Good Girls - General Discussion

[Ms Blue Jay]

20 minutes ago, DiabLOL said:

I have no idea what is going on anymore. 
Also, why would finding a woman’s purse in your husband’s trunk automatically mean he’s cheating? Why would a cheater have a woman’s purse in his trunk? Maybe as a gift but still it was too random for me. 

I'm laughing because 1) I have no idea what is going on either, and 2 ) I immediately thought of some very funny stories in my personal life of me, or women I know, finding things and IMMEDIATELY jumping to the worst conclusion but then finding out that the real story is a lot more innocuous.  I have to say, that part I buy from the show.

[DiabLOL]

42 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I'm laughing because 1) I have no idea what is going on either, and 2 ) I immediately thought of some very funny stories in my personal life of me, or women I know, finding things and IMMEDIATELY jumping to the worst conclusion but then finding out that the real story is a lot more innocuous.  I have to say, that part I buy from the show.

Oh absolutely! Thing is if I found a new empty purse in my husband’s trunk I'd think oh look he was gonna surprise me! Guess I’m naive!

[TrininisaScorp]

This show is so damn disjointed.  Moments of the girls talking and the baby stuff, Rio's dude talking to the girls, Stan and Ruby having a bit of weirdness, or Dean and the loser spa guy are really fun and interesting b/c the actors on the show are fun and interesting.  And I love Rio b/c I think Manny Montana is sexy af, he makes Rio interesting (like I want to know about this guy), and him and Christina Hendricks and their sizzle were really fun early on.  But, the plots just feel so nonlinear or illogical with little payoff.   All of that hitman stuff, and we end with Rio bumping him off and we're done?  We didn't see a body, so maybe there is a twist, but it felt like a brush off, like most of the OMG plot points when they happen. 

Does Beth really think she is playing him?  We know he has a boss.  Obviously, guys like Rio have a boss. Why would that be a big deal?  Do we believe that Rio and his people wouldn't have a buzz on who the FBI agents are, especially when they were just there hanging and looking smug when Dean was arrested?

And, I'm going to say this, though it may be very unpopular:  Based on the preview, it looks like Rio and Beth are going to get a little in each other's space again, but now Beth is wired up.  Every encounter Beth and Rio have had has been about Beth using Rio in some capacity to scratch an itch and then throwing him in the garbage.  I know Rio is a bad guy, and seeing that trope be spun around where the woman is using the man should be satisfying, but it simply isn't.  It paints Rio as dumb and Beth as more than she really is.  There has to be a different way to leverage that chemistry those actors have into something that doesn't feel insulting to the audience. 

I keep watching, but it isn't nearly as fun as it once was...

Edited April 12, 2021 by TrininisaScorp

[chocolatine]

Dakota was born in S2, so he should be a toddler by now. That story served no purpose whatsoever.

Are there no curvy body doubles in Hollywood? The scene of Beth undressing in front of Rio was ridiculous with the switching back and forth between Christina Hendricks and her size 4 body double.

Was "that's what the gun is for" supposed to be a sly Mad Men reference?

I, too, found this episode confusing. What happened with the girl who didn't want to pay, and why did Beth go back to give her the gun? Why was mustache guy trying to steal a baseball bat and what happened between that scene and the one of him sitting in an alley with a black eye? Did Stan go to the hotel room of the woman with whom his boss wants to "do business," and if the ugly yellow tote bag was a gift for her, why didn't he just give it to her? It seems like the show was trying to be edgy with all of the omitted scenes, but it didn't work.

ETA: I'm pretty sure Rio knows that Beth is working with the feds, which is why he has her doing the "banker" job. "All they'll see is you," indeed. And if he doesn't already know, he'll get suspicious when he finds out that Dean is out of prison. 

Edited April 12, 2021 by chocolatine

[Ms Blue Jay]

6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I, too, found this episode confusing. What happened with the girl who didn't want to pay, and why did Beth go back to give her the gun?

I don't get this either.  And didn't they show Beth AFTER the meeting with the gun in her handbag?  Does that mean that Beth had two guns?  What?

6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

ETA: I'm pretty sure Rio knows that Beth is working with the feds, which is why he has her doing the "banker" job. "All they'll see is you," indeed. And if he doesn't already know, he'll get suspicious when he finds out that Dean is out of prison. 

And how and where did Rio find the little FBI bug thing?

[chocolatine]

9 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

And how and where did Rio find the little FBI bug thing?

I think that was a tracker the FBI put on his car. He probably searches his car for those things on a regular basis. When he found it, he immediately suspected Beth, which is why he had her undress - he wanted to check if she was wearing a wire. She wasn't because she took it off after he didn't show up to their arranged meeting. So he doesn't have 100% proof that she's working with the FBI, but he has strong suspicions.

[dubbel zout]

11 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Can someone explain to me what Stan had to do?  And what's going on with the purse?

Can someone explain to me who Dean's "friend" is?  And what he was doing at the end of the episode?

1) The purse was a fake designer bag, and there are 300 more coming. It seems that Stan's boss is into counterfeit goods and Stan might be having to help move them. I think Stan brought one home so Ruby could judge its quality? I thought it was a pretty ugly bag, TBH. Heh.

2) Dean's friend is a former colleague. He was the guy the women tried to get arrested with fake money but the cops stole it instead.

Agree with all who feel "Duh, of course Rio has a boss." I'll be curious to see who they cast for that role.

