S01.E02: Jack-in-the-Pulpit

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

A new suspect emerges in the "Silver Bells Killer" case; Garrett plans an announcement about a family secret; and Cam, Tessa and Alison seek an explanation for the silver bells found in the shed.

[Primetimer]

At least then Angela would be justified in her dislike of just about everyone on the show.

View the full article

[Chaos Theory]

Have you hugged your corpse today?

This show is hardly perfect and is riddled with cliches but it is at least fun to watch.  I have got to learn these peoples names but the conversation between the mother and the nice sister seemed like it was all kinds of manipulative but then the sister went on to sort of manipulate the disappeared brother into not telling tales.  

And of course the politician sister likes the ladies.  Hey into todays worlds a lady loving politician might do better then a norman rockwell painting but hey she might actually also love her husband .  Shit about to get complicated in politicoville.

I was actually really not liking cop husband guy.  He annoyed me.  I can't put my finger on exactly why.  Maybe because he was more interested in getting his fatherinlaws DNA then being there for his wife.  Not cool dude.  Not cool.

Edited June 30, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[partofme]

This show is wasting Dylan Bruce.   So far I'm having trouble staying interested in it.  Can't stand the mother or the politician sister.    I miss the ABC show The Family.

[Cardie]

Mama Hawthorne has been cleaning up after her family of psychos for a long time, apparently. She must believe that Mitch was the killer to have gotten rid of his DNA. Just like when the family dog died. Uh-huh. Cam seems the likeliest suspect there, having passed his animal torture gene on to his son and thus not recognizing how screwed up Jack is. Thank heavens his mom has finally suggested therapy. Despite being the owner of the belt in concrete, Cam is becoming a prime suspect too early. If the belt was in the house, any family member could have taken it.

The DNA chase was ridiculous. DNA from any one of the children can at least rule Mitchell in or out as a possible suspect. But the police can't have watched any CSI, because once they start getting familial matches to the killer, the noose tightens too fast.

Although I'm sticking to Mitchell being SBK, I do wonder if too-obvious suspect Garrett's obviousness may now be getting canceled out by seeming to be the one truth teller and protector of his little sis. His hatred for his father could have been projected onto the other one-per-centers whom SBK murdered.

Despite many eye-rolling events, I'm still intrigued enough to stick with it.

[izabella]

27 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I was actually really not liking cop husband guy.  He annoyed me.  I can't put my finer on exactly why/   Maybe because he was more interested in getting his fatherinlaws DNA then being there was in wife.  Not cool dude.  Not cool.

The conflict of interest there is off the charts.  There is no way he would have been given the job of collecting DNA. 

[Free]

50 minutes ago, partofme said:

This show is wasting Dylan Bruce.   So far I'm having trouble staying interested in it.  Can't stand the mother or the politician sister.    I miss the ABC show The Family.

This does remind me of the boring version of The Family.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

The conflict of interest there is off the charts.  There is no way he would have been given the job of collecting DNA. 

Plus wouldn't the cops have to show a warrant for DNA?  I think with a warrant he could've had the crematorium guy shut off the oven and get a sample.  Or without, considering he must've been planning on just asking nicely anyway.  

The mom's bullshit dementia story was ridiculous and served no purpose.  

The last murder was 14 years ago.  How old is Cam?  I suppose he could've been a teen murdering socialites.  (Kind of funny the photo was "Cam and Mitchell", like on Modern Family).  

Are we supposed to believe Garrett's been living in the wilderness for 14 years, eating squirrels?  If the mom wants him gone so bad, he needs to extort a healthy allowance.  

I wish I'd looked up what Jack-In-The-Pulpit art is beforehand.  It's a series of Georgia O'Keefe's.  This article said there's a shot in each ep inspired by the art in the title.

http://www.cbs.com/shows/american-gothic/news/1005339/what-you-can-expect-from-american-gothic/

[Cardie]

1 hour ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

The last murder was 14 years ago.  How old is Cam?

