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Hello, Hello, Hello: The Comeback 2.07 “Valerie Faces the Critics” Discussion

28 Dec

Before tonight’s season 2 finale of The Comeback I am joined by Kerensa Cadenas to discuss the penultimate episode, which featured one of the most devastating scenes of the season and once again Lisa Kudrow knocks it out of the park and slays us in the process. Plus we ponder Jane’s motives and talk about what we think could happen in tonight’s episode.

The Comeback 2.07 dinnerEmma: Valerie gets more than one professional win and everything in her personal life crumbles around her. First off I want to note once again – I don’t think it can be said enough – the incredible and devastating performance Lisa Kudrow is delivering. Valerie has been nominated for an Emmy for Seeing Red and I hope Lisa Kudrow will be getting one for playing Valerie because she is doing so many different things in any given moment.

In the last two episodes Valerie has seen her marriage disintegrate around her and we’ve been talking about the stability and support Mark provides; now I have a lot of conflicted feelings towards Mark and his reaction to Valerie’s career reboot. Mark and Val have been together for 14 years and so he has only been there for the least successful part of her career as this is after “I’m It!” and of course during the disastrous Room & Bored period. Now that Valerie is getting great reviews and award nominations things have shifted. The argument in the car park was pure attack mode from both Mark and Val and it is both mesmerizing and so hard to watch (The Comeback’s go to position) as both have a lot of painful shit they want to say to each other. We are so used to seeing Val in ‘everything is all great’ mode that when she does snap like this it is 100% unfiltered Val and it is like she forgets the cameras are there for this brief moment. In the same way she lost her shit with Ron last week yelling “Where were you?” as she gets berated for not being on the super hot set, Mark doesn’t get let off easy.

While he complains that he has always been there for her, she rightly points out that she has been his champion whether it is some golf tournament he has won or how she made sure his daughter Francesca ate something after he had long left the dinner table. Marriage (or really any relationship) is about give and take; both Mark and Val feel like they have not been served well by the other. What really kills me in this scene is when Valerie reacts to Mark’s suggestion that he was the only person that believed in her and I kid you not that me typing “I believed in me” just made me a little teary (I guess this is where I am right now) and that’s the thing I love about Val as no matter how much others don’t see what she is worth she still believes that something good will come for her. Some of this might be considered delusional, but I think to persevere for as long as she has done she has needed this self-belief. This brings me back to the idea that because Mark has only been there for the years that have not really included any professional success he isn’t equipped for when Valerie is receiving all this praise. I am conflicted when it comes to Mark for the simple reason that having these cameras filming their every moment and using the house as a set has been incredibly disruptive and it is entirely self-serving for Valerie. She is not entirely blameless, but Mark has not been entirely supportive either.

What do you make of the Valerie/Mark relationship breakdown over the last two episodes?

The Comeback 2.07 wedding photoKerensa: As we’ve talked about before, Mark has really seemed like Valerie’s rock so seeing the slow crawl of their marriage falling apart is so hard to watch. The thing I love so much about The Comeback, and especially in this season, is how we learn all these small off-camera things about Mark and Valerie (that abortion!) through their conversations. They have been through so much together but it seems like neither is entirely blameless in this marriage falling apart. I mean, I love Valerie, but could you imagine being married to her? I couldn’t. This scene when Mark and Valerie are tearing each other apart in the parking lot is incredibly rough to watch and they both crush it.

I’m hoping that they work it out but I wouldn’t blame Mark especially after the way Valerie asks him to go to the Emmys with her. I mean, it seems like things are too far gone for both of them at this point.

Do you think they’d reconcile? It’s also so upsetting to see Valerie get what she’s wanted but at the expense of other portions of her life.

The Comeback 2.07 MarkEmma: What I find really brutal about the whole thing is that Valerie has such good intentions when it comes to this secret date, but she just can’t say no to Jane when she paints it as this big love story aspect. She doesn’t have to wear the mic or get filmed but she can’t turn down the opportunity to give this documentary that extra something. Valerie is very easy to convince when she is painted a grand story. And she also doesn’t want something that could be painted in a negative way to come up hence why she tries to cover the mic when Mark says the word abortion. It reminded me of their chat about doing coke in season 1, but far more personal.

I also don’t think Valerie can see this whole set up going this wrong when Jane pitches it to her, even though she must now that Mark will go ballistic (which he does) when he cottons on to the mic and the film crew.

At this point I can’t see them reconciling, maybe they can in the future but not with one episode left. It’s gone too far for Mark and he really doesn’t recognise her, I’m not sure what she can do to convince she is still in there. To me she’s still the same Val but as you mention she must be a tough person to be married to. And oof when she asks him to the Emmys. What a misjudged moment. And in terms of the standard ‘can she have it all’ debate it sucks that for Val is experiencing a professional high while her marriage is such a mess.

The Comeback 2.07 JaneKerensa: Totally agree with all of that. Speaking of Jane, I’m supremely nervous about this documentary that she’s making. One thing that I noticed in this episode was how heavily Jane was pressuring Valerie to do things i.e. this whole Mark conversation that she didn’t want to do. Maybe I’m not remembering correctly, but I do not remember Jane ever pressuring Valerie like this.

Do you think Jane’s going to screw Valerie over with this documentary?

The Comeback 2.07 Seeing RedEmma: I’m worried too because she also kinda fucked her over in the first season and she’s pushing a lot more with this one, plus like you I can’t remember when she has been this insistent on Valerie doing something she initially didn’t want to do. For Jane this project is a means to an end; this isn’t what she wanted to do and she got coerced into it by Valerie’s persistence. I don’t think Jane is a bad person but everyone has an ego and I think there’s a lot of behind the scenes stuff with her and the HBO executives about the direction of the doc that we’re not seeing (so we’re as oblivious as Val) that is pushing the narrative in a certain direction.

Everyone is using someone for something and now I am totally bummed out.

What do you make of all the Mickey stuff? I was worried (and Val definitely was even though she attempted to cover her fears up). He’s super ill, but at least he’s getting laid. Oh and dong on HBO alert. Mickey’s apartment is beyond perfect for this character.

And do you think Valerie will win the Emmy in the finale? And if Lisa Kudrow doesn’t get a nomination for this I will add to my ever growing list of Emmy omission disappointments. You’ll be in good company Lisa (as someone pointed out to me on Twitter she did get nominated for S1).

One other quick Jane point is the title of the documentary – “The Assassination of Valerie Cherish” – which could means so many different things and yet it also makes me nervous about what is to come in the finale in regards to this doc.

The Comeback 2.07 MickeyKerensa: I was super worried about Mickey too, but yeah at least he’s getting laid? Also, hilarious that the first dick I’ve remembered seeing in some time on HBO is on THE COMEBACK.

I’m still kinda worried about Mickey, but I was so convinced for legitimately the last three episodes that he was going to die that maybe they won’t go there? It’s too obvious. I did feel sad when he said to Val that why are you here? You haven’t been here since ’94 or something. Valerie needs to check herself I think.

I could see Valerie winning the Emmy but something awful happening because of it. I can also see the complete opposite happening–not winning the Emmy and something awful happening because of it. I’m just fully expecting something awful to happen to her whether it’s losing Mickey or Marc or something deeply upsetting happening with Paulie G. Or maybe I’m completely wrong and I dunno Valerie will win the Emmy and bone Kellan Lutz’s character (he says in the preview he has always had a crush on Val). What do you think?

The Comeback 2.07 Val drivingEmma: The only reason I think Mickey might be okay is because I can’t imagine The Comeback without Mickey. But then again if there was going to be a third season – and I’ve heard Lisa Kudrow talk about wanting to do more, plus the cost of making it must be super cheap – it would be a challenge for Valerie if she was without her emotional crutches. I will be devastated if he does die.

I also think that something awful is going to happen because this show tends to tread in very dark waters. And I could see them coupling a huge professional high with something truly horrible. I am nervous and excited with what’s to come in the finale, particularly when it comes to Juna’s party. I want all the good things for Val but as you mention she does need to start thinking beyond herself. Her intentions are never malicious she’s just so narrow sighted so she misses a lot of what’s going on around her.

Kerensa Cadenas is a writer living in Los Angeles. She is an Editor for Snakkle. She also writes for Women and Hollywood, The Week, This Was Television, Forever Young Adult, and Bitch magazine. You can follow her on Twitter to read her thoughts on teen TV, snacks and terrible pop music.

 

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TV Rewind: Felicity, “Blackout” & “The Break-Up Kit”

18 Dec

Felicity, Episodes 3.13 & 3.14
“Blackout” & “The Break-Up Kit”
Original Air Dates: Apr. 25, 2001 & May, 2, 2001

Felicity 3.14 sad FelicityJulie: I wish I had watched these episodes immediately following the previous two, because my feelings about Noel and Ben have flip-flopped. Suddenly Noel is the perfect guy, and Ben is a stupid moron who can’t say no to Avery.

Maybe I have selective memory or maybe the TV writers expect us to only remember what’s happening right in front of us, but Noel was a complete dill weed for most of this season. He eloped. He tried to get an annulment. He STALKED TYRA BANKS. He has been a complete creeper. But now, he’s the sweet guy who kissed Felicity over a game of Boggle back in Season One.

My feelings are very messy here. I have distinct Team Noel feelings right now. He honestly cares about Felicity. They work well together. They fit on an emotional and intellectual level. Perhaps Noel was being so crazy during the beginning of the season (and a little bit of last season) because he felt lost. Now that he and Felicity are back on sold friendship ground, he’s finally able to recapture the Noel we fell in love with three years ago.

But I can’t forget the fact that he STALKED TYRA BANKS.

Of course, maybe Noel is looking so appealing because Ben is being such a boob. This whole thing was so gut-wrenching to watch, and Keri Russell did a fabulous job (and I really liked her low pony throughout these two episodes; much better than the topknot). I just felt for her. She did the “mature” thing and let him go, let him try to figure it out; and then, when she realized that he was figuring it out in the Hamptons with Avery. she ran to him to tell him that she loves him and she wants to figure things out together.

All of this would’ve been completely tragic, if not for her good friend Noel, and his break-up kit. Every step of his was perfect, until he almost told her his feelings and Ben walked in to reclaim his woman. And Noel was left alone again. Hopefully he won’t go full STALKING TYRA BANKS crazy Noel.

Which team are you on after these episodes?

Felicity 3.14 cry faceEmma: No other show has tested my shipper feelings as much as this one and while I am still Team Ben (even though he is being the biggest dumb dumb) the show is doing a very good job of reminding us why Noel was who I was championing in season 1. And yeah it’s funny that last time both of us wondered how they could make Noel a viable option after a) the stalking of Tyra Banks (which I’m still confused was a thing as it hasn’t been mentioned since) and b) how good Felicity and Ben are together. It turns out all it takes is an Avery.

Ben has played the overwhelmed card before and here is what Julie said to him back in S1 just before they broke up and this is “where you act all confused but you actually know what you’re thinking.” Ben does confused face well and this is definitely a very different situation to the Julie breakup, which was a long time coming. It is still just as frustrating and I also find it hard to believe that with everything we know about Ben and Felicity as a couple that he would end up in the Hamptons with Avery knowing full well how Felicity feels about her, but whatever the writers clearly do.

The groundwork has been laid, particularly in the Christmas episode with Ben feeling inferior to Felicity when it comes to ambition/academic ability. She has helped him in the past with essays, but I guess this is a whole new level of shame for Ben and while it is far from Felicity’s fault he clearly has a bit of a chip on how shoulder about her brain smarts.

