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GIANT SCISSORS
Ugh, today instead of doing analysis for two shows I am going to try to just do analysis for one. I'm trying an experiment in "realistic optimism (??)" instead of best vs worst case scenarios. SO, EASTWICK.
By 'realistic optimism' I think I mean I am going to assume, for the moment, that [a] Darryl is definitely the Devil, even unto a fairly common interpretation of; [b] this does not mean absolutely everyone is not allowed to be morally gray; and [c] what this show is trying to make is a good romp for the womenfolk, and it has not fully examined all of its own unfortunate implications.
On the one hand: hypocritical priest of the highest order, and Darryl quoting 'God smites shit' passages of scripture, for the win. On the other hand: Mia does not feel too great about Gus dying, and Roxie, she previously of the Ominous Visions, has suddenly become of the Death-wishes Coming True, which seems directly Darryl-correlated, and that's ... not good? I'm possibly too tired to articulate this, and also I don't know how intelligent this show actually is so I don't know how I'm supposed to be interrogating itexcept probably from the wrong perspective! but -- despite the touching moment at the end, with Mia and Roxie expressing condolences to Gus's mother, I still ... uh, Darryl's argument is deeply persuasive. Has the writing gotten mysteriously better? (Probably; Roxie's one-liners had me actually laughing this week.) Does Paul Gross just know how to work a monologue? (Well, yes.) And then there's the problem of Kat, Raymond, and the magically appearing divorce lawyer card! Obviously Kat needs to leave Raymond, but Darryl's card probably expedited the process. Perhaps the moral of the story is that Darryl functions to assist Roxie and Kat in getting what they want, but he offers them easy solutions out of a slew of difficult options, and that isn't necessarily good. Or bad! It's a morally gray party?
I am also pleased that Darryl has his own motivations, ie manipulating Joanna into getting a story on the front page/getting the priest in trouble/getting to bulldoze flowers :( or -- I'm not entirely sure what he wants from Kat besides to fulfill the let-me-take-care-of-you wish, and I think he may be genuinely in love with Roxie, considering the way he keeps lingering over Bun. Which, uh, I hope she did not burst into flame or anything. Also that Celtic symbol is rubbish at warding off the Devil, so it'd better be useful for something else besides signaling that Bun and Eleanor and Jamie are crazycakes.
Ugh, god, I genuinely like this show and it is genuinely making me think. WHAT GIVES. I think this definitely calls for a round of "Haha, hell yes, Joanna was college-bi and Roxie is probably functionally bi all the time and Kat had a hot dress! And that wasn't the only threesome joke." OT3! Darryl can't come too; he's busy bulldozing flowers, the bastard.
But that's not important. What is important is that after the first episode I needed Darryl and Fraser to hang out in a joking way, but now I need it like burning. I want temptations! quotations! seductions! the ability to keep breathing while contemplating this! Seriously, I have a bit of time this weekend; I just might write this thing.
By 'realistic optimism' I think I mean I am going to assume, for the moment, that [a] Darryl is definitely the Devil, even unto a fairly common interpretation of; [b] this does not mean absolutely everyone is not allowed to be morally gray; and [c] what this show is trying to make is a good romp for the womenfolk, and it has not fully examined all of its own unfortunate implications.
On the one hand: hypocritical priest of the highest order, and Darryl quoting 'God smites shit' passages of scripture, for the win. On the other hand: Mia does not feel too great about Gus dying, and Roxie, she previously of the Ominous Visions, has suddenly become of the Death-wishes Coming True, which seems directly Darryl-correlated, and that's ... not good? I'm possibly too tired to articulate this, and also I don't know how intelligent this show actually is so I don't know how I'm supposed to be interrogating it
I am also pleased that Darryl has his own motivations, ie manipulating Joanna into getting a story on the front page/getting the priest in trouble/getting to bulldoze flowers :( or -- I'm not entirely sure what he wants from Kat besides to fulfill the let-me-take-care-of-you wish, and I think he may be genuinely in love with Roxie, considering the way he keeps lingering over Bun. Which, uh, I hope she did not burst into flame or anything. Also that Celtic symbol is rubbish at warding off the Devil, so it'd better be useful for something else besides signaling that Bun and Eleanor and Jamie are crazycakes.
Ugh, god, I genuinely like this show and it is genuinely making me think. WHAT GIVES. I think this definitely calls for a round of "Haha, hell yes, Joanna was college-bi and Roxie is probably functionally bi all the time and Kat had a hot dress! And that wasn't the only threesome joke." OT3! Darryl can't come too; he's busy bulldozing flowers, the bastard.
But that's not important. What is important is that after the first episode I needed Darryl and Fraser to hang out in a joking way, but now I need it like burning. I want temptations! quotations! seductions! the ability to keep breathing while contemplating this! Seriously, I have a bit of time this weekend; I just might write this thing.
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And dude, PENNY. PENNY IS AWESOME. I LOVE HER AND I WANT HER CLOTHES. OR POSSIBLY THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
And it continues to be surprisingly great with its lack of food and body bashing. There was that one moment tonight when Jo offered Penny gummy bears and Penny made a face and I thought, oh shit, here is where Penny BREAKS MY HEART with "you know those go straight to my thighs," and, ha ha, NO. AWESOME.
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I can't remember what the line was, but one of Roxie's caused a genuine collective shriek of laughter. (I actually watch this show with people. They keep claiming it is no good and then coming back for more. Hee.)
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I missed the ep last night, I'll be catching up today!
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Let me know what you think once you have. :)
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Also I tried picturing Roxie covered in canola oil and thought "eeeeeeew." and "I should make tempura soon." clearly that is not my kink.
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I was surprised that they went the canola oil route instead of, say, the whipped cream one. Food + sex is not really my kink at any time, but I absolutely went to the tempura place too; at least whipped cream might have been sensical.
