The Other Two - General Discussion

[iMonrey]

14 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

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? 

No, he mentioned it in the first episode this season. Aside from Night Nurse it was the only thing he'd done during the pandemic. It was some low budget thing that was shot in Bulgaria. And he didn't have any lines. 

And I KNEW it was going to turn out to be a big hit. I just knew it. Oh the irony.

You'd think the background actors at "Applebees" would have been better at improvising than just repeating "peas and carrots" over and over again. The whole bit was funny though.

Am I a perv if I kind of thought shirtless, tattooed Chase was kind of hot?

I hope Brooke and Lance find their way back to each other. I don't like Lance being on the outs with everyone.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with Curtis going forward. I'm kind of surprised he's still on the show. The actor plays a major role on the CBS sitcom Ghosts. Maybe this is their way of writing him out?

[tennisgurl]

I loved that Pat's whole plot became a Truman Show take off, I felt really bad for her, that would be so creepy and upsetting. Sure she spends all of her time getting eaten out in a private jet by Marvel's Simu Lui, but it seems so exhausting to be her when she still wants to feel like a normal mom. 

Curtis really did hand Carey his ass, everything he said was totally true. I know that Brandon Scott Jones is a really good actor, he's great in Ghosts, so I was really happy to see him get such a real moment. It seems like for a second what Curtis said was actually sinking in...and then he found out his show was actually good, and it all went away. 

Carey and Brooke have always had a self centered side, but they have gotten way worse this season, I'm hoping that they both have a moment where they realize how awful they've become. Brooke blew up her relationship with Lance, Carey threw away his friendship with Curtis, hopefully they can finally get a second of self awareness and realize how shitty they've been. 

Everything about Pam and Chase's breakup was hilariously on brand, people really do turn so harshly on "normal" girls that date famous people, and they lose their shit at any reference a celebrity makes to Christianity unless they're specifically Christian famous. 

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

No, he mentioned it in the first episode this season. Aside from Night Nurse it was the only thing he'd done during the pandemic. It was some low budget thing that was shot in Bulgaria. And he didn't have any lines. 

Thank you for that very helpful reminder. I must have forgotten the line.  

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

You'd think the background actors at "Applebees" would have been better at improvising than just repeating "peas and carrots" over and over again. The whole bit was funny though.

That was exactly my thought as well. You would think they would have put more thought in it, because she actually would be able to hear the peple around her. There are other ways she could have figured out it was not real that would have worked just as well. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

And I KNEW it was going to turn out to be a big hit. I just knew it. Oh the irony.

I'm still waiting for another twist when Curtis's bad show becomes a hit anyways but Cary's "good" show dies.  Or maybe his curse will be stuck in a role for years where he doesn't speak and no one knows who he is.

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

It'll be interesting to see what happens with Curtis going forward. I'm kind of surprised he's still on the show. The actor plays a major role on the CBS sitcom Ghosts. Maybe this is their way of writing him out?

I thought he'd have a reduced role this season because of Ghosts but it feels like he's had even more of a presence this year. 

[Sarah 103]

8 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I'm still waiting for another twist when Curtis's bad show becomes a hit anyways but Cary's "good" show dies.  Or maybe his curse will be stuck in a role for years where he doesn't speak and no one knows who he is.

I kind of love this idea. Curtis's show (Girlies) becomes a fan favorite that critics despise, while Cary's show (Windweaver) is a critic's darling that may get some internet buzz, but almost no one watches it or knows someone who watches it. 

I disagree you about no one knowing who Cary is in Windweaver (unless you meant that no one knows who he is because almost no one is watching the show). Unlike a lot of sci-fi/fantasy roles, he isn't wearing a ton of prothestics. He is still pretty recognizable out of his Windweaver costume/make-up. 

8 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I thought he'd have a reduced role this season because of Ghosts but it feels like he's had even more of a presence this year. 

