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Being Mary Jane - General Discussion

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topanga

topanga

On 1/29/2019 at 1:32 PM, nicepebbles said:

Is this show still on Netflix? I went looking for it and couldn't find it. I Googled to see what I could find out and nothing. 

What about on BET? Or On-demand?

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Ohwell

Ohwell

Well, I'm glad that was finally wrapped up.  I stuck with it until the very end but I was getting so tired of Mary Jane and her issues.  Morris Chestnut was a dick so I was glad that she chose Justin.  

I was sorry about Kara but I have to say, I never liked her.  

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GodBless13

GodBless13

12 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Well, I'm glad that was finally wrapped up.  I stuck with it until the very end but I was getting so tired of Mary Jane and her issues.  Morris Chestnut was a dick so I was glad that she chose Justin.  

I was sorry about Kara but I have to say, I never liked her.  

Same here glad it wrapped up as well. Yes Mary Jane was always too much.

Glad she chose Justin too. Yes Kara going through what she did was really sad to say the least. I personally liked the Kara character. Just interested how come you didn't like her character?

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Ohwell

Ohwell

10 minutes ago, GodBless13 said:

I personally liked the Kara character. Just interested how come you didn't like her character?

I just always thought she was too extra.  It's one thing to  have a best friend, but I thought she was always all up in Mary Jane's business.  Even though MJ didn't seem to mind, I wouldn't have wanted Kara as a friend.    

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PrincessPurrsALot

PrincessPurrsALot

I too am glad that wrapped everything up.  It was interesting how this really was about putting the period at the end of every open sentence.  Hair salon!  Engagement!  Marriage!  Baby!  All boxes checked off. 

I find Morris Chestnut so attractive I have a hard time being rational when evaluating his character.  I didn't see him as a dick.  To me he was more too good to be true: attractive, wealthy, knew her for a long time and really liked her, great about raising a child that is not biologically his own, helped with childcare, successful career.  He called MJ out on still being hung up on Justin but he was right.  She was hung up on Justin and ultimately married him.  

Ultimately MJ, Kara and Niecy are all very extra.  I am always disappointed that shows aimed at women often do a better job of making the men appealing than the women. 

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Ohwell

Ohwell

(edited)

Unpopular opinion alert:  I never found Morris Chestnut to be that attractive, just ok.  However, regarding his character in this show, I found him to be too aggressive when it came to MJ.  He had been so into her for so long, that when he finally got a chance to be with her, he was always around her.  Sure, he was nice and checked off all the boxes regarding being a good husband and father, but I found him to be a little to creepy and possessive.   Too much, too soon, and then the proposal?  Also, he was out of line getting up in Justin's face at that party or whatever it was, so I was glad that Justin busted him in his face.     

I agree that MJ, Kara and Niecy are extra, but Kara acted like her life and MJ's were intertwined.  She also annoyed me with that Papi stuff.  I know it's a term of endearment and she's Latina, but she laid it on too thick for my taste. 

Also, the actress who plays Niecy looked like she was struggling to get around carrying that weight.  I did like that yellow dress though.

Edited by Ohwell
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woodstock

woodstock

Well that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Everything wrapped up nice and neat at the end. 

Niecy’s hissy fit annoyed me. Her family raised legitimate questions and concerns and offered an alternate plan yet she tried guilt tripping them into giving her $50K; as though she was entitled to their money because they’re family. I get her wanting to move forward and providing for her kids but I wanted to smack some sense into her. She’s lucky PJ bought the house and converted one of the rooms into a mini salon.

Was that bottle of lubricant called ‘bum rush’? LOL

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catrice2

catrice2

I am glad it is over. I tried to stay until the end.  I thought MJ and Kara were the perfect friends, both insecure about things, over the top, and in each other's business too much.  I will miss the fashion on the show. 

Why do I find Nicholas Gonzales attractive when he is in character, any character, but not when he is himself? I thought she was going to whine about not giving him children, not about how he would feel about her breasts. 

I thought the woman that plays Niecy looked as if she has added weight.  Was she pregnant? 

I always fast forward through the Niecy scenes so thanks for explaining why she had a salon.  Did they say what the brothers were doing for a living now? 

