S01.E02: Day 2 - Cutting Room Floor

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

After seeing the security-camera footage of PJ staking out her house the night that Lake went missing, Jane goes on a desperate search to find PJ and question him. Meanwhile, Bird learns the truth about Lake’s nanny; plus Pete, Ali and Tom canvas the neighborhood trying to find Lake.

[SunnyBeBe]

Let me get this straight.  Parents of a missing child, actually take off their shoes and get into bed to go to sleep.....I'm trying to figure this out.  I just think that I would be siting in a chair, phone charged and right in front of me, all night and all day.    Also, insisting that your friends and family leave your house as you wait for any word of your daughters whereabouts.....it really boggles the mind. 

I wonder if the lead detective has realized that he shouldn't share information about persons of interest with mom. 

They are trying to make so many people look suspicious that it's rather worthless info, imo.   

What was mom looking at when she stared out the window and said that she would die without her daughter? Wasn't she at her ex's house?   It was like something occurred to her.  Did she see something outside the window?  Recall, later she was sarcastic with the  lead detective that she didn't have her daughter buried in her backyard.  WTH?  She really is too bizarre.  WHO would say that?  Even in jest.

Edited October 9, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[Whimsy]

4 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Let me get this straight.  Parents of a missing child, actually take off their shoes and get into bed to go to sleep.....I'm trying to figure this out.  I just think that I would be siting in a chair, phone charged and right in front of me, all night and all day.    Also, insisting that your friends and family leave your house as you wait for any word of your daughters whereabouts.....it really boggles the mind. 

I wonder if the lead detective has realized that he shouldn't share information about persons of interest with mom. 

They are trying to make so many people look suspicious that it's rather worthless info, imo.   

What was mom looking at when she stared out the window and said that she would die without her daughter? Wasn't she at her ex's house?   It was like something occurred to her.  Did she see something outside the window?  Recall, later she was sarcastic with the  lead detective that she didn't have her daughter buried in her backyard.  WTH?  She really is too bizarre.  WHO would say that?  Even in jest.

I also thought at first she was looking at something, but I think she was just staring out into space. 

I hate everyone. I’m almost ready to give up on this because I feel like the parents are deplorable and don’t have any sympathy for them. At first I thought the new girlfriend/Assistant took Lake so that her boyfriend (not remembering anyone’s name) would be free of all strings to be with her, but that video of Lake all happy throws a wrench in that. Also, why is Lake happy? She said the night of her disappearance that she misses her mom so much when she’s away from her that she wants to “go to heaven”(don’t see the logic in that, but she’s a kid). So, shouldn’t she be homesick?

[Lady Calypso]

I still think Jane is a shitty parent. It's not the actual event of her daughter's kidnapping anymore, because who would expect their child to be kidnapped in the middle of the night while she's still on the property? Plus, she had the baby monitor, and the only major mistake was drinking while on Ambien. If she hadn't drank alcohol, she would have been awake to hear some sort of ruckus on the baby monitor.

No, my problem with Jane is her attitude toward her daughter's kidnapping. Now, I understand that parents can react differently to this type of situation. Some are hysterical, while others might remain in denial to an extent and seem completely calm. But Jane's reaction? For me, it's just bizarre. Like...I get her wanting to protect her own ass by lying about Bike Boy, but I'm annoyed by her snapping at the detective who is rightfully questioning her shady attitude about Bike Boy. Jane's not being subtle in any way about knowing who Bike Boy is. Then, she asks everyone to leave her house which, ok if she wants some privacy. But then she smashes a window in a car to alert the police outside her house so she can sneak out to find Bike Boy? 

It's not even endearing that she's doing all of this as a way to find Lake. She's just so nonchalant about the whole situation. Sure, she cares and we see her remembering Lake and caring about her daughter's safety. But she's still pretty selfish because of her inability to actually help the police find her. Her character just irritates me to no end, and it's not like she's the worst character I've seen on TV, but I'm not even able to enjoy her scenes. I mean, the dumbass just goes and snort what she thought was cocaine to find PJ. I think we're supposed to take that as Jane doing anything to find her daughter, but I'm just not really buying it. Don't do drugs that you don't know for sure, woman! What an idiot.

