Season 3: All Episodes Discussion

[chocolatine]

I'd like to start an all episodes thread since I have some observations of the season as a whole. 

I thought this season was a huge letdown from the last. My biggest problem is that the characters have gotten so self-centered that they only care about their own desire du jour. Maura with wanting her surgeries, Shelly with her "brand" and one-woman show, Josh with his adriftness and trying to latch on to Colton, Sarah with getting her "needs" met and wanting to get on the synagogue board. Ally and Raquel are the only exceptions, but nobody gives a shit about them (unless they have a near-breakdown, like Raquel, and even then nobody followed up to make sure she got help). It's not so much a show about a family anymore as a series of vignettes about loosely related characters. I wasn't even able to feel sorry for Maura when she was told she couldn't have surgeries and had to discontinue the hormones, because she is just so selfish.

Other random observations:

- I'm a Jewish woman, so I'm allowed to say this - I just can't stand Jewish "princes" like that widowed cantor, who speak unquestioningly about God and ask a woman's permission every time before kissing any part of her body. I used to get into screaming fights with my mother when I was younger because she kept trying to set me up with guys like that, and I would have none of it. No wonder Raquel was hating herself after sleeping with him; she needs to start dating outside of the congregation.

- I had a bad feeling about Buzzy the second he was introduced last season. At least Shelly didn't fall for his "dead wife" spiel.

- With Sarah being so fond of girl-on-girl S&M action, and her former dominatrix going out of town, Sarah should start her own business. She'll get her "needs" met and get paid while doing it.

- I couldn't stand the self-righteous women's studies professor and I'm glad she and Ally are no longer together. Relationships between professors and their students are never a good idea, IMO, because it's not a relationship of equals.

[DrivingSideways]

I'm only on episode 4, but I'm struggling with this season.  I'm not enjoying it and just powering through.  This show has reached a level I feel when I watch "Girls".... are we supposed to know the characters are self centered, privileged, spoiled assholes, or are we supposed to relate to them?

There's not one character that's relatable.  Also, why are we still being subjected to Raquel?  She's not involved with the family.  I don't know.   Huge letdown so far.

[chocolatine]

5 hours ago, DrivingSideways said:

are we supposed to know the characters are self centered, privileged, spoiled assholes, or are we supposed to relate to them?

I thought the original premise was that they're flawed characters, sometimes unlikeable, but that they share a deep family bond and love for one another. Now most of them are just a bunch of jerks who put their own desires first, all of the time, and their get-togethers are a means to talk about themselves in front of an audience.

Quote

Also, why are we still being subjected to Raquel?  She's not involved with the family.

She's the rabbi at the synagogue the family attends, and she was going to marry Josh and have his baby, so there had to be some exploration of the aftermath of the miscarriage and breakup. Also, since Sarah is suddenly hell-bent on being involved with the synagogue, Raquel's in a lot of her scenes. I don't mind Raquel since I think she and Ally are the least self-absorbed characters on the show, but I think a natural progression next season would be to see less of her as she moves on from Josh. (And I seriously hope Jill Soloway doesn't put Raquel and Josh back together just to give Kathryn Hahn more screen time.)

[marsha]

I watched almost all the episodes of Season 3 early this AM and the remaining one, as it turned out, this afternoon. I really, really thought this was a terrific season. I loved Season 1 and was not all that into Season 2 (although I liked it more when I watched it a second time). 

The show is all about Maura for me and what she was going through this season was very interesting to me. Sometimes, when you get what you've always thought you wanted (or 'dreamed of') and are becoming who you think your authentic self is it can be quite the "kick in the rubber parts" (to quote Harvey Feirstien's 'Torch Song Trilogy') when you face the truth of the very real limits limits health and getting older can put in your path. Just when you think you're almost 'there' you're ... not, I suppose. It's not just that some dreams don't come true (and some just don't) but suddenly you look up and realize you're not the only person in the world after all.

This was also the first Season where I absolutely loved Shelly and thought Judith Light knocked it out of the park. 'To Shel and Back' was fabulous and her cover of the Alanis song at the end was very moving.

The only thing that took me 'out' of the show for a bit was the memory scene of Mort and family in what was supposed to be 1958. Now, I was a child in the 1960s and boys just did not have hair that long, especially in the '50s. That said, I loved 1967 Shelley! Also that poor turtle, living in the 'walls' all those years! Then again, maybe he was better off, lol.

Edited September 25, 2016 by marsha
damn typos!

[howiveaddict]

I loved this season too.  Watched it all in one day. Agree about boys in the 50s and early 60s not having long hair.  Grandpa would surely have cut it short.  Even though Mort is totally selfish, the scenes of him as a child, made it easier to understand how he feels.

[DrivingSideways]

Maybe I missed something.  Maybe I'm too old, or too young, or something.  To Shell & Back was embarrassing, and I watched her sing Hand In My Pocket through my fingers.  It was cringe-inducing to the max.  I find Shelley to be extremely off-putting and creepy in general.  Maura was more humorless and self involved than last season.  I thought it was odd that Angelica Huston embraced Maura's bitchy sister.  Maura's privilege was on full display when being around an ethnic swap meet caused her to catch the vapors and pass out.

