The Other Two - General Discussion

[John M]

On 5/9/2023 at 8:28 AM, jsm1125 said:

I assume Pat isn’t just allowed to say “no, I don’t want 4923 people acting as my security team?” That sounds so suffocating 

They mentioned at one point "contractually obligated", which is something that very much can be the case, especially as a lot of the value of P! is her association, the investors/partners in the network could in fact require a security detail for investment and/or insurance reasons.

It's actually not uncommon for corporate boards to put security requirements in for top executives that if a security incident occurred with them it could potentially harm the company financially (i.e. hurt the stock price).

[Harvey]

The scene where Shuli spilled wine on Brooke was really cool 😆. What an interesting concept for her plotline.

Not sure where they are going with this budding conflict between Curtis and Carey

[peachmangosteen]

The bit with Cary and Curtis watching Dylan O'Brien shower without his knowledge made me uncomfortable. 

Everything at the party was gold. 

[Irlandesa]

I loved what has to be a shout out to Ghosts with everyone not in the industry being invisible to those in the industry unless they have juicy goss and Brooke getting walked through.  I always wondered if they'd give a little nod to Brandon Scott Jones's other role.  I thought they might do it with him getting Ghosts but they're doing a separate Paramount+ show.

"It's at Ellen's house but she won't be there so it'll be fun" repeatedly said. 

I wanted a joke that Carey's "method" boyfriend was in a holiday movie for Hallmark so of course there would be no sex. 

I was worried that Carey would get egotistical and that would lead to the split--and while that's kind of the case, it's not playing out the way I anticipated.  It's not that he's abandoning his friend, it's that he's using his internal homophobia to diminish him.  Smartly done, show.

[Sarah 103]

Brooke's storyline bothered me. Looking out for her younger brother and keeping in mind what's best for him as person, not just a brand/celebrity is important and valuable. I think it's a shame the show diminished that and did not see that as worthwhile. It's not saving the world, but it's not meaningless either. 

[AngieBee1]

This episode was firing on all cylinders! I think a lot of people talking about "industry films" or "industry TV series" but this really is. It has its fingers on the pulse of what it going on in the industry. Cary and his self-tape issue being the latest big issue. Many actors want a return to in-person auditioning because there can be costs associated with self-tape, and the concern is that you never know if the casting director has even watched your tape after going through all of the trouble to make it. That could have been Cary's storyline all together, but I'm glad they broadened it out with Curtis/Cary storyline.

 Cary and Brooke are so self-destructive. Cary felt he had to diminish Curtis' achievement just because he felt bad. Isn't it a big enough win to watch Dylan O'Brien shower and urinate?! What more does he want?

I want Lucas to score a new role every other episode. It's a brilliant concept that he's so method he lives these roles. A sexless Hallmark movie role is genius!

I love how even more wacky the show is getting. The entire Brooke and plebians as ghost storyline was a riot. 

[txhorns79]

On 5/13/2023 at 12:33 AM, AngieBee1 said:

The entire Brooke and plebians as ghost storyline was a riot. 

I liked it right up until the end when Shuli lectured her.  I thought the show was trying to have it both ways, but it doesn't work.  You can't have an ongoing joke that people in the industry are so vapid that they can't even see non-industry people, while simultaneously arguing that people doing those jobs are very proud of them and how dare Brooke not take it seriously.  It just undermined the joke for me. 

 

On 5/13/2023 at 12:33 AM, AngieBee1 said:

I want Lucas to score a new role every other episode. It's a brilliant concept that he's so method he lives these roles. A sexless Hallmark movie role is genius!

I love it because it's ridiculous, yet it makes complete sense for this show. 

[tennisgurl]

Brooke becoming literally invisible at the industry party was hilarious, I am totally fine with how weird this show has gotten. I think that she needs more of an idea of what she wants to do that she finds more meaningful, she's being pulled back to her own job at least partially because she doesn't have any other ideas about what to do with her life. Its too bad she cant find more meaning in her work, helping Chase might not be curing cancer, but there is certainly meaning in it.

