S01.E04: Pet Name Street Name

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Megan struggles to figure out the next step in her career; Kyle attempts to reconnect with her on an unpredictable double date with a superstar pro athlete and his outspoken wife.

[Guest]

Megan, Megan, Megan..... all it takes is one sexy time phone call and you move on from Kyle betraying you? Love yourself, girl.

The rest of the storyline is a snooze except for the Institute getting creepier. 

[zxy556575]

Jesus, Megan. She signed a damned contract. Nobody promised her a rose garden.

I may start to feel sorry for her later but now I just want to her do her job and not make love so melancholy.

Edited March 27, 2017 by Lord Donia

[HunterHunted]

What are the repercussions for Megan breaching the contract? She's signed an NDA. She's got no money. I guess they could blacklist her or have a significant time period where she'd be barred from pursuing roles. But beyond that, there really isn't any point to bring up the breach because there are just limits to what Kyle and the Institute could legally do. Not to mention just being associated with Kyle is wrecking her career right now.

I was a little embarrassed that all it took was some phone sex for Megan to go back to Kyle. Gurl, really?!?!?!

[Guest]

Exactly.  Or she could have gone back to not violate the terms of the contract, but maintained some distance. 

[treeofdreams]

I'm more interested in the Institute storyline than in the "romance".  What exactly is Kyle's role in the Institute?  He was talking to his friend about recruitment and "building your column", and now his friend is beholden to the Institute for making the DUI go away.  His friend's wife seems very outspoken and will no doubt call him on any Institute nonsense.  Terence and DeAnn - what is really going on there?  What did she mean when she told Megan "we will not always be the women behind the men"?  What about Megan's lawyer friend who is dating the guy from the Institute, who will no doubt try to recruit her?  And as we saw from the previews, next week Megan will be required to attend a first session.  It will be interesting to see how that goes.

[taragel]

1 hour ago, HunterHunted said:

I was a little embarrassed that all it took was some phone sex for Megan to go back to Kyle. Gurl, really?!?!?!

Not to mention he was barely participating in that "phone sex". I find his roboticized self when he's not "on" for the public to be creepy af. I hope there's a future reveal that someone is drugging this dude. Was there mention of medication prevoiusly?  (Also, how do you not follow up that comment about his uncle threatening him with more inquiries about whether he was abused or some sympathy or just...something?) 

All I kept thinking this episode though is why do these people keep putting themselves in these high profile situations where they could be potentially recorded/photographed and eventually discredited and/or embarassed? Kyle West just telling people not to use their phones on karaoke night? C'mon now, son. 

I want to know more about Terence and DeAnn's weird forced-seeming relationship. And I want to yell at Shaun a big "Girl, you in danger" too.

[tanita]

Yeah, the Institute story line is wayyyy more engaging and interesting - is the marriage between Terence and DeAnn real, what are they doing with those missing people - brainwashing, slaves trade, a cult like sacrifice, maybe someone likes to kill people and the Institute provides,.... I wanna see Megan have more interaction with it and Terence. Also that convo with the athletes wife implied that the audition was primarily for a girlfriend and the interaction in the previous episode between DeAnn and Anika suggested that Megan was probably among others targeted to be his girlfriend - why her if she a nobody ??? Something is supper fishy.

Edited March 27, 2017 by tanita

[Atlanta]

I get scared when Terence enters a scene. Seriously. Is his and DeAnn's relationship a fakie like Tom and Katie? Why are they bringing the pregnant side-piece into it? These people confuse me.

Run, Shaun, run! 

[zxy556575]

I'm enjoying the show a lot even though almost everyone is dislikable or offputting in some way. Even Megan's otherwise appealing manager is, at heart, cynical and financially motivated.

The worst of the bunch is Megan herself. So needy and me, me, me, my career, my career. Even though she'll be getting a $10M payout and wouldn't need to work, she still obsesses over her career. To me, "I just really love acting" means "I need to be the center of attention wah, wah."

33 minutes ago, Atlanta said:

Run, Shaun, run! 

I'll need a cap with with that.

[Artsda]

I really liked the karaoke scene, they were fun and just 2 people being goofy together.

I need Megan to find out about how evil & shady Hope the friend is already. I figured the other one of the group would have told her. Her hiding it, isn't any better.