For some reason I felt like there was some forward movement in this episode. Maybe because we saw stuff happen instead of everyone sitting around wondering what to do next.

The baby stuff was stupid. Annie shouldn't need to take care of a kid—for one day!—to realize her life could use some organizing. The mess in her apartment was disgusting. I don't mind piles of clothes and books and that sort of thing, but all of that food strewn around? Gross. How she's not infested with mice is only a plot point. Or maybe the turtle keeps them away. (Hee.) Ugh, I really dislike the character. She acts so clueless and she shouldn't be that stupid.

[tennisgurl]

Count me in on the people confused by what all is going on. There are so many alliances and backstabbing and people playing each other and lying to each other and so many skeevy weirdos that I get them confused with the other skeevy weirdos. Why did Beth go back to the women who wouldn't pay her protection money and give her a gun? I can gather that Rio knows that Beth is working with the feds and that's why he's having her do all of this stuff, but the sequence of events seems needlessly confusing. The guy stealing the baseball bat was kind of funny (especially the store owners annoyed reaction) but where was the pay off? Is it coming later? 

Did Annie really need a baby rash to realize that her life is a mess? 

I guess that "purse in car=cheating" isn't the weirdest link people have drawn to decide that they're partner is having an affair, but it does seem pretty hilarious that Ruby would jump so hard to that conclusion at this point. "A purse?!? He must be banging every stripper in town, that's the only reason he would be tired! From the fucking!" 

The ladies did have some good banter at least, especially about bringing the baby along. "You realize we are using a baby as a human shield right?" 

[sempervivum]

Amen to the many comments above. I have to come here after watching in order for some of you brainiacs to clue me in to what just happened.

How can Annie have raised a child and not 'remember'(?) with Dakota that he would need to have his diapers changed on the regular? I'm sure the kid stunk.

8 hours ago, chocolatine said:

The scene of Beth undressing in front of Rio was ridiculous with the switching back and forth between Christina Hendricks and her size 4 body double.

Heh. I was willing to buy that maybe her stomach was flat (although there's been no indication that she ever works out), but no stretch marks after 4 kids, come on!

[BusyOctober]

So much stupid....not sure if it’s me or the show, but I don’t follow what the hell is going on....

The  money printing-laundering-collecting thing -So Rio gets paid protection or profit sharing (wink-wink) money from various “legitimate “ businesses.  I get that.  When Beth was trying to get the $$ from the daughter of the last pick up, she left without the cash, lies to Rio’s lieutenant...ok.  Then when Rio calls her out on being short, Beth gives him the missing amount PLUS extra.  Where is she getting the money?? Is she paying Rio with the funny money she’s printing?? How long will that go undetected?  Or is the FBI allowing their two Keystone Kop agents to fund Beth’s ruse in order to trap Rio and his unnamed boss?  (I would love for Rio’s boss to end up being Stan’s sleazy boss, just because)

Dean out of bail -Did spa co worker Eric get the bail money by robbing that store?  If yes, why was Beth picking up Dean?  Why was Eric crying in the alley?  Is he in love with Dean?

Baby Dakota’s rash -  why did the mother have the “wrong” cream in the bag at all if it was such an irritant to the baby’s “little sack”?  Even if she verbally said “use the blue cream, not the white one”, she knows she’s leaving her kid with someone she already has little respect for, and who she believes to be dumb and irresponsible. Dakota’s red and inflamed nut sack is on YOU, lady!

I think the only character I really don’t actively want to stab in the neck with a fork is Rio’s tattooed dude.

Not sure why I’m still watching because it’s not good story telling, the writing is all over the place, the pacing is so damn slow...However, I will hang on til this ends just because. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, BusyOctober said:

Dean out of bail -Did spa co worker Eric get the bail money by robbing that store?  If yes, why was Beth picking up Dean?  Why was Eric crying in the alley?  Is he in love with Dean?

Didn't Eric have a black eye in the alley?

[dubbel zout]

2 hours ago, sempervivum said:

How can Annie have raised a child and not 'remember'(?) with Dakota that he would need to have his diapers changed on the regular?

That wasn't the problem, it was that she used the wrong diaper cream, though I'm with her that if it irritates the baby, why is it even "for emergencies"? That made absolutely no sense at all. His rash is definitely not Annie's fault.

2 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

Dean out of bail -Did spa co worker Eric get the bail money by robbing that store?  If yes, why was Beth picking up Dean?  Why was Eric crying in the alley?  Is he in love with Dean?

I think Rio got Dean sprung. Beth has been asking Rio to arrange that for a while. I think the co-worker was crying in the alley because his holdup didn't work—the guy behind the register took down a bat and then we saw Eric had been beaten up. That was genuinely sad, I thought. He's honestly trying to help a friend (in the wrong way, but still) and it goes completely tits up.

[Ms Blue Jay]

So Eric is trying to get arrested to help Dean somehow?  Still?  

[dubbel zout]

11 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

So Eric is trying to get arrested to help Dean somehow?  Still?  

No, I think he's trying to get Dean out jail, and that's it. He wanted some baseball card from that store so he could resell it and post Dean's bail, if I understand what he was trying to do.

[helenamonster]

Glad it wasn't just me who was completely lost this episode.

I don't understand the Dean bail thing at all. He pled guilty and is in prison, right? He would be beyond bail at this point. Unless he's just in jail waiting on sentencing (all dependent on Beth cooperating)?

