Season 1 Discussion

[Ms Blue Jay]

Guys, if you really liked this show, do you have any other recommendations? Doesn't necessarily have to be like this show.  Just another one you're addicted to I guess.  It's been ages since I've liked a new show THIS much.

Broadchurch, Season 1 is the last show I remember being THIS insanely, unhealthily addicted to.  I didn't want to leave my house.

I also really liked The OA, One Day at a Time, and Jessica Jones.  Any other recos?  Like I said, "Samantha Who?" is a show from the 2000s that I liked starring Christina Applegate and Melissa McCarthy - but I am not sure if it's streaming anywhere.

Edited May 11, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Cheezwiz]

I'm only part way through the show, but I'm glad I started watching, because I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It's both light and at times poignant, and features two TV actresses who I've always liked. I dismissed Christina Applegate for a long time because I associated her with Married With Children, which I didn't care for, but over the years I've seen her in other things and have come to appreciate her talent. She really is an underrated actress who can pull off both comedic and more serious stuff. Have always had a soft spot for Linda Cardellini too, and she's perfectly cast as a more kooky free-spirit.

Stuff I've loved so far:

• The youngest son and the little bird. Actually both boys are good - they behave like actual kids.
• The supporting players - the actress playing Jen's nightmare MIL is excellent! She's very familiar looking, I feel like I've seen her in tons of things. It's also a treat seeing Ed Asner still working - go Ed!

I'm glad the article someone posted upthread seemed to indicate that the two lead actresses have hit it off IRL - they really have great chemistry onscreen, and it's keeping me watching. Off to binge more episodes!

[SadieT]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Guys, if you really liked this show, do you have any other recommendations? Doesn't necessarily have to be like this show.  Just another one you're addicted to I guess.  It's been ages since I've liked a new show THIS much.

Broadchurch, Season 1 is the last show I remember being THIS insanely, unhealthily addicted to.  I didn't want to leave my house.

I also really liked The OA, One Day at a Time, and Jessica Jones.  Any other recos?  Like I said, "Samantha Who?" is a show from the 2000s that I liked starring Christina Applegate and Melissa McCarthy - but I am not sure if it's streaming anywhere.

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.  

[Anela]

29 minutes ago, Cheezwiz said:

• The supporting players - the actress playing Jen's nightmare MIL is excellent! She's very familiar looking, I feel like I've seen her in tons of things. It's also a treat seeing Ed Asner still working - go Ed!

I've seen her in several other things, but the main thing I remember her from is Wings, where she plays someone who was obsessed with Joe, when they were in high school, and still is (but she's completely normal around everyone else). I loved her there. 

[Cheezwiz]

1 minute ago, Anela said:

I've seen her in several other things, but the main thing I remember her from is Wings, where she plays someone who was obsessed with Joe, when they were in high school, and still is (but she's completely normal around everyone else). I loved her there. 

I looked her up on IMDB - her name is Valerie Mahaffey - loooong resume, I know I've seen her in many TV shows,  I can't recall a specific character, but rather a "type" she often played: people who seemed normal at first glance, but who often turned out to be batshit crazy. She's great in this!

[BusyOctober]

Loved this and watched it in 3 days.  Now I am sad and suffering from PBSD (post binge stress disorder).

i didn’t have my glasses on so any eagle eyed posters who can tell me what

Spoiler

Was rolled up in the little bird knick knack Judy gave Henry?  Was it a check for the money she withdrew from the bank?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Christina Applegate, Linda Cardellini, and Liz Feldman discuss Dead to Me

[Dminches]

On 5/6/2019 at 11:50 AM, Chaos Theory said:

I think one of the important parts of the final episodes is concluding that Jen was essentially right about Judy.   She would have stopped.  It was Steve pushing the whole “we hit a deer” story.  I am not saying Judy didn’t play her part in this whole thing (She let herself get manipulated by Steve) but if Steve hadn’t been In the car Judy would have stopped.   