He has a nine-year-old son, so he's probably around 30 or 32. Is Garrett supposed to be the oldest? He's 38 and Tessa is 27, probably putting the other two somewhere in their thirties.

[ghoulina]

I really am loving Virginia Madsen in this! Her character is just a stealth, cold bitch and I love it. The best moment of this episode was when Caramel's owner showed up and she told her, "Remember my husband? He's dead. Good luck with your cat". 

Also, I'm glad SOMEONE finally brought up the fact that Jack needs fucking therapy. Holy shit. How many times are people going to giggle nervously, like this is some awkward childhood phase? 

I definitely think the Mom thinks the Dad is the killer. Her rush to remove all his things and burn his body wasn't just about the way SHE got rid of him. However, I'm still not convinced this thing is going to be so cut and dry. So now we see that the belt belonged to Cam at one point. Sure, dad could have just taken his son's belt. But I think there's some complications there. How early did Cam start using? Maybe he was wrapped up in drugs with some rich older person. Maybe he accidentally killed someone and came to dad to cover it up? And it all spiraled out of control. I just think there's some kind of situation where more than one person is involved, but it's not all even. I'm having a hard time articulating my thoughts. But the way Garret is so angry at the father - it's like he blames him for something. 

I find a lot of the plot unbelievable and predictable at times, but it's still fun to watch. 

[Guest]

I loved the veiled reference to Unsolved Mysteries by Virginia Madsen.

She co-hosted it a few times.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Cardie said:

He has a nine-year-old son, so he's probably around 30 or 32. Is Garrett supposed to be the oldest? He's 38 and Tessa is 27, probably putting the other two somewhere in their thirties.

If Cam's 32 now and the killings were 1999-2002, he'd have been 15-17 at the time.  If 30, he'd have been 13-15.  That'd be a stretch for me, given the resources needed to effectively pull off 6 murders of adults.  Plus he's a wisp of a man now.   He wouldn't even have had a car to use to hide bodies then.

Speaking of wispy Cam, that belt must've been tiny to fit him then, which the cops would've noticed immediately.  Miniscule nit, though.

I hope the mother is the serial killer.  Though why rush to cremate the body, if so.  Just to keep him as a suspect, to keep suspicion off the real killer?  

I suppose it's the obvious-- Mitchell.  The BTK reference in ep. 1 could've been foreshadowing.  Plus Jamey Sheridan played Randall Flagg in The Stand.  Heh.

[ghoulina]

12 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I hope the mother is the serial killer.  Though why rush to cremate the body, if so.  Just to keep him as a suspect, to keep suspicion off the real killer?

I think the rush to cremate could be viewed two ways. One, she knows he's the killer and wants DNA destroyed. But also, the hospital thinks it was their equipment that malfunctioned, but if they did an autopsy, is it possible they'd realize that's not what happened? She could just be protecting herself. 

However, quickly getting rid of all his personal effects is another matter. THAT seems like she's covering for him. 

[augmentedfourth]

I'm still kind of torn on this, though I'll most likely wind up sticking it out. Some things are great, some are...not. Very much not.

 

Virginia Madsen is knocking it out of the park here, and I think she's the best part of this show. Garrett is sufficiently creepy (so obviously, he won't wind up being the killer) and I enjoy that he has no fucks to give about what the rest of his family thinks of him. The rest of the cast isn't wowing me, though (with the exception of Jamey Sheridan, but, you know). Tessa in particular bugged me this episode - I don't know if the actress just isn't very good or if she's just overplaying the sweet naive schtick (or both?), but I cringed through most of her scene with Garrett at the funeral.

 

The cop husband trying to get the DNA was all sorts of sloppy. As others have mentioned, no way would he have been given that task due to the conflict of interest. Also, I guess cell phones don't exist in this universe and he couldn't have called the crematorium to say "Hey, don't shove the body in the oven just yet?" (But I'll admit I did snicker a little when the crematorium guy said something like "He *was* dead, right?")

