S03.E02: Morta di Fame

[Drogo]

Frankie takes his amateur porn business to the next level and ends up in a confrontation with Rudy, who pushes Vincent to up his profits. Candy brainstorms a new film based on the experiences of her fellow sex workers and finds that her new beau, Hank, is not shaken by her past. Abby and Loretta take care of Shay when she shows up to the Hi-Hat in bad shape. Lori is advised to be more compliant after she dares to stand up for herself on set.

[peridot]

I'm surprised that Frankie isn't afraid to confront and dismiss Rudy.  I'm not sure why he thinks that he's protected.  I'm disgusted that he wasn't phased by what his new partner was up to.  I'm really hoping that he won't keep doing business with him, but who knows with that greedy SOB.

That racist, clown yuppie was a coward.  I hope that Mike finds him and throws him down some stairs.  How the hell did Bobby's loser son become a Wall Street broker?

I'm not sure about Eileen's new boyfriend, he seems too good to be true.  Her story about her first time tricking was horrifying.

Lori's story never gets better.  Now she's shoving produce up her orifices?  I really hope that she gets strong enough to say "I'm not doing this anymore". 

[chick binewski]

8 hours ago, peridot said:

I'm surprised that Frankie isn't afraid to confront and dismiss Rudy.  I'm not sure why he thinks that he's protected.  I'm disgusted that he wasn't phased by what his new partner was up to.  I'm really hoping that he won't keep doing business with him, but who knows with that greedy SOB.

That racist, clown yuppie was a coward.  I hope that Mike finds him and throws him down some stairs.  How the hell did Bobby's loser son become a Wall Street broker?

I'm not sure about Eileen's new boyfriend, he seems too good to be true.  Her story about her first time tricking was horrifying.

Lori's story never gets better.  Now she's shoving produce up her orifices?  I really hope that she gets strong enough to say "I'm not doing this anymore". 

My take last week was that during the time jump Rudy had lost some of his power. The mob isn't what it was and is slipping due to internal power struggles, leaving guys like Frankie's new partner to flourish.

Yeah, Hank's 'no judgment!' is great for Eileen but seems off. 

[DiabLOL]

Hank is freaking me out! Too calm or something.

ETA: just thinking about how they met too. Why didn't his NYE date stick around? I know he told Eileen something to the effect of nice gal but didn't work out.

Edited September 17, 2019 by DiabLOL

[MCMLXXVII]

13 hours ago, peridot said:

Lori's story never gets better.  Now she's shoving produce up her orifices?  I really hope that she gets strong enough to say "I'm not doing this anymore". 

Yup, I’m really worried for her and getting Shauna Grant-type vibes, though she’s been a survivor so far.

While reading Jenna Jameson’s book years ago I learned that Lori’s current guy would be called a “suitcase pimp”, so it’s like same shit, different location.

[tennisgurl]

 Eileen's new boyfriend seems so perfect that I am suspicious that he has a serious dark side that Eileen will find out about. That story about her first time hooking was so deeply disturbing, I hope that maybe this guy will be for real, but I can imagine him being a guy who is into the excitement of being with a pron star/former hooker. 

Poor Lori, it really is the same shit, different day from when she was a hooker in New York. At least now she has some more connections and some cash, so maybe she can find some better places to work. Maybe Eileen needs a new star? That director is just another pimp in a different outfit that wants her to shut up and fuck. 

Bobby continues to learn zero lessons, despite his many chances. I loved one of the hookers at his bordello asking what the hell Bobby actually does in this operation, and why they should listen to him. Start a sex workers union, be your own boss!

I think we are getting to the point that the mob is starting to lose its grip and influence in New York, making guys like Rudy increasingly desperate. Normally Frankie's "you do you" business philosophy is fine, but working with child pornographers? Thats a new low Frankie? And when you lay down with dogs...

[sheetmoss]

16 hours ago, peridot said:

I'm surprised that Frankie isn't afraid to confront and dismiss Rudy.  I'm not sure why he thinks that he's protected.  I'm disgusted that he wasn't phased by what his new partner was up to.  I'm really hoping that he won't keep doing business with him, but who knows with that greedy SOB.

That racist, clown yuppie was a coward.  I hope that Mike finds him and throws him down some stairs.  How the hell did Bobby's loser son become a Wall Street broker?

I'm not sure about Eileen's new boyfriend, he seems too good to be true.  Her story about her first time tricking was horrifying.

Lori's story never gets better.  Now she's shoving produce up her orifices?  I really hope that she gets strong enough to say "I'm not doing this anymore". 