I have no idea when things film, but it is possible that the HBO filming schedule doesn't overlap with the network filming schedule? Maybe before or after he films a season of Ghosts, he has the time to work on The Other Two. There are plenty of actors on network shows who do movies or other projects between seasons, so maybe this is similar to that. 

Edited June 10, 2023 by Sarah 103

[jsm1125]

I kept expecting Cary’s high school classmates cheering him on to have all been just a fantasy.

If Brooke were really inventive, she could have spun (on air) that million dollar bigoted donor as contributing to poor mental health, possibly spurning more, smaller donations. 

[Harvey]

Cary's song went on way too long and I don't get why all the successful returnees had to be gay. And then he sang again. Just why?

[iMonrey]

4 hours ago, Harvey said:

Cary's song went on way too long and I don't get why all the successful returnees had to be gay. And then he sang again. Just why?

I got a kick out of the song. And I think the point was that high school is especially hard for queer kids, so they are less likely to want to relive the experience via a reunion.

LOL on getting Ben Platt for the episode. And the Parkland kid killing Sia's grandma. I couldn't figure out where this whole marathon was supposed to be airing until I realized it was Pat's channel.

Not sure how I feel about Pat. She wanted so badly to experience a "normal" family dinner last week and seemed to relish being back home with her friends in Ohio, only to have it turn out she was bored out of her mind.

Another thing I'm not crazy about is that Cary and Brooke are both becoming more and more awful. The nice thing about this show has always been that while they tend to make bad choices and have bad luck they weren't necessarily awful people. That's becoming less and less the case.

[jsm1125]

Also, Brooke and Cary barely seem to interact these days, let alone give each other advice or keep each other in check. 

[Sarah 103]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

And I think the point was that high school is especially hard for queer kids, so they are less likely to want to relive the experience via a reunion.

Thank you for that much needed and helpful clarification. I have seen multiple shows with heterosexual/straight people stressing out about thier reunions so I did not understand the connection between queer kids wanting to show off at the reunion and why that would be different from anyone wanting to show off thier sucess at their reunion. You explained it perfectly. 

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Another thing I'm not crazy about is that Cary and Brooke are both becoming more and more awful. The nice thing about this show has always been that while they tend to make bad choices and have bad luck they weren't necessarily awful people. That's becoming less and less the case.

3 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

Also, Brooke and Cary barely seem to interact these days, let alone give each other advice or keep each other in check. 

YES to both of these comments. Usually, Brooke and Cary could provide each other a much needed reality check and tell the other what they needed to hear, not necessarily what they wanted to hear. I think the lack of a reality check is harming both of them. 

In the past, you got the sense that when something was going wrong or something wonderful happened, the first person they would tell is the other. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

On a similar note, in the past Cary and Brooke, especially Brooke would say no or stop anything that they thought was not right for Chase. 

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I couldn't figure out where this whole marathon was supposed to be airing until I realized it was Pat's channel.

I missed that so thanks for pointing it out. I had the same question but it was TV and this season has been a little out there so I was just willing to roll with it. Thanks for providing an actual real explanation. 

Also, why are singing lessons, voice lessons, vocal coaching, whatever you want to call it not an option for Chase? 

It's sad that in this episode we learned that Cary will never be satisfied/happy. He got almost everything he wanted, but he still wants more. Even if he wins an Oscar, it will not be enough. He will probably want an EGOT. 

[txhorns79]

I didn't really enjoy Cary's storyline.  It wasn't as funny as the writers seemed to think it was, and he's generally getting more unpleasant by the episode.  

   

[chaifan]

I liked this episode.  I love that the more Brooke tries to do good, the more things get fucked up.  Lance being named sexiest man alive who does good (or whatever that was) was hilarious.  I'm not sure where Brooke will end up at the end of the season, but I'm hoping there's one moment that she does good, without any ulterior motive, and it doesn't come back to bite her in the butt.

