie not taking a settlement. So, here at the very end, to me it seems like the Marshall story ends up not really relevant after all, because of a false analogy.

 

The score card?
Taylor, kills someone under extreme circumstances, i.e., repeated assaults of one kind or another, while stoned and distraught, goes to prison. (We can assume the ten years, although in practice I think it would be nothing for a judge to renege and inflict the maximum penalty for PR.) Those who believe Taylor is a premeditated murderer should regard this as injustice. Loser.

 

Eric, arrested for the beating, runs away, probably to live as a hustler. Gets away with rape, without even a bad conscience since he's doesn't think he's a rapist. Winner.

 

Kevin, gets away with putting on an orgy with minors, gets away with inciting the beating. (No, I don't think he's stupid, but I do think that pretending to be stupid is the number one way people try to get away with stuff.) Michael, who urged the leak of information, gets away with it. That is, unless you think moving to St. Louis is serious punishment? Winners.

 

Terry, who is a terrible person in many ways, has her terribleness exposed in emails. She is punished with a less impressive title and a forced transfer to St. Louis. On one level, being the horrible person who screams about a rape victim being a whore to his mother, this is getting away. On the other hand, unlike Michael and Kevin, who actually were involved in serious criminal acts...Winner.

 

Anne, sees her son go to jail. And Evy has torpedoed her law suit. Loser.

 

Becca, goes to jail for dealing. Loser.

 

Dan and Steph Sullivan expose Leslie, but see Becca go to jail. Given the depth of their emotional commitments, I guess they are ahead in their eyes. Winners.

 

Leslie loses her current job, but is safe from losing her money to a lawsuit. And because the cop is keeping his mouth shut, safe from prosecution. There are other jobs, and a boy friend with money. Winner.

 

Evy gets money. Winner.

 

Sebastian gets scared, but doesn't get caught. Winner.

 

Wes Baxter assaulted a gay kid, gets death. That's not appropriate punishment. Loser.

 

Justice...looking at the score card, I'd say, loser.

[starri]

Eric, arrested for the beating, runs away, probably to live as a hustler. Gets away with rape, without even a bad conscience since he's doesn't think he's a rapist. Winner.

He wasn't arrested.

 

And I don't think he was going to go through with running away.  It goes back to the little brother's story about them trying to ride their bikes to Chicago and Eric telling the brother to turn back.

[FiveByFive]

I said a few weeks ago that I suspected this would be the ending we got as in, we'll never truly know what happened that night. I also knew we'd never get answers to what happens to any of the characters. However, even though I was prepared for this it still feels unsatisfactory.

 

• Taylor: Will he plead guilty as planned or will he back down and fight.
• Eric:  WIll he hook up with a stranger and after being attacked by one not too long ago. 
• Terry:  We don't know if she will quit her job or take the offer to move her family away from a place where they had power and influence.
• Leslie/Coach:  DId Leslie steal the records or were they falsified by the Coach to get revenge.  
• Anne:  Was she actually mentally ill?
• Taylor/Eric: Did the rape ever actually take place?
• Kevin: Did he have anything to do with the rape? Why was he on the list?

 

I know we're all wrapped up in the convention that a story should have a beginning, middle and an end. I know that people like to play with that convention to do something new and exciting. The problem is, as a viewer, while I "get" that -- it's been done so many times that it seems like a cop out and uninteresting to me. I would have liked some resolution for some of the above.  We got it for Evy, we got it for the other principle and I think that's just about it.

 

I'll add that I felt Taylor's decision to plead was completely idiotic and  I didn't expect him to go that route. I think that was the one thing I couldn't buy from this finale. 

 

I jokingly referred to this ending as the, "choose your own adventure" ending to the story because you're left up to your own devices to guess what happened to everyone after it was over and what decisions they made.  

 

I don't believe this is a spoiler since the series is over but the director/creator/writer did a couple of things which I think was nice for the actors performance-wise and the latter I figured out just watching it.

 

1.  You only were given the scenes you were in so you had no clue what was happening with anyone else.

2.  Everyone was told they were right.  

 

Knowing this, and sensing it before I heard him even say it, it kind of leaves my brain a little confused.  I know it was intentional and yet it still feels unsatisfying.  