I did understand the Eric element. Since Dean told him he didn't think Beth would come through with the bail, he decided to rob the sports memorabilia place, and then presumably resell what he got and use the money to get Dean out. What I don't get is--ok, the owner clearly beat him with the bat. But we saw Eric load a gun. Is the implication that he's not the type of guy who would actually use it?

And then ok, so Beth didn't take the cut from lady's daughter on the first stop. So she went back and tried a nicer approach (and gave her the gun Rio's guy gave her, unless there's another gun floating around), and the woman gave her what was owed and an advance?

That's way too much feeling disjointed for one episode.

When Nancy left Dakota with Annie, I was begging this show not to go down the predictable route of her not knowing what to do with the baby. She has a kid! Yeah, we know she's not the most instinctively maternal, but it's not like it's a completely foreign concept to her. Maybe Beth was a big help to her in the early days, but then you'd think she'd have a closer relationship with Ben--I don't think either character has ever spoken to each other.

15 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Are there no curvy body doubles in Hollywood? The scene of Beth undressing in front of Rio was ridiculous with the switching back and forth between Christina Hendricks and her size 4 body double.

I never notice stuff like this and even I found it glaring. 

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Did Annie really need a baby rash to realize that her life is a mess? 

Agree with everybody else that the rash mixup was on Nancy. If you know your baby has a bad reaction to a certain product, why would you ever have it on hand? If you're worried about an emergency (which is, what? running out of the right cream?), just have two bottles on hand of the product you like? I'm not a parent but this seems pretty basic. No matter what she told Annie before she left, Annie was more than welcome to assume that anything in the diaper bag was ok to use on the baby it came with.

[dubbel zout]

14 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

I'm not a parent but this seems pretty basic.

You don't have to be a parent to find this ridiculous. As you wrote, why keep around a diaper cream that's irritating?

The only way this makes any sense is if Nancy had realized the cream was irritating but forgot it was still in the diaper bag. But she made a point of saying it was "for emergencies." I don't think not using diaper cream once or twice is going to wreck a baby's skin.

If they were trying to show that Annie couldn't win with Nancy, that was pretty clear from the first time they met. They've never liked or trusted each other that much.

[Empress1]

22 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

Agree with everybody else that the rash mixup was on Nancy. If you know your baby has a bad reaction to a certain product, why would you ever have it on hand? If you're worried about an emergency (which is, what? running out of the right cream?), just have two bottles on hand of the product you like? I'm not a parent but this seems pretty basic. No matter what she told Annie before she left, Annie was more than welcome to assume that anything in the diaper bag was ok to use on the baby it came with.

100% agree. If the emergency is running out of the correct cream, I don't understand why you wouldn't just buy a backup of the correct cream. If the bad cream is so bad, it seems like using it would yield the same results as skipping it altogether, so I don't even know why you'd use it in an emergency. What the fuck, Nancy? Annie is a mess but we already knew that, so shoehorning in this nonsensical diaper cream plot made no sense.

4 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

If they were trying to show that Annie couldn't win with Nancy, that was pretty clear from the first time they met. They've never liked or trusted each other that much.

I don't think Nancy had beef with Annie until Greg had an affair with Annie. Nancy was presented as kind of basic and annoying and Annie mocked her for that but Nancy wasn't depicted to be a bad or mean person, and she and Ben have always had a good relationship. Since Greg cheated on her with Annie, Nancy has been less tolerant of Annie, which is understandable.

7 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I guess that "purse in car=cheating" isn't the weirdest link people have drawn to decide that they're partner is having an affair, but it does seem pretty hilarious that Ruby would jump so hard to that conclusion at this point. "A purse?!? He must be banging every stripper in town, that's the only reason he would be tired! From the fucking!"

An empty purse wouldn't make me think cheating. Like a brand-new purse with absolutely nothing in it, I would probably think it was a gift for me like @DiabLOL said. Even if you switch bags regularly, purses usually have something in them or some signs of wear and tear. THAT would make me think "whose purse is this?" But a pristine empty one, probably not.

[preeya]

How did Dean get out of prison?

They mentioned $100k bail, but who posted it, or did the Feds get him out because Beth is cooperating??????????

Much confusion!

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by preeya

[Ms Blue Jay]

I assumed it was because Beth did everything the FBI asked her to, so as part of their deal, they released him.

There are so many unanswered questions with this episode.

Rio knew exactly where Beth was meeting the FBI, but does not know the FBI people she was meeting?  He had obviously been following her, yet he's never seen them meet?  Come on.

Edited April 13, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[paulvdb]

9 hours ago, helenamonster said:

What I don't get is--ok, the owner clearly beat him with the bat. But we saw Eric load a gun. Is the implication that he's not the type of guy who would actually use it?

Yes. Or he's too incompetent to use it (forgot about the safety or missed the target).

[Anela]

The rash wasn’t Annie’s fault, and she clearly raised a healthy child herself. 
Beth still doesn’t seem to get that this guy doesn’t care about her welfare at all. He enjoys punishing her, and stressing her out.  
I liked the one guy with the baby.  Annie taking a selfie, like everything was okay, cracked me up.  

Edited April 13, 2021 by Anela

[RedInk]

The Rio-Beth strip search scene was fucking gross, especially because I *think* it was supposed to be...sexy? It repulsed ME, but it had to be a nod to the Rico lovers, right? And of course Annie is obviously a huge mess, but Dakota’s mom deserved a fist to the face for the way she talked to her. So basically, whatever this show wants me to feel, I’m going the opposite direction. What kind of people react like these people? 

