Grand Hotel - General Discussion

[BaskingsharkGTX]

On 8/7/2019 at 8:19 AM, blackwing said:

Stupid question... but what is Danny's last name, or what name is he using?  I know he and Sky grew up in separate homes in the foster care system... would they keep their birth last name of Garibaldi?  If adopted, I see the name being changed but a foster family wouldn't change the kid's last name, would they?  IMDB and the wiki list his last name as Garibaldi.  If that is really his last name, I would imagine he is using a different last name at the hotel otherwise that would be beyond stupid.

I wondered this too. His uniform nametag just says "Danny".

[Simba122504]

How old is the actor who plays Javi? Because I actually bought him as a high school student which is rare. After ABC's comments. I know S2 is a pipe dream but I really did enjoy this fun and entertaining soap.  There are 4 more episodes left. ABC didn't have faith in the series when they moved it to summer. It's been doing great for a summer series but not great enough for ABC according to ABC. The trope says unless we see Sky's dead body, she's still alive.  Unless she has an evil twin which I doubt. lol I think the Mateo and Santiago subplot is moving too slow. We still don't know the whole story behind that yet. But looks like it will finally come out this Monday. 

Edited August 12, 2019 by Simba122504
Missing word

[CCTC]

8 hours ago, Simba122504 said:

The trope says unless we see Sky's dead body, she's still alive. 

Spoiler

Since the show probably won't get a second season, in the original she shows up alive, but ends up getting murdered fairly shortly afterwards.  Ultimately, she was just a plot device to get her brother to the hotel and not a significant character.   Ingrid does not lose the baby in the original but it gets very convoluted with multiple babies and the sister faking a pregnancy.  Ingrid's equivalent, Belen, ends up be coming more of a straight-out villainess than a gray character.   The sister is basically insane, but the original show, as fun as it could be, was a bit inconsistent with the characters depending on the plot - esp. the siblings.  

[tvfanatic13]

9 hours ago, Simba122504 said:

How old is the actor who plays Javi? Because I actually bought him as a high school student which is rare. After ABC's comments. I know S2 is a pipe dream but I really did enjoy this fun and entertaining soap.  There are 4 more episodes left. ABC didn't faith in the series when they moved it to summer. It's been doing great for a summer series but not great enough for ABC according to ABC. The trope says unless we see Sky's dead body, she's still alive.  Unless she has an evil twin which I doubt. lol I think the Mateo and Santiago subplot is moving too slow. We still don't know the whole story behind that yet. But looks like it will finally come out this Monday. 

What were ABC’s comments?

[peachmangosteen]

10 hours ago, Simba122504 said:

After ABC's comments. I know S2 is a pipe dream but I really did enjoy this fun and entertaining soap.  

57 minutes ago, tvfanatic13 said:

What were ABC’s comments?

I was about to ask the same thing. 

[skotnikov]

7 hours ago, tvfanatic13 said:

What were ABC’s comments?

It's on deadline.com 

ABC’s President of Entertainment Karey Burke revealed that the network hadn’t made a renewal decision on the Eva Longoria-exec produced show.

Burke did, however, point to the show’s soft ratings, which may not be a great sign for its future.

“We’re going to wait until the end of its run. It’s a show we like a lot. It’s a show that I wish the ratings were a bit stronger but we’ll make that decision after its run”

[Jillybean]

The show is a lot better than I expected it to be. The marketing is way off, though. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E9 Groom Service

Quote

Danny struggles to keep his relationship with Alicia from her family; Gigi discovers the secrets that Santiago has been keeping from her; Felix tries to make his way back into Gigi's life.

Promo:

Original air date: 8/12/19

[northboundtrain]

On 8/7/2019 at 8:44 AM, peachmangosteen said:

I'm getting scared because the past 2 or 3 eps haven't been as good as the others were. I really hope this isn't the beginning of a downward spiral.

Exactly my thoughts. I was in "wait and see" mode for the pilot, was drawn in a bit more by the next few episodes, but since then the quality has slipped a lot.

Part of the problem is that, in trying to differentiate this version from the original, they've ended up dropping a lot of the story beats and threads that helped make the original a success.

For example...who, exactly, is supposed to be the scary antagonist? In the original Gran Hotel, the character who is meant to correspond to Santiago and Gigi is ruthless, manipulative, and even dangerous from the very first episode...and that doesn't really let up.

But is anyone scared anymore (if they ever were?) of any of the Mendozas? Both Santiago and Gigi looked a little more villainous in the earlier episodes, especially Gigi (I'm thinking here of that cold bit with Alicia's mother's necklace). Now, it's almost as if the writers have fallen so in love with both actors (and don't get me wrong, they're both great) that they aren't interested in having either character do anything too terrible.

So, instead, they're bringing in other people they can afford to let be the "real" bad guys, like Finn (who I guess is gone now?) and now Gigi's ex. That's really what it feels like, that he's the latest villain-for-hire here to do really bad things so Santiago and Gigi don't have to.

Except the problem is that "Gigi's villainous ex-husband causes trouble" isn't the premise we were promised. We're supposed to be here to find out what happened to Sky and how it ties into the hotel's bad fortune. (We're also supposed to be trying to figure out what big mystery surrounds the life and death of Alicia and Javi's mother, what secrets Gigi and Mrs. P are hiding, but that seems to have been dropped altogether for now.)