I also thought Carey's bit was really funny.  The "winning the reunion" song was hilarious.  I have to admit, I've been so conditioned by the incredibly overused trope of tv characters getting into car accidents, that every time I see characters driving I'm just sure something bad will happen.  Love that with this, the only bad thing was all of them smelling like pee.  And I loved the fakeout, where it seemed Carey was going to learn the lesson of valuing friendship over fame... but nope.  His only takeaway is that he has to win an Oscar. 

And Pat's visit home.  Oh, that ending was so sad, that everything about the trip just was horrible for her.  I honestly expected it to end with her buying the town because she loved it so much.  Eh, I was wrong.  I figured she would be accidentally texting her "friend" that she was staying with, instead of Streeter.  But I guess in the end she was Tweeting all of it? 

[PurpleTentacle]

9 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I didn't really enjoy Cary's storyline.  It wasn't as funny as the writers seemed to think it was, and he's generally getting more unpleasant by the episode.  

Yeah Cary has crossed over into unpleasent and not at all funny for me.

While Brook does it for all the wrong reasons, at least she is trying to do and actually does do good. Cary is just a self centered asshole, who can't even be, or pretend to be, happy for his friends when they (seemingly) find success.

While really awfull characters can be a lot of fun (it's always sunny), it doesn't quite work here. I think for that to work Cary isn't absurd enough and it doesn't help that he started out as a somewhat real character.

[iMonrey]

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

I have to admit, I've been so conditioned by the incredibly overused trope of tv characters getting into car accidents, that every time I see characters driving I'm just sure something bad will happen. 

Me too. I thought he was going to get into a terrible car accident and then have to drop out of the show.

[aghst]

I'm not sure if Cary and Brooke are meant to be characters that we see change or not change over time or they're just types or examples of narcissists on whom they can set up jokes.

If they're meant to be characters, they are not likable.  

If they're just cartoons, then it's easier to take their pettiness and small-minded outlook.

I would swear Cary was more sympathetic in previous seasons, as the sad sack who was struggling while his teen brother had it so easy.

The joke was that he would come close to having success or having some of his dreams fulfilled only to be pulled from him at the last minute, so kind of like Charlie Brown.

This season, not so sympathetic.  For a minute, he wondered why after having some career success and winning the reunion he still wasn't happy.  That might have elicited sympathy but then he decided he has to set another elusive goal.

Or in the previous episode, his friend was right that Cary was only supportive of him when the friend was less successful than him, you know kind of like a epiphany in a Morrissey song -- the young Morrissey, not whatever he is now.

[tennisgurl]

Carey just keeps coming closer and closer to realizing how much of a dick he's become, but then he doubles down. First when Curtis told him off and now wit his reunion, he keeps getting close but never quite gets there. He really needs Brooke to help bring him back down to Earth, and vice versa. 

Brooke and Carey used to be pretty self absorbed and did crappy things, but you still felt like they were basically good people who cared about their family and friends and even when they messed up they were basically well intentioned. Some of that sympathy might have also been because they were both unfulfilled in their careers and insecure, so it was easy to feel for them, but they still seemed like you could root for them. Now that they've gotten a taste of success they've just become such assholes, and its not like the show is unaware, this is clearly a deliberate choice, and while it can be funny, I hope that they can get back to being more likable by the end of the season. 

Fun seeing Ben Plath here, Brooke's show was so hilariously awful. 

I think my biggest laugh was actually when the gas station guy was just like "oh yeah, its reunion season" as the second guy came in to clean the piss off himself. 

Pat's realizing how different she is now and that she doesn't feel like she fits in there anymore was sad. 

[Sarah 103]

3 hours ago, chaifan said:

I figured she would be accidentally texting her "friend" that she was staying with, instead of Streeter.  But I guess in the end she was Tweeting all of it? 

That's what I thought too, but it's the same basic result. Someone she didn't want to know could easily find out about all the awful things she said.