I knew as soon as Carey's boyfriend mentioned a Christmas festival that he had just signed up for a sexless Hallmark Christmas movie, I hope that he just keeps on taking new roles that require him to become a new person in every episode. 

Its sad that Carey and Curtis are having their inevitable issues, but I like how they went with it. Its not just that Carey is forgetting his friends now that he's becoming famous, his insecurities about Curtis doing better than him, plus some internalized homophobia, cased the problem. 

Carey and Curtis watching Dylan O'Brian shower was very cringe. 

[John M]

On 5/12/2023 at 11:33 PM, AngieBee1 said:

This episode was firing on all cylinders! I think a lot of people talking about "industry films" or "industry TV series" but this really is.

Also, nailing the "do gooder" industry, I work in a professional position in a field of, well, think providing housing to refugee widowed mothers with special needs children and while I do feel personally fulfilled by the position, dear lord the baggage that comes with it outside of the job socially.

Like, seriously, they do pay me to do it, I'm a professional with health insurance, retirement matching, an office and drive a nice car, I'm not a martyr judging your job.

Edited May 16, 2023 by John M

[Harvey]

This episode didn't hit the height of the previous 3. It was too repetitive with Brooke's messy friend acting crazy and Cary's Co-workers being so unimaginative.

Also, is Brooke really going to be upset because Lance said her job is dumb sometimes? This is just like last week's episode where a character just repeats the self-deprecating statement that another made and then suddenly it becomes something to be offended over.

I did like Streeter and Pat's last scene together.

[AngieBee1]

I was hoping Streeter was on to Pat, but I guess I'm giving him too much credit.


I love whenever Jimmy Fowlie turns up as Cameron. Brooke would do well to be friends with him because Cameron flits from one thing to another without a care (or a thought in his head). It's hilarious.


But what really had me rolling with laugher was Cary in his "Pleasantville" storyline. One of the great things about this series is that it doesn't treat actors as virtuous and always right in chasing their artistic vision. Cary and his acting choices were to a detriment to the production (loved the director being diplomatic in his pushback). I cringed and laughed in equal measure each time he made his own choices. When he flung the papers in the air I screamed with laughter. Dana Delaney's Emily said "Go be a nightmare, Cary" and man took it to heart.

[GiveMeSpace]

I have hbo max and it shows only the first two episodes of season 3. Is anyone else having this issue?

[txhorns79]

On 5/18/2023 at 1:35 PM, AngieBee1 said:

When he flung the papers in the air I screamed with laughter. Dana Delaney's Emily said "Go be a nightmare, Cary" and man took it to heart.

Dana Delaney did seem to be having real fun with her part.  I also liked that Cary's version of Pleasantville is to turn a guest spot on a procedural into a nightmare for the people who make it. 

[tennisgurl]

Dana Delaney as Emily Overruled was clearly having an amazing time setting the tone. Cary's one off guest starring role on a boring legal show turning into a Pleasantville riff was so hilariously bizarre, specially Cary putting grey makeup on Dana Delaney. Again, all of this is for a one note minor guest character in a cheap legal drama, which made the whole thing even funnier. I cringed and laughed every time Cary did some new super extra thing to try and leave more of an impression while the director looked baffled. 

Brooke's plot was less fun, even with the walking chaos that is Cameron. It felt repetitive and its making Brooke seem pretty unlikable. I hope that she doesn't spiral with Lance saying that her old job was a little lame, she already almost tanked their relationship for no reason one this season.

Cary's boyfriend is still making his Hallmark movie I see. "Isn't he hot? Its like 90 degrees."

[AngieBee1]

I read an interview with the showrunners and they pointed out something I didn't consider: each season the twins have to have a  conflict. The first season it was generally pointed outward as they were trying to get their foot in the biz. Series 2 they were in competition with Chase and Pat. This time it's Curtis and Lance.

[Sarah 103]

I liked the Pleasantville storyline. I wish the Pleasantville bit had played out for multiple episodes, because then it could have been truerer to the movie. Cary would turn color when he realized that not every part has to be this grand fulfilling experience and that not all acting jobs are about the craft. Sometimes you take a job for a paycheck. There are plenty of actors who are "one for art, one for money." 

