S01.E05: 03 Bonnie and Clyde

[spinxella]

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In the aftermath of the carnival, Maddy (Alexa Demie) and Nate (Jacob Elordi) are forced to deal with a police investigation. Jules (Hunter Schafer) begins to feel pressured by her role in Rue's (Zendaya) sobriety. Kat (Barbie Ferreira) ignores a confused Ethan (Austin Abrams) and embraces her new lifestyle. Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) tries to distance herself from Daniel (Keean Johnson) and focus on her relationship with McKay (Algee Smith). Cal (Eric Dane) worries about how his actions have affected his sons.

[SeanC]

After multiple episodes of Nate on a rampage of destruction, it's almost strange to see him threatened with consequences.

[RedDelicious]

I loved the roller skating scene - one of the few (only?) where they just get to be kids and it brought back fond memories of our rink growing up.

[scrb]

All these kids have twisted upbringings to get to where they are.

You can believe the daughter of a cosmetician who was put in pagents as a little girl would have a warped view of relationships by her teens.

Also strange that Rue would seek out a relatively healthy relationship with Jules, who may not feel the same about her.  But Jules is only a close second to Fentanyl and for now Rue is fine with desperately clinging to Jules.

I thought in these addiction anonymous programs they discourage relationships during recovery.

Ali is telling Rue the brutal truth, that Rue may just spiral back to drugs once Rules goes away.

[blixie]

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I thought in these addiction anonymous programs they discourage relationships during recovery.

Yeah they do, usually for the first year of recovery, precisely because of Rue feeling like Jules is her lifeline, if she pins all her recovery on the relationship, when the relationship ends so will the recovery, so while I feel bad an confused for Rue about Jules level of reciprocation I do think it's healthier for both if they just remain friends. Their friendship as is seems to be a good thing for both of them.

Having said I think it's pretty difficult for teenagers in particular to not break this rule, and I do think it's more about pressures of a committed monogamous relationship than the vagaries of teen dating. 

[laprin]

8 hours ago, RedDelicious said:

I loved the roller skating scene - one of the few (only?) where they just get to be kids and it brought back fond memories of our rink growing up.

Does anyone know what year this is supposed to take place? There is something distinctly not “2019 modern” about the show  - maybe early 2000s. For example, Maddy performing early Madonna as a child instead of Britney Spears, the small flat screens and roller skating scene.

 I think this was my favorite episode. It was nice to have more character dialogue. Jules is still the only teen that I find likable.  I want to like Rue. I think I’m supposed to like Rue. I just find her to be so needy and self-centered. I completely understand Jules not wanting to deal with the weight of such a relationship. 

[scrb]

It's definitely not early 2000s.

They have modern phones with social media and hook up apps.

Think about how widely available porn is to these kids and how they sext all the time.

Or Kat's career writing fanfic and then doing the video chat with that guy who's giving her money and buying her stuff.

[CynicalGirl]

He's paying her with bitcoin which didn't exist till 2009 (per wiki)

[Dejana]

Kat was writing One Direction fanfic a few years ago, specifically a story set during their Take Me Home tour, which happened in 2013. I thought the choice of Madonna for the talent show was odd but figured someone else picked the music out for her.

I don't think all the characters will survive the season.

[SHD]

Do they always put the warning (not just rating) at the start of the episodes? If so, I must FF through it. I saw that warning and thought for sure something REALLY violent or twisted was going to happen this episode and kept holding my breath, but this episode didn't seem any more violent and/or twisted than any of the others.

[meatball77]

They were all Julling in this episode so it's got to be current.  The styling ect. . . is all over the place though.

[heatherchandler]

3 hours ago, SHD said:

Do they always put the warning (not just rating) at the start of the episodes? If so, I must FF through it. I saw that warning and thought for sure something REALLY violent or twisted was going to happen this episode and kept holding my breath, but this episode didn't seem any more violent and/or twisted than any of the others.

It must have been for the bruises on Maddie's neck.