Man, the assistant who's sleeping with Jane's ex is annoying. I know the Ex is a douche, but I liked that he seemed affected by his daughter's disappearance. Also, he has a point when he was talking to the cops. Jane WAS on drugs and alcohol, and she was never fully questioned about her possible involvement. She's basically given the information that the cops have while Alcohol Ex Douche is put on trial. Yes, he's a bad guy and he's certainly not fit to be a parent either. But has Jane shown signs of being a great mother? She has a nanny to take care of Lake when she's working, which Lake implied was all of the time. I mean, Jane's not the worst for choosing to have a nanny, but it shows that Jane often chooses work first over her child. Jane drinks, does drugs, and lies because she's involved in very shady business for her work. She really isn't fit to be a parent either. I'd kind of laugh if we find out Lake's gotten better care, love, and attention by her kidnappers than her parents. 

I kind of like the sister. She seems to be the best character on the show so far. She's not taking her sister's BS that much, but she also wants to protect her sister as much as she can. But when she's the only character I marginally care about, there's a problem. They're going to need to give more sympathy to more characters ASAP. Because if I'm already deciding to not watch this live, there's a problem with the show for me. 

49 minutes ago, Whimsy said:

She said the night of her disappearance that she misses her mom so much when she’s away from her that she wants to “go to heaven”(don’t see the logic in that, but she’s a kid). So, shouldn’t she be homesick?

Well, Lake said that when she's with her dad, she feels that way, so I think that reaction has more to do with Lake's relationship with her dad, rather than her mom. But still, shouldn't it point to Lake knowing who the mystery man is? Either that, or she's just as stupid as her mother.

[SunnyBeBe]

Sometimes, when kids are torn in custody battles, they say things to each parent to make them feel good about themselves.  Like, if mommy thinks that I love her that much, it'll make her feel better.  That's why some kids tell one parent they don't want to go on visitation, because if they do, it seems that they are rejecting the custodial parent.  Sort of like just telling the parent what they want to hear.  Doesn't mean it's true. though.  Lake seemed sincere when she made that comment about wanting to go to heaven if not with her mom.  It was odd, imo. 

I didn't get why putting up flyers was like looking for a missing puppy.  But, so what? If your daughter is found, who cares about silly things like that? If just seemed bizarre to me.

Are they trying to keep a lid on the story or not? I thought the police wanted to keep it quiet, but, then they are out hanging fliers.....I'm confused. It's like a cluster...

Edited October 9, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[Lady Calypso]

2 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I didn't get why putting up flyers was like looking for a missing puppy.  But, so what? If your daughter is found, who cares about silly things like that? If just seemed bizarre to me.

That annoyed me. I get that Jane blames her ex for taking Lake still and is convinced he has her, but my god, that line was odd. I get that people say messed up things in times of stress, so it wasn't like that moment made me hate Jane. I mean, there are other things that make me hate her. 

[Kirsty]

Apologies for double-posting but I mistakenly posted this in the wrong thread five minutes ago.

The show is really spreading the suspicion around. So everyone looks shifty as fuck, which must be why none of the men in Jane's life can have a clean-shaven face! ;) Her ex and her brother-in-law must have Sketchy Facial Hair.

I guess the home help and her boyfriend are the first to get ruled out as suspects. And Jane's ex is obviously hiding his debts, while the personal assistant's relationship with him is depressingly believable. I take it he owes a lot of money and that explains what happened to his BMW. Also, everyone working on Jane's tv show is in a questionable relationship. At this rate, the cute African American guy will reveal his secret affair with Jane's sister!

