S03.E06: Episode 6

[formerlyfreedom]

Nicholas is distraught with the reality of his failing business and takes his frustration out on Clair. Upset about her deteriorating marriage, Clair becomes increasingly controlling over Gabriella. Jeanette attempts to find a job while continuing to live with her sister Raelyn, and Kimara is faced with a difficult decision that will test her morals. Meanwhile, Shae begins to feel as though she’s being shortchanged for her work in the webcam house, which leads to a tragic confrontation.

 

[mtlchick]

As sad as that ending was, having the show last week saying "the last 5 minutes will have you talking" was really overselling it.  Also that Tracy chick saying "it was an accident" was fucking insane.  Even worse?  Pulling out the knife.  Have none of these people watch a medical show?

I'm sort of confused about Gabrielle: where are the wounds coming from, Clair?

[Primetimer]

The Coatses plumb new depths of emotional (and now physical?) violence, Kimara's ethics get put to the test, and Shae is out to break your heart.

View the full article

[possibilities]

Ye Gods, this show is so painful to watch. I respect it, I am watching, I'm glad it exists, but it's definitely not entertainment.

[mrsbagnet]

2 hours ago, mtlchick said:

I'm sort of confused about Gabrielle: where are the wounds coming from, Clair?

I don't like how they left it so vague. I think Gabrielle's apprehension about hearing the tea kettle was supposed to be a clue that she knew that Clair was going to burn her with it. I think Clair's lying to her friend (about teaching G English) was another indication that the "Gabrielle is hurting herself" story was totally fabricated. When Gabrielle was walking down the street in her robe, I was hoping she was running away to a neighbor's house.

Nice misdirection with last week's preview. I thought Nicholas saying "It's abusive" was about how Clair treats Gabrielle, but instead he was complaining to his friend to get info about his own marriage. I'd said N and C should get divorced, but their divorce would be even uglier than their marriage.

Damn, I didn't expect Shae to go out like that.

Edited April 17, 2017 by mrsbagnet

[Christina]

I had a long post about my confusion with this episode, only to read the review and realize I must have missed an episode. So, if you read the rambling earlier, please ignore.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Christina
It's coming from inside the house!

[PrincessPurrsALot]

After such a brutal ending, the super cheery announcer came on to announce it's Disney week on DWTS. That'll make watching a pregnant teenager bleed out feel all better, or not. That's some bad product placement.

[Lostinthehouse]

9 hours ago, mrsbagnet said:

I don't like how they left it so vague. I think Gabrielle's apprehension about hearing the tea kettle was supposed to be a clue that she knew that Clair was going to burn her with it. I think Clair's lying to her friend (about teaching G English) was another indication that the "Gabrielle is hurting herself" story was totally fabricated. When Gabrielle was walking down the street in her robe, I was hoping she was running away to a neighbor's house.

Disturbing thought, but thank you for filling in a few blanks for me, mrsbagnet.  I never thought Clair was hurting Gabrielle, but her sweet, French-speaking persona pulled the wool over these viewer's eyes.  Never associated the whistling tea kettle with the burn Gabrielle soothes with an ice cube.  Indeed, I think that Clair's rage at Nicholas is being misdirected at poor Gabrielle.

I almost stopped watching after a few episodes, but I'm glad I hung in.  This season is the saddest and most brutal yet.  And what's become of the illegal immigrants working on the tomato farm? . . .

[NorthstarATL]

So, the message is "women can be evil too"? Because, of course they can. Also, people are awful in general. I hated that Shae and her baby went out like that, because there are so many easier ways to get into someone's computer in the same house than going into their room. I DO hope that if the girl is ever charged that they do charge her with two murders, though this season is too bleak to expect that even just the one will have any justice.

