S01.E07: Kodachrome

[Drogo]

Old Paul tries to follow through on his plan, and Gail grows hopeful, but Big Paul obsesses about the quarrels of the past.

[Dowel Jones]

I knew the kid was going in the water as soon as Getty tried to beg off from teaching him to swim.  It would have been altogether proper if JP3 had actually gone down and required some medical attention to stay alive.  Likely, though, that Getty would have shrugged it off as a failure on the kid's part.

That is one messed up family. I haven't a clue as to Getty's motivation for the way he treats people, even his own family.  He probably thought it was an extension of the swimming lesson incident, and that the only way to educate someone in life is the sink or swim method.  His sadistic delight in sending Gordon to fail in Saudi Arabia was palpable.  Personally, I hope he died bitter.

JP2 should have signed the loan docs, paid the ransom, and then defaulted to the old man.  What's he going to do, repossess JP3?  Of course, he was in a drug-induced stupor anyway, so he probably couldn't figure out how to use a pen, much less the long game.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

They're seriously going to stretch out JP3's kidnapping for three more episodes?

How convenient that they left out all the circumstances surrounding Talitha's death.

And I guess JP3's three siblings were just on vacation while he was creeping around making movies of their parents making out with other people?

JP2 can suck it. He finally had a way to save his son and instead he had a temper tantrum.

[sadie]

Am I supposed to hate all the main characters? If so the creators of this succeeded. JP1 is just a despicable human, JP2 is so worthless I want to punch him in the face. Even the Mom (Hilary Swank) is unlikable. Both JP3’s parents seemed more concerned with themselves tha their kids. I know the mom loves him, but how did he come to be an aimless 16 year old, living on his own in a drug den? Great parenting.

And what’s with JP2’s issue with the money coming out of, in his words, MY OWN TRUST. I was with JP1 on this one as JP2 inherited that money’s he didn’t earn a penny of it. And again another great display of parenting that he didn’t want to part w the money to get his kid out of harms way, JP3 never stood a chance with these awful humans as family.

i did enjoy the ep as I’m fascinated by people with money that just waste their lives. I’m lucky I grew up poor. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yeah, JP2 yelling about how the money in the trust was HIS reminded me how glad I am that I don’t have parents loaded enough to have a trust fund that my sisters and I expect to receive money from. Talk about entitled. JP2’s attitude seemed to be that it was fine for JP1 to pay for JP3’s ramsom but why should JP2 have to spend any money of his money in the trust on JP2’s ransom? Mind boggling. 

I know that the major sticking point seemed to be the 4% interest that JP1 said that JP2 would have to pay (which, admittedly, is a lot when we’re talking about millions of dollars), but you’d think that JP2’s main concern would be getting his son back from the kidnappers. 

[PipPop]

I think I equally dislike Getty I and II and feel sorry for all of them at the same time. Getty I is a mean old jerk. Great businessman but utterly worthless as a human being. Getty II is such a whining, entitled bastard that I have to remind myself that he's an emotional mess because he was raised so badly by Getty I. But still, I've known many people who had horrible upbringings. At a certain point, no matter how damaged they were as children, once they become adults it's up to them to take control of their own life and live on their own terms. Getty II can't get over being unloved by his old man, but I think he is more angry about the fact that he can't have all the money that he wants from the family trust. He knows that there is a billion dollars plus in that trust and he's furious that he can't have his share now to spend however he wants. Well sorry, whiner. I actually agree with Getty I. Being born to wealth doesn't matter squat if you aren't willing to work for your share. You look at Getty I and Getty II, and add in the screwy way that Getty III was raised and it's no wonder that young Paul ended up being a barefoot hippy goofball in Rome.  Starting with Getty I, this family just passes all sorts of emotional damage down to their next generation. Little Paul never stood a chance with these people as his family. 

Edited May 8, 2018 by PipPop

[Mumbles]

Quote

How convenient that they left out all the circumstances surrounding Talitha's death.

I wish they had spent more on her. She's one of those fascinating people who for better or worse captured the zeitgeist of the late 1960s/early 1970s.  That shot of them strung out on the roof in Morocco is famous (infamous?).  JP2 was the world's oldest hippie (eyeroll).  For cry eye she and JP2 had a kid named "Tara Gabriel Gramophone Galaxy."  How does that not get mentioned even in passing?

I'm getting from this message board that people don't like Gail. I like her fine.  She loves her kids and she's doing the most of all of them to get her son back.

