S01.E10: Consequences

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SEASON FINALE!

Quote

The Gettys and the Italians deal with the repercussions of the kidnapping, and Chace embarks on a new journey.

[Dowel Jones]

Wow.  If there ever was an example of 'truth is stranger than fiction', this is it. I found myself actually feeling just a twinge of sorrow for the old man when his dream villa was being ridiculed, but it passed rapidly on recollection of the past nine episodes.  It all went downhill for him.  Even Belinda scorned him, and he thought he was the one who got the better deal. 

I loved Bullimore's scheme with the dogs, thanks in no small part to the gardener.  And his 'resignation' was especially piquant.  Sorry, ladies. 

Chace breaking the fourth wall was especially well done this time.  He really sounded like his heart was breaking when young Getty's OD was being shown.  I hope he regained a relationship with his son.

I would have laughed at Primo's use of the Getty ransom to build that port as sort of a Robin Hood effect, but that little shit murdered people right and left to get to where he was, and apparently got away with it.  And the port really is kind of the equivalent of the New York airport in Goodfellas.  It provides a good living to the Italian mafia.

At least Gail got a grandson.

[helenamonster]

I like Chace breaking the fourth wall and the specific way in which this show did it, with him writing out the episode title, being able to see into the future, etc...I wish he'd gotten to narrate every episode like this, a) because it was so enjoyable and b) to give the show some internal consistency.

Nothing was really tidily wrapped up but I think that works for this series, as real life so rarely has a defined narrative arc. JP3 od'd and was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, JP1 failed at his museum and lost two concubines--one of whom was more than happy to not have her son reap the benefits of the Getty name--the ransom money was used to build a port that would mostly traffic in drugs...only Voldemort and Dennis the gardener got something resembling a happy ending, and they're the only two I really wanted it for anyway. Oh, and Chace got to go home and see his son! And Gail got to be a grandma to little Balthazar.

[seacliffsal]

Although I think Donald Sutherland and other actors did really well, Brendan Fraser was the standout for me.  It made me wonder why he hasn't been in much lately and it also made me hope that we see more of him in the future.

Money may buy a semblance of momentary happiness, but this show really emphasized that those feelings are fleeting and that children really do not benefit from growing up with unlimited material wealth when the cost is familial love and support.

[PipPop]

23 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

I like Chace breaking the fourth wall and the specific way in which this show did it, with him writing out the episode title, being able to see into the future, etc...I wish he'd gotten to narrate every episode like this, a) because it was so enjoyable and b) to give the show some internal consistency.

Nothing was really tidily wrapped up but I think that works for this series, as real life so rarely has a defined narrative arc. JP3 od'd and was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, JP1 failed at his museum and lost two concubines--one of whom was more than happy to not have her son reap the benefits of the Getty name--the ransom money was used to build a port that would mostly traffic in drugs...only Voldemort and Dennis the gardener got something resembling a happy ending, and they're the only two I really wanted it for anyway. Oh, and Chace got to go home and see his son! And Gail got to be a grandma to little Balthazar.

My thoughts, exactly. This episode had the same director as last week's episode and it really showed. I don't know if Dennis the gardener was a real character or not, but so far as the series is concerned, I'm glad that Voldemort Bullimore/Khan had a happy ending. (I note with glee that the character is now listed as Khan/... on IMDB. They are totally playing with his name over there.

I was super pleased that Chace went home to meet his son at the end. Smart man. 

I don't know much about Balthazar Getty. I hope he's managed to escape the family history of drug and emotional abuse and had a reasonably happy life.

[Dowel Jones]

I wonder if the harshness of the architectural reviews of the Villa had their roots in a general dislike and scorn for Getty from the 'lesser mortals' that inhabit the world.  Sometimes you can be just too separated and tone deaf from the world around you.  I've never been inside on a tour, but from the photos it looks quite grand and gorgeous.  However, the same could be said about Hearst Castle, spawned by a similar personality.  It looks quite grand from the highway and the visitor center, but, speaking from the experience of several tours of the place, when you get up close it gets quite gauche.  Class can bring you money, but money doesn't always bring class.