With Avery, her persistence only adds to this frustration and because they shared something profound (I’m rolling my eyes at this because Avery is the worst) Ben is turning to her instead of Felicity with his test problems. Avery just also happens to be everywhere Ben is taking over Noel’s stalker mantle and this girl is not subtle. What I want to know is how long was she going to hang outside Felicity’s apartment waiting for Ben to leave? She’s also the kind of person who mentions something so much the other person ends up thinking it is a smart idea. See Ben with the Hamptons, the watch, the test.

Back to the Noel of it all and yeah at the moment he is doing everything right, but I have one reservation and that is his overall motivation. Yes I think he is being a good friend, however when he was about to tell Felicity something important I can’t be alone in thinking that he was about to declare his love for her and this is the worst timing for this; don’t tell someone you love them when they have only maybe been broken up for one hot minute. Noel has been mostly supportive including finding the video of Ben – when Noel mentions the whole Hannah thing this was another case when a guy was confused – and sticking to friend like behavior and yet he was about to cross the line. Luckily Ben comes in and stops Noel from making this mistake. What did you make of this?

Felicity 3.13 Felicity and NoelJulie: Noel declaring his feelings would’ve been quite tragic, so thank goodness Ben came in at that moment. It fits Noel’s schtick, though, doesn’t it? He’s impulsive. He’s the guy that seems so level-headed and responsible on the surface, but he’s a quick mover. He jumps into things. He gets married on a whim. He falls head-over-heels in love with Tyra Banks after seeing her one time. Of course he’d want to pounce on Felicity the second she found herself single again. Noel needs to slow his roll.

Besides, even though Noel didn’t get the chance to say it, I think Felicity got the message loud and clear.

I’m wondering where they’ll go with Avery now, if they’ll go anywhere. Ben finally seems to get it. She’s not the girl for him. She doesn’t get “him.” She doesn’t understand who he is and what’s important to him. Felicity gets him. Felicity sees him for who he is. Now that Ben is hip to Avery’s shallowness and lack of understanding him, will she make one more desperate attempt to win him over? Will she try to recreate the extreme situation that brought them together? My mind keeps jumping to a suicide attempt, but I’m not sure if that’s really where the show goes or if I’m writing my own Felicity fan fiction. You know that’s not even a spoiler because I have very little recollection of this season.

I love that you brought up that Julie quote. That is SO Ben and I think it completely applies to him in this situation. He’s not a moron. He knows that going to the Hamptons is wrong, but he does it anyway. And he expects that his cute confused face is going to get him out of it, because that’s what his cute confused face does best. It’s his secret weapon. He knows, I think deep down, that Felicity will forgive him for being stupid, and they’ll get back together, easy-peasy. He’s so frustrating, and I still really want him to make a decision about what to do with his live, even just in the interim.

As far as these two episodes go, the first one centered around a blackout in New York during a storm. I couldn’t help but think about the time NBC did blackout themes in all of their Thursday night comedies (except Seinfeld) back in the day. This is a trope that’s used in a lot of shows to create tension. What did you think of the blackout revelations (Elena wants boobs! Meghan kissed a girl! Avery loves Ben — duh doy!)? And is it believable that the girls would have that may candles on hand?

Felicity 3.13 blackout v2Emma: Noel is not the most subtle when it comes to his puppy dog eyes and Felicity gazing. It remains unspoken for now, but as you mention Felicity clearly knows this is more than platonic feelings and I think this is why she goes to tell Noel how important and special he is. Not because she is trying to be a tease or oblivious to it all, instead she wants him to know what his friendship – particularly over the past few days – means to her. Noel has had a lot of self doubt this season and I also think she wants to ensure that he doesn’t sink back into whatever crazy led to the Tyra stalking. This show might be able to ignore that ever happened, I don’t think either of us can. And Noel’s impulsiveness matches Felicity’s in this respect and it is why they are both perfect and terrible for each other.

I think Avery is going to cause a whole heap of problems all because of that kiss as there is no way she is going to let that go. If she was more than happy to pursue a dude who seemed to be in a happy relationship then she is not going to give up now they have smooched. Ugh and the way it happened was so awful and casual, plus her comment about how she wanted to kiss him at the party before she was shot. So she wanted to kiss a guy who was barely at the party while she was there and was with his girlfriend dancing for the brief moment before Tag came in. Avery, you are the worst. I think Felicity sums up all my Avery feelings in that one curled lip disgusted expression when Noel is talking about her in the blackout episode (sadly there is no screeencap as it happens so fast). She is clearly someone who has got everything she wants her entire life, even if some of those things have been bought and Ben is not going to get away that easily. I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t elaborate on what actually happened either.

In the same way Felicity should have told Ben about the frat party before he found out via an email, I think Ben should have confessed all to Felicity about what happened in the Hamptons. Instead he spins it into something which is probably true – how it made him realize how much he missed her – but misses out the vital info. I don’t know if she would be able to forgive him for the kiss, however I think they are more likely to get through it if he did tell her rather than if/when she finds out in the future. She is definitely going to find out.

Avery’s white turtle neck is like the over the top opulent version of every sweater Felicity owns and this outfit perfectly encapsulates everything I dislike about Avery. I love that Felicity points out that Avery looks like Ruby, which she does but she is so much worse.

The excessive amount of candles is a constant TV peeve of mine, but on this occasion I just shrugged and figured they were Meghan’s. And yeah all I could think about with the blackout theme was Chandler stuck in the ATM vestibule. It is one of those heightened situations which allows for any potential conflict/hookup to become more fraught/tense as seen by Ben/Avery and Meghan/Chris. Also a quick IMDb check to see where I know the actress who plays Chris from tells me that she is Catherine Keener’s younger sister and that is definitely why she is familiar to me.

The Chris/Meghan story was interesting on the one hand as it gave Meghan something more to do beyond just being the comic relief and it was good to hear about her past. I’m still bored of the Sean/Meghan fighting/breaking up/getting back together cycle and so this aspect made me roll my eyes. Plus Sean’s reaction to finding out that Meghan had been involved with a woman was as piggish as I might expect. In true Sean and Meghan fashion it is all fine and jokey by the end. I don’t even know what to make of the seance shenanigans in the second episode except I guess it was a way to lighten the tense mood of the Felicity/Ben drama.

What I did like about this story was seeing Felicity and Meghan’s friendship in action as Felicity knows all about Chris thanks to a previous drunken confession from Meghan – I am picturing many night when Meghan gets in wasted where she spills everything to Felicity. The evolution of Meghan and Felicity’s relationship is one of my favorites on this show and I also appreciated Meghan’s “if you hurt her, I will kill you” speech to Ben.

And someone returned! And you can tell how much I dislike Avery because I wasn’t even that bothered that Molly is back. Molly straight away gets involved in a big plot contrivance by temporarily blinding Elena. What do you make of the breakup causing Elena to focus on looks as a reason why they split?

Felicity 3.14 AveryJulie: Oh, Felicity will find out. You just know Avery is dying to tell her about the kiss, that strumpet.

I’m not sure what it is, but everything Avery wears reminds me of an early aughts Gwyneth Paltrow, which is sacrilege, probably. Goop would never be so gauche as to pursue an under-achieving barista, no matter how cute his smile may be.

As far as the other folks go, I’m with you on wanting to break up with Meghan and Sean breaking up. It’s like the writers have no idea where to go their storyline anymore. I feel like Meghan’s dalliance with Chris wasn’t given the weight it deserved. It would’ve been interesting to explore Meghan’s potential bisexuality, but she brushed off the whole thing pretty quickly, without seeming too conflicted. And Sean’s gross reaction to catching Meghan and Chris together seemed lazy. Maybe it was because this was a B plot that the writers kept everything on the surface, which is kind of a shame. This was something that could’ve feasibly been dragged out for a few episodes. And it would’ve kept the writers away from the perpetual break-up/reunion cycle, for a few weeks anyway.

Molly’s back in town! Goody. And she’s brought with her a terrible face mask that blinds people. She’s a walking disaster, with her bindis and her drugs and her dangerous cosmetics. She really only existed to pop up here and there in other people’s stories this week. She was present for the seance and, yes, she blinded Elena, who is obsessed with her looks all of a sudden.

I’m not a fan of this development. I mean, I get it, and maybe the writers are trying to say, “Hey look! A gorgeous, successful, intelligent women can also become an insecure basket case when her boyfriend dumps her,” but I just feel like Elena’s better than that. She’s better than us mere mortals. She took self-defense classes after she was shot. She knows her worth as a student.

Or maybe she doesn’t? She did feel insecure about her grades after the whole Dr. Chris Sarandon thing. Maybe this is carrying over into other aspects of her life. She’s always been so self-assured, but now she’s having to examine where she’s lacking — and she landed on boobs. Richard and Noel both proved her point when they couldn’t stop looking at her Kleenex enhanced chest. She’s looking so hard for answers to why Tracy left her, and it’s easier to blame small boobs than to look deeper.

Hopefully whatever’s happening with her and DeForest (Kenan Thompson) will help. He seems very sweet. And though she didn’t seem too jazzed when she finally got a look at him and realized he wasn’t Tracy meets Tyson Beckford, she did still take him up on dinner and the two of them looked like they were having a great time.

What did you think of Elena’s looks crisis?

Felicity 3.13 ElenaEmma: The Elena thing is so random but also makes sense in how she is dealing with the Tracy breakup as it is a pretty much out of the blue thing. Even though I doubt that Elena really believes that it was her boobs that let her down, by fixating on something that she can change (by very drastic means) it gives her something to focus all her energy on to. It’s partially ridiculous because it all starts with a joke by Noel as he tries to get her out of her funk, but quite often it is this things that people joke about that we worry about.

I weirdly got the sense that there was some Richard flirtation before she kicked him the face for touching her boobs (I gotta say he deserved it for stepping over the line) and one other thing that has not been mentioned since Tyra’s last appearance is his relationship with her. It is like Tyra was never on the show.

In the second episode we get more from Elena’s sudden obsession with looks and when Molly temporarily blinds her it goes from worrying about her own looks to trying to get away from being superficial in how she sees other people. I’m not sure if this thing with DeForest will go anywhere but it sure was nice to see Elena in this happier frame of mind. And also these guys forgive Molly way to easily. Okay maybe the James gun thing wasn’t her fault but I’d definitely be pissed off about the temporary blindness. Elena likes a challenge so I guess this is a way for her to experience something that might come in useful for when she is a doctor. Plus this way she doesn’t have to look at Felicity’s angsty art. And she gets to make fun of Noel, which is always fun.

What did you make of Noel’s potential Seattle job that we know he definitely won’t be taking and if he does take it he will definitely be back in New York for season 4?

Felicity 3.14 NoelJulie: I thought about Tyra as well when Richard popped up during the blackout. Where is she? Was it all a dream? Is that why no one mentions the stalking or deflowering?

Haha! Don’t you love the “character might move to another city” schtick? It’s a very good way to suck all the tension out of a storyline. Ross was never moving to London. Kramer wasn’t going to stay in LA. And Noel isn’t going to Seattle. Or, yeah, he’s not staying there. I guess it serves to make the people around the potential leaver (in this case, Felicity) see what she’ll be missing if he goes. What do you think is the primary motive behind Noel leaving? Is it that he really wants the job or is it to escape having to watch Felicity’s lovey-dovey-ness with Ben or is it all a ploy to force Felicity to imagine life without him? That last scenario seems to fit the Noel of late. Shifty.

How much did you love Felicity’s art, which is so edgy because of the splatter paint and the WORDS. (Random words on art or clothing is one of my pet peeves. Story time: Back when I was a kid, there were splatter paint T-shirt stores. I went to a birthday party at one once, and picked out a black T-shirt, splattered it with neon paint, and wrote the word “Rap.” So much edge.)

Felicity 3.14 Felicity and BenEmma: The whole Seattle thing definitely felt like a bit of a fishing expedition on Noel’s behalf and while I’m sure there’s a tiny part of him that might consider going, I don’t think he actually believes his time in New York is over and part of this is Felicity related.