Speaking of Sky...did I understand Danny correctly, that he's now less interested in finding out what happened to Sky because he's fallen for Alicia and doesn't want his investigation to get in the way of sleeping with her? WHAT?

Mild spoiler for the corresponding characters of the original Spanish show...

Spoiler

This is one of the changes that has hurt the American version the most: In the original, Alicia finds out who Julio (Danny) is by the end of the very first episode, and he admits that he is there to find out what happened to his sister. From that moment on, they are a crime-solving team. That means 1) it's easy to see why/how they fell for each other and 2) they are both allowed room to openly deal with how Julio's quest to find out the truth about his sister affects his and Alicia's relationship.

I simply do not understand why these writers didn't follow more or less the same trajectory for Alicia and Danny. Alicia is the best written of the characters, and the actress is doing a wonderful job with the role. Why not have Alicia figure out the truth and work with Danny? Having Danny keep these secrets hasn't enhanced their love story at all -- it's just made it far less believable than the original's.

If Danny doesn't care anymore about finding out what happened to his sister, then why should the audience?

And there are other characterization problems, too. Ingrid, like Santiago and Gigi, is one of the original villains who has now been too quickly softened: she fell for Javi too quickly, which apparently made her suddenly nicer, sweeter, and eager to please (practically bursting into tears when Alicia lit into her). I'm sure we're meant to think that the miscarriage is going to harden her and send her down a path of revenge, but, again, why would we care?

Mrs. P's another one whose harder edge has basically been obliterated, with the drugs plot actually going so far as to turn her into a one-note joke for an entire episode.

And I'm not sure what's going on with Mateo. He's probably meant to be the only real villain of the regular cast members, but I'm struggling to care about how he fits into any of these mysteries. He's just...there.

That's not even getting into the sloppy and rushed handling of subplots, like every single story thread tied to the Finn -- not just the balcony drop, but the not-well-thought-out plan for Mrs. P to be a double agent, and the undercooked Alicia/Hotel Employee I Can't Remember The Name Of romance.

I tried not to focus too much here on comparing this show to the original (which I love), because I know that this series needs to be judged on its own. And that's the frustrating thing: by the end of the pilot and certainly by the end of the second episode, I was on board for this show to be its own thing. I was interested in seeing how the writers kept some elements and departed in other ways. I quickly found that I love this show's take on Alicia and Javier, two characters I adored in the original, too. And most of the actors are great and charismatic, and there have been some good one-liners.

Those are the elements that are going to keep me watching tonight...but the plot and characterization issues are undeniable red flags. I'm hoping I'll be able to come back here after tonight's episode to say that those flags are lowered a bit.

Edited August 12, 2019 by northboundtrain
typo

[blackwing]

20 minutes ago, northboundtrain said:

Speaking of Sky...did I understand Danny correctly, that he's now less interested in finding out what happened to Sky because he's fallen for Alicia and doesn't want his investigation to get in the way of sleeping with her? WHAT?

He cares.  He's just afraid that he might discover something which implicates her.  He doesn't want it to be her.  That's when Jason asked if it was better than someone in her family killed Sky instead, and Danny didn't really have an answer to that I thought.  He wants to find out what happened to Skye but he's really hoping that Alicia was not involved at all.

Hopefully ABC will give this show a second season... this show is so much fun and more entertaining that most of what is on TV in the summer.  I'm hoping the star power pull of Eva Longoria makes it happen.

[northboundtrain]

6 hours ago, blackwing said:

He cares.  He's just afraid that he might discover something which implicates her.  He doesn't want it to be her.  That's when Jason asked if it was better than someone in her family killed Sky instead, and Danny didn't really have an answer to that I thought.  He wants to find out what happened to Skye but he's really hoping that Alicia was not involved at all.

I know he still cares, but it seems like his need to be with Alicia is now overtaking his need to find out what happened to Sky. Otherwise, he would push past his fear about what might happen if the Mendozas are involved and continue his investigation, even if it means he can't be with Alicia. Instead, as you noted, when Jason tried to warn Danny, Danny skipped right over that (very real) possibility and headed off to see Alicia.

It just feels way too fast, especially so for a series that's supposed to be hinging in part on the audience's emotional investment in Danny getting justice for his sister.

[Simba122504]

So what happened to El Rey? Do TPTB think we’re supposed to forget he existed? I predicted Danny’s ex was coming to town. Danny and Alicia at the wedding was cute but again I dislike how fast soaps move ships. We know everything is going to blow up once Alicia finds out Danny has been lying this whole time. So their mother may have been an addict? We really need to find out more about Santiago and Eva (I forget her character’s name) marriage before her death. She still doesn’t come off as a real person since we barely know anything about her. I doubt they’re going to kill off Mateo. At least not yet. How much does Santiago owe KS? Was that ever said? I think Mateo may kill KS which is really going to put them in deep shit. I can see Mateo double crossing KS for Santiago but Mateo still cannot be trusted. I hate when shows create huge conspiracies (There’s somebody who was controlling KS and then other somebody who’s controlling them)  the writers know they cannot solve so I hope that doesn’t happen here. But I doubt the series will ever even get that far. ☹️

Edited August 13, 2019 by Simba122504

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jason: Oh, so it's your classic love story - boy meets girl, boy sends girl's family to prison.

Yoli: This bean dip tastes awful.
Gigi: That's because it's a mud mask.