  Claire is just pure evil. I don't care about her marriage. I don't care about her fertility issues. I think nature probably got it right not permitting her to inflict herself upon a helpless infant. Probably the only thing protecting Nicky is the fact that his well-being is a weapon she can use against her husband. At least Gabrielle got that letter posted! I'm assuming that her son has never returned her letters because he may never have received them. Whatever shady operation connected her to Claire might have done similar stuff to her in the past, though this isolation based upon language is worse than many. At least she heard Claire's friend speak french IIRC? So maybe there's a place to get to.

 Abby might want to do good, but even with fudging the numbers, while she talked about a facility with more beds, she's already falling into the bureacratic trap of wanting to pay caseworkers more. You can get caseworkers at the rate they are paid now if you give them some incentive of actually seeing results from their efforts, and then build on that, maybe paying more as things get better.

   I knew Felicity's sister would be looking to get rid of her as soon as they sent the girls off to school. There is no way the show would allow such an easy out for the character. It's been forever since I did food service (except for an occasional guest bartender gig), but we ALWAYS got paid less than minimum wage, because tips are how you make your money. Is that not true in whatever state they are in? Is Felicity's sister dependent upon minimum wage because she has such an awful personality?

Edited April 17, 2017 by NorthstarATL

[PrincessPurrsALot]

If she works fast food, there are no tips.  Have we seen where she works?

[janeta]

The sister has a drug conviction, i believe, so it's probably tough to get jobs.

[mtlchick]

Quote

 It's been forever since I did food service (except for an occasional guest bartender gig), but we ALWAYS got paid less than minimum wage, because tips are how you make your money. Is that not true in whatever state they are in? Is Felicity's sister dependent upon minimum wage because she has such an awful personality?

When I worked at the concession stand at a movie theater long ago, I was minimum wage.  By law, we were not allowed to have tip jars, but if someone left you a tip on the counter, you would thank them and discreetly take it off the counter ASAP.  Fast food would be close in line to that, because you're not waiting on them during the meal.  

[Madding crowd]

Felicity' character has been married to her husband over 25 years. There is no reason for her to not get a lawyer and file for divorce. She would at least get have of any joint accounts and half the value of her home. Not buying a rich person like her working at Burger King.

 

As to the rest, just a horror show. Why are they featuring a story about a psychotic woman (Lily Taylor)? If they want a realistic portrayal of the jobs and situations immigrants face, this isn't a typical story by any means. 

[KaveDweller]

1 hour ago, Madding crowd said:

Felicity' character has been married to her husband over 25 years. There is no reason for her to not get a lawyer and file for divorce. She would at least get have of any joint accounts and half the value of her home. Not buying a rich person like her working at Burger King.

 

As to the rest, just a horror show. Why are they featuring a story about a psychotic woman (Lily Taylor)? If they want a realistic portrayal of the jobs and situations immigrants face, this isn't a typical story by any means. 

They didn't really explain why, but she said last week she didn't want to file for divorce or even file for a formal separation. The lawyer told her she could get support just for that. I think she could also just withdraw a huge chunk of money from their joint accounts and create a new personal account. It's legally half hers. I'm not saying I think she should do that, but she certainly could.

I really did not expect Shae to get killed. That was just awful.

[Madding crowd]

Yes I remember her saying that but it makes no sense. They are trying too hard to fit her into the people who are trapped role and that wouldn't be the case. I would also think she has friends and contacts through volunteer work who could help her if needed. No way would she be working a minimum wage  job.

[mrsbagnet]

Didn't the lawyer say something about having to be separated for a year before she'd be allowed to divorce? I think her issue is that she doesn't want her husband hounding her to come back. He was pretty shitty to her the last time they spoke. She just wants to make a break. I think if there weren't so much tension, and if she didn't feel so intimidated by him and his family, she'd be working harder to get the money she is owed or to reach out to people she knows.

2 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

As to the rest, just a horror show. Why are they featuring a story about a psychotic woman (Lily Taylor)? If they want a realistic portrayal of the jobs and situations immigrants face, this isn't a typical story by any means. 

I don't know if it's typical or not, but I've read and seen enough news stories to know that abuse of foreign domestic workers and nannies is something that does happen frequently --  though that could be because I have to take human trafficking training at work every year.