That is a great point and is the reason why Jen will let Judy back into her life.  Jen realizes that 1) it was an accident and 2) Steve dictated what they did after the crash.

When Jen called Judy at the end she said "come back home."

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

I looked her up on IMDB - her name is Valerie Mahaffey - loooong resume, I know I've seen her in many TV shows,  I can't recall a specific character, but rather a "type" she often played: people who seemed normal at first glance, but who often turned out to be batshit crazy. She's great in this!

There was a hilarious Seinfeld character she played.  George dated her.  She was very pretentious, she made art using "Papier mache" and wore chopsticks in her hair.  (I believe.)

There was a cuter/sweeter character she played on Frasier.  Frasier decides to start his own practice, and hires her as his secretary.  His entire first day is a disaster because he keeps screwing up every session and clients keep storming out.  The woman's got range and a great career.

Edited May 11, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

Loved this and watched it in 3 days.  Now I am sad and suffering from PBSD (post binge stress disorder).

i didn’t have my glasses on so any eagle eyed posters who can tell me what

  Hide contents

Busy October to answer your question, 

Spoiler

It was a check for $500,000.  I believe.

[dubbel zout]

Valerie Mahaffey was also Adam's girlfriend/wife on Northern Exposure. She and Adam Arkin had great chemistry there. 

I binged this all last night and really liked it. It's not perfect, of course, but I love how we get some really dark humor with some wrenching grief. And the casting is top notch.

I really hope there's a second season. I don't see this going on forever (sorry, Liz Feldman), but I do think there's room for more.

[SadieT]

19 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

All this Steve discussion is reminding me - what kind of criminal mastermind keeps ALL his ill-gotten money in a joint account with his ex?  I guess the story wouldn't work otherwise, and it does serve to make him look like more of an idiot.

Maybe to make him look less guilty and so not to tie all his money up in business accounts? I doubt that was all his money, he was going to spend 8 million or whatever on the houses Jen showed him. Criminals can’t exactly put all their ill-gotten money into the bank in their own name so “hiding” it in various accounts and shell companies becomes necessary. But when the cops or whoever started looking into him for money laundering they likely froze his business accounts and seized whatever else they could get their hands on, but might have overlooked, or not been able to touch, the account he shared with Judy so he was probably looking to empty it out and flee the country.   

I also think the reason why he forced Judy to leave the scene of the accident (aside from being a controlling manipulative douchebag) was because the car was registered to his shell company and he didn’t want anyone looking too hard at his finances. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

12 hours ago, 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!   I love BLL (and the book!)  but I'll check out MMM.  

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, SadieT said:

I doubt that was all his money,

Steve could be a successful legit businessman along with his nefarious dealings.

[DrSpaceman]

On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 3:46 PM, Everleigh said:

I’m assuming she was following Jen after becoming fixated on her following the accident and saw the grief group as the perfect opportunity to approach her and see for herself how Jen was doing. Because Judy clearly has some boundary issues, she couldn’t just stop there but had to go even further and insert herself in Jen’s life, convincing herself that she could help Jen and atone for her mistake by being her friend. She was definitely motivated by a guilty conscience but I don’t think her intentions were malicious, just incredibly ill conceived. I think Judy lacks the foresight to see how much potential damage she is causing by making one rash decision after the other. 

As for why she lied about Steve being dead, I think she spoke impulsively when confronted during the first grief group meeting. She seems caught off guard when asked about what brought her to the group and probably said the first thing that popped in her head... she lost her fiancé, because he was gone from her life at the time and it was an easier loss to discuss than the real losses she had experienced. I mean, it’s possible Judy had it all planned out and is more calculated than I’m giving her credit for, I don’t think the show actually expanded on that...but this was my reading of her actions. 

I hope season two delves into some of this, because I am curious how the meeting came about between the two of them in the pilot.  But I mostly agree with what you are saying.  Knowing what we do about Judy, she likely became obsessed with how to overcome what she had done and make up for it, starting following Jen, likely didn't plan out the first meeting and just saw her opening.  She may not have even known when she approached her at the coffee station what kind of meeting it was, so she sort of made things up off the top of her head as it happened, leading to the lie about her ex.  I agree she likely didn't plan out much of it, she just kind of ad libed as it happened. 

