Season One Ending: Wherein the Mystery Becomes Significantly Less Mysterious

[Muffyn]

This is the place to discuss the final episode of Season One and the ultimate conclusion of the (not so) mysterious disappearance of Chantal Whitherbottom. 

[possibilities]

I loooooved that while, on the one hand, Dory was right and not delusional (stuff was weird, Chantal really was missing, and she did find her), but on the other hand, the mystery wasn't all that.

I remember as kids, we were always looking for a mystery to solve, and there really wasn't one. In this case, there was a mystery, but it wasn't that interesting or worthy of heroics, yet you could see that Dory's belief that something was going on wasn't entirely wrong, even if her friends were treating her like a kid who was just making it up.

Also, the way the characters managed to be terrible but not always in the way you think they are-- that was fun for me.

[kat165]

This was a huge letdown. I enjoyed all the eps leading up to the end but when we got to the end I was sorry I'd wasted my time watching all the previous episodes.

[MeloraH]

I really liked the ending. They worked themselves up into such a frenzy over not much and like there hadn't been a murder or a major trauma re: Chantal but then one occurred as a result of their investigatng.

I still want to know how Keith found them in Montreal though. Did he do something stalkery to her phone or Gail's car?

[Muffyn]

At first I was disappointed.  Much like Dory I wanted the big mystery.  Then as it was explained I really liked it.  Every odd thing she saw/imagined was explained.  I can see someone deciding to run off like Chantal did.  Our characters were rather self-absorbed as was Chantal.  It came together quite well for me.

[Cardie]

It was the perfect ending for a show about totally self-absorbed people. Chantal was no victim but someone thinking only of herself, as they all did. I'm a senior citizen who does not hang with millennials but even allowing for the satire, are today's upscale twenty-somethings anything like these narcissists? Drew was closest to being a mensch but the others were just awful. 

[queenbee9b]

I saw on Vulture that they announced a second season. I feel like I just kind of want to leave it where it is. I don't need to see How to Get Away with Murder, where this murder is almost exactly like their 1st season.  Unless Ron Livingston is somehow still alive in which case, I would be in.  

[benteen]

I saw surprised by the ending but I think it worked for me.  If Dory had killed Chantel, I wouldn't have blamed her.  I don't blame them for what happened to Keith.  Keith was an absolute nut and they were defending themselves.  Not really sure where the show could lead from here.

I really enjoyed it.  The characters were terrible but I couldn't bring myself to hate them.

[queenbee9b]

4 minutes ago, benteen said:

I saw surprised by the ending but I think it worked for me.  If Dory had killed Chantel, I wouldn't have blamed her.  I don't blame them for what happened to Keith.  Keith was an absolute nut and they were defending themselves.  Not really sure where the show could lead from here.

I really enjoyed it.  The characters were terrible but I couldn't bring myself to hate them.

I totally think he deserved it in terms of story but once they hid the body and covered it up it is hard to make a case for self defense.  

[benteen]

10 minutes ago, queenbee9b said:

I totally think he deserved it in terms of story but once they hid the body and covered it up it is hard to make a case for self defense.  

Agreed.  They tampered with a crime scene and are covering up what happened.  I don't know how they get out of that one.

[LittleGreyCells]

Didn't care for the ending. I watched this show because it was a light-hearted look at some very self absorbed people who nevertheless had some endearing qualities. Now that they've killed someone, I'm not sure what to think. But I can't imagine any fun way out of their predicament.

[BloggerAloud]

I liked the ending because they sort of telegraphed the Chantal thing from the very beginning when Dory initially tells the group about her going missing and Elliott talks about how 1. she sucks and 2. she's probably fine and those two points came out to be totally true.

[SlovakPrincess]

I'm not sure what I was supposed to get out of the ending.  Is there any moral to this story?  Was it that Dory should have just stayed in her boring and unsatisfying life because Chantal ultimately ended up being a selfish jerk, everything else was a red herring, and Keith ended up dead?  

If this was the lesson Dory was supposed to learn, then killing Keith seems like overkill -- Chantal's awfulness and the fact that Dory ruined her relationship with Drew for no reason should've been lesson enough.  

Also ... what's the fun in that??  I loved that these clueless people were trying to solve a mystery and ventured outside of their shallow lives.  Yes, they got into it for all the wrong reasons, but I still thought it was better that Dory attempted to help someone for misguided reasons than do nothing.  If the message of the show is some "edgy" (and overdone) thing about how human nature always sucks and nothing really matters, then no thank you.