I'm still mad at what they are doing with Brooke and her story arc. 

[Harvey]

Oh wow, episode 5 was intense. First of all, the people sleeping and being on their laptops in the theater was hilarious, and so was the usher who kept gently shaming people into acting tolerant of people with HIV.

The conversation between Lance and Brooke was really good, Lance made a lot of points about how he deserves someone who is more interested in him and shows up more for him. And of course I know, Brooke expected him to fight for her when she suggested that they don't stay together but instead he agreed and that just made her more upset, but she really does expect Lance to show up for her in big ways while she doesn't do the same for him.

As for Carey...I felt so bad for him in the final scenes when he was begging his boyfriend to please come out of character for just 1 night, and it was ncie to see that for one moment, he succeeded. But he is just trying so hard and putting up with a lot from him. That break-up wouId have been very justified but I guess he will stay with him because of his Tony nomination.

[peachmangosteen]

I am really liking this season but Brooke and Cary are just so, so awful. I guess they always were and that's the point but it felt like it was easier to handle in the other seasons lol.

[aghst]

Show is now on 4K for people with the right subscription tier.

The higher resolution really shows the age of the cast.

[Sarah 103]

I'm glad Lance and Brooke had that fight. She's being awful to him. She should have been honest with him about her feelings. He probably would have been able to help her work through it. Based on the argument, she does not deserve him. She needs to do some serious soul searching and work through some stuff before she is in any romantic relationship whether it's with Lance or someone else. 

Seeing the room Streeter created for Cary, I now kind of want to see what he created for Brooke.

Cary is staying with his boyfriend because he thinks it will help him with his career. Cary will be able to go to premiers and events, which he thinks might help him get auditions or maybe even acting jobs. 

Love the 1990s Romeo+Juliet shoutouts/homages/references in the episode. 

[AngieBee1]

Quote

Oh wow, episode 5 was intense. First of all, the people sleeping and being on their laptops in the theater was hilarious, and so was the usher who kept gently shaming people into acting tolerant of people with HIV.

I don't know whose idea it was to make the show go full on zany, but I salute them. People with blankets, Lance with a nightstand and lamp, people being guilted into coming to a multi-night play? Brilliant.

 

Quote

The conversation between Lance and Brooke was really good, Lance made a lot of points about how he deserves someone who is more interested in him and shows up more for him. And of course I know, Brooke expected him to fight for her when she suggested that they don't stay together but instead he agreed and that just made her more upset, but she really does expect Lance to show up for her in big ways while she doesn't do the same for him.

I am glad they let that scene go along with minimal humour - and even then the "joke" of Brooke blaming Lance for not stopping her from quitting her job wasn't a joke - she really wants to assign blame to him for the choice she made.


I read an interview with Josh Segarra who plays Lance and he says like Lance when he loves, he loves hard so that scene actually brought tears to my eyes because the only thing Lance is asking for is for her to consider him. That's it. He just wants to be supported the way he supports EVERYONE. Because he doesn't just big up Brooke, he fiercely loves and supports Cary and Chase as well. It would be so easy to let Lance just be the himbo but he has grown and for him to say that Brooke knows he would always come back, yet he makes the decision to end it takes real strength.

And while I feel no sympathy for Brooke, I'm glad her argument with Lance wasn't something she easily shrugged off. And that led to such a great moment for Skeeter to be able to be a father figure.

 

Quote

but I guess he will stay with him because of his Tony nomination.

Cary is such a famewhore. The woman at the film set was right when she asked him what would come next after he and Lucas actually has sex (Cary running down the street with a large bottle of lube was too funny). He doesn't know him at all. I have a feeling when Lucas does allow himself to emerge he won't be someone Cary likes. I loved the smirk he gave when Cary asked him about the Tony nomination. I think he's very fame driven himself.


The Cary and Brooke & Lance stuff was so great that I almost forgot all about Chase and Pam Snot and the allusions to Romeo + Juliet. And other than the jacket with the two long sleeves, Chase play fits were fantastic.

[txhorns79]

2 hours ago, AngieBee1 said:

And while I feel no sympathy for Brooke, I'm glad her argument with Lance wasn't something she easily shrugged off.