[Peper81]

I am fascinated by Terrance and DeAnn's relationship.  I know she's a part of the Institute but there are times I wonder if she really is a part of it.  She made a comment in this episode about dealing with Terrance's "shit" which made it seem like, to me at least that, she was referring to the Institute and it's precepts.  She just doesn't seem as entrenched in it.  While I find Terrance pretty dang creepy, I think DeAnn is the one to really look out for, she isn't afraid or beholden to anything. 

So, is the girl who said she was pregnant by Nick really pregnant?  I don't know if I believe that she is really pregnant. 

The phone sex thing was weird.  I knew she wouldn't hold out past the 3 days once she was told by her agent but the phone sex thing wasn't what I was expecting.  I thought she'd talk to him but still be distant.  I guess not, the plot must move forward.  I'm still waiting on the agent friend to start trying to manipulate the contract somehow to favor Megan.  She's no fool and I think she's best thing Megan has going for her as far as having someone look out for her.  I'm still worried for her baby though. 

I wonder if Shaun will become really devoted to the Institute.  I feel like that might be where they are headed with her as I don't think Megan will really be all that gung-ho for the Institute. 

I can't wait for the next episode.  I'm really enjoying this show.  It's not perfect but it's a lot of fun. 

[candall]

I'm having trouble keeping my blondes separated.  Can someone remind me who Annika is supposed to be?  Is she the ex, who was in Venice last week?  What's she doing at The Institute?

The former live-in sex buddy is the "therapist," who's now being sought as a missing person by the police, but really she's somewhere in The Institute, right?

Was Meagan talking to that traitorous "friend" who gave her nude shots to the press?  Why wouldn't the lawyer-friend tell Meagan about that?  I was hoping we were done with her--do we really need to keep her around to play more false-friend tricks?  Aren't there enough people hoping Meagan will go down in flames without the obvious Snidely Whiplash villain character?

 

**********

Some of this show is going to roll my eyes right out of my head.   Sure, Meagan!  Why not get involved in producing a porn documentary?  No way that could possibly go wrong.

[Atlanta]

Keeping up with all the blondes is getting confusing. They all have similar hairstyles too. LOL

[Peper81]

6 hours ago, candall said:

I'm having trouble keeping my blondes separated.  Can someone remind me who Annika is supposed to be?  Is she the ex, who was in Venice last week?  What's she doing at The Institute?

The former live-in sex buddy is the "therapist," who's now being sought as a missing person by the police, but really she's somewhere in The Institute, right?

Was Meagan talking to that traitorous "friend" who gave her nude shots to the press?  Why wouldn't the lawyer-friend tell Meagan about that?  I was hoping we were done with her--do we really need to keep her around to play more false-friend tricks?  Aren't there enough people hoping Meagan will go down in flames without the obvious Snidely Whiplash villain character?

 

**********

Some of this show is going to roll my eyes right out of my head.   Sure, Meagan!  Why not get involved in producing a porn documentary?  No way that could possibly go wrong.

My theory on Shaun not telling Megan about Hope sending the pictures is that later on down the road Shaun will be invested in the Institute, Megan will not be, and then Shaun will spill the beans about how Hope sent the pictures in order to try and swing Megan towards the Institute by showing her how shady the people on the outside who claim to be her friends really are.  I can't see another reason for Shaun not to tell Megan other than for it to be a plot device. I could be wrong and Shaun may just be trying to walk a tight rope between 2 friends and made a mistake by not telling Megan.  I just don't believe we are done with that yet. 

The blondes confuse the hell out of me.  I "think" Anika is the baby momma of Nick, Megan's ex, who is trying to now blackmail DeAnn.  She is also now the side-piece threesome partner for Terrance and DeAnn.  The therapist (I don't remember her name) is the missing blonde whom the police are looking for and I think she is somewhere deep in the Institute.  I don't think we've actually seen her in the last 2 episodes but I could be wrong because her and Anika look waaay too much alike.  Couldn't they have thrown a brunette or red-head into the mix instead of having two girls who look so much alike.  Nevermind the blonde ex of Kyle's who looks similar too.