Anyway, last week I didn't notice that this is a noir show. But they repeatedly hit me over the head with it this week, starting with the cop's opening dialogue likening people to ants. That was bad.

I can see why Jane thought that doing cocaine in front of the drug dealer was an effective way to get him to talk when she was desperate. But then I found it really offputting when she randomly took a shower at his house.

Now, on the one hand, you never see a male protagonist stripping down to randomly have a shower in a strange house like that. High or not, writers don't tend to leave their main male characters curled up in their underwear. So why does our anti-heroine do just that in the second episode? Sexist bullshit, is my guess.

On the other hand, and in spite of myself, I expect female characters -- particularly female leads -- to do the right thing. It's ridiculous! I have to remind myself that she's a screwed-up character in a story, not a model for all women's behaviour! But I think my expectation is a really common brand of sexist bullshit. And when a female main character behaves in a wildly risky and unwise fashion, as Jane did here, it turns people off.

Still, her responding to PJ's talk of climbing out of the ghetto with "Oh shut up. Your father's a dentist!" made me laugh.

I've liked Kyra Sedgwick since she played Julia Roberts' sister in "Something to Talk About".

Unfortunately, the ratings are getting worse.

[SunnyBeBe]

I think the oddest thing for me was seeing each parent in bed.  And mom's sister tells her to get some sleep.  ?? I can't imagine telling any parent of a missing child to get some sleep.  HOW is that possible?  I can't fathom it. 

Edited October 9, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[Anela]

I barely paid attention last night, so I kept it on the DVR. Now I'm thinking I'll just delete it.

One thing that bothered me, was that the police weren't with the parents around the clock. Unless they are being watched, and it hasn't been revealed yet. 

Like I said before: I hate the lies, that just end up extending the show for twists to be added. Last night, it seemed like the detective might think it was all a setup - that it was a story she'd arranged. I didn't like them giving her drugs, to prove herself to the dealer. I agree that she isn't acting normally. At least what I would consider normal, for a parent of a missing child.  

[SunnyBeBe]

Is anyone around here actually from The Valley?  This is the San Fernando Valley, right? 

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, Kirsty said:

Anyway, last week I didn't notice that this is a noir show. But they repeatedly hit me over the head with it this week, starting with the cop's opening dialogue likening people to ants. That was bad.

Now that you mention it, I am reminded that I always seem to stop watching shows without any comic relief. L&O shows have had wisecracking Lenny Briscoe, Munch and Finn, and Breaking Bad had giant magnets and pizza landing on the roof, but a show primarily about an abducted child probably can't go there…

13 hours ago, Kirsty said:

Still, her responding to PJ's talk of climbing out of the ghetto with "Oh shut up. Your father's a dentist!" made me laugh.

…or at least not in a way that is consistent with the tone of the story. As mentioned in this post and upthread, there were quite a few bits of dialogue that needed some serious editing.

Edited October 10, 2017 by shapeshifter

[Whimsy]

17 hours ago, Kirsty said:

I can see why Jane thought that doing cocaine in front of the drug dealer was an effective way to get him to talk when she was desperate. But then I found it really offputting when she randomly took a shower at his house.

Granted, I have not really been paying total attention- but the way she woke up confused next to the toilet made me think the shower was a hallucination.

[Clanstarling]

17 hours ago, Kirsty said:

Anyway, last week I didn't notice that this is a noir show. But they repeatedly hit me over the head with it this week, starting with the cop's opening dialogue likening people to ants. That was bad.

I rolled with it at first - thinking it was going to end in a sound booth where someone on the show Jane's working on. Then I was confused when they pulled back to Jane and the cop in the car. Was the cop telling her this? It wasn't anything like a conversation. Are they starting narrations? Yeah, I thought it was bad too.

I expect Malcom Jamal Warner's role to increase - he sure seemed to give the ex and the assistant the side eye. He's grown up fine, our Theo Huxtable on the show that shall not be named.