[Dowel Jones]

By the way, the version of Black Magic Woman heard in this episode is the original Peter Green composition, from the original original Fleetwood Mac (Green, Spencer, Kirwan, Fleetwood, McVie)

[Dirtybubble]

11 hours ago, Mumbles said:

I wish they had spent more on her. She's one of those fascinating people who for better or worse captured the zeitgeist of the late 1960s/early 1970s.  That shot of them strung out on the roof in Morocco is famous (infamous?).  JP2 was the world's oldest hippie (eyeroll).  For cry eye she and JP2 had a kid named "Tara Gabriel Gramophone Galaxy."  How does that not get mentioned even in passing?

Am I understanding the story line correctly, JP3 had a crush on Talitha as well?  A flash of this and a flash of that really doesn't explain a lot.  And the woman who was calling him out on it......who is that again?  Gah this just seems so uneven to me.

Yeah I agree everyone of the Getty family is terrible but for T.V. I am enjoying it.  I would never want to be around any of these people in real life but for an hour on T.V. I am here for it! 

[Dirtybubble]

23 hours ago, PipPop said:

I think I equally dislike Getty I and II and feel sorry for all of them at the same time. Getty I is a mean old jerk. Great businessman but utterly worthless as a human being. Getty II is such a whining, entitled bastard that I have to remind myself that he's an emotional mess because he was raised so badly by Getty I. But still, I've known many people who had horrible upbringings. At a certain point, no matter how damaged they were as children, once they become adults it's up to them to take control of their own life and live on their own terms. Getty II can't get over being unloved by his old man, but I think he is more angry about the fact that he can't have all the money that he wants from the family trust. He knows that there is a billion dollars plus in that trust and he's furious that he can't have his share now to spend however he wants. Well sorry, whiner. I actually agree with Getty I. Being born to wealth doesn't matter squat if you aren't willing to work for your share. You look at Getty I and Getty II, and add in the screwy way that Getty III was raised and it's no wonder that young Paul ended up being a barefoot hippy goofball in Rome.  Starting with Getty I, this family just passes all sorts of emotional damage down to their next generation. Little Paul never stood a chance with these people as his family. 

I agree with everything you've said.  I too have sympathy for JPG2.  He is correct in saying his dad is profiting off jpg3 being kidnapped.  4% of 5 mil is about $500,000 so not a lot in Getty terms but still interest dude?! Really?!  And that crying JPG2 was doing at the end.....that's the sound of a broken man.  Poor dude, I have pity for him

[PipPop]

11 minutes ago, Dirtybubble said:

I agree with everything you've said.  I too have sympathy for JPG2.  He is correct in saying his dad is profiting off jpg3 being kidnapped.  4% of 5 mil is about $500,000 so not a lot in Getty terms but still interest dude?! Really?!  And that crying JPG2 was doing at the end.....that's the sound of a broken man.  Poor dude, I have pity for him

I pity Getty II up to a point. I also have a lot of contempt for him. He often comes across like an entitled loser who just wants to get his hands on what he sees as his 'due' from the Getty Trust. He doesn't want to work for it at all. All the Getty offspring seem to think that they're entitled to have that money now to spend whenever and however they want.  They simply don't care how Getty I built that vast fortune. We know from the overview that Getty I gave to Getty III, that all of the profits from each component of their business is reinvested in other parts of the business to keep it all growing and thriving. If all the heirs started spending a few million here and there whenever they wanted, they could harm the trust. It's like Getty I said. As soon as you get some money, you want ALL of the money. 

But that said, Getty I didn't love his children and seemed to regard them with contempt because they weren't all carbon copies of himself. I can't imagine being the child of such a person. 

Edit: meant to add about the interest Getty I wanted to charge: I think that this was Getty I's way of getting Getty II to think about this entire situation as nothing more than a business deal. He wanted Getty II to feel like he'd have to work to pay back the loan, maybe simply to goad him out of his passive whining. Of course Getty II was horrified because trying to rescue his son shouldn't have been viewed as a business dealing, but what did he do? Did he set aside his outrage and agree on the terms? No. He had a tantrum like a spoiled brat and stormed off, leaving his own kid at the mercy of murderous kidnappers. Getty II is every bit as much of a worthless human being as Getty I. It didn't even matter what made him that way. When he threw his own kid to the wolves and flounced out, he proved that he cared more about the money and his own ego than the life of his own kid. 

