S01.E02: Part Two

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

In 1859, Simon investigates the murders; in 1842, Grace befriends a woman who dies from a back-alley abortion.

[Bec]

That was harrowing. Poor Mary. Poor Grace.

So... that bit where Grace woke up asking "Where's Grace?" Does she have some kind of multiple personality disorder now? After all the trauma she suffered it would make sense.

Dr. Jordan getting so annoyed at the interruption at the end of the episode pretty much mirrored my reaction "nooo! I want to hear what happens next!"

I might have to go read the book.

[TV Anonymous]

Why is Anna Paquin credited as a starring role when she makes but a 15-second appearance?

[Scarlett45]

I am watching this episode now and it’s heartbreaking. Poor Mary, she knew that it was potentially deadly but she thought of Grace with the handwritten will. Ugh just awful. And that doctor- no chloroform for her or anything?!! There were doctors in the time period that knew how to do first trimester abortions somewhat safely, but he took her money and butchered her. 

[Pogojoco]

On 03/10/2017 at 1:42 AM, Bec said:

That was harrowing. Poor Mary. Poor Grace.

So... that bit where Grace woke up asking "Where's Grace?" Does she have some kind of multiple personality disorder now? After all the trauma she suffered it would make sense.

Dr. Jordan getting so annoyed at the interruption at the end of the episode pretty much mirrored my reaction "nooo! I want to hear what happens next!"

I might have to go read the book.

No,, Grace thinks she hears Mary say, "Let me in." Which is why she opens the window (it mirrors the scene in the boat when her mother dies.) She thinks she hears "Let me out" as in, let her soul out.  That scene of her asking where Grace is asking "Where is Grace?" is either due to trauma/shock so she's forgotten herself or Mary got in. 

Edited November 5, 2017 by Pogojoco

[Paloma]

The only problem I have with the show is using the same actress for Grace at all ages. The actress is 30 and believable as someone in her late teens--maybe even 15-16--but not so believable as 11-12 (I think that was her age when they began the ship voyage) and 13-14 (when she started working with Mary and had her first period). It takes me out of the scenes a bit. But I understand why they did this--it would have been very difficult to find an actress of her caliber who looked a lot like her but just a little younger. 

On 10/3/2017 at 1:42 AM, Bec said:

I might have to go read the book.

I highly recommend the book, though you should probably finish the series first to avoid confusion. The book should give you more insight because of the greater detail.

[PinkRibbons]

I'm almost afraid to ask it, but I wonder what they did to get such realistic screams out of Rebecca Liddiard. I've watched the episode several times now so the effect isn't as strong as the first viewing, but man that first viewing almost made me sick listening to it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Poor Mary. And poor Grace to lose the only friend she has ever had.

I read an interview with Eleanor Bergstein about Dirty Dancing where she said that one of the reasons she included the abortion storyline in that movie was to remind people how horrible it was in the not so distant past when abortions were illegal and very unsafe. Any man who wanted to take advantage of these poor women's desperation could claim to perform abortions by taking their money and butchering their insides. As Billy in Dirty Dancing said, "He didn't use no ether, nothing. The guy had a dirty knife and a folding table. I could hear her screaming in the hallway and I swear to God, Johnny, I tried to get in. I tried." Grace hearing Mary's screams from outside reminded me of that scene in Dirty Dancing.

George was quite a prince. $5 and a suggestion to kill yourself - what a swell guy!

[tennisgurl]

Poor Mary. What an awful situation for such a lovely person who could have had such a great life in other circumstances. And poor Grace, losing her best friend so horribly. I haven't made up my mind on what kind of person Grace is, but she certainly had lead a tough life. At least she has a few nice memories now. It was so sweet that, even with everything going on, she wrote a will for Grace. 

First Anna Paquin shows up, and now Zachary Levy pops by! That man is just too charming for his own good. I wonder if he comes back at any point? 

[Zima]

This episode made me cry. I had an abortion a few years ago in a safe, clean clinic, and was put under anesthesia. It makes me sick that women didn't (and many still don't) have that luxury.

[Paloma]

1 hour ago, Zima said:

It makes me sick that women didn't (and many still don't) have that luxury.

And, worse, that women are gradually losing that right (hardly a luxury) today in America. The implied comparison of what it was like before women had any rights--not just in regard to abortion but in terms of overall control of their bodies and lives--with what it can be like again with a majority of conservative legislators and judges is what is most disturbing to me in both the series and the book.

[Eva Marie]

Such "doctors" didn't just butcher the women, but also routinely raped them beforehand. Whats really tragic is that safe, painless abortions are actually one of the easiest medical procedures there when performed by actual medical professionals.

On 10/13/2017 at 2:15 AM, TV Anonymous said:

Why is Anna Paquin credited as a starring role when she makes but a 15-second appearance?

Because she's the only Name in the show