Season 1 Discussion

[Readalot]

I wonder if Judy is going to get busted for being in on the art gallery money laundering scheme.  She was still painting but we don’t know if she was still supplying Steve with her paintings for the gallery. If so, maybe that’s what the joint account was all about? 

[TVbitch]

Like some others, I also thought they turned both men into overly heavy villains so that we would have more sympathy for Judy and Jen.

And it was weird to me that neither of these woman seemed to have a single female friend outside of each other. 

I did really enjoy the series though and hope they don't make it too absurd in Season 2. I don't want to see them trying to dispose of the body and/or magically staying one step ahead of the detectives.   

[JoeyCrown]

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Like some others, I also thought they turned both men into overly heavy villains so that we would have more sympathy for Judy and Jen.

And it was weird to me that neither of these woman seemed to have a single female friend outside of each other. 

I did really enjoy the series though and hope they don't make it too absurd in Season 2. I don't want to see them trying to dispose of the body and/or magically staying one step ahead of the detectives.   

Yes! I too wondered why Jen had nobody to hang with.

[Paloma]

14 hours ago, TVbitch said:

And it was weird to me that neither of these woman seemed to have a single female friend outside of each other. 

I didn't see this as weird because both women were depressed and dealing with painful situations that could make them avoid socializing or make other friends avoid them because it's hard to know what to say to someone grieving. It makes sense to me that people in a grief support group would be drawn to each other outside of the group, because the people in the group "get it."

Also, some people do not make friends easily or tend to be loners. I am shy and insecure, though I am friendly to everyone in casual social situations. Throughout my life I have usually had only one close friend (different people at different stages of my life); I would like to have more friends, but it is difficult for me to reach out to casual acquaintances with an invitation to get together. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but since I've become comfortable with social media (including forums like this one) I have made a lot of online friends--I find it easier to communicate this way rather than in person. Sorry for the TMI in responding to your comment!

[SadieT]

On 6/19/2019 at 8:12 PM, TVbitch said:

 

 

 

2

On 6/19/2019 at 8:12 PM, TVbitch said:

And it was weird to me that neither of these woman seemed to have a single female friend outside of each other. 

While Judy seems friendly and outgoing and is probably the type who could make friends easily, she was in an emotionally abusive relationship and Steve likely kept her isolated and dependent on him so she’d be easier to control. Steve seemed to reel Judy back in whenever he felt she was branching out a bit too much for his liking. Like when Steve finds out that Judy is living with Jen he initially appears thrown by the news. He then files the restraining order, likely trying to sabotage Judy’s friendship with Jen by making Judy seem dangerous and unstable. When that doesn’t work he revokes the order and goes back to playing nice and then onto convincing Judy to move back in with him.

Jen, on the other hand, just doesn’t seem like a people person. She's friends with Christopher but they work together. She didn't seem to have the patience for that poor neighbor lady who made her the Mexican lasagna. 

[Anela]

On 6/20/2019 at 11:16 AM, Paloma said:

I didn't see this as weird because both women were depressed and dealing with painful situations that could make them avoid socializing or make other friends avoid them because it's hard to know what to say to someone grieving. It makes sense to me that people in a grief support group would be drawn to each other outside of the group, because the people in the group "get it."

Also, some people do not make friends easily or tend to be loners. I am shy and insecure, though I am friendly to everyone in casual social situations. Throughout my life I have usually had only one close friend (different people at different stages of my life); I would like to have more friends, but it is difficult for me to reach out to casual acquaintances with an invitation to get together. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but since I've become comfortable with social media (including forums like this one) I have made a lot of online friends--I find it easier to communicate this way rather than in person. Sorry for the TMI in responding to your comment!

I do, too. I know what you mean. 🙂 

[CouchTater]

On 6/20/2019 at 11:16 AM, Paloma said:

I didn't see this as weird because both women were depressed and dealing with painful situations that could make them avoid socializing or make other friends avoid them because it's hard to know what to say to someone grieving. It makes sense to me that people in a grief support group would be drawn to each other outside of the group, because the people in the group "get it."