Edited May 9, 2018 by PipPop

[Sienna]

13 hours ago, Dirtybubble said:

Am I understanding the story line correctly, JP3 had a crush on Talitha as well?  A flash of this and a flash of that really doesn't explain a lot.  And the woman who was calling him out on it......who is that again? 

That was Victoria Holdsworth, JP2's eventual third wife. They were having an affair during his marriage to Talitha (both JP2 and Talitha had various lovers) but JP2 remained fairly obsessed with Talitha even after the marriage became rocky. 

Talitha died in 1971 (two years before JP3's kidnapping) and he continued his relationship with Victoria, but didn't marry her until 1994.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, Sienna said:

That was Victoria Holdsworth, JP2's eventual third wife. They were having an affair during his marriage to Talitha (both JP2 and Talitha had various lovers) but JP2 remained fairly obsessed with Talitha even after the marriage became rocky. 

Talitha died in 1971 (two years before JP3's kidnapping) and he continued his relationship with Victoria, but didn't marry her until 1994.

And we saw Victoria in several of the earlier episodes. She was with him in the episode where JP2 came to JP1's house for the funeral - JP2 was plotting how to get back into JP1's good graces so that he could get involved with the family business aka get some more of that Getty money and she was encouraging him/giving him a pep talk. She's been seen in other episodes but that was the most visible I remember her being. In the other episodes, she's usually listening to Paul whine or watching him get drunk (like in this episode).

A pretty succinct summary of Talitha's later years with JP2:

Quote

In 1968, Talitha gave birth to her son, whom she named Tara Gabriel Gramophone Galaxy Getty (not surprisingly, as a grown-up, Tara would remove 'Gramophone Galaxy' from his name). Although the baby temporarily brought a little bit of stability into their hectic lifestyles, they still struggled to control their drug addictions. Their relationship started deteriorating , too. In 1971 Paul had an affair, and Talitha left their Rome apartament and went to London. In London she started her own affair - with shady French aristocrat Count Jean De Breteuil. De Breteuil stayed at Keith Richards' house in Chayne Walk and was a self-proclaimed 'drug dealer to rock stars'. After some time, Talitha decided to go back to Rome to fix her marriage (around the same time, Count De Breteuil went to Paris with Marianne Faithful, where he sold a lethal dose of heroin to Jim Morrison). On 14 July 1971, Talitha died in Rome of heroin overdose. The exact circumstances of her death are unknown. She was taken to a private clinic, where initial verdict was 'death from a barbiturate overdose'. It wasn't until six months later, when it was reaveled that the drug in question was heroin (Count De Breteuil's stuff, most likely).

Guilt stricken Paul Getty, thinking in paranoid state, that he might be arrested in connection with Talitha's death, fled Rome and came to London. Several dark years followed. He never completely recovered from Talitha's death and he succumbed deeper into his heroin addiction.

Another account I read said that Talitha wanted to divorce JP2 and went to Rome in 1971 on the advice of her lawyer who said that it would be easier to obtain a divorce if she could show that she had made an attempt to reconcile with him. She had gotten herself off heroin which is why people in her inner circle were surprised (and slightly suspicious) that she died of an overdose while in Rome. JP2 knew it looked bad that she died of an overdose while she was in Rome seeing him which is why he fled the country and said in one of the earlier episodes that he couldn't go back to Italy.

[tennisgurl]

It is impressive that they made me actually feel bad for Getty II, and find his downward spiral somewhat tragic, when he is just such a colossal dick in the current day. He and Gail and little Paul did seem to be happy, even when though it fell apart pretty quickly. The shots with the old camera and the music cues were really well done, it felt very much like a fond, idealized memory of a better time. I dont like him, and I am certainly throwing my hands in the air at him leaving his son to die just to spite his dad, but I do pity him for how desperate he is to be loved by a father who never will, and probably never would have. 

I wish they could have gone a bit more into Talitha and Getty IIs relationship tumultuous, late 60s era romance, and all that drama. Of course, there is just SO MUCH drama and crazy surrounding the Gettys (I've lost myself several Wiki holes), there probably just isnt time for everything that happened. I guess its not that surprising that Getty III ended up a drugged out hippie, being as he apparently was hanging with his drug addict dad and step mom on one side, and his wishy washie mom and abusive step dad. No wonder he turned out to be a mess of a teen. 

Why does Getty I have such a thing about birds? Old man really is a good businessman, but a terrible, cold blooded person. No wonder his whole family is nuts. You know, Getty, if every single one of your kids and grandkids is a total disaster, maybe the problem is you.

