S01.E06: Practically Lethal in Every Way

[formerlyfreedom]

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Beth Ann and Rob throw a housewarming party to introduce themselves to the neighborhood, but something seems to be amiss with neighbors Mary and Ralph. Hijinks ensue and secrets come to light when Simone and Karl have dinner with Amy's conservative future in-laws. Tensions rise in the throuple after Taylor begins to question the living arrangement and reveals a dark truth about Eli.

Dropping on Thursday, September 19, 2019 on CBS All Access.

[shapeshifter]

This show better sweep the Emmys next year, or I’ll have to hang up my armchair-quarterback-critic hat. And this episode is a gold mine for reels to submit. I especially appreciated the script revealing such a variety of relationship secrets. Not to mention that the reveal of Amy’s future sister-in-law’s sexuality was kind of a hoot. So the abused wife spitting on the grave implies whose grave it is —but not how he died.

[CRT]

So, according to the beginning of the episode, in the 60s, Mary knew the killer was going to kill the victim, "and I was so glad she did"; in the 80s, Hector felt responsible for the death; and in the present, Lamar isn't sure if anyone would've died if not for him. Interesting!
(And, based on the outside observer from the second episode, the 60s death involved gunshots; the '80s death included a rumor that one of the rich people had killed the other; and the present day death showed blood and a covered body on the stairs.)

Beth Ann and Rob's issues may stem from their dead daughter, but I'm still rooting for her to kill him!  But now I fear that the person who dies in the '60s is Mary's abusive husband. It can't be as simple as that, with Mary spitting on the grave in the final scene, can it?

Karl couldn't keep himself away from Hector for one already stressful dinner with Amy's fiance's family? 
As soon as they revealed the family was Southern Baptist, I guessed they were soon to learn Karl was gay, but revealing Simone's affair with Tommy plus the sister being gay made me laugh and laugh.

The throuple seems to be suffering from problems many regular ol' couples face, in particular, poor communication.  They should have hashed out "who can do what with whom when" before this. And I'm not sure when's the proper time to tell the third person in a throuple about serious drug addiction, but it was before now!
Also, Jade was clearly triggered when Eli said he'd take care of her. I'm reminded that in an earlier episode Jade said she grew up bouncing between foster families who only cared about getting the government check. She seems to have deep-seated issues, and feeding Eli's drug addiction isn't going to help her.

[skotnikov]

I'm not a big fan of Marc Cherry as a person. But how he turned lighthearted tone of the first 5 episodes into something more serious and  dark with just this one episode  is terrific. 

[Chaos Theory]

I really liked how the witnesses were bookends for the episode. 

I thought the scene where Karl said that he loved Hector was very well done.  The entire episode bickering between Simone and Karl going on  about the impending divorce “I used him for my first two divorces.  He knows what I like.”  Through the dinner neither of them particularly wanted to go to. “If we are fighting each other how do we have the energy to properly hate them?” All the way until Karl finally explained himself to Simone was all very well done.  

The  current era  was as usual the weakest but I am starting to get a feel for what is likely to happen.   Taylor was right about Jade.  Her being there showed the cracks in Taylor and Eli’s relationship.  I always thought Taylor would eventually have to kill Jade fir some reason but it is looking like Eli is losing control so that puts him back in the game.

Beth Ann Is one of those ladies who will smile at you and tell you to have a nice day but her meaning will be “fuck off.”  I am still saying Rob is a front runner for being murdered but abusive neighbor is the new dark horse who isn’t going to like Beth Ann making friends with his wife.   It’s a perfectly legitimate reason to take an axe to someone’s head or possibly kill him for a friend.

Edited September 20, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, CRT said:

It can't be as simple as that, with Mary spitting on the grave in the final scene, can it?

I thought I smelled a red herring too. 

1 hour ago, Chaos Theory said:

I always thought Taylor would eventually have to kill Jade

This may be another red herring too. I’m thinking either Chekhov’s hammer or Jade’s Chekhovian ex will come into play for their era’s murder. 

Maybe Rob and abusing neighbor can kill each other.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 9/19/2019 at 7:16 AM, shapeshifter said:

This show better sweep the Emmys next year, 

I love the show, but in terms of acting, I only really love Lucy, the man who plays her husband, and mayyyyyyyybe Alexandra Daddario.  I'm not sure it's a "Sweep the Emmys" show for me.  But I do love it.

I was scared at how much I was rooting for Jade to give Eli the pills!  LOL!  Also, you'd think she'd be savvy enough to understand that that you CAN'T trust what an addict says for pills!  They'll say absolutely anything!  I can easily picture Eli going back on that promise, and then Jade having to kill him......  you saw the look in her eyes!

 

23 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Maybe Rob and abusing neighbor can kill each other.

But the show is why Women kill.  Specifically women would be the killers then.

Edited September 20, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Kiddvideo]

On 9/19/2019 at 9:31 PM, shapeshifter said:

Maybe Rob and abusing neighbor can kill each other.

Nice guess!