Also, some people do not make friends easily or tend to be loners. I am shy and insecure, though I am friendly to everyone in casual social situations. Throughout my life I have usually had only one close friend (different people at different stages of my life); I would like to have more friends, but it is difficult for me to reach out to casual acquaintances with an invitation to get together. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but since I've become comfortable with social media (including forums like this one) I have made a lot of online friends--I find it easier to communicate this way rather than in person. Sorry for the TMI in responding to your comment!

Ditto, Paloma.  It's nice to know there are others like me.  I often feel like a strange bird compared to others.

I liked the show, by the way.  The Judy character irritated me, as did Jen's older son.  Otherwise, good stuff.  I hope season 2 is even better.

Edited July 17, 2019 by CouchTater

[littlecatsfeet]

18 minutes ago, CouchTater said:

Ditto, Paloma.  It's nice to know there are others like me.  I often feel like a strange bird compared to others.

I liked the show, by the way.  The Judy character irritated me, as did Jen's older son.  Otherwise, good stuff.  I hope season 2 is even better.

I'm in that camp, too! I've really only had one close friend at a time throughout my life and at the moment really don't have anyone I consider as one. So I didn't consider at all that Jen's (or Judy's) situation might be weird, especially when they've both been battered by life a bit.

For those who didn't see it, Christina Applegate got an Emmy nomination for her role. And the series was listed in the "comedy" category; just an observation there. The shows themselves pick how to categorize themselves, I believe. I could be wrong there.

Looking very much forward to Season Two!

[HazelEyes4325]

1 hour ago, littlecatsfeet said:

For those who didn't see it, Christina Applegate got an Emmy nomination for her role. And the series was listed in the "comedy" category; just an observation there. The shows themselves pick how to categorize themselves, I believe. I could be wrong there.

Looking very much forward to Season Two!

While I'm glad she got a nomination, I was a little perplexed by the comedy category as well.  I can't remember who else was nominated in that category (and who was nominated in the drama category), but I can only think that the category would hurt Applegate's chances.

[littlecatsfeet]

I happened to have the Emmy nomination page open, here are the nominees:

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek

I think Julia Louis Dreyfus is expected to be a shoo-in for the winner. There could always be an upset. 

Had they chosen to enter her performance in the Drama Series category, her competition would have been: 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Mandy Moore, This Is Us
Robin Wright, House of Cards

So her chances may have been slimmer (?) there possibly. 

[HazelEyes4325]

Actually, I think that her chances may have been *better* in the drama category.  I'd put money on the comedy emmy going to either JLD or Rachel Brosnahan.  Not only do both of these actresses carry their shows, but they are also both play very well-defined and unique characters AND they are both past winners.  In the drama category, the only real standout I see is Sandra Oh, and her co-star is also nominated, which *could* split the vote a bit (although I would still put my money on her). 

In the end, though, I can't help but think that Christina Appelgate is fighting an uphill fight by being in the comedy category for a show that isn't funny (nor is it meant to be).  But, hey, it's an honor just to be nominated!

[littlecatsfeet]

Yeah, at the risk of sounding unenlightened, I haven't watched any of the shows in the drama category except for Ozark (nope, not even Game of Thrones). So I really didn't have a good idea of what her competition was. I'm just glad Elizabeth Moss wasn't nominated, but that's a WHOLE other ball of wax, LOL. 

[dubbel zout]

19 hours ago, littlecatsfeet said:

The shows themselves pick how to categorize themselves, I believe. I could be wrong there.

It used to be that half-hour shows were classified as comedies and hour shows as dramas, but I don't know if that's been changed. 

[littlecatsfeet]

I found this on a EW.com page, so I'm pretty sure it's accurate. The half-hour vs hour shows sounds completely plausible, but I think there must have been exceptions along the way...but after racking my brain, I can't think of any, at least any that competed for an Emmy. That being said, I'm leaning towards the agreement here that Applegate should have submitted her performance as a drama. 

