S02.E10: Letty Raines, in the Mansion, With the Gun

[formerlyfreedom]

Letty and Javier must clean up the mess Letty made, but they have to do it quickly or they will both end up in prison.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Heh, Javier's like, "Wait, I'm supposed to be the hitman and she's practically taken out two people here at once?" But then he proceeded to show her how and why he's a highly paid professional killer and she's not. He knows hows how to clean up the mess afterward.

Well, that took a turn. Post-drugs hallucinations, mental break, or both? Either way, ugh. Am generally not a fan of the guilt-induced ghost trope.

Looks like there wasn't a GPS tracker on that security service van but Letty and Javi are going to be on camera at the convenience store with the van.

The t-boned Range Rover Letty left in the street has her fingerprints in it and can be traced back to her.

So they just leave a burning van in the middle of a forest? Given what's been happening in southern California, the timing of that scene was extra awful to me.

Javier and Letty take on LA! Alrighty then! There's going to be a much trickier (and savvier) playing field for them to navigate but looks-wise they'll fit right in with the beautiful people.

[attica]

I always feel bad for the actor that has to get into a body bag for the 'other characters rip open a body bag' scene. I feel sympathetically claustrophobic, even though I suspect (or rather hope) there are lots of movie-magic ways to mitigate that. 

11 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Looks like there wasn't a GPS tracker on that security service van

This is the kind of thing I worry about too. 

 

12 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Am generally not a fan of the guilt-induced ghost trope.

And yet, the ghost-trope gives her the solution of the extra lighter! Tropes giveth and taketh away, I guess.

I think the show should have done the great fan service of having JDB in fewer clothes on that inflatable. It's only fair, to tide us over until the next season.

[Sim]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that Letty might’ve left the security guard’s phone in the car that she crashed and then abandoned — if so, she’s kind of screwed but then I may just have missed something.

[Bubbetv]

Oh I wish they had last week's episode for the season finale. This one has me thinking I won't bother with the next season.

I loved the Clue scene! But all of the gimicky hallucinations and ridiculous actual plot -leaving their car, lighting up the van etc...too far. It's become a cartoon.

[DoubleUTeeEff]

Kevin and Lady Mary is never a combination I expected to see.

I thought she had the security guy's phone in her pocket. I don't understand why they didn't burn it with the bodies and security van. Not sure if I missed something either.

So Letty doesn't want to steal after killing two people but dealing drugs is OK? That isn't even a lateral move, that's worse than stealing! In terms of the type of trouble you can find yourself in anyway. 

[dubbel zout]

2 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Looks like there wasn't a GPS tracker on that security service van but Letty and Javi are going to be on camera at the convenience store with the van.

I wish the show wasn't so sloppy with these sorts of details.

I don't think this was a great season ender, but I did love Letty's last line: "Plus, there's In-N-Out." More burger deliciousness for Javier to discover! Hee.

[babs1226]

20 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I wish the show wasn't so sloppy with these sorts of details.

You really have to suspend belief with this show, because there is no way Letty would have gotten away with stealing everything she did in today's world.  This series was definitely poetic license on steroids.

[helenamonster]

I've never seen Brian Baumgartner in anything besides The Office so I was really impressed with all the different versions of Brett/Patrick he was able to portray and didn't see any of Kevin Malone at all! The guilty ghost trope is certainly overdone (especially this time of year, thanks A Christmas Carol!) but I thought they played with it enough to make it more engaging. Was this guy the perfect husband and father, was he a raging douchebag, somewhere in between? No matter what, Letty can't justify what she did to herself. I don't think any of us could.

If we get a third season, do we think it'll mostly take place in Los Angeles? The American southeast has been such an essential part of this series so far, but I wouldn't hate a scenery change. I would love to see the sorts of shenanigans Letty and Javier could get up to in LA. They should have Letty loot from an A-list celebrity's house or something.

2 hours ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

So Letty doesn't want to steal after killing two people but dealing drugs is OK? That isn't even a lateral move, that's worse than stealing! In terms of the type of trouble you can find yourself in anyway. 

I took that scene more as she didn't have the energy or enough wits about her to get into full-on stealing mode. Grabbing the cocaine to sell was the easier/lazier route.

[dubbel zout]

16 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

3 hours ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

So Letty doesn't want to steal after killing two people but dealing drugs is OK? That isn't even a lateral move, that's worse than stealing! In terms of the type of trouble you can find yourself in anyway. 

I took that scene more as she didn't have the energy or enough wits about her to get into full-on stealing mode. Grabbing the cocaine to sell was the easier/lazier route.

Same here. Also, they had to do something with the cocaine eventually, so they may as well use it to their advantage.

[Glade]

I was really nervous when they stopped at the place in the woods with a bunch of buildings--what if someone was there, even squatters?  And then they tried to walk back on the road--what if someone passed them and then discovered the van with the burning bodies?  The second they are finally rid of the bodies/van, they decide to pick up a fuckton of cocaine directly in front of the cops, and put it into the backseat of their car to drive across the country with.  I can just feel the adrenaline poisoning!