Yoli: Do you ever think about [our dad]?
Gigi: I do. All the time. I think about running him over.
Yoli & Carolina: What?
Gigi: It's my fantasy - your father crossing the street, me hitting the gas, and BAM! Roadkill. That's what it's called, right? When you flatten someone like a pancake.

Helen: Down the hall, last room on your left.
Malcolm: Yeah, it's the one with the Christina Aguilera posters.
Jason: Those were there when we moved in!

Javi: Do you think [our mom] was an addict?
Alicia: What? Mommy? No, that's crazy. We would have known.
Javi: You didn't know I was one.

Carolina: Danny, can I get more coffee?
Alicia: Actually, Danny's not here to work. He's here as my guest.
Carolina: So that's a no on the coffee?

Jason: [Santiago] said, he wants to get to know you better. That's code for "I'm going to be watching you."

Edited August 13, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Maybe I'm just a picky bitch, but when Alicia told Santiago that Javi would appreciate some of his spicy quesadillas and then Santiago said that he would make him a big batch, I thought ugh, who wants cooled off quesadillas with room temperature cheese? The best part is the hot melted cheese!

Man, Alicia is TERRIBLE at keeping a secret. She's whispering to Danny, "I choose yoooooooou," right in front of her dad? Why not just lick his face while you're at it, Alicia?

It was nice of Helen to let Ingrid stay at the Parker house, but first she said that Ingrid was staying until she got back on her feet and a minute later, she said she would only be there for a week. Ingrid needs three months of rent upfront to get a new place. Does she really think Ingrid can earn that much in the next week?

I know this comes as no surprise, but Felix suuuuuuuucks. His long lost daughter Carolina is visiting him in the room where she is HARBORING A WANTED FUGITIVE and instead of thanking her for bringing food, he slips out the door while her back is turned? Dick move.

I just remembered that the last time I saw Adrian Pasdar, he was playing the shady father of twin girls (on The Lying Game). Maybe this is turning into his thing.

Sometimes Alicia seems much younger than an adult with an MBA. She really thinks that as a child, she would have recognized if her mother was an addict? When it comes to her parents, she has some serious arrested development. She still thinks that the sun shines out of her mommy and daddy's asses. Even the slightest hint that they could have ever been anything less than perfect human beings has her defending them, which just means she's going to be crushed when she finds out that both of them were up to shady shit. She's 25. Isn't it time to take the blinders off and let go of her hero worship of her parents?

[preeya]

Somehow, for me, Peg Bundy doesn't fit as a faux mafia boss.

[northboundtrain]

This episode was an improvement over the last one, though I was 100% not here for the juxtaposition of Alicia/Danny's relationship with that of the engaged couple who'd been together for, what was it, 30 years, and in the midst of actual oppression. And then Danny making a big spectacle of kissing Alicia in the middle of the wedding...poor taste, Danny, and WTF, writers?

Nothing else was nearly as bad as that subplot, though why, why, why is everyone on the show so nice to each other and so eager to get over their differences? Mrs. P and Ingrid genuinely like each other now, and Jason has also forgiven Ingrid. In real life, this would be healthy behavior, but it just feels like the show keeps missing opportunities for dramatic tension in favor of making everyone get along.

Other stuff.... The bit with Alicia painting the flowers was genuinely funny and adorable, as was her "room service" montage with Danny, there was some great banter throughout the episode, and I'm glad that the show is getting back over to the mystery surrounding Beatriz.

Another quick moment I liked/appreciated was when Alicia went to visit Javi in rehab, Javi gave his POV on Danny's behavior, and then Alicia smiled and said, "Enough about Danny" and they changed the subject. I thought it was a nice touch for her character that she didn't take Javi's words and immediately begin analyzing Danny's behavior, as other writers might have had her do, turning her visit with Javi into just another prop scene for her love life. It just made her look self-assured and with her focus on her brother, which was where it should be. Again, it's a tiny thing, but it stood out.

[blackwing]

I genuinely despise Mateo and when he got thrown down the stairs by that goon I was actually cackling.  I doubt anything bad happens to him but I wouldn't mind if he got fired and disappeared from the show.  If there is a season 2 I really hope he doesn't come back.  

They saw fit to mention Finn and how he is pissed.  But still no mention about any casualties.  Surely the detectives would have mentioned the number of deaths if there were any.  I'm still curious about the fate of El Rey and Oliver.

On the whole the show is pretty good about keeping third tier characters on the radar (like the mention of Yoli and Marisa signing a waiver and then an actual brief appearance by Marisa) so it's weird that there's been no further mention of El Rey.

It'd be really fantastic if somehow, Beatriz wasn't dead.  They should just go all-out soap opera and say that everyone thought she died but really for the past 10 years she's been held captive by Prince Omar in Morocco.

"Think Prince Harry and Meghan Markle... but with CLASS."  The look that Alicia gave the other guy, and the other guy hiding his bemused smile with his fingers, was hilarious.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

When the detective asked Danny if he had a twin brother, I thought aha, planting the seeds for a classic soap opera twist! I can’t wait to see Stryker Ramoray show up!

[Jillybean]

The guy who played the "bridezilla"...I have no idea what his name is, but he seems typecast as the bitchy gay guy. First on Will & Grace, then Grace & Frankie, and now here.

It looks to me like they're trying to start a redemption arc for Mateo. And then we really will have no villain. 