You’ve already mentioned Keri Russell’s performance but I want to talk about it briefly again because she is SO good at showing her sadness over these two episodes. There’s hope and rage at times and it is entirely believable that she is also lost and confused, without being as lame as Ben. The moment where she comes up and just puts her head against the wall is heartbreaking and I don’t talk about it enough but she possesses the same Claire Danes chin quiver/glassy eyes power. While I think the plot points that have got us to this fractured Ben/Felicity relationship are somewhat forced, everything that Russell and Scott Speedman do in these scenes nails these difficult moments. Scott Foley should also get a shout-out for playing sad and pining while also doing the friend thing so well. And for not mentioning the sun.

I want to go to a splatter paint store.

Julie Hammerle is, according to Klout, an expert in the areas of both Morgan Freeman and glasses. Her writing can be found at chicagonow.com/hammervision and you can holler at her on Twitter as well.

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Hello, Hello, Hello: The Comeback 2.05 “Valerie is Taken Seriously” Discussion

13 Dec

The Comeback continues to be one of the year’s best shows as it examines Hollywood perceptions through Valerie Cherish with the word ‘brave’ in terms of performance taking center stage this week. I am once again joined by Kerensa Cadenas and we’re both a little concerned for where everything Paulie G related is heading for Valerie this season.

the Comeback 2.05 ValEmma: A reporter from the New York Times calls Valerie’s Seeing Red performance “brave” and this sends Valerie spiralling because she thinks brave is a reference to how she looks. As we know Valerie is all about how she appears and she never wants to come across in a negative light, which tends to make her look bad by extension. The Comeback is the ultimate show in terms of the terms ‘unlikeable’ and ‘difficult’ in that it explores what these characteristics mean while the lead character is trying to do everything in her power to be liked. Fame is Valerie’s ultimate goal but she’s determined to be seen positively along the way, that might be an even stronger impulse for her so when she’s called ‘brave’ and she sees the dailies it horrifies her.

It’s rare for Valerie to snap, but she does exactly this when Jane insists on use low lighting. This is exactly the kind of set up that Valerie views as insinuating that she looks terrible. Brave does get thrown around in terms of performance so often that it really has lost its meaning – Julia Roberts is brave for not being made up in The Normal Heart, Jennifer Aniston in Cake, Charlize Theron in Monster and the list goes on – and it does tend to mean when a glamorous stunning actress looks normal. It’s insulting to both their performances and every regular person. Or what Lena Dunham and her attitude towards nudity, which is also referred to as brave rather than the actual work she is doing. And this is what Valerie is told brave means in this context as Valerie has never been seen like this before, not unmade up but emotionally raw.

I’ve got to say that while the script is clearly a turd (because Paulie G will always be a hack) it’s quite captivating seeing Valerie acting like this and while I’m not surprised that she is great, I think she is surprised by what she sees in these dailies and it scares her.

What did you think of the whole ‘brave’ aspect?

the comeback 2.05 dailliesKerensa: I thought that Valerie’s reaction to being called ‘brave’ was exactly how Valerie and maybe anyone would take it in that position. But I agree with you, while Paulie G’s lack of talent is apparent, Valerie crushes it. She’s so good, even in the low lighting. Good enough for Mickey to say, “wow you can act Red!”

I think the sad thing though in the episode is just how intensely Val ties that ‘brave’ to how she looks where you can almost sense her desperately about to claw her face off the entire episode until she speaks to the NY Times reporter at the end of the episode.

What also seems to scare Val is this idea that we’ve discussed over and over again and is always discussed and I’m so tired of: unlikeability. Val knows that this role will make people see her differently and she’s terrified that means they won’t like her. I think it’s one of the reasons why she overcompensates so much with Paulie G, even though she shouldn’t give a fuck, but she can sense how much he loathes her and she’s desperate to change that, even now. It’s why she goes to Tom to see about helping Paulie. She can’t stand people not liking her in both her personal life and public life which could possibly change.

The Comeback 2.05 ValerieEmma: Unlikeable as a term to describe character needs to be done with and it definite only seems to aply to women – men are difficult, women are unlikeable. Flawed is a much better way to describe what we all are and one of Valerie’s greatest flaws is her drive to get people to like her. As you mention this is why she is so determined to get Paulie G to change what is a very strong hatred (let’s not sugarcoat this is as it goes way beyond disliking) as she can’t stand to be seen like this. I think this is a pretty common reaction especially as Paulie G’s reaction to Val far outweighs anything she has ever done to him, can he really justify why she is the monster who rips apart his inner child? Val goes way beyond the point most people would if they were to experience this level of abuse, but Val doesn’t know when to quit and this determination is both a strength and flaw.

Going to see Tom is Valerie’s way of trying to help out Paulie and after the suicide that ended last week’s episode, plus Paulie’s needle comment and signs that he is cracking under the pressure she thinks Tom can help. But Tom doesn’t give a shit about Paulie and is pissed that Paulie as the fuck up is the one who got the HBO show. I don’t have a huge amount of sympathy for Tom as while he never reached Paulie G levels of vile, he was still a massive shit at times. What do you make of his outburst?

Another person who has a meltdown is Billy and a lot of this episode covers the fear of getting left behind. Billy feels undermined when HBO ask him to scrap all the interviews he has set up (and they are all with reputable sites) and thinks that it is history repeating with yet another client leaving him behind. There’s a lot of ego in this business and everyone is striving to get ahead so it’s not surprising that nerves are frayed and Billy has always had a temper issue. His terrible attempt at leaving dramatically only to come back for his phone had me in stitches. Poor Billy, but hey he gets his job back at the end.

the comeback 2.05 BillyKerensa: Billy’s meltdown was funny and completely made sense to me, but at least for me, watching anything after Val’s meeting with Tom was kinda hard to pay attention to. Their whole interaction made me feel nauseous. Not because Tom necessarily did anything wrong–but finding out more that happened behind the scenes in that Room & Bored writers room was horrifying. I felt bad for Tom when he complained about how much Paulie G had fucked up but was still able to make it within the industry. And there was Tom, who did everything he felt was right, and is stuck working on Nick shows.

When Tom mentioned all the horrific things that Paulie G said about Val–wasn’t there something about wanting to basically murder her–I just felt this awful sinking feeling. I don’t think The Comeback is going to GO THERE obviously, but I am so so nervous about what is going to happen with Paulie G and Val. It’s just been building and I’m really stressed about it.

Are you feeling like that? Am I just being insane?

the comeback 2.05 val and tomEmma: If definitely sucks that Paulie G has been gifted his own comeback while Tom’s career was torpedoed by Room and Bored. And pretty much everything that happened in that writers’ room sounds incredibly toxic and horrifying. Tom definitely alludes to Paulie G saying he wanted to harm Val, how he called Valerie the devil and said they should “find a stake and pound it through your heart. If you have one.” He also explicitly warns her to stay away from Paulie G and while I hadn’t considered that he would hurt her before you mentioned it, he did write a sequence with Mitch with a shotgun outside Malory’s house so his mind has definitely gone there.

I second your stressed out feelings and it is a vibe that is permeating the whole show, so much so that the documentary is now going to be focusing on this relationship. It’s like everyone is aware of how much Paulie G hates Valerie and I find it hard to believe she is that oblivious to it all. Maybe it’s just her grin and bear it demeanor but I wonder how long she is going to tolerate the way he treats her and if she pushes back what he will do next.

He’s clearly crumbling under the pressure and Valerie is getting positive notes, which is also not going to help his negative feelings. Also what do you think Paulie G made of his replacement director?

The Comeback 2.05 Val and Paulie GKerensa: Actually the whole Paulie G’s replacement director thing was weird to me. She was SUPER annoying I thought. And I bet he hated it because he couldn’t be in control because he’s falling apart.

What did you think?

Emma: She was weirdly a bit cutesy for me with the whole dance thing, I’m guessing they wanted to go for the complete opposite type of director who is warm and encouraging but it came across as a little forced. But I’m happy that it probably/definitely pissed Paulie G off. And I found the green screen stuff to be very disorientating aesthetically which makes sense as it is meant to throw Valerie as well. I did like how she didn’t really get that the fake audience were laughing on cue and so she really dug that reaction as it felt real to her.

What did you make of Mark’s decision to go ahead and get a sublet now they are using their house to double as a hospital?

the comeback 2.05 Valerie and MickeyKerensa: Mark’s decision to get a sublet is just another ingredient to my anxiety about this final episode. Seeing Val’s face when she says that to the camera while trying to blow it off as nothing is A+ from Kudrow who totally nails the almost casual anguish (is that a thing) that Val is trying to hide. But it does make me even more worried for her. Mark’s always been her rock, a really grounding force, and if he’s gone, then what?

Emma: Val doesn’t have a whole lot of people she can really rely on and with Mark reaching his fame breaking point, it’s only really Mickey that she has truly on her side (I’d argue you Jane as well, but she’s definitely not in the same support league as Mark and Mickey). Mickey has his own concerns of course with his skin cancer diagnosis and it’s unclear what’s going on there as it didn’t get mentioned this week. I’m pretty concerned about that as week. Everything is stacking up and it feels like the breaking point is coming. And I think Valerie is the poster child for casual anguish.

Kerensa Cadenas is a writer living in Los Angeles. She is an Editor for Snakkle. She also writes for Women and Hollywood, The Week, This Was Television, Forever Young Adult, and Bitch magazine. You can follow her on Twitter to read her thoughts on teen TV, snacks and terrible pop music.

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TV Rewind: Felicity, “And to All a Good Night” and “Girlfight”

4 Dec

Felicity, Episodes 3.11 & 3.12
“And to All a Good Night” & “Girlfight”
Original Air Dates: Dec. 13, 2000 & April. 18, 2001

Felicity 3.11 sparkly topEmma: Last time I hoped some holiday cheer would be coming our way and yes this is a festive episode, however the cheer levels are variable and Tag’s gun finally goes off (that Chekhov is a smart fella). The time hop between the two episodes is unnerving, but quick research revealed that the two episodes aired 4 months apart and that is a lot of time to find out who had been shot and also explains why they opted to leap that far ahead. I am jumping further than I want to and I’m guessing we both have thoughts on this amount of time passing, first let’s talk about what led to this event.

Felicity’s mom Barbara has come to say and because there has been so much back and forth with her parents relationship status I couldn’t remember if her singledom was brand new information. What I am very aware of is how often her parents put their own shit onto her and once again her mom uses her past relationship experiences and transfers it onto Felicity. Felicity isn’t entirely blameless in how her mom becomes yet another obstacle in the continuing ‘who/what is going to break up Felicity and Ben?’ guessing game as she hasn’t told her that she has plans to drive to Florida with Ben for Christmas, this is bad form Felicity. In her typical not really thinking things through way Felicity tells Ben that she might change these set plans and spend the holiday with her mom instead. Ben is rightly pissed off about this and this is further compounded by the awful dinner experience with Felicity’s mom fawning over Noel and being super judgmental of Ben’s lack of future plans (he doesn’t have a major! Whaaaaaat?!).

Of course Felicity’s mom is totally into Noel as Noel is great for boyfriend material – he’s charming in a slightly dorky way, he has ambition and he doesn’t beat people up – and Barbara is smitten. If only she knew about his marriage status (which we are reminded of in this episode) and his email stalking behavior. With Ben all she can see is this unambitious and dangerous guy she dated before Felicity’s dad. Ben’s position as the ‘bad boy’ is how he was positioned from the first episode, but they’ve done a really good job of subverting this trope since then. Yes he gets into fights and has some anger issues, however he is also beyond adorable at times and this season has positioned him in a way to get beyond these things that make him ‘bad.’