[tennisgurl]

Really, the Getty villa is a pretty good metaphor for the Getty family. Its beautiful and glamorous and extravagant from far away, but when you see it close up? Its a mess full of emptiness and is rather tacky and even unsettling. 

This was definitely a Truth is Stranger than Fiction kind of story, that I would think was ridiculous and campy if so much of it wasn't true. It didnt really end in a way thats thematically satisfying, but it still worked as a way to close the story out. 

Glad that Chace went home to his son, and that Khan/Bullimore and the gardener guy get a happy ending. Money doesn't buy happiness indeed. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

17 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Money may buy a semblance of momentary happiness, but this show really emphasized that those feelings are fleeting and that children really do not benefit from growing up with unlimited material wealth when the cost is familial love and support.

I thought I should point out that JP1's sons did not grow up with unlimited material wealth nor at the cost of familial love and support. His first wife divorced him when their son George was only 2 years old. (He had no children with his second wife.) His third wife Adolphine filed for divorce the same year that their son Ronald was born and she received full custody. His fourth wife Ann divorced him when her JP2 was only 4 years old and Gordon was only 2 years old. Her divorce settlement included $1000/month in child support for each son (she remarried four more times which I would guess was a bigger issue for the kids than divorcing their father). His fifth wife Teddy is the one who said JP1 complained that she was spending "too much money" seeking treatment for their 6 year old son's brain tumor. Given the horrible way JP1 treated everyone in his presence, his kids were probably better off not growing up under the same roof with their father. Aside from the $1000/month child support that he paid for JP2 and Gordon, it's unclear how much he supported his other children financially. I don't think any of them were paupers but they did not grow up in the big fancy house we saw on the show.

One of the articles I read said that Gail and her four kids with JP2 (JP3 and his siblings) received a monthly allowance while they were living in Italy after she divorced JP2, but it didn't sound like they were getting enough money to live in the lap of luxury. They weren't starving or anything, but they didn't have gold faucets or a super fancy lifestyle.

It's obvious that JP1 was a cheapass but it turns out that JP2 was too. After JP3's kidnapping, he self medicated and eventually had a stroke due to all the drugs. As a result, he was blind, partially paralyzed, and mostly unable to speak. JP2 refused to pay for any of his medical treatment. JP2's brother Gordon ended up paying for JP3's medical expenses until Gail helped JP2 sue and a judge told him what a shit heel he was being.

15 hours ago, PipPop said:

I don't know much about Balthazar Getty. I hope he's managed to escape the family history of drug and emotional abuse and had a reasonably happy life.

In this interview, he says that because JP3 wasn't being financially supported by the Getty family (there was money in a trust from his grandmother Sarah but JP1 controlled the access), Balthazar grew up modestly with his mom and half sister Anna. Athough Martine and JP3 didn't divorce until 1993, he went to Europe to shoot The Territory and The State of Things and fell in love with an Italian actress so Martine and the kids were living on their own in San Francisco. Gail later paid for Balthazar to go to boarding school in Scotland. He has admitted that he did "too many" drugs and became a heroin addict for seven years (beginning when he was 17). When he was 15, he moved in with his 20 year old girlfriend. He married his girlfriend Rosetta when she was 7 months pregnant in 2000 and had a very public affair with Sienna Miller about ten years ago which led to a two year separation from his wife (they eventually reconciled). So on the one hand, he hasn't exactly lived a scandal free life. On the other hand, it seems like he's had a better life than some of the other Gettys.

[Dirtybubble]

Well it was a nice ending even if the writers took A LOT of liberties on their part.  From what I've heard Penelope never left JP1 and out of all of JP1 girls she received the largest inheritance while all the other ladies (who stuck around as well) received something as well.  An allowance for the rest of their lives but nothing to live off of, just something to help them out I think.

I don't think JP1 museum set up was a failure in real life and I do remember reading he left all of this art collection to museums but it was nice for T.V. to see it play out the way it did.

I'm guessing JP2 going into rehab is true because later in life (from what I've read) had a pretty good life becoming a philanthropist and art dealer....*shrug*  IDK, he did marry Victoria and remained married until his death so I guess everything worked out.