 

But for the good bits, I do like the overall atmosphere of the show. As the first recap pointed out, the set design is excellent. Some of the lighting is a little dark, but I get what they're going for. Also, the music has been pretty good so far as well.

[izabella]

14 minutes ago, augmentedfourth said:

(But I'll admit I did snicker a little when the crematorium guy said something like "He *was* dead, right?")

I laughed out loud and concocted a whole story in my head about how that must be something that guy worries about, a lot, in his line of work.  Like it's his greatest fear, that one day, one of the bodies won't be dead.

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, ghoulina said:

However, quickly getting rid of all his personal effects is another matter. THAT seems like she's covering for him. 

I can kind of buy that she's just that kind of griever, since she did the same with a dog and that couldn't have been related to hiding a crime.  I don't know how I'd deal with loss of a spouse (whom I killed, especially) but I know when I lose pets I get those reminders gone asap.  

18 minutes ago, augmentedfourth said:

Tessa in particular bugged me this episode - I don't know if the actress just isn't very good or if she's just overplaying the sweet naive schtick (or both?), but I cringed through most of her scene with Garrett at the funeral.

 

The cop husband trying to get the DNA was all sorts of sloppy. As others have mentioned, no way would he have been given that task due to the conflict of interest. Also, I guess cell phones don't exist in this universe and he couldn't have called the crematorium to say "Hey, don't shove the body in the oven just yet?" (But I'll admit I did snicker a little when the crematorium guy said something like "He *was* dead, right?")

 

But for the good bits, I do like the overall atmosphere of the show. As the first recap pointed out, the set design is excellent. Some of the lighting is a little dark, but I get what they're going for. Also, the music has been pretty good so far as well.

I'm not one to mind bad acting but the Tessa actress had me cringing at points in both eps so far.  The Cam actor was a little rough in parts of ep. 1, too, but better this one.  I do like Madsen.  I prefer her to Joan Allen in The Family.  Madsen is a little more subtle.  

The crematorium humor was a little odd, but I guess he had no way of knowing the body was also the cop's father-in-law.  

I love the sets.  I find myself missing dialog because I'm mentally drooling over the sconces or bookcase or other decor.  

[sugarbaker design]

45 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

If Cam's 32 now and the killings were 1999-2002, he'd have been 15-17 at the time.  If 30, he'd have been 13-15.  That'd be a stretch for me, given the resources needed to effectively pull off 6 murders of adults.  Plus he's a wisp of a man now.   He wouldn't even have had a car to use to hide bodies then.

It's not a stretch if he was his dad's partner in crime.  I can picture Dad doing all the heavy lifting while Cam assists.

[dmc]

I saw the first episode of this and it was beyond terrible. I has such high hopes. I love mysteries but NO.

[izabella]

25 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I can kind of buy that she's just that kind of griever, since she did the same with a dog and that couldn't have been related to hiding a crime.  I don't know how I'd deal with loss of a spouse (whom I killed, especially) but I know when I lose pets I get those reminders gone asap.  

It's possible she erased the dog's presence immediately if Cam had killed the dog and she wanted to hide all traces.  Garrett did say Cam had a "dark streak."

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

It's not a stretch if he was his dad's partner in crime.  I can picture Dad doing all the heavy lifting while Cam assists.

I can buy Garrett and Mom keeping quiet after realizing Dad killed 6 adults, if they knew he'd never do it again.  But not if he had a minor son involved.  

Oh, good point about the dog, izabella.  I just don't see Cam as a sadist, though.  I figured his dark streak was the drug abuse and possibly the cynical political cartoons?

[sugarbaker design]

Maybe Mom and Garret do not know about the minor son being involved, there's too much we don't know at this point.

[ghoulina]

33 minutes ago, izabella said:

It's possible she erased the dog's presence immediately if Cam had killed the dog and she wanted to hide all traces.  Garrett did say Cam had a "dark streak."

And didn't Garret say something to Cam about the "apple doesn't fall far from the tree"? In reference to Jack?

[sjohnson]

Cam is so obvious so early the law of stall says he's not guilty. 

