S03.E03: Normal Is a Lie

[Drogo]

Abby befriends a graffiti artist named Pilar and takes a surprising trip downtown; Candy sets a firm line with Hank when it comes to money; as Todd's health worsens, he reexamines his priorities and asks for Paul's support; Alston explores different strategies for getting a shady SRO owner to sell; Bobby pays Joey a visit on Wall Street as Joey's latest money-making scheme grows bigger; tensions rise between Frankie and Rudy as a buyer complains about Frankie's product.

[MCMLXXVII]

I was hoping Lori would move onto faux Eddie Van Halen- no such luck, but glad she’s sticking up for herself more on set.

Eileen’s guy really seems to be a good guy! Yay!

I know most viewers dislike him, but I’m not that mad at Joey if he’s positioning the escort service to serve a more upscale Wall Street clientele. Bobby needs to stop being that “insecure outer borough working class ethnic dad” trope, and get with the times. The Mayflower Madam was shut down in ‘84, so there’s an opening. 

Edited September 24, 2019 by MCMLXXVII

[Armchair Critic]

6 hours ago, MCMLXXVII said:

I was hoping Lori would move onto faux Eddie Van Halen- no such luck, but glad she’s sticking up for herself more on set.

I loved Lori in the video, I have to admit I liked the hair bands back then.

[peridot]

I don't know why Abby is still with Vincent, I don't think I've seen her smile with him once this season.  He seems like such a sad sack.

Frankie is so dumb.  He think he can piss off mobsters left and right with no consequences?  I'm really hoping someone pops him soon.

Eileen's guy seems really naive.  He doesn't understand why giving a bunch of money to an ex-hooker is a bad idea?  I hope he's just clueless and doesn't screw over Eileen.

The Karate Kid-cop character is such scum.  Charging hundreds of dollars for "off-the-clock" work?  Damn, I was hoping the father would wise up before he was completely wiped out.  It's surprising the cop came through with a location.

[MCMLXXVII]

14 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

I loved Lori in the video, I have to admit I liked the hair bands back then.

Me too! I was born in ‘77, so I was into the later end- Gn’R, Poison, Dr.Feelgood-era Motley, Hysteria-era Def Leppard, etc. and went back to explore some of the other stuff. I’d love to see Lori out on the Sunset Strip, but I guess that’s a different show. Maybe if “Vinyl” was done like “The Deuce”. Heh.

Edited September 25, 2019 by MCMLXXVII

[luna1122]

3 hours ago, peridot said:

I don't know why Abby is still with Vincent, I don't think I've seen her smile with him once this season.  He seems like such a sad sack.

Abby is mostly pretty sad-sacky herself. I also have no idea why they're together. It doesn't seem like it works for either of them, but they keep hanging on, for some reason. There's absolutely no joy between them. Did we know Abby was bi prior to her makeout with with the artist chick? Feels like we did, but I can't remember.

Cory Stahl looks so much like Maggie's real life hubby Peter Saarsgard that it's funny.

[Traveller519]

1 hour ago, luna1122 said:

Abby is mostly pretty sad-sacky herself. I also have no idea why they're together. It doesn't seem like it works for either of them, but they keep hanging on, for some reason. There's absolutely no joy between them. Did we know Abby was bi prior to her makeout with with the artist chick? Feels like we did, but I can't remember.

Cory Stahl looks so much like Maggie's real life hubby Peter Saarsgard that it's funny.

I feel the same way. They're both happier with all other aspects of their life except for being together. It's just what they know. But we've seen their respective outs now. It will be interesting to see if they follow through on it.

I have a feeling that things are going to get worse for Abby before they get better, but at least we haven't seen the crawl of Cece back into her mind.

The David Morse father story was sweet. I'm sure it was/is not an uncommon story. I didn't have a problem with Detective Ralph Maachio charging him for the work, especially since it seems like he was actually doing work, and not just withholding information for cash.

[sd dude]

I like this series.  I've seen every episode.  But mostly, it seems like very little happens in each episode.  I'm sort of torn between loving it and wanting significantly more.

I was confused by the confrontation between Rudy and Frankie as it would have made more sense for Rudy to react that way last episode when Frankie was so disrespectful about doing business with the underage porn producer.  I sort of got the sense that Frankie was distributing the drugs as a side business that was between him and Rudy's muscleman (whatever his name is).  I remember some line about the muscleman trying to get the disgruntled dealer to keep the whole situation on the QT so I figured this was something Rudy didn't know anything about.  I could be totally wrong about that.

[DoctorAtomic]

Rudy doesn't know about the drugs. 

[The Ringo Kidd]

How stupid can Frankie be?

He is leaving Rudi no choice but to whack him. The only thing saving him is that Rudi doesn’t want to lose Vince as a front man.   

Abby has to be the most useless character on this show. 

[tennisgurl]

I really dont know why Abbey and Vincent are even together at this point, they dont seem to really like being around each other, nor do they seem to hate each other, they just seem to be stuck in a rut and neither of them wants to be the first one to admit that their relationship is over. Abbey already came more alive with the artist woman in a few scenes than she has in any scene with Vincent. Maybe they just feel kind of stuck together now.

