Tara Ariano April 10, 2014 Share April 10, 2014 To prevent Anna from being blamed for the murder of a Royal Officer, Abe must find the culprit; Ben and Caleb interrogate Simcoe. Link to comment
Tara Ariano April 14, 2014 Author Share April 14, 2014 Here's Sarah's post on the episode! Link to comment
Charlotte Vale April 14, 2014 Share April 14, 2014 I am so confused. I know who Abe and his dreary wife and smug father are (and, really, did Abe's beloved late mother knit him that awful hat? It's the only excuse for his wearing it), and Spy Girl at the ale-house, but I cannot for the life of me keep anyone else straight. Big bearded bear guy--is he good or bad? Redcoat or Revolutionary? Spy or counter-spy? I guess the whole point of a spy show is that you really don't know, but gosh this has me all at sixes and sevens. Link to comment
HalcyonDays April 14, 2014 Share April 14, 2014 (edited) I am so confused. I know who Abe and his dreary wife and smug father are (and, really, did Abe's beloved late mother knit him that awful hat? It's the only excuse for his wearing it), and Spy Girl at the ale-house, but I cannot for the life of me keep anyone else straight. Big bearded bear guy--is he good or bad? Redcoat or Revolutionary? Spy or counter-spy? I guess the whole point of a spy show is that you really don't know, but gosh this has me all at sixes and sevens. I love that hat! Though when I saw it the first episode, I was like, wait, that's so a modern beanie hat that guys wear today, it's not 18th century appropriate. Big bearded bear guy I think is working both sides. He killed the Patriots in the opening episode because he got paid to do it. Paid spy, for sure. Abe and Tavern ex-girlfriend are Patriots. Dreary-wife I have no clue (probably Patriot). Smug father is on the British side. Abe though knows he has to look like he's on the side of the British, to not piss off his father, others. So he's pretending to be loyal. That's all I got. And there is nothing funnier than Captain Simcoe in his disheveled puffed out wig, having dinner with Ben, trying to be proper and keep his dignity. When they were digging out that musket ball though, he should be dead solely from the resulting infection. Edited April 14, 2014 by HalcyonDays Link to comment
Charlotte Vale April 14, 2014 Share April 14, 2014 Captain Simcoe--is he the Hugh Laurie-looking fellow who is so pleased with himself? The Redcoat You Love to Hate? I know I should like Ale-Wife (and I do hate Dreary Wife), but she is awfully pushy and serious. I guess revolutionaries always are, though, aren't they? Link to comment
Ohwell April 14, 2014 Share April 14, 2014 I don't know. I watched again last night and I came away still not feeling much of anything for any of the characters, even Jamie Bell. I also don't care much about the story except that, being American, I'm so glad things turned out well in the end. : ) This is not going to be must-see TV for me; I'll catch the reruns if I can but I won't worry if I miss an episode. Link to comment
Tabbylover April 15, 2014 Share April 15, 2014 It's unbelievable to see how a show with such an interesting premise could be so boring. 3 Link to comment
Ujio April 15, 2014 Share April 15, 2014 I still find the storyline interesting and the actors, Angus Macfadyen in particular, fascinating. But the mumbling sure doesn't help deliver the message, and those dark, dark scenes make it almost impossible to understand a single word of what they're saying! That's quite frustrating. I'll give it several more weeks, though. Cast's too good to give up on too quickly! Link to comment
bunnyblue April 15, 2014 Share April 15, 2014 I want to love this show, but it's so hard to follow. Closed captioning is definitely a must in order to understand what these people are saying. I had to consult Wikipedia to find out who was real and who survives. I thought the older guy in the white wig who Ben Tallmadge reports to was George Washington but closed captioning says he's General Scott. I'm confused. I'm glad this episode dealt with Captain Joyce's murder because last week they left it hanging and I was surprised they didn't address it then. If I followed correctly, his gay lover killed him in a fit of rage and now bearded, cap-wearing guy is going to use him to fish out the Patriot spies. Abe & Anna better be careful. I wanted Captain Simcoe to die mainly because of his threats towards Anna. Dude's got rapist written all over him. But the actor sure is wonderful. And there is nothing funnier than Captain Simcoe in his disheveled puffed out wig, having dinner with Ben, trying to be proper and keep his dignity. I had a good laugh at that. I watched that scene twice because he looked hilarious in his messed up wig but still doing his best to be a proper British soldier. The shows a bit slow but I'll stick with it through the rest of the season. I wonder how many episodes are left. Link to comment
attica April 15, 2014 Share April 15, 2014 I'm giddy over this show. Every time they introduce a character I have read about, I squeak in delight. That JJ Feilds is playing Andre is perfect, even if Andre was not yet a Major at the time of these events. But I forgive the showrunners for inserting him: Andre is too awesome a character to leave till later. When the cabbage shed was set on fire, though, I thought Billy Elliot was so mad he'd have to dance his frustrations out! Dance, Billy, dance! 1 Link to comment
Dagny April 15, 2014 Share April 15, 2014 With Big Bearded Cap (BBC) running the ex gay lover and taking Abe into his confidence, does that make Abe a spy, double or triple? Link to comment