Bad timing means Ben gets viewed in a negative light as he’s late/forgetful when it comes to the theatre (he’s helping Sean out thanks to some emotional blackmail) and he is ranting about what a dick Tag is when her mom shows up. Gun and drugs are also mentioned in this awkwardly timed, but accurate diatribe. Ben does meet up with Barbara to try and clear the air and it works. He is adorable and charming in his explanation of how much he cares about Felicity and he pretty much quotes that Baz Luhrmann song to demonstrate why his lack of career ideas isn’t so bad. Once again everything is smoothed over and despite the fight they have been in they end the episode happy and dancing.

Some seeds of doubt have been sown and Felicity reacts in a slightly sad way when Noel claims the parrot is Ruby (it is clearly Felicity). What did you make of this moment?

Felicity 3.12 Ben and FelicityJulie: I’m with you that the time jump seems…odd. It’s like a lot has changed, but also not a lot has changed. I don’t know if that’s realistic or what, but it’s what we have.

In the second episode, Felicity and Ben appear to be unchanged (as a couple) in the months after the gun goes off. They’re still together. He still has no life plan. And I thought she’d be further along in her collaboration with Noel than she seems to be. After all the rushing to get the project handed to Scott Adsit, the time table of Loser Pet Shop has really slowed down. Noel is in the middle of (yet another) emotional meltdown. Last time he went rogue, he ended up married to Doritos girl. This time he’s ruminating on the meaning of life and hooking up with a girl who’s obsessed with Ben. Elena has taken to self-defense, and Molly is gone (yay!).

I find the Ben stuff most frustrating in these episodes. He’s a lovely guy and I’m rooting for him to succeed, but it’s like what Gwyneth said about Ben Affleck — he gets in his own way. He should’ve told Sean to fuck off with the tree thing. Ben knew he was meeting Felicity and her mom at the theatre, he knew that her mom wasn’t completely sold on their relationship, and he just should of simply told Sean that he wasn’t going to help. So what if Sean threatened to kick Ben out. It’s not like Sean would really have the balls (er…ball) to do that.

Also, I’m a little with Felicity’s mom here. Ben doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life. Felicity barely knows what she wants to do. I thought that the experience in the ambulance would’ve knocked some sense into Ben, but apparently it hasn’t. He’s still very much the Brad Pitt here, only defined by the women (Felicity, Molly, rich girl), and not by who he truly is. Ben needs to figure out his identity separate from the girls.

But his speech to her mom, totally cute and charming, but also something a dick might do just to get in good with his girlfriend’s mom. But we know Ben’s not a dick, even if he does say dick a lot. It’s this show’s favorite word.

You asked about Felicity’s reaction to Noel saying the parrot was Ruby. She did look sad, but I kind of don’t get it at this point. What is she seeing in Noel? If Noel were walking around, graphic designing like a boss, not lying on the couch fretting about his existence, I could see it. But Noel as he is now is not worth it. He’s not worth screwing things up with Ben.

You mentioned on Twitter that you feel rage toward a character who’s not Molly. Is it the mom or is it Rich Girl Whose Name I Forget?

Felicity 3.12 FelicityEmma: Other than imprinting her own life onto Felicity’s I didn’t actually mind her mom too much. Even her hideous blouses were nowhere near as bad Avery who has quickly overtaken Molly for character who gives me instant rage. So two people got shot – Elena in the arm and it wasn’t too serious, scary but not life threatening. The other is rich girl Avery and it is still unclear why she was at the party in the first place as it seems like no one knows who the fuck she is even though she’s a big deal (or at least her family is in the publishing world). Avery almost dies, well she technically dies and we see this moment in the ambulance with Ben there holding her hand. Cue an instant infatuation with Ben thanks to the connection and being able to hear his unspoken thoughts ‘please stay’ isn’t exactly an unusual thing to be thinking when something is flat lining in front of you, but Avery sees this as an invite to pursue Ben.

And she is totally upfront about it and admitting to Felicity when she confronts her that she believes she is meant for Ben and vice versa, screw the girl he has been dating for a year and is in love with. The way Avery goes about this is with expensive gifts and court side basketball seats. She even gets a present for Felicity which is pretty much the perfect Felicity sweater and even though she doesn’t want to take it she ends up wearing it anyway (it is a nice sweater/color). This is after Avery has been underhand and not added Felicity and Noel to a club guest list which Noel rectifies by using his Leon magic (so paying the doorman) and later sleeping with Avery, because an existential crisis or something.

I’m glad Felicity confronted Avery about her suspicions and like Ben I couldn’t stop smiling when she was having a major rant about Avery’s behavior because a) I also hate her, b) it is fun seeing Felicity disliking someone. There is a super cute reassuring moment and they once again seem fine, though I am concerned that Avery is going to be a nuisance. Also who owns that many halter tops especially ones for exercise and going out?

Your observation about how Ben is defined by his relationships is so spot on and quite often there has been some element of helping a person out and it goes back to Julie even. Maybe he should look into being a counsellor or something like that as he is very good at it. He stays very calm post shooting as he did when Tag was being super aggressive before. And yeah like Goop Ben Affleck remark he really does get in his own way. Also so many of these communication issues would have been rectified if everyone at this point had a cell phone, but at this point only a few did – I was ahead of the Felicity curve and got my first one in 1999. Ben really does have to learn how to prioritize and sometimes it is fine to tell Sean to find someone else to help. Ben is still one of the most fascinating characters in terms of how he is presented, what you expect from a character like this and how he isn’t really any of these things. I still want to do an in-depth analysis of who is Ben Covington?

What did you make of Avery? Did you get similar rage levels to me? And I know you mentioned on Twitter how you thought Tracy was going to be one of the shooting victims – what did you make of this cliffhanger and how it panned out?

Felicity 3.12 Avery, Felicity and ElenaJulie: You can’t trust a trick in one halter top, let alone many halter tops.

The funny thing about the cliffhanger was that I’ve seen these episodes already. I watched all of Season 3 of Felicity. I just didn’t retain any of it, apparently.

I knew they were going to dispose of Tracy sooner or later (Scrubs started right after this season, actually), and the way they were talking about how he was going to Africa to help AIDS patients and how he and Elena were doing so well and making it work, I figured he’d be a goner. He lifts right out. I kind of wish they had done that. It would’ve been more interesting than introducing this completely new character who has very few redeeming qualities (other than her checkbook). Her getting shot was kind of like the “live” Arrested Development episode where one. of. these. people. will. die. by. the end. of. this episode. And then it was, of course, that random old lady in the promo.

If Tracy had died, Elena would be dealing with something much more major than self-defense and — oh — my boyfriend’s met a new girl and maybe he’s having sex with her too, that religious jerk. Noel could still be having his (recurring) existential crisis, though probably he wouldn’t also sleep with Tracy. And Ben could still be Ben, trying to figure out what he’s doing with his life. I thought that the incident in the ambulance would lead him to believe becoming an EMT is what he  should be doing with his life. Ben is very susceptible to what’s going on around him. I suppose that could still happen. Maybe it actually does happen and that’s why I jumped to this conclusion. Sorry, spoiler? Maybe not, though. I’ve already proved here how little I remember about Season 3.

As far as rage levels, I didn’t quite get there with Avery because I never saw her as a real threat. I mean, Ben didn’t seem interested in her at all, despite her obvious advances. I think he’s very solidly in love with Felicity right now and she should feel good about that.

What did you make of Elena’s story? What did you think about the condom in the wallet revelation?

Felicity 3.11 Tracy and ElenaEmma: In my notes for the self-defense class scenes other than hating on the halter I did ask for some Americans like moves from Keri Russell and they pretty much gave me some (she really does kick some serious ass on that show). The reason Felicity is at the class is because Elena has been regaining her sense of empowerment through learning how to protect herself. Elena has been showing off her new skills on Felicity and when it is Felicity’s turn to return the favor Elena is having none of it as her heart has been stomped all over.

It was very jarring to see Elena and Tracy going from loved up and sorting out whatever having sex has done to their relationship to him coming back loved up with someone else. I do wonder if the condom is in his wallet for just in case purposes, but I can also see why Elena is so upset by this discovery. Sex was their major obstacle and it got even more complicated after they slept together. It impacted Tracy’s entire belief system and no matter how hard Elena argues about what she feels in her heart, there is something much bigger at work here for Tracy. I’m not sure where this leaves Elena now, but I’m worried she is going to blame herself and her attitude towards sex (which is not at fault).

Like you I also think it would have been better to have his exit tied to the shooting in a more permanent manner. Instead the shooting ends up being really low stakes for everyone involved and if I had to wait four months to see the outcome of this story I think I would have been very pissed off with the results. The shot being fired when the screen turns to black is a very typical TV move because it does leave you in a state of uncertainty and coupled with the intercutting between smiling dancing characters it does imply that one of them has been hit. Yes Elena is shot, but that is also a cop out with how minor it is (not that I want Elena to get hurt at all). The whole resolution made me feel short changed in fact and I really did think it was effective how this sequence was shot even if I don’t find Tag all that believable in his drugged out angry state. Kudos Steven Gyllenhaal for the way he shot this scene (also completely unrelated but kudos for those excellent actor kids of yours).

Felicity wears a super slinky sparkly outfit to the holiday party which makes both Ben and Noel’s faces light up; this is her best dressed up look since the red dress at the start of season 2. Elena also wears a gorgeous metallic frock and it is a winner for the ladies and their festive attire. Suits were still for some reason on the baggier side in the year 2000 and how good would Ben look in slim fit suit with a skinny tie?! Alas baggy was a thing still.

After the Scott Foley awkward dance sequence in Scandal and the end of the Christmas episode I think I can declare that Noel is a better dancer than Jake. Still awkward, but with less elbows. Noel and Ben interactions are still some of my favorites for Ben’s deadpan responses as with when Noel asks Ben if he wants to dance. Ben does not and Noel claims he was joking (I don’t think he was).

I’m not sure if I see Avery as a threat, but for some reason her actions just really bugged me in that ‘sad rich girl who thinks she can do whatever kind of way’ and like Felicity I want her to back the fuck off. Too much? I wonder if now that she has slept with Noel whether she will be hanging around even more now.

What did you make of more Meghan and Sean bickering? Should he have given her a cut of the trees?

Felicity 3.12 Elena and FelicityJulie: Wow, you’re right. I would’ve been so pissed if I had waited four months for that shooting cliffhanger to be resolved. How lame. Someone we’ve hardly even met nearly dies and Elena is grazed in the shoulder. Also, how soon did Tracy leave after the shooting? You’d think Elena getting hit would’ve given him a moment of holy shit I almost lost this girl. Though, as Elena has concluded, maybe he never really loved her all that much. Sad.

Felicity’s outfit at the party is my everything. Especially as we’re going into the holiday sparkle season, I’m jonesing for some sequins. The early aughts were a good time for sequins. There just aren’t as many these days. Also sad.

If we can thank Tag for anything in all of this, it’s for giving us a great example of why we need better gun control in the US. If a cracked-out, derpy-looking mess like Tag can get a gun, then anyone can get a gun and we all need to reevaluate how things are done in this country.

The Meghan and Sean misunderstanding nonsense needs to stop. For the past few episodes it’s been all about them breaking up and getting back together. I guess after the shooting (when Sean called Meghan out for not taking her job at the school seriously or going about working there the right way) they didn’t actually break up, so, progress? I guess that’s how the shooting changed the two of them. They’re less likely to knee-jerk dump each other.

The tree thing was ridiculous. And I was a little squicky about Meghan calling out Sean for being cheap, after much had been made in the last few episodes about his Jewish heritage. I don’t know. I don’t think she really meant it *that* way, but still. Also, he was right, some of that money was going to be spent on her anyway and he was the one who was doing the legwork. I don’t think he really owed her anything, though if it actually were her idea, he should’ve just copped to it. This whole thing was just tired, from the fight down to Sean coercing Ben to help him move the trees.