On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 5:42 PM, SoMuchTV said:

All this Steve discussion is reminding me - what kind of criminal mastermind keeps ALL his ill-gotten money in a joint account with his ex?  I guess the story wouldn't work otherwise, and it does serve to make him look like more of an idiot.

Yes an mentioned I don't very much that was ALL his money.  I think it was just some emergency money escape if he needed to do so

But I too am surprised he would have it in a joint account with his ex who he had been separated from for months.  Likely just became overconfident and lazy, thinking it was no important as he had no reason to be suspicious anyone was onto his business.  You'd think though if someone was out there that knew you helped cover up a murder (or manslaughter) though it would be enough to close the account or do something with it

[Aileen]

18 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

I looked her up on IMDB - her name is Valerie Mahaffey - loooong resume, I know I've seen her in many TV shows,  I can't recall a specific character, but rather a "type" she often played: people who seemed normal at first glance, but who often turned out to be batshit crazy. She's great in this!

Very much like her Desperate Housewives character.

[Blakeston]

On 5/10/2019 at 4:51 AM, SadieT said:

Steve’s rage with Jen wasn’t the first we’ve seen it. He got pretty angry with Judy during one of their talks in the assisted living facility and we saw him seething in the bank and melting down in his car when his financial scheme started to unravel. He was also pretty ragey when he was screaming at Judy to drive in the flashbacks of the accident.

Also I think Judy is more impulsive than predatory. For example in the grief retreat episode, when Jen returns to the room the following morning and starts crying about Ted, Judy tries to comfort her and says she wishes she could make Jen not feel so badly (or something to that affect) and then very impulsively (and foolishly) blurts out that Nick is a cop. She saw Jen was upset and did the first thing that popped in her head that she thought would help Jen feel better, which was pointing Jen to a detective who could potentially help her find out who hit her husband. Obviously connecting Jen to Nick wasn’t in Judy’s best interest but she almost couldn’t help herself and actually seemed happy to be doing it in the moment because it gave Jen some hope. 

I think she was doing something similar with Bambi by pretending to be Ted’s wife. Jen was upset and stormed out so Judy took it upon herself to gather the information Jen was originally out to get. I don’t think Judy is doing things to deliberately hurt anyone but she doesn’t seem to think things through and in her quest to make sure everyone’s okay she often ends up making things worse. 

I'm guessing that the writers have never actually been held at gunpoint. It would turn 90% of people (at least) into a complete mess. Steve seemed like a very white collar criminal, and I'm not buying that he was hardened enough to be completely unfazed by her threats to shoot him, and aggressively confront Jen and walk toward her and her gun.

It seemed like something that needed to happen for the sake of the plot, so the writers just went with it. 

As for Judy, some of her actions (like stealing Nick's artwork) can't be explained by good intentions or impulsivity. She strikes me as the kind of person who's convinced herself that her intentions are always good, but often chooses results with maximum drama over actually doing the right thing.

If she wanted to do right by Jen, she could have just confessed early on. But she chose to befriend her, and that couldn't have been done on a whim. She must have seriously invaded Jen's privacy do figure out which grief group she goes to.

And she easily could have told the truth about her miscarriages (she still would have been welcome in a group like that), but she was cunning enough to realize that the best way to earn Jen's trust was to invent a story about having the same kind of loss that Jen had.

[Coffeewinewater]

What art work did Judy steal? Nick had art work?  I might have to go rewatch.

I loved this series.  I haven't watched a show like this before.  Everytime I tell people about it. I describe it as hilarious and incredibly sad.  Great show.

[Catfi9ht]

On 5/10/2019 at 11:56 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

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

I connected with the realism about grief, loss, and parenting. I find most shows sugar coat parenting and make it insanely unrealistic.

