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S05.E01: Episode One

paulvdb

By paulvdb
in Episodes [V]

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paulvdb

paulvdb

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Matt's show is a runaway hit. Carol goes into a tailspin. Season premiere.

Episode description is from Amazon where you can already watch the episode. Apparently a censored version is available on Youtube.

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paulvdb

paulvdb

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It was nice to finally have a new episode, but I wish there had been more scenes of Matt with Sean and Beverly. Their relationship is my favorite part of the show together with the friendship of Beverly and Carol.

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Corgi-ears

Corgi-ears

It's no Bamboozled, but The Box? Would watch.

I'm not sure the Tim-in-the-writer's-room stuff is all that funny, but then again, as long as this show ends after 30 minutes, it's a comedy.

It's still perplexing why they let this final season sit on the shelves for so long. Contractual conflict stuff with Matt's CBS show?

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scrb

scrb

I think they're setting things up for the season.

Until the last minutes of the finale, things were going well for most of the major characters and then things flipped.  Now this first episode shows Sean, Beverly and Carol being at rock bottom.  Matt has a hit show but he hates the gig and hates working for Merc.

The writing was so good for season 4 that it would be surprising if they suddenly lost it for season 5.  Just have to open S05E01 is to set up all the story lines for the season.

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xaxat

xaxat

22 hours ago, scrb said:

I think they're setting things up for the season.

That's my hope as well. This episode seemed disjointed. 

I think the show is at its best when it focuses on interactions between the core Pucks crew. Matt, Beverly, Sean, Carol and Merc. So the writer's room and The Box didn't really work for me.

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Ailianna

Ailianna

I liked it, and I think that while it is setting up the dynamics, just like every season opener has, I think they are going to be fun.  While I'm not trying to say that if you don't like it don't watch, I do think it's a bit unfair to complain that parts you ff through are boring--since you didn't actually watch those parts.  I liked that we saw some professionalism from Matt in th game show, that he hates it so much but he turns on the charm for the audience both in studio and at home.  And that he still can't say no to freely offered sex--even when there's a wall between him and the object of his desire.

Sean and Bev have always been a bit passive in being dragged along by their showrunners and the Hollywood types--this was more of that trend.  If this really is the last season, I hope they finally learn how to stand up for themselves.

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RedMal

RedMal

I started to rewatch the series last saturday and I finished it yesterday. I immediately jumped to the premiere.

When done that way, this episode sure seemed bit slow and boring, but it wasn't bad, I laughed my fair share. I do hate Tim, but not in good way. Like I hate Merc, but he's entertaining and interesting. Tim is just annoying. I hope he's fired from Opposite of us very fast, so we don't have to watch him all 9 episodes.

I've been fan of Mircea for like a decade or so, and it kills me how her role has been smaller every season. And it still seems to be that way, I know she's going to return, but what purpose would she have?

Can anyone tell me when is this taking place? I automatically think a show starts the year it premieres, if not told otherwise, so I thought season 1 was 2011. And even in fourth season, they're making remarks about how Bev and Sean have been there for a year. But they're making references to Frozen and Fifty shades of black, so it can't be 2011/2012. Or is it just taking place unspecified time?

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wendyg

wendyg

I've never thought about when the show takes place; My suspicion is that the British writers' experience they started with could have happened in any generation. Although The Box could probably only be credibly satirical now.

I think the problem wrt Mircea Monroe is that it's not really credible that you'd have the same group together on multiple shows over a couple. of years. Bev, Sean, Matt, and Carol are all essential. Morning, for all her good qualities, is not.

I liked this opener. Everyone is at about the lowest point they could be. I assume they're going to want to leave them in reasonably happy places, so nowhere to go but up.

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iMonrey

iMonrey

Quote

It's still perplexing why they let this final season sit on the shelves for so long. Contractual conflict stuff with Matt's CBS show?

I'd really love to know the story behind that too. Season 4 ended in March of 2015. That's two and half years ago! I cannot fathom why Showtime sat on this for two and half years.

Did a full re-watch of the first four seasons over the last four weekends, so this new episode seemed a little slow by comparison. Maybe a little too much of "The Box" at the beginning. I still believe this could actually be a real show, but I'm wondering how the hell those people in the boxes are going to the bathroom. There don't seem to be any buckets or anything in there. 

The problem with Sean and Bev having to work with Tim is that they were fully prepared to just walk away from the show altogether, money be damned. I find it hard to believe they'd stick around under these circumstances unless they signed something that obliges them to write for the show, but that doesn't seem particularly realistic. Sean told Matt they were sticking around because they didn't want to see this show completely ruined and they still had a stake in it for the money.

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ganesh

ganesh

(edited)

The Box looks so awful, but I would totally buy it as a tv show. I was dying with GG reading the bible though. That wouldn't really bother me because I think he's hilarious. 

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I still believe this could actually be a real show, but I'm wondering how the hell those people in the boxes are going to the bathroom. There don't seem to be any buckets or anything in there. 

And who takes a show with their clothes on? I thought they were going to drop curtains. I can't believe I'm commenting on a fake show, but I would have taken the mattress and pillows. You use that for weeks. The shower lasts 5 minutes.

