S03.E06: Part 29

[Mindthinkr]

Ghosts of the past and present haunt the Rayburn family. The trial begins. 

[DoubleUTeeEff]

Man, this family is terrible! Setting up an innocent man to go to prison for 30 years. Kevin better be in prison for 30 years at the end of this. There better be some type of spectacular downfall in store for him. I still feel a scintilla of sympathy for John since he seems to feel remorse and at least kept O'Bannon from getting killed by Roy Gilbert. Plus his murder of his brother you could at least understand to a point. He shouldn't have done it but Danny really pushed him to the edge. Kevin killing Marco was just to save his own ass. And afterword he didn't take any responsibility "I had no choice!" and a mere 5 months later he was talking about living his life and having a party for his son. I'm enjoying this season so far but I really miss Ben Mendelsohn. He and Kyle Chandler are wonderful actors in this. It's worth it just to watch those two.

[Artsda]

I felt so bad for O'Bannon after that outburst during John's testimony. 

Since when is Chelsea afraid of the Rayburns? She was hooking up with Kevin, chatting up John and drinking with Meg? 

Nolan's trying to give everyone money & help the O'Bannon's is interesting.

[Anela]

And now I loathe John, as well. 

[Mama No Life]

I don't understand the extreme significance of Chelsea's photo test. I'm sure John lied but so what?  About a 30 year old picture?  Ooh, let's stick it to them.

It was hard to watch John stick it to Eric with his testimony, but his "yes m'am"s just charm the pants right off me.  Sorry, I'm basically very shallow.

Chelsea might be blaming her brother for her poor performance reviews but I doubt popping stolen percocet is making her an A+ nurse. Nurse Jackie, maybe.

[BlackberryJam]

While I had sympathy for Chelsea, yeah, she was stealing drugs, so it's not that much sympathy.

Kyle Chandler's "Yes Ma'ams" were fantastic.

[Mindthinkr]

12 hours ago, Mama No Life said:

Chelsea might be blaming her brother for her poor performance reviews but I doubt popping stolen percocet is making her an A+ nurse. Nurse Jackie, maybe.

Thumbs up!! 

[Bec]

John is digging himself into a deeper and deeper hole, now he added a shitload of perjury to his crimes.

Not gonna lie, if I were a juror I would be buying John's whole thing, and the defense's story would seem like a stretch to me. Even though that public defender is really quite good at her job.

Interesting that the defense is going with the theory that Meg did it. Nobody would have guessed that pants-wetter Kevin could manage to kill a dude! Maybe Eric will get acquitted, and then Kevin would be ready to throw his sister under the bus, and that's when John will finally reach his limit with the lengths he'll go to protect his baby brother.

End of last season, John was ready to give up on the cover up. At this point he's hanging in there just to bail fucking Kevin out.

Show now seems to be trying damn hard to get us on side with taking down the Rayburns. They've got the more sympathetic characters like Nolan and Chelsea more front and center, Eric is so pathetic now it's hard not to feel sorry for him, and skeevy Ozzy seems to have mellowed out (but he is still gross).

I don't know, it might be too little too late to try to turn me against John now. Kevin and Sally can burn in hell, though. Sally's confession that she hates her children was a great performance from Sissy Spacek, but I'm not on board with her self-righteousness about them, like she didn't have a hand in how they turned out.

Will Sally opt to destroy her children or die for them? I don't think she'll die. Having her go full-on senile seems a more fitting end.

[Mindthinkr]

Just now, Bec said:

Even though that public defender is really quite good at her job.

She gave much more to Eric's defense than I'm sure most people get IRL. Sadly they're usually overworked and have little time or resources to defend someone as best as they can. 

[UGAmp]

If John Rayburn was portrayed by any actor other than Kyle Chandler, I wonder when I would have given up on his character. But because it is good ol' Coach Taylor, somehow I am still on his side. I know it's wrong. The lying, the bribing, the murdering. But I still want him to get away with it all. 

Am I missing something or was it weird Kevin said it was good for him that the jury was more male than female to Belle on the phone. Because the men would be less likely to sympathize with the good looking dead cop. Um. You're supposed to be the eye witness Kevin. You're not on trial for murder (even though you did actually commit this murder). It seemed like Belle also thought this was weird. Four more episodes to go and see if this meant anything. 

Edited May 31, 2017 by UGAmp

[peggy06]

3 hours ago, UGAmp said:

If John Rayburn was portrayed by any actor other than Kyle Chandler, I wonder when I would have given up on his character. But because it is good ol' Coach Taylor, somehow I am still on his side. I know it's wrong. The lying, the bribing, the murdering. But I still want him to get away with it all. 