If that resonated with you, I really liked Better Things with Pamela Adlon. She's a fantastic writer and her voice really resonates with me.

On to the show, I really enjoyed it. I thought it was going to be a comedy then a mystery, but it ended up being neither. It was a nice surprise. The cast was fantastic and I felt the relationship between Jen and Judy was very realistic. I could tell this was a show by women for women. Many times male writers will try to write women and it ends up being super tropey.

My only gripe is with the ending. If they greenlight season 2 and it ends up being about covering up the incident, I'll tune out. I'd rather see the aftermath of them doing the right thing because they have each other to lean on and have learned from their past mistakes.

[rubaco]

Just finished the season. This was great storytelling, and as you all have already said, the acting was phenomenal. Christina Applegate was a revelation to me. I've only seen her in comedies.

I cried when it was revealed that Abe died.

On 5/10/2019 at 11:56 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Guys, if you really liked this show, do you have any other recommendations? Doesn't necessarily have to be like this show.  Just another one you're addicted to I guess.  It's been ages since I've liked a new show THIS much.

I would recommend After Life (also on Netflix), although maybe you have to be a Ricky Gervais fan?  I loved it. Just one season so far, but it will be back for another. 

And yet another Netflix original: Russian Doll, which at first I didn't think I was going to like, but I stuck with it anyway, and by episode 3, I was completely hooked. 

[Jessa]

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... ” 

[Anela]

15 minutes ago, rubaco said:

I would recommend After Life (also on Netflix), although maybe you have to be a Ricky Gervais fan?  I loved it. Just one season so far, but it will be back for another. 

And yet another Netflix original: Russian Doll, which at first I didn't think I was going to like, but I stuck with it anyway, and by episode 3, I was completely hooked. 

I haven't seen Afterlife, but I felt the same way about Russian Doll. I almost turned it off after a few minutes, but then I read that episode 3 was excellent, so I stuck with it (and loved it). 

[Coffeewinewater]

10 minutes ago, Anela said:

I haven't seen Afterlife, but I felt the same way about Russian Doll. I almost turned it off after a few minutes, but then I read that episode 3 was excellent, so I stuck with it (and loved it). 

Ok, I'm going to go back and watch Russian Doll. I only made it half way through the second episode.  I got busy and never watched again. 

[Blakeston]

5 hours ago, Coffeewinewater said:

What art work did Judy steal? Nick had art work?  I might have to go rewatch.

I loved this series.  I haven't watched a show like this before.  Everytime I tell people about it. I describe it as hilarious and incredibly sad.  Great show.

For some reason, I thought that Nick had shown Judy his artwork, rather than the other way around. Never mind.

I still think she's disturbed, though.

[tennisgurl]

Finished the show, and I am already gearing up for season two! Linda Cardellini and Christina Applegate have such great chemistry that I even buy that Jen could maybe forgive Judy one day, despite what she did. They play off each other super well, both in the comedy bits and the more dramatic parts. Really, its just a great cast in general, everyone from the main characters to the minor ones are really great, and make the most out of whatever screen time that they get. 

They also weren't afraid to make their two leads unlikable at times, and do some pretty messed up stuff, like Jen punching Ted when they were fighting the night he died (yeah, when someone tells you they punched their spouse, a good response isnt "well they must have said something" no matter the context) and obviously, Judy hitting Ted and covering it up, then continuing to be friends with Jen and her kids. She did seem to really think that her helping Jen and her kids that she was making it up to them, as messed up as that is. 

My favorite running joke was the Christian kids accapella group. Not what that songs about, guys. 

The one bit I wish would have been left out is Ted cheating on Jen. Them having marital problems due to lack of sex and her anger issues was enough without the added drama. In a show that had just constant twists and kept taking turns I didnt expect (its a story about friendship and grief! Its a dark comedy! Its a crime drama! Its a suburban satire!) the much mourned dead spouse actually being a cheater and people only find out after death is super cliche. Like, I knew they would put that in just by watching the trailer. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Thank you to everyone for the TV recommendations!