Re: the corncob

If memory serves, I think it was in 70's porn actor/legend, Harry Reems  book  where he talks about a scene in a  comedic porn, where a corncob was inserted-- and because she was so hot....popcorn started popping out.

[HollyG]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

 Eileen's new boyfriend seems so perfect that I am suspicious that he has a serious dark side that Eileen will find out about. That story about her first time hooking was so deeply disturbing, I hope that maybe this guy will be for real, but I can imagine him being a guy who is into the excitement of being with a porn star/former hooker. 

I have a feeling this guy (& his friends) are all working undercover in some capacity (law enforcement or writer doing a story). It may be related to the uprise of HIV or maybe just the porn industry itself. He's way too cool about her profession to be real.

I will be surprised if Lori makes it to the end of the series. 

3 hours ago, HollyG said:

edit removed

Edited September 17, 2019 by HollyG

[txhorns79]

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Eileen's new boyfriend seems so perfect that I am suspicious that he has a serious dark side that Eileen will find out about.

Yeah, I have to think even the most open-minded guy in the world is going to show some kind of reluctance upon hearing all of Eileen's history.  It's a lot, even if you are well versed in the sex industry.  

So what do we think happened with Shea?  She seemed too far gone to have just gotten better and walked out of the hospital, but I feel like the hospital would have notified Abby if she had died.  

21 hours ago, peridot said:

How the hell did Bobby's loser son become a Wall Street broker?

Yeah, from last season, I thought he had dropped out of high school.  I can't imagine any legit firm hiring him.      

[Joimiaroxeu]

Oy, that business with the corn. Seems like that would put an actress out of commission for a while if not forever.

Yeah, this guy Candy's dating is definitely too good to be true. He's rather vague on the details about his own life. But were those friends he introduced her to undercover too?

Oh yeah, Once in a Lifetime! This show has the best music.

[Surrealist]

On 9/16/2019 at 10:28 PM, peridot said:

How the hell did Bobby's loser son become a Wall Street broker?

I was reminded of Wall Street when Gordon (Gekko) tells Bud about the rich Ivy WASPS who don't amount to dog shit and that he'd rather have someone who's young and hungry to do the job. The gist being he'd rather deal with and mentor a working class kid to become a broker. Also, the whole "insider trading" angle. 

Edited September 18, 2019 by Surrealist

[Maysie]

I'm resigned to ending the series with no Larry or Darlene. I don't know why I care, but I just do.

I can't figure out what it is with Eileen's guy. I don't think he's undercover or anything like that - I think he'd avoid group settings like dinner with the gang because everyone would have to be in on it or part of the setup and I didn't get that vibe. If he is, then he's lying to everyone. And I don't think he's one of those weirdos getting off on dating the porn star, nor did he seem to be embarrassed by what Eileen does because he kind of gracefully paved the way for her to explain it to the group when they asked her what she does for a living. Has this show jaded me so much that I can't fathom that a genuinely nice person would care about someone like Eileen?

This episode made me realize that at least part of Abby's motivation for staying with Vince and the bar is that it allows her the freedom to do a bit of philanthropy. It was clear when she took Shay to the hospital that her donations make a enough of a difference that they'll do her a favor once in a while. I believe that Shay is dead and the hospital just hadn't notified Abby (or anyone else) yet. And if Abby wasn't any kind of point of contact on the paperwork, then whomever was on duty at that point wouldn't know to contact her.

Frankie was repulsed by the child porn but not repulsed enough to change his operation - not surprising. Bobby isn't much better, really. He goes from being terrified of being infected with HIV because of his promiscuity to providing prostitutes for his son because he'll make some money off it.

Poor Lori - she'll never not have a pimp of some sort. I was disappointed that her manager (I can't remember her name) didn't back her up about the corn. I guess she sees the end of the gravy train with Lori and is trying to maximize the return.

[chick binewski]

21 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

Yeah, I have to think even the most open-minded guy in the world is going to show some kind of reluctance upon hearing all of Eileen's history.  It's a lot, even if you are well versed in the sex industry.  

So what do we think happened with Shea?  She seemed too far gone to have just gotten better and walked out of the hospital, but I feel like the hospital would have notified Abby if she had died. 

Yeah, from last season, I thought he had dropped out of high school.  I can't imagine any legit firm hiring him.      