Am I missing something or was it weird Kevin said it was good for him that the jury was more male than female to Belle on the phone. Because the men would be less likely to sympathize with the good looking dead cop. Um. You're supposed to be the eye witness Kevin. You're not on trial for murder (even though you did actually commit this murder). It seemed like Belle also thought this was weird. Four more episodes to go and see if this meant anything. 

Good catch! Belle did look sideways at that comment, but I didn't realize the significance till I read your post. I guess because I know good and well that Kevin should be on trial.

I am more inclined to give Chelsea a pass than John TBH.

[Anela]

4 hours ago, UGAmp said:

If John Rayburn was portrayed by any actor other than Kyle Chandler, I wonder when I would have given up on his character. But because it is good ol' Coach Taylor, somehow I am still on his side. I know it's wrong. The lying, the bribing, the murdering. But I still want him to get away with it all. 

Am I missing something or was it weird Kevin said it was good for him that the jury was more male than female to Belle on the phone. Because the men would be less likely to sympathize with the good looking dead cop. Um. You're supposed to be the eye witness Kevin. You're not on trial for murder (even though you did actually commit this murder). It seemed like Belle also thought this was weird. Four more episodes to go and see if this meant anything. 

I noticed that when I watched it, but forgot to comment on that, and her, "Why would it be good for YOU?" 

[laurakaye]

23 hours ago, Bec said:

Interesting that the defense is going with the theory that Meg did it. Nobody would have guessed that pants-wetter Kevin could manage to kill a dude! Maybe Eric will get acquitted, and then Kevin would be ready to throw his sister under the bus, and that's when John will finally reach his limit with the lengths he'll go to protect his baby brother.

I laughed out loud.  It's so funny because it's true.  The guy can barely dress himself.

 

22 hours ago, UGAmp said:

If John Rayburn was portrayed by any actor other than Kyle Chandler, I wonder when I would have given up on his character. But because it is good ol' Coach Taylor, somehow I am still on his side. I know it's wrong. The lying, the bribing, the murdering. But I still want him to get away with it all. 

This.  He is dangerous, yet charming.  Fragile, yet carrying the weight of his entire family on his shoulders.  Evil, and yet he arranged to not let Eric get killed.  He claims to have no feelings, but his eyes contain all the feels in the world.  And in all honesty, if anyone else had played his part, I never would've clicked "Play" on Season One, Episode One.  

The end shot of John standing in the hallway of his motel room, motionless, smoking a cigarette, was everything.  The guy even mesmerizes me when he's standing still.

Edited May 31, 2017 by laurakaye

[Hero]

1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

I laughed out loud.  It's so funny because it's true.  The guy can barely dress himself.

 

This.  He is dangerous, yet charming.  Fragile, yet carrying the weight of his entire family on his shoulders.  Evil, and yet he arranged to not let Eric get killed.  He claims to have no feelings, but his eyes contain all the feels in the world.  And in all honesty, if anyone else had played his part, I never would've clicked "Play" on Season One, Episode One.  

The end shot of John standing in the hallway of his motel room, motionless, smoking a cigarette, was everything.  The guy even mesmerizes me when he's standing still.

Kyle Chandler is the only reason I watched this, too. He is absolutely gorgeous and a great actor. If it was anyone else in this role, I wouldn't have watched it  

[Cheezwiz]

Can anyone explain what Chelsea was trying to prove with the torn photo she was passing around? I couldn't follow that at all - how did it prove the Rayburns are liars?

I keep wanting to shout at someone to turn on the lights. Some of the scenes are so poorly lit that I can't see what's taking place on screen. Seriously, show, you're reminding me of the first two seasons of "The Killing" where none of the characters had any acquaintance with light-bulbs.

[Bec]

John claims he "never saw that before" when Chelsea showed him the half of that photo with young Danny and Eric in it, but the other torn half shows young John is in the photo.

I thought it was kind of a stretch as a test of whether John lies. I'm in plenty of photos as a kid, I don't remember being there, what I was doing, who I was with, etc.

[Mama No Life]

33 minutes ago, Bec said:

John claims he "never saw that before" when Chelsea showed him the half of that photo with young Danny and Eric in it, but the other torn half shows young John is in the photo.

I thought it was kind of a stretch as a test of whether John lies. I'm in plenty of photos as a kid, I don't remember being there, what I was doing, who I was with, etc.