But by far the worst disappointment for me was Sarah.  This was a character that was my favorite the first season.  Now she's rageful, bitter, aimless bitch... I don't understand why she's so angry, or how she has so much time and unlimited income to dump into the temple or her personal dominatrix.  I find myself wanting to shake the character and tell her to grow the fuck up.

I will say that the acting is awesome, particularly Gabby Hoffmann.  So if I sound like I'm just drinking haterade, there is a lot to like about the show.   I like escapism but the fact that these people have so much time and funds to navel-gaze all day long makes it difficult to get invested in their drama.

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, DrivingSideways said:

To Shell & Back was embarrassing, and I watched her sing Hand In My Pocket through my fingers.  It was cringe-inducing to the max.

Not only that, it was also completely anti-climactic. They way Shelley had been going on about it, I expected something original and personal, not a bad cover of a 90s song.

2 hours ago, DrivingSideways said:

I thought it was odd that Angelica Huston embraced Maura's bitchy sister.

I thought it was a fuck you to Maura.

[MilkMachine]

I liked this season better than season 2. I blew through season 2 really quickly so I don't remember all of the plot points, but I felt like season 2 was much darker and there was a heavy veil of self-destruction that was hard to watch. One horrible, painful, embarrassing decision after another. Maybe that is what had to happen for the characters to emerge from that, which is what they seemed to do in this season. There were still some bad decisions but the characters seem to know themselves a little better. I liked seeing Shelly stand up for herself with Buzz and Sarah decide to maintain her boundaries with her ex, for example.

One struggle I have with Maura is how to feel about her actions from one minute to the next. At times I am repulsed by her selfishness, at other times I feel tender towards her because of the shit she is going through and has been through. This season I feel like I know her a little better and it's easier to see when she's just being a Pfefferman and when she's acting in response to something she's struggling with related to her identity. I was really surprised at how quickly she gave up on having a more physical feminine shape when the surgery got ruled out, though. I'd love to see more on how she grapples with her physical characteristics in the future.

I thought what we saw of To Shell and Back was perfect. My only regret is that we only saw a couple of minutes of it, the song. I think that was on purpose because the writers us wanted us to fill in our own blanks about what Shelly had to say and how that evolved between her "temple talk" and the act she gave that night on the ship. I imagine it was much longer than what we saw (as it was staged as a one-woman show) and it was raw, funny, painful, and awkward all at once. Her musical performance completely embodied all of those characteristics. I felt embarrassed for her, like hide my face embarrassed, but then I marveled at her bravery. There was a part of me that wanted to shout, "You go, girl!" A pop song that came out 20 years ago seems like a bizarre and unexpected choice, but being unexpected made it kind of awesome. It would not have had the same impact if she had sung a song from her own youth, the 60s.

I enjoyed the flashbacks more this time. I didn't really love the parallel story last season (and also I didn't love that I felt like we were supposed to love it) but again it provided framework for us to digest this season's flashbacks to Maura's childhood. They were able to have something of a lighter touch when referencing Gittel because we had already seen all of that unfold for ourselves. I thought it was odd that Bryna was so protective about Rose seeing Maura in 2016 (because wouldn't she sense that Rose would have compassion about gender identity?) but now that I see more of the backstory I see how Bryna likely blames Maura's "issues" for Rose's abandonment.

I'd really like to rewatch the whole series, but it's rarely enough that I have time to consume the new stuff.

Edited September 25, 2016 by MilkMachine

[maraleia]

22 hours ago, marsha said:

The only thing that took me 'out' of the show for a bit was the memory scene of Mort and family in what was supposed to be 1958. Now, I was a child in the 1960s and boys just did not have hair that long, especially in the '50s. That said, I loved 1967 Shelley! Also that poor turtle, living in the 'walls' all those years! Then again, maybe he was better off, lol.

 

Young Maura was played by young transgender actor Sophia Grace Gianna and Sophia keeping her longer hair was a deliberate choice by the production team.

[marsha]

42 minutes ago, maraleia said:

Young Maura was played by young transgender actor Sophia Grace Gianna and Sophia keeping her longer hair was a deliberate choice by the production team.

Then, historically speaking, it wasn't the right choice. Now, if it was 1968 instead of 1958 then maybe but boys (and Mort was considered by family/society a boy) in North America didn't wear their hair that long. I can understand if maybe Sophia Grace Gianna didn't want to have her hair cut for the part but production should have then had her wear a short boy style wig to play young Mort. Apart from that, though, I really loved this particular episode.

[maraleia]

7 minutes ago, marsha said:

Then, historically speaking, it wasn't the right choice. Now, if it was 1968 instead of 1958 then maybe but boys (and Mort was considered by family/society a boy) in North America didn't wear their hair that long. I can understand if maybe Sophia Grace Gianna didn't want to have her hair cut for the part but production should have then had her wear a short boy style wig to play young Mort. Apart from that, though, I really loved this particular episode.

