S01.E05: Episode 5

[Quilt Fairy]

I remain totally clueless as to how this is all going to tie together.

[attica]

Well, I was hoping Karl would resist shagging the French lady (dude: there will be video/images! wake up!), but every that would mean the show would have to abandon the 'hero gets some' trope, and we can't have that, now, can we? And yes, I draw a distinction between Karl's sex and Elise's: hers is played for its oddness and highlights her being alien, his is played to reassure him that he's still a stud.

Super creepy mannequin of the decapitated shrink!

[beadgirl]

Not to mention the fact that he's married and she isn't.  I'm getting increasingly impatient with the covert misogyny of this show.  All of the women except Elise either have no agency or make very poor mistakes (or both).  There is an abundance of "alpha" males who treat other people like trash and get away with it.  I bet the writers think they are being realistic and highlighting important issues like the trafficking of women, but what's coming across to me is a kind of nihilism and paternalism, and a cynicism towards the idea that any human being could actually be unselfish.

[zxy556575]

I assume it's being kept deliberately obscure, but I keep changing my mind on whether or not Stephen Beaumont is a bad guy.

Still think Sophie's a proper fool.

[Quilt Fairy]

I think now we know why Karl has 5 kids by 3 different women. His marriage vows apparently mean nothing to him. (Well, there was a slightly hesitation of a few seconds, but that was it.)  And then, in the last scene the pregnancy test shows positive, but Karl is upset because he thinks it can't be his? Would this be because he's been snipped (although the little swimmers can stay around for a while) or because they haven't had sex at all lately? And she doesn't deny it; she just turns away from him.

1 minute ago, lordonia said:

I assume it's being kept deliberately obscure, but I keep changing my mind on whether or not Stephen Beaumont is a bad guy

Which one is he?  The guy who tried to save the woman with the little boy? 

[SusanSunflower]

We've had dozens of "damaged" male detectives so I'm not going to quibble wrt  Elise.  Robson Green and Cracker both quickly come to mind and -- of course -- the Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest opened up the territory for anti-social/ damaged / Aspie female detectives. I only read the first of the books (Dragon Tattoo) and I was "done" -- never managed to make it though any of the movies (American or Danish) -- found so very many things preposterous ... though the first had a good underlying mystery (even if it was decades old). 

I think the "helpless women" is part of their poverty/lack of resources which is a feminist reality for women around the world. It's like prostitution ... the quick-cash job that's available to most women regardless of education or skill-set. It's not pretty, but it is reality for millions of women who are functional illiterates, without the good fortune of some job skill acquired somewhere ... child care seems to be the other "fall back" for many for whom it's not some "natural nurtuing inclination" just a way to pay the rent. 

eta: I am past "done" with evil females in British TeeVee but this show doesn't fall into that category for me ... as least so far.

Edited July 19, 2016 by SusanSunflower

[zxy556575]

8 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Which one is he? The guy who tried to save the woman with the little boy? 

Yes! (Although I had to look up his name before I posted that.) He's the brother of Suze the drug addict and owns/runs the hostel. He seems to have some creepy ulterior motives and certainly has it out for Suze's boyfriend, but I think he was genuinely trying to help that homeless woman and her son.

[humbleopinion]

Karl is becoming Elise's best friend.

Dinner with his family, revealing about her twin's death, joking in her Elise way with him.

Gael is becoming too needy and is about to get jettisoned by wanting more from Elise.

[attica]

7 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

And then, in the last scene the pregnancy test shows positive, but Karl is upset because he thinks it can't be his? Would this be because he's been snipped (although the little swimmers can stay around for a while) or because they haven't had sex at all lately? And she doesn't deny it; she just turns away from him.

I read the scene this way: Karl's only just had his surgery, which is too soon for a pregnancy test to show up. So it's clearly pre-snip swimmers. His crack about it not being his was a joke. I don't think Laura's feeling guilty. Her turning away from him was a result of her intuiting that Karl's been playing  away. She doesn't want to face that possibility and what it portends, so she doesn't face him.

[izabella]

7 hours ago, lordonia said:

I assume it's being kept deliberately obscure, but I keep changing my mind on whether or not Stephen Beaumont is a bad guy.

Didn't he just kill somebody with a candle holder?  Who was that guy?

[zxy556575]

26 minutes ago, izabella said:

Didn't he just kill somebody with a candle holder?  Who was that guy?

He did! But that was to avenge his sister's death. I don't think he's linked to the Truth Terrorist. It's a very low bar for being a good guy on this show.

[AnnieBeez]

1 hour ago, lordonia said:

He did! But that was to avenge his sister's death. I don't think he's linked to the Truth Terrorist. It's a very low bar for being a good guy on this show.

His sister isn't dead. She's in intensive care. I thought it was about the refugee, plus doesn't want his sister with the guy. Sounded like maybe he was pimping out the sister over the phone? 

[SusanSunflower]

I just discovered this was episode #5 of 10, meaning that we're only halfway to the conclusion ... which unfortunately did not fill me with anticipation of 5!!! more!!! episodes!!! but rather a hope that this gets a little less random and meandering. Because of the randomness by which so many characters have met their end(s), although I feel a fair amount of steely dread, I'm not actually feeling suspense, shock left the building a couple of episodes back. 

Hoping next episode makes me fall in love with this again. I want to like it more than I do. I love looking at Dillane and Posey, but I'm lacking emotional connection at this point.