28 minutes ago, Maysie said:

I can't figure out what it is with Eileen's guy. I don't think he's undercover or anything like that - I think he'd avoid group settings like dinner with the gang because everyone would have to be in on it or part of the setup and I didn't get that vibe. If he is, then he's lying to everyone. And I don't think he's one of those weirdos getting off on dating the porn star, nor did he seem to be embarrassed by what Eileen does because he kind of gracefully paved the way for her to explain it to the group when they asked her what she does for a living. Has this show jaded me so much that I can't fathom that a genuinely nice person would care about someone like Eileen?

This episode made me realize that at least part of Abby's motivation for staying with Vince and the bar is that it allows her the freedom to do a bit of philanthropy. It was clear when she took Shay to the hospital that her donations make a enough of a difference that they'll do her a favor once in a while. I believe that Shay is dead and the hospital just hadn't notified Abby (or anyone else) yet. And if Abby wasn't any kind of point of contact on the paperwork, then whomever was on duty at that point wouldn't know to contact her.

Looking at the Rise of the Yuppie influences here, my second take on Hank is that he hangs with another type of people that will do anything for money and that there also may be a level of chic his crowd thinks is achieved by hanging with a porn star. 

I have to think Shay is dead. I feel like her case is exploring the unknown of AIDS at the time - how and who got it, what it was and what it could do before ending your life; but I thought more information was confirmed back in 1985...more testing being available and if they hadn't already named it they were at least calling it GRID. It feels like AIDS is the big bad that's going to end the show and leave us with the new shiny demon that is greed.

But I completely read Paul & his bf wrong last week so I most likely have zero clue.

[grawlix]

4 hours ago, Maysie said:

I can't figure out what it is with Eileen's guy. I don't think he's undercover or anything like that - I think he'd avoid group settings like dinner with the gang because everyone would have to be in on it or part of the setup and I didn't get that vibe. If he is, then he's lying to everyone. And I don't think he's one of those weirdos getting off on dating the porn star, nor did he seem to be embarrassed by what Eileen does because he kind of gracefully paved the way for her to explain it to the group when they asked her what she does for a living. Has this show jaded me so much that I can't fathom that a genuinely nice person would care about someone like Eileen?

There is something off with Eileen's guy but we don't have enough information about him.  I do find it odd is that after a NYE date, he goes to a random bar in what is probably the seediest part of the city to get a drink.   He's a financier so money is not an issue.  You would think he would want to get a drink at a more respectable part of NYC.

[DiabLOL]

2 hours ago, grawlix said:

There is something off with Eileen's guy but we don't have enough information about him.  I do find it odd is that after a NYE date, he goes to a random bar in what is probably the seediest part of the city to get a drink.   He's a financier so money is not an issue.  You would think he would want to get a drink at a more respectable part of NYC.

And if not respectable or fancy then at least less dangerous? I agree there was something off about him that night.

And definitely there's way more to his deal than cool non judgemental guy with tons of money and an open mind.

I'm sad about how Shay died but I really appreciate the show telling a woman's story form the epidemic as well.

Edited September 19, 2019 by DiabLOL

[Armchair Critic]

Sadly I think we are going to see some of these characters come to bad ends.

I think Frankie is going to get killed, maybe by Rudy since he is frustrated with the ways things are going in the mob.

I think Gene Goldman is going to get AIDS, he seems to be playing fast and loose with his hookups. 

Maybe Eileen could get into more legitimate film, otherwise her days of creating porn may be coming to an end since things are changing. Laurie is going to get chewed up and spit out. And I think Melissa isn't going to last that much longer in porn and will have to go back to walking the streets.

[MCMLXXVII]

10 hours ago, DiabLOL said:

And if not respectable or fancy then at least less dangerous? I agree there was something off about him that night.

And definitely there's way more to his deal than cool non judgemental guy with tons of money and an open mind.

Unfortunately we have Jeffrey Epstein and friends as proof of the many rich “respectable” men who have dealings with sex workers. We’ll see where this goes.

I was reminded of Wall Street when Gordon (Gekko) tells Bud about the rich Ivy WASPS who don't amount to dog shit and that he'd rather have someone who's young and hungry to do the job. The gist being he'd rather deal with and mentor a working class kid to become a broker. Also, the whole "insider trading" angle.

Right, if you watch stuff like “Boiler Room” or “Wolf of Wall Street” you see plenty of working-class guys in finance in the ‘80s. 

[Snewtsie]

10 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Sadly I think we are going to see some of these characters come to bad ends.

I think Frankie is going to get killed, maybe by Rudy since he is frustrated with the ways things are going in the mob.