[Simba122504]

On 8/12/2019 at 9:08 AM, northboundtrain said:

Exactly my thoughts. I was in "wait and see" mode for the pilot, was drawn in a bit more by the next few episodes, but since then the quality has slipped a lot.

Part of the problem is that, in trying to differentiate this version from the original, they've ended up dropping a lot of the story beats and threads that helped make the original a success.

For example...who, exactly, is supposed to be the scary antagonist? In the original Gran Hotel, the character who is meant to correspond to Santiago and Gigi is ruthless, manipulative, and even dangerous from the very first episode...and that doesn't really let up.

But is anyone scared anymore (if they ever were?) of any of the Mendozas? Both Santiago and Gigi looked a little more villainous in the earlier episodes, especially Gigi (I'm thinking here of that cold bit with Alicia's mother's necklace). Now, it's almost as if the writers have fallen so in love with both actors (and don't get me wrong, they're both great) that they aren't interested in having either character do anything too terrible.

So, instead, they're bringing in other people they can afford to let be the "real" bad guys, like Finn (who I guess is gone now?) and now Gigi's ex. That's really what it feels like, that he's the latest villain-for-hire here to do really bad things so Santiago and Gigi don't have to.

Except the problem is that "Gigi's villainous ex-husband causes trouble" isn't the premise we were promised. We're supposed to be here to find out what happened to Sky and how it ties into the hotel's bad fortune. (We're also supposed to be trying to figure out what big mystery surrounds the life and death of Alicia and Javi's mother, what secrets Gigi and Mrs. P are hiding, but that seems to have been dropped altogether for now.)

Speaking of Sky...did I understand Danny correctly, that he's now less interested in finding out what happened to Sky because he's fallen for Alicia and doesn't want his investigation to get in the way of sleeping with her? WHAT?

Mild spoiler for the corresponding characters of the original Spanish show...

  Hide contents

This is one of the changes that has hurt the American version the most: In the original, Alicia finds out who Julio (Danny) is by the end of the very first episode, and he admits that he is there to find out what happened to his sister. From that moment on, they are a crime-solving team. That means 1) it's easy to see why/how they fell for each other and 2) they are both allowed room to openly deal with how Julio's quest to find out the truth about his sister affects his and Alicia's relationship.

I simply do not understand why these writers didn't follow more or less the same trajectory for Alicia and Danny. Alicia is the best written of the characters, and the actress is doing a wonderful job with the role. Why not have Alicia figure out the truth and work with Danny? Having Danny keep these secrets hasn't enhanced their love story at all -- it's just made it far less believable than the original's.

If Danny doesn't care anymore about finding out what happened to his sister, then why should the audience?

And there are other characterization problems, too. Ingrid, like Santiago and Gigi, is one of the original villains who has now been too quickly softened: she fell for Javi too quickly, which apparently made her suddenly nicer, sweeter, and eager to please (practically bursting into tears when Alicia lit into her). I'm sure we're meant to think that the miscarriage is going to harden her and send her down a path of revenge, but, again, why would we care?

Mrs. P's another one whose harder edge has basically been obliterated, with the drugs plot actually going so far as to turn her into a one-note joke for an entire episode.

And I'm not sure what's going on with Mateo. He's probably meant to be the only real villain of the regular cast members, but I'm struggling to care about how he fits into any of these mysteries. He's just...there.

That's not even getting into the sloppy and rushed handling of subplots, like every single story thread tied to the Finn -- not just the balcony drop, but the not-well-thought-out plan for Mrs. P to be a double agent, and the undercooked Alicia/Hotel Employee I Can't Remember The Name Of romance.

I tried not to focus too much here on comparing this show to the original (which I love), because I know that this series needs to be judged on its own. And that's the frustrating thing: by the end of the pilot and certainly by the end of the second episode, I was on board for this show to be its own thing. I was interested in seeing how the writers kept some elements and departed in other ways. I quickly found that I love this show's take on Alicia and Javier, two characters I adored in the original, too. And most of the actors are great and charismatic, and there have been some good one-liners.

Those are the elements that are going to keep me watching tonight...but the plot and characterization issues are undeniable red flags. I'm hoping I'll be able to come back here after tonight's episode to say that those flags are lowered a bit.

I would love if more shows drop the tired “secrets and lies” trope. It would be fun if Alicia knew right away and can actually use her resources to help Danny without anyone but them knowing for now. But of course she cannot know and when she finds out, they will have a predictable break up and in S2 (pipe dream) she will spend half of the season giving him the death stare while still being madly in love with him while also dating some new character at the same time. 😒

Edited August 14, 2019 by Simba122504
Added word

[preeya]

3 hours ago, Jillybean said:

The guy who played the "bridezilla"...I have no idea what his name is, but he seems typecast as the bitchy gay guy. First on Will & Grace, then Grace & Frankie, and now here.

It looks to me like they're trying to start a redemption arc for Mateo. And then we really will have no villain. 

1

The villains are Katie Sagal and Finn.

[blackwing]

Felix could be a villain too.  I could easily see him trying to take over the hotel somehow.

I really hope this show gets renewed, this is one of the few shows on TV where a majority of the cast are minorities.

Speaking of which, I get that TV children rarely look like their TV parents.  But is the actor who plays Javi even Hispanic?  He doesn't even remotely look like he could be the child of Eva Longoria and Santiago.  Is Felix supposed to be Hispanic?  If so, he doesn't really look it, and the two daughters definitely don't look half-white. 