[dubbel zout]

9 hours ago, Coffeewinewater said:

I describe it as hilarious and incredibly sad. 

Someone somewhere called it a traumedy, which I think is the perfect portmanteau.

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

The one bit I wish would have been left out is Ted cheating on Jen. Them having marital problems due to lack of sex and her anger issues was enough without the added drama.

I feel like it's to get the audience to be more sympathetic to Judy. Which didn't work on me!  But Judy seems to be pretty well liked.

But yeah, it wasn't necessary.  But I kind of just took the whole show in and enjoyed it for what it was.  Hard to explain.  I didn't really have problems with it, except I didn't like Jen turning to Judy at the end.  I just.... can't get over what Judy did, and no, Steve's personality or behaviour doesn't change my mind on it.

Edited May 13, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[AllyB]

I liked the show a lot right up to the end but I think the comparisons to Unreal are very apt. Great leads and acting, reasonably well plotted first series but really and truly has the potential to go totally off the deep end if the writers get too enamoured with their 'clever' twisty plots instead of leaning harder into the strengths of the performances and the very real emotion that's on display. Tbh, the shooting at the end has already started the show into that ridiculous territory for me. I had been hoping that the Chekov's gun would actually be a misdirect and the real thing to 'go off' in the final act would be the other contents of the safe. That Jen genuinely had no idea of the code but would manage to get into the safe in the final episode and there would be something unexpected in there. I'm not enthused by the obvious but total melodrama plot line we actually got. 

[ghoulina]

20 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

The one bit I wish would have been left out is Ted cheating on Jen. Them having marital problems due to lack of sex and her anger issues was enough without the added drama. In a show that had just constant twists and kept taking turns I didnt expect (its a story about friendship and grief! Its a dark comedy! Its a crime drama! Its a suburban satire!) the much mourned dead spouse actually being a cheater and people only find out after death is super cliche. Like, I knew they would put that in just by watching the trailer. 

I binged the entire thing yesterday and this was my one gripe with it as well. It just felt like....too much. I had a hard time finding my groove with the show, because there were almost too many twists and turns. I wasn't sure what it was supposed to be. I think they could have left that out, but still dealt with the inevitable anger, resentment, guilt, etc. that comes with grief. 

But the acting was so damn good I couldn't stop watching. The main characters weren't afraid to get raw and ugly and there were a lot of very moving moments. 

I'm not sure I'm entirely on board with the ending, though. I feel like it's setting next season up to be just a slightly different rehash of this one - grief and a cover-up. 

[tennisgurl]

I mean, the second they established that there was a gun in the house, I knew it was going off, it was just a matter of guessing who shoots it, and who gets shot. Like, "ahh, looks like Chekov left his gun lying right here..."

[BoogieBurns]

On 5/5/2019 at 12:06 PM, mammaM said:

And yeah, if not a fountain, then a picture in the attic growing old😂

He did a whole bit about the picture in the attic on an epsiode of Comedy Bang Bang. He's aging so gracefully.

[BoogieBurns]

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

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

Netflix recommended Dead to Me after my repeated viewings of Good Girls. 

[SadieT]

20 hours ago, AllyB said:

I liked the show a lot right up to the end but I think the comparisons to Unreal are very apt. Great leads and acting, reasonably well plotted first series but really and truly has the potential to go totally off the deep end if the writers get too enamoured with their 'clever' twisty plots instead of leaning harder into the strengths of the performances and the very real emotion that's on display. Tbh, the shooting at the end has already started the show into that ridiculous territory for me. I had been hoping that the Chekov's gun would actually be a misdirect and the real thing to 'go off' in the final act would be the other contents of the safe. That Jen genuinely had no idea of the code but would manage to get into the safe in the final episode and there would be something unexpected in there. I'm not enthused by the obvious but total melodrama plot line we actually got. 