I was wondering how it was possible for her to have a regular normal vacation/visit home without fans constantly coming up to her. 

[gesundheit]

On 5/25/2023 at 6:19 PM, peachmangosteen said:

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.

I agree. As others have mentioned, I hope the escalation leads to a revelation. No miracles or anything, but the dam does need to break. I remember interviews with the showrunners in the first season talking about it was important to them for the show to retain some heart beneath it all, which I love. It seems like every sitcom with sharp humor and heart ends up eventually going to one extreme, Full It's Always Sunny or Full Lasso (i.e., only ugly or only schmaltzy), which is always a bummer so I hope this one manages to maintain the balance.

I'm optimistic. There's no way they would've given Curtis that multi-episode arc if it was just to shrug off its stakes after the confrontation.

17 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I was wondering how it was possible for her to have a regular normal vacation/visit home without fans constantly coming up to her. 

I was extremely confused about that -- celebrities tend to get mobbed way more outside of NYC than inside it. But I just assumed I missed a tossed-off line. But we're definitely not dealing in realism this season, so I guess we can just write it off to "Ohio is an alternate universe." Loved the reveal on that one, though. It would've been way too trite for Pat to just miss that down-to-earth life and go back to it. Love that she was realistically bored but also kind to her old friends by not letting it show.

Everything about Cary's arc this episode had me dying. I loved the running them about the Gays Who Need To Win The Reunion (okay, they gave the trope a name in the episode but I don't remember it). The song had me laughing so hard my face hurt.

And what a guest-start coup this episode was! I guess that's why it was super-sized.

[Harvey]

 

With just 2 episodes left in the season, I wonder where they are taking these stories.

With Pat, she will get back together with Streeter, that much has been obvious since the first second of their break-up. And it seems she will still want to be "normal", because in the S3 trailer there are still scenes that we did not see, it seems that there will be a scene where Cary, Pat and Brooke go back to their Ohio days The logical conclusion for Pat would be to just accept her new normal and make the best of it, but we'll see.

With Brooke, once again it has been obvious that she and Lance will get back together, and the scene at 1:38 is their reunion I guess, so Brooke will probably have some big realization about "doing good" and the value of what she does for work and maybe even learns to show up for Lance in the way he asked her to, and then they will be together again.

With Carey, we have the least clues. In the latest episode he realized that he can achieve his goals, and still be unhappy, and he is mad about that. The answer would be to find fulfillment through human connection (what the show also tried to imply through showing friendship as an important thing), or to find happiness within with who he is as a person, more self-acceptance, because right now he looks for a lot of external validation and as soon as he doesn't get it he feels bad. A big part of this is also that his relationship with the method acting guy is very one-sided.

 

I've been reading that there is a good chance we are not getting a season 4, so I want them to give satisfying conclusions to these storylines.

 

[jsm1125]

How DID Pat manage to go to Ohio without having dozens of security detail surrounding her?

[Harvey]

Some interesting insight from the actor playing Curtis about the conflict he had with Carey this season. It seems their friendship is over.

Quote

From my perspective as Curtis, I was happy to see him really lay into Cary a little bit. There was definitely a catharsis in that. Chris and Sarah and the writers were targeting this idea of you want me to do well just not better than you, and that’s somehow just as bad as wishing me worse. I was happy that he stood up for himself because I think it’s something that needed to be said. Curtis holds his found family of friends very, very dear to him. Anytime that love that he has for other people isn’t reciprocated, or when the concept of let’s love and support each other is violated, it’s a real problem. I was really happy that he was able to put things in perspective for Cary, but it was also sad because it’s the end of a really meaningful friendship.

The whole interview is very good

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/the-other-two-brandon-scott-jones-curtis-cary-fight-renfield-ghosts-1235510974/

[iMonrey]

23 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Fun seeing Ben Plath here, Brooke's show was so hilariously awful. 