[LaMatadita]

1 hour ago, RedInk said:

The Rio-Beth strip search scene was fucking gross, especially because I *think* it was supposed to be...sexy? It repulsed ME, but it had to be a nod to the Rico lovers, right?

A lot of fans of that relationship were still squicked out by this particular scene, but too many weren't, IMO. I will say that I don't think the scene was intended to be sexy at all, but a lot of fans are hanging onto the past version of that relationship and not really seeing the writing on the wall, so they read it as sexy. I think the actual point was that it wasn't--it was all business, and it was also deliberately framed to reference the love scene in mid S2 when she invited him back to her house. The way they were positioned in the kitchen had them in opposite positions this time, there was a callback to her socks, etc. So the point was that this time there was no heat, it was clinical and cold. But even if it wasn't sexual, his insistence on forcefully unbuttoning her shirt without her consent still crossed physical boundaries.

I've always found the relationship interesting, but this season they're adding a sort of bizarre sexual component to their interactions that's really uncomfortable to watch. Last season, all of their interactions felt cold, and this season they still do, but it feels like Rio is intentionally bringing a weird sexual vibe to some of it, like he's using their past intimacy against her and using it to call out her previous bad boy fantasy version of him. He's almost making fun of her, like, "What, you don't think this is sexy? You would have thought so a few months ago. What happened? Oh right, you shot me and left me for dead." 

I don't think Beth understands what he's doing, though, which is where it becomes creepy for me. As a viewer, I think he has zero genuine sexual interest in her at this point and isn't really even enjoying his own games, he's just still angry and he's doing whatever he thinks will keep her off-balance and easy to manipulate. But even if I do think there's a line he won't cross when it comes to sexual violence, she doesn't know that (and really neither do we), so I still find him using their sexual history to destabilize her to be icky. Men making women feel uncomfortable in sexually charged situations is a huge trigger for me personally, and for a lot of other women as well.

And she is uncomfortable--Christina is playing it that way--because she knows she shot him, and she has no idea how far he will go or what his endgame is. She didn't know that in S2, either, but she was actively into his flirtation because she had her little fantasy version of him and he played along with it, and now she doesn't have that--her fantasy is over, the titillating mutually enjoyable power tripping is over. She can no longer justify telling herself he'd never really hurt her, so she doesn't know whether he's messing with her but still has a code, or if he's genuinely off-his-rocker obsessed with no lines left in the sand that he's unwilling to cross. That is a terrifying situation to be in for anyone, but especially for a woman, and him putting her in that position is unforgivable to me, whether she shot him or not. To me, this psychosexual intimidation shit is worse than him killing Lucy.

I also think they are afraid to humanize Rio because they know it will only encourage fans' obsession with him, so they're doing it with Mick instead because he's more "safe." I mean, I think Mick is plenty handsome in his own way, but he's not the kind of attractive that millions of women are going to obsess over. I'm really curious whether they're actually going to peel back Rio's mask this season and show us that there's a human under there, or at least there used to be, or if they're going to chicken out and any backstory we get through the boss storyline is just going to be flimsy stuff that pushes Beth one way or another. They've hinted at hidden depths with him, but they always seem to hold back on actually diving in.

Edited April 14, 2021 by LaMatadita

[Anela]

2 hours ago, RedInk said:

The Rio-Beth strip search scene was fucking gross, especially because I *think* it was supposed to be...sexy? It repulsed ME, but it had to be a nod to the Rico lovers, right? And of course Annie is obviously a huge mess, but Dakota’s mom deserved a fist to the face for the way she talked to her. So basically, whatever this show wants me to feel, I’m going the opposite direction. What kind of people react like these people? 

I meant to comment on that, because it was gross. 

1 hour ago, LaMatadita said:

A lot of fans of that relationship were still squicked out by this particular scene, but too many weren't, IMO. I will say that I don't think the scene was intended to be sexy at all, but a lot of fans are hanging onto the past version of that relationship and not really seeing the writing on the wall, so they read it as sexy. I think the actual point was that it wasn't--it was all business, and it was also deliberately framed to reference the love scene in mid S2 when she invited him back to her house. The way they were positioned in the kitchen had them in opposite positions this time, there was a callback to her socks, etc. So the point was that this time there was no heat, it was clinical and cold. But even if it wasn't sexual, his insistence on forcefully unbuttoning her shirt without her consent still crossed physical boundaries.

I've always found the relationship interesting, but this season they're adding a sort of bizarre sexual component to their interactions that's really uncomfortable to watch. Last season, all of their interactions felt cold, and this season they still do, but it feels like Rio is intentionally bringing a weird sexual vibe to some of it, like he's using their past intimacy against her and using it to call out her previous bad boy fantasy version of him. He's almost making fun of her, like, "What, you don't think this is sexy? You would have thought so a few months ago. What happened? Oh right, you shot me and left me for dead." 

I don't think Beth understands what he's doing, though, which is where it becomes creepy for me. As a viewer, I think he has zero genuine sexual interest in her at this point and isn't really even enjoying his own games, he's just still angry and he's doing whatever he thinks will keep her off-balance and easy to manipulate. But even if I do think there's a line he won't cross when it comes to sexual violence, she doesn't know that (and really neither do we), so I still find him using their sexual history to destabilize her to be icky. Men making women feel uncomfortable in sexually charged situations is a huge trigger for me personally, and for a lot of other women as well.