[mommalib]

The fans of this show are weird. Why does it seem like Mckay is getting a more negative reaction than someone like Nate. Mckay seems to be a good kid and Nate is abusive.

[TattleTeeny]

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Does anyone know what year this is supposed to take place? There is something distinctly not “2019 modern” about the show  - maybe early 2000s. For example, Maddy performing early Madonna as a child instead of Britney Spears, the small flat screens and roller skating scene.

Even though I know this show is present day, I feel the same way--its general vibe (and clothing!) if not its technology, is very late '90s/early 2000s. Maybe part of that all all the Larry Clarkishness.

Edited July 17, 2019 by TattleTeeny

[Lemons]

26 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

Even though I know this show is present day, I feel the same way--its general vibe (and clothing!) if not its technology, is very late '90s/early 2000s. Maybe part of that all all the Larry Clarkishness.

I know they also mentioned Livejournal or some type of social media from the early 2000's that I thought was long gone.  That was puzzling.

[MrWhyt]

20 hours ago, mommalib said:

The fans of this show are weird. Why does it seem like Mckay is getting a more negative reaction than someone like Nate. Mckay seems to be a good kid and Nate is abusive.

McKay was presented with at least a veneer of being a nice guy, Nate has been trouble from the start. McKay treating Cassie poorly is a disappointing and somewhat unexpected development, Nate hurting Maddie, while terrible, wasn't really a surprise.

[tennisgurl]

03 Bonnie and Clyde was one of my middle school jams, so thats bringing back some fun memories for me at least. 

My favorite bit was the Rollerblade scene, it was just such a nice scene, which is a great break from this parade of the most maladjusted kids in suburbia who arent actively murdering people and their drama. This show is very current in some ways with its kids, but also feels weirdly early 00s to me, like when I was a a pre-teen/teen, just with phones and Apps. 

[SnarkEnthusiast]

Jules/Rue, while kind of a wet blanket for shipping fodder, is actually a pretty accurate portrayal of high school relationships/friends-to-lovers awkwardness where one person isn't really into it but feels guilt/pressure to try and make it work.

Why are so many kids at this high school having sex with men in their 40s??

Re: the setting/time period dissonance, I think that's a result of writers who were already teens/in their 20s by the aughts trying to imagine these characters' early childhoods and blending it with their own childhood pop culture, which doesn't make sense if we're talking about 2011-2015ish (now I feel old).

This still feels like an oversexed Skins (if that's possible) with better cinematography.

Fans will fawn over Nate no matter what because he's a hot white guy. 

[mommalib]

On 7/17/2019 at 7:44 PM, MrWhyt said:

McKay was presented with at least a veneer of being a nice guy, Nate has been trouble from the start. McKay treating Cassie poorly is a disappointing and somewhat unexpected development, Nate hurting Maddie, while terrible, wasn't really a surprise.

He's not really treating her poorly, he made an error in judgement. And she did end up kissing another guy and masturbating in public proving him right. Nate is flat out abusive and psychotic and  there is no way Mckay should be getting anywhere near the kind of hate Nate should.

[mommalib]

6 hours ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Jules/Rue, while kind of a wet blanket for shipping fodder, is actually a pretty accurate portrayal of high school relationships/friends-to-lovers awkwardness where one person isn't really into it but feels guilt/pressure to try and make it work.

Why are so many kids at this high school having sex with men in their 40s??

Re: the setting/time period dissonance, I think that's a result of writers who were already teens/in their 20s by the aughts trying to imagine these characters' early childhoods and blending it with their own childhood pop culture, which doesn't make sense if we're talking about 2011-2015ish (now I feel old).

This still feels like an oversexed Skins (if that's possible) with better cinematography.

Fans will fawn over Nate no matter what because he's a hot white guy. 

Bingo on the white guy part. And it makes me sick to see how those same people are responding to Mckay, being more critical of him than Nate.

[BigDfromLA]

Every reference to time puts the show and the story at today...late 2018 or early 2019.

Rue was born three days after 9/11 in 2001 and is now 17, which makes it between September 2018 and September 2019 (when she turns 18).