I loved that the prompter said "Insert name of Parkland student here" and Chase read it on air, verbatim.

Quote

Pat's realizing how different she is now and that she doesn't feel like she fits in there anymore was sad. 

In Pat's defense the bee-themed kitchen was God-awful.

[Sarah 103]

16 hours ago, Harvey said:

Some interesting insight from the actor playing Curtis about the conflict he had with Carey this season. It seems their friendship is over.

I hope we still get to see Curtis every now and then. I would love to see the two of them (Cary and Curtis) on some kind of industry panel type thing. Also, I want to know if Girlies is actually popular. As other people have said it could be a series critics despise but run for multiple seasons because it has a large number of fans who love the series. 

[marybennet]

On 6/9/2023 at 12:11 PM, Sarah 103 said:

You'd think the background actors at "Applebees" would have been better at improvising than just repeating "peas and carrots" over and over again. The whole bit was funny though.

Going back a bit (I’m still catching up), the peas and carrots thing was a reference to stories about old Hollywood. It is said that extras in crowd scenes in early sound films were told to say “peas and carrots” to sound like a grumbling mob.  Not sure if it’s true, but it’s a good story. 

[Sarah 103]

14 hours ago, marybennet said:

Going back a bit (I’m still catching up), the peas and carrots thing was a reference to stories about old Hollywood. It is said that extras in crowd scenes in early sound films were told to say “peas and carrots” to sound like a grumbling mob.  Not sure if it’s true, but it’s a good story. 

I have heard similiar versions of that story, I just didn't think it worked here, because unlike the old movies where the extras wouldn't be clearly heard and all they needed for the movie was the sound of a crowd, Pat would be able to hear what the people around her were saying. 

[iMonrey]

So Cary and Brooke both continue their downward spiral into more awfulness. But I loved Brooke's determination to prove Lance just couldn't be that nice only to be thwarted at every turn. And I admit it, I cracked up at the kid jerking off to the People magazine with Lance in it. Because I'm 12, apparently.

I also get a kick out of Cary's boyfriend who's always in character but what in the hell is he shooting now, a sequel to Brokeback Mountain? At least Cary finally got some. Not that he deserves any.

[tennisgurl]

Damn it, Brooke and Cary keep having these moments where they almost seem to be having a revelation about how awful they've become, but then they always pull back. The show clearly knows how awful they have become and that they've thrown away almost every real relationship they have due to their petty egos, selfishness, and insecurities, and how unhappy they are, I really need the show to be going somewhere with this. Their awfulness is funny, but I hope that they don't stay this way.

Lance being so ridiculously wonderful was hilarious, especially him going around saving lives with his shirt off, he's just so perfect he almost shines. I think part of why Brooke was so obsessed with proving that Lance wasn't perfect wasn't just the usual insecurities that she ruined her relationship with Lance, she's looking to justify blowing her relationship with him up by trying to prove that he was always just as bad as her and that her torpedoing their engagement was justified. 

Cary desperately trying to get into an Oscar bait movie while trying to scrounge up some friends while so cringe, you could tell that the journalist figured out pretty quickly that Cary doesn't have any actual friends to call and is just calling up every rando he can think of. All he has now is his family he hardly sees and when he does it seems more like work than family time, and his boyfriend who he doesn't even know because he's always in character. At least Cary can actually have sex with this character.

[gesundheit]

Cary doing all that typo-texting in the middle of sex was disturbing, and now every time someone sends me a text series with a bunch of typos and quick corrections I'm going to be wondering what they're in the middle of on the other end

[Sarah 103]

On 6/22/2023 at 5:27 PM, iMonrey said:

I also get a kick out of Cary's boyfriend who's always in character but what in the hell is he shooting now, a sequel to Brokeback Mountain? At least Cary finally got some. Not that he deserves any.

I think it's more like a remake/rip-off, but close-enough.