"Jack-in-the-pulpit" refers also to the boy's little eulogy. (Sorry to be ob-com about making sure the obvious is out there.)

Couldn't get into The Family because after seeing The Chameleon it seemed to have an implausibly solemn self regard for an implausible premise. No, I couldn't believe they wouldn't know for sure. I only really believe family impostor plots where the impostor is accepted for Reasons (probably nefarious.) 

I laughed out loud at this at least three times. Perhaps I'm not supposed to watch it in the same frame of mind as watching The Addams Family...but I am.

[Sammich]

I want to know more about the little sister, Tessa, and her traumatic childhood.  She mentioned it to Garrett.  What made her so afraid?  I thought that was a weird mention by her, and she told Garrett how he always kept her safe.  

[Cardie]

I suspect we'll find out that all the children are seriously disturbed, except perhaps Garrett. Maddie is ruthless but the wacko genes come from Mitch's side of the family, I reckon. With SBK first surfacing in 1999, it's hard to think that any of the Hawthorne offspring could be that killer unassisted. Perhaps they ordered the gardener/butler to help.

[sugarbaker design]

Quote

This show is wasting Dylan Bruce. 

Which leads me to believe his part will become much more prominent as the plot progresses.

[Free]

4 hours ago, ghoulina said:

I think the rush to cremate could be viewed two ways. One, she knows he's the killer and wants DNA destroyed. But also, the hospital thinks it was their equipment that malfunctioned, but if they did an autopsy, is it possible they'd realize that's not what happened? She could just be protecting herself. 

However, quickly getting rid of all his personal effects is another matter. THAT seems like she's covering for him. 

That and to cover up the killer reveal most likely at the end of the season.

[Margherita Erdman]

17 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I wish I'd looked up what Jack-In-The-Pulpit art is beforehand.  It's a series of Georgia O'Keefe's.  This article said there's a shot in each ep inspired by the art in the title.

 

7 hours ago, sjohnson said:

"Jack-in-the-pulpit" refers also to the boy's little eulogy. (Sorry to be ob-com about making sure the obvious is out there.)

I laughed out loud at this at least three times. Perhaps I'm not supposed to watch it in the same frame of mind as watching The Addams Family...but I am.

There was a shot in the church of a floral arrangement with jack-in-the-pulpit, which may be a stretch because as a wildflower I don't think it's a flower generally used by florists, in funeral arrangements or otherwise. Not only does it have the literal pulpit connotation as sjohnson points out, its traditional meaning in the "language of flowers" is one of protection or shelter, a theme that came up repeatedly in the episode, and of course the series of O'Keeffe paintings is highly erotic in nature, specifically the female/lesbian erotic... Someone(s) associated with this show really likes their symbolism, and fancies this show very deep indeed.

Also, I will bet $1 that the name Hawthorne is intentional and meant to evoke the great and serious American literary tradition of the New England grotesque.

sjohnson, I believe I will enjoy this show about 1000% more by imagining Virginia Madsen as Morticia and Tessa as Wednesday.

Edited June 30, 2016 by Margherita Erdman
Forgot to acknowledge the Addams Family hee

[Guest]

2 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

Which leads me to believe his part will become much more prominent as the plot progresses.

There was this comment on one of the show's pages on CBS.com:

http://www.cbs.com/shows/american-gothic/news/1005350/8-things-you-didn-t-know-about-american-gothic-chapter-one/

Quote

4. We didn't hear much from Tom this episode, but that's intentional. Brinkerhoff shared, "Tom has no dialogue by design; he is a marginalized prop—at least for now."

Though most of items in that list were so stupid, I doubt it means anything.  #3 makes no sense to me. 

Speaking of marginalized props, why weren't the twins at grandpa's funeral?  

[Happytobehere]

I'm still liking the show and figure I'll stick it out.  It can't be worse than Wayward Pines was and I stuck with that last summer.  I will admit however that there were several scenes this episode when I wondered if this show is meant to be viewed as camp.