[PipPop]

13 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

In this interview, he says that because JP3 wasn't being financially supported by the Getty family (there was money in a trust from his grandmother Sarah but JP1 controlled the access), Balthazar grew up modestly with his mom and half sister Anna. Athough Martine and JP3 didn't divorce until 1993, he went to Europe to shoot The Territory and The State of Things and fell in love with an Italian actress so Martine and the kids were living on their own in San Francisco. Gail later paid for Balthazar to go to boarding school in Scotland. He has admitted that he did "too many" drugs and became a heroin addict for seven years (beginning when he was 17). When he was 15, he moved in with his 20 year old girlfriend. He married his girlfriend Rosetta when she was 7 months pregnant in 2000 and had a very public affair with Sienna Miller about ten years ago which led to a two year separation from his wife (they eventually reconciled). So on the one hand, he hasn't exactly lived a scandal free life. On the other hand, it seems like he's had a better life than some of the other Gettys.

Man. What is it with the Gettys and heroin? That's really too bad about Balthazar. I'm glad he cleaned up his act.

[Dagny]

On 5/28/2018 at 1:55 PM, Dowel Jones said:

I wonder if the harshness of the architectural reviews of the Villa had their roots in a general dislike and scorn for Getty from the 'lesser mortals' that inhabit the world.  Sometimes you can be just too separated and tone deaf from the world around you.  I've never been inside on a tour, but from the photos it looks quite grand and gorgeous.  However, the same could be said about Hearst Castle, spawned by a similar personality.  It looks quite grand from the highway and the visitor center, but, speaking from the experience of several tours of the place, when you get up close it gets quite gauche.  Class can bring you money, but money doesn't always bring class.

I've been there a couple of times. and its very pretty. It 's a free museum, but you have to pay for parking ($10 or $15 depending on time of day). I'm not a big connoisseur of museums, but I enjoyed it. I know that they had to return a bunch of stuff that were found to be stolen and had to pull a bunch of stuff that were found out to be fake.

 

WRT Hearst Castle, Julia Morgan had to deal with Hearst himself and worked on the place on her weekends while working as an architect in SF. I was impressed they got the water for the place from the next valley over. (no local water well or supply)

[AAEBoiler]

Well, I finally got through this. As is the case with true story adaptations, it's interesting to see how they develop the story given that we can (and I did) go to Wikipedia and read a synopsis of the entire event. With that said, I was a little disappointed that we didn't get a "where are they now" kinda synopsis of the people. Yeah, they very briefly alluded to JP3 being in a wheelchair but it was a "blink and you miss it" editing cut. I would've been interested to see how some of the other people fared later in life.

Of the major/minor characters, I think I only ended up liking Bullimore (Khan) and Robina who's dry wit was hilarious. Let's green light a series for those 2 characters, ok? Maybe Fletcher Chace can come along too as I forgot him as being extremely likable. 

This binge-watch is done. Now I'm off to finishing binge-watching The Magicians. [So much TV, so little time]

[TheRabbi]

I taped this when it aired with the possibility of watching it on a rainy day in the summer with not much in the way of new TV. I finally decided to give it a go and have watched it over the past week.

LOVED it overall. Donald Sutherland, Brendan Fraser, the kid, the butler, even the bad guys, all great performances and had fleshed out characters. I admit to not caring much for the movie that came out last year, as it felt pretty Hollywood-type, but this was gripping and fascinating. 

The only episode I didn't care for too much was the escape attempt episode, as every single kidnapping story in history has one of those and this one didn't do much to advance things. 

I do kind of wish there was the typical summary at the end of the finale that is typical in these true-life type stories, but I respect the vision of trying to keep it a bit lighter and more optimistic (for everyone except Sutherland's Getty anyway).

Very glad I made time for this. I'm surprised FX didnt make an attempt to align this as one of the 'American Crime Story' seasons, which would have given it more publicity. I dont think I heard anything about this show from mainstream media. I know it very much flopped in the ratings, but I enjoyed it.