 

In that spirit, I'll add what I think happened:

 

• Taylor: Plead guilty because he has been throwing himself on some imaginary pyre the entire series and no one has ever been able to stop him. I still don't know this boy's motivations which leads me to think he'd have issues even if the alleged rape never happened.
• Eric:  WIll hook up with a stranger because his conversation with his brother and past actions lead me to believe he will not rest until he hurts himself and he is simply too self-loathing to snap out of it this quickly.
• Terry:  Will bow down and move on. I mean, her husband can work anywhere.  They'll eventually regain the power they had. 
• Leslie/Coach:  Leslie said it herself, she's not not stupid enough to leak those documents, shred them and get caught so the Coach and his wife set her up. 
• Anne:  She has a few issues but she's not mentally ill enough so that it completely destroys her intentions throughout the series. 
• Taylor/Eric: Yes, the rape happened because Eric has a ton of issues and could easily deny in his own mind that it ever did and cause that to become his truth.
• Kevin: Had zero to do with the rape, but he got lumped in with the other guys as usual.

 

Of course I could be completely wrong but

knowing there's no actual answer other than the one I give for me

.... means I'm not wrong? 

 

I'll be okay if the series doesn't come back but kudos to all of the actors for giving such wonderful and thought provoking performances. 

Edited March 10, 2016 by FiveByFive

[sjohnson]

He wasn't arrested.

 

And I don't think he was going to go through with running away.  It goes back to the little brother's story about them trying to ride their bikes to Chicago and Eric telling the brother to turn back.

Part of the problem with keeping faces out of frame is it makes it hard to remember details correctly. Eric's testimony is his stay out of jail card, so whether he was formally arrested seems irrelevant. If I was confused about the duffel, that would really make a difference. Good call on the little brother's story referring to the end. But when Eric rejects the little brother's attempt at reconciliation, he's rejecting the ending to the story, i.e., I think it's telling us Eric's decision.

[Chaos Theory]

The story is never really over. You can always change the ending.

My question has alway been why has everyone always assumed Taylor was telling the truth and Eric was lying. Maybe they both were lying. Maybe they both were telling the truth as they saw it. Maybe it is a case of things getting out of hand between two boys and then snowballing when other people tried to own that night.

I know people weren't going to like the ambigiuos ending but I don't think the show could have ended any other way.

[sugarbaker design]

My question has alway been why has everyone always assumed Taylor was telling the truth and Eric was lying.

 

Especially since Taylor, at best, has been nothing but vague about the assault.  There were no specifics given about the circumstances. 

 

I know people weren't going to like the ambiguous ending but I don't think the show could have ended any other way.

 

I loved the ending, reminded me of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?  Are we going to continue to do this or are we going to change?  I couldn't understand Taylor's assertion that going to prison for ten years would end his victimhood, it would only prolong it.

Edited March 10, 2016 by sugarbaker design

[starri]

There was a thing in Variety today where John Ridley said that both Taylor and Eric were telling the truth.  They were both telling the story of what had happened from their own perspectives.

 

I think the whole story has been like a Rorschach.

[Swansong]

 

My question has alway been why has everyone always assumed Taylor was telling the truth and Eric was lying. Maybe they both were lying. Maybe they both were telling the truth as they saw it. Maybe it is a case of things getting out of hand between two boys and then snowballing when other people tried to own that night.

I assume Taylor is telling the truth because we were never given a motive for him to lie and he's been pretty consistent about being raped. If the show wanted me to doubt his word then they should have done more than vague innuendo. I also have no problem buying that Eric believes it wasn't rape because Taylor initially wanted it and seemed up for it being rough and was only upset after the fact. But then again Eric never really struck me as the type to worry about his partner being too drunk or drugged to consent or wonder why they might be upset afterwards beyond being "a little bitch", but that doesn't mean it wasn't rape. Maybe if he'd shown even a hint of awareness of that kind of distinction it would be easier for me to take his word as gospel. I know that's kind of where the show wanted me to be by the end, to see both boys as equally plausible, but I guess they didn't really succeed with me. Eric just kind of gave me the creeps whenever he talked about the rape.

 

The stuff with the black principal didn't make a ton of sense to me (he's a bad principal because he suspended two boys for beating up another kid and this earns him a firing because everyone's first thought including your allies is to throw you under a bus?), but I think in the long run I thought he was smart to take the money and get the hell out of that crappy work environment. I'm sure he didn't think so of course.