What happened between Brooke and Cary, because normally they keep each other in check and are the first person each calls when something great or horrible happens. It would make sense if they had a falling out, but they haven't. 

Also, If Shuli is the voice of reason/the responsible one, things are pretty seriously and totally messed up, possibly beyond hope. 

Edited June 24, 2023 by Sarah 103

[txhorns79]

Quote

 

Cary: "Albert Einstein was gay?'"

Agent: "It's rumored he was...by the writer of this movie."  

 

Pure genius.  

Also, did love Brooke's increasingly insane looks as she repeatedly broke into Lance's apartment. 

[Harvey]

This show's take on Brokeback Mountain / those scenes between Cary and his boyfriend were weirdly fascinating. So raw.

The kid saying "yes, yes rescue me daddy!!!" to Lance while he carried him out was so funny 😆

I'm very curious to see how they wrap it up next week.

[AngieBee1]

Lance's PR crew being his Puerto Rican crew/family killed me. And the duplicating of  BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN's terrible  lighting  was  genius.

Edited June 25, 2023 by AngieBee1

[giovannif7]

Surprising/shocking news - The Other Two will end with this week's Season 3 finale.

[Harvey]

On 6/17/2023 at 10:30 AM, Harvey said:

I've been reading that there is a good chance we are not getting a season 4, so I want them to give satisfying conclusions to these storylines.

Sad, but not surprising at all.

[AngieBee1]

No more Brooke, Cary,ChaseDreams, Streeter, Lance, Curtis and more importantly,Lucas Lambert Moy!

 

The cult Max comedy about the inner workings of Hollywood, will conclude June 29 with its season three finale. The Hollywood Reporter has learned that the ending comes following multiple staff complaints about creators and showrunners Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider over the course of the production, though several insiders say that there is no causal connection between the complaints and the decision to end with season three.

Multiple sources involved with The Other Two confirm Kelly and Schneider were the subject of complaints to human resources over behavior on set and in the writers room. These include allegations that Kelly verbally abused writers and overworked crew and claims that Schneider enabled his behavior.

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/the-other-two-canceled-at-max-1235525619/

Edited June 28, 2023 by AngieBee1

[peachmangosteen]

Booo but also for fuck's sake are there any shows that are run by decent people?!

[aghst]

Seems kind of abrupt, as if the decision was made at the last minute, just a couple of days before the season and now series finale.

Maybe there were some negotiations going on with WBD.

Well they have a deal for another project on HBO.

Quote

 The Other Two creators Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider are readying their next project, and it’s more than a little reminiscent of a plotline from the recent second season of their wonderful comedy. The pair’s new series for HBO centers on a gay teen in 2000, who copes with being closeted by simply … dissociating and imagining that he’s a straight actor playing a gay role, per Variety. You know, because The Other Two didn’t already hit close enough. The yet-untitled series, written by the duo of former Saturday Night Live head writers, will also be executive-produced by Adam and Naomi Scott.

https://www.vulture.com/2021/10/the-other-two-chris-kelly-sarah-schneider-hbo-show.html

 

 

[txhorns79]

4 hours ago, AngieBee1 said:

Multiple sources involved with The Other Two confirm Kelly and Schneider were the subject of complaints to human resources over behavior on set and in the writers room. These include allegations that Kelly verbally abused writers and overworked crew and claims that Schneider enabled his behavior.

I hope this isn't a case where the alleged crappy behavior behind the scenes is what doomed the show.

[luna1122again]

Dammit. 

[Corgi-ears]

2 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I hope this isn't a case where the alleged crappy behavior behind the scenes is what doomed the show.

Why? I hope it is. Because it would mean that network execs don't tolerate such behavior, regardless of how great the show is. 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Corgi-ears

[aghst]

If HBO cut the show short because of bad behavior, they might also cancel the future project as well.