It started to seem to me that the ex's poster campaign was designed more to make him look like a good guy (though it was certainly before the time the cops wanted to alert people -  but Jane's sister was there with him too, so I'm confused about the whole approach). Plus he was hammering on how bad a mother Jane was. So I started wondering if he really did do it (with a friend as proxy), as a warped ploy to get custody (especially after the text he got "Where's my mommy?" or something like that). The girl's statement in the video, "I know you're too busy with work" seemed exactly like the kind of language one divorced parent would use to skewer another.

Then again, they made a lot of people pretty shady - which for me, made it a little more interesting.

On the other hand, for a show about a woman who writes a "well researched" cop show, this one doesn't seem that well researched. Or maybe what I know about police procedure is all from tv's and this is more like reality. 

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Now that you mention it, I am reminded that I always seem to stop watching shows without any comic relief

Mostly that's true with me. It has to be pretty riveting to keep going. So far, this one isn't, even as much as I love Kyra, the guy who plays the cop, and MJW.

[AuntiePam]

Minor nitpick -- Jane told the maid that she'd call for a car to take her home, but she never did. 

A couple other silly things -- Jane spending hours in that bathroom, without anyone wanting to get in.  Was that someone's home, or a club, or what? 

And the detective giving Jane's sister the shot -- she couldn't have done that at home?  Or does the shot have to be given at the same time every day?

Did Jane not wonder why her assistant had a key to her ex-husband's house? 

[Kirsty]

Quote

I expect Malcom Jamal Warner's role to increase - he sure seemed to give the ex and the assistant the side eye. He's grown up fine, our Theo Huxtable on the show that shall not be named.

Omg, that cute guy is Theo Huxtable! I would not have guessed.

[UsernameFatigue]

1 hour ago, AuntiePam said:

Minor nitpick -- Jane told the maid that she'd call for a car to take her home, but she never did. 

A couple other silly things -- Jane spending hours in that bathroom, without anyone wanting to get in.  Was that someone's home, or a club, or what? 

And the detective giving Jane's sister the shot -- she couldn't have done that at home?  Or does the shot have to be given at the same time every day?

Did Jane not wonder why her assistant had a key to her ex-husband's house? 

Wondered all of the above as well, especially the last point. Or did Jane have a key and just give it to the assistant to use? And why would Jane have a key, considering that she and the ex aren't exactly friendly? Also when Jane set off the car alarm to distract the cops guarding her home, why did they both leave their post, leaving the front of the house then unguarded? And was Jane gone all night before they realized it?

So many questions, but I care so little about the answers because I care zilch about Jane. As I stated in the last episode, chances are whoever the kid is with, is an upgrade. Judging from the video, it seems likely. 

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Minor nitpick -- Jane told the maid that she'd call for a car to take her home, but she never did. 

That bugged the heck out of me, but then the show moved on to bugging me about other things and I forgot about it.

[biakbiak]

Jane is so fucking stupid and the ex is not any more sympathetic so I think I might be done.

[tennisgurl]

I almost laughed at how quickly Jane seems to jump to accusing people of taking lake. I know she has good reasons, but it looks a bit ridiculous on her part to go from screaming at the ex to screaming at the house keeper "Where is she?!?!" all the while she is lying about pretty much everything. Of course, it seems like everyone in her life is ridiculously sketchy, so I guess I cant blame her. 

I have no clue why she freaked out about her sister and the ex posting pictures. Yeah she isnt a dog, but has she never seen missing child pictures? At least they're doing something besides running after her drug dealer and taking showers in random guys bathrooms. 

[J-Man]

It's sort of strange that Malcolm-Jamal Warner has a recurring role on "Major Crimes," where he's interacting with Kyra's former "Closer" castmates. 

[ButterQueen]

I'm at a table for one, but I love this show.  I love Kyra Sedgwick, and adore her very flawed character.  I find everyone very interesting, and anticipate the next episode when the current one ends.  I try not to nitpick every scene.  Kyra looks great and her acting is superb.