 

I enjoyed the season largely because of the acting, but I wasn't terribly satisfied. The rape felt more like a hook than an actual storyline, but even the school shooting and the poor school storyline felt the same way. Now that it's over maybe I'll watch it again to see if I still feel the same way.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Swansong

[numbnut]

There was a thing in Variety today where John Ridley said that both Taylor and Eric were telling the truth.  They were both telling the story of what had happened from their own perspectives.

 

That's satisfying for the actors but less so for the audience. It would help to show the incident (or have it described in more detail) so we can have three clear perspectives of the event (four, if you include Kevin's experience). How can you tell a personal story from a character's point of view if that point of view isn't clarified? That's what frustrates me about this season of the show.

Edited March 10, 2016 by numbnut

[Neurochick]

There was a thing in Variety today where John Ridley said that both Taylor and Eric were telling the truth.  They were both telling the story of what had happened from their own perspectives.

 

I think the whole story has been like a Rorschach.

 

That's what I thought happened from the beginning, that they were both telling the truth as they saw it.  Taylor told Eric he liked it rough, Eric gave it to him rough, so Eric doesn't think it was rape; but Taylor was also drugged, Taylor couldn't say yes or no, so to Taylor it was rape.

[Lemons]

I was fully prepared to get no firm answers on the initial crime-I think the show has made it pretty clear that Taylor was raped, and that Eric is simply unable or unwilling to admit, even to himself, that he raped him. I didn't need to see it or hear Eric confess to know that's what happened.

 

 

 

I don't think it did, unless I missed something.  Eric knew that Taylor was coming to the party to have sex with him because of the texts back and forth.  Did Taylor tell Eric that he changed his mind?  I don't remember that part.  Taylor said that he was drugged and he doesn't remember anything.  Eric claims that Taylor was acting pretty normal which happens a lot when people are under the influence of drugs or alcohol and end up blacking out.  Just because Taylor was convinced he was raped doesn't even though he doesn't remember doesn't make it clear.

That's what I thought happened from the beginning, that they were both telling the truth as they saw it.  Taylor told Eric he liked it rough, Eric gave it to him rough, so Eric doesn't think it was rape; but Taylor was also drugged, Taylor couldn't say yes or no, so to Taylor it was rape.

 

Since Taylor doesn't remember, he can never be sure whether he said no. 

[stagmania]

Since Taylor doesn't remember, he can never be sure whether he said no. 

 

Verbally saying "no" is not required. If Taylor was drugged, he was unable to give consent, period. It's possible Eric didn't know he was under the influence or no longer wanted to hook up, but the flashbacks we saw of him urging Taylor to "be fun" suggest otherwise. Regardless, Taylor has expressed no doubt about his rape, and we will never know what was said or done during the encounter. It seems to me that Eric doesn't really understand consent, a problem which is unfortunately very common. 

[iMonrey]

But then, I believe the notion that ambiguity is somehow artistically superior to be vacuous, at best.

 

Well put.

 

I found the finale unsatisfying, to the extent that I will not watch another season of this show. I was fully prepared for no real clear answer to the rape question, given what I'd read about the first season. But the whole show ended in a muddled mess. 

 

I never once got the sense that the story about Dixon and the public school and its racism issues was in any way relevant to the crime(s) being committed at Leyland. The show is called "American Crime," after all. There were too many superfluous plot points. Too much time spent on Becca in the finale when the character was never really fully fleshed out and so little attention paid to her throughout the season. Sebastian remains an enigma. I never understood the significance of Kevin and his family either. Whatever parallels they were trying to draw between some of these tertiary stories and the main crime story utterly escaped me. 

 

I tuned in mainly for Connor Jessup and wasn't disappointed in the performances. Some stellar acting to be sure and some really riveting scenes. But the story, as a whole, seemed to go in too many different directions and left too many questions unanswered. 

 

I know a lot of people will say "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey." And that's fine for them. But I personally don't care to be taken for a ride.

[coloradoqt]

I know Leslie said the coach set her up with fake documents, but did she initially leak Anne's medical records?

 

 

I believe it was Kevin's Dad,the Police Officer.