I agree with those who posted about how awful the actress playing Tessa is.  The depths of her lack of talent are really on display when she is in scenes with her mom and Garrett, which makes sense since Madsen and Starr can actually act. 

I too would like clarity in the kids' ages, but realize we aren't getting it because the show wants the ability to make anyone a player in the murder game. However, we do know the parents were married for 38 years.  This gives the show room to push it that the 39th Anniversay was just around the corner, they could also make Mama Hawthorne preggers when they got married, thus giving more leeway in terms of the kids ages.

[sjohnson]

Thinking ahead, I would love it if everyone but Tessa was guilty of a silver bell murder. Each family member killed a different person for individual motives but they all did the silver bell and belt strangling as a copy cat. The silver bell in the first murder was just a random decoration, but as each member of the Hawthorne family offs someone the copy catting creates an illusion of a serial killer. In some ways it would be like a twist on Murder on the Orient Express.

 If I could figure out a reason for Tessa to spread the news about the silver bell discovery, it would be nice to include her as one of the killers just for completeness. 

Taking the murder hypothesis sort of seriously, Tessa is ruled out for the reason above, and because she would be certainly be too weak to kill someone by ligature. And it seems to me that teen Cam, Alison and Madeline also would have problems struggling with grown men. The only good candidates with the physical capacity for these murders are Garrett and the dear departed. Mitchell seemed to be surprised at being murdered by Madeline, though, which leaves Garrett, who definitely resented one rich man. As near as I can tell the SBK murders stopped when he left town. So in one sense the only plausible candidate is Garrett. In another sense the only plausible solution at this point is the box of silver bells is just part of the guy's true crime hobby! But something so logical would be terribly deflating. It's hard to imagine anything more Gothic enough to demand Madeline's murder of Mitchell than serial killing. Not even the discovery that the victim's were the children's true fathers and Tom is secretly Madeline's son.

Edited June 30, 2016 by sjohnson

[Cardie]

11 minutes ago, sjohnson said:

Not even the discovery that the victim's were the children's true fathers and Tom is secretly Madeline's son.

Oh, I'd love it if that were true: Mitch was shooting blanks, so Maddie had affairs and once she had become pregnant, he offed the father. But I think some of the victims were women. They really should have had Nick give a brief description of each victim when doing his info dump. We need to know what they had in common, besides being rich and prominent.

[sjohnson]

Yes, we don't know enough about the victims. (I did think they were all men.) If it turns out they were drugged, then everyone's in play. 

[Happytobehere]

28 minutes ago, sjohnson said:

Yes, we don't know enough about the victims. (I did think they were all men.) If it turns out they were drugged, then everyone's in play. 

At least one victim was a woman, one was a black man, one was Hispanic. I remember because I was surprised by the female victim as I suspected from last week that the killings were rage based and male centered, like Garrett hating his father.

[Guest]

Wasn't there something said to the effect that the victims were all rich or something?  

I figure it has to be Mitch or Madeline, or else why the murder of Mitch.  Would Madeline kill her innocent husband if what he was suggesting was revealing Garrett, whom Madeline seems to not be able to stand, was the killer?  

It would be cool if 14 years ago, Garrett discovered his father's hobby and told the parents he'd only keep silent if there was no more killing.  Then Mitchell said, "Then I'll just kill you next, then maybe your mother."  And that's why Garrett went off the grid-- to keep an eye on Mitchell but without being a target himself.  And maybe that's all that kept him from killing more.  Or at least leaving a silver bell behind, if he did.

[sugarbaker design]

Quote

Would Madeline kill her innocent husband if what he was suggesting was revealing Garrett, whom Madeline seems to not be able to stand, was the killer? 

He never mentioned Garrett, he could've been talking about the three remaining kids, Ali's spouse or Gunther.

[Guest]

35 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

He never mentioned Garrett, he could've been talking about the three remaining kids, Ali's spouse or Gunther.

I feel like the only kids possibly old enough are Garrett and Alison, and Alison really seemed in the dark to me but maybe that's misdirection.  Maddie killing her husband to protect a son-in-law or the gardener seems unlikely to me, too.  