I was hoping that Lori was leave that sleazebag guy for Not Quite Van Halen, maybe she has a future as a hair metal video vixen?! It was nice to at least see her standing up for herself a bit, and even being concerned about the other performers. I mean, no condoms? During the AIDS crisis? Thats playing with fire and anyone should know that. Just look at Paul and his poor boyfriend. 

Eileen’s new guy seems like an actually nice person and not a creep, hurrah! I am still worried though, I feel like this is all too good to be true. Sad to hear that her son is struggling.

We know its the 80s because of the coked up wall street guys in suspenders chasing after hookers!

[sd dude]

2 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Rudy doesn't know about the drugs. 

Okay, like I thought.  But then what was the reason for that argument between Rudy and Frankie at that particular place and time?  Wasn't Frankie running some kind of poker or other gambling table where he cleared the five grand?  Was he supposed to be cutting Rudy in on that?  Seemed like that was just Frankie gambling on his own, but maybe because it was taking place in an establishment backed by Rudy, it was by extension Rudy's game, and he expected a cut based on protocol.  Sorry, I'm handicapped in two ways. 1. I'm a bit rusty on my mafia protocol.  2.  Even with closed captions running, I still can't always figure out what the hell is going on in some of these scenes/interactions.  So, when Rudy walked up to him at that moment and said he must be braindead, what was he referring to?  And if he was pissed about the money Frankie had on the table, why not take his cut (or all of it) as was offered?  I know there is this whole honor thing with the mob and I suppose only offering the boss his cut after being confronted face to face might be the height of disrespect, or at least that's the way Rudy might have interpreted it.  He already knows that Frankie is not treating him with proper respect due to someone of his stature, so perhaps being addressed like he's some charity case and Frankie is doing him a big favor is pretty much the last straw.  Personally, I've always thought that one Franco character in the series is more than enough, so I was kind of hoping that Frankie would make Rudy say no one more time. . .

[grawlix]

4 minutes ago, sd dude said:

Okay, like I thought.  But then what was the reason for that argument between Rudy and Frankie at that particular place and time?  Wasn't Frankie running some kind of poker or other gambling table where he cleared the five grand?  Was he supposed to be cutting Rudy in on that?  Seemed like that was just Frankie gambling on his own, but maybe because it was taking place in an establishment backed by Rudy, it was by extension Rudy's game, and he expected a cut based on protocol. 

Rudy and Frankie's argument was a continuation of the last episode argument.  Frankie is taking his newly founded amateur-based porn business to a rival mafia guy/family.  Rudy is pissed off that Frankie didn't go to Rudy with this idea and that Frankie is still not giving Rudy a piece of this action.

Rudy just happened to walk in at the end of Frankie's usual(?) poker game.  Frankie is still pissed off that he has not been respected in Rudy's organization even though his money ideas have brought in a lot of money.  In order to get Rudy off his case, Frankie tried to appease Rudy with the poker night winnings (where Frank apparently had a good night).  Rudy was angry at the attempt to be bought off by the pittance of cash in comparison to the porn money as well as the lack of respect Frankie has for Rudy.

Add to that Rudy's branch of the mafia family is in a weakened state due to the head boss' self-imposed isolation.

[sd dude]

Thanks, grawlix, for parsing it out for me.  That all makes sense.  For me, I think it might have been a plot pacing problem that caused the confusion.  The amateur porn beef hadn't been brought up since the last episode.  Then after nearly a full episode dealing with Frankie's drug business followed by the poker, Rudy shows up right near the end of the episode (clearly tracking Frankie down) to have it out with him again about a beef that we saw happen how long ago in show time?

[DoctorAtomic]

Welcome to a Simon production. Shit happened on the Wire wasn't picked up till a season later. 

[MCMLXXVII]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I was hoping that Lori was leave that sleazebag guy for Not Quite Van Halen, maybe she has a future as a hair metal video vixen?! It was nice to at least see her standing up for herself a bit, and even being concerned about the other performers. I mean, no condoms? During the AIDS crisis? Thats playing with fire and anyone should know that. Just look at Paul and his poor boyfriend. 

Surprisingly condoms have only been required in porn since 1992, and it’s still an ongoing battle. Also, the gay (male) and straight porn worlds were pretty strictly separated at the time, so aside from IV drug use issues, I get the feeling that HIV still wasn’t really regarded as a straight person problem in 1985.

Link

[txhorns79]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Eileen’s new guy seems like an actually nice person and not a creep, hurrah! I am still worried though, I feel like this is all too good to be true. Sad to hear that her son is struggling.

I feel like he is almost unbelievably tolerant of the things Eileen is telling him about herself.   She just has so much baggage.  And I say this as someone who wants to see Eileen happy and fulfilled when this show ends.  

8 hours ago, Traveller519 said:

The David Morse father story was sweet. I'm sure it was/is not an uncommon story. I didn't have a problem with Detective Ralph Maachio charging him for the work, especially since it seems like he was actually doing work, and not just withholding information for cash.