I know genetics can be interesting, but I am particularly curious as to how Eva Longoria and Santiago could produce a blue-eyed, light brown haired son.  In order for him to have blue eyes, that would mean that Eva and Santiago both had recessive blue eye genes, meaning that one of their parents had blue eyes.  I guess it's possible, but still.  I was waiting for the "Javi isn't actually Santiago's son" storyline.  Maybe we could get it in a season 2!

[izabella]

20 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Speaking of which, I get that TV children rarely look like their TV parents.  But is the actor who plays Javi even Hispanic?  He doesn't even remotely look like he could be the child of Eva Longoria and Santiago.  Is Felix supposed to be Hispanic?  If so, he doesn't really look it, and the two daughters definitely don't look half-white. 

Plenty of Hispanic people are blue-eyed and/or blonde and fair skinned.  The Spanish and French conquered the Caribbean, Central and South America, so you will find all kinds of complexions and eye color. 

I have no idea what these families are supposed to be....being Miami, my first thought is Cuban.  There are blue eyed blonde, fair skinned Cubans out there so it's not impossible.

[Karen885]

Javi's therapist is terrible.

Javi: my mom traveled a lot

Therapist: my mom did too, then I discovered she was an addict. Maybe your mom is also an addict.

[northboundtrain]

8 hours ago, blackwing said:

On the whole the show is pretty good about keeping third tier characters on the radar (like the mention of Yoli and Marisa signing a waiver and then an actual brief appearance by Marisa) so it's weird that there's been no further mention of El Rey.

That's a good point re: the writers remembering/keeping Marisa on the radar but not even mentioning El Rey's fate. I'm going to chalk it up to uncertainty in the writers' room over actor availability, perhaps, or maybe some scenes were cut for time?

5 hours ago, Jillybean said:

It looks to me like they're trying to start a redemption arc for Mateo. And then we really will have no villain. 

Ugh. Not that Mateo's been a great villain (he hasn't been) but what is the show even doing by taking down all of its antagonists one by one?

3 hours ago, Simba122504 said:

I would love if more shows drop the tired “secrets and lies” trope. It would be fun if Alicia knew right away and can actually use her resources to help Danny without anyone but them knowing for now. But of course she cannot know and when she finds out, they will have a predictable break up and in S2 (pipe dream) she will spend half of the season giving him the death stare while still being madly in love with him while  dating some new character at the same time. 😒

Exactly! Why not work the partners-in-crime angle? The writers (and the characters) could have so much fun with it, and it would make their relationship so much more believable to me, especially now that Danny's girlfriend is showing up.

And there would still be ways to keep tension between Alicia and Danny even while they were sleuthing. What if Alicia, on her own, found evidence that she worried could incriminate Santiago or Javi? Or what if Danny suspected her of doing that? Or what if they came upon a lead and disagreed how to handle it? How much trust would they have between them, and how would that trust ebb and flow? Or what if one or both of them got hurt during the course of the investigation? Or how would they deal with working together closely while also realizing their attraction to each other (made inconvenient because of Danny's girlfriend)?

There are lots of ways this could have gone. Instead, I'm sure it'll play out exactly as you speculate (if the show does get a S2, which sounds iffy). But it could have been better than that.

[MelloYellow]

Jason's body is amazing.

Edited August 13, 2019 by MelloYellow

[BaskingsharkGTX]

This is the silliest freaking show. I swear that if it wasn't so damn easy to watch and the actors weren't so pretty/engaging/amusing, I would be done done done and tearing it to bits. It has to be the most unrealistic portrayal of the cut-throat world of running a high-end luxury hotel EVER. I love how Gigi is offhandedly like "Oh Alicia, we have a wedding at the end of the week, I could use a little help planning it, ya think you could help out?" while they're at family dinner/breakfast/whatever. Uh, isn't that her job? Don't you have meetings to discuss things like this? And as somebody upthread said, everyone in it is so nice. Amanda from old school Melrose Place would literally eat all these people for breakfast and pick her teeth with their bones.

I'm glad someone else thinks Alicia behaves like a 12-year-old. You run the damn events. Behave like an adult and get staff to paint the freaking flowers. 

Welcome to the Peggy Bundy One-Stop Emporium for Used Luxury Vehicles and Dirty Money. I did enjoy that hair gel crack though.

14 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I just remembered that the last time I saw Adrian Pasdar, he was playing the shady father of twin girls (on The Lying Game). Maybe this is turning into his thing.

The Lying Game was the greatest, most completely and utterly batshit insane series ever. And it ended on the most amazing cliffhanger where the twins' dad was about to have to explain to the mom literally every single ridiculous thing that had happened across the entire season, including their adopted daughter's twin sister pretending to be her and murder and double-crossing and lying and God-knows-what because all this had gone on around her and she knew about NONE of it. This would have been the absolute greatest monologue in the history of idiotic teen soaps, but Adrian Pasdar ruined it by getting attacked on the roof of the hotel they were in and crashing through the skylight and landing on their table. And then it got cancelled. 

[izabella]

59 minutes ago, BaskingsharkGTX said:

And as somebody upthread said, everyone in it is so nice. Amanda from old school Melrose Place would literally eat all these people for breakfast and pick her teeth with their bones. 