[Lemons]

Verbally saying "no" is not required. If Taylor was drugged, he was unable to give consent, period. It's possible Eric didn't know he was under the influence or no longer wanted to hook up, but the flashbacks we saw of him urging Taylor to "be fun" suggest otherwise.

 

Teenagers don't give "consent" before they hook up.  Neither do most people.  The only way Eric would know if Taylor had changed his mind was for Taylor to say no or for Taylor to physically resist.  It was a party with drugs and alcohol.  Probably most of the teens were under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, so it wouldn't be unusual for Taylor to be "wasted."  Drugs weren't new to Taylor.  Eric wouldn't know how bad off Taylor was unless he drugged him and we don't know if that happened.  And even if Taylor had resisted, Eric might think he was playing because of the Taylor's texts stating he likes to play rough. 

 

I actually feel the most for Eric.  His mother is a twisted religious fanatic who turned her back on him.  He's father is incompetent.  His brother is mean.  His teammates are turned off by him being gay.  He must feel all alone. 

 

I thought the Taylor character was whiny and unlikable.  The whole thing about him complaining about his mother leaving him when in actuality she was being treated for a serious illness was annoying.

[TobinAlbers]

Boy did that scene between the brothers get me.

 

Yes, Eric’s little brother has been a punk and made mistakes, he’s also a tween in a very chaotic family situation. His earlier lashing out of spray painting the walls at school and throwing slurs at his brother are awful and inexcusable but I got that it was the only way he felt he could have any kind of voice in all the mayhem and be heard. This goes towards the theme they were pushing this episode of ‘Don’t let the choices you make now at 15/16/17/18, define you the rest of your life.’

 

I give points to him for realizing that his mother was in a bad way and calling his dad for help instead of trying to ‘tough it out’. Unlike Eric, Peter (I think that’s his name) was drowning and knew it. He realized things could be so much worse-and they were with his mother. He also realized that while he made a bad choice, he could fix it and ‘turn around’. That’s what he was saying with the story to Eric -They could figuratively ‘turn the family around’ but it’d only work if Eric wanted it. Peter and their father are ready and willing, it’s up to Eric if he’s willing as well.

 

And man did little bro have guts to keep pushing forward in telling the story considering how angry Eric was and how the last time Peter pressed him, Eric nearly choked him out! That’s how important it was to him to try to connect it for Eric – he was willing to risk Eric’s wrath again. And yet earlier in the conversation he tried to drive home that he knew Eric cared about him because when he called their father and Eric, they both came to get him. After dissing his brother and father and ‘picking a side’ and running away with their mother, he was still welcomed back by both when he called for help.

 

Peter was working past his anger towards reconciliation while Eric was still stuck in anger.

 

Aside from whether Eric is guilty or not, I get what he was saying when he seethed that if someone cries rape, doubt is always going to follow the accused in some way for the rest of their life. In his mind he’s innocent and his life is in ruins because of a false accusation. In truth there have been many stories of men accused of rape only for it later to be revealed that the accuser was lying. By that time the accused has either had to serve jail time, register as a sexual offender, or if they kept their freedom still had their lives significantly damaged by the accusation. A rape accusation is a bell you can’t unring even after the charges are dropped.

 

I’m on the side of wishing that Taylor and Eric could’ve shared at least one scene together. Even the actors who became friends during shooting were apparently begging the showrunner to let them do one scene together but the showrunner felt that with the story they had crafted to do so would be forced. But seriously, imagine if as the judge is asking Taylor if he’s sure he wants to accept the deal, Taylor looks back at his mother and then sees Eric standing at the back of the courtroom, their eyes lock and all kinds of emotion flit across their faces and we hear the judge repeat her question and THEN they had cut to black?

Edited March 10, 2016 by TobinAlbers

[izabella]

I know Leslie said the coach set her up with fake documents, but did she initially leak Anne's medical records?

    

    

I believe it was Kevin's Dad,the Police Officer.

 

This is one of the reasons I don't know if I'll be back for another season.  Not only did they cop out on answering the big questions, they didn't even bother to be clear about the smaller questions.  I want to see a full story if I'm going to devote 10 hours of my life to watching it unfold.

 

It seemed crystal clear to me that Leslie is the one who leaked Anne's medical records. Coach took them from her shredder in her office, and (patiently) put them back together.  I know she tried to spin as fake documents, Coach setting her up, blah blah, but that was just her trying to do damage control, and she was doing that very half-heartedly anyway.  She never imagined anyone would go through her shredding.  I wish Coach or that other guy had said, yeah, we've turned these over to the police and they'll be checking for fingerprints.  Just a partial of hers would be enough - she's not supposed to HAVE those records.