I'm glad Dory had remorse and felt physically ill over what happened.  On the other hand it's hard to feel too bad about Keith.  No, he didn't harm Chantal or kill Lorraine ... but he did kick in the door of Chantal's place and chase Dory around, and was on top of Dory and physically attacking her when Drew came in.  I don't know that Drew could have reacted any other way, and Drew never meant to kill him.  And, yes, Keith was acting in anger because Dory had Tased him ... but he got Tased because he wouldn't stop coming at Dory when she was obviously scared of him and told him to leave her alone.

[possibilities]

I didn't think it was meant to be a moral, it was just a thing that happened.

[OpieTaylor]

I figure Keith isn't actually dead. At the start of Season 2, maybe his body will be gone from wherever they dragged him.

But if he is really dead, I don't see where the show can go from there. In fact, I think it should just quit now - be a one-season show - and leave us wondering what is to become of all the characters.

I binge-watched all of Season 1 over the past 2 days and it was fine for something to have on as I worked on my laptop - kept me entertained without having to pay close attention to everything all of the time. 

[RedHackle]

Quote

I totally think he deserved it in terms of story but once they hid the body and covered it up it is hard to make a case for self defense.  

Yeah, you'd think so. But in real life, Robert Durst got away with claiming self-defense after he chopped a body up and disposed of the parts in Galveston Bay. Shockingly, though, rich people seem to have access to better lawyers than the average person.

[LotusFlower]

When Dory asked Chantal who she was hiding from, she answered: I think myself.  If there was a moral of the whole story, to me, that was it.  Dory's whole chase of the mystery gave her something to do, something with purpose, something that felt meaningful - all things that were lacking in her life....maybe even representing what's lacking in the self-absorbed, social media-fixated lives of all millenials.  

[Milburn Stone]

On 12/8/2016 at 9:18 PM, MeloraH said:

I still want to know how Keith found them in Montreal though.

In one of the "extras" available on iTunes/AppleTV, one of the show runners refers to Keith "somehow figuring out that Chantal is in Montreal." That told me that even the show runners don't know how he knew. But that they banked on nobody asking questions about it until after the episode was over (if then). Personally, I'm fine with it because the show was such a fun ride and so rewarding in so many ways, but I know that some people get upset when writers haven't figured out every angle on their own story.

[methodwriter85]

On 12/30/2016 at 2:53 AM, LotusFlower said:

When Dory asked Chantal who she was hiding from, she answered: I think myself.  If there was a moral of the whole story, to me, that was it.  Dory's whole chase of the mystery gave her something to do, something with purpose, something that felt meaningful - all things that were lacking in her life....maybe even representing what's lacking in the self-absorbed, social media-fixated lives of all millenials.  

That was how I read the moral of the story. Dory was running away from her own life figuratively, and but instead of finding meaning, she found a nightmare.

I do think killing Keith was a bit over the top. It changed the tone of the show.

[kat165]

I took the killing of keith as something for them to hang their hat on if they get a 2nd season.

[cmfran]

On 12/10/2016 at 0:33 AM, Cardie said:

It was the perfect ending for a show about totally self-absorbed people. Chantal was no victim but someone thinking only of herself, as they all did. I'm a senior citizen who does not hang with millennials but even allowing for the satire, are today's upscale twenty-somethings anything like these narcissists? Drew was closest to being a mensch but the others were just awful. 

I work with a few that aren't too far from behaving like that.

[KaleyFirefly]

Now it's going to be like "How To Get Away With Murder", only as a comedy instead of soapy drama. 

I wanted to know more about that creepy cult!

[Matteo]

Does anyone know how Lorraine having the fake realtor card, and the ripped up check from the real estate agency to the cult factors into things in the grand scheme of everything?  The check seemed like a big deal that was never really explained, and the whole cult thing was kinda strange too, even if it didn't end up figuring into Chantal's disappearance at all.  Just interested if anyone had any theories about these things, or if they were just total "out-there" red herrings.

[fauntleroy]

On 11/19/2017 at 4:55 PM, Matteo said:

Does anyone know how Lorraine having the fake realtor card, and the ripped up check from the real estate agency to the cult factors into things in the grand scheme of everything?  The check seemed like a big deal that was never really explained, and the whole cult thing was kinda strange too, even if it didn't end up figuring into Chantal's disappearance at all.  Just interested if anyone had any theories about these things, or if they were just total "out-there" red herrings.