How does an actor/show decide on the category? 

Actors and shows have to declare in April whether they’re doing a drama or a comedy. They then have discretion to submit themselves as a lead actor or a supporting actor, or as drama series or limited series. This is all strategic; where do they have the best chance to win?

[HazelEyes4325]

11 minutes ago, littlecatsfeet said:

How does an actor/show decide on the category? 

Actors and shows have to declare in April whether they’re doing a drama or a comedy. They then have discretion to submit themselves as a lead actor or a supporting actor, or as drama series or limited series. This is all strategic; where do they have the best chance to win?

This doesn't make it more perplexing to me.  I think one of the measures, for lack of a better word, of a good actor in a comedy is how they make the audience laugh.  This isn't a slight to Christina Applegate--she's very funny and has a career in comedy--but this is not a funny show and she and it do not make the audience laugh much here.  That already puts her miles behind her fellow nominees, no matter who they are or what show they are from.

[WearyTraveler]

7 hours ago, littlecatsfeet said:

The half-hour vs hour shows sounds completely plausible, but I think there must have been exceptions along the way...but after racking my brain, I can't think of any, at least any that competed for an Emmy. 

I vaguely remember that there were some industry complaints when Desperate Housewives chose to compete in the comedy category. Many said the category was less competitive, at the time, than drama and DH was a one hour show.

There were discussions of adding a "dramedy" category, but no one took that seriously because there are already so many awards, the show would last for days, or the awards seen as less likely to hold the audience attention (cinematography, for example) would end up having even less exposure than they already do.

[Chaos Theory]

On 6/19/2019 at 8:12 PM, TVbitch said:

And it was weird to me that neither of these woman seemed to have a single female friend outside of each other. 

My sister got married maybe a decade ago.  Now most of her friends are married as well.  I think I am one of maybe three of her single girl friends (and I am not sure I count).   I am not sure if it’s true with everyone but from what I have seen married people tend to hang with other married people.   So when the marriage falls apart - One way or the other it really is hard to start again because most of your friends were your friends of the unit and not the individual.  

In Jen’s case I can see how a lot of the people she spent time with with her husband just don’t know how to approach the single version of her.   Which only fans the resentment she is feeling.  I can see the use for the support group in just that it introduces her to single people.

[Efzee]

On 6/7/2019 at 3:03 PM, mcgkgm said:

I kept expecting them to spell out at some point that the accident had caused Judy's most recent miscarriage.  Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but with her being so far along this time, it's where my mind went.  I thought that made the connection between J&J even more poignant. They both really did suffer a loss that night, and one that connected them to each other in yet another way.

I briefly considered it, but am pretty sure she wore a different dress in the car vs hospital scene. Although, I suppose the miscarriage could have happened a day or two later, maybe?

[DrSpaceman]

On ‎7‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 6:16 PM, HazelEyes4325 said:

Actually, I think that her chances may have been *better* in the drama category.  I'd put money on the comedy emmy going to either JLD or Rachel Brosnahan.  Not only do both of these actresses carry their shows, but they are also both play very well-defined and unique characters AND they are both past winners.  In the drama category, the only real standout I see is Sandra Oh, and her co-star is also nominated, which *could* split the vote a bit (although I would still put my money on her). 

In the end, though, I can't help but think that Christina Appelgate is fighting an uphill fight by being in the comedy category for a show that isn't funny (nor is it meant to be).  But, hey, it's an honor just to be nominated!

I have thought many of the recent Emmy winners in the comedy category are not truly comedies, so I don't think that matters much anymore. 