Edited April 18, 2017 by mrsbagnet

[HeyThere83]

It was difficult to watch that death scene. I actually yelled out when they took the knife out. I was pissed.

It really got to me.

I actually wasn't sure at first if she had been stabbed or if she was just in shock/pain from a hard hit.

[Bama]

I predicted back after episode two that I knew that Shae (and Coy) were not going to have a happy ending and that they would make me cry.

I, however, did NOT expect Shae to go out by nail file to the jugular!  So senseless and tragic.

And I need someone to smack the fuck out of Clair.  What a horrible person she is.  And we've seen Nicholas being a complete dick to her but after seeing the way she gaslighted Gabriella and her friend, I'm wondering if is she hasn't been emotionally abusive to her husband too and he's fighting back the only way he knows how.

Gah - there's not a happy thing to be found in this show and it surely doesn't make me happy to watch and it's hard to say I enjoy watching it because it's so brutal but it definitely makes me feel all the feelings.

[Madding crowd]

10 hours ago, mrsbagnet said:

Didn't the lawyer say something about having to be separated for a year before she'd be allowed to divorce? I think her issue is that she doesn't want her husband hounding her to come back. He was pretty shitty to her the last time they spoke. She just wants to make a break. I think if there weren't so much tension, and if she didn't feel so intimidated by him and his family, she'd be working harder to get the money she is owed or to reach out to people she knows.

I don't know if it's typical or not, but I've read and seen enough news stories to know that abuse of foreign domestic workers and nannies is something that does happen frequently --  though that could be because I have to take human trafficking training at work every year.

Most states require a waiting period for a divorce but the woman is still entitled to half of any joint accounts and money to support herself in the meantime. If you are saying most people who hire nannies scald  them with boiling weather, I have to say no way . I know many people who had nannies and treated them like family. That is one end of the spectrum and people being tortured is on the other end. 

Of course there are abusive people in the world but I would need proof that nannies are frequently tortured by their employers before I would believe that. 

[vibeology]

The horror movie continues. The way Clair moved Gabriella from the nice room into Harry Potter's closet was cold as ice. Plus all the speak English/speak French stuff is clearly a way to isolate her and make sure she isn't comfortable communicating with anyone outside of the house. As for the injuries, it's got to be Clair. I know we haven't seen anything definitive, but the scene with the kettle and Gabriella looking terrified followed by her being burned was enough to convince me. If it was a matter of Gabriella hurting herself and being unwell mentally, I do not believe Clair would keep her around her son.

Shae's story was bound to end in tragedy because this is American Crime but that was a truly brutal way to go. Once Shae left the group home and Kimara's protection, it was just a matter of time, not that the group home was peachy keen. Of course she was earning nothing and totally disposable to the webcam house people. They saw her as a commodity not a person and one they know they can replace with a nice sell.

Kimara better not lie. I do believe that Sandra Oh's character is coming from a good place in trying to get a grant so her shelter can do more, but that lie is dangerous and if it's going to hurt anyone, will probably hurt Kimara since she'll be the one falsifying records to make it work.

I love Felicity Huffman and Janel Maloney but their plot isn't doing much for me. I'm not surprised to find out someone who has been a homemaker for years can't get a high paying job without either education or experience. That's not new information. The fact that pro-business politicians pass laws that help business and hurt the average joe is also not new information. I think the actresses are great together but right now their scenes are the least interesting in the show.

[PQuinn]

It was difficult to watch that death scene. I actually yelled out when they took the knife out. I was pissed.

It really got to me.

I actually wasn't sure at first if she had been stabbed or if she was just in shock/pain from a hard hit.

That's how I felt too! Only I opened my mouth to yell but no sound came out. I'm still a mess over it.

[Karen885]

I liked this episode but the season overall seems disjointed.  Are we done with the farm workers?   

[roughing it]

17 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I think she could also just withdraw a huge chunk of money from their joint accounts and create a new personal account. It's legally half hers. I'm not saying I think she should do that, but she certainly could.