Unpopular opinion...I was hoping the dad did not reconcile with the mother. I disliked her character. 

I have never understood why I don't think Michael Ealy is as attractive as other people do.  He is o.k, but nothing special to me.  Now I do find him more attractive out of character...

I am not sure why they needed a 2 hour movie for this...or why they felt the need to bring in the Morris Chestnut character.  It only highlighted how little growth MJ has made...she still can't go a minute without being in some type of relationship, even while pregnant.  That she did not even tell him that she had been to the fertility clinic also highlighted that lack of growth. 

Am I just confused or was Kara not at the wedding?   The ending seemed very rushed....It also seemed low budget.  Why not have a great interior and exterior shot of Justin's house?  They used the same sets they had always used

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Ohwell

Ohwell

40 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

Unpopular opinion...I was hoping the dad did not reconcile with the mother. I disliked her character. 

Oh I forgot about Shug.  I didn't like her either and I didn't want the dad to reconcile with her. but his sons swayed him and I guess he was lonely. 

42 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

I have never understood why I don't think Michael Ealy is as attractive as other people do.  He is o.k, but nothing special to me.  Now I do find him more attractive out of character...

He's got nice eyes, but he always looked a bit frail and tired to me.

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topanga

topanga

3 hours ago, woodstock said:

Well that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Everything wrapped up nice and neat at the end. 

Niecy’s hissy fit annoyed me. Her family raised legitimate questions and concerns and offered an alternate plan yet she tried guilt tripping them into giving her $50K; as though she was entitled to their money because they’re family. I get her wanting to move forward and providing for her kids but I wanted to smack some sense into her. She’s lucky PJ bought the house and converted one of the rooms into a mini salon.

Was that bottle of lubricant called ‘bum rush’? LOL

I enjoyed it overall, though I think a lot of topics were covered in this 2 hour movie. It seemed rushed at times. E.g. we skipped over most of MJs pregnancy. It might’ve been nice to see how it affected her at work or how she dealt with the stigma of being another single black mother—something she always preached about to Niecy. Then again, all of these characters were so insufferable, I couldn’t imagine spending much more time with them. 

I hope Niecy finally gets a clue. “I don’t have 2 years. I have two kids!” Girl, nobody told you to lay down and spread your legs. I did like the morning after scene with her mentor/possible boyfriend when she had to sneak him out of the house. 

2 hours ago, catrice2 said:

Did they say what the brothers were doing for a living now? 

Unpopular opinion...I was hoping the dad did not reconcile with the mother. I disliked her character. 

I have never understood why I don't think Michael Ealy is as attractive as other people do.  He is o.k, but nothing special to me.  Now I do find him more attractive out of character...

I don’t know what the brothers are doing now. Didn’t know Patrick was living back at his dad’s. PJ has always been a good business man, and now he’s doing some kind of business that has him flying to Dubai. Glad he’s not selling drugs anymore. I can’t remember how the storyline resolved with the one woman who gave him a Rolex but also tried to seduce him. Wasn’t she trying to jump-start his career somehow? 

Also never liked Shug. Whatever happened to her Lupus? Remember during the first season when she was always conveniently having attacks when she needed attention? 

I never warmed up to Justin. Maybe it’s because of the way he treated MJ when he first got to the station and for a long time afterwards. But I always found him slimy and untrustworthy. But he did get me when he sang to the baby (Albert! Ugh. She should have named him Chase). So I was okay with them getting married at the end. Although it would have been interesting to have David come back into her life and declare his love for her instead of Beau. Now that would have been some choice for her to make. 

And I agree that Michael Ealy is attractive but never did anything for me. He does seem to play sleepy, douchebag characters a lot. The most sincere and likeable character I’ve ever seen him play was Ricky in Barbershop. 

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Ohwell

Ohwell

44 minutes ago, topanga said:

Although it would have been interesting to have David come back into her life and declare his love for her instead of Beau. Now that would have been some choice for her to make. 

Oh lawd.  Not David!  It would have been fun to see all the drama though.

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topanga

topanga

9 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Oh lawd.  Not David!  It would have been fun to see all the drama though.