 

However, they didn't answer the question of how Leslie got those records.  Did the cop friend of Kevin's parents send them to her? 

[izabella]

Teenagers don't give "consent" before they hook up.  Neither do most people.  The only way Eric would know if Taylor had changed his mind was for Taylor to say no or for Taylor to physically resist.  It was a party with drugs and alcohol.  Probably most of the teens were under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, so it wouldn't be unusual for Taylor to be "wasted."  Drugs weren't new to Taylor.  Eric wouldn't know how bad off Taylor was unless he drugged him and we don't know if that happened.  And even if Taylor had resisted, Eric might think he was playing because of the Taylor's texts stating he likes to play rough. 

 

That's why it's important to 1) teach kids not to get wasted when they're 16 and not to have annual Captain's sex orgy parties where drugs and alcohol flow freely, and 2) NOT to have sex under those conditions because you will  not know if your partner is consenting, or is too wasted to legally consent and will act "like a little bitch" when they recover and realize they were sodomized when they couldn't say "no, I won't be "more fun".  Let's not pretend Eric was an innocent bystander in all this.

 

Somebody should also be teaching kids that hooking up with strangers from Grinder can get you killed or beaten up.  Some refused to learn those lessons, like Eric and blame everyone else for their own choices.

Edited March 10, 2016 by izabella

[sjohnson]

However, they didn't answer the question of how Leslie got those records.  Did the cop friend of Kevin's parents send them to her? 

Oh, yes, I'm convinced that's how she got them. The cop knew she could be relied upon to spread the information, just like she spread the derogatory contents of Taylor's texts to Eric. The cop did it at Michael's request, but he announced it was all going to stop with him. So, Michael and Leslie get off on any legal charges in that regard. And whatever internal grief the cop gets, he's not going to be charged legally. Michael tells Terri he wishes he did, but he didn't. I think he's relying on a quibble, the fact that he never laid hands on the records or any copies, nor did he personally leak them. I'd call that lying myself.

Edited March 10, 2016 by sjohnson

[BananaRama]

Teenagers don't give "consent" before they hook up.  Neither do most people.  The only way Eric would know if Taylor had changed his mind was for Taylor to say no or for Taylor to physically resist.  It was a party with drugs and alcohol.  Probably most of the teens were under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, so it wouldn't be unusual for Taylor to be "wasted."  Drugs weren't new to Taylor.  Eric wouldn't know how bad off Taylor was unless he drugged him and we don't know if that happened.  And even if Taylor had resisted, Eric might think he was playing because of the Taylor's texts stating he likes to play rough. 

 

I actually feel the most for Eric.  His mother is a twisted religious fanatic who turned her back on him.  He's father is incompetent.  His brother is mean.  His teammates are turned off by him being gay.  He must feel all alone. 

 

I thought the Taylor character was whiny and unlikable.  The whole thing about him complaining about his mother leaving him when in actuality she was being treated for a serious illness was annoying.

So it is Taylor's fault that he was raped because he "let" himself get drugged and he sexted Eric? So teenagers never give consent and just know that if they sext or casually hook-up and someone assaults them that it isn't rape and it is his/her fault? Yeah, Eric's life sucks but that doesn't give him the excuse to rape someone. Eric didn't have to be alone - he had his teammates. Taylor could have been Eric's friend or boyfriend - but Eric chose to exploit Taylor's attraction/attention to him and "impress" his teammates. Eric didn't stop anyone from taking pictures of Taylor after the "incident".

[Lemons]

So it is Taylor's fault that he was raped because he "let" himself get drugged and he sexted Eric? So teenagers never give consent and just know that if they sext or casually hook-up and someone assaults them that it isn't rape and it is his/her fault? Yeah, Eric's life sucks but that doesn't give him the excuse to rape someone. Eric didn't have to be alone - he had his teammates. Taylor could have been Eric's friend or boyfriend - but Eric chose to exploit Taylor's attraction/attention to him and "impress" his teammates. Eric didn't stop anyone from taking pictures of Taylor after the "incident".

