S03.E05: The House of Special Purpose

[Macbeth]

On 5/18/2017 at 2:48 AM, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Varga would have already moved heaven and earth behind the scenes to avoid the IRS inquiry about the $10K.  He would have seen it coming and he would have squashed it.  Again, he is omniscient of all things Stussy.  Ugh.

I know - I wondered why Varga was trying to listen in.  It would be so easy for him just to bug Stussy.

[SunnyBeBe]

I've read back recently, as I was late to catch up on this episode, but, I didn't see discussion of Nikki's injuries. Can someone tell me what kind of tool did that guy have in his hand? It appeared to be a saw to me.  And, what kind of wounds did she sustain?  It looked like stab wounds to me, but, they didn't seem to use a knife.  What was it?  From the sound, I thought that they were chopping off her hands and feet.  She's  fortunate that they didn't do that..  I just can't figure out how she sustained injuries to her torso when she had that jacket on.  Did one guy hold up her jacket, while the other one assaulted her?  Why wouldn't you hit her in the face, which is more easily accessible?  

Edited May 24, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[ghoulina]

I thought he had a belt, and was beating her with it? I assumed the marks were from the buckle. 

[AzureOwl]

59 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I've read back recently, as I was late to catch up on this episode, but, I didn't see discussion of Nikki's injuries. Can someone tell me what kind of tool did that guy have in his hand? It appeared to be a saw to me.  And, what kind of wounds did she sustain?  It looked like stab wounds to me, but, they didn't seem to use a knife.  What was it?  From the sound, I thought that they were chopping off her hands and feet.  She's  fortunate that they didn't do that..  I just can't figure out how she sustained injuries to her torso when she had that jacket on.  Did one guy hold up her jacket, while the other one assaulted her?  Why wouldn't you hit her in the face, which is more easily accessible?  

Someone up-thread mentioned that t it was a nagyka, a short thick whip that the Tsar's cossacks used to beat the shit out of people.

From what little we saw of her wounds, I would guess he whipped her around the kidneys. With a whip that thick, her clothing wouldn't have provided much protection. I remember that upon rewatch, I noticed that Nikki was able to put her weight on one of the knees so there probably isn't any damage to her spine. After the whipping they might have stomped on and broken one or both ankles, though.

Edited May 24, 2017 by AzureOwl

[WearyTraveler]

30 minutes ago, AzureOwl said:

Someone up-thread mentioned that t it was a nagyka, a short thick whip that the Tsar's cossacks used to beat the shit out of people.

From what little we saw of her wounds, I would guess he whipped her around the kidneys. With a whip that thick, her clothing wouldn't have provided much protection. I remember that upon rewatch, I noticed that Nikki was able to put her weight on one of the knees so there probably isn't any damage to her spine. After the whipping they might have stomped on and broken one or both ankles, though.

Could she drive with both ankles broken , though?  I think at least one would have had to have been functional for her to drive herself home

[MrWhyt]

9 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Unless, they show another motivation, the Chief's refusal to allow Gloria to get to the bottom of these murders is just based on a  predictable, CANNED formula from the 1970's tv show and movies.  I didn't buy it then.  Recall how competent and effective detectives would be put on a short leash, taken off a case just because their boss felt like it.   Then, they ignore the boss, precede with the investigation, solve the crime and are the hero.  Rinse, Repeat.  It doesn't amuse me anymore.

as pointed out elsewhere their prime suspect is dead., case is closed. No reason to waste man hours continuing to investigate.

[MisterBluxom]

Oops. Sorry. Wrong episode.

Edited May 25, 2017 by MissBluxom

[bosawks]

I'm trying power through and catch up but I still had to rewind and watch Mary McDonnell say "problems" six or seven times....

[ChipBach]

On 6/9/2017 at 8:31 PM, bosawks said:

I'm trying power through and catch up but I still had to rewind and watch Mary McDonnell say "problems" six or seven times....

I think she is ripping off her "Stands with a Fist" accent...

