S01.E02: Jack-in-the-Pulpit

[Sandman]

They may indeed be holding Dylan Bruce in reserve for something, and I begin to think it's a showdown with Campaign Manager Lady. But you don't hire Aiden Devine to play a faithful family retainer with the IQ of a gerbil, either.

Cam's hair was alarming at the funeral. Can we read it as some sort of barometer of how close he is to falling off the wagon?

[Guest]

I rewatched and they did say the 6 victims were all "Boston's wealthy elite".  The killer tied them to chairs like kings on thrones with the bell by them, so maybe it is just a money thing.  Probably more likely that's redirection, though, and the bell is something totally wacko.  

I don't know the Cam actor from anything else so his hair doesn't distract me as much as just as his giant head in general.  He's got the Fisher Stevens thing going on.  

I also don't know Dylan Bruce from anything but it does seem fishy he's not regular cast in the credits but a guest star or something.  He looks a LOT like Ted Bundy to me in this. 

[Chaos Theory]

One of the (many) downsides to watching police procedurals is you expect cops on other shows to be excessively competent.    It seems like the police on this show are going to be at least part of the problem for the show but that is kinda part of the fun.

[iMonrey]

Quote

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

I don't think the show is as bad as that guys does. However, it's giving me serious flashbacks to The Family, which just ended. I don't know if the connection is merely coincidental or if two different writers came up with basically the same idea and wrote two slightly different shows. But the more of this I watch, the more it feels like they took the same basic concept and gave it a do-over.

In both cases you've got a Prominent Family in the midst of a political campaign (the mother running for governor in one, the daughter running for mayor in the other), at the same time they are thrown into a Grand Mystery - involving a serial pedophile in one and a serial killer in the other. Both families have daughters who are closeted lesbians and sons who have substance abuse problems. Both have matriarchs who are ice-cold blondes and patriarchs of questionable character. Both families have a hard-nosed detective breathing down their necks who is inextricably linked to them through a decade or more old case. Both shows have a creepy little boy wandering around doing creepy things. 

I honestly think whoever greenlit this thing on CBS should have done their homework and said "Uh, they just tried this same concept over at ABC and it was a failure." The last thing you want on the air is a show that's a lot like another show that just got cancelled for low ratings.

Edited July 5, 2016 by iMonrey

[Guest]

I think since Revenge and other 'successes' like it, they've considered this a new genre.  Heck, look how much mileage the networks got out of police procedurals.  I would say Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder kind of fall into this 'prominent families, deep secrets' thing, too.  I guess even The Good Wife has roots in it and maybe even as far back as Desperate Housewives?  

Edited July 5, 2016 by Guest

[Chaos Theory]

I know people are comparing this to The Family but I think the comparisons are extremely superficial.  wby not compare it to every wealthy white family in the last decade?  I think the family collapsed because the mystery didn't work.  It became to convoluted too quickly while it tried to be serious drama. By his at least knows what it wants to be and the characters are at least to my opinion far more entertaining.  Plus the mystery itself hasn't blown up on itself yet.  

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

American Gothic: Maybe They All Did It?

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

[Cardie]

Rich people kept bells beside them in order to summon servants. Perhaps this is the work of a disgruntled servant--Gunther?--or someone in the household whose mother or father was a servant.