 

If it was rape, it's not Taylor's fault.  It just is not clear whether it was rape because Taylor really can't remember clearly.  It doesn't make sense that Taylor cannot remember what happened but is so convinced that it was rape.

 

The pictures show how horribly cruel teens can be.  Sadly these type of pictures happen all the time, not even just teens. 

[Bobbin]

It seems to me that the Black public school principal (did he have a name?) was maybe too focused on individual students and incidents and failed to see the "big picture," of his responsibilities, of racial tensions and perceptions, while Leslie was the exact opposite, puting the school's interests ahead of those of her students. She reminds me of a Linus comment in a "Peanuts" comic strip: "I love mankind! It's people I can't stand."

In an earlier comment, I had originally included that Eric saw himself as the victim, despite his raping his friend and even setting him up to be beaten, but I deleted that part because I thought I was the only one. I'm relieved to see that I wasn't. I agree with another's interpretation that Eric was running away, not cruising, but hesitated at the end, remembering what his brother said about knowing when to turn back. The thing about teenagers is that you think they aren't listening, but they are.

It's possible that Taylor wanted to be raped, just not while drugged. As for his fate, the whole legal process including the rush to trial, as depicted, is malarkey. However, Taylor's wanting to take charge of his own life by voluntarily going to prison, for however long (hoping to be raped?), while misguided, is credible. Incarceration can actually be empowering for some.

For Becca, maybe not so much. Dan isn't the first parent to insist that even though his child committed crimes over a period of time, she's not a "criminal" Nor is his wife, who is hooked on drugs, an "addict." Nor does Eric, who knows he raped "that little bitch", see himself as a rapist. Nor does Kevin's mother, despite the language in her emails, think she's a racist. So the theme of this season might have been, "Denial isn't just a river in Africa."

[RedheadZombie]

There are a few things I'm left wondering about.  First, having Taylor plead guilty - particularly his reason for it - just felt false.  He doesn't want to feel like a victim anymore?  Has anyone pointed out that he is now labelled for the rest of his life?  Good luck getting a job someday.  There's a poster somewhere on these forums, who discussed how a felony conviction has ruined their career, and their ability to make a decent living - forever.  So that part really bugged. 

 

I'm also disturbed that a minor, who can't legally sign a consent, buy alcohol, or join the military, gets the final word on something as devastating as pleading guilty.  Can he even legally buy a lottery ticket?  And if we're supposed to believe that Anne, who has passionately fought for Taylor to receive justice, would sign off on that deal and just give up - absolutely not buying it.  It's not true to her character.  At all.

 

Back to Taylor not wanting to go to trial because he didn't want to depend on mitigation provided by his rapist.  First of all, I don't think we could get more solid proof that Taylor is right about being raped.  But it makes absolutely no sense that justice depended on Eric's decision to tell the truth about the gang up.  First - why in hell is Eric given the option?  That really pissed me off.  But second, it looks like the four gang beaters were brought to the police station.  Since they saw Eric lure Taylor, and they actually performed the beating, why was Eric even necessary to mitigate Taylor's responsibility?  He wasn't.  And that pisses me off, too.

 

And are we supposed to believe that even though the basketball team was brought in and interrogated, presumably related to Taylor's beating, no charges were ever filed?  And if charges were filed and the boys were prosecuted, that evidence in that case wouldn't have been available to the judge on Taylor's case.  Just how incompetent is Taylor's attorney, and was he forced to rely on a public defender?

 

I also think we would have seen those kids turning on each other and making deals all over the place.  Becca would probably have been offered a great deal to testify against Taylor.  They would have offered a deal to the first of the four gang beaters to get him to turn.  Kevin, who was tangentially involved all over the place, would have been leaned on to testify against the four beaters.  Yet apparently, after all of the horror we've witnessed, only Taylor and Wes received any true consequence.  Kevin and "his boys" just go on as normal.

 

Off the top of my head, I can think of five people who got drunk or high, and killed someone with their vehicle.  Like Taylor, they were the cause of death while under the influence.  Yet unlike Taylor, these other killers were not victims of three violations, and were not in fear for their life when the killing took place.  The major difference is Taylor is poor.  I would maybe except the ending if this was stressed as Taylor's true reason to plead guilty - incompetent defense due to inability to afford a decent attorney.  But it wasn't, and I don't.