I actually find it irritating.  Like Mrs. Maisel.  I like the show.  I think Rachel Brosnahan is great in it. And its about stand up comedy, it has its funny moments.  But lets face it, that is a drama.  I'm not watching that show laughing my way through it every few minutes.  I've thought the same thing about Atlanta as well.  Great show, has some funny moments, but that is a comedy?  No.  This goes all the way back to Ally McBeal for me.  Comedy?  Really?  Only in the Futurama version where they made it into Single Female Lawyer.  And it wouldn't bother me so much except for the fact that show was on at the same time as The Simpsons was in its heyday and its peak, yet they never allowed it in the best comedy category because it was a cartoon.  So in essence, the important part about Best Comedy Emmys was you can't be a cartoon, but you don't really have to be that funny. 

Anyway the point being, to win a best Comedy Emmy, you don't have to be funny.  Ironically that does not seem to be a factor they consider much.   

[DrSpaceman]

On ‎7‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 3:49 PM, HazelEyes4325 said:

This doesn't make it more perplexing to me.  I think one of the measures, for lack of a better word, of a good actor in a comedy is how they make the audience laugh.  This isn't a slight to Christina Applegate--she's very funny and has a career in comedy--but this is not a funny show and she and it do not make the audience laugh much here.  That already puts her miles behind her fellow nominees, no matter who they are or what show they are from.

See my prior response, not sure that matters much, making people laugh

Though I will say in regard to Rachel Brosnahan that I mentioned, she does make me laugh when he does her stand up.  It just so happens though that is like maybe 5% of the whole show, if that. 

[Calvada]

I was amused that at the same time Jen was assuring Charlie she was aware she had been a shitty mom and she would do better, she appears to have forgotten about the 10 year old behind a locked door in his bedroom, wondering whether someone is breaking into his home, waiting for his mom to return.

[auntiemel]

On 5/10/2019 at 8:56 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Guys, if you really liked this show, do you have any other recommendations?

Tonally, this show reminded me a lot of Search Party on TBS.

If you want the element of "secrets and lies being unveiled in the wake of a death" but in a more melodramatic yet somehow also more boring execution, might I recommend A Million Little Things. 😄

On 6/21/2019 at 1:47 AM, SadieT said:

She didn't seem to have the patience for that poor neighbor lady who made her the Mexican lasagna. 

You mean her take on Mexican Lasagna. With just the right amount of raisins. 😄

[Chai]

On 5/11/2019 at 1:24 AM, SadieT said:

I don't know how similar these are to Dead to Me, but I also loved Big Little Lies and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and would recommend them to anyone who hasn't already seen them.  

Thank you for the reccomendations! I found this thread because I watched this show in two days and loved it. Now  I have to wait until next summer to watch what happens next. 

I thought originally, Judy said they were both so drunk when the accident happened, and that's why they didn't stop?

Also,now that Steve is Dead, maybe Judy will say he was driving?

[ShortyMac]

I just started watching this, and I'm through Episode 4. I'm loving the twists so far.

[ShortyMac]

On 5/12/2019 at 2:49 PM, Jessa said:

I enjoyed it, but there were a few little things that would pull me out of it. The one example I remember is how the school said they only had Ted’s number as contact. It’s first off unlikely that a school would only have one contact per child, and if they was the case, no one thought to send a note home when the kid started screaming and swearing at his classmates? They just shrugged and said “The contact person died, so... ” 

This bugged me, as well. Regardless of whether Jen or Ted was the stay-at-home parent, the school would be able to contact either of them.

I remember on my school forms, they wanted a primary contact, and at least two others.

[DrSparkles]

On 5/29/2019 at 10:06 PM, Lamima said:

Just binged this and LOVED it. Yes, some holes in the writing for me...but silly little ones IMO. The evil Steve at the end...I don't think that is what the show was going for. I think Steve was a douche and manipulative and a fraud. He WAS the one who didn't care to go back to the dying Ted. And I think Jen understood that and then remembered the neighbor telling her she could shoot someone who won't leave her home when she tells them to. So I think Jen just wanted to kill him because of his involvement with Ted's death (I still wonder if we will find out that Steve was driving that night).