It's good she seems to realize what she has lost.  Lance really does deserve much better than Brooke.

I also spit up the water I was drinking when the boyfriend's agent described the movie role to Cary as "a happy out porn star who loves to take loads."    

[raeb23]

On 5/26/2023 at 1:39 PM, AngieBee1 said:

I don't know whose idea it was to make the show go full on zany, but I salute them. People with blankets, Lance with a nightstand and lamp, people being guilted into coming to a multi-night play? Brilliant.

Agreed. I think the zaniness works for this show partly because the Dubeks have always been OTT. I loved the sight gags at the theatre.

Cary's bf is incredibly frustrating...I was really rooting for them to break up. But Cary's too insecure about his career to pass up a chance to be seen with a Tony nominated actor. 

I was happy Lance stood up for himself, he deserves better. Brooke needs some time alone to work through her issues but I do think there's still hope for their relationship.

[jsm1125]

It’s interesting. I feel like the character of Cary is supposed to be more sympathetic than the character of Brooke, but all I’m gleaming is that there’s at least a sliver of self-awareness in Brooke. But I think Cary is almost entirely delusional. Having said that, Helene and Drew are both quite charismatic, so I’m still intrigued by both of their characters.

[Sarah 103]

14 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

It’s interesting. I feel like the character of Cary is supposed to be more sympathetic than the character of Brooke, but all I’m gleaming is that there’s at least a sliver of self-awareness in Brooke.

Can you explain what you meant when you wrote "a sliver of self-awareness in Brooke?" I'm not sure I understand what you mean. 

[jsm1125]

4 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

Can you explain what you meant when you wrote "a sliver of self-awareness in Brooke?" I'm not sure I understand what you mean. 

Brooke seems to at least have some realization that she’s shallow, clout-chasing and kind of awful. I’m not sure Cary has any inkling he’s similar to Brooke.

[tennisgurl]

I never know what random movie is going to get referenced on this show, I loved the whole Romeo+Juliet sendup with Chase and a normal girl he likes. Chase has really hit his later teen years and I'm glad he's standing up for himself more. As everyone keeps creepily pointing out, he's an adult now and can start making his own choices. 

That woman at the film set really nailed it when she asked why Carey was dating a guy who he doesn't even know who he can never even be with because he's constantly in character. They really need to break up but Carey wont lose the chance to date a Tony nominee, he's so desperate for any kind of fame even if that fame is just being near an actually famous person. Maybe he really does need a brain doctor? 

Lance really hit the nail on the head with that fight with Brooke, she's not talking to him about what's bothering her, she's making everything about herself, and she's just not treating Lance well. He really does deserve better, he's showing up for Brooke over and over while she clearly resents him due to her own issues, she needs to get her shit together before she can be with anyone right now. 

The play lasting several days and no one being allowed to leave without looking bad was amazing, I am so down with this show getting weirder and weirder. 

[blixie]

OMG I just watched the Pleasantville ep and I laughed so hard when he said actors make the best directors and Delaney was like but what if I don't know anything about it or if I don't even want to? LOLOLOL. 

Quote

I’m not sure Cary has any inkling he’s similar to Brooke.

Yeah I think this is contrasted with Brooke/Lance and Cary/Curtis, Brooke does seem aware Lance is too good for her and not because he's a nurse but because he's a loving supportive scorching hot man. Cary never clues in to how rude he is to Curtis. I think he's a lot like Michael Bluth, he's supposed to come off as slightly straight man to Helen's Brooke, but in actuality he's the worst of the bunch. 

[Sarah 103]

On 5/30/2023 at 11:20 AM, tennisgurl said:

They really need to break up but Carey wont lose the chance to date a Tony nominee, he's so desperate for any kind of fame even if that fame is just being near an actually famous person.

I see Carey's situation a little differently. It isn't that Carey wants to date someone famous for the sake of dating someone famous and being near that world. I think Carey really believes he's one premiere or other big industry event from making the right connection and getting noticed by the right person to really take his career to the next level and get the kind of roles he thinks he deserves. 