I find Stephen Bishop simply adorable, so that one was for me. LOL. 

I had some free time last night and kept thinking about all of the characters we've met over the course this series, trying to identify which ones I really liked. It was a tough exercise (see below). Overall, I appreciate that Being Mary Jane focused on a flawed, ambitious, multi-dimensional black woman. But I suppose I didn't see a lot of learning or growth from her or most of the female characters--the men were given better character arcs in that regard. Mary Jane, in particular, kept making the same dumb mistakes over and over. Until she got her fairy tale ending. Black women certainly deserve a happy ending in TV and movies--we rarely get one.  But I don't feel MJ necessarily earned it. 

So here is my character chart. I'd love to hear your thoughts: 

Characters I almost always liked: 

  • Paul, Sr.
  • PJ
  • Orlando
  • MJ's Atlanta friend Nichelle
  • Patrick's younger daughter D'Asia

Characters I found interesting or mostly likable but wanted to shake the sh*t out of--a lot: 

  • Mary Jane
  • Kara
  • Lisa (RIP)
  • Patrick
  • David

Characters I found annoying or unlikable and wanted to shake the sh*t out of. But they were fairly well-developed and could articulate why they were the way they were:

  • Niecy
  • Justin
  • Ronda Sales (Valarie Pettiford)

Characters I did not like and hated to see show up on my TV screen:

  • Mama Shug
  • Kara's ex-husband
  • Married man Omari Hardwick
  • CeCe (Loretta Devine)

Characters I didn't really care about or made me think, "Why are you here?"

  • Beau
  • Sheldon (Gary Dourdan)
  • most of Mary Jane's men
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Ohwell

Ohwell

I agree that Beau/Morris Chestnut wasn't necessary.  I think the episode would have been much more interesting if David had turned up divorced and trying to win MJ back.  I would have wanted to see her choose between David and Justin.

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topanga

topanga

@woodstock, Trust me, I had to look up some of those names.

Here's a woodstock quote from last season: 

Quote

My biggest problem with MJ was magnified tonight. She gets all up in her feelings about something - Justin leaving - then makes an emotional, impulsive decision - embryo implantation - without giving herself time to calm down, process or think through the ramifications.

Yes, I do think she made an impulsive decision that changed her entire life because she was mad at Justin.

However, I also liked that in the movie, when Justin tried to get upset at Mary Jane for not waiting on him, she called him on it.  She wasn't supposed to sit around pining after him when he stated explicitly that he was leaving. 

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topanga

topanga

3 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I agree that Beau/Morris Chestnut wasn't necessary.  I think the episode would have been much more interesting if David had turned up divorced and trying to win MJ back.  I would have wanted to see her choose between David and Justin.

This. Because we knew how much she loved David. Enough to steal and freeze his semen because she wanted his babies. Enough to show up drunk at his dinner party and make a fool of herself.

I don't think she ever felt that way about Beau. 

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PrincessPurrsALot

PrincessPurrsALot

I agree; we never saw that she was really in love with Beau.  To some extent I guess I should be happy they didn't go with the trope of the guy who always wanted you that you don't want is the one who is right for you in the long run. I just never liked Justin.  MJ never showed growth. Justin is just as reactive as she is.  In reality, they would be a terrible couple that would make each other miserable since any little thing could blow up the relationship.  

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topanga

topanga

1 minute ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

I agree; we never saw that she was really in love with Beau.  To some extent I guess I should be happy they didn't go with the trope of the guy who always wanted you that you don't want is the one who is right for you in the long run. I just never liked Justin.  MJ never showed growth. Justin is just as reactive as she is.  In reality, they would be a terrible couple that would make each other miserable since any little thing could blow up the relationship.  

So do you think they'll stay together? If not, how long do you give them?

Even as I type this, I'm kicking myself. Why can't I bet on black love?

But, no. I root for black love: Randall and Beth, Simone and Bryson (Boomerang), uhh... Martin and Gina. I just don't think Justin and Mary are necessarily right for each other. They're both very self-centered and self-righteous. Let's hope they learn to yield to one another's feelings. Or at least consider each other's feelings and desires. 

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