I was a little more interested in Meghan as a teacher. I think that could work, if she gives the job the right amount of respect. She had a rough childhood and she likes telling people what to do and she does seem to have a good rapport with kids, even if she doesn’t think she does. She can be there for the kids who were different, like she was. I like it.

What did you think of Meghan and Sean?

Felicity 3.12 Meghan and SeanEmma: The constant bickering and breaking up is getting tiresome at this point and Sean did have some valid points when it came to splitting the money earned. Meghan was doing none of the work and she was still going to end up doing well out of this venture. Except it is pretty dumb to invest in this many trees this close to Christmas and instead of making a fortune Sean ended up seeing beyond money and gave them away for free. Felicity was very touched by this whole thing and made sure she told Meghan what an idiot she was being about this whole thing.

Meghan’s teaching story further explored who Meghan is and while I find it hard to believe that this character would a) turn up to school wearing a sheer shirt and b) teach a kid witchcraft it did show her softer side. Meghan and Sean tend to be the comedic pairing of the show so I’m glad to see the writers developing them beyond being here to be funny. As long as they can move past the whole breaking up/getting together thing. It was good to see her focusing on the kid who was being excluded and as you mention it sounds like she had a crappy time when she was younger so it makes sense for her to relate to this situation. Meghan still responds to things in a relatively immature manner so it will interesting to see if they pursue this new path.

So Noel’s existential crisis is caused by the near miss at the party – he bent down to tie his shoelace when the gun went off hitting Avery – and now all he can think about is how nothing matters. Noel has been flailing all year really and this is an extension what happened to him at the start of the season. Instead of clubbing Noel is reading nihilistic texts and eating a lot of spray cheese (I love cheese but even this might be going too far). Felicity tries to get him out of his funk and maybe sleeping with Avery is what he needed. Hey Felicity’s mom is this the kind of guy you want your daughter to be with?

Oh and I definitely agree with you on the sequins thing, you don’t know how happy I am that it is glitter eye makeup season.

Felicity 3.12 Noel and BenJulie: The spray cheese thing was the first time I really identified with Noel all season.

Also I’m with you on Meghan dressing like that for school didn’t jibe with what we already know about her. This is a girl who would put on a Laura Ashley dress to fool her parents. She knows how to dress in every situation.

And, yeah, if only Felicity’s mom could’ve seen this side of Noel. I guess it’s a lot of seeing what she wants to see. Also, she remembers Noel from when he was the responsible, dweeby RA. She does not know married stalker cheese crisis Noel. She also doesn’t know that Ben generally acts out of concern for others. He gets in fights, yes, but usually it’s because he’s been protecting someone and his face just gets in the way (except for the time he hit Sean, but, come on, Sean had it coming).

I’m hoping Noel’s romp with Avery will lead him to a better place because we only have a few episodes left in this season and that’s not a lot of time to compel me to jump back on the Team Noel bandwagon.

What else do you have to add?

Felicity 3.12 PS2Emma: I’m struggling to see how they will get me to jump back aboard the Noel ship too, Ben will have to monumentally fuck up to get me near that point. I’m also wondering how this time jump will impact how I see this season as a whole. It also occurred to me that the first season of Alias has a crossover period with Felicity and I wonder what that means for both Greg Grunberg as a Agent Weiss is in it from the start right? And also for the creative aspect of the show.

Julie: Wow, both Alias and Scrubs started in the fall of 2001 (not to mention 24 and Smallville). What a good time for television.

Julie Hammerle is, according to Klout, an expert in the areas of both Morgan Freeman and glasses. Her writing can be found at chicagonow.com/hammervision and you can holler at her on Twitter as well.

 

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Hello, Hello, Hello: The Comeback 2.03 “Valerie is Brought to her Knees” Discussion

26 Nov

We’re back to talk about The Comeback and “Valerie is Brought to her Knees” takes us to even darker places with Valerie Cherish with Paulie G hitting new levels of vile. As always I am joined by Kerensa Cadenas and we’ve got a lot to discuss this week.

The Comeback 2.03 val and paulie gEmma: Last week I wondered if I was being a little too harsh on Paulie G and at the time a tiny part of me thought there might be a chance of redemption for one TV’s most vile characters and this week he lives up to that vile reputation and then some. “Valerie is Brought to her Knees” is an important and difficult half hour of TV to watch as it once again turns the cameras inward on the Hollywood process showing some of its darkest and most deplorable methods.

HBO has long been criticized for what I tend to refer to as the ‘boob count’ as female nudity is common, whereas a dude getting totally naked is very rare (you might get to see the odd butt here and there, but dongs are a different tale). In one scene in this episode they get the HBO naked quota, but “that was hell.” For a minute we watch two completely naked woman stand there staring at the camera while multiple crew gaze on and then they are asked to make orgasm noises, all while Valerie is wearing the Aunt Sassy trademark frumpy tracksuit in-between them. Valerie rarely complains about what she is asked to do and while this is a hushed aside to Mickey it speaks volumes.

Paulie G wants to humiliate Valerie repeatedly and by doing it in this overtly sexual way he has somehow reached new levels of demeaning behavior towards Valerie. There is so much in Seeing Red that relates to what happened between them, down to the wardrobe and yet he creates this entirely fictitious blowjob encounter and Valerie wants to know why. In fact everyone wants to know why and Jane’s reaction to everything Paulie G gives me hope that we will see his downfall this season. Valerie isn’t alone in this and Paulie G isn’t going to be able to dictate everything on set, particularly when there is big movie star also on this project who thankfully is nothing like the disgusting character he is playing. What did you make of this whole set up and Seth Rogen’s role in it all?

the comeback 2.03 Seth RogenKerensa: It was hands down one of the most uncomfortable, squirm inducing and important episodes of television I’ve watched all year. I wasn’t holding out any hope for Paulie G at all and in a discussion with a friend last night about this episode, he mentioned that he thought having more of a focus on Paulie G as the creator of Seeing Red shows us how he’s even worse than we could have imagined than when he was just merely a writer, who tortured Valerie, but was still somewhat in the background.

The whole scene was deeply uncomfortable but what really made me want to die especially for Valerie was her outburst about raping her and then Paulie G’s excruciating description of how he wants Valerie to play the blow job. He was making it so painful to humiliate her. Yes, Valerie certainly isn’t an easy person to get along with and at times I want to shake her out of sheer frustration but Paulie G’s hateful motivations towards her are still so unclear for me.

I felt so thankful that Seth Rogen is taking Valerie’s side in everything and it was so endearing when he called her Gingersnaps. It’s nice seeing Valerie have someone on her side but even with Seth there, I think things are just going to get worse. What did you think about Seth’s saving Valerie?

The Comeback 2.03 val on cameraEmma: This show puts Valerie (plus us) through a lot, but I think if Seth Rogen had been anything like Paulie G in his treatment of Valerie I think that would have been just too much to take. So I was very pleased to see not only did he recognise how uncomfortable that scene was making Valerie feel, but he also used his movie star clout to rectify it and allow Valerie to keep some semblance of dignity that Paulie G for whatever reason wants to strip her of. I still don’t know why he took such a dislike to Valerie and yeah she can be a bit much, but she’s never been cruel or spiteful.

My main concern for Valerie after this is that because Seth came to her aid, Paulie G is going to hold this against her as I think he probably thought that he would be best bros with the dude playing him. Except Seth isn’t Mitch or Paulie G and he can see how awful Paulie G’s directions are and I love that he asked ‘why would you do that?’ when he told him to push Val’s head into his crotch. Seth is the dude who can crack jokes on set, but he’s also good at sensing the bad vibe and addressing it. One very depressing aspect about this scene is how Val has no agency and for one reason or another she doesn’t feel like she can say no to this request, hence the rape improv line. I’m glad Seth was the hero; I just wish he didn’t have to be if that makes sense.

The nickname is adorable and this is the kind of thing Valerie lives for; he could have been a douche with the ham gift and just dismissed it but he takes it in good nature and I think this really fucks Paulie G off even more. I think it might get worse for Valerie, but at least she has people on her team and with more influence than last time.

It’s rare that we see Valerie this publicly nervous so what did you make of seeing this different side of her?

the comeback 2.03 val and sethKerensa: I mean Valerie has influence and people on her team this time around but I don’t think that means it’s going to make anything easier for her at all. Paulie G is like a straight up villain. I think it’s just going to get worse. I mean hopefully the finished product is what Valerie needs it to be but watching this process is painful.

It was unsettling to see her like this. I mean she generally has a nervous energy but to see that manifested in such a way made me feel sick. I mean it really just overtook every action throughout the episode from her interactions with Seth in the beginning even to her brief mention to how nervous she was to Mark in bed. But it was also I think another side of Valerie that we were shown that we haven’t quite got before–like her look to Jane while her head is in his lap or her aside to Mickey that she’s in hell. It’s the truest I think we’ve seen her.

What did you think?

The Comeback 2.03 Mark and ValEmma: The brief moment with Mark when she came in really late further emphasized what we were both saying about Mark last week and how good this relationship is. He is supportive and voices his concern, but ultimately he lets Valerie make up her own mind. Mark knows she is nervous and peppers the conversation with jokes and she talks about how long it has been since she did a scene like this – sex scenes just aren’t in her wheelhouse which also adds or heightened nerves.

That look at the end is haunting, before she clocks that camera and smiles it’s like we’re frozen with her and as you mention it’s a very honest moment. It’s still humiliating having her in the position at Paulie G’s behest, but at least it’s only captured on the BTS footage.

Speaking of which it’s funny seeing a whole new set of people getting used to the cameras and Paulie G clearly hates it – when he asks Val to speak in private I love that Jane quips “you mean like a blow job” – and Ashley who is playing the Juna role really doesn’t seemed phased by them, or interested in anything other than her phone.

I definitely want to talk about Valerie’s $7000 wig because that was hilarious.

the comeback 2.03 wigKerensa: Oh Valerie’s wig is hilarious! I mean the whole idea that she even needs a wig that looks exactly like her own hair is totally absurd and very Valerie. It also feels like such a conscious decision to try to make it clear that Paulie G’s Seeing Red character is NOT the real Valerie Cherish.

Emma: And the whole two hairstylists is SO Valerie and that she’s willing to pay for Mickey out of her own pocket shows how much she wants both of them; it’s extravagant and ridiculous. I’m glad this episode had these moments because the rest is pretty brutal. The Comeback is definitely at its strongest when it goes to these dark, real places and I think we’ll be talking about this episode for a long time.

Kerensa Cadenas is a writer living in Los Angeles. She is an Editor for Snakkle. She also writes for Women and Hollywood, The Week, This Was Television, Forever Young Adult, and Bitch magazine. You can follow her on Twitter to read her thoughts on teen TV, snacks and terrible pop music.

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Hello, Hello, Hello: The Comeback 2.02 “Valerie Tries to Get Yesterday Back” Discussion

21 Nov

It’s time to talk The Comeback and I am joined once again by Kerensa Cadenas as we take a look at the second episode of this second season “Valerie Tries to Get Yesterday Back.” More familiar faces return and the issue of cosmetic surgery is discussed along with some maybe shade at how certain shows are treated with regards to HBO’s legacy.

The Comeback 2.02 oscarEmma: I want to start with the return of the greatest producer there is – Jane. Jane Benson that is, but Valerie doesn’t know that and this is one of many forgotten or fumbled names from this episode alone. Valerie is terrible at remembering, but she hasn’t lost her ability to wear someone down until they say yes and she just keeps going with flattery and pointing out the benefits with a splash of emotional blackmail. Jane of course relents despite her better judgement and she’s back producing the behind the scenes footage for Seeing Red.