What are the odds that Jeannette's husband has already moved their money into an account in his own name?  Just a thought

It seems this season has just too many stories to fit an 8-episode arc.  I feel like they are not delving enough into each story.  How are these story lines going to be wrapped up in just two more episodes?

[Armchair Critic]

Shae usually had dead eyes and a blank expression which made it hard to warm up to her but it made sense for the character. I thought she just got the wind knocked out of her by being hit until I saw the tip of something sticking out of her neck. Then I felt so bad for her. So sad to be so disposable.

I hope Gabriella's son will look for her, that somebody will save her from that nutcase Clair. The husband seems like an ass but I hope he would stand up for Gabriella if he knew what Clair was doing to her.

Jeanette's sister has an attitude towards her, they haven't said why but maybe she feels like Jeanette has been pampered her whole life while she has struggled? I do feel bad for Jeanette, I know a lot of really nice women like her that have been homemakers and if they had to support themselves wouldn't have the employment skills needed for a job that could support them.

[mansonlamps]

Agree, they are tackling too many stories about what they think is wrong with America this season.  Had they focused on one or two it would have been more compelling.

[gunderda]

So how do we think Clair caused the cuts in Gabrielle's hand??? 

And if Clair is abusing her I kinda hope we see why/how. Like the burn. Does Clair make it look like an accident or does she come up with a reason that Gabrielle needs to be punished and she has weird psychic punishment like "hold out your hand and let me cut you cuz you deserve it". ???

[Neurochick]

To me this season isn't disjointed.  The American Crime isn't slavery or human trafficking, it's that we've created a society of disposable people.  The very first scene in episode one, the 911 call, " a dead body floating in the water."  Whose body is it?  Shae's?  The kid whose dad came looking for him?

I think this season is about the people doing shit work, shit no one else wants to do, but they're disposable, they don't matter.  Shae wasn't making money, so she didn't matter to those vampires in that house.  The migrant workers don't matter to the farmers, which was why Jeanette left.  Her husband doesn't get her, he's like, "why can't you be like everyone else and not give a shit?  Look the other way."

[tennisgurl]

Holy shit, what an awful way to go. Stabbed in the neck with a damn nail file because she was rummaging through another girls room. And then dumped in the river like trash. I figured that Shae wouldn't be getting a happy ending (because American Crime) but that seemed especially nasty and cruel. It also makes me wonder just where the hell this season is going. We seemed to have ended the migrant workers plot, and now Shae is dead, so the sex trafficking plot might be over as well. I suppose this is why they waited so long for the Gabriela story, so it would take up time from those stories ending. Which rather disappoints me. I wanted to see more of those stories, even if they weren't happy or fulfilling in the end.

I hope Gabriela gets the hell away from crazy Clair as soon as possible, and maybe takes Nicky with her, or at least tells somehow how messed up that family situation is. Even without the nastiness towards Gabriela, it doesn't at all seem like a good environment for a kid to grow up in. He seems like a nice enough kid, when he isn't lashing out a bit, it would suck to see him get all screwed up because of his horror show home life. I get that Clair is taking out her frustration with her failing marriage and financial problems on Gabriela, but how crazy is this lady? All this gas lighting and possible physical abuse is downright diabolical. I'm sure it happens, and its certainly compelling, but I would like a bit more information here, especially if she's physically hurting Gabriela off screen. Clair's husband seems like an asshole, but you could just say he's stressed about work, and his wife seems like she's totally awful and passive aggressive, so maybe he will turn out not to be so awful? He just seems pissed off, while Clair acts like some kind of supervillain. Her attempts at isolating Gabriela (look at that expression when her friend started speaking French to her) are just creepy.

Jeanette's sister is obviously so over her being there, and being super vague about why she left her husband, seemingly at random. From where she's standing, her sister had a lovely, cushy life as a rich housewife, while she has struggled as a recovering addict and single mother raising two kids on minimum wage. From her perspective, her sister is just having a hissy fit and deliberately running away from a perfect life for seemingly no reason.