I don't know if them walking away from the show is that good of an idea in a big picture sort of way. It would just give them a bad name for the next project they might want to do. Take the money, develop a new show without Tim. 

I'm not seeing how Tim can drag the writers out for hours on end and still deliver a script on time or have an all out revolt. I would think a producer would be breathing down his neck. 

The scene with Matt, Beverly, and Shawn was the best though. "Blondie introduced me to Andy Warhol when I was friends with Madonna." The scene with Matt and the hot woman on the show was really good because there wasn't any dialogue.

Edited by ganesh
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WaltersHair

WaltersHair

I was thinking how much everyone looked so close to their past seasons selves and now I know why. Wasn't aware they'd been sitting on the series.

Is Showtime where abused comics go to die? (dice and gilbert). I like this series and have no idea why because if offends me in many respects. But maybe that's good thing. Being PC in Hollywood must be torturous. Being a comedienne must be impossible.

I don't think Bev and Sean would get into trouble leaving what is clearly a bad writer's room. Isn't Hollywood a cesspit of gossip? Wouldn't everyone know that was a really, really bad situation?

Except for an unfortunate run of Housewives, I've never gotten into reality shows, but something tells me The Box would totally fly.

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ganesh

ganesh

43 minutes ago, WaltersHair said:

Isn't Hollywood a cesspit of gossip? Wouldn't everyone know that was a really, really bad situation?

I didn't think of that. If all they're doing is working though, who could they be gossiping to? I suppose Bev talked about it to Carol, so maybe if she gets out of the house she'll talk about it. Now that I think about it (way too much), it's probably more of a hit on Tim. If he's a terrible head writer, that would probably get around more than them leaving. Maybe the show will tank and get canceled. 

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slowpoked

slowpoked

Because it was so long ago, I totally forgot what happened in Season 4, except for Carol's new lover (ex now), Sean/Beverly writing a new show, and Matt having his new show as well. So I missed this part - was Pucks officially cancelled in Season 4?

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RedMal

RedMal

8 hours ago, slowpoked said:

Because it was so long ago, I totally forgot what happened in Season 4, except for Carol's new lover (ex now), Sean/Beverly writing a new show, and Matt having his new show as well. So I missed this part - was Pucks officially cancelled in Season 4?

Elliot ordered six more episodes at the end of season 3. They shot them and then it was over. As a storyline it just faded away, we didn't see them wrapping the shoots, like we did in season 3 before the new order.

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Miles

Miles

So I don't understand Sean's and Beverly's problem. I guess douchenozel is the show runner, but isn't it still mainly their show? Can't they just tell him to stuff the script where the sun don't shine and that they are off for the evening? It's not like he can fire them.

On 22.8.2017 at 2:00 AM, ganesh said:

I was dying with GG reading the bible though. That wouldn't really bother me because I think he's hilarious. 

I think he would have worn out way earlier than me. The bible is actually rather entertaining in grindhouse movie kind of way. And read by Gilbert Gottfried? I'd laugh my ass off for hours.

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xaxat

xaxat

19 minutes ago, Miles said:

So I don't understand Sean's and Beverly's problem. I guess douchenozel is the show runner, but isn't it still mainly their show? Can't they just tell him to stuff the script where the sun don't shine and that they are off for the evening? It's not like he can fire them.

Didn't the network executive who greenlit the show originally love their concept but then made production contingent on working with Tim to punish them for being friends with Carol, her ex?

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Milburn Stone

Milburn Stone

I loved the scene between Bev and Carol in which Carol revealed unconscious anti-Semitic attitudes. As a Jew, I've been in that situation--you're with a really good friend, who for some reason doesn't think of you as Jewish (even if they know you are), and something they say is not exactly Jew-hatred but betrays the fact that they think there's something wrong with being Jewish. (Even though they would deny they feel this way, and would believe their own denial.) At that point, you have a choice. You can decide you're not going to be their friend anymore, or you can decide the friendship is important and pretend you didn't hear what you just heard. Or something uncomfortably in-between. I usually handle it like Bev did--i.e., awkwardly! Which is why I thought the scene was spot on. (Crane and Klarik have no doubt been there, in order to write it so well.)

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jumper sage

jumper sage

On 8/9/2017 at 0:03 PM, scrb said:

Can people on Amazon Prime see it or do they have to add on Showtime or something?

I usually have to run around and see which library has it in their collection.  Imagine my utter surprise when I turned on Netflix and saw the entire 5 seasons loaded - wooo hoooo!

On 9/25/2017 at 9:02 AM, msrachelj said:

kind of gross the goings on with the woman in the box and matt. is that supposed to be aired as part of their game show now? i could't understand what the person who was watching the monitors was doing at the end.

It's kind of like Big Brother where they air shows but people can log in and watch the people in the box 24 hours.  Brilliant really and is why they caught Matt and it was permitted to be on air and focused on her box.

On 9/12/2017 at 3:24 PM, xaxat said:

Didn't the network executive who greenlit the show originally love their concept but then made production contingent on working with Tim to punish them for being friends with Carol, her ex?

That's how I remember it.

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