This is a searing indictment on the Hollywood setup in that Jane has an Oscar and yet she can’t get the funding for her next documentary. So she uses the Oscar as a doorstop “because it doesn’t matter.” Valerie is super impressed by the Oscar and has multiple photos taken posing with it and who can blame her. I know I would and I’m not fame hungry like Valerie.

Jane’s living a super chilled lifestyle up on a ranch and it’s easy to see why she rejects Valerie’s first 20 attempts to get her back on board. First of all she feels like shit for how it all went down with The Comeback and she points out how uptight Valerie is around Paulie G. What could loosen Valerie up is the joint that’s getting passed around (and that Mickey is very happy to partake in) and the reason she relents to having some is to prove that she isn’t uptight. More stoned Valerie please.

Do you think Jane is already regretting returning to this project?

The Comeback 2.02 JaneKerensa: She might be? But I don’t think yet. And I think that any regrets that Jane will end up having will be because of Paulie G and not Valerie. It was so nice to see Jane and Valerie interact again even though Valerie has no idea what she’s talking about and literally did no research or even tried to understand Jane’s viewpoint or personal work.

I don’t think that Valerie’s particularly great at trying to talk people into doing things for her but no matter how off-putting she is she ends up as pretty endearing. Which is kinda how I felt that HBO meeting worked out–super awkwardly the whole time but ended up with Valerie getting what she wanted–this new reality show footage.

What did you think about that meeting?

Emma: Yeah I think you could be right about Jane and Paulie G, especially as there isn’t the same agenda with what kind of footage they get. Jane’s feelings of guilt from how The Comeback went will make her far more sympathetic to Val and I can’t see Paulie G keeping up the civil act.

With the HBO meeting it comes across to me like they want to keep Val sweet so and because they don’t really get what this whole project is, plus it does tie in with stuff that they can throw up on their website/social media. Plus the young exec who suggests this loves Valerie from I’m It! and The Comeback, feeding into her ego. I figure they think it’s an easier to say yes and then she kind of forgot about her other questions. Well she didn’t forget about the schedule but that’s something that she can’t negotiate.

This tackles one of the subjects Lisa Kudrow mentioned in the Buzzfeed profile addressing the plastic surgery question. Kudrow thinks that Valerie is the type to go down this cosmetic route, but Kudrow herself doesn’t want to do this. They get around this by moving the schedule out for the start of Seeing Red and so there’s no time to get anything done with recovery. Val still tries and this where Mark comes in with a photo of a bad filler experience. HBO wants Valerie to look real and I’m pretty sure it’s because Paulie G has been rather disparaging about Valerie’s age/appearance in his script.

It’s another smart critique on Hollywood standards from The Comeback, but what do you make of Mark’s reaction to it all?

The Comeback 2.02 GG partyKerensa: It just really endears Mark to me even more. When we first talked about the show, I didn’t get Mark and I didn’t understand his and Valerie’s relationship at first. But I think he’s truly a grounding force for her and this was just another example of that.

I do agree with Kudrow that Val totally would get work done if she thought it would benefit her career. But then it’s funny how in some respects to her her looks, she’s completely unwilling to negotiate. I’m thinking specifically in her fitting for the Golden Globes with Brad Goreski–she really doesn’t want to try on that insane red feathered dress, even for the cameras, which fair. But then the dress she picks for herself is pretty terrible itself. I think that it’s an on point example of the hypocrisy of Valerie Cherish which makes her such an interesting character.

Do you have thoughts about their whole failed Golden Globes trip?

Emma: Mark has definitely grown on me too and while he is definitely not that bothered by the showbiz side of things, I love how happy he is about the Golden Globes invite and dressing up all fancy. I figured he was going to be ditched for the camera crew – didn’t Val do this at the People’s Choice awards? – so I was glad to see he made the cut even if Mickey didn’t.

I was actually impressed with how Valerie took the whole Golden Globes viewing party situation, but it’s classic Val hiding disappointment with optimism. Valerie isn’t the only one to get a little screwed over by HBO as Paulie G’s there and Mark really doesn’t want to talk to him. Valerie does her thing and Paulie looks pretty pissed that Jane and the crew are back, but he is trying to be civil even going so far as apologising. I don’t buy this whole reformed act and I’m pretty sure he will be back to his vile self soon.

Am I being too harsh on him?

Kerensa: No, you aren’t. I think the exact same thing about Paulie G–there is something here that isn’t adding up–I don’t buy the reformed act and all that.

So I’m just gonna go ahead and throw my theory out there–just from the way he was around Valerie in this episode and body language things, I think he wants to fuck Valerie. And I could be completely wrong and off base but that was just the very intense feeling I got from this episode.

The Comeback 2.02 SATCEmma: Especially because we overheard him saying he didn’t want her in the first episode when her mic pack got stuck in the door. I don’t think he wanted her anywhere near this project.

It’s not something I’d thought about before you mentioned it, but I can definitely see how that could be a thing. He is strangely awkward around her and that might be why, plus he’s also kind of weird with Mark. The way they ditched the party, but wanted to make sure they didn’t get the same elevator with Paulie is hilarious.

Going back briefly to the HBO trip and I really want more Valerie comments about past and present HBO projects. The Leila Durham name confusion was a highlight, but it was her “the show that started it all” comments about Sex and the City and The Sopranos that really stuck with me and I couldn’t help but wonder if this is Michael Patrick King’s way of calling out everyone who ignores SATC when HBO’s TV legacy is discussed.

Kerensa: Oh man, I didn’t even think about that! I hope so because that would be SO smart–also even thinking about how ahead of its time The Comeback was and no one really appreciated it at the time.

God, we don’t deserve this show.

Emma: Right?! Like I know he’s said some shitty things at TCA panels regarding Two Broke Girls and the SATC movies are terrible, but the show deserves so much better. And yeah same with a The Comeback. It definitely made me think of the Emily Nussbaum piece in response to the Difficult Men book.

Kerensa: Yeah, he’s certainly very flawed but SATC has received a much rougher legacy than it really deserves.

Kerensa Cadenas is a writer living in Los Angeles. She is an Editor for Snakkle. She also writes for Women and Hollywood, The Week, This Was Television, Forever Young Adult, and Bitch magazine. She was the Research Editor for Tomorrow magazine. You can follow her on Twitter and read her ridiculous thoughts about teen television at her website.

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TV Rewind: Felicity, “James and The Giant Piece” and “Let’s Get It On”

20 Nov

Felicity, Episodes 3.9 & 3.10
“James and the Giant Piece” & “Let’s Get It On”
Original Air Dates: Nov. 29 & Dec. 6, 2000

Felicity 3.10 Felicity and BenEmma: Molly’s drug addict boyfriend James who she has never mentioned prior to the last episode is real! And he’s Tag from Friends so I can’t take his bad boy thing seriously at all or that this is a relationship that has been going on the entire time Molly has been living with them. Felicity is also bewildered by this fact acting as the audience with her huh this is weird reactions. It is like they realised they needed a reason for Molly to be there and to add some drugs are bad drama to the situation.

What Molly is really here for is to show growth in Ben and it’s hard to feel much sympathy for her when she’s not been developed in a believable manner. Yes the drugs made an appearance earlier in the season, which could suggest that this storyline had been planned all along and it might have been but the plotting is way off. Instead what this does is give Ben a cipher for his dad – maybe he can help reach someone in a way he couldn’t with his dad. And it looks like it is working as Molly agrees to go to rehab and maybe ditch James, except she doesn’t and James is moving in. Whaaaaaat?

Yep and Ben is rightly pissed at this whole situation and Molly insisting that he can’t tell Felicity a single thing about it. It’s impressive that Ben keeps it in as long as he does and I thought he would spill as soon as Molly mentioned James moving in, instead he waits until Molly’s hair is all over the bathroom floor and a gun falls out of James’ bag before he tells Felicity all about James and Molly’s habit. At this point it’s beyond fair game as yes there is the confidentiality aspect, but there’s also the safety of everyone else who lives there to think about.

Felicity gives excellent shocked face at this revelation and when Molly returns with her banging new haircut – how did it end up looking good considering how blunt those scissors are and how high the person cutting it was? – and then gets all pissy at Felicity and Ben when they confront her. I get that I should maybe feel some sympathy but urgh at this ‘James is my addiction’ blah blah blahing and being all kinds of “this is the kind of people you are” as both Ben (and especially Ben) and Felicity have been there for Molly. Am I being too harsh?

Felicity 3.09 MollyJulie: Yes, Tag. I couldn’t see anything else.

And I don’t think you’re being too harsh. This character is grating.

Also, this relationship is ridiculous. I’m sorry, but I have no patience for Molly and her “I want to leave him, but I can’t.” She’s the classic drama queen and just get over it already, Molly. Ben is right on for tolerating none of her shit. She wants help; she doesn’t want help. She’s going to leave him; she’s not going to leave him. Ben, Felicity, and the rest are not good enough friends with Molly at this point to be so deep into her nonsense. If it were Elena going through this, or Julie, I’d say, yes, give her your help. Lend her your ear. Be there for her. But as this is Molly, someone we and they barely know, I have a hard time giving one single fuck.

She does do good things for Ben’s character, so there’s that. Felicity was very turned on by the way he dealt with Tag, and rightly so. Ben has shown waaay more patience for this whole situation than anyone should feel obligated to do.

And Ben being so cool in dealing with Molly makes the whole sting of what’s coming even more painful — Felicity and Noel. His stalker ways have been forgotten, and he and Felicity are working together (all night) on some kind of really lame sounding cartoon called “Loser Pet Shop” for Pete Hornberger. Felicity and Noel work well together. They’re on a similar intellectual plane. This is how they’ll bring them back together.

What say you?

Felicity 3.10 Noel and FelicityEmma: Noel the stalker is now Noel the brat and urgh I’m so not on board with the direction this is going in. They do work well together and Noel is definitely looking at Felicity as if she is this shiny object that he’s into, which he definitely is. Even though he lives with her boyfriend. There are a couple of Ben/Noel moments over the two episodes where Ben has zero time for Noel – the first is when there is Molly dramaz and he pretty much shuts the door on Noel, it made me chuckle for some reason, the second is when Noel is bitching to Ben about how shit Felicity is being. What the fuck Noel? This is not the dude you complain to.

Knowing where the narrative is going means looking for cracks in the Felicity/Ben relationship and aside from the frat party incident it’s all been pretty good between them, well aside from that time Ben’s dad neck nuzzled her. But we know it’s coming as this whole cartoon thing is going to lead to late nights, laughs and rekindled romance. Is Ben going to do something to push Felicity closer to Noel? Or is going to continue down this path of self improvement and it’s going to be something else entirely?

After the whole James/Molly confrontation there’s the super cute Ben/Felicity moment in which as you mention she’s pretty turned on by how he handled the situation, I also think it’s not an accident that Noel is hovering like a third wheel before getting shooed away.

So Noel goes all cartoon crazy and he’s completely focused on that and that alone so when Felicity is unfocused and sleepy he thinks it’s because she’s a shitty friend and not because she has a lot on. In this moment he is the shitty friend. Wow I really sound like I’m hating on Noel and at the moment they’re not giving me a lot of reasons to be on his side. Be better Noel. He does help Felicity with her impossible revision task but that only gets him so many points.

There’s a lot of other relationship conflicts going on over these two episodes and Meghan and Sean continue to experience problems. What are your thoughts on this?

Felicity 3.09 Whaaaaaat faceJulie: Such a good point about the cracks in Felicity and Ben’s relationship. There aren’t any right now. They’re very happy with each other. I thought maybe Molly was going to be a problem, but I don’t think so. Felicity’s not jealous of the help he’s been giving her and I think Ben’s over that whole “I can fix this hot mess of a woman” thing.