[peachmangosteen]

Oh man, this might have been my fave episode of the season. I was rolling. Cary's 'The one blob sucked the other blob's dick,' sent me lol. 

Everything with Brooke was hilarious. And now I actually do want nachos, dammit!

Poor Pat. Poor Curtis. 

[AngieBee1]

TIL that Simu Liu's surname isn't pronounced "Lou".

Cary is acting so ugly right now, it's killing me in how funny it is. The portrayal of a narcissistic actor who oversells their importance to an issue/representation is spot-on.

And Cary void of any cultural curiosity to the extent he doesn't know any important queer figures outside of Harvey Milk and that was just because of the film. Yet, he gladly co-opts that history cribbing Billy Porter's Oscar tuxedo gown with the names of the notable figures he only learned because Curtis' friends put them in the mix. Chef's kiss.

I have to say Cary is at least driven. He is not deterred. I wonder what his rock bottom would be. It has to come from Lucas because I think he's too far away for Curtis (who is so understanding) to reach.

[Harvey]

S3EP6

The opening scenes with Brooke complaining about Lance to everyone were hilarious 😂. But also kinda weird, like imagine being so in the wrong and trying to frame Lance as the bad guy.

I was surprised Cary's boyfriend did not make an appeareance this episode.

[John M]

There was one throw away line about how Curtis is filming the 5th episode of his show, his TV show go picked up.

Curtis is about to be a more famous out gay actor than Cary and it is going to really break him.

[Sarah 103]

2 hours ago, John M said:

Curtis is about to be a more famous out gay actor than Cary and it is going to really break him.

I love this idea. I think what's going to do it is that Curtis does some unexpected random genuine act of kindess that he doesn't even realize was being filmed and it goes viral beyond anyone's imagination. That is what gets him noticed and on everyone's radar. 

I don't understand what happened with Brooke and Carey. Even if she's out of the industry, she's still his sister and she should still be able to tell him you're an idiot who's being a jerk and you need to change. They had that kind of realtionship where they were not only siblings, but also incredibly close friends. 

I liked the blobby storyline, but I think it could have been better. I would have kept the part about the blobbies in bed and the "logic" of a straight male blobby would be in bed with a human female (becuse that part was incredibly stupid but also incredibly funny). I would have had the Disney execs lie to him and tell Carey that the two blobbies are in bed, and then have Carey record various kissing sounds. For animated movies, not every line of dialogue ends up being animated in the final movie. Carey might think the scene is an actual gay kiss in bed, and maybe even more than that. The kissing sounds end up in a totally different scene that is not romantic at all. 

I want a scene of Curtis and Lance getting drunk together and just verbally trashing Carey and Brooke. I have no idea how/why the two of them would end up at the same place, but it would be a fantastic scene. 

[tennisgurl]

Carey was so awful in this episode, but in the most hilarious way possible. He's really selling the self important actor who wont shut up about how important they are to the greater culture but without any real curiosity or understand of the culture they say they want to be a leader of. 

Poor Curtis, he looked so hurt in that last scene. I suspect that Curtis ends up becoming way more famous than Carey after his Peacock show takes off and Carey loses it, maybe realizes what a dick he's been. 

Brooke whining to everyone about how the breakup is totally Lance's fault, and no one even pretending to buy that, was funny and cringe. Hopefully her realizing that she can do good while still being in the entertainment industry helps her get it together. 

On 6/1/2023 at 1:15 AM, Harvey said:

I was surprised Cary's boyfriend did not make an appeareance this episode.

Maybe he was too fake sick with fake AIDS to get off the couch? 

[AngieBee1]

52 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Maybe he was too fake sick with fake AIDS to get off the couch? 

Still wrapped up in a blanket coughing.

[jsm1125]

Is this the first episode where Chase was totally absent?

[AngieBee1]

I don't think he was in the tree planting ep this season. 

[Lois Sandborne]

On 6/1/2023 at 12:48 AM, AngieBee1 said:

... to the extent he doesn't know any important queer figures outside of Harvey Milk and that was just because of the film.

Just because James Franco was in the film. 😆

I really love that Curtis is getting ready to blow up on a Paramount+ show, but Streeter put his foot down at Brooke even thinking about watching Peacock.