I read or watched an interview with creator/showrunner Liz Feldman and where she said that the ending wasn’t actually her idea but was brought to her by another writer on the series. I would link to it but I read a lot of interviews about the show and can’t recall which this particular point was mentioned in. So it sounds like her original concept was maybe a little more grounded and more about Jen and Judy’s relationship. I think a lot of shows, especially series made for streaming platforms, go the twisty-turning route because it draws people in and gets them talking. The more people talking about that crazy thing that happened in episode so and so on social media, the more attention the series gets. I don’t think two solid performances about grief is enough of a draw anymore, sadly. That said I do think the writing and the acting balanced out some of the more outlandish twists, with lesser talents things could have easily veered off into the ridiculous, and while the ending is a little far fetched, the emotions and pathos still feel very real. 

ETA: Found the article if anyone's interested: https://ew.com/tv/2019/05/09/dead-to-me-creator-burning-questions/?fbclid=IwAR0Ie_Mcd5TBBeWwPLDCGeRH6MfE3aWOyTB9hgQw5rkrrKnQ11QfeVgCbQs

Edited May 14, 2019 by SadieT

[ABitOFluff]

5 hours ago, BoogieBurns said:

Netflix recommended Dead to Me after my repeated viewings of Good Girls. 

Haha, today I recommended Dead to Me to a couple of fans of Good Girls. 

[AllyB]

14 hours ago, SadieT said:

I don’t think two solid performances about grief is enough of a draw anymore, sadly.

Ricky Gervais' After Life has been nearly universally lauded and that's just basically the first few minutes of Dead To Me (angrily grieving a spouse) continued for the whole series.

[MaggieG]

I really enjoyed this show. I loved Judy's wardrobe. I also loved that they kept the "Hey Girl" going with Jeff's secretary.

[BoogieBurns]

14 hours ago, ABitOFluff said:

Haha, today I recommended Dead to Me to a couple of fans of Good Girls. 

It really does scratch the same itch of women in tricky times handling their business, and sometimes failing miserably. With plenty of humor and booze. 

[Arynm]

Not to get all murder mystery soapy, but it looked to me like Jen shot Steve in the back. It kind of makes sense because Steve was someone who pushed personal boundaries but then immediately back off when called on it. I can see him coming towards Jen, her telling him to back up, and him doing it (eventually). I can't see how she then shoots him in the back. Maybe he said something really awful and her temper got the best of her.

[Lifesabeach]

I watched and liked this series.  I also watched After Life despite Ricky Gervais, not much of a fan.  But it was very touching and showed me a different side of Ricky other than the snark.  I would recommend it.  And I loved Russian Doll.  That one needs to have your attention while watching, no multitasking 😁. The lead actress, Natasha.......  played one of my fave characters in OITNB.  She is an interesting lady, seen her on a couple talk shows. 

I am retired now and have time so I am rewatching Call the Midwife.  The shows seem new to me, it’s been a while and my memory is meh.    I can’t believe how many episodes bring me to tears.  It is well done and a satisfying watch.

[Anela]

8 minutes ago, Lifesabeach said:

I watched and liked this series.  I also watched After Life despite Ricky Gervais, not much of a fan.  But it was very touching and showed me a different side of Ricky other than the snark.  I would recommend it.  And I loved Russian Doll.  That one needs to have your attention while watching, no multitasking 😁. The lead actress, Natasha.......  played one of my fave characters in OITNB.  She is an interesting lady, seen her on a couple talk shows. 

I am retired now and have time so I am rewatching Call the Midwife.  The shows seem new to me, it’s been a while and my memory is meh.    I can’t believe how many episodes bring me to tears.  It is well done and a satisfying watch.

That;s why I don't watch Call the Midwife. 🙂 I was worried I would  be crying all the time, and I already was, over personal things. 

[Lifesabeach]

Anela, I find the tears cathartic.  Just like I love bloody violence in horror movies (it’s only make believe).  I find that very cathartic in these ‘troubling times’.  It’s fun to imagine ‘other people’ in those scenes.  I know, some may find that sick but when I am in a mood it works for me, cheaper than therapy.   😈

[Anela]

17 minutes ago, Lifesabeach said:

Anela, I find the tears cathartic.  Just like I love bloody violence in horror movies (it’s only make believe).  I find that very cathartic in these ‘troubling times’.  It’s fun to imagine ‘other people’ in those scenes.  I know, some may find that sick but when I am in a mood it works for me, cheaper than therapy.   😈

Not sick at all. 🙂 I just don't watch much of This is Us, for the same reason. They promise you will cry, and that puts me off. 

[Wanda]

My very first binge. Couldn’t stop watching. 

[rlc]

On 5/10/2019 at 11:56 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Guys, if you really liked this show, do you have any other recommendations? Doesn't necessarily have to be like this show.  Just another one you're addicted to I guess.  It's been ages since I've liked a new show THIS much.

Broadchurch, Season 1 is the last show I remember being THIS insanely, unhealthily addicted to.  I didn't want to leave my house.

I also really liked The OA, One Day at a Time, and Jessica Jones.  Any other recos?  Like I said, "Samantha Who?" is a show from the 2000s that I liked starring Christina Applegate and Melissa McCarthy - but I am not sure if it's streaming anywhere.

You should check out ‘I’m Sorry’ and ‘Fleabag’.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I'm not sure anyone mentioned it yet, but there was a very telling detail about Judy. In several interactions with Steve, he would get belligerent, she would say something like, “Hey!” or “Stop!” He would quickly say sorry and almost immediately she would say “It’s OK”. Every time.

It was definitely an abusive relationship, if not physically, then emotionally. I kept waiting for someone to point out how weird it was that Judy and Steve were trying to have kids, and that Judy had multiple miscarriages, yet they still weren't married, and then Steve finally broke up with her after the last miscarriage. It seemed like he wasn't willing to commit until she could prove she could give him kids. Nobody ever pointed that out.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 5/15/2019 at 6:44 PM, rlc said:

You should check out ‘I’m Sorry’ and ‘Fleabag’.

I really didn't like Fleabag, but it's very critically acclaimed, I know that.  Thanks for the recommendations I will check out "I'm Sorry".

[JanetSnakehole]

I loved it. I too felt that Steve was building to an uber-asshole, unlike the 'sort of' asshole we saw at first. 

Oh, and Judy didn't keep the money, she gave it to Jen rolled up in the youngest son's wooden bird figure. Jen discovered it right before dumb/aggro Steve showed up in her back yard. 

[Jillybean]

This series was interesting...it's billed as a black comedy, but there were very few comedic moments. One problem for me: as with certain other shows, there was really no one to root for because they're all shitty people (with the exception of Henry).  Christina Applegate was fantastic, though.

[chaifan]

I did a slow binge - watched the show 2-3 episodes at a time over a week or so.  It was hard to not keep watching, especially with just 1/2 hour episodes.  A few things:

I may not be remembering this right (good reason for a rewatch of the first 2 episodes) but I thought Judy was surprised to find out Jen's husband was the guy she hit on the road.  I didn't think Judy was intentionally stalking Jen at the grief meeting, I thought them meeting was purely weird chance.  Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, or let me know if I'm right.

I was certain Abe overhearing Steve & Judy's talk about the accident was going to lead somewhere.  I thought Abe would say something like "You have nothing to worry about, dear.  Steve was driving, you were the passenger.  I heard him confess.  I'll tell the police that."  wink wink.  Then, when he died, I thought maybe Steve killed him because he knew he overheard the conversation.  And, I was wrong both times. 

I want a 2nd season, but I don't want it to be about a cover up.  The mystery of Ted's death is solved, and I got the distinct impression Judy made a plea deal where she turned over Steve's money laundering business in exchange for no prosecution for Ted's death.  I really don't want a second season to revolve around Jen & Judy covering up Steve's murder.  But then, what would a second season be about? 

I think I would have preferred to have Steve careen off a cliff, and Jen & Judy reconcile and live a good life off Steve's money, and that would be the end. 

Edited May 23, 2019 by chaifan