I did love the Clue opening, and I am glad that we didn't overdose on Lashever like earlier in the season.  But I wish that whole 'we were captured by the fbi but escaped' storyline didn't happen, because let's face it, Letty would never be able to have a house in her name or pick up/drop off Jacob if any of that was real.

[abbyzenn]

I don't care if there is a third season.  I didn't enjoy many of this season's episodes and some were down right terrible - for example the drug fest in the woods ep.  I think the show is better when it's more lighthearted like the Christmas themed episode or the one where Letty visited her grandmother.  There is too much suspend belief on this show.  Really have an accident and just leave the car in the middle of the intersection.  Go into the store and come out with a suitcase full of clothes that you've stolen.   You've never shot a gun before but you can shoot and kill two men - one from across the room.  You're an alcoholic but you can casually drink often and be fine the next day.  And Letty you're wrong stealing does hurt the people you've stolen from.   I watch for Michelle, her clothes, and the scenery but even those robably aren't enough to get me to watch a third season.

[attica]

Did anybody else wonder if Letty had something to do with robbing R. Kelly's house in ATL? Hee!

[justmehere]

Not as good as the S1 finale -- I agree that the ghost-talk went on too long, and, yes, some bits strained credibility even for this show, where I'm happy to let most things slide -- but I still want a third season, very much. I love these characters and absolutely want to see more of them. This season was definitely split with some episodes that were great and others that weren't the best. Maybe they just wobbled - a bit of sophomore slump. Going to L.A. could re-energize things in a great way; I can see Letty and Javier fitting right in. I wonder how they'll integrate the other characters, though. Will everyone move? Rob will be landscaper to the stars? (That could be really fun, actually.) Hoping they make an announcement sooner rather than later. Seemed to take forever after S1.

[mochamajesty]

It is difficult to like Letty.

How can you just turn down a million dollar home? I mean, she literally shrugged her shoulders and said, "I am not going back there.".  She didn't take into account what Javier had to do to get the house.

And Javier wimped out - I would have been all kinds of pissed.

When it comes to Letty, he is a wuss.  This season sucks.

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, mochamajesty said:

How can you just turn down a million dollar home? I mean, she literally shrugged her shoulders and said, "I am not going back there.".  She didn't take into account what Javier had to do to get the house.

She didn't ask for it. She wasn't part of the decision to buy it. And she wasn't the reason a hitman was in that house with a gun leading her to kill two people--one in self defense and one by accident.

I don't blame her for not wanting to go back there. Killing people isn't old hat for her.  I'm not sure being there is safe any longer if it's ever suspected that he was murdered.

[helenamonster]

I also really liked the line Letty had, it was the line of the episode for me and I almost wish it was the episode title: "We are not the people that live in that house."

19 hours ago, attica said:

Did anybody else wonder if Letty had something to do with robbing R. Kelly's house in ATL? Hee!

I want to believe.

[DoubleUTeeEff]

21 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

22 hours ago, helenamonster said:

On 12/18/2017 at 11:00 AM, DoubleUTeeEff said:

So Letty doesn't want to steal after killing two people but dealing drugs is OK? That isn't even a lateral move, that's worse than stealing! In terms of the type of trouble you can find yourself in anyway. 

I took that scene more as she didn't have the energy or enough wits about her to get into full-on stealing mode. Grabbing the cocaine to sell was the easier/lazier route.

Same here. Also, they had to do something with the cocaine eventually, so they may as well use it to their advantage.

Sorry, I was unclear. That's how I took it too. Not that it was a moral issue for her but rather a laziness issue. What I was questioning was that dealing drugs is going to be easier than stealing. Either they will have to sell it to a bunch of individual people, which will take a long time and be a risk for getting caught by the police or undercover detectives. Or they could sell the lot of it at a party or to one person in which case they will not only be at risk from the law but also be most likely encroaching on another drug dealer's turf. It's one thing to deal with the law but many drug dealers are criminals who aren't afraid to use violence to protect their business. Of course on this show, maybe they will be able to unload a bunch of cocaine and make a killing with little to no consequence! It could go either way, maybe it will just be a way to make some quick dough or it will be the next kerfuffle they find themselves in.

[dubbel zout]

Depending on their connections, though, I think Letty and/or Javier could make a one-off sale with little to no consequences. It depends if the show is going to have them turn to drug dealing on a regular basis. 

[pasdetrois]

Although I enjoyed the actors' performances, and the locations and house porn, this season was a disappointment. I guess it would be hard to realistically sustain Lettie as the grifter, doing the same thing over and over, but Lettie the Soccer Mom bored me.  The season seemed really disjointed, lurching from scenario to scenario.  I'm happy to suspend disbelief a bit, but this season required too much. And I hate that they are now in LA, home of so many TV shows.

[Nancypants]

Flawed Episode. But WHO CARES? The journey of these two sexybeasts..? Also the Swans at the end.. Hell yaas!

Michelle/ Juan..forever!