They are all, each of them, trying so hard to be liked, or loved, or approved of by someone else.  Gigi is my favorite, followed by Alicia.

[tennisgurl]

Alicia really does come across as super young a lot, she might have an MBA but she isn't all that knowledgeable about the actual world. Yeah Alicia, your mom couldn't have been an addict, you would have known, just like you knew your brother was a pill addict...I mean wait. Oh yeah, why would the couple getting married wait 30 years to married, except that gay marriage has only been legal in the US for a few years?! I like Alicia a lot, but she sometimes really struggles to keep up.

I hope with the ex girlfriend showing up, we can get some real drama stirring up soon, or at least Danny's secret will be out to Alicia at least. I really just want them to be on the same page, without all the secret investigation drama. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

12 hours ago, blackwing said:

Speaking of which, I get that TV children rarely look like their TV parents.  But is the actor who plays Javi even Hispanic?  He doesn't even remotely look like he could be the child of Eva Longoria and Santiago.  Is Felix supposed to be Hispanic?  If so, he doesn't really look it, and the two daughters definitely don't look half-white.

Bryan Craig, who plays Javi, is half Cuban. Shalim Ortiz, who plays Felix, is Puerto Rican.

The way a person looks doesn't necessarily indicate their race/ethnicity and there are lots of Latinx people who have fair skin, red or blonde hair, and blue or green eyes.

12 hours ago, blackwing said:

I know genetics can be interesting, but I am particularly curious as to how Eva Longoria and Santiago could produce a blue-eyed, light brown haired son.  In order for him to have blue eyes, that would mean that Eva and Santiago both had recessive blue eye genes, meaning that one of their parents had blue eyes.  I guess it's possible, but still.  I was waiting for the "Javi isn't actually Santiago's son" storyline.  Maybe we could get it in a season 2!

No, it doesn't mean that either of their parents had blue eyes. It just means that Beatrice and Santiago each had at least one relative who carried the recessive gene for blue eyes. That doesn't mean the gene was ever expressed. They could have had several generations without anyone having blue eyes but they were still carrying the recessive gene. If you remember the Punnett squares of Mendelian genetics from middle school biology, someone with a heterozygous (Bb) allele will express the dominant gene but they still are a carrier of the recessive gene. If both parents are Bb, there is only a 1/4 chance that the child will express the recessive gene.

In real life, I know someone whose parents both had dark hair and dark eyes. They had three kids. Two have brown hair (one has light brown hair and the other has dark brown hair) and brown eyes. The third kid is blonde with blue eyes. One of the parents has a brother with black hair and brown eyes. All three of his kids are redheads (and I don't mean dark auburn - they all have flaming red hair!). Stuff like that happens all the time. You just never know which recessive genes will pop up!

[preeya]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Bryan Craig, who plays Javi, is half Cuban. Shalim Ortiz, who plays Felix, is Puerto Rican.

I thought Felix is played by Adrian Pasdar.

[BaskingsharkGTX]

4 hours ago, preeya said:

I thought Felix is played by Adrian Pasdar.

Adrian Pasdar plays Felix and Shalim Ortiz plays Mateo.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

7 hours ago, preeya said:

I thought Felix is played by Adrian Pasdar.

2 hours ago, BaskingsharkGTX said:

Adrian Pasdar plays Felix and Shalim Ortiz plays Mateo.

Hahaha, I don’t know how I got the characters’ names mixed up in my head! Adrian Pasdar’s father is from Iran. Not sure about his mother. 

22 hours ago, BaskingsharkGTX said:

The Lying Game was the greatest, most completely and utterly batshit insane series ever. And it ended on the most amazing cliffhanger where the twins' dad was about to have to explain to the mom literally every single ridiculous thing that had happened across the entire season, including their adopted daughter's twin sister pretending to be her and murder and double-crossing and lying and God-knows-what because all this had gone on around her and she knew about NONE of it. This would have been the absolute greatest monologue in the history of idiotic teen soaps, but Adrian Pasdar ruined it by getting attacked on the roof of the hotel they were in and crashing through the skylight and landing on their table. And then it got cancelled. 

Ha, I’m glad I’m not the only one who watched The Lying Game! I’m totally down with Adrian Pasdar continuing to play the shady dad of shady twins. 

[MelloYellow]

12 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The way a person looks doesn't necessarily indicate their race/ethnicity

Race and ethnicity are two separate things.

[Maverick]

On 8/13/2019 at 5:21 PM, izabella said:

I have no idea what these families are supposed to be....being Miami, my first thought is Cuban.  There are blue eyed blonde, fair skinned Cubans out there so it's not impossible.

 I thought Santiago told Finn he was Mexican during one of their confrontations.   

[preeya]

6 minutes ago, Maverick said:

 I thought Santiago told Finn he was Mexican during one of their confrontations.   

He did.

[BaskingsharkGTX]

7 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Ha, I’m glad I’m not the only one who watched The Lying Game! I’m totally down with Adrian Pasdar continuing to play the shady dad of shady twins. 

He's definitely still shady, but IIRC, in TLG he was actually the dad of Sutton's best friend Mads rather than the twins? 

Speaking of friends, I also laughed when Alicia said she wanted to introduce Danny to her friends. Alicia, based on what we've seen, you don't have any friends. You, like all the other characters, spend all your time hanging out with your family, even the members you don't seem to like. Maybe "Codependent Hotel" would be a better title...