[Irlandesa]

I think we'll know after tomorrow's episode.  This season has increasingly gotten more absurd (in the best way) but also feels like it' building towards a culminating moment that may or may not have room for more story. 

It's possible this was an HBO decision. I certainly expected them to cancel the show.  But, the stories say the writers opted to end it and I don't think they're big enough for a network to allow them to save face like that. 

 

[Harvey]

Wow, what a finale. Watching it, I totally buy that they wanted to wrap the series here, HR complaints notwithstanding. It was really nice to see that Cary finally got the character development (and humbling experiences) he needed, and that he found a new group to connect with in the end, but now he will be able to be a better friend and be there for people more. And his career is also on track. I also liked the scene when he cried after he realized how insensitive he has been to MacKenzie, they played that so well.

Lucas being married all along was super shocking.

Brooke's storyline was really cool. And I LOVED her last line! The show has been going on and on about "doing good" and "being good" the whole season and it sounded so inane, but in that last scene, it just worked and made so much sense. Her talk with Lance where he opened up to her about his job was also very well-written.

Overall this show has been amazing and they really stuck the landing with this finale. I look forward to seeing the writer duo's upcoming project.

[txhorns79]

8 hours ago, Corgi-ears said:

Why? I hope it is. Because it would mean that network execs don't tolerate such behavior, regardless of how great the show is. 

It means a lot of people lose their jobs, including those who had nothing to do with the alleged behavior.

[aghst]

Hmm, the finale, Cary and Brooke suddenly realize how selfish they have been and quickly flips the switch.

They both get good redemption arcs but it seems abrupt.

Lot of the episodes leading up to the finale feel like SNL skits, absurd to the extreme.

Then in this episode, they become human, compassionate, selfless.

That's fine but for much of this season they showed no sign of those traits.

I guess Pat was a good parent and the evidence is despite all of Cary and Brooke's selfish behavior, Chase has been a good seed for most of the series.

It's almost as if they've forgotten that they toiled for years to succeed in the entertainment industry and was a bit salty that their young brother and then their mother saw massive fame without really even trying.

Cary's epiphany was believable.  He realized right away he'd been shitty to his manager who was watching over a sick relative, not enjoying herself at his expense in the Hamptons.

Brooke was preoccupied about doing good all season and it just came naturally when she decided to take the bullet for Chase and Pat in one instant.

In the end though, they still don't have their normal lives back.  Chase and Pat are still megastars, thanks to Brooke.  So they can only have family dinners out at the fake set.

[AngieBee1]

I loved that Cary's journey wasn't because someone cut him down to size, but instead was a personal realization that his values had become warped and he was complete indifferent to the realities of how other people have important things going on in their lives and he is not the center of the universe. That there a really important things to focus on outside of career. All of the scenes with Mackenzie was beautiful.

Same with his scene with Curtis. It hurt me to watch but I loved that Curtis stood his ground and didn't try to assuage Cary's feelings. Cary caused great hurt to Curtis and his friends and needed to know that in no uncertain terms. And while Curtis let Cary know it won't be a year until he comes around, I appreciate that he didn't discount months. This wasn't something to easily come back from.


Lovely that Cary is now making friends and at a time when he was in the space to accept it. Cary made his whole thing of not being effeminate or like "those gays" and now he potentially has a group he will feel more in sync with, albeit older.


Lucas being an Aussie and Cary responding, "That's why he gets so much work." was hilarious. Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Dacre Montgomery, Murray Bartlett, hell even Max's TITANS had three regualars who were Aussie, not counting the biggies like the Hemsworth Bros, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Toni Colette, Ben Mendelson and Joel Edgerton stay booked and busy.

I'm glad that Brooke's journey was what it was. There is more than one way to skin a cat, there is more than one way to do good; and if it's by being the worst to help a client, so be it. I just hope she learned to value Lance more and stay in that space. Lance is a good man.

Glad it went out on a high, but would love to have seen the rise of Bad Boy Chase.