I haven't rewatched the earlier seasons, so I'm not positive, but Brooke and Cary do seem way more deluded and self-involved than they used to be. It's working for me in an Always Sunny way because the escalation is hilarious. But with all the contrasts of Cary to Curtis and Brooke to Pat, I wonder if they're building to something, another grand moment of realization like the plane back in the first season. It's okay if they're not though.

[txhorns79]

On 6/3/2023 at 8:05 AM, Lois Sandborne said:

 

I haven't rewatched the earlier seasons, so I'm not positive, but Brooke and Cary do seem way more deluded and self-involved than they used to be.

Cary has always had his streak of self-involvement.  In the first season, he ended up alienating the teacher he just starting dating by obsessing over his appearance on Watch What Happens Live, but IIRC, that episode ended with Cary realizing how stupid he was being.  Now Cary is at the point where he's mostly just delusional, and I'd have to think a reckoning is coming. 

[peachmangosteen]

Does anyone know why last week's episode was put up on Wednesday? I was thinking it came out on Thursdays but then last week it was there on Wednesday so I just figured I forgot it was actually on Wednesdays but when I checked today it's not there. So weird lol.

[Irlandesa]

16 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Does anyone know why last week's episode was put up on Wednesday? I was thinking it came out on Thursdays but then last week it was there on Wednesday so I just figured I forgot it was actually on Wednesdays but when I checked today it's not there. So weird lol.

So it could easily qualify for the Primetimer awards by airing over half of its episodes before the cutoff? 

No?

 

[jsm1125]

Thank you, Curtis, for telling Cary what he needed to hear.

[Harvey]

I wanna go live in the woods 🥺.

[AngieBee1]

This show certainly knows online celebrity culture really well. They are completely dialed in. I think it's fascinating the way a girl/woman is put through the wringer when she dates a celebrity. The fan hate is off-the-wall. And they nailed that the quickest thing to turn a fan off is the celebrity being religious. I've seen fans turn on SUPERMAN & LOIS' Tyler Hoechlin during his TEEN WOLF years for posting innocuous religious thoughts. I forget what celebrity was in the hospital but Chris Pratt tweeted to him that he was praying for him and you would have thought he wished death on the person.

 

Curtis had Cary's number. He knows him by now and knows that Cary only came to sit there and internally gloat at Curtis' show being critically panned. Cary's fall is going to be so delicious to

[jsm1125]

Am I giving too much credit to Brooke for her potentially realizing that Cary is a terrible friend to Curtis? Or was she just thinking that Cary was generally distracted/spacy?

I felt terrible for Pat this episode. 

Edited June 9, 2023 by jsm1125

[Sarah 103]

I loved that Pat's birthday dinner was a nod to The Truman Show. I'm surprised they didn't give the actors little scenes to play at each table for realism. Especially if the actors were super intense like Cary. 

Was Cary's fantasy elf movie one of the things he self-taped an audition for? Was this the first we heard of him actually getting the role? 

I was thrilled that Curtis had the courage and self-awareness to cut ties with Cary. In this episode we saw some crucial differences between Curtis and Cary. Curtis can laugh off a bad review, or even a slew of them. He understands Girlies is just a job. It's a stable paycheck for however long it lasts, and maybe it will lead to something bigger and better. His sense of self isn't as wrapped up in his career. 

I hope this isn't the last we see of Curtis. I still want to see Curtis and Lance drunk and talking about Cary and Brooke. 

[txhorns79]

10 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

Thank you, Curtis, for telling Cary what he needed to hear.

I thought Cary was actually getting it, right up until he found out his show may be a big hit. 

I loved the fake Applebees, and Chase going through multiple personality transformations over the course of the dinner. 

I think Molly Shannon seems to be the best at balancing the crazy storylines and actual human ones. 

[Fake Jan Brady]

12 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

I felt terrible for Pat this episode. 

PAT: For the last month all I've been able to do, for my own safety, is sit on a private jet and get eaten out non-stop by Marvel's Simu Lui.

[aghst]

Pat also said he doesn't know how to do it right so it wasn't a great experience for her.