The Other Two - General Discussion

[atlantaloves]

Well that was pretty funny with the insta-gays, however I could have done without all the humping and grinding the brother and sister got into with their fake boyfriends.

[Rinaldo]

The Insta-gay portion of this episode was fun (I recommend the after-show for this episode, which had two of those actors on, and discussed what they were getting at). But I couldn't figure out the acting class bit, with Cary pretending to have sex with his fellow waiter, while the teacher critiqued them for not showing enough "shame" as an essential part of being gay. I can see it if this were set in the 1950s when that was the standard attitude (though no kind of sex would have been depicted so explicitly). But now, with any such class containing some out gay men (as both these guys are) and it being customary in such circles to announce solidarity with LGBTQ causes (even if it's only token, as in the audition situations Cary goes through)... what was this about? I know the creators have talked about how it's possible/common, even after being out to one's family and friends, to still not be at ease with oneself; and I don't disagree. But I can't see how it applies in this scenario. It's the first time I really haven't understood what the series was getting at.

[atlantaloves]

Rin: Exactly, me either....I don't know what they are trying to do here? Some of this show is so so so funny, and then, blaughhhhhh. 

[Sarah 103]

Brooke is great at helping her younger brothers advance thier careers, but also not letting the career take over their life. Her idea for Cary to use the Instagays to further his career and increase his followers was good, sound advice. She was also willing to let him know when she thought he was taking it too far. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The other show:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Facing the wrath of the instagays:

[peachmangosteen]

That episode was the first one that was bad imo. And it was bad. I was disappointed. I hope the rest of the eps aren't like this one.

Also, one of my pet peeves is people thinking you should hold your head back when you have a nosebleed, so I was annoyed with Brooke lol.

[Ms Blue Jay]

The after the show thing ruined the actual episode for me.  They just seem so empty and obnoxious.  But the episode was good.  It reminds me of Difficult People, in that I really like Billy Eichner and Cary, but I really despise Julie Klausner and just think Brooke is whatever.  And I don't think it's a gender thing, as I enjoy a lot of shows that just have women on them.

I was impressed to find out that the actor who plays Brooke is also Rose's gf/wife on The Good Fight, because she's so different there, but I just don't like Brooke or care about her.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Irlandesa]

On 3/8/2019 at 5:02 PM, Rinaldo said:

The Insta-gay portion of this episode was fun (I recommend the after-show for this episode, which had two of those actors on, and discussed what they were getting at). But I couldn't figure out the acting class bit, with Cary pretending to have sex with his fellow waiter, while the teacher critiqued them for not showing enough "shame" as an essential part of being gay. I can see it if this were set in the 1950s when that was the standard attitude (though no kind of sex would have been depicted so explicitly). But now, with any such class containing some out gay men (as both these guys are) and it being customary in such circles to announce solidarity with LGBTQ causes (even if it's only token, as in the audition situations Cary goes through)... what was this about?

It was about the teacher and her retrograde ideas of what portraying an "authentic" gay sexual experience must be like. When she said that comment, I took it as an allusion to the reported issues with CBS's diversity showcase which was meant to give opportunities to underrepresented groups in the entertainment industry but often ended up encouraging/reinforcing stereotypes.

Edited March 10, 2019 by Irlandesa

[ElectricBoogaloo]

My favorite thing about the after show was everyone talking about their old usernames and why they chose them. It’s so high school to pick one thing that’s huge in your life RIGHT NOW and end up with a lame username. I loved that both of the Instagay actors were in West Side Story and ended up using their characters’ names because that it totally the kind of thing that kids do!

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

It was about the teacher and her retrograde ideas of what portraying an "authentic" gay sexual experience must be like. When she said that comment, I took it as an allusion to the reported issues with CBS's diversity showcase which was meant to give opportunities to underrepresented groups in the entertainment industry but often ended up encouraging/reinforcing stereotypes.

Well, maybe. That makes more sense than anything else I've come up with. Which is still not much sense, though. A hole-in-the-wall acting class somewhere in NYC is a radically different environment from a TV network corporate showcase.

[Irlandesa]

59 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

Well, maybe. That makes more sense than anything else I've come up with. Which is still not much sense, though. A hole-in-the-wall acting class somewhere in NYC is a radically different environment from a TV network corporate showcase.

Well yeah.  Sure.  But that doesn't mean that the person running it is any more enlightened.  I think the point, or joke, goes no further than she's presumably straight womansplaining the gay experience without a clue about that experience.  A false "wokeness."