I think Gene Goldman is going to get AIDS, he seems to be playing fast and loose with his hookups. 

Maybe Eileen could get into more legitimate film, otherwise her days of creating porn may be coming to an end since things are changing. Laurie is going to get chewed up and spit out. And I think Melissa isn't going to last that much longer in porn and will have to go back to walking the streets.

And to add - Bobby's son will likely go to prison for insider trading. He thinks those fellow Wall St brokers are his friends.  They will throw his ass under the bus at their first chance.

[Dewey Decimate]

Mean girl here, but this episode felt sponsored by the ugly stick. Lori's female agent (not the POS who drives her around) in the spa - wtf was up with her lipstick? I mean, there's blow-up doll, and then there's make-out-with-an-inkpad. She's a scumbag too. How dumb of me to hope they might have gotten rid of the Gandolfini kid with the eminently punchable mug. When they showed him on the hotel balcony I was thinking "it's Chekhov's gun! He's gonna get pushed off!" Woe, it didn't happen. How has no one called out the otter pelt sitting on Bobby's head? I have to think his clean bill of health is a red herring, seeing as he fucked the random bar skank after getting the bloodwork done. Couldn't happen to a better douchebag. Then there was the kid getting confirmed, I think? I know you probably shouldn't make fun of kids, but shiiiiit is he an unappealing little mofo! James Franco may be a real-life weirdo with dubious ethics at best, but he's not a bad looking dude, yet we're supposed to believe that creepy, mushy, pale little jelly-bean-face kid is his offspring? That is supposed to be his kid, right? Between the room full of random Eye-talian relatives and Mafia assholes I really couldn't give two shits about so many of these characters and can't even bother to keep them straight.

I'm in it more for Candy/Eileen. I still love her arc, even the horrific stories, and hope she gets a moderately decent ending. She is a bad boss lady with a set of values and a sense of humor.

And infinite kudos to the folks who select the music for this show, most especially those responsible for the intro credits montage. Each new season I feel I'll miss the perfect song from the previous season only to wholeheartedly adopt the new one. I actually watch the entirety of the beginning credits every time; they each almost feel like a mini-movie and evoke the aura of the target years so perfectly.

[Surrealist]

15 hours ago, MCMLXXVII said:

Right, if you watch stuff like “Boiler Room” or “Wolf of Wall Street” you see plenty of working-class guys in finance in the ‘80s. 

Thank you for mentioning Boiler Room. I've seen that movie too many times. Lol. Same premise for hiring brokers as Gekko. 

I've yet to see Wolf of Wall Street.

I can definitely see Bobby's son getting arrested for insider trading. 

[DoctorAtomic]

On 9/16/2019 at 9:28 PM, peridot said:

Lori's story never gets better. 

You'd think she'd have some semblance of clout. She's basically an A lister. I suppose she should have that in her contract up front, but Fig doesn't seem to be the best agent. 

On 9/17/2019 at 12:34 PM, tennisgurl said:

I think we are getting to the point that the mob is starting to lose its grip and influence in New York, making guys like Rudy increasingly desperate.

I'm not so sure about losing the grip. I think it's more internal with the higher ups taking more off the top. Rudy mentioned Gotti taking over. The mafia certainly wasn't weak under Gotti. It may be that in the past at Rudy's level had more latitude and Gotti will be more centralized; less for the Rudy's. 

Yeesh I wouldn't be jawing with Rudy. 

Edited September 23, 2019 by DoctorAtomic

[txhorns79]

9 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

You'd think she'd have some semblance of clout. She's basically an A lister. I suppose she should have that in her contract up front, but Fig doesn't seem to be the best agent. 

I don't know how much clout or staying power even a prominent porn actress would have.  I mean, at some point, you kind of run out of things for her to do and people get tired of her.  They are also in a time period where the production values are getting cheaper and I'm sure there's probably dozens of other women without Lori's attitude or drug problem just waiting in the wings.        

Quote

I'm in it more for Candy/Eileen. I still love her arc, even the horrific stories, and hope she gets a moderately decent ending. She is a bad boss lady with a set of values and a sense of humor.

I find the character fascinating, and she feels real.  I still would like to get a better idea as to her background and history, but she's one of the few people left on the show that you can root for. 

Edited September 23, 2019 by txhorns79

[DoctorAtomic]

I guess we're still too early for the 'contract stars' of the early to mid 90s. That's basically what I was thinking of. 1985 is a little before my time. 

They mentioned Traci Lords, so I thought Lori was on that level of status.