And she is uncomfortable--Christina is playing it that way--because she knows she shot him, and she has no idea how far he will go or what his endgame is. She didn't know that in S2, either, but she was actively into his flirtation because she had her little fantasy version of him and he played along with it, and now she doesn't have that--her fantasy is over, the titillating mutually enjoyable power tripping is over. She can no longer justify telling herself he'd never really hurt her, so she doesn't know whether he's messing with her but still has a code, or if he's genuinely off-his-rocker obsessed with no lines left in the sand that he's unwilling to cross. That is a terrifying situation to be in for anyone, but especially for a woman, and him putting her in that position is unforgivable to me, whether she shot him or not. To me, this psychosexual intimidation shit is worse than him killing Lucy.

I also think they are afraid to humanize Rio because they know it will only encourage fans' obsession with him, so they're doing it with Mick instead because he's more "safe." I mean, I think Mick is plenty handsome in his own way, but he's not the kind of attractive that millions of women are going to obsess over. I'm really curious whether they're actually going to peel back Rio's mask this season and show us that there's a human under there, or at least there used to be, or if they're going to chicken out and any backstory we get through the boss storyline is just going to be flimsy stuff that pushes Beth one way or another. They've hinted at hidden depths with him, but they always seem to hold back on actually diving in.

I agree with all of this. 

I also didn't like Beth having fun, collecting money as "the banker," and I was glad that she went back and gave the one woman the gun. I wonder what all of those people did to get into the same position as our "good girls". 

[Ms Blue Jay]

4 hours ago, RedInk said:

The Rio-Beth strip search scene was fucking gross, especially because I *think* it was supposed to be...sexy? It repulsed ME, but it had to be a nod to the Rico lovers, right? 

Yes it was and at least it was interesting so I'm happy about it

[marceline]

I've realized that this show wastes a LOT of screen time padding situations in the name of "suspense." The scene of Beth waiting for her meet with Rio, Beth's the ridiculously long walk through the warehouse, etc... There's not enough story to fill the time. Especially since it's the same scenes over and over again. The "Girls" talking about killing someone, Rio and Beth having convoluted discussions about business where they basically threaten each other, Annie being a screw up, etc... The show feels repetitive and boring to me now.

[Ms Lark]

20 hours ago, Anela said:

I also didn't like Beth having fun, collecting money as "the banker," and I was glad that she went back and gave the one woman the gun. I wonder what all of those people did to get into the same position as our "good girls".

They haven't done anything, short of trying to run a business. They're paying "protection" money. I.e., they pay and they don't get beat up or their business trashed. They don't pay? Look out. That's why Beth gave the girl the gun. The mafia used to be (maybe still is?) big on this sort of racket.

[Anela]

23 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

They haven't done anything, short of trying to run a business. They're paying "protection" money. I.e., they pay and they don't get beat up or their business trashed. They don't pay? Look out. That's why Beth gave the girl the gun. The mafia used to be (maybe still is?) big on this sort of racket.

Yeah, I'd forgotten about that. I guess I don't think of Rio, as being at that level, but his boss might be. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

So are they deliberately trying to make the Secret Service looks incompetent? Or at least less competent than Rio?

What does "later, hill" mean? Or is it just some cutesy thing between Ruby and Stan?

Whoa, when you've got boobs like Beth's do you really need a pushup bra? She could barely see out over those things. 😮

Annie babysitting her ex's wife's kid seemed to me like a risk she shouldn't have taken. What is something went seriously wrong with him? They'd never stop blaming her even if it wasn't her fault.

🎶Bitch betta have my money!🎶 Guess the producers didn't want to pay to use that song, lol.

Edited April 18, 2021 by Joimiaroxeu

[chocolatine]

OK, now I really don't understand what's going on. I didn't get the impression that Rio's grandma is his crime boss, so why did he bring Beth to the family cookout? I know he most likely knows that she's working with the FBI, but what's the point of introducing her to his family? Is it just to jerk her (and the FBI) around? But is that worth putting his family at risk? Now that the FBI knows who they are and where they live, they have more ways to get to him.

And then he doesn't suspect anything when Beth makes a sexual advance out of the blue and just goes for it in grandma's living room? Please.

The fake purses storyline is boring, and also doesn't make sense. There's no way Stan's boss figured out how to make them look real in such a short time. Stan and Ruby are never going to find women who are willing to pay full price for them when they can buy them in a store or from a reputable website that authenticates them.

Good for Annie passing the GED, but if she's smart enough for that, she needs to start acting smarter overall, like not trying to bribe the proctor in front of all the other test takers. I only like Annie's scenes when Ben is in them, because he's awesome. The therapist storyline needs to end once and for all.

9 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

What does "later, hill" mean? Or is it just some cutesy thing between Ruby and Stan?

Hill is their last name.

Edited April 19, 2021 by chocolatine

[tennisgurl]

As great as Many Montana is, I really wish the show would give us a new main bad guy, Rio has become so repetitive as a character. He and Beth have the same dynamic in every single scene, we learn more about Rio but he never really changes or develops besides sometimes being hot for Beth and sometimes not, and so many of his scenes are just the same scenes over and over. He threatens Beth is a threateningly smug way, he makes demands of the ladies, he and Beth have sexual tension while he also threatens her again, Beth gets a glimpse into his personal life, etc. The whole show suffers from a lack of plot movement, and having Rio just doing the same things over and over while being the main antagonistic force on the show is a major part of that. They either need to change the dynamic between the ladies and Rio or get rid of him. They often hint at depths that Rio has, that he has a family he loves and a somewhat more normal civilian life he lives whole "off the lock" but we never get enough of that to make him any more human in a meaningful way.