Other references, including Rue's narration in the first episode (about nude pics being the currency of love) says it's 2019.

The crazy use of smartphones, texts, pictures, video and other electronics definitely puts the story in 2019. Even four/five years ago, electronics elements were not as advanced and used in the way they are now.

There is no way the show is set in anytime earlier than September of 2018.

I still have no idea what state the show is set in. I remember references to Panama City and a certain drug being popular in Tampa, so maybe Florida is the setting, which makes sense. I know that the show is filmed in Southern California, but I don't think it is set there.

Apparently, the old family picture of Cal and Nate Jacobs shows three little boys. I never noticed this before. Nate has one brother, right? What happened to the third little boy?

Edited July 21, 2019 by BigDfromLA

[SnarkEnthusiast]

On 7/16/2019 at 11:16 PM, mommalib said:

The fans of this show are weird. Why does it seem like Mckay is getting a more negative reaction than someone like Nate. Mckay seems to be a good kid and Nate is abusive.

Nate is white and Mckay is black. Nate could murder Maddy and it would still be romanticized. Nate will always be perceived as sexy and brooding, whereas Mckay will be written off for every tiny mistake.

[BigDfromLA]

Of all the males in the show, McKay is the only one who is comparatively likeable...the rest are complete jerks. Yet, there is something off about McKay. He comes across like he may be a repressed homosexual. 

[mommalib]

7 hours ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Nate is white and Mckay is black. Nate could murder Maddy and it would still be romanticized. Nate will always be perceived as sexy and brooding, whereas Mckay will be written off for every tiny mistake.

Yup it makes me sick.

1 hour ago, BigDfromLA said:

Of all the males in the show, McKay is the only one who is comparatively likeable...the rest are complete jerks. Yet, there is something off about McKay. He comes across like he may be a repressed homosexual. 

I don't get that vibe from him at all. I think he's sensitive and insecure.

[shouldbedancing]

Why was the background music for the last scene so loud? I couldn't hear what McKay said. I'm getting old.

[methodwriter85]

On 7/20/2019 at 6:42 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Re: the setting/time period dissonance, I think that's a result of writers who were already teens/in their 20s by the aughts trying to imagine these characters' early childhoods and blending it with their own childhood pop culture, which doesn't make sense if we're talking about 2011-2015ish (now I feel old).

I think it's actually totally on purpose. I'm going to assume most of the writing staff is in their 20's or mid-30's at the oldest (the creator of the show was born in 1985, it looks like), but they also make a lot of references to the 1970's and 1980's, especially in the house decor and that rollerskating scene. They're time-mashing everything to give it a sense of being contemporary, yet also timeless. Riverdale and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina do the same thing.

Edited July 23, 2019 by methodwriter85

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was curious to see how Cal would react to being told that his son choked Maddy. Given his obsession with his public image, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had started off by yelling at him for making their family look bad. I guess I should give him credit for first asking if he actually did it. And of course Nate's bull shit answer was "not really." How do you not really choke someone? Either you did or you didn't, asshole. And I give Cal credit for following that up with asking Nate again if he did it. In most other situations, I would say I was glad that Cal believed his son and was completely supportive.

But knowing that Nate is an asshole AND that he did it, seeing Cal believe him was so frustrating because I just knew that Nate and Cal were going to smear her in order to clear his name. And sure enough, he told the cops that she was doing drugs, that they don't have a healthy relationship, and that she's had sex with other guys.

I was glad when the detective told Maddy that whoever put those bruises on her didn't love her. That's a truth that a lot of people need to hear. And someone who loves you won't throw you under the bus and paint you as a crazy drug addled slut in order to save his own ass.

Ali was also full of truth for Rue, the biggest of which was nothing in high school lasts forever.

I haven't been a huge fan of the principal, but I give him credit for interviewing multiple students and finding out there were several witnesses to Nate and Maddy's fight.