Exactly! I said that earlier....I'm not sure I remember every picture taken as a kid, esp if I'm shown the part without ME.  It was a biiiiggggg stretch.  And so what if Eric didn't do this? He's done plenty other.  His poor life choices are what made him perfect for this set-up.

[Cheezwiz]

I guess I was overthinking the photo thing - thought it was something more clever or tricky than that. That is definitely reaching big-time. I often don't remember photos I was in as a kid, and if someone only showed me a torn portion, I definitely wouldn't remember. Doesn't make a person a liar.

[Xcptnl]

I am wondering if the photo is a bigger deal because that is where Danny has the broken arm and I thought that was brought up in the past.  Did his dad break it?

[laurakaye]

5 hours ago, Xcptnl said:

I am wondering if the photo is a bigger deal because that is where Danny has the broken arm and I thought that was brought up in the past.  Did his dad break it?

I think that's it.  Chelsea asked John what happened to Danny's arm, and John replied that he didn't know...I think he said, "I don't know, I wasn't there."  Which is two lies in one.  He was there, and he did know.

[Mama No Life]

Yeah it probably is when Paw Rayburn hurt Danny for losing Sarah.  But even if John knew and lied, so what? He doesn't owe Chelsea an explanation about his family's dirty laundry.

[laurakaye]

4 minutes ago, Mama No Life said:

Yeah it probably is when Paw Rayburn hurt Danny for losing Sarah.  But even if John knew and lied, so what? He doesn't owe Chelsea an explanation about his family's dirty laundry.

You're absolutely right...now I'm confused.  What did she think John was going to say about the picture?  It does kind of suspend belief that John's failure to tell Chelsea what really happened to Danny was suddenly enough to make her believe her brother.  

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to re-watch this entire show when I finally finish the last two episodes.

Edited June 1, 2017 by laurakaye

[freeser]

1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

 I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to re-watch this entire show when I finally finish the last two episodes.

With as many loose ends as there are in this show, unfortunately I don't think rewatching is going to help much.  The more I think about different story lines, I realize how many things are just going to be forever floating around in the waters off the keys never to be washed on shore or be explained.....

[Athena5217]

I can't figure John out. He took some big risks to ensur that Eric didn't get killed at the funeral, but then he goes out of his way to make Eric look more guilty by lying about Marco revoking his immunity deal (which doesn't make sense because Marco doesn't have the authority to offer immunity as a detective). People will suspect baby Rocky of murdering Marco before Kevin because no one ever thinks Kevin can do anything, so why is John trying to make Eic look more guilty?

It makes no sense to saves someone's life then lie about something that could cause them to be executed.

[thuganomics85]

Damn, John was ice cold on the stand!  Had I not watch the past episode, I would totally think he was being truthful.  And he really did nail down the attitude and responses that would probably make the jury lie him and believe his lies.  Kyle Chandler is killing it.  Between this and Friday Night Lights, he has been the standout on two pretty great shows, and I can't wait to see where he goes from here.

I do think the defense attorney is doing a pretty good job, even if a lot of it would sound preposterous to everyone else.  I do love that her theory seems to be that Meg killed Marco and thinks John is part of the cover-up, because, of course, no one would suspect that it was that idiot Kevin who did it.  Kevin might skate by simply because no one thinks he is capable of it.

So, now Chelsea is willing to perjure herself to stick it to the Rayburns.  I get that the whole picture test was her way of being convinced that John is a liar, but that still seems kind of flimsy.  It was back when they were kids, so it's certainly possible John could have forgotten.  And even if he didn't, it's always been obvious that he doesn't like talking about his past or childhood, so it is just as easy to buy that he was brushing her off simply because he didn't want to dig up old wounds.

The scene with Kevin/Ozzy was weird.

I'm guessing the return of that retired detective was showing what John could end up becoming.

[Clanstarling]

On 6/1/2017 at 2:50 AM, Bec said:

John claims he "never saw that before" when Chelsea showed him the half of that photo with young Danny and Eric in it, but the other torn half shows young John is in the photo.

I thought it was kind of a stretch as a test of whether John lies. I'm in plenty of photos as a kid, I don't remember being there, what I was doing, who I was with, etc.

I know. It was clear he was lying, because of course he knows the significance of Danny's broken arm, but the other half with John in it is hardly any proof, because as you said, who remembers every picture they were in as kids (especially when it isn't a family photo).