(Tell me when you get to all the threesome jokes, by the way! I don't think it's ever going to be canon but it keeps joking about being canon.)
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Also, can Paul Gross say "oh em gee" more often plz?
I liked this episode! It had genuinely funny moments, and I liked Joanna. I wish they had pushed a little harder on the fact that she did exactly what Darryl wanted her to do because he's so devious. She played right into his hand because it would further her career and take down that pastor who was a jerk to her.
But it's pretty clear that Darryl has his own agenda, and that the women do well by not trusting him. But what is going on here? It's like... he's telling them to do stuff that I think they should do, too (Kat's divorce, for instance), but I *know* he's manipulative and suspicious and I feel weird about it. Like, get off my side, Darryl! I appreciate that about the show, it adds an interesting sort of tension.
Also, I was a little surprised we didn't get any Jamie after they did all that work establishing that he lives basically in Roxie's lap in the last episode. I feel like they forgot about him entirely in favor of the hanged attempted rapist. Maybe they're saving Roxie's premonition for the finale? I was sort of wondering if his hip burst into flames when Bun's papers did.
AND HOLY THREESOME BATMAN! "lady wood" was a little offputting but I did draw hearts around Joanna's Indigo Girls and college reference. Though I would be surprised if iPods had been in general use when she was in college... /pedantic
That whole Chad's little brother being into Mia thing was... weird. It would be weird to me to date the brother of my mother's boyfriend. But he seemed cute in a slightly oafish and very awkward way. Step up from Gus. I also liked the resolution on Gus, that there's a difference between being sad for his death and being sorry for it. That was a surprisingly subtle thing. Actually I liked that the Gus storyline never excused his behavior and kept focus on the women, you know? They actually handled that fairly well for network tv.
Mostly I love how comfortable they've grown together, how their friendship is so easy and supportive without being exclusive--Joanna and Penny are still pals, and the only person who seems to object to their friendship is Kat's husband, and, well. He's an asshole.
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Like, get off my side, Darryl! THIS. I appreciate the subtlety of his evil(??) and how I am agreeing with him about 80% of the time. I keep being wary of this reaction because I keep suspecting it of being my YAY PAUL GROSS reaction, so honestly I'd like to get an articulate opinion from someone who has never been exposed to PG before.
I was sort of wondering if his hip burst into flames when Bun's papers did. This may have made me laugh out loud! I certainly hope so. Heh.
Also a big YES to both how they handled Gus's death and how Penny, after getting over her bewilderment in the first episode, is fine with Joanna having other friends, and they still have movie nights, and ahhh I kind of love ALL THE WOMEN on this show. That happens not nearly often enough.
(I really need Eastwick icons.)
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YES. I totally forgot about that when I was writing my comment but. YES. OMG I WAS CRACKING UP SO HARD.
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OT3! Darryl can't come too; he's busy bulldozing flowers, the bastard.
THIS.
Seriously, I have a bit of time this weekend; I just might write this thing.
THIS EVEN MORE.
Seriously, Aria, what is it about this showww. And WHY ARE YOU HAVING SEX WITH YOUR DEADBEAT HUSBAND IN PUBLIC POOLS, KAT? Argh. Oh well. At least a divorce lawyer is happening, right?
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:D?
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That whole scene felt like a little present, didn't it? <3 <3 <3
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OTOH, I kind of ADORED Joanne this episode - not necessarily her storyline, kind of in an I want to marry her way. CATWOMAN. ALSO ALSO I seriously SERIOUSLY wanted Penny's dress, like SERIOUSLY.
I think the whole Ray kidnapping the kids thing is what is really going to hurry along the separation, and I'm proud to say I called it the second time she found the card (the time she ripped it up.)
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But you make a good point about the Gus plotline. I mean, my reaction was still "...but I don't feel bad that Gus died! I'm probably going to hell with Roxie" but yes, killing people, any people, is bad, and Darryl obviously doesn't function within the law, and reading what he tells Roxie as not-empowering is really, really valid. Thank you for being sane and coherent about this!
And I dunno, I think in retrospect when Joanna realized what was going on, she wasn't very cool with being used. Also: CATWOMAN. :D
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2. The Celtic symbol: I never thought it had anything to do with warding off the Devil, since Jamie had it burned on him. I think its more than that, something about the power of three. I just don't know -what- exactly.
3. Speaking of Jamie, and Roxie's visions, I was expecting her to have more of them (the visions, that is). Obviously, Jamie hasn't attacked her in her store and started burying her alive. That's most likely something that won't be revealed until the end of the season. But since she didn't have any dreams, and instead is seeing dead people and having wishes come true, are Roxie's powers going to develop more throughout the show?
4. Darryl is very vain. I say this because he likes to have his face EVERYWHERE. THE PODIUM. THE BEER LABELS. I wonder if there's an alternative motive to this, or, yeah, he's just really vain. Or just showing off that "haha, I have this town under my finger and there's nothing you can do about."
5. Omg, now I'm get all think-y about this show. *facepalm*
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I like the idea of the Celtic symbol as a power of three thing! Good thinking; also, duh, self.
I am not sure what to make of Roxie's wishes coming true thing. I think that may be something all three of them have, only Roxie is the one who articulates this shit aloud? Also, both Joanna's and Kat's powers more directly lend themselves to it -- Kat wants Raymond struck by lightning, he's damn well gonna be struck by lightning, and Joanna is self-explanatory. I like that Roxie gets to do things as well as just see things, especially because it potentially gives her more control over her powers, since it seems to be fairly direct.
Maybe Darryl is just gloating! Anyway, it's funny. HIS FACE, IT'S EVERYWHERE.
Mwahaha, be thinky with me! There is something terribly wrong with us.
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