I liked the storyline, but I will say his work was pretty limited here.  He seemed to know exactly how to find the girl, and got paid, what, $1400, for what seemed like 20 minutes of work.  I can't even imagine what it would be to lose my child as a 14 year old and have no contact for 19 years.  The immense guilt alone of being forced to use a porn video cover to find her might be enough to do me in.    

[DoctorAtomic]

40 minutes ago, MCMLXXVII said:

Surprisingly condoms have only been required in porn since 1992, and it’s still an ongoing battle. Also, the gay (male) and straight porn worlds were pretty strictly separated at the time, so aside from IV drug use issues, I get the feeling that HIV still wasn’t really regarded as a straight person problem in 1985.

Link

I barely remember but I don't think there was a "hetero" case of aids till 1987. 

Too bad Candy wasn't in LA. I'd love to see how she shoot the music videos. 

I get that Frankie is pissed because he's a good earner, but you need to know these things work. Rudy is a made man. Frankie is gone and Rudy doesn't need anyone's say so. 

[MCMLXXVII]

1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

I liked the storyline, but I will say his work was pretty limited here.  He seemed to know exactly how to find the girl, and got paid, what, $1400, for what seemed like 20 minutes of work.  I can't even imagine what it would be to lose my child as a 14 year old and have no contact for 19 years.  The immense guilt alone of being forced to use a porn video cover to find her might be enough to do me in.    

I was pretty iffy on this storyline (especially when the dad spoke of being two years sober iirc) because we know that so many of these girls ran away from home in the first place due to sexual abuse. My 2019 mind gave this a huge nope. Contact Melissa and let her meet him at a coffee shop or something if she chooses.

[DoctorAtomic]

I do think Frankie was genuinely trying to make nice with Rudy. Frankie just doesn't grasp the larger context. If Rudy finds out about the drugs, he's done. 

[Totale]

On 9/24/2019 at 7:15 AM, peridot said:

The Karate Kid-cop character is such scum.  Charging hundreds of dollars for "off-the-clock" work?  Damn, I was hoping the father would wise up before he was completely wiped out.  It's surprising the cop came through with a location.

Maybe it's just seeing guy playing the father character as a cop in Treme, but when the Lieutenant came up with the bribery scheme and the guy paid up so quick I thought it had to be a sting to catch a bad cop.

[revbfc]

The lady Lori was watched sing at the end was supposed to be a nod to Candye Kane, right?

[sheetmoss]

On 9/24/2019 at 7:34 PM, MCMLXXVII said:

Surprisingly condoms have only been required in porn since 1992, and it’s still an ongoing battle. Also, the gay (male) and straight porn worlds were pretty strictly separated at the time, so aside from IV drug use issues, I get the feeling that HIV still wasn’t really regarded as a straight person problem in 1985.

Link

In his warped sense of humor, filmmaker John Waters  said  straight condomless porn was like watching snuff films.

[tljgator]

On 9/24/2019 at 8:34 PM, MCMLXXVII said:

Also, the gay (male) and straight porn worlds were pretty strictly separated at the time, so aside from IV drug use issues, I get the feeling that HIV still wasn’t really regarded as a straight person problem in 1985.

This is true, but Lori makes a point to say that the actor for the scene is "gay for pay" -- so, she knows he's doing gay porn as well, and that's part of her concern.

[sheetmoss]

When the dad was looking for his daughter, I was  waiting for it to  take a Hardcore turn

When Michigan businessman Jake Van Dorn (George C. Scott) lets his teenage daughter go on a church trip to California, she never returns. Jake hires Los Angeles investigator Andy Mast (Peter Boyle) to look for her, and Mast turns up a pornographic film she's recently appeared in. Both stunned and increasingly disappointed with the police, Jake travels to California where he poses as an adult-film producer in hopes of finding someone who's seen his little girl.

Edited September 28, 2019 by sheetmoss

[Joimiaroxeu]

Still don't know what to make of Hank. I feel like there's some big truth lurking about him that's going to hurt or disappoint Eileen like nothing ever has before. But for him to be running a con this long would be diabolical and he doesn't really seem like the type.

So sad to watch Todd dying and Paul determined to keep his spirits up.

[txhorns79]

4 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Still don't know what to make of Hank. I feel like there's some big truth lurking about him that's going to hurt or disappoint Eileen like nothing ever has before. But for him to be running a con this long would be diabolical and he doesn't really seem like the type.

I guess my question would be what would be the point of Hank running some kind of con on Eileen?  She doesn't seem particularly wealthy. 

[Clare]

So was that the last time we see Todd?  Will he be already gone by the next episode.  The way they faded out on him watching Paul made me think we won't be seeing him again.  

I wonder where they are going with Lori?  Here story is a little all over the place.  I'm curious about her watching the music but they also hinted that she may get into repping women or was that just she needs to get out.

I love David Morse and that story just broke mt heart.  Real life me wishes he had given her the option of meeting him somewhere but the way they filmed her listening to him through the door was really beautiful.

I love this show and I'm really going to miss it.