S01.E05: Episode Five

[Cranberry]

Still wound up from her encounter with Cruz, Emma struggles to find relief. Luckily, Lyn shows up for her when she needs it most. Mari refuses to be a victim and confronts Tlaloc.

[dr pepper]

This week on "Porn, in East LA", Emma finds the very worst time to think about ones mother. The LAPD proves to Mari that Emma is still one of the chicas. Lyn finally wins the prize she wanted: a totally untrustworthy man. There's a lot of praying, but if you're not willing to raise prices or rent, i don't think God will take you seriously about wanting to save the building.

Oh, something i forgot from last weeks episode. I googled to see if there was a word for the opposite of "slumming", and only one suggestion came up "hobnobbing".

[tennisgurl]

So all it took for Emma and Mari to kind of make peace is to get arrested together for fighting and slushie flinging! I liked their whole scene in the jail cell, and how Mari seemed to get some confidence to stand up to the asshole guy. Mari can be a lot, but I really like the actress who plays her, and she and Emma are an interesting combination. Generally, I love the casting on this show, everyone fits their parts really well. They seem like real people, not actors obviously playing archetypes. 

So Lyn gets her man. Her cheating, loser of a man. But at least Lyn did manage to come through for Emma at the jail. I really want Eddie and finally just hash things out with Lyn and Emma, and get some perspective on their relationships with Vida, especially Emma. I want to know if she knows why Emma and Vida were estranged, as I think it explains a lot about Emma's issues with her mom. And, while I like Eddie, I kind of get why her building/bar was in trouble. If they want to save their building, they need to do something, and raising the rent seems like something that makes sense. Eddie is so tight with the community, she doesn't seem to want to actually collect money from their renters or bar patrons, and that kills a business pretty quickly.

Edited June 4, 2018 by tennisgurl

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

So all it took for Emma and Mari to kind of make peace is to get arrested together for fighting and slushie flinging! I liked their whole scene in the jail cell, and how Mari seemed to get some confidence to stand up to the asshole guy. Mari can be a lot, but I really like the actress who plays her, and she and Emma are an interesting combination. Generally, I love the casting on this show, everyone fits their parts really well. They seem like real people, not actors obviously playing archetypes. 

So Lyn gets her man. Her cheating, loser of a man. But at least Lyn did manage to come through for Emma at the jail. I really want Eddie and finally just hash things out with Lyn and Emma, and get some perspective on their relationships with Vida, especially Emma. I want to know if she knows why Emma and Vida were estranged, as I think it explains a lot about Emma's issues with her mom. And, while I like Eddie, I kind of get why her building/bar was in trouble. If they want to save their building, they need to do something, and raising the rent seems like something that makes sense. Eddie is so tight with the community, she doesn't seem to want to actually collect money from their renters or bar patrons, and that kills a business pretty quickly.

And a 3% rent increase isn't that bad, particularly if there hadn't been one in many years (which Emma says there wasn't). Running a business comes with financial realities that the owners are responsible for. It's not out of line to point that out.

Lyn is really kind of terrible. I'm waiting for her to lose interest in Johnny now that he's available. She may love him but once shit gets real and she has to deal with the day to day reality that he is having a whole, entire person with someone else that he'll at the very least be financially responsible for, she'll be out. What if they have joint custody? Is she going to change diapers, be an active stepmother? I doubt it. Once it's no longer clandestine hot sex, she'll get bored. She's that type. (Johnny is hot. They're a gorgeous couple.)

[Ms.Moon]

Johnny is an idiot.  Lyn is not reliable, she’s young, she has no responsibilities and honestly she has one priority herself.  That is okay if they were just messing around and he just had a fiance, not a fiance and a baby on the way.  There are so many things wrong with their whole “heart wants what it wants.”  The now ex fiance was right to kick Johnny to the curb, she is better off prioritizing herself and her kid because I do not know how safe Lyn is with her hookups and Johnny was not asking.  That is too many people in the bed right there if he’s messing with Lyn and is still with her as well, she has the right of it, she has her kid, she will be okay.  Johnny did say he was already being called an idiot around the neighborhood for messing around with Lyn when he had an excellent woman at home.  

[vixenbynight]

5 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Lyn is really kind of terrible. I'm waiting for her to lose interest in Johnny now that he's available. She may love him but once shit gets real and she has to deal with the day to day reality that he is having a whole, entire person with someone else that he'll at the very least be financially responsible for, she'll be out. What if they have joint custody? Is she going to change diapers, be an active stepmother? I doubt it. Once it's no longer clandestine hot sex, she'll get bored. She's that type. (Johnny is hot. They're a gorgeous couple.)

I totally see Lyn getting "restless" about Johnny and she will meet some new guy that "totally gets her" and Johnny will be left high and dry. He IS a "cheating, loser of a man", but I believe that he does love Lyn. I think Lyn loves that she is able to have a man so damn in love and willing to be with her (whenever she calls/is in his presence) that she thinks she is in love with him.

[BigDfromLA]

How old are the two sisters? Emma looks to be 30 and Lyn, maybe 26? What does Lyn do for a living? I know she lives in San Francisco, a VERY expensive city to live in. Is she a golddigger using her looks to be supported completely by men? Were she to move to L.A. and live with Johnny, does he have the means to support her in a lifestyle she is used to. Is she even capable of having a lasting relationship or earning a living for herself? She seems horribly incompetent in that way. 

I feel sorry for Emma. She is the only one who is responsible and realistic. She is surrounded by f-ups, to be honest. I don't blame her for resenting her mother, a complete hypocrite who caused her tremendous pain. It's amazing how Lyn is so oblivious to everything.