[sugarbaker design]

I think Cam is still a possibility.

[blackwing]

I am still really enjoying this.  I'm sure there are lots of false clues being planted, because at this point, it really does look like any of the Hawthornes (except Tessa) could have done it.  Last week established Garrett as 38 and Tessa as 27.  I really thought Allison was the oldest based on her demeanor and bearing, but on this episode, Madeline specifically mentioned that Mitchell was her husband of 38 years.  Which probably means Allison is younger than Garrett, although probably not by much.  I think Cam could be 35 which means he was easily old enough when the murders started.

I agree that it was ridiculous for that police lady captain (her accent drove me batty) to ask Brady to get a DNA sample.  He did decline, and she then said she'd do it herself, at which point he caved and agreed.

Glad to see that the absence of Dylan Bruce is intentional.  He popped in, said two sentences and disappeared.  He wasn't even sitting next to Allison at the funeral, he probably wasn't even there.  What was the excuse?  Their kids couldn't attend the funeral of their grandfather?

I really can't tell who I am supposed to root for.  I find Allison to be cold and standoffish, Tessa annoyingly flighty, Cam irresponsible, and Garrett just plain weird and creepy.  I guess maybe I'm supposed to root for Madeline, who we are supposed to believe killed her own husband to prevent him from talking?  

So the "Jack-in-the-Pulpit" image was supposed to be the flowers at the funeral?  I looked up the image in advance and I thought we'd get a much larger, almost identical look, similar to Whistler's Mother in episode 1.

[Cardie]

Although actor ages don't equal character ages, for the two siblings we haven't had ages provided yet, Rylance is 37 and Chatwin 34, which seems about right.

Garrett being born so close to the marriage date might imply that Mitch isn't his father and he, thus, has not inherited the Hawthorne crazy.

[Guest]

This is pretty funny.  It say any of the kids could be the serial killer.  Except Tessa, who's probably too dumb.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/american-gothic-tv-review-905619

You guys are probably right about any of the kids being old enough, if they're actually making this a whodunnit.  

[mjc570]

I'm surprised, but I really liked Sophie in this episode.  While she did end up keeping the drug (cocaine? ) for herself, I thought she really was concerned for Cam.  I also was glad to see that someone finally said out loud that Jack should get counseling.  My least favorite character is Tessa, who is just too credulous for words.  I realize she is off her meds, that it is a stressful time, and that her role is the sweet, good person (which makes me think she may end up being involved in the murders or cover-up), but this is ridiculous.  I really wish she would tell someone - preferably her detective husband - about the inconsistencies in her mother's story, instead of just accepting her mother's story.

I enjoy this show, but I have to admit that I am not really watching it intently, so it is very likely that I am missing all kinds of things.  Sorry, summer brain!

[nora1992]

On ‎6‎/‎30‎/‎2016 at 8:04 AM, PsychoKlown said:

I loved the veiled reference to Unsolved Mysteries by Virginia Madsen.

She co-hosted it a few times.

I laughed when that line was given.  She co-hosted for a few seasons, after Pierce Brosnan's wife (whose name I can't remember) left. 

[thuganomics85]

Wait, Brady's boss isn't a cop at all!  That's totally Assistant State Attorney Rhonda Pearlman from The Wire, dammit!  When did she leave Baltimore?!  In all seriousness though, all the cop stuff really didn't work for me because I would think Brady wouldn't be anywhere near it now that  Mitchell is a suspect.  Talk about a conflict of interest, I would think.

Virginia Madsen continues to be a blast as Madeline.  The way she quickly bounces around from mourning to stone-cold was fun to watch, and the way she totally played Tessa at the funeral was messed up, but kind of impressive.  I'm not sure if she is the actual Silver Bells Killer, but I certainly think she knows more then she is letting on.

Garrett too, I'm guessing.  I still think he won't be the killer (too obvious), but he clearly knows things.  I know he's a creep, but I'm kind of digging the way he keeps trolling and messing around with everyone else.