[mansonlamps]

Does any French speaking person know what Claire said to her friend in French at the bar?  It had to be more than that Nicholas is not Nicky's father because the other woman looked horrified. 

[mtlchick]

Quote

Does any French speaking person know what Claire said to her friend in French at the bar?

Didn't save it to my DVR, but Clair said that Nicholas was impotent. 

[roughing it]

15 hours ago, Neurochick said:

The very first scene in episode one, the 911 call, " a dead body floating in the water."  Whose body is it?  Shae's?  The kid whose dad came looking for him?

Will Gabriella's be the next body found floating in the river?

[Christina]

Someone has to be saved. I know this show doesn't shy away from killing everyone, but it would be nice to see someone's life improve from negativity. 

[KaveDweller]

On 4/17/2017 at 10:52 PM, mrsbagnet said:

Didn't the lawyer say something about having to be separated for a year before she'd be allowed to divorce? I think her issue is that she doesn't want her husband hounding her to come back. He was pretty shitty to her the last time they spoke. She just wants to make a break. I think if there weren't so much tension, and if she didn't feel so intimidated by him and his family, she'd be working harder to get the money she is owed or to reach out to people she knows.

The lawyer did say that, but that's when he said she could get separation support.

 

On 4/19/2017 at 8:55 AM, mansonlamps said:

Does any French speaking person know what Claire said to her friend in French at the bar?  It had to be more than that Nicholas is not Nicky's father because the other woman looked horrified. 

I wondered if she said the husband was abusive based on that reaction. But then that doesn't fit with what the fried say to Nicholas later.

[nutty1]

I love the actors and acting. But this is my least favorite season. It seems they drop one story and move to the next. Is the immigrant story done? What happened to Connor Jessup's character?

Clair is evil. Poor Shae. 

[Norma Desmond]

I am loving this season. I thought season 2 was disappointing, after an excellent season 1. I love this show, bleak as it is, and will be sad to see it canceled, though I do understand why people don't watch it. It's too horrific, in a real way. People can deal with horror in the form of zombies and gore, but this one is too close to home.

The nanny situation had me screaming. I hope she manages to escape that evil woman.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

This may sound like a stupid question but it was something that occurred to me to wonder about while I was watching the scene, and could not find it addressed anywhere here (sorry if I missed it!) and then yesterday when hubby and I were discussing the episode I asked him and he said he had also been wondering about this, so here goes ...

So, I understand that Shae was trying to figure out why she was making less money than some of the others. 

Here is how I inferred the rest of it ... from what I could figure out she was looking at Tracy's page and I guess saw all the really sexy "come hither" photos, etc. Maybe she felt her own pictures were not hot enough to be getting as many hits or "tokens" or whatever as Tracy's. This is where it kind of lost me ...

But if she could see Tracy's page and her pictures on her own computer, WHY did she have to go onto TRACY'S computer and log into it? Was she looking to see whether she (Tracy) was getting a lot more hits and a lot more tokens than she (Shae) was? Or was she looking to see if she (Tracy) was actually getting pretty much the same amount of tokens but was being paid more money?

Could anyone figure out why she (Shae) felt the need to go snoop on Tracy's computer to start with? Not that Tracy's reaction was rational but that's no surprise ... 

[PQuinn]

This may sound like a stupid question but it was something that occurred to me to wonder about while I was watching the scene, and could not find it addressed anywhere here (sorry if I missed it!) and then yesterday when hubby and I were discussing the episode I asked him and he said he had also been wondering about this, so here goes ...

So, I understand that Shae was trying to figure out why she was making less money than some of the others. 

Here is how I inferred the rest of it ... from what I could figure out she was looking at Tracy's page and I guess saw all the really sexy "come hither" photos, etc. Maybe she felt her own pictures were not hot enough to be getting as many hits or "tokens" or whatever as Tracy's. This is where it kind of lost me ...

