S04.E03: The Essentials

[CheshireCat]

On ‎01‎.‎11‎.‎2017 at 9:44 AM, RemoteControlFreak said:

As I said, it's unfortunate that the writers depended on the ageist and sexist stereotype of wanting to be a grandma as the story for her exit. 

I don't think it was about wanting to be a grandma. I think it is about wanting to have a family. She obviously loves her son very much and it hurt her that she didn't have a relationship with him. Now, she has the chance to.

She has devoted her entire life to public service, she even stayed on after Marsh was killed. I think that the writers neeed to give her a very strong reason to leave. I wouldn't have considered any kind of job offer strong enough. I'm sure she has gotten her fair share of that over the years and she has obviously turned them all down. So, she obviously isn't interested in the money that the private sector has to offer and has a single woman who hasn't shown any signs of tiring over the years, I wouldn't find it credible if she suddenly told Bess that the job was too exhausting.

Family, on the other hand, is always a very strong motive, and I think it's even more so when you're older, have regrets and get a second chance. Do I wish they would have spent a bit more time on it, mentioned that she and her son were in contact again before? Sure. Could they have paired it with a job offer? Yes. I still think this made the most sense on such short notice evne without a job offer.

[CheshireCat]

11 hours ago, Brookside said:

 

I'm late to this, but I'm not at all surprised Bebe Neuworth asked to get out of her contract.  As others have said, she's a fantastic actress pretty much the only enjoyable character on the show (the other staffers are too, but with smaller roles).  This show has so many unbelievable story lines, so much terrible writing/acting/overacting, an endless stream of Tea Leoni's hideous, cheap, untucked blouses,  

If you consider blouses which cost $500 or more cheap, I'd really like to have your income ;-) (That said, why does a blouse have to cost so much? And why do TV shows have to buy stuff that is that expensive when you can have good-looking, cheaper alternatives? I'm sure they can spend the money elsewhere. Some things I will never understand)

Edited November 11, 2017 by CheshireCat

[Brookside]

20 minutes ago, CheshireCat said:

If you consider blouses which cost $500 or more cheap, I'd really like to have your income ;-) (That said, why does a blouse have to cost so much? And why do TV shows have to buy stuff that is that expensive when you can have good-looking, cheaper alternatives? I'm sure they can spend the money elsewhere. Some things I will never understand)

I'm curious as to where you've heard/read about the $500 blouses.  I really hope that's not what's being spent because she always looks as though her tops come from Marshals/Ross/TJ Max.x - cheap and tacky.  And I'll let you know when $500 a year for me exceeds my clothing budget for a decade  ;-)

[CheshireCat]

41 minutes ago, Brookside said:

I'm curious as to where you've heard/read about the $500 blouses.  I really hope that's not what's being spent because she always looks as though her tops come from Marshals/Ross/TJ Max.x - cheap and tacky.  And I'll let you know when $500 a year for me exceeds my clothing budget for a decade  ;-)

There's a Tumbler blog and the writer of the blog researches the show's fashion. According to that blog, they use an insane amount of designer clothes on the show.

[Brookside]

Thanks for the info.   I can see the money in the other clothing - impeccable suits, separates, etc - but Tea Leoni's clothes just do not do it for me!

[RemoteControlFreak]

On 10/24/2017 at 10:46 PM, mythoughtis said:

I dont remember how old Nadine is, but Bebe will be 59 in December. It’s possible she no longer wished to do the long hours a series like this takes.  

Nadine first requested  a leave of absence. It was Bess who first said she probably wouldn’t be back.  So, she filed a leave request and then eventually puts in retirement papers. She’s probably eligible to retire by some age plus years of service rule. Plus, Nadine had money. 

You can imagine a life on the west coast for Nadine that might include a job, giving speeches or volunteer work if you choose. She just wanted to move closer to her son, and not miss out. If she chooses to ease out of the work force, well... no one ever says they wish they had worked longer when they are on their deathbed. 

I think you're confusing the actress Bebe Neuwirth the character Nadine Tolliver.

Bebe did choose to leave the show, for whatever reason, but she hasn't stopped working as an actor and isn't retiring. I wouldn't be surprised to see her back on Broadway sometime soon. 

Nadine chose to leave the show to move from DC to California to be closer to her son and grandchildren. 

Bebe's career path is more typical of a accomplished woman at the peak of her career than is Nadine's. 

[mythoughtis]

1 hour ago, RemoteControlFreak said:

I think you're confusing the actress Bebe Neuwirth the character Nadine Tolliver.

Bebe did choose to leave the show, for whatever reason, but she hasn't stopped working as an actor and isn't retiring. I wouldn't be surprised to see her back on Broadway sometime soon. 

Nadine chose to leave the show to move from DC to California to be closer to her son and grandchildren. 

Bebe's career path is more typical of a accomplished woman at the peak of her career than is Nadine's. 

Nope, every comment in that post except for the first couple sentences was about the character Nadine.  I speculate that Bebe wants to reduce her acting roles, but I don’t know that for sure. The rest is all about why the character might wish to leave the Secretary of state job. Please re-read my post