The actress who plays Mari is excellent. She is also a beautiful girl. I wish she would trade her ugly black lipstick for red!

[viajero]

I'm constantly amazed that they are able to pack so much into these 30 minute episodes.  The writing for this series has been excellent.  They have done a particularly great job of fully developing the complexity of some of these characters in a very limited amount of time.  Even though they all have very obvious faults, I still find that I'm able to care about them to at least some degree (though it can be tough with Lyn).

The jail cell scene was one of my favorites so far.  Who would have thought that Emma and Mari could actually be a good influence on each other?

[Empress1]

8 hours ago, BigDfromLA said:

How old are the two sisters? Emma looks to be 30 and Lyn, maybe 26? What does Lyn do for a living? I know she lives in San Francisco, a VERY expensive city to live in. Is she a golddigger using her looks to be supported completely by men? Were she to move to L.A. and live with Johnny, does he have the means to support her in a lifestyle she is used to. Is she even capable of having a lasting relationship or earning a living for herself? She seems horribly incompetent in that way. 

I feel sorry for Emma. She is the only one who is responsible and realistic. She is surrounded by f-ups, to be honest. I don't blame her for resenting her mother, a complete hypocrite who caused her tremendous pain. It's amazing how Lyn is so oblivious to everything.

The actress who plays Mari is excellent. She is also a beautiful girl. I wish she would trade her ugly black lipstick for red!

Lyn strikes me as a grifter of sorts - not intentional, like "I am going to get this man to support me," but the kind of person who goes from guy to guy and never seems to have a job, and who likely lives on credit cards between guys (note how she stole her dead mother's credit cards). I knew women like that in my 20s in NYC; women who had never signed a lease of their own because they went from living with one guy straight to living with another and you never quite knew what they did for a living. If you asked, they might name an artistic pursuit but they weren't making money at it. Lyn definitely has an expectation of being taken care of - when Emma was talking about getting a sublet and Lyn asked if it would just be for her, she was all huffy when Emma said yes. Like, why should Emma pay for you, Lyn? You want a sublet, go find one. (When she was like "You called me and I showed up!" I was like " ... You want a cookie?")

Lyn also seems to be the kind of person that believes that her life just happens to her so that she can avoid taking any responsibility. Her mantra is probably "It just happened!" That will stop being cute as she gets older.

I feel sorry for Emma too. I would be furious if my mother sent me away for something she then embraced herself. Furious. And they're acting like she's persecuting them for trying to get out from under a building for which she is financially responsible. She literally must do something about it. Lyn does too but Lyn isn't reliable so she's dealing with this on her own. What do they expect her to do? Let the building fuck up her credit?

[love2lovebadtv]

3 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Lyn strikes me as a grifter of sorts - not intentional, like "I am going to get this man to support me," but the kind of person who goes from guy to guy and never seems to have a job, and who likely lives on credit cards between guys (note how she stole her dead mother's credit cards). I knew women like that in my 20s in NYC; women who had never signed a lease of their own because they went from living with one guy straight to living with another and you never quite knew what they did for a living. If you asked, they might name an artistic pursuit but they weren't making money at it. Lyn definitely has an expectation of being taken care of - when Emma was talking about getting a sublet and Lyn asked if it would just be for her, she was all huffy when Emma said yes. Like, why should Emma pay for you, Lyn? You want a sublet, go find one. (When she was like "You called me and I showed up!" I was like " ... You want a cookie?")

Lyn also seems to be the kind of person that believes that her life just happens to her so that she can avoid taking any responsibility. Her mantra is probably "It just happened!" That will stop being cute as she gets older.

I feel sorry for Emma too. I would be furious if my mother sent me away for something she then embraced herself. Furious. And they're acting like she's persecuting them for trying to get out from under a building for which she is financially responsible. She literally must do something about it. Lyn does too but Lyn isn't reliable so she's dealing with this on her own. What do they expect her to do? Let the building fuck up her credit?

 

I agree re: Lyn. She doesn’t seem like a malicious person – more of an immature, irresponsible one.  Her wanting recognition because she showed up to bail Emma out was immature and petty. Expecting Emma to look for a sublet for her while she gallivants around town with her yoga mat? Immature, irresponsible, and whiny. And in the first episode, Emma mentioned her calling Vida when she was short on cash. I think she handed over credit cards to her ex when he broke up with her, right? And it seems that her business was not one that she could continue without him. She’s totally dependent.

But the thing about these characters is how human they are. Lyn isn’t just some spoiled brat. I mean, she is one, but there’s more to her than that. When she talked to Johnny about her breast augmentation, I started to get the sense that she has low self-esteem issue and maybe she thinks her value is in her looks and sexuality – nothing else. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she feels dumb around Emma, while also expecting Emma to take care of her. None of this excuses Lyn’s behavior, but it helps us see her as more of a person – not just a stock character.

[love2lovebadtv]

13 hours ago, viajero said:

I'm constantly amazed that they are able to pack so much into these 30 minute episodes.  The writing for this series has been excellent.  They have done a particularly great job of fully developing the complexity of some of these characters in a very limited amount of time.  Even though they all have very obvious faults, I still find that I'm able to care about them to at least some degree (though it can be tough with Lyn).

The jail cell scene was one of my favorites so far.  Who would have thought that Emma and Mari could actually be a good influence on each other?

I also loved the jail cell scene – beautifully acted. Mari totally schooled Emma. But then Emma surprised Mari by showing her that she isn’t afraid or ashamed of who she is.  I’m glad we only saw what led up to the fight and the aftermath – not the fight itself. I wish they would take the same approach with sex scenes. But I digress.

[wanderingstar]

Emma kind of broke my heart in this one.