Edited March 30, 2017 by Peper81

[crgirl412]

28 minutes ago, Peper81 said:

My theory on Shaun not telling Megan about Hope sending the pictures is that later on down the road Shaun will be invested in the Institute, Megan will not be, and then Shaun will spill the beans about how Hope sent the pictures in order to try and swing Megan towards the Institute by showing her how shady the people on the outside who claim to be her friends really are.  I can't see another reason for Shaun not to tell Megan other than for it to be a plot device. I could be wrong and Shaun may just be trying to walk a tight rope between 2 friends and made a mistake by not telling Megan.  I just don't believe we are done with that yet. 

The blondes confuse the hell out of me.  I "think" Anika is the baby momma of Nick, Megan's ex, who is trying to now blackmail DeAnn.  She is also now the side-piece threesome partner for Terrance and DeAnn.  The therapist (I don't remember her name) is the missing blonde whom the police are looking for and I think she is somewhere deep in the Institute.  I don't think we've actually seen her in the last 2 episodes but I could be wrong because her and Anika look waaay too much alike.  Couldn't they have thrown a brunette or red-head into the mix instead of having two girls who look so much alike.  Nevermind the blonde ex of Kyle's who looks similar too.

Wait.  Who are the 2 blondes??  Anika and the "missing girl" who they are questioning Terrance about?  She's being kept in one of those punishment places by IHM.

I saw them talked about by a couple who were being punished that way when they were members Scientology.  Not that this show is based on it!!!  

[Guest]

All the missing people would remind me of the fact that Shelly Miscaviage is missing from the Church of Scientology except for the fact that this show is so obviously "not" Scientology! 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

The "therapist" blonde is the one who is "missing" and the cop was talking to Terence about. She was hired for whatever reason to apparently give blowjobs as part of her therapy session.

The blonde that's blackmailing Deann (I think her name is Annika?) and now is recruited as a side piece is the blonde who pretended to be pregnant with Megan's then-boyfriend Nick. Although you'd think Nick would be more curious about his supposed spawn or ask for a paternity test. 

The other blonde (Lizbeth?) was Kyle's ex-fiancée who was only on one episode when they went to Venice.

Hope that helps :)

ETA: totally jealous the actress playing Annika got to kiss Vartan. (Have we seen Terence and Deann kiss even?)

Edited March 30, 2017 by MVFrostsMyPie

[zxy556575]

15 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

She was hired for whatever reason to apparently give blowjobs as part of her therapy session.

I took that scene as prearranged sex play between them and didn't think she was really a therapist? It'll be fun to find out her story, anyway. The safe bet is that she was disappeared because she posed some kind of threat to Kyle's image.

The only way I keep Annika's shit straight is because I automatically substitute "Nazanin Boniadi" for her in my head. Heh. Spoiler tagged to spare those bored/irritated by Scientology references.

Spoiler

Nazanin was a Scientologist recruited by the cult to be Tom Cruise's girlfriend, pre Katie. The cult facilitated Nazanin's breakup with her then-boyfriend by showing her his confidential auditing files wherein he admitted to cheating on her. Tom and Nazanin were hot and heavy for a couple of months before he had Scientology operatives move her out of his house while he was away. All speculative, of course! Allegedly!

[candall]

4 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

The "therapist" blonde is the one who is "missing" and the cop was talking to Terence about. She was hired for whatever reason to apparently give blowjobs as part of her therapy session.

The blonde that's blackmailing Deann (I think her name is Annika?) and now is recruited as a side piece is the blonde who pretended to be pregnant with Megan's then-boyfriend Nick. Although you'd think Nick would be more curious about his supposed spawn or ask for a paternity test. 

The other blonde (Lizbeth?) was Kyle's ex-fiancée who was only on one episode when they went to Venice.

Hope that helps :)

ETA: totally jealous the actress playing Annika got to kiss Vartan. (Have we seen Terence and Deann kiss even?)

Okay, then!  Excellent.  Only a couple more tiny q's:  Annika was recruited by whom to be a sidepiece for whom?  And what's her info that allows her to blackmail Deann?