Good on Annie for getting her GED, even if she did have to make it weird by propositioning and bribing her teacher. I hope that this is the end of the therapist plot, but this show has never met a plot point it didn't want to drag out way beyond its expiration date. Poor Ben, always stuck being one of the few people around with common sense. 

I guess the purse plan revolves around women wanting designer bags but not asking questions about why this sketchy strip club guy has them and never verifying where the purses come from? 

So what is the secret service even doing with the ladies now? I know they want Beth to wear a wire and get Rio's boss (it would be hilarious if his grandma was really the queenpin of his operation) but why are the ladies robbing businesses with water guns and threatening to rob more things? Is this all off the books? What is happening?

Edited April 19, 2021 by tennisgurl

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Good for Annie passing the GED, but if she's smart enough for that, she needs to start acting smarter overall, like not trying to bribe the proctor in front of all the other test takers.

Ugh, that drove me insane. It's always one step forward, two steps back with Annie.

However, full points for asking her ex-therapist if he wanted to be with her or he just didn't want to be with his fiancée. 

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

I guess the purse plan revolves around women wanting designer bags but not asking questions about why this sketchy strip club guy has them and never verifying where the purses come from? 

It's also about selling them for more money than the obvious fakes but less money that a genuine designer bag. I find this entirely believable, as I live in NYC and Canal Street is ground zero for fake designer goods. Granted, a lot of them are sold for absurdly low prices (like $25 for a "Rolex" watch), but the idea is the same. 

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

(it would be hilarious if his grandma was really the queenpin of his operation)

This reminded of the great, late, lamented Southland, where the queen pin of the drug operation was the abuela, and she was ten times tougher than anyone in her crew. It was kind of great, actually. I'm sure here, though, that the Big Boss is someone else. This show loves its fakeouts.

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

why are the ladies robbing businesses with water guns and threatening to rob more things?

They "robbed" the jewelry store to force the feds to give them money. If they didn't get the money, they'd keep holding up stores until they did get something. 

Agree that Rio is a one-note character. It was wasn't a problem in the first season, as we were learning about everyone, but now it's just the same-old same-old. Zzzzzz.

Edited April 19, 2021 by dubbel zout
typo fixed

[sempervivum]

Yes to great comments above.

Am I (maybe) correct in thinking Rio took Beth to the family picnic just to toy with the feds, who I guess he knows are on his tail? And he went along with her sexual advances because he thought it would be funny for the feds to listen in to them getting it on (instead of revealing their dastardly criminal plans)? And why did he-apparently sincerely-tell her 'I like you' afterward? Also, did she leave the wire behind in the bookcase, where it'll record something important for the feds?

19 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Whoa, when you've got boobs like Beth's do you really need a pushup bra? She could barely see out over those things.

Even when she was in bed, presumably in pjs, her boob was bulging up right under her chin!

What's up with the female agent and her creepy interest in Beth's makeup?

Did it really just occur to Dean that he couldn't go randomly biking all over the place while he's wearing an ankle monitor?

Are Stan and Ruby now also going to be lurking on street corners trying to sell fake designer bags to strangers? That's in between Stan working long hours at the club, Ruby robbing jewelry stores, and making counterfeit money?

Thank God Annie and the therapist for once did something sensible.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I forgot that the show was on last night!  That almost never ever happens to me!  I think that speaks pretty badly of the show.

I didn't understand the first two scenes this time.

1)  What happened with the 3 women robbing the store?  Why did they do this?

2)  What did Stan offer his boss?  Thank you so much.

Other than that, I understand it...... I think.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I think Stan is saying the bags look fake and Ruby/Stan's idea is that if they sell more real looking bags they'll make more money.  How could the boss be so stupid as to not understand that basic thing?  Am I missing something?

This episode was better than the last whole group have been.  I liked Ben and Annie being so happy about the GED.

[Ms Blue Jay]

7 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

Yes to great comments above.

Am I (maybe) correct in thinking Rio took Beth to the family picnic just to toy with the feds, who I guess he knows are on his tail? And he went along with her sexual advances because he thought it would be funny for the feds to listen in to them getting it on (instead of revealing their dastardly criminal plans)? And why did he-apparently sincerely-tell her 'I like you' afterward? Also, did she leave the wire behind in the bookcase, where it'll record something important for the feds?

He said "They like you."

[dubbel zout]

42 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

How could the boss be so stupid as to not understand that basic thing?

He just wants to make as much money as easily as possible. And he obviously knows nothing about designer bags, so his ignorance is plausible to me.

[helenamonster]

Not too much to say about this episode, except that I'm happy Annie passed her GED and didn't sleep with the therapist. Can this storyline be done now?

5 hours ago, sempervivum said:

What's up with the female agent and her creepy interest in Beth's makeup?

Before last season got cut short by covid, they appeared to be setting up a Single White Female situation with her, as they heavily implied she had little to no experience with close female friendships and was kind of obsessed with figuring out the good girls' dynamic. This looks to be them picking that thread back up.