[John Potts]

Got to admire Nikki for turning around the wrong person getting the blackmail material to using that to STILL extort money out of Emmett. And even more so for taking that beating and still making it home. I guess she must really love Ray (and not just be scamming him, which I thought probable) because she still came back to him after that. I guess she could still croak next episode (it's entirely possible she has significant internal injuries), but that seems dramatically unlikely.

Though Ray - fine, you love Nikki (don't blame you, she's got brains and beauty, certainly compared to  you). But there is a time & a place for certain things. I may not have chosen the most romantic moment when I proposed, but I would not have considered, "While my beloved is dressed as a hooker as a prelude to making a sex tape to blackmail my twin brother" as being the right time. OK, granted the situation didn't arise* but you could have waited until you were at least having dinner that evening. Which naturally brings up the question: how bad was Emmett's marriage if despite knowing her husband has a twin brother whom he's in conflict with, she isn't prepared to even consider the fact that it might not be her husband in the video?
 

On ‎18‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 6:03 PM, iMonrey said:

Ok, I was a bit confused when Sy called Nikki and told her Emmit's wife saw the tape, because it almost seemed like maybe they were working together?

Since it was presaged by him saying (to Ray) "the gloves are off!" I was wondering if he was working with Varga on the beating. REALLY dumb, if that's the case, since he's WAY more dangerous than she is.

On ‎18‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 5:51 AM, thuganomics85 said:

I wonder what Mary McDonnell's character will bring to the table.

I'm guessing she's going to be the last one standing and be the big winner this Season. Varga may think he's the shit, but nobody messes with Madam Airlock!

On ‎18‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 10:35 PM, Evagirl said:

I just read a recap where Varga was "fornicating" with Sy's mug.  I thought he'd peed in it.

Pretty sure he DID pee in it (then his henchman topped it up), given how Sy was gagging at having to drink it. Or maybe I'm just more comfortable about drinking something without thinking about how clean the cup is!
 

On ‎18‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 11:56 PM, MissBluxom said:

Seeing the New Boss acting like an imbecile (in comparison to the Old Boss). It was a great comparison to the First Season. The device was used to make the female law officer appear to be all the more competent and clever as compared to her male boss.

At least give him a reason (beyond dick waving) for wanting her off the case. He could comment on the X open cases they have rather than reopening a (wrongly) closed case. Instead, he rambles on about irrelevant balloon stories and his time in the Gulf.

On ‎19‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 0:55 AM, MissBluxom said:

I didn't understand. Why did they have to make it so gross? What was the point?

The grossness IS the point. "We can make you do anything - do NOT cross us!"

* Because I don't HAVE a twin brother

[cleo]

The male sheriff is just a caricature at this point, so over the top and ridiculous. I don't get the point, why this constant fixation with making the male boss an asshole and dummy, story after story. 

He says they have no proof. Ummmm isnt that what cops do? Get proof? 

It just seems like a ridiulous stereotype at this point.

Eta it is soooo nice to see MM in a show again. Haven't seen her in anything since BSG.

Edited February 4, 2019 by cleo

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, cleo said:

The male sheriff is just a caricature at this point, so over the top and ridiculous. I don't get the point, why this constant fixation with making the male boss an asshole and dummy, story after story. 

He says they have no proof. Ummmm isnt that what cops do? Get proof? 

It just seems like a ridiulous stereotype at this point.

It's been almost 2 years since I saw this, but I still think of and relate to the character of Gloria Burgle, and I think that within the context of this story (and from the viewpoint of the audience), the incompetent person in power (the Sheriff) contrasts with and elevates the naturally adept powerless person (Gloria).
Plus, writers have bosses, so they might have cathartically slipped in an illustration of The Peter Principle:

Quote

The Peter principle is a concept in management developed by Laurence J. Peter, which observes that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to their "level of incompetence". In other words, an employee is promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another. The concept was elucidated in the 1969 book The Peter Principle by Peter and Raymond Hull.

But this season of the series was so well crafted by all involved parties that maybe the writers were not thinking of any current bosses--still, I think The Peter Principle does apply here, whether consciously considered or not.  

Edited February 4, 2019 by shapeshifter