I know logic is not the most frequent visitor to this show, but how come the cops aren't interested in interviewing Helen, the GH employee who quit for a job at the hotel which collapsed and then suddenly quit working there and returned to her former employer right before the collapse?

Edited August 15, 2019 by BaskingsharkGTX

[preeya]

6 hours ago, BaskingsharkGTX said:

I know logic is not the most frequent visitor to this show, but how come the cops aren't interested in interviewing Helen, the GH employee who quit for a job at the hotel which collapsed and then suddenly quit working there and returned to her former employer right before the collapse?

That's just too logical. Also, the lead detective is on the take so he likely doesn't care what or how it happened.

[greyhorse]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 8:26 AM, northboundtrain said:

This episode was an improvement over the last one, though I was 100% not here for the juxtaposition of Alicia/Danny's relationship with that of the engaged couple who'd been together for, what was it, 30 years, and in the midst of actual oppression. And then Danny making a big spectacle of kissing Alicia in the middle of the wedding...poor taste, Danny, and WTF, writers?

Word.  So Danny, while listening to this long time couple publicly state their love for each other in the open, decides that it's his time to tell Alicia his true feelings.  And it's not like he even whistled for attention, clinked his glass, etc.  Everybody magically turned to watch him kiss the wedding coordinator Alicia.  Yeah, wouldn't happen like that in real life.

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 12:21 PM, Jillybean said:

The guy who played the "bridezilla"...I have no idea what his name is, but he seems typecast as the bitchy gay guy. First on Will & Grace, then Grace & Frankie, and now here.

I don't know about the bridezilla, but I remember twenty years ago lifting weights at the gym next to the other groom so it was kind of interesting to see that character actor pop up on my tv again.

There's so many storylines that it's dizzying to keep track of.  Danny was clearly the focus of this week's episode.  He had the gas down in the beginning for Alicia, took his foot off for about a week or two, got jealous when he saw Oliver, and now he's got the pedal to the floor again and they're hooking up several times a day.  There's still the mystery surrounding Sky of course, and I love that the female detective knows about him and that they're going to be working together.  Oh, and we found out that his last name is Baron, or at least the last name he is using at the hotel.

Are we to expect that Ingrid and Jason to eventually become a thing?  I find Mrs. P to be one of the most genuine people on the show.  It was pathetic to see Ingrid sleeping in the tiny supply closet.  And then pretty comical that Mrs. P gave her Jason's room with the Christina Aguilera poster (whaat?  Christina Aguilera was so 90s...when is this show supposed to take place?).

Who was the thug that used Mateo as a punching bag?  Mateo may have grown up hustling in the streets, but man, he sure didn't put up much of a fight.

[preeya]

2 hours ago, greyhorse said:

Who was the thug that used Mateo as a punching bag?  Mateo may have grown up hustling in the streets, but man, he sure didn't put up much of a fight.

I believe the thug works for Peg Bundy. He was present when Santiago went to the car dealership. He's a big guy compared to Mateo, thus the one-sided beating. I was wondering if Mateo "bought the farm" when he fell down the stairs.

Edited August 15, 2019 by preeya

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 8/14/2019 at 3:45 PM, MelloYellow said:

Race and ethnicity are two separate things.

Yes, I know that. And you can't always identify either just by looking at someone (and oftentimes if a person's race is obvious, then people make assumptions about their ethnicity, which is why a lot of people who don't look white are told to go back to their countries by strangers). If shown a photo of Javi, most people would not be able to identify his race or his ethnicity based solely upon his appearance.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E10: Suite Little Lies

Quote

Santiago and Gigi's relationship is on the mend after secrets they have been keeping from each other are revealed. Danny teams up with the police to try and figure out what happened to Sky, and Javi takes on a new hobby.

Promo:

Original air date: 8/19/19

[CCTC]

The last thing the show really needs right now it the ex--girlfriend to show up. There is enough else going on without introducing that old cliché. It just seems like manufactured drama since he broke up with her before he became involved with Alicia. I agree with the sentiment earlier that it was better that Alicia was in on the secret early-on and they formed an investigative partnership. It gave them reasons to interact besides sex and established a strong friendship that gave them a stronger connection than just mere physical attraction.

I think the father might be the least compelling character. It seems like all he does is whisper-talk clichés while making a face that is supposed to show angst, but comes across more as indigestion. Gigi is much more compelling and draws your attention anytime she is on the screen. I like Ingrid and the actress playing her, but they might have overdone softening her, esp. for storyline purposes. Same with Mrs. P.

Edited August 18, 2019 by CCTC

[memememe76]

A lot happening tonight! Jason is so hawt. I loved the bromance between Mateo and Jason. They even addressed Ingrid. 

[CCTC]

I am glad the girlfriend issue was not dragged out and Alicia was told the truth.  I suspect she will be working with him pretty quickly.  Alicia is a bit naïve, but I don't think she is stupid and she will realize there are things about her family and the hotel that are off.  I also like that Danny has made some advances in they mystery with his sister.