Something someone else here said made it dawn on me that maybe Judy is also a little evil and not as sweet and innocent as portrayed. We see the old guy in the home tell her the truth will set her free and then we see her go to the police to 'confess' but she tells them about Steve's money laundering. Then the police don't seek any charges for her hit and run. As mentioned in this thread...was it because they prefer her to be the witness in a trail against Steve. If so, maybe a calculated move by Judy, no? Wonder now what it means for Judy, now that Steve is dead?

Also, Judy telling police about Steve's money laundering leads to his not buying those properties from with Jen so that hurts Jen. Then Jen killing Steve will hurt Judy. It's a back and forth.

Binged last night. Steve was a turd but Judy was the sociopath IMO.  You *think* she would gave gone back, but who knows. I doubt it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Golden Globe nomination!

Christina Applegate: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Critics' Choice Award nomination!

Best Actress in a Comedy Series – Christina Applegate

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Screen Actors Guild Award nomination:

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series - Christina Applegate

[Skyline]

Season 2 trailer 

 

 

[chocolatine]

I'm not a regular Netflix subscriber but I resubscribed because of the pandemic. More time at home + most of the shows I usually watch are unable to film = need for new shows to watch. I didn't want anything too dramatic or realistic, and this fit the bill perfectly. I'm even happy I got into this show so late because the new season is just around the corner.

I agree with a lot of what has been said about there being too many twists, and both Steve and Ted turning out to be over the top villains, but Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini are so fun to watch that I can let those gripes go.

I actually like that Judy isn't being portrayed as a definitely good character. She was obviously deeply involved in Steve's money laundering scheme - she supplied the paintings and knew where he kept the records - and was happy to go along with it while they were together. It was only after he didn't care that she may have been pregnant again that she decided to rat him out. I hope S2 unravels more of her past.

[stcroix]

On 4/10/2020 at 11:15 AM, Skyline said:

Season 2 trailer 

 

 

I wonder when it starts?!  I can't wait!

[chitowngirl]

20 minutes ago, stcroix said:

I wonder when it starts?!  I can't wait!

The end of the trailer says May 8.

[stcroix]

20 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

The end of the trailer says May 8.

I missed that, duh!  Thank you for posting-- I cant wait 🙂 

[ShortyMac]

The cast is doing a live table read of the pilot on Netflix's Facebook page right now.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Watching S2, which was released today.  This is so hard, because I can't remember anything from S1.

I think because of you guys , I started watching Good Girls and I love it.  Although, this last season was bad.  I'm already a hardened fan who is criticizing the show.

I would also recommend Living with Yourself starring Paul Rudd.  I whipped through that in 2 days.  Loved it.

[chitowngirl]

I usually watch the last episode before binging a current season to get back on track since it’s usually a year between seasons on shows like this. Now I’m bowing out of the thread until I’m done watching so I don’t get spoiled!!

[SoMuchTV]

So it appears that this went from a thread (?) to a forum (?) and if you were following you need to refollow the new (whatever?). Posting here so I can flag my post and see if the mods can enlighten us. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

13 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

So it appears that this went from a thread (?) to a forum (?) and if you were following you need to refollow the new (whatever?). Posting here so I can flag my post and see if the mods can enlighten us. 

LOL yup, I was removed from following the show.

You'll have to go to the index and re-follow the show as they have changed the forum.

[Aethera]

Yes we did, sorry about that! You can refollow from the Index. I'll be dropping Season 2 Episode Threads now!

[Ashforth]

I watched all of Season One yesterday and today. I loved this show! Christina Applegate really knocked it out of the park with her performance. Linda Cardinelli was good too, but I thought a little one-note at times.

As for why Jen didn't have other friends, I thought it was well established that she is an unfriendly, unpleasant woman prone to fits of rage. So no mystery there for me. If she hadn't been introduced to us a grieving widow, engendering sympathy, her character would have been pretty hard to take.