20 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

The scene with Kevin/Ozzy was weird.

I don't know what to make of Ozzy. He "sees" things. And the woman (who the heck is she anyway) who seems to have known him and Danny back in Miami says he's different. Wierd is the right word.

[Valny]

Nitpick- Every time they showed Eric in court, I kept thinking, why didn't they get someone to shave the guy, make him less scuzzy and a little more presentable?  Not that it probably would help his case against the lying Rayburns. But they always clean up defendants in real life. Nitpick over.

[tennisgurl]

Such is the awesomeness of the Kyle Chandler that, even after watching John straight up lie on the stand to doom Eric to a life in prison at best, I'm still rooting for John on some level. He is just an amazing and underrated actor, he is everything. I think all the actors in this show are wonderful, but Kyle Chandler is just in a league of his own. I mean, even I was buying his bullshit, and I know for a fact he's lying.

I'm also laughing at everyone assuming that Meg killed Marco instead of Kevin. Even though it is, technically, way more of a stretch that petite little Meg could bludgeon an adult man to death than Kevin, nobody believes that Kevin is competent enough to kill a guy and cover it up. And, I know that Chelsea has a certain amount of moral high ground here, but lying about Meg going to Marcos house really makes her no better than John and Kevin. Does she even know that Meg had anything to do with any of this? We know she's covering it up too, but does Chelsea?

[Clanstarling]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

And, I know that Chelsea has a certain amount of moral high ground here, but lying about Meg going to Marcos house really makes her no better than John and Kevin. Does she even know that Meg had anything to do with any of this? We know she's covering it up too, but does Chelsea?

Yeah, my mileage varies on that one. I think the difference between lying to save her brother from being convicted for a murder he didn't commit makes her quite a bit better than John (who DID murder his brother) and Kevin (who DID murder Marco) and who both lied and lied to coverup their brother's deeds.

[Ellaria]

The acting in this episode was superb but none better than Kyle Chandler. His faux sincerity on the stand and the haunted look he wears in every other scene are Emmy-worthy. He keeps me invested in John despite all of the terrible things that he has done. I want to believe that John will not let this go forward because he cannot live a lie; it is destroying him. I think the "confession" will be his; the truth will be better than the hell that he is obviously living in now.

I have no sympathy for Sally but I do have some sympathy for Chelsea. I understand her motivation to help her brother but nothing good will come out of her testimony about Meg. Not sure why anyone would believe that Meg killed him. All of them Rayburns would have similar motivation. Regardless, there must be a reason why Meg is missing from the story line right now. I agree with others about John's lie about the photo. I wouldn't remember every photo from my youth that I was or was not part of it, especially when presented out of context. However, his lie motivated Chelsea to come forward with her lie.

On 5/30/2017 at 8:40 PM, UGAmp said:

Am I missing something or was it weird Kevin said it was good for him that the jury was more male than female to Belle on the phone. Because the men would be less likely to sympathize with the good looking dead cop. Um. You're supposed to be the eye witness Kevin. You're not on trial for murder (even though you did actually commit this murder). It seemed like Belle also thought this was weird. Four more episodes to go and see if this meant anything. 

It was weird and Belle thought so, too. Kevin is an idiot. The toothache/need for root canal is going to lead to Kevin taking the pain meds that will make him loopy on the stand, right? Why else include it? I can't believe that we will a cool, calm, collected Kevin on the stand.

Also, John lied about Marco rescinding Eric's immunity? Couldn't Aguirre refute that? Wouldn't someone else in law enforcement know that immunity was off the table?

Ozzy is back for a reason but I'm not sure where it is going.

[fayster]

During Chelsea's deposition, she said she drove Meg to Marco's house. That's not true, is it? As I recall Meg weaved and drove there herself, yes?

[beaker73]

Meg drove herself home. John showed up later to tell her about Marco and get her to the hospital to donate blood, but she was pretty much out cold and he left her on the bed. 

[FnkyChkn34]

1 hour ago, beaker73 said:

Meg drove herself home. John showed up later to tell her about Marco and get her to the hospital to donate blood, but she was pretty much out cold and he left her on the bed. 

I thought Kevin had told her about Marco, so she already knew?  Hence why she was frantically trying to call John and then got drunk?  And John also knew that she was worthless to give blood; her BAC was probably still through the roof.

[beaker73]

Well, yeah, John figured out pretty quickly that she couldn't give blood. I don't recall Kevin telling Meg about Marco, but I was also multi-tasking throughout so I very well could have missed that.