I like Katy Sagal and think she is a good actress, but her big bad is not doing it for me.  They want to make the character threatening, but still a little campy, and not sure she is the right fit for it.  There is a soapy undercurrent to her lines (which makes sense for this show) that make it seem like it was written for Susan Lucci during her late 80's early 90's femme fatale TV movie era.    Plus, I think the organized crime as tension is kind of meh and is an easy out to let the family members off of the hook.  The real tension of the original is that you did not know how far Alicia's mother would go or how evil she really as well as her

Spoiler

(not sure I really need to spoiler tag this, since it is a different show) - her husband, Diego who was basically the Matteo character but with much more menace and power who manipulated Alicia into marrying him.

I still like Rosalyn/Gigi, but it almost seems like she is playing a different character than when the show first started.  It seems like they are shifting her from shady to gray character who is not above scheming with touches of cold cruelty to a more traditional soap heroine.  In some ways, the same with Ingrid.  

I still find the show entertaining, but I do feel like they made some decisions after the pilot and have shifted some of the characters from their original characterization.

Edited August 20, 2019 by CCTC

[blackwing]

I enjoyed this episode and I agree that things are moving fast.  How many episodes left?  Lots of advancements on the plot, so much going on.

Mateo firmly in bed with Katey Sagal.  Really wished he had died.  The way she stood on Santiago's balcony, and then Mateo sinisterly slithers in from offscreen... ugh.  Please die die die.  I hope Ingrid kills him.  This show is supposed to be a nighttime soap but nobody important has actually died.  I don't count that clerk.

Gigi goes from hating her ex-husband to feeling sorry for him to helping him to flee.

Javi doesn't seem to have much of a role anymore, seems like he can't drink anymore so now he's no fun?  Reminds me of Rachel Greene and "Fun Bobby" who was no fun after he stopped drinking.  Did Javi also say he wasn't going to have random hookups anymore?  Why wasn't he trying to talk to any of those women?

Glad they didn't drag out the thing with Danny and his ex-girlfriend.  He does the right thing and finally tells Alicia the truth, and she promptly fires him.  Curious to see what happens next.

Yolanda and Marisa fell flat for me.  I want to enjoy the show for what it is... a fun, campy summer show.  I really didn't need for it to get political and make Marisa into a Dreamer.

11 hours ago, memememe76 said:

A lot happening tonight! Jason is so hawt. I loved the bromance between Mateo and Jason. They even addressed Ingrid. 

I think you mean Javi, not Mateo.  Javi is the son who was trying to hook Jason up with the hot bachelorette party.  There's nothing good to be said about Mateo.

[S.Batts]

Javi's character was totally wasted.   Him trying to get Jason laid was all that the producers could come up with?  Very lame and it's too bad that he's being under used.   I'd like to see him team up with his sister and find out the truth about Mommy dearest.   

Mateo siding with Peg Bundy...does he really have a choice?  If not, I'm sure that his head would roll.  Felix is a total creep, I'd love to find out more about him.  I totally believe him when he was saying that he lost all of that money.  He was stealing toiletries from the maid's cart!  Stocking up on TP for when he gets kicked out of the hotel.  Did not like Gigi taking one of Santiago's suits to give to Felix.  

Am I the only one that thinks that Alicia's teeth are a bit too big for her face/mouth?  She smiles and all I see are teeth.  

[greyhorse]

Wow, this show just put the pedal to the floor... almost like TPTB knew that at this point the future was in doubt and that they have to tie up all loose ends soon?

Well, whomever wanted Danny to team up with Alicia to figure out what happened to Sky got their wish... and Danny gets promptly fired.  Does this mean Alicia knows that something fishy occurred with Sky and that her family is guilty?  I bet it's going to be more because of feeling betrayed, used, and misled.  Feelings that she already probably had given the arrival of the ex.

I thought the most interesting reveal of the episode was that mom of Alicia and Javi (can't remember her name right now) might have been 1) killed by Santiago and/or 2) been involved in something with the hotel.  Felix certainly made it sound like that.  And was this the first time we heard that Santiago really got the hotel because he inherited it when his wife died?

Javi playing wingman for Jason was cliché, but finally glad that Jason got over Ingrid and under whomever that bachelorette party girl was.  Javi got discharged from rehab with instructions to avoid pills, alcohol, and sex.  I thought he and Ingrid were going to hook up in his room when she was there, but he really shut her down and basically said he never wants to see her again.  His character is seemingly becoming very boring.

It seems like Mrs. P should know who Peg Bundy is, since she is aware of why Mateo is in the hotel?  I guess Mrs. P is the new villain, on a different level than Finn ever was.  I don't think I'm going to enjoy her being in the hotel all the time.  I didn't understand the part when Santiago told Peg Bundy that Felix was gone so she could leave.  So Peg Bundy is after the millions that Felix supposedly has?  (And why does Felix have this money again?  He stole it from Santiago?  I must have missed this part in a previous episode.)

No mention of El Rey or Oliver.  It's as if they never even existed.

[preeya]

37 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

I thought the most interesting reveal of the episode was that mom of Alicia and Javi (can't remember her name right now) might have been 1) killed by Santiago and/or 2) been involved in something with the hotel.  Felix certainly made it sound like that.  And was this the first time we heard that Santiago really got the hotel because he inherited it when his wife died?

And what's up with room (606) that no is supposed to know about or enter? Seems as if the entire hotel nows about it.

Edited August 20, 2019 by preeya

[S.Batts]

1 hour ago, preeya said:

And what's up with room (606) that no is supposed to know about or enter? Seems as if the entire hotel nows about it.

My guess is that is the room that Beatrice ( Alicia and Javi's Mom) died in.