On 5/28/2019 at 7:59 PM, JoeyCrown said:

Why did Judy rat out Steve? Was she hoping for a lighter sentence for herself ?

I thought it was because when she told Steve she was going to tell the truth about the hit and run, he snarled at her that she was on her own and he would be looking out for himself. That, combined with his suggestion that she have an abortion, and his new girlfriend, led her to decide to hurt him as hard as she could. Plus, you know, plea bargain, because she was involved in, or at least knew about, the money laudering..

I was 98% sure as the second half of the season played out that Steve would be dead by the end. I thought that Jen and Judy would kill him together, though. It might have been more interesting to have the Greek Mafia kill him but Judy and Jen are the suspects.

On 8/24/2019 at 7:05 PM, Calvada said:

I was amused that at the same time Jen was assuring Charlie she was aware she had been a shitty mom and she would do better, she appears to have forgotten about the 10 year old behind a locked door in his bedroom, wondering whether someone is breaking into his home, waiting for his mom to return.

And also about the loaded gun in the pocket of her robe while she goes in for the long, lingering hug. I half expected it to go off and shoot one of them.

Edited May 10, 2020 by Ashforth

[eXiled]

Double post

Edited May 18, 2020 by eXiled

[nkotb]

I binge-watched both seasons of this show in about a week. Since episode 5, the grief retreat episode, I've been telling everyone that I know that they need to watch this show. 

There's a scene, where Telma Hopkins' character is singing the song "Don't Leave Me This Way" at carry-on-oke, & she adds her husband, Burt, to every line.

"Don't leave me this way, Burt
I can't survive, I can't stay alive, Burt
Without your love, no baby, Burt." 

I can barely type this, because I'm just hysterically, maniacally cackling at my desk, which is a problem, because I'm supposed to be working. It is easily 1 of the top 5 funniest scenes I've ever seen on TV, ever. It's really not a huge scene, but J&J both make a comment about whether Telma misses Burt. I actually even made my husband watch it; he didn't fully get the context, as he hadn't seen the rest of the show, but he thought that was funny.

You can take that as a challenge for you next karaoke/carry-on-oke event. 

[Hava]

Just watched season 1 and loved it. I will echo what a lot of you said that my least favorite plot development was that Ted was an utter piece of shit. One of the things I initially liked about the show was that it appeared that Jen was actually in a loving marriage and Ted was a generally decent person. While she appears to still be grieving him even after the revelation of who he truly was, her grief resonates less with me. And it didn't really add anything to the show, so I really think they should have kept Ted's past out of it. 

One of my favorite lines from the show is when Jen tells Judy that men call women crazy to undermine them because it is so true. Steve probably did that throughout his relationship with Judy.

[Bastet]

I came across this while browsing Netflix in the middle of the night and remembered a friend raving about it.  We generally have rather different tastes in TV, but I decided to give it a try.  I wound up watching the entire first season - I loved it.

I love all the feminist conversation between the two women, I love seeing a main character who's an atheist, I love that these female characters are written by women, so they come across as actual women, not male TV writers' version of women, I love that it showed a lot of things on the abuse spectrum rather than only hitting us over the head with the obvious signs, and I love that the primary relationship is a friendship between two women.

And what an interesting backdrop, to have that friendship be simultaneously completely genuine yet "based on lies and manslaughter".  They actually made it believable to have a second season about rebuilding something you'd normally write off as irrevocably broken.

This was so good, I'm a little worried season two won't live up to it at all.  But I know what I'll be doing tonight.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 5/28/2019 at 8:41 PM, JoeyCrown said:

Killing Eve

Sneaky Pete

Succession

Rectify

Very old post but I love Killing Eve and Succession.

[BlueSkies]

I re-watched the first season as I forgot all of it for the most part.  It's over 3 years old already.

I liked the resident Abe where Judy worked.  By now in the series I realized Judy was too nice a person where she must have had some reasoning how she got involved hitting Ted.