[possibilities]

Believe me, plenty of people think anything that doesn't fit a trope or stereotype is "inauthentic". I found the director's instructions to be terrible but not surprising. And the way the guys just went along with it to keep the job was also totally realistic. You sometimes shrug it off because you can't be fighting all the time.

[tennisgurl]

"You should call the police." "He called my brother mean names on the internet!"

"I cant call the police for that."

"Then he screen shot them and posted them again."

"I`ll call the police."

Yeah the Instagays were fun, but the Brooke plot was kind of lame, except for a few lines and bits.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E8: Chase Turns Fourteen

Quote

Streeter throws Chase a 14th birthday party at a wildly inappropriate club; Brooke and Cary each reconnect with a guy from their past; Pat takes molly with a girl named Mona.

Original air date: 3/14/19

[Irlandesa]

On 3/10/2019 at 4:07 AM, possibilities said:

Believe me, plenty of people think anything that doesn't fit a trope or stereotype is "inauthentic". I found the director's instructions to be terrible but not surprising. And the way the guys just went along with it to keep the job was also totally realistic. You sometimes shrug it off because you can't be fighting all the time.

And there was one little thing I saw on rewatch that actually made the direction not 100% terrible in that Cary's character says something about still loving his wife/not wanting to leave his wife.  So shame in the fact that he's cheating isn't totally terrible.  But saying shame is associated with gay sex is.

Goodness Cary was such a tool in this episode.  He deserved to lose his hot potential boyfriend but I'm going to miss hot potential boyfriend.  I loved the little nod to Call Me By Your Name in the credits.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Oh, Cary. Jeremy was such a nice guy and you totally blew it. I was actually surprised that Jeremy stuck around as long as he did. I was ready for him to leave after the multiple "Watch What Happens Now" references.

Lance seemed less flaky than he did in the pilot. I totally agreed with what they said during the after show about how your exes sometimes become part of your family.

I know people like to talk about how your childhood friends know you in a way that your newer friends who you meet after college don't know you, but I think that's true of relationships from different parts of your life. I could definitely relate to what they said about having a connection with an ex who knew your parent because you have those shared memories of someone you loved who is now gone.

I also really related to what Helene said about having a connection with someone who was with you when you were going through that (the death, the mourning). My high school boyfriend's dad died unexpectedly when we were in still in high school. We have stayed in touch and are still friendly but we obviously aren't as close as we were back then. But being there for him when his dad died is something that will always connect us. I mean, I wish it hadn't happened because it was a really tough time for him, but that bond is still there.

I like that in the first episode, Brooke seemed really irresponsible but since she has become Chase's assistant, she has really stepped up and is the most responsible adult in the family. I get that their mom is obviously still dealing with her husband's death, but I hate that her Year of Yes is causing her to neglect the kid who needs her the most. Chase NEEDS an adult who has his best interests at heart so that he won't be taken advantage of and his mom is not really fulfilling that role.

Edited March 15, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[jcin617]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I totally agreed with what they said during the after show about how your exes sometimes become part of your family.

Totally.   Some of my closest friends are exes.  You can come to love someone but also realize you aren't in love with each other and never will be.    Life's like that.

[gesundheit]

Damn, that was my favorite episode thus far. I never thought The Other Two would get me choked up, but that was such a great balance of comedy and tragedy. (Molly Shannon was especially hysterical.)

[Rinaldo]

Speaking of the after show... I'm delighted they had Josh Segarra on this time, because he's just the coolest. It's no surprise that he landed the main-guy role in the Electric Company reboot a decade ago, practically straight out of college. Off and on Broadway, he's done primarily musicals. On TV, while he had recurring parts on Chicago PD and Arrow, he especially excels at playing a lovable doofus, as on the two-season sitcom Sirens (seriously, if you've never seen it, give it a look) and here on The Other Two. They rightly mentioned on this segment how he can take what might be a one-dimensional character like that and fill it with warmth as well as humor.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

What I loved about Lance showing up to the party is that he clearly was not there to win Beooke back but because he loves Chase and wanted to be there for his birthday. The way he told Brooke “OF COURSE I came!” was the same way any uncle/older cousin would say he didn’t want to miss a younger family member’s birthday, which I found very sweet, as was the way he immediately stepped in to help get Chase home without any hesitation. 

It reminded me of the part in High Fidelity where Rob talks about how sad it is after a breakup when you realize you’ll probably never see your ex’s family again, despite the fact that you have spent Christmas morning in your pajamas with these people. Just because you and your ex stop being in a romantic relationship doesn’t mean that  you stop loving their family and friends, but in many situations you lose all of those relationships because their primary loyalty is to your ex. It was nice to see that Lance is still around. Their mom clearly still loves Lance. Every time he shows up, she is happy to see him.