But if she could see Tracy's page and her pictures on her own computer, WHY did she have to go onto TRACY'S computer and log into it? Was she looking to see whether she (Tracy) was getting a lot more hits and a lot more tokens than she (Shae) was? Or was she looking to see if she (Tracy) was actually getting pretty much the same amount of tokens but was being paid more money?

Could anyone figure out why she (Shae) felt the need to go snoop on Tracy's computer to start with? Not that Tracy's reaction was rational but that's no surprise ... 

In a previous scene, Dustin and this other guy had told her that Tracy had the best clients and was making the most money, so I think Shey went snooping on Tracy's computer to get the names of some of those clients.

[Neurochick]

1 hour ago, PQuinn said:

In a previous scene, Dustin and this other guy had told her that Tracy had the best clients and was making the most money, so I think Shey went snooping on Tracy's computer to get the names of some of those clients.

I think Dustin's words to Shae were, "you need to get yourself a daddy."  In other words, she needed to find some older man who'd be willing to pay tokens just to see her.  

I think other than treating people as if they're disposable, the other "American Crime" is the complete lack of kindness and that kindness is almost seen as something dangerous.

Jeanette felt something for the migrant workers who died in the fire; she's a kind person so she felt something.  Her husband was appalled that she even felt kindness, as if her kindness threatened him and his family.  Shae was also kind, when we, the audience saw her on the webcam, she was talking to a man whose wife was in a wheelchair and maybe had MS or something, Shae probably felt she was doing something kind and maybe she was, but it was a threat to their webcam business, so she didn't get paid as much.  It's almost like, people want kindness directed to THEM, but don't feel they need to show it to others.

[nutty1]

On 4/21/2017 at 5:27 PM, Norma Desmond said:

I am loving this season. I thought season 2 was disappointing, after an excellent season 1. I love this show, bleak as it is, and will be sad to see it canceled, though I do understand why people don't watch it. It's too horrific, in a real way. People can deal with horror in the form of zombies and gore, but this one is too close to home.

The nanny situation had me screaming. I hope she manages to escape that evil woman.

Have you heard it is going to be cancelled?

[Norma Desmond]

The ratings are pretty awful and in their 'Canceled or Renewed' column TV Line lists its chance of renewal as "a long shot".

Edited April 23, 2017 by Norma Desmond

[PamelaMaeSnap]

Thanks for the clarification, people! That makes so much sense and I had missed it ... fell asleep before last night's airing of the new episode so looking forward (if you can "look forward" to such a wrenchingly painful show) to watching it later today or tomorrow. 

[Hudson0325]

I have "enjoyed" (maybe that's not the right word because the show is very painful to watch but nonetheless feel it showcases the dark side of our society so many would rather ignore but I feel needs to be shown) every season including this one. I think it has very realistically shown the many sides and horrors of human trafficking. But the last scenes with Gabrielle frantically trying to communicate while being ignored and then drugged had me yelling: For the love of God, the woman is speaking French! This is not some unknown obscure language and yet no one is trying to interpret? She's not speaking some little known Mongolian dialect or small African tribal language or an Eastern European language that might not be well known. It's freaking FRENCH! It's a fairly well known language - maybe not as commonly spoken here as Spanish but still.... Are they suggesting that NO ONE in social services in the state of North Carolina either speaks it or has someone to interpret?

Mabe I'm speaking too soon and hopefully next episode they will have an interpreter. Still it blew my mind that they all ignored her frantic pleas.

Edited April 26, 2017 by scout305

[roughing it]

On 4/22/2017 at 9:06 PM, Norma Desmond said:

The ratings are pretty awful and in their 'Canceled or Renewed' column TV Line lists its chance of renewal as "a long shot".

Another example of a really great show that no one is watching.  The actors and the writing are heads and tails above most programming today.

[HeyThere83]

6 hours ago, roughing it said:

Another example of a really great show that no one is watching.  The actors and the writing are heads and tails above most programming today.

These are some talented actors. Watching them play such different roles season after season, with conviction, is a treat.