[iMonrey]

I'm happy with that ending, and I'm glad the show managed to turn it around because Cary and Brooke became so unlikable. What made the show watchable in the first place was that they were essentially good people who were just down on their luck. It was sort of a bummer watching them both spiral into virtual insanity.

I really, really liked Cary's arc here. Drew Tarver deserves an Emmy nomination for this episode. I totally bought everything he was selling. I'm impressed he turned down the movie and had the much needed talk with Curtis. My one tiny gripe is that the "friends" at the end sort of came out of nowhere without any background on them. I didn't recognize them or the project they said they'd worked with Cary on so I assume that all happened off-screen.

Brooke's turnaround was maybe a little too abrupt for me. The only reason I'm willing to hand-wave it is the aforementioned overall decency of her character when the show started. And I admit, when she opened the van door and Lance was standing there in the rain waiting for her? It elicited a giant "AWWW!" from me. It was corny but it worked.

It's hard to believe they didn't plan this episode as a series finale. I'm not sure what more they could do with it if they got another season. I'm sure it would have been good and I'd have been more than happy to get another season but I'm also left satisfied with this story, more so than with most show finales.

[sweetandsour]

Don't have enough time to formulate all my thoughts, but -

First I must say how much I loved that Mackenzie's brother was played by David Lascher!  (Ted McGriff from "Hey Dude" as well as many network TV movies back in the 90s that I loved.)  Please, I need more David Lascher on my screen!!

Also loved when Lance showed up outside of the news van, he was wearing Crocs.  Hahahahah.  I don't know if he's ever worn them before, but I thought it was funny after his initial season 1 focus on all of his sneaker ideas.

I definitely loved that Curtis was honest about his boundaries and that he stood up for his friends.  So often you see situations where it's clear to everyone else, "you don't have an in-law problem, you have a spouse problem" when the spouse doesn't stand up for the other person or have appropriate boundaries.  And Curtis did not fall into that when it came to his friends and whether it was OK to bring Cary into the mix.

I also loved that Lance had a chance to share a little bit about his nursing experiences and Brooke for real listened.  "I just say 'Hello Sharon' and then succinctly say what I am thinking." or whatever that line was.  Haha!

I will miss you, show.  But Lance, I will miss you most of all.

9 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

My one tiny gripe is that the "friends" at the end sort of came out of nowhere without any background on them. I didn't recognize them or the project they said they'd worked with Cary on so I assume that all happened off-screen.

I did not recognize by sight, but the first gentlemen told his friends they worked together on "Emily Overruled," that Dana Delany show during which Cary pulled a Pleasantville.  I think the guy who called out to him reminded us that he played the judge.  I don't really have any feelings about this reference, but it was nice that the connection with these people came from one of Cary's "lesser" recent parts that he probably mentally discarded because it wasn't big enough.

[iMonrey]

1 hour ago, sweetandsour said:

I did not recognize by sight, but the first gentlemen told his friends they worked together on "Emily Overruled," that Dana Delany show during which Cary pulled a Pleasantville.  I think the guy who called out to him reminded us that he played the judge.

AH! You're right. I had to look it up. Thanks. I thought I heard "Emily" and I couldn't place it.

The resolution for Lucas was perfect. No identity whatsoever if he's not playing a part. And Australian!

I also loved when Shuli said they'd need a fall guy and everyone turned to Streeter.

Heads up for anyone who missed it - don't turn it off when the credits start to roll, there are two good scenes inserted into the closing credits, one with Brooke and one with Chase.

Edited June 29, 2023 by iMonrey

[peachmangosteen]

32 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Heads up for anyone who missed it - don't turn it off when the credits start to roll, there are two good scenes inserted into the closing credits, one with Brooke and one with Chase.

Thanks for this. The new way Max just takes the screen away once the credits starts rolling and shows some ad for another show is so irritating to me so I missed these finale scenes.