[Ms Blue Jay]

LANCE IS THE SWEETEST

21 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

  I loved the little nod to Call Me By Your Name in the credits.

I kind of wish they didn't spell it out.  Anyone who has seen the movie would understand that reference.  It was so funny.

[Rinaldo]

But for those of us who haven't seen the movie, like me, it was helpful.

[Ms Blue Jay]

When I was growing up, Wayne's World 2 parodied The Graduate, and I didn't understand that it was a parody of that, yet I still loved WW2 with all of my heart.  If the actors stopped in the middle of the parody and said "This is a parody of The Graduate" I would find that incredibly corny.  In my opinion, it would be better if it wasn't pointed out.  

[Corgi-ears]

I would normally agree that a reference is usually funnier when it's not called out, except that the way it was called out here made the scene even more hilarious for me: Brooke saying, "Give him a minute, he's doing Call Me by Your Name." It moved it beyond being a reference, to being a joke about how Cary was being a drama queen, too enamoured -- much as he had been all through the episode -- of the idea that his life is showbiz.

[Fiftyninth]

The Call Me by Your Name bit just blew my mind, because it was so damn rando. 

[Rinaldo]

I would also tentatively suggest (without trying to change anyone's mind) that Call Me By Your Name has not (yet?) achieved the central cultural position that something like The Graduate (or Ferris Bueller, to give another example) has and retains. There are still a fair number of people who haven't seen it; but I do recognize that for those who have seen something, the fun of a reference is spoiled if it's named aloud. This time I fell on the other side of the divide, but I've been the other person in my time.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The Other Show:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Being famous vs being fame-adjacent

[springbarb]

Plus, by them calling it out by name, you also got Molly Shannon saying she hadn't seen it, with the addition that Cary sat watching the mom and Brooke watch it.

[Sarah 103]

When the series started, I never would have expected Cary to get sucked into the celebrity lifestyle and the idea of fame. I'm equally surprised that Brooke has turned out to be the mature, responsible one who is somehow immune to the idea of fame and celebrity. 

As bad it was watching Cary totally ruin his chances with Jeremy, what was even worse was that Cary lacked the self awareness to realize what a major idiot he was coming across as. 

I want a flashback of Cary and Brooke as kids before Chase was born, as in a scene with just the two of them talking to each other. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E9: Chase Drops His First Album

Quote

Chase throws an album release party on a plane, and a devastating family secret is accidentally exposed on the live stream.

Original air date: 3/21/19

[tennisgurl]

 Josh Segarra is so great, so happy to see him here, and Lance was such a sweetheart! I really do think he just wanted to come see Chase for his birthday, and he was so good with him, especially when he was drunk and sick. Chase might not realize it right now, but he really is super lucky to have Brooke around looking out for him, when so many people are looking to make money off him and treat him like an adult or a meal ticket. His mom clearly is too busy soaking up the celebrity lifestyle to really do much mom stuff right now. Its funny, all of this has seemingly really allowed Brooke to step it up.

It looks like in that flashback that she might have always been a bit of a stage mom, even to Carey and Brooke when they were kids. Carey blowing his chance with Jeremy was so hard to watch, he was such a tool this episode! But he seemed to realize at the end that he messed up, so maybe he can call him back and give it another shot. Him starring into the fire tearing up was actually really sad. Really, its amazing to me that Jeremy stuck around as long as he did. 

Carey: "Is it weird that we came out here to watch this?"

Bouncer: "Yes"

Edited March 20, 2019 by tennisgurl

[gesundheit]

And once again, The Other Two absolutely nails the comedy/drama balance. And really, anytime there's a piglet things are just better to watch.

[tennisgurl]

As bad as the Jeremy mess was, at least it seemed to give Carey a much needed wake up call. That hair really was awful, thank God he at least took it down several levels. 

That took a seriously dark turn. I feel bad for their mom, as she is clearly still messed up and grieving over her husbands death, but she isnt doing much in the way of parenting lately, and her telling Chase about his dad like that was next level cringy. At least its out in the open, damn. What a way to go, I guess I can get why they put off telling him the truth. Dont really approve, but I get it.

That piglet was adorable, even if it attacks sometimes in unimaginable ways.

[Sarah 103]

Now that Carey has come to his senses, I really hope Jeremy gives him another chance and that Carey doesn't blow it. Brooke continues to be fantastic at her job. 