It made me sad that when Rue asked Jules if the sex she had with all these men was good and Jules said the sex isn't the point. If sex isn't the point, then why have it? All the stuff leading up to it that she said was the point can be done without having sex.

It also made me sad when Rue said that she had her first kiss with a boy she didn't really like because she just wanted to get it over with. Your first kiss should be with someone you like! And you shouldn't have to give someone a blow job because he says he's going to tell the entire school that you did anyway (reminder: teenager boys are the absolute fucking worst).

I'm glad that Kat is taking control of her sexuality and choosing who she wants to be with, but that guy from the clothing store seemed like he was interesting in getting to know her and then she squashed that with "we can hook up and you can stop talking." It's totally fine to have sexual encounters without being totally in love, but it's also okay to chat with someone too.

When Nate called McKay to ask Cassie to tell Maddy to download Signal so he could text her to meet him at a motel, I was half afraid he was going to murder her there. I know this is a regular teen drama (not, say, Pretty Little Liars where characters get killed left and right) but Nate is such a psycho that I've been spending the entire season waiting for him to completely lose it and kill someone. Jules and Maddy are both pretty high on the list right now.

Although Rue has been shown to be very self absorbed and selfish, I do like that when she realizes she's hurt someone she tries to fix things. In a previous episode, someone pointed out how scared Gia must have been after finding Rue unconscious and Rue went to hang out with Gia. In this episode, she realized that she has been a shitty friend to Lexi so she apologized and invited her to the roller rink. They're small gestures but they show that if the message penetrates her head, she isn't in a state of denial (ahem, unlike Nate who refuses to admit that he choked the girlfriend he proclaims to love).

Sorry to see that the Maddy/Cassie friendship appears to be over now after that scene at the lockers. It's definitely going to be over when Maddy finds out that Cassie told people about the pictures on Nate's phone. Should I add Cassie to the list of Nate's potential murder victims? Sadly, I"m only kind of joking.

I really thought that Cal believed Nate when he said he didn't choke Maddy, but based on what he said to Minako about seeing the rage in his sons, he must know that Nate did actually do it.

I know Rue thinks she's in love, but I was with Jules when she said she was not going to get a tattoo of her name inside her lip. I hate to be a cynic, but tattooing the name of someone you love when you're in high school is not a good idea 99.9999999% of the time. No offense to Ashtray who is obviously a seasoned professional. I cracked up when he assured Jules that he's been tattooing for years.

On 7/15/2019 at 5:39 PM, laprin said:

Does anyone know what year this is supposed to take place? There is something distinctly not “2019 modern” about the show  - maybe early 2000s. For example, Maddy performing early Madonna as a child instead of Britney Spears, the small flat screens and roller skating scene.

 

On 7/21/2019 at 12:15 AM, BigDfromLA said:

Every reference to time puts the show and the story at today...late 2018 or early 2019.

Rue was born three days after 9/11 in 2001 and is now 17, which makes it between September 2018 and September 2019 (when she turns 18).

Other references, including Rue's narration in the first episode (about nude pics being the currency of love) says it's 2019.

The crazy use of smartphones, texts, pictures, video and other electronics definitely puts the story in 2019. Even four/five years ago, electronics elements were not as advanced and used in the way they are now.

There is no way the show is set in anytime earlier than September of 2018.

I still have no idea what state the show is set in. I remember references to Panama City and a certain drug being popular in Tampa, so maybe Florida is the setting, which makes sense. I know that the show is filmed in Southern California, but I don't think it is set there.

When the detective took pictures of Maddie's neck, the photo they showed was date stamped October 6, 2018.

In the first episode, I paused to scrutinize a license plate that was very clear (because I'm one of those people who always wants to know what state they're supposed to be in). Instead of a state name at the top, it just said "drive safely."

There are still roller skating rinks and even roller skating classes! I know a bunch of people who have started roller skating in the past few years and some of them have the light up wheels that were shown in the roller skating scene. I don't think roller skating rinks ever really went away. When I was in college, we went to play laser tag at a building that was shared with a roller skating rink.

Edited December 20, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo