S04.E06: Maximum Recreational Depth

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Axe discovers a trap set for him by Taylor. Chuck and Wendy navigate marital issues. Wendy rekindles an unlikely friendship. Taylor pursues a new business venture. Connerty formulates a plan to go after Chuck.

Original air date 2019.04.21

[scrb]

Looks like they’re not dropping the BDSM after all.  But maybe Wendy will drop him by the end of the season for a cliffhanger.

Wendy is out to destroy Taylor’s relationship with their father.  Interesting, she likes that Axe Capital money now so she’s going to draw on her sessions with Taylor and tell Bobby how to really hurt them.

She’s even willing to wink at Mafee to get him to give away the secret about the deal.  It wasn’t that believable the first time when they made Mafee so cougar-struck and not too credible this time either.

Finally a Lara sighting half way into the season so she could announce she’s going away with the kids Axe doesn’t give a fuck about seeing.

Wags gets humiliated and vows revenge but abuses his liver instead.

Meanwhile, Chuck, who craves physical and emotional abuse, is getting abused by Connerty in the legal turf wars.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Chuck has a solid addiction. He's now willing to risk both his family and his career to satisfy it. That generally doesn't end well and he's already at least one do-over ahead of what any regular person would have been allowed.

I dunno, something about Axe's new girlfriend still seems fishy to me.

WTF kind of club was that Wags was trying to get into? Is that a real thing? How would something like that be kept quiet in this day of high-tech miniature cameras? Seems rife for blackmail fodder.*

Wait, what? Wendy is actually after Taylor? I've missed something because I thought they had sort of mended fences.

Looks like the Axe and Chuck buddy act may not survive this season. I'm surprised it's lasted this long.

*Okay, yeah, per Wikipedia Kappa Beta Phi is a real thing and men dressing in drag is indeed a new member hazing ritual. Apparently though KBP now has some female members too so I don't know how that works for them. Nobody would look twice at a woman in a pantsuit.

[EtheltoTillie]

Goodfellas reference:  Wags’s initiation scam reminded me of when Joe Pesci thought he was becoming a made man. 

Edited April 21, 2019 by GussieK

[Starchild]

19 hours ago, scrb said:

Wendy is out to destroy Taylor’s relationship with their father.  Interesting, she likes that Axe Capital money now so she’s going to draw on her sessions with Taylor and tell Bobby how to really hurt them.

What's that about anyway? She's willing to ruin the life of an innocent bystander? Taylor never did anything to Wendy to warrant this next-level personal shit did they?

[riverheightsnancy]

Personally, I think Wendy is violating the code of ethics for her profession. If she follows the APA, there are issues there IMO. Has Wendy NEVER thought that going after Taylor could has her to loss her license to practice is Taylor brings a complaint to the state licensing board? 

[scrb]

1 hour ago, Starchild said:

What's that about anyway? She's willing to ruin the life of an innocent bystander? Taylor never did anything to Wendy to warrant this next-level personal shit did they?

11 minutes ago, riverheightsnancy said:

Personally, I think Wendy is violating the code of ethics for her profession. If she follows the APA, there are issues there IMO. Has Wendy NEVER thought that going after Taylor could has her to loss her license to practice is Taylor brings a complaint to the state licensing board? 

It looks that way, that she’s going to tell Axe how to hurt Taylor the most, based on her notes.

Maybe she realized that she was caught meeting Taylor so she’s saying she’s been running a side mission to cover her own ass.  Maybe originally she wanted someone t9 talk to after Chuck put their business out.

Or maybe she’s becoming evil like Axe.

[Pop Tart]

11 hours ago, scrb said:

It looks that way, that she’s going to tell Axe how to hurt Taylor the most, based on her notes.

And this is the thing that made her leave Chuck the first time around - he'd looked at her session notes with Axe and used them to get at Axe. That, to her, was a deal breaker plain and simple (more, apparently, than Chuck outing their sex life to the world). So for her to use her session notes and hand the information to Axe so that he can take Taylor down in the most devastating way possible? Doesn't ring true for me. And that's an issue I've had with Wendy's characterization all of this season. 

I did appreciate that they added some nuance to Taylor's dad's characterization - his loss of his previous invention and his job was more complicated than his just being taken advantage of by a big corporation. And his trying to manipulate Taylor into going into debt to pay for his new idea? All made him a more interesting person. Though for a moment there, when he left their celebration, I had the thought that he was going to meet up with Axe (or someone connected to him) to get back at Taylor for not supporting him. And that would have been a million steps too far for him.

While I enjoy the legal scheming Chuck, Connerty, Sacher, and their boss all do, I thought last night got a bit silly with the moves and counter moves where everyone seems to be able to figure out in an instant what the other side is up to. 

[missyb]

I believe that Wendy is hurt and humiliated beyond all reason. She has stepped a toe over the edge. She can see nothing but red. And, winning at all costs. That is what the people who are most important  to her do and so her worth is now wrapped up not in how she helps and motivates people but in winning. As it is to Chuck and Bobby. In two episodes, this has been hammered into the audience. Chuck will do anything to win, even out his wife as a willing participant in his sexual fettish, even when she said no. Bobby will do anything to win and get even, even destroy someone he has been "mentoring" and in his mind helping through life. He read that situation all wrong and getting even was tantamount.

This season is about getting even and revenge. Even Wendy. For her, it may be a get even, get revenge and walk away from all of them.

Edited April 22, 2019 by missyb

[Dminches]

I thought there was a scene meant to misdirect the viewer as opposed to it really contributing to the story line.

Hall told Axe that Wendy and Taylor were identified to be at the same place (the ice cream place) and Axe tells him to monitor that as though there was some concern there.  However, when Wendy comes into Axe's office close to the end of the show with the information she got from Mafee she is asked if she got it.  Clearly they knew what she was up to.  If so, why did Axe and Hall make it seem as though something fishy was up with her?

[grommit2]

15 hours ago, Starchild said:

What's that about anyway? She's willing to ruin the life of an innocent bystander? Taylor never did anything to Wendy to warrant this next-level personal shit did they?

Agreed!  Geez..I hope the writers don't mess with my favorite TV character.  They currently have Taylor trying to do the right thing (unique in this show) by supporting her Dad.  But, of course, we know how this is going to end when her Dad messes up. 

And Chuck is going to be dragged down by HIS father, the duplicitous political insider bent on skirting the rules to build some magnificent waterfront edifice. The makeup folks have him looking like the devil incarnate.

Geez...when will Axe and Wags encounter their fathers, just to make this a real Shakesperean story line.

[car54]

The side story of Wags being inducted made me think of that picture from 2000 of Guiliani in drag kissing Trump --he was all dressed up for some charity event.    Poor Wags---he has earned so much from his connection to Bobby, but it's always some thing that he wants/needs to make him feel like he's made it.

[Lemons]

5 hours ago, grommit2 said:

Agreed!  Geez..I hope the writers don't mess with my favorite TV character.  They currently have Taylor trying to do the right thing (unique in this show) by supporting her Dad.  But, of course, we know how this is going to end when her Dad messes up. 

And Chuck is going to be dragged down by HIS father, the duplicitous political insider bent on skirting the rules to build some magnificent waterfront edifice. The makeup folks have him looking like the devil incarnate.

Geez...when will Axe and Wags encounter their fathers, just to make this a real Shakesperean story line.

Wags did confront his dead father by way of the initiation to the fraternity.  That's why Wags was so excited about getting in, because his father was a member and told Wags he would never get in.

Chuck obviously has a huge problem and isn't into S&M as a fun hobby.  You would think as great at Wendy is supposed to be as a psychiatrist that she would be able to help him get past his compulsions to hurt himself in times of stress.  

[MJS]

10 hours ago, Dminches said:

I thought there was a scene meant to misdirect the viewer as opposed to it really contributing to the story line.

Hall told Axe that Wendy and Taylor were identified to be at the same place (the ice cream place) and Axe tells him to monitor that as though there was some concern there.  However, when Wendy comes into Axe's office close to the end of the show with the information she got from Mafee she is asked if she got it.  Clearly they knew what she was up to.  If so, why did Axe and Hall make it seem as though something fishy was up with her?

I don’t recall Axe asking Wendy if she got it. He asked someone else in the room (blanking on who) and then Wendy came in and said she knew. 

Im hoping that Wendy is delaying Axe in going after Taylor by suggesting this more indirect plan, so she can intervene behind the scenes and save them. Otherwise she’s crossed an irredeemable line. 

[Auntie Anxiety]

Good to see Sandra Huxtable’s husband got an acting gig after being Trader Joe’s employee shamed a few months back.

[Dminches]

9 hours ago, MJS said:

I don’t recall Axe asking Wendy if she got it. He asked someone else in the room (blanking on who) and then Wendy came in and said she knew. 

Im hoping that Wendy is delaying Axe in going after Taylor by suggesting this more indirect plan, so she can intervene behind the scenes and save them. Otherwise she’s crossed an irredeemable line. 

I just rewatched it.  You are correct.  Wendy just walks in and says it was a start up.

I think she means business with respect to taking down Taylor.  I am hoping there could be a twist here since I agree she has crossed a line.

[teddysmom]

10 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

Good to see Sandra Huxtable’s husband got an acting gig after being Trader Joe’s employee shamed a few months back.

I think he also got a role on a Tyler Perry produced show on one of the cable channels.  That whole Trader Joe's thing was such BS.  