I’m banking on what draws Felicity and Noel together is that he’s a bit cheerier than Ben right now. I love Ben, but he has to be exhausting to be around. There’s always drama surrounding him, even if it’s not his drama. Noel’s easier. He knows what he wants. And he also loves and cares for Felicity, which is not nothing. I just wish it didn’t take him stalking Tyra Banks to get to this point. Was that really necessary? I suppose they needed to give Noel something to do…? Maybe we should’ve seen more of him trying to get into the whole graphic designer comics thing? Why did it have to be girl focused? Or if it had to be girl focused, why did Noel have to be such an unredeemable twat during the whole thing?

These are questions we’ll never know the answer to.

Also, Felicity should’ve told Noel right from the get-go what was on her plate. That one’s on her.

As far as Meghan and Sean go, their journey seems to be simply figuring out that they’re 100% right for each other. It’s usually the guy who has the “holy shit I’m in a relationship and my old life is ending” panic attack, but this time it’s Meghan. She had this whole freaky, who knows what she was up to, personal life before Sean and before becoming better friends with Felicity and Elena, but now she’s been domesticated. Sean is older, he likes staying in, and he has cancer. That is a thing he’s dealing with.

Her running into Earl and heading out for a night on the town at the fetish ball was really just a way to juxtapose her old life with her new and to prove to Meghan that she’s really over that nonsense. Also, it gave Sean a chance to step up and try to be more like Meghan, to be more exciting. They’re meeting each other in the middle. Love.

In the second episode, Sean is trying to get his groove back. Meghan thinks he’s just not that into her anymore. Sean is worried she’s going to leave him for a hot piece with two balls. In the end, they realize that they’re both idiots and they’re perfect for each other.

Bonus, we got to see Donald Faison without his shirt on. What did you think of Sean and Meghan and also (since I’ve already starting going there) Tracy and Elena?

Felicity 3.10 Tracy and ElenaEmma: I also wonder whether Molly is enjoying the Ben attention in that he’s this good guy who is trying to help while her actual beau just wants to get high and cut her hair. It’s super suspect that she’s been with him this long AND he’s the reason she came to New York in the first place. So ready to move on from this storyline/character.

Still so many references to their unlocked front door.

Yeah it definitely feels like they’ve been spinning their wheels with Noel this season with his marriage and stalking ways. This ambitious version is a whole lot more enjoyable to watch and doesn’t come across as an imposter version of Noel. He’s fun and I just wish the writers would remember that his comedic side shouldn’t come with a side order of crazy.

I think you’re spot on about Meghan and Sean as they’re definitely still in the transitional stage of their relationship and as they’ve just dealt with a huge life changing event it’s not surprising that Meghan needs to blow off some steam. Bumping into her old friends gives her this reason and it’s also a reaction to them calling her out about her recent domesticity. No one wants to feel old before their time and getting into a comfortable routine can make you worry that you’re losing your fun old life. But her old life isn’t as much as she remembered and her friends sneering doesn’t make them very good friends at all. Although Kevin Weisman is always a welcome sight. I’m pretty sure Scott Foley’s reaction to those assless chaps was 100% natural.

The second episodes bickering was maybe a bit more annoying and I was very much with Richard and his telling them to figure their shit out reaction. Hopefully this will be the last of the Meghan/Sean disagreements for a while even of splitting up is their thing.

I’m going to start at the end of “Let’s Get it On” and the reveal of Elena and Tracy in bed together (he’s also shirtless in this scene, so much shirtless Donald Faison) and they’ve done the deed. This is a big way for them to mark getting back together again and I’m worried it’s going to cause more friction between them considering his relationship with God and all. There’s also part of me that’s wondering if Tracy slept with anyone else post Elena breakup, but I think that’s unlikely. What did you think of this big moment?

It was really good to see the flirty banter as well as the support he provided while Elena was going through her existential crisis about her academic achievements and Professor McGrath. This ended up coming across as a really organic way to revisit this season one story and I’d forgotten that only Noel knew about the affair.

Elena maintained that she was the one who did the pursuing and she was fully consenting with this relationship. Even so there was manipulation at work with the story of his sick wife (apparently all BS) and he was in a position of authority which he abused. There’s also a consistent pattern so he definitely deserved to lose his job.

The other thing Elena worries about is that everything good that has happened since he bumped up her grade was based on a lie – the classes, meeting Tracy – and I can understand why she feels the need to retake the class, but also I’m with the Dean on this one as she really doesn’t need to. What did you think about this?

Felicity 3.09 Noel and MeghanJulie: I’m also confused about the Molly/James timeline. She came here for him, but they’ve only been together for two months?  Her obsession is unreal. She had said that she wants to leave him and get clean, and then she doesn’t. I apparently have very little patience for people with addiction, or maybe just “ad-dick-tion,” because this girl is at Level 10 Dickmazation. She needs to get a grip.

And now I’m wondering if they named him James just to make the “James and the Giant Peach” joke.

I hope you’re getting a screenshot of Noel seeing those assless pants. 🙂

As far as Elena and Tracy go, this whole storyline makes me sad. That look on his face at the end of the episode says it all: He has regrets. If only they had met each other ten years down the line, when they could just get married and be together and have the sex and it would be fine.

Because I’m pretty sure this isn’t going to end well. From now until forever, she’s the girl he broke his vow for, and he’s never not going to look at her that way. She is never going to live up to everything that means. I’m sure he thought maybe he could “keep” Elena if he just gave in and gave her his flower, but will she be able to “keep” him after this? I don’t know.

The thing that makes me really sad is that, yeah, the two of them are so adorable together. The flirting, the mutual respect and admiration. They are equals, intellectually. And the really dumb thing is, I think Elena would’ve been fine with the no sex thing if they had gotten back together without it. Sex has only gotten her in trouble at this point, with school and with Tracy. She’s sowed her oats and she realizes that being with Tracy is more important than getting her rocks off with someone else. If they had just gotten back together and reverted to the way things were, maybe they would’ve been fine? What do you think?

Felicity 3.10 Sean and RichardEmma: Still laughing at that episode title, I think mostly for that reason. I shouldn’t find it this funny, but here we are. Also the shot above is product placement central.

Regret is definitely going to be on the menu and like you I’m left feeling sad by this story. Even though Felicity is rather tame in comparison to other teen shows that have come after it, the manner in which it deals with various sex related story is something I am continually impressed with. They’ve covered a lot of ground in the past two and a half seasons and it never feels like they’re making a value judgement with the characters and sex. Yes they portray some of the relationships as messy and complicated, but I don’t get the impression that we’re meant to look down on these characters for making these choices. Hopefully this will continue with Elena and Tracy as I don’t want to see Elena beating herself up if Tracy does regret this moment.

I think the Christmas episode is coming up and considering how heavy some the recent storylines have been I wonder if it is too much to ask for some holiday cheer.

Julie Hammerle is, according to Klout, an expert in the areas of both Morgan Freeman and glasses. Her writing can be found at chicagonow.com/hammervision and you can holler at her on Twitter as well.

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Hello, Hello, Hello: The Comeback 2.01 “Valerie Makes a Pilot” Discussion

16 Nov

The Comeback has returned and after talking all things Valerie with Kerensa Cadenas last summer we are back to do more of the same for season 2. When we started the Summer Rewind project we had no idea that this show would get a long overdue second chance; reboots and remakes are common Hollywood fare, but it is unusual for a show to get another go this long after it has been canceled and with the creative team involved (a trend maybe developing as Twin Peaks is also getting revived).

The Comeback 2.01Emma: So Valerie Cherish is back and she’s still just as oblivious and hungry for approval/fame while trying to recreate the I’m It! glory days. And I’m so happy to see her again, even during the most heartbreaking/cringe moments.

Since we last saw Valerie she hasn’t had a whole lot of success as both Room and Bored and The Comeback weren’t picked up – it’s not surprising as Room and Bored was terrible and the reality show kind of needed the sitcom to survive – and she’s done independent horror movies (which are actually student films), a hair care line for red heads called Cherish Your Hair (which I would so go red for) and an almost turn on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. This is the one that could have propelled her back into the public eye and it’s a decision she clearly regrets as she’s trying to forge a relationship with Andy Cohen. In typical Valerie form she thinks a couple of tweets can be referred to as ‘communicating with’ about this new project. She failed to grasp the scripted aspect of the kind of reality TV that has thrived since The Comeback and her refusal to be painted in what she saw as a villainous light led to her ditching the project. Valerie has always been concerned with coming across as a good person on screen and this normally leads to her looking totally clueless and self involved. Charitable acts come across as forced and disingenuous and the image she wants to project rarely plays out the way she hopes.

This could have been her return to the big time and she knows this, which is why the offer of a HBO show is so exciting even if it is a role that is essentially a character assassination and it means she will have to work with Paulie G again. Once again just the simple act of typing his name fills me with rage. Oh and it turns out that he was a heroin addict while they were making Room and Bored, but he’s still an asshole now. The cold read is such a terrifying moment for Valerie as not only does she have to read some pretty awful things about herself, but this is arguably the biggest opportunity of her career and she doesn’t want another Real Housewives missed opportunity.

The monologue itself is a searing take on how older actress are treated and when the camera lingers on Valerie’s frozen look of slight horror as she reads it to herself we know what is coming is going to be heartbreaking and it is. Lisa Kudrow’s delivery of this “unfuckable” diatribe is incredible and cuts right to the core of Hollywood gender double standards when it comes to what age is generally considered attractive. It is moments like this that make The Comeback such a special and important show that goes WAY beyond cringe comedy. What was your take on this scene?

How do you feel in general about Valerie’s return?

The Comeback 2.01 cold readKerensa: I’m so glad to have Valerie back! Just seeing her in that opening scene to bumbling that Chateau Marmont “meet up” with Andy Cohen–who she’s been “communicating” with was all just so classic Valerie. Completely cringing, panic inducing and ultimately so deeply sympathetic.

Seeing what she’s been up to post-Room and Bored was a perfect catch up–like I would totally watch the Valerie Cherish Cherish Your Hair infomercial while stoned at 3 am and probably would end up ordering some of that hair dye. Let’s be real I’d also watch all of Valerie’s “independent films.” (Yes, I know I’m using so many quotations but they feel appropriate.)

But what got me even more excited about this return of The Comeback was the scene that you mentioned–Valerie’s impromptu audition of Paulie G’s (groan) new HBO show–it was such a fucking smart critique on Hollywood, women and ageism and Kudrow crushed it. And that just dark biting feeling that was there while she was talking about being “unfuckable” gave the show even more layers for me than it had before. So I’m really excited to see where this goes–perhaps an attack on ~~white male antiheroes?~~

The Comeback 2.01 real housewivesEmma: Oh wow I really hope so and if that is the case then The Comeback is going to be the perfect companion to The Good Wife’s ‘Darkness at Noon.’ Kudrow is in a really strong position in terms of knowing how Hollywood treats older actresses not just through her own experience, but through that of her Friends co-stars. Jennifer Aniston is still churning out the comedy movies where she is still the hot sexual object (see the strip scene in We’re the Millers) but she is also trying to do the whole being treated like a serious actress and uglifying herself with Cake. And all people are interested in is whether she will ever marry Justin Theroux or have a baby. And how she feels about Brad and Angelina. Courtney Cox on the other hand is still doing the TV thing, but she has her own aging tabloid stories when it comes to Botox (and I know The Comeback will be addressing plastic/cosmetic surgery this season) and her dating life.

In terms of how similar Valerie is she still can’t remember names of anyone, she still loves a good prayer hands and her timeout symbol indicates where she wants to cut the footage. Mark using this in the bedroom when she tells him she put the bedroom camera back in is hilarious and I’m so glad they are still together. I’m also glad Mark was pissed off that Valerie took the Seeing Red part because he knows what a fucker Paulie G was to her first time. Mark clearly supports Valerie as he isn’t that reluctant to appear on camera this time, I think he just knows there should be a line.