peanutbunny April 15, 2014 Share April 15, 2014 I wish they'd get the accents right - that's driving me up a wall. If I remember correctly, many colonists still spoke with a British accent. One of those guys sounded like he was from the deep South. I kinda like it - Abe irritates if only because I don't like the dithering, bowing, and scraping. I get it, you have to make it look good to your dad and townspeople, but God's sake, man! Have a backbone! I, too, was surprised to see a Scotsman working with the British. Link to comment
attica April 15, 2014 Share April 15, 2014 Yeah, it's weird that SpyBilly's dad's accent is more Americanized than SpyBilly's. That actor is English, too. IMDB says that George Washington does in fact appear in one ep. I've seen the actor playing him in a couple of his credits; he's the right age, anyway. Link to comment
Haleth April 16, 2014 Share April 16, 2014 I'm still pretty confused about what's going on so I think I need to watch the On Demand extras to sort things out. For the life of me I couldn't remember where I'd seen Jamie Bell before so I had to laugh when I checked imdb and saw he was Billy Elliot. Of course. Some of the things that confused me: Abraham rowed across Long Island Sound? Twice? Who is the other bearded guy (that hangs out with cute blue coat)? Is he a good guy or a British spy? Who is Anna signaling with the petticoats? Who is in New Jersey? Why was Dad pleased that Abe confessed to lying about the hidden money? Where did all the cabbages come from if half were bug infested and half smuggled to Conn? Just for starters. I really like the concept of this show. It could be fascinating to see how the spy network worked once all the pieces are in place. (In contrast to The Americans it will be nice to see the protagonists as good guys.) I remember the name Major (John?) Andre, and Rogers (big bearded guy) sounds familiar. I'll be spending some time on wikipedia today I think. Link to comment
attica April 16, 2014 Share April 16, 2014 Cute Blue Coat is Tallmadge. His bearded friend is Caleb Brewster, part of the patriot spy ring. The good guys, they're who Anna's signaling. I think Washington is in New Jersey; the Continental army had been driven out of NYC. Dad was worried that SpyBilly had killed the redcoat captain, so finding out that his shifty behavior was smuggling, not treason was why he was pleased. SpyBilly only smuggled a few cabbages, not half the crop. Just enough to fit concealed in the wee boat. The distance across the sound is only a few miles, and since we didn't see a sail, nor were there motors, we can only assume he rowed, probably with tidal assistance. Link to comment
Haleth April 16, 2014 Share April 16, 2014 (edited) The distance across the sound is only a few miles, and since we didn't see a sail, nor were there motors, we can only assume he rowed, probably with tidal assistance. It's more than a few miles but I guess the distance depends on where they are on LI and where he rowed to in CT. What is the name of the town? It begins with an S but I can't find anything on a map. Never mind, I found it. Setauket was around Port Jefferson. Directly across the Sound is the Fairfield/Bridgeport area. It's 17 miles. That's one hell of a trip by row boat. And there is no way anyone could see petticoats on the clothesline from across the water. Edited April 16, 2014 by Haleth Link to comment
Dagny April 16, 2014 Share April 16, 2014 Setauket was around Port Jefferson. Directly across the Sound is the Fairfield/Bridgeport area. It's 17 miles. That's one hell of a trip by row boat. And there is no way anyone could see petticoats on the clothesline from across the water. Abe is a rowing MACHINE! Link to comment
Floriane001 April 17, 2014 Share April 17, 2014 That show is so frustrating! An excellent premise, I would LOVE to love it, and... nothing happens. And it's simplistic. The English are BAD, the Americans are good, the women are beautiful and heroic, the war is just, and... argh. I don't think this show is too complicated, I think it's not complicated enough! There would be plenty of interesting conflicts and ambiguities to explore... that they are not exploring at all. And, it's too fucking slow. Again: frustrated. 1 Link to comment
attica April 17, 2014 Share April 17, 2014 (edited) It's 17 miles. Well, that was before global warming, so it was less then. :) Actually, I just nerded out a bit and looked up some stuff. A reasonably good rower can do 3 knots. In LI Sound, because of its funnel shape, the water speeds are pretty damn brisk: a favorable tide can give you as much as 4 knots on top of that. So 7 knots, or across the sound in a bit over two hours. It's a lot, but for people used to physical exertion (say a young, healthy farmer without the benefit of John Deere), well, I think the Mythbusters would call it Plausible. Edited April 17, 2014 by attica Link to comment
HalcyonDays April 17, 2014 Share April 17, 2014 SpyBilly only smuggled a few cabbages, not half the crop. Actually, that's one thing I didn't get. WHY did Abe have to smuggle the cabbages to the island? Unless the crop he is growing doesn't belong to him and he's just contracted to grow it for the British or something? Can anyone clarify? Link to comment
lucindabelle April 20, 2014 Share April 20, 2014 Better price? Redcoats commandeering them? Link to comment
prican58 April 21, 2014 Share April 21, 2014 As a Bronxite raised *on* L.I. not *in*, I am so very pleased to watch this show but my frustrations are the same as most. It is damned hard to figure out the dialog. How on earth did I miss the gay stuff? Hard to keep pace but I will go on as I love me some SpyBilly (I love that, to whomever thought it up) and a little soft shoe would lighten things up a bit. I love the names of LI towns. Strong Island as we used to say. Link to comment
Recommended Posts