[sadie]

We are four seasons in and I still don’t understand the Wendy/Chuck relationship. I don’t see the attraction. Chuck is physically abhorrent, treats Wendy like crap, disregards her in most ways and she just keeps putting up with it. For a show I find not realistic most of the time this is the most unrealistic part for me. And why would Chuck tempt fate at using an outsider to get his fix at this point? It’s more than reckless and even if he can’t see it you would think Wendy would. 

[Auntie Anxiety]

1 hour ago, sadie said:

We are four seasons in and I still don’t understand the Wendy/Chuck relationship. I don’t see the attraction. Chuck is physically abhorrent, treats Wendy like crap, disregards her in most ways and she just keeps putting up with it. For a show I find not realistic most of the time this is the most unrealistic part for me.

I’ve been wondering about this since the get go. Chuck has no redeeming qualities. Wendy is supposed to be smart and self-aware, so wtf? And I definitely wouldn’t want my children anywhere near Chuck’s father.

They should have pulled the plug on this show after Season 2.

[txhorns79]

4 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

I’ve been wondering about this since the get go. Chuck has no redeeming qualities. Wendy is supposed to be smart and self-aware, so wtf? And I definitely wouldn’t want my children anywhere near Chuck’s father.

I don't understand it either.  I mean, Wendy's at the point where her husband is rather alarmingly self-mutilating, and she can barely bring herself to care.  I'd say the relationship is done, but I am not sure the writers will go there. 

12 hours ago, Dminches said:

I think she means business with respect to taking down Taylor.  I am hoping there could be a twist here since I agree she has crossed a line.

I hope so as well.  I get that she was pissed at Taylor after Taylor told her off last season, but it's some pretty dark stuff to have Wendy looking to try and destroy Taylor's family to destroy Taylor. 

[MJS]

I think Wendy is just as ambitious and power hungry as Chuck is. She sees Chuck as a route to power, that compliments the power she wields at Axe Cap. 

However her power had turned darker this season and more self serving (in good and bad ways). Chuck stripped her of power over herself when he outed her, and that’s why she is questioning the relationship, even moreso than when they separated previously.  

[PrincessPurrsALot]

I agree on the character changes that has happened to Wendy.  The way I saw it she was reaching out to Taylor in a friendly way, then she learned that they had put a poison pill in the deal.  After that Wendy was all in for taking down Taylor to the point of violating her professional ethics and risking losing her credentials. Prior to this season, she has always been careful about that line.  

The other thing that stood out to me was how the dominatrix was dressed.  Wendy agreed to have her come to the house but made it clear that she should look like a personal trainer or massage therapist.  Unless she changed in the foyer, that's certainly not how she looked.  If I saw her strolling into Chuck's place, given his public disclosure, I would know exactly why she was there.  Yowza! 

ETA: A professional would ask before making any marks that would be readily visible to others.  The bruising on Chuck's face made no sense. It's one thing to be kinky and open about it.  It's another to walk around with visible bruises. This wouldn't play well given Chuck's position regardless of his disclosing his proclivities. 

[Starchild]

I was thinking the same thing. When she hit him he looked genuinely shocked. I didn't get the sense that they'd had a prior off-screen discussion where boundaries were set. No professional would leave a visible mark without consent, especially with a public figure.

Shenanigans!

[Pike Ludwell]

I have to watch the past few episodes again, paying more attention. Several different convoluted strategies going on. 

We are seeing how Chuck, and any person with sado-masochistic tendencies, likely has deep underlying psychological problems. This is why it is different from the ordinary "what people do behind closed doors is their business" attitude. I just cannot believe an American electorate in any jurisdiction would elect such a person to that high an office, even with all the stuff we have seen in recent years.

[TexasGal]

How did Wags end up in such a tragic dress, when he had a room full of much nicer choices?

Given I just watched the most recent 3 eps and this is the only thing I care about, I think I’m done with this show.

[Auntie Anxiety]

If Chuck is so aware of how misogynistic and awful Chuck Sr. is, wouldn’t he have already figured out that there is no point in having anything other than a superficial relationship with him, instead of attempting to curry the favor of a sociopath? Why has Wendy put up with it all this time? Would you want your kids anywhere near that pig?

[Lemons]

On 4/30/2019 at 8:00 PM, Auntie Anxiety said:

If Chuck is so aware of how misogynistic and awful Chuck Sr. is, wouldn’t he have already figured out that there is no point in having anything other than a superficial relationship with him, instead of attempting to curry the favor of a sociopath? Why has Wendy put up with it all this time? Would you want your kids anywhere near that pig?

People sometimes put up with a lot for the love of their parents.   There was one scene on the phone where chuck Sr. said something to Chuck jr about loving him and Chuck Jr was absolutely glowing.  He would have done anything for his father at that moment. Like a child.