I actually think that's something that has potential, as it's not really an angle on the fed/CI relationship I've seen a show tackle before.

[chocolatine]

5 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

He just wants to make as much money as easily as possible. And he obviously knows nothing about designer bags, so his ignorance is plausible to me.

Ruby gave Stan the idea of making the fake bags look so authentic that they couldn't be distinguished from real ones, via analogy to the counterfeit cash. Stan then took the idea to his boss and claimed they could charge 10x the original price for higher quality bags. But what all of them failed to consider is that women who are willing to pay that kind of money will just buy those bags at Saks/Neiman/Nordstrom, and not from some shady strip club bouncer. Or they'll buy used from sites like The RealReal, which offers authentication.

[Joimiaroxeu]

I just noticed that Ben kind of looks like a young Colin Jost.

Oh, okay they were working the feds with that fake jewelry store robbery. Risky move but the GGs eat risk for breakfast.

I really don't understand why Annie put up with that therapist as long as she did. He basically used his fiancée as a human shield against her. He's disgusting.

Please explain to me what Rio was up to taking Beth to meet his family. Is it because Beth basically got a promotion in the organization or was Rio just trying to show off in front of his brother/cousin? (Also, I assumed Abuela was indeed the queenpin. Or as they say on Queen of the South, la Jefa. There's a theory elsewhere though that the brother/cousin is actually in charge.)

Quote

women who are willing to pay that kind of money will just buy those bags at Saks/Neiman/Nordstrom, and not from some shady strip club bouncer. Or they'll buy used from sites like The RealReal, which offers authentication.

Aren't there waiting lists for certain bags? Maybe the price markup is because the bags are hard to buy through legitimate avenues.

[BuckeyeLou]

I have not watched this show in awhile, so I am really confused by this season.  When Rio took Beth to his Family Dinner, I got the impression his  "brother/cousin" was the Head Guy of the operation & he needed to check Beth out.  And in Season 1, didnt Rio have a son that Beth met at the park & then his girlfriend/wife/babyMama showed up & had a talk with Beth,  why wasnt this Son at this Family Dinner?  Or was that not really his son?  Beth's husband just comes across as a "goof"...I know he was happy to be free & out of jail, but he always seems clueless about what is going on around him.  This show intrigued me in the beginning, but now I am just confused :)

[SheTalksShit]

10 hours ago, sempervivum said:

Yes to great comments above.

Am I (maybe) correct in thinking Rio took Beth to the family picnic just to toy with the feds, who I guess he knows are on his tail? And he went along with her sexual advances because he thought it would be funny for the feds to listen in to them getting it on (instead of revealing their dastardly criminal plans)? And why did he-apparently sincerely-tell her 'I like you' afterward? Also, did she leave the wire behind in the bookcase, where it'll record something important for the feds?

It’s unclear if Rio knows or not. He acts like he doesn’t, but I’m suspecting yes, because Rio’s character is typically very savvy and with it, he doesn’t miss much. It would be completely unlike him not to put 2 and 2 together. 

11 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

As great as Many Montana is, I really wish the show would give us a new main bad guy, Rio has become so repetitive as a character. He and Beth have the same dynamic in every single scene, we learn more about Rio but he never really changes or develops besides sometimes being hot for Beth and sometimes not, and so many of his scenes are just the same scenes over and over. He threatens Beth is a threateningly smug way, he makes demands of the ladies, he and Beth have sexual tension while he also threatens her again, Beth gets a glimpse into his personal life, etc. The whole show suffers from a lack of plot movement, and having Rio just doing the same things over and over while being the main antagonistic force on the show is a major part of that. They either need to change the dynamic between the ladies and Rio or get rid of him. They often hint at depths that Rio has, that he has a family he loves and a somewhat more normal civilian life he lives whole "off the lock" but we never get enough of that to make him any more human in a meaningful way.

Good on Annie for getting her GED, even if she did have to make it weird by propositioning and bribing her teacher. I hope that this is the end of the therapist plot, but this show has never met a plot point it didn't want to drag out way beyond its expiration date. Poor Ben, always stuck being one of the few people around with common sense. 

I guess the purse plan revolves around women wanting designer bags but not asking questions about why this sketchy strip club guy has them and never verifying where the purses come from? 

So what is the secret service even doing with the ladies now? I know they want Beth to wear a wire and get Rio's boss (it would be hilarious if his grandma was really the queenpin of his operation) but why are the ladies robbing businesses with water guns and threatening to rob more things? Is this all off the books? What is happening?

Oh I love the Rio/Beth dynamic and I like that he never changes, because that’s realistic, that’s people - they never really change, dynamics just evolve/run hot and cold. That is a realistic dynamic they have going on. That is what humanizes him, to me. 
 

I think they intended to do go more in depth about him more in season 3, but covid shut down production, so they had to save it for season 4. 

[SheTalksShit]

On 4/12/2021 at 9:51 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

I assumed it was because Beth did everything the FBI asked her to, so as part of their deal, they released him.

There are so many unanswered questions with this episode.

Rio knew exactly where Beth was meeting the FBI, but does not know the FBI people she was meeting?  He had obviously been following her, yet he's never seen them meet?  Come on.

No, did you see the brief scene at the end, of their gay co-worker sitting on the streets, homeless, freezing? He helped get Dean out of jail, probably also sacrificed his rent money. 