Quote from Amy Landecker

“She {Sophia] gives, in my opinion, an award-worthy performance and it’s really interesting casting to say young Maura is a girl even though people think pre-transition [she should be played by a boy],” Amy said. “[Our Lady J- the transgender writer of the episode] pointed out, and we’re learning through this process, that the child is the gender the child is. And it might be perceived one way, but that’s not the gender of that child. It’s another blessed year for Ms. Soloway.”
Read more at http://www.afterellen.com/tv/498119-big-changes-happening-season-3-transparent#YyKA8LkqXkaW7PVp.99

[chocolatine]

43 minutes ago, marsha said:

Then, historically speaking, it wasn't the right choice. Now, if it was 1968 instead of 1958 then maybe but boys (and Mort was considered by family/society a boy) in North America didn't wear their hair that long. I can understand if maybe Sophia Grace Gianna didn't want to have her hair cut for the part but production should have then had her wear a short boy style wig to play young Mort. Apart from that, though, I really loved this particular episode.

I agree with you, but I think that flashback can be explained as Maura's subjective memory rather than a historically accurate reenactment. Maura's favorite memory is probably playing dress-up in the bunker, when she felt her most feminine, and maybe she imagined herself having longer hair than she really did at the time. 

Another reason why I think the flashback was supposed to be a memory is that don't think Maura's mother looked *exactly* like Ally as a young woman, only that in Maura's mind she did.

Edited September 26, 2016 by chocolatine

[marsha]

My point is about the way boys had to wear their hair (or, conversely, couldn't wear there hair) in 1958. It has nothing to do with the actor they chose to play young Mort. I just brought it up to say that as a viewer it took me out of the episode. That's all.

[marsha]

22 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I agree with you, but I think that flashback can be explained as Maura's subjective memory rather than a historically accurate reenactment. Maura's favorite memory is probably playing dress-up in the bunker, when she felt her most feminine, and maybe she imagined herself having longer hair than she really did at the time.

I hadn't even thought of that as a reason for the longer hair. Thanks for the insight, Chocolatine and thanks for the link, maraleia.

[maraleia]

1 hour ago, marsha said:

I hadn't even thought of that as a reason for the longer hair. Thanks for the insight, Chocolatine and thanks for the link, maraleia.

You're welcome. Again Maura has always been Maura no matter when she officially announced her true gender identity and take hormones which is why her most vivid childhood memory is of a time when she was partly free to express herself.

Kudos to Sophia for acting the hell out of those scenes :)

[CouchTater]

I have an irrational dislike of the actor who plays Josh (Duplass brother #1).  He has the dumbest expression on his face at all times.  I feel bad hating his face, but it drives me nuts!  Does anyone else understand my pain?  It's just a dopey face.......

Judith Light really toned down her portrayal of Shelley this season, which I really appreciated.  For me, Shelley was a caricature in previous seasons.  This time  around I related to her the most of all the characters.  I loved when she kicked the girls out of her suite on the cruise ship.

I don't understand why anyone would want to be in any relationship with Maura (Vicky, Davina), who is the worst.  Except for her kids, or at least Ally, who Maura bankrolls as far as I know.

Sarah is gross.  Ally is also gross.

[heatherchandler]

Did anyone else notice that the speech the grandfather gave to Maura's mom was VERY similar to the speech she gave to Ally season 1? 

I think they both used the same line - "You my child don't DO anything!"

[Glade]

On 9/27/2016 at 0:27 PM, heatherchandler said:

Did anyone else notice that the speech the grandfather gave to Maura's mom was VERY similar to the speech she gave to Ally season 1? 

I think they both used the same line - "You my child don't DO anything!"

Yes, thus showing that Mort developed his grandfather's temper and penchant for verbal abuse (and so, ultimately, did Mort's sister!) 

[Grandma Saracen]

While in previous seasons, Rabbi Raquel had been the highlight for me, this season Shea's speech to Josh and her performance in the entire episode stands out. I am a Reform Jew, and I always enjoy the uniquely American Jewish aspects of the show. This year, I loved the feeling of the Havdalah (until it became more than bargained for), as well as the crazy prepping of the Seder plate on the ship. I wasn't grabbed by any of the Pfefferman's story lines, and I don't think I will be back for season 4. 

[Readalot]

I couldn't stop torturing myself this season, I finisued it in two days. I guess I was hoping the current episode I was watching any Pffiferman would have an epiphany and become a better person (repeat the next episode) but it didn't happen in my eyes. - I agree that young Morts long hair took me out of his scenes too.  - the whole season just made me agitated, I don't know of it was the character (non)  development, or the gratuitous sex and nudity or I'm in just a pissy mood about the election.  - I do have to say Gaby didn't piss me off as much as she usually does (Girls!).  Did they tell how she got the teaching job? I found myself losing a lot of focus this season.  Not sure if I will be around for Season 4. I only care for Raquel at this point. 

Edited October 21, 2016 by Readalot

[kieyra]

The theme music just popped into my head out of nowhere, and I had an epiphany: I can't watch the show anymore. It's just too bleak. Even the memory of the theme music makes me depressed.