I'll be pretty disappointed if they don't follow up with this stuff. If you are going to have a mystery, you owe it to viewers to commit to it and take care that all such leads are explained. Even if it's not a procedural per se. Otherwise it's lazy writing and detracts from the show. It's not like the characters are so interesting - they are mostly self-absorbed slugs, who have been energized by these events. If the event itself isn't laid out properly, you aren't left with much.

[JoJos]

7 hours ago, fauntleroy said:

On 11/19/2017 at 1:55 PM, Matteo said:

Does anyone know how Lorraine having the fake realtor card, and the ripped up check from the real estate agency to the cult factors into things in the grand scheme of everything?  The check seemed like a big deal that was never really explained, and the whole cult thing was kinda strange too, even if it didn't end up figuring into Chantal's disappearance at all.  Just interested if anyone had any theories about these things, or if they were just total "out-there" red herrings.

I'll be pretty disappointed if they don't follow up with this stuff. If you are going to have a mystery, you owe it to viewers to commit to it and take care that all such leads are explained. Even if it's not a procedural per se. Otherwise it's lazy writing and detracts from the show. It's not like the characters are so interesting - they are mostly self-absorbed slugs, who have been energized by these events. If the event itself isn't laid out properly, you aren't left with much.

The whole point is that these were nonfactors that Dory was trying to turn into something. Lorraine was a sad person who tried to insert herself into the story because she wanted to be part of something, much in the same way Dory did. Printing up the business card was the same thing. She wanted to be part of the company even though she was a temp, so she had the cards printed. The check from the real estate company to a property they managed could have been for any number of reasons, none of which were sinister or related to the story. The cult is weird, but related to our story only because Chantal's sister got her bridesmaids' gifts at the store owned by the cult leaders. I'm not sure what follow-up would be relevant to the story. All of these "leads" ended up being nothing.

[fauntleroy]

I don't mind if they turn out to amount to nothing, but would still like an explanation for them. And the cult was actually nothing? That's a lot of bother to go to, to then just toss off as innocuous.

[JoJos]

On 1/2/2018 at 3:19 PM, fauntleroy said:

I don't mind if they turn out to amount to nothing, but would still like an explanation for them. And the cult was actually nothing? That's a lot of bother to go to, to then just toss off as innocuous.

I think it’s because it’s so weird that it’s interesting that it’s irrelevant. Dory was so sure that anything strange going on had to be related to what she was positive had to be a strange and mysterious disappearance, when it turned out that there were strange things going on, but in fact the disappearance was as mundane as could be. Any perceived connections to all of these weird events, or seemingly weird events, was pure coincidence. I think it’s interesting writing, but I don’t think they’re necessarily going to delve further into any of it.

[auntiemel]

4 hours ago, JoJos said:

I think it’s because it’s so weird that it’s interesting that it’s irrelevant. Dory was so sure that anything strange going on had to be related to what she was positive had to be a strange and mysterious disappearance, when it turned out that there were strange things going on, but in fact the disappearance was as mundane as could be. Any perceived connections to all of these weird events, or seemingly weird events, was pure coincidence. I think it’s interesting writing, but I don’t think they’re necessarily going to delve further into any of it.

That was my take on it, as well.

[possibilities]

I think the whole show is about how mundane everything is. The disappearance was mundane. The murder was mundane. There are no masterminds at work here, no conspiracies underlying everything, no evil intent, just boring everyday level of behaviors. Sometimes people are thoughtless or impulsive or they make mistakes or are stupid, but it's not a plot, it's not in service to any greater structure, it's just simple. It's all just what it appears to be, with absolutely nothing below the surface. And all the problems started because someone was looking for meaning and purpose and a deeper truth that apparently is not there. I think that's the commentary underlying everything that happens on the show.

[BooBear]

I am catching up late to this series. TBS played it one night I couldn't sleep and then was hooked. I really enjoyed the first series. It had down pat the malaise of humn drum life that seemed to have this little spark in Dory about doing something more that built every episode. I loved how every little tid bit looked like it was something impressive but.. wasn't really.   And then the end was pure genius when all their "fake" ideas about what was happening lead to a very real serious consequence... Keith's death.   A brilliant cautionary tale that if it was a book I think would be summer reading material. 

Just caught season 2 and will post it over in that thread.