[Irlandesa]

On 3/19/2019 at 2:45 PM, Sarah 103 said:

When the series started, I never would have expected Cary to get sucked into the celebrity lifestyle and the idea of fame. I'm equally surprised that Brooke has turned out to be the mature, responsible one who is somehow immune to the idea of fame and celebrity. 

I was really impressed with how they did it.  I didn't even see it happening that much considering his aspirations.  It wasn't until the previous episode where we saw Cary through Jeremy's eyes that it became so obvious.

I'm glad we finally learned what killed the dad. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The other show:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

All the important people are sharing secrets in the bathroom:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This episode was sweet and funny. I'm glad we finally found out how the dad died. And damn if Streeter isn't smarter than he seems! He has come off as kind of a dumbass (I mean, the swag at the dance was undeniably terrible), but making up that story about his dad to save the day was pretty genius. Poor Chase though. It must have been terrible for him to find out like that.

The therapy pig was adorable and Brooke's flight attendant hook up provided some levity in the midst of the family drama.

I liked that Molly Shannon got to show her acting chops with her breakdown. As much as I felt for her character, my main concern is for Chase. He is a child who is suddenly a celebrity. He needs his mother now more than ever. I understand her wanting to find some happiness but her number one priority should be Chase. She needs to make sure that he is happy, getting enough rest, not being taken advantage of, etc.

On the after show, I loved the actors' reactions to finding out that all the kid actors on the plane were twins.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 3/16/2019 at 5:00 PM, Rinaldo said:

I would also tentatively suggest (without trying to change anyone's mind) that Call Me By Your Name has not (yet?) achieved the central cultural position that something like The Graduate (or Ferris Bueller, to give another example) has and retains. There are still a fair number of people who haven't seen it; but I do recognize that for those who have seen something, the fun of a reference is spoiled if it's named aloud. This time I fell on the other side of the divide, but I've been the other person in my time.

I kind of knew that somebody would say this.  I understand that CMBYN is not yet on the level of "The Graduate" - obviously.  But it is a gay movie that was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars - rightfully - and that's a huge deal, and "The Other Two" obviously has a main character who is gay.  CMBYN was definitely one of the best, if not the best film of 2017 for me, and Timothee Chalamet was definitely Best Actor.  So yes, I completely understand a 2 year old movie is not on the level of the "The Graduate", 26 years old at the time of "Wayne's World 2" and likely most definitely thought of as a classic at the time (I was a child) but CMBYN is a breathtaking, beautiful work of art and maybe one day it will be thought of as a modern classic.

If you haven't seen the movie and you appreciate quality film, I'd personally recommend it. 

Edited March 23, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[atlantaloves]

Somebody tell me, what killed the Dad. I missed it somehow. Thanks.

[scrambled eggs]

1 hour ago, atlantaloves said:

Somebody tell me, what killed the Dad. I missed it somehow. Thanks.

He froze to death on the roof of their house because he was told not to drink in front of Chase, so he drank on the roof and blacked out and was found the next morning. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E10: Chase Performs at the VMAs

Quote

Chase performs live for the first time ever, and Brooke and Cary get life-changing news.

Original air date: 3/28/19

[peachmangosteen]

How many eps are there in total?

[jcin617]

I believe this is the season finale.

[Fake Jan Brady]

Wow, they really stuck the landing; what a great season finale and a brilliant tease for season two. 

Of course, I'm devastated we'll never get to see Untitled Brothers Switching Bodies But Not In A Sex Way Project.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This show always cracks me up, from Anna Kendrick (who, for the record, is 33) playing Chase and Cary's mom to Pat saying, "My son is a good singer! He just doesn't have an ear for music! So what?"

I loved that Brooke and Streeter were both trying really hard to do what was best for Chase, even though they were taking opposite approaches.

Streeter Peters is not quite as funny as Julia Guglia from The Wedding Singer.

I'm okay with Chase not wanting to sing anymore, but he's 14. Going to college at that age is not a great idea. I know he got his GED but I wish he could just go back to high school.

Pat and Streeter - OMG!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The Other Show:

[Rinaldo]

"The Other Two" touched on a couple of the points that I noticed (and enjoyed) in the finale:

1, that though it's been established throughout that Chase's family loves and supports him, they all do kind of depend on his popularity now for their own professional survival. So what happens if that's tested? We'll see (as they said).

2, that although Chase didn't sing well in his live appearance, it was within believable bounds. I mean, people have performed that badly on TV and it didn't matter in the long run -- their careers survived with barely a blip. Good choice.