[atlantaloves]

seriously, Michelle needs to stop with the HANGING HER MOUTH OPEN EVERY SINGLE SCENE...it's worse than when she was on Downton and that is all SHE EVER DID.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

The coincidence of the forensics at the storage unit going on at the very same time they "need" to get to the coke?  PuhLEAZE.  Javy has lost his mind, but he is not that far gone.  He'd wait until later in the day.

Giving a wildly altered Letty an easy chance to call 911 in the state she was in when he got home?!!!!!   Arguably the most ridiculous chance taken in two seasons.  For what advantage?   To what end?  To get her to stand up?????  Then, he actually gives any credence to her whatsoever?  

It was bad enough TPTB ruined Letty as a viable character.  Why oh why did they have to wreck the sharp and suave Javy?!!!!

[Hanahope]

The plot contrivances were many.  I can get Letty being able to kill Teo, she shot at him several times.  But one fling shot kills the security guy, who really showed up a day early when he has other scheduled appointments?  Bullshit.

That of course a cop would pull over the security van because of a tail light being out, but only after Jav is driving it with two dead bodies?

Letty getting into a car accident?

Cops would be all over another storage unit when Letty and Jav go to get into another unit and pester them with questions?

I do like the show and the characters are good, but these plot contrivances are getting too annoying.

[gibasi]

Part of the charm of this show has been location. And Letty fits in so well in all the different social scenes-whether it is the honky tonk bar or the golf club set she knows how to work it. I don’t think it will play as well in LA.  And the show will suffer without Estelle, Rob and Jacob.. and I cannot see any credible way to get them out there  

Season one was fun. This season was less so.  I will watch a third season but I noticed I was waiting longer and longer to watch the show. 

[msrachelj]

On 12/18/2017 at 6:54 PM, mochamajesty said:

It is difficult to like Letty.

How can you just turn down a million dollar home? I mean, she literally shrugged her shoulders and said, "I am not going back there.".  She didn't take into account what Javier had to do to get the house.

And Javier wimped out - I would have been all kinds of pissed.

When it comes to Letty, he is a wuss.  This season sucks.

i can't stand her . she is unlikable, untrustworthy, and irredeemable. . the situations they get out of are ridiculous, etc etc. but i still watch. yes, as everyone says, you have to suspend belief but it is hard to do so. it's losing it's appeal. 

[Moxie Cat]

I doubt the show will love to LA, if it gets a third season. First and most importantly, because a third season is up in the air, and shooting in the southeast is a budget move. I also don't see them becoming drug dealers. How? Letty can spot a dealer to whom she can offload that coke, but they have no idea how to import it - Teo did that.

The Range Rover left in the intersection (with whose registration?), the likely GPS on a security service van, and all the possible security cameras that would have spotted them over a 90-minute drive drove me nuts. Javier should be smarter than this. There are unsolved cases all the time - it's possible to do. In the Philly area, a couple disappeared about a decade ago after leaving a Center City bar, and no one has ever figured out what happened to them. 

[slf]

On 12/18/2017 at 8:16 PM, Irlandesa said:

She didn't ask for it. She wasn't part of the decision to buy it. And she wasn't the reason a hitman was in that house with a gun leading her to kill two people--one in self defense and one by accident.

I don't blame her for not wanting to go back there. Killing people isn't old hat for her.  I'm not sure being there is safe any longer if it's ever suspected that he was murdered.

That reminds of something that bothers me about Javier buying the house for Letty. He was holding a man hostage in the basement. The house was in Letty's name, ffs. And then of course the guy gets loose, kills another man in Letty's house, then comes back and tries to kill Letty.

I can't blame her at all for not wanting the damn thing and honestly Javier shouldn't have bought the house for her in the first place.

[UncleChuck]

I suppose I've been watching too many episodes of "CSI" or "Forensic Files", but in these days of DNA, GPS, Luminol for finding blood even AFTER it has been cleaned, Computers that can follow paper trails in an instant, Cameras everywhere (especially at gas stations) and scientists who only need one drop of blood, or one small fleck of paint to solve murders, Javy and Letty are just too careless and superficial in cleaning up their messes.

Barney Fife, on a bad day, could track them down--before lunch!!!

[SAIRY]

I get the impression that this show's creators and writers don't know much about forensics and care even less. 

[dubbel zout]

The crimes are about the characters, not the crimes themselves. I don't mind that, but I do wish some lip service would be paid to security measures in stores, at least. I can more easily hand wave Letty's hotel crimes.

[Milburn Stone]

Really enjoyed this show, right up to and including the final episode that we watched tonight. Somehow I've been "picking up on the internet" that it was a terrible thing the show wasn't renewed, because the Season 2 finale was so unsatisfying and we "need" the closure a Season 3 would bring--but that's not how I felt at all. I mean, I'd love a Season 3...and a 4 and a 5. But I feel totally satisfied with where Season 2 ended, with no need for more closure than it provided. The movie Casablanca has an ending that hints similarly at future adventures yet feels complete. This felt that way to me. I think these two crazy kids are going to make it.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Milburn Stone