[Sienna]

Quote

Guilt stricken Paul Getty, thinking in paranoid state, that he might be arrested in connection with Talitha's death, fled Rome and came to London. Several dark years followed. He never completely recovered from Talitha's death and he succumbed deeper into his heroin addiction.

That wasn't entirely paranoia. JP2 went to Thailand for 2 months immediately following Talitha's death in July of '71, but he did return to Rome afterward. It wasn't until a magistrate decided to hold an inquiry the following March that JP2 fled to London to avoid being questioned. Italy had fairly strict drugs laws, and Paul (who was still heavily addicted to heroin) could have easily done prison time just for possession.

I do find the story around her death suspicious, but I can't say I blame him for leaving Italy. Of course it had unintended consequences when Gail ended up alone in Rome trying to deal with the kidnapping.

 

10 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Another account I read said that Talitha wanted to divorce JP2 and went to Rome in 1971 on the advice of her lawyer who said that it would be easier to obtain a divorce if she could show that she had made an attempt to reconcile with him. She had gotten herself off heroin which is why people in her inner circle were surprised (and slightly suspicious) that she died of an overdose while in Rome. JP2 knew it looked bad that she died of an overdose while she was in Rome seeing him which is why he fled the country and said in one of the earlier episodes that he couldn't go back to Italy.

Yeah, in one of the early episodes JP1 told JP2 that he had arranged a plane to take him to Italy, because surely JP2 would want to be there seeing to the safe return of his son.  JP2 said something like "You know I can't go back there" and JP1 made a snide comment about "Oh yes, you're wanted for drug trafficking, or is it manslaughter?" It was a good line, but probably a bit wasted, since they didn't introduce the story of Talitha's death until several weeks later, and it doesn't make much sense unless you know the backstory.

Another interesting thing that didn't make the show (or hasn't so far) is that after Talitha died, it was Gail who ended up taking care of the unfortunately named Tara Gabriel Galaxy Gramophone, a toddler at the time. Supposedly she volunteered, saying that he belonged in Rome with the rest of the family. After JP3 was kidnapped, Talitha's parents (who were living in the south of France) were the only members of the extended "family" who actually flew to Rome to see Gail. They eventually took Tara, then 5, back with them (by mutual agreement) and pretty much raised him from that point on.

[candall]

Well, hell's bells, this thread was considerably more interesting than the three hours of mountain range scenery and shifty angsty side-eye flop sweat I just watched.  (Episodes 6-8.)

If they needed to s-t-r-e-t-c-h, why not detour down the path with Talitha and little Galaxy Groundswell?  I doubt if anyone tuned in to this show for an in-depth look at the kidnappers' perspective. 

[mansonlamps]

On 5/9/2018 at 2:22 AM, tennisgurl said:

It is impressive that they made me actually feel bad for Getty II, and find his downward spiral somewhat tragic, when he is just such a colossal dick in the current day. He and Gail and little Paul did seem to be happy, even when though it fell apart pretty quickly. The shots with the old camera and the music cues were really well done, it felt very much like a fond, idealized memory of a better time. I dont like him, and I am certainly throwing my hands in the air at him leaving his son to die just to spite his dad, but I do pity him for how desperate he is to be loved by a father who never will, and probably never would have. 

 

If it makes you feel any better about him, Getty II eventually cleaned up his act and became a great philanthropist. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 5/21/2018 at 11:19 AM, mansonlamps said:

If it makes you feel any better about him, Getty II eventually cleaned up his act and became a great philanthropist. 

Who refused to pay for JP3’s medical bills. I’m putting the details under the spoiler tag because it hasn’t happened yet on the show, but I’m pretty sure this is something that won’t be portrayed in the season finale. From Wikipedia:

Spoiler

Paul III struggled with PTSD from his kidnapping for years, self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. In April 1981 he suffered a major drug overdose which left him paralyzed and almost completely blind. The following November, his mother Gail sued her ex-husband for $25,000 per month to support their son's medical expenses. Despite the fact that Paul II was earning over $20 million a year from his family trust, he had refused to pay a penny towards the treatment, leaving his brother Gordon to pay his nephew's expenses. The litigation judge who allowed the case to go to trial scolded Paul Jr.: "Mr. Getty should be ashamed of himself spending far more money on court obligations than living up to his moral duties." Claiming that he doubted the severity of his son's debilitation, Getty sent his lawyer to Los Angeles to confirm it firsthand, which led him to finally agree to shouldering the costs.