Your post makes me think Deann hired Annika to kiss Michael Vartan and now Annika is blackmailing her about revealing that?  Crossing swords with Deann--probably not a great idea for a little flyswat like Annika.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I think Annika is playing games (or trying to play games) with both of them. I think Deann hired Annika to break Megan and Nick up without Terence's knowledge and Annika wants to become more famous and if Deann doesn't read the screenplay she wrote she'd either expose Deann to the Hollywood world, and being part of orchestrating the manufacturing of Megan and Kyle as a couple? Or at the very least maybe just expose her to Terence? He likes to be in control of all situations, so this would not fly with him. When they were looking at audition tapes, he was not impressed or interested in Megan, but Deann wanted them to watch her tape anyway.

And then Annika also approached Terence, pretending to be into IHM (and HIM ?). Deann looked surprised to see her there so I think Annika approached Terence on her own. I would think Terence would be more picky about the third wheel, but maybe they use the "innocent" newcomer girls that are interested in IHM to use for their personal pleasures. This kind of makes sense, looking back at one of the past episodes where he was talking to (yet another) blonde chick and slowly peeled her name tag off, and then shared a look with Deann who was standing nearby.

In media interviews the story they're telling is that Terence and Deann have been married for a long time, and it was not an arranged marriage, but they have a mutual agreement about their open marriage.

[zxy556575]

43 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

I think Deann hired Annika to break Megan and Nick up without Terence's knowledge

That was my takeaway as well. Deann hired Annika to seduce Nick so that Megan would break up with him. Deann paid Annika by setting her up with an agent and possible acting roles.

For whatever reason, Terence has always been against Megan getting together with Kyle, so Deann made her deal with Annika behind his back.

Annika later got pissed because she didn't get the promised career boost, so now she's turning the screws on Deann by hooking up with Terence, who (as far as we know) is still unaware of Deann's deal with Annika.

Basically, Annika and Megan are both willing to deceive and sex it up in order to further their careers. I think the show wants me to believe that Megan's intentions are pure while Annika's are not, but I'm not buying it.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Lord Donia

[acid burn]

On 3/30/2017 at 11:04 PM, Lord Donia said:

I think Deann hired Annika to break Megan and Nick up without Terence's knowledge

Didn't someone on the show expressly state that Annika was brought in by the Institute to fake the pregnancy, thus freeing up Megan for Kyle, or did I dream that? (ETA: Sorry Lord Donna--the pull quote is not from you but is the one to which you were responding, and I was agreeing with you.)

Also, maybe it's because I've read a metric shit ton about cults (and about Scientology in particular), plus I watch The Path, but I just assumed the missing people are either dead or locked in a room somewhere crawling around on their hands and knees cleaning the floor with a toothbrush indefinitely because they tried to leave the Institute.

Edited April 2, 2017 by acid burn

[Atlanta]

Is Annika really pregnant? She looked to have a little bump when she gave DeAnn her script. If she's faking, she can easily tell Nick that she miscarried and maybe that was a 'food baby' or was bloated.

[Neurochick]

I think Terrance runs the Institute; but DeAnn really owns it, if that makes any sense.

Figured they had a black athlete with a white wife, and one who had zero class.

[Marley]

I don't know I am liking this show but Megan is kind of annoying me. Like it's a contract relationship..did she think it was going to be nonstop romance lol.

Also their phone sex was hilariously bad. I couldn't hold in my laughter.

I get the three different blondes but I don't get what Annika is doing..is she actually prego with Nicks baby? Do we know?

[Peper81]

11 hours ago, Marley said:

I get the three different blondes but I don't get what Annika is doing..is she actually prego with Nicks baby? Do we know?

I've been wondering that myself.  My guess is that she is not pregnant but I don't know that for sure.

[treeofdreams]

DeAnn hired Annika to pretend she was pregnant in order to break up Nick and Megan.

[STOPSHOUTING]

I like the storyline that is definitely and completely not about Scientology and Tom Cruise, mostly because the contract thing rings sorta true. Like, it wasn't a "fake" relationship, per se, but it was a totally dictated and controlled relationship from moment one. 

What takes me out, sorry, is the mostly 3rd rate acting cast. "Kyle" has zero charisma and say what you will about TC, but he's charming as hell. And what the heck "Megan's" (aka Bargain Basement Mischa Barton) appeal is I have no idea. She's so basic I literally don't recognize her in photos as different from the other generic blondes that populate the show. Also, her Rachel haircut & entire wardrobe are ... Odd. If you told me this was shot in 1989-91, I'd totally believe you.

Edited May 25, 2017 by STOPSHOUTING