On 4/12/2021 at 11:40 AM, tennisgurl said:

Count me in on the people confused by what all is going on. There are so many alliances and backstabbing and people playing each other and lying to each other and so many skeevy weirdos that I get them confused with the other skeevy weirdos. Why did Beth go back to the women who wouldn't pay her protection money and give her a gun? I can gather that Rio knows that Beth is working with the feds and that's why he's having her do all of this stuff, but the sequence of events seems needlessly confusing. The guy stealing the baseball bat was kind of funny (especially the store owners annoyed reaction) but where was the pay off? Is it coming later? 

Did Annie really need a baby rash to realize that her life is a mess? 

I guess that "purse in car=cheating" isn't the weirdest link people have drawn to decide that they're partner is having an affair, but it does seem pretty hilarious that Ruby would jump so hard to that conclusion at this point. "A purse?!? He must be banging every stripper in town, that's the only reason he would be tired! From the fucking!" 

The ladies did have some good banter at least, especially about bringing the baby along. "You realize we are using a baby as a human shield right?" 

I think Ruby thought maybe he’d bought that purse for a woman he’s cheating with. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Homeless?  Freezing?  I thought he was just outside, collecting himself, crying and upset because he got beat up by the memorabilia store owner.

If the coworker paid for Dean to get out of jail, wouldn't Beth have simply admitted that rather than keep it a secret?  

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Aren't there waiting lists for certain bags? Maybe the price markup is because the bags are hard to buy through legitimate avenues.

For some of the ultra high-end ones, like the Hermès Birkin bag which runs in limited editions of exotic leathers, yes. But none of the bags Stan brought into his and Ruby's house looked high-end to me, more like mid-range Michael Kors/Kate Spade/Tory Burch kind of bags that retail for $200-$500. There are usually no waiting lists for those.

I can see knock-offs of such bags being in demand if they sell for 10% of what the real ones cost, but Stan seems to think they can be sold at close to full price.

[Daltrey]

Holy F... maybe this has been answered already, but I couldn't read anymore to find out. Spa store Eric was robbing the sports memorabilia store to get money for Dean's bail. He comes into the store and says "give me the'52 Mantle rookie.", meaning Mickey Mantle's rookie card from 1952. Instead, the store owner grabs the bat off the wall. At the end of the episode, Eric is crying in the alley having clearly been unsuccessful in his robbery attempt and attacked by the store owner in self defense.

As for the last girl who couldn't pay and seemed unaware of her sick mother's business arrangements, I would say it's safe to assume that the FBI gave Beth the money to cover the debt in order to keep the investigation going,; being a government agency, they have the resources and authority. Rio is suspicious of Beth but he's not sure,; After checking she's not wearing a wire, he warns her to watch her back, either because he knows they're being watched and doesn't want her getting them caught bit more likely as a means of scaring her into not cooperating with the Feds. Beth goes back to the girl and gives her the gun, similarly warning her to watch her back because she doesn't want the death of another innocent, unsuspecting person on her hands, such as what happened with the Asian artist they had roped into helping them.

[BusyOctober]

My ability to suspend reality has been stretched to the max.

The Feds have much bigger fish to fry than this stupid case.  I doubt their superiors are going to happily dish out cover up cash and 3 “salaries” for their informants.

I know this show is supposed to be about the women (Beth mostly), and it’s some kind of female empowerment ego trip/buddy comedy, but I can’t pretend that Beth, Ruby and Annie are the smartest cookie baking counterfeiting crime bosses in all of Detroit. That they are constantly out-foxing the FBI and an organized crime gang at every (convoluted and nonsensical) turn of this poorly written, and well past its sell-by date show is just too far gone for me.

I know this will make a lot of Rio-Beth shippers mad, but personally I don’t think they have any chemistry.  I don’t find Rio sexy or attractive at all.  He just isn’t my type. And I am tired of the “sexual tension” scenes. Beth is not “empowered” when she uses her sexuality as her weapon of defense or distraction.  It’s a stereotype and an over used trope.  Beth and other “strong” female characters fall back on their ability to seduce men as a means to one up the dominant males.  That is if the women are attractive by Hollywood standards.  If a female lead is considered too old, too fat or too average (I.e.-ugly) by the writer or director, then female sexual prowess is not a skill she can use.

 To me, it’s demeaning and confusing for this show to build up Beth as a smart and capable woman with so many abilities, but then have her resort to dropping her panties and showing her ginormous boobs as her go to maneuver.  

[dubbel zout]

14 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Oh, okay they were working the feds with that fake jewelry store robbery.

Not quite. The women "robbed" the store to get the attention of the feds. They didn't have any money and asked for a salary or some sort of payment so they could take care of bills. They threatened to keep faking robberies until they got something, so the feds caved.

[Joimiaroxeu]

^^^^Yes. My use of working meant using someone or something for a pointed result that may not have otherwise been achieved. Even faking a robbery can be considered a crime so they were taking the chance that the feds when step in to get them out of trouble. Enough times of them doing that would likely bring unwanted attention to the feds.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 4/13/2021 at 7:43 PM, RedInk said:

The Rio-Beth strip search scene was fucking gross, especially because I *think* it was supposed to be...sexy? I

Also the whole strip search looking for a wire seems like a super dated trope. Was he actually expecting to find a tape recorder strapped to her stomach or something? Considering how small recording devices are plus the fact that most people carry around a recording device with them every day it makes no sense. Especially as he was in her house, so she wouldn't have even needed to have something on her body.