Cam is clearly a loose cannon.  At least his ex prevented him from doing the drugs, although I noticed she pocketed it, so I wonder what that is all about?  Also, that sex scene in the bathroom strangely reminded me the most of Stephanie Leonidas' time on Defiance, but that is totally something Inara would have done.

Jack is messed up.  This is probably going to end with him becoming the new Silver Bells Killer or something.

Dylan Bruce really is the husband?!  Still weird that he is only in a scene or two.  Have no idea if Alison actually loves him or only cares about her campaign manager.  I noticed the campaign manager didn't like them making out, so I'm sure that is going to get ugly fast.

So, it ends with Cam as Brady's suspect.   Yep, I'm guessing he'll be the first red herring.  I'm sure he's did some shit back in the day, but I can't see him having the patience and mindset to pull off the types of killings the Silver Bells Killer apparently did.

[sjohnson]

15 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

.http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/american-gothic-tv-review-905619

The dude laughs that much and he gives it a negative review? What's he thinking? 

[Guest]

I guess I'm weird but sex in a public bathroom stall with my father's funeral service audio piped in... would be no replacement for that powder, whatever it is.  Or a good stiff drink or three.

That THR reporter was too harsh.  I don't think the show is at all that bad (yet).  And I find it a little insulting when someone in his position counsels his readers to turn off the tv and go do something outside.  It's on at 9pm on Wed. and it's still 100 degrees then here.  What is he doing then... 5K fun runs?  

[lucindabelle]

 Judge Hathorne was the only judge who never recanted. Point of interest. Nathaniel Hawthorne added the w on purpose so nobody would associate him with the hanging judge, show set in Boston so Id say no coincidence.

Edited July 3, 2016 by lucindabelle

[Guest]

I think you guys are right about Hawthorne.  He's considered a writer of gothic fiction, too.  Maybe the 6 victims were all adulterers?  I think The Scarlett Letter was his best-known work.  

I've been trying to think up what could the significance of the silver bell.  Dinner?  Christmas?  Summoning servers?  It kind of reminds me of silver spoons, or wealth.

Poe, another gothic writer, wrote something about bells.  The silver ones were the happy ones in this poem.  http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/medny/venturi-poebells.html

[Sandman]

On 2016-06-30 at 4:31 PM, Margherita Erdman said:

Also, I will bet $1 that the name Hawthorne is intentional and meant to evoke the great and serious American literary tradition of the New England grotesque.

No bet. I still have an anvil mark on my cranium from that one.

I find myself laughing at this show, too; especially this exchange:

Cutter: [Mitchell] was on site that day!

Cop Husband Guy (aka Brady): And if a lamp goes missing from the White House, and they make a list of everyone who was in the White House when it happened, the  President is gonna be on that list. You really think that he's the burglar?

Cutter: We talking Kennedy or Nixon?

Well played, Snarky Detective Sergeant or Whatever Cutter! I like you.

Also: Madeline lies constantly, smoothly, almost reflexively. She's a piece of work. Of course, she won't end up being the SBK, any more than Gruesome Garrett will be -- too easy.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Sandman
Because apparently she's not the Lieutenant. Who knew?

[Minneapple]

So I finally watched the first two episodes. Not bad for a bad summer show. Totally cheesy, and the police work is ridiculous. Warrants and ethics be damned. 

What is up with Cam's hair? It's so horribly distracting that I can't focus on any of his scenes.

I am enjoying Virginia Madsen. She's probably too good for this show but I still love her in the role.

I saw the previews for The Family and noped it on that one. It reminded me too much of Jacob Wetterling, a kid who went missing in rural Minnesota about 25 years ago and was never found. 

On 7/3/2016 at 3:45 PM, Winston9-DT3 said:

I've been trying to think up what could the significance of the silver bell.  Dinner?  Christmas?  Summoning servers?  It kind of reminds me of silver spoons, or wealth.

I just thought of the Christmas carol. Seriously I kept singing it whenever they said "silver bells" on the show.