So here is the thing Valerie has what appears to be a pretty good life as she’s still got money, the house and the husband who loves her but there is also this desire for the fame thing. Do you think she cares more about being known or about being an actress? I tend to lean toward the former and it is why she is willing to put herself in these shitty positions. And it’s not because she is dumb, there is some self-awareness and comprehension of the Hollywood game, but she wants in so much she doesn’t care about what she has to do. As long as she doesn’t look bad.

The other heartbreaking moment for me came as she stood in the paparazzi scrum shouting Juna’s name and the dejected look on Valerie’s face that she tried to cover with sunny optimism as the car pulled away. But Juna must have heard the “Baby Girl” call through all the Juna’s as she came back and she really hasn’t changed either despite being a HUGE star. It’s not surprising that Juna and Chris are the ones who made it (and I can’t wait to see meathead Kellan Lutz once again, maybe they’ll riff on the whole Twilight thing) as they are the ones who are still doing things now (sorry Jesse and Shayne).

Mickey is the returning character I am happiest seeing and I can’t imagine anything breaking this bond. I’ve already mentioned Mark being back, so is her publicist Billy (Dan Bucatinsky) and their housekeeper Esparanza also pops up briefly. Mark’s daughter Francesca is referenced as she needs an apartment in New York where she is studying fashion and as I’ve seen a lot of Million Dollar Listing NYC recently I’m hoping for a reality show crossover here. I know Jane is going to be back and she’s definitely top of my most anticipated list and I love her relationship with Valerie.

Who are you wanting to make a comeback to The Comeback? Oh and as we had some reality figures show up (oh hey Ru Paul) is there anyone in this arena you want to see on the show? Tyra would be my number one choice.

The Comeback 2.01 Andy Cohen and Ru PaulKerensa: I think that Valerie wants to be known as opposed to being an actress and it sucks but for Valerie it seems that, especially the way I think the show has/continues to frame Valerie’s struggle as a working older actress is that is what her options are? I mean, I think depending on how this season pans out, that may change but she’s pretty much willing to do whatever it is to be known as opposed to doing good work.

I’m excited to see Jane also and the thing about this season that I’m the most excited about is that catching up with these characters from the original I think will give us more insight into their lives. I mean so much about Paulie G—that he was using heroin–was off camera on The Comeback which is going to I think add some really interesting stuff into the show.

In terms of guests–I’m not sure there’s anyone I have specifically in mind but I’m fully expecting to see some totally random people show up. People LOVED The Comeback and even judging from Ru and Andy showing up–I think we are going to see some major stars show up to support Valerie.

The Comeback 2.01 JunaEmma: When they mentioned Kathryn Hahn was in the audition room (and Chelsea Handler – IRL BFF of Jennifer Aniston – made a cameo appearance via a video audition) I was hoping she was going to be there, but alas this wasn’t the case. In somewhat related/unrelated Melanie Lynskey (another fave and star of new HBO show Togetherness) did comment on Twitter “When Kathryn Hahn walks in to an audition room you’re in, the most dignified thing to do is give her a little bow, pack up your sides & go.” Now I want to see Melanie Lynskey on The Comeback.

The well is deep as there are plenty of reality TV personalities who would be more than happy to appear on a show like this in the most meta of ways trying to clutch onto the fame. The depth of the HBO acting roster is also long and varied and as you mention people love The Comeback – and it’s definitely one of those Hollywood insider shows that show business types adore – so I think there will be a few surprises in store.

Kerensa Cadenas is a writer living in Los Angeles. She is an Editor for Snakkle. She also writes for Women and Hollywood, The Week, This Was Television, Forever Young Adult, and Bitch magazine. She was the Research Editor for Tomorrow magazine. You can follow her on Twitter and read her ridiculous thoughts about teen television at her website.

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TV Rewind: Felicity, “Kissing Mr. Covington” and “A Good Egg”

6 Nov

Felicity, Episodes 3.7 & 3.8
“Kissing Mr. Covington” & “A Good Egg”
Original Air Dates: Nov. 15 & 22, 2000

Felicity 3.08 FelicityJulie: Two weeks ago was all about testicles. Now Felicity has moved on to ovaries.

We were worried about Ben and Felicity’s relationship last we spoke, but it turns out there was no reason to fret. Ben’s frat guy beat down knocked all the rage out of him and now he and Felicity are totes fine. She’s taking care of him while he convalesces (he doesn’t look too bad considering the pummeling he took) and the two of them are happy as clams.

Except of course not, because it’s Felicity.

Bad dad John Ritter is back and he wants to make sure Ben’s okay. He comes to Felicity for help because obviously Felicity is responsible for repairing all of her friends’ relationships with their parents. John Ritter wants Ben to go to Al-Anon for help. Felicity thinks he sounds sincere, so she broaches the subject with Ben. He balks. Mr. Covington returns to Felicity’s apartment and, in a moment of despair, he nuzzles her neck and leans in to kiss her. She is, obviously, freaked and rightly so.

But that kiss wasn’t even the worst thing to come out of Mr. Covington’s return. That distinction belongs to Felicity’s “alone in the house” dancing to some generic disco track that was probably Jamiroquai or something when the show aired, but, due to rights, is something I could play for you right now on my Casio keyboard.

Ben eventually finds out about the almost kiss (after trying to get Felicity to hang out with his dad more, whoops), and he goes after Mr. Covington. They are done. Father/son no more. But the good that does come out of it is that he decides to go to an Al-Anon meeting. And he’s not the only member of the crew there — whimsical Brit, Molly, also has a person in her life who is a addicted to drugs and alcohol, her heretofore unmentioned boyfriend…we still don’t know his name. This reeks of the “my Canadian girlfriend” lie. Methinks Molly is just showing up at Al-Alon to meet people with a tendency to fall into co-dependent relationships who can score her some drugs.

(Related, didn’t she mention a brother who was into drugs before? Or her mom? This girl is shady.)

And now we know who the closet meth belongs to for sure.

How sad did you feel watching John Ritter the lech?

Felicity 3.08 Ben and FelicityEmma: So sad to see John Ritter as a lech and the neck nuzzle was even skeezier than leaning in for a kiss as it feels a whole lot more intimate, the look of horror on Felicity’s face pretty much mirrors my own. And yeah what is it with all the parents asking a lot from Felicity? The list now includes her own, Julie’s mom and Ben’s dad. Back off guys she is only 20 years old and not here to save you or your relationship with your child.

There have been many references to the not locking of their apartment door of late and this is very much a friend hangout trope (including Friends) and considering Sean’s place got robbed in season 1 you would think they would take this more seriously, but I guess this is what all those nods are acknowledging. And it means Ben’s dad can walk in on Felicity dancing to herself and this scene itself felt out of place as has Felicity ever had a solo dance moment like this? Maybe it was intended as a Felicity dances away all her problems moment but it was still odd. John Ritter walks in on her and it’s all kinds of awkward, not as awkward as later but still it’s a little uneasy between the pair. This terrible generic music definitely feels like replacement music – the episode of Beverley Hills 90210 that I saw the other day also sounded like it had been scored by a Casio keyboard for these very reasons – and it sucks when they can’t get the rights for DVD.

Felicity attempts to not rock the boat further between Ben and his dad, but this is not something she should keep to herself and my notes are peppered with TELL HIM. It’s a super shitty position she has been put in and after the recent friction between Ben and Felicity caused by withholding information I was worried Ben would take his anger out on Felicity. I was surprised then when he did no such thing as even though it was not Felicity’s fault in the slightest, I still thought Ben might equate it to what happened with Randy and I was getting ready to yell at Ben through the screen. Instead Ben saw who was at fault and I can see why he is dunzo with papa. This is one too many fucks up in a huge list of fuck ups.

Ben’s dad tries to explain his actions by saying how hopeful Felicity made him feel, but that is not a reason to neck nuzzle your son’s twenty year old girlfriend. Felicity later wears the biggest neck cover turtle neck later on and never has a sweater choice made more sense.

There is a callback in this episode to the season 1 Halloween outing (which I watched/wrote about last week) and this conversation about his dad was spurred on by their experience of being robbed with guns in their faces. So much has changed since then and while Ben does still shut down emotionally going to that meeting is a huge step. Shame about the Molly.

I don’t really know what to make of this development as she’s never mentioned a boyfriend before (and she smooched Richard last week) and it doesn’t match up with her methhead brother cover story – also crystal meth is pretty rare in the UK – and basically I think she is full of shit. This is a strange direction to take this character in and makes me like her even less (which is saying something) and I hate that she is creating more secrets between Ben and Felicity.

There are plenty of other relationship dramas and what about the Noel is a huge creeper development?! I thought his behavior was a little off in the last episode but this is downright sketchy shenanigans. What did you make of the Tyra stalking antics?

Felicity 3.07 turtleneckJulie: I find it interesting that you thought Ben might go off on Felicity for the kiss thing. I never even considered that. I always figured that Ben would immediately shut it down between himself and his father. He’s been looking for an excuse and his dad gives him one. A big one.

The turtle neck was genius, both because of the covering the neck thing and because it was so on trend for 2000. Let’s bring back big turtle necks, but especially big turtle necks with no sleeves. Those are for when your arms think it’s summer, but your neck thinks it’s twenty degrees out.

As far as Noel goes, what the fuck? I’m not sure where this guy came from. We have never seen Noel act like this before. I mean, he went a little nutso when he started dating Natalie, whom he, of course, married, but I thought Noel was supposed to be getting back on track. And chasing after an adventurous hot girl who likes you back is on a completely different level of crazy than cyberstalking and actual stalking. If they’re trying to set up a future Noel vs. Ben thing for Felicity’s affections, this is a good way to make sure no one’s on Team Noel. It’s hard to come back from this level of crazy.

The only good thing to come out of this, I suppose, was the reveal that Richard was “Tricky” and that he got to play hide the salami with Tyra Banks. That’s quite a step up from Meth Head Molly. I also love that Richard and Noel almost became eskimo brothers, linked by Miss Tyra.

Speaking of eskimo brothers, Tracy has one in Finn (or, well, he would have one in Finn if Tracy had ever done the deed with Elena). She and Finn did officially sleep together, and now the secret’s out. What did you make of their whole situation? And now that someone (Noel?) has referred to Finn as a Tom Cruise wannabe, it’s all I can see.

Felicity 3.08 TyraEmma: Maybe I should have given Ben more credit than thinking he would be mad at Felicity, I was just worried it would constitute another lie. Although this time at least she was the one who came clean rather than finding out via email.

And yes a nice email segue and hacking into someone’s email seems so out of character for Noel. Like how did he even consider this was a good idea?! It’s so monumentally fucked up and crosses so many lines and I’m surprised his friends don’t react with more horror. And shouldn’t he get fired from his computer job for this major infraction? Because he’s cute and Felicity tells him that he’s the one guy who doesn’t resort to tactics like this are we supposed to just shrug or shoulders and forget about it? This is new creeper levels and yeah firmly on Team Ben right now.

The making love line was bad, the reading books, getting lines about art and volunteering at the old people’s (oh hey Leonard from Community) were all things that he ended up enjoying but that is beside the point even if the closing montage showed him playing chess with Leonard. And he told Tyra about what he did before sleeping with her which I guess is meant to redeem him slightly and yet it’s still pretty skeezy that it even got this far through manipulation and creeping. The Richard twist was good and yes Tyra > Molly. Oh and once again I was rather impressed with Tyra, she’s not an amazing actress but she’s not terrible either.

To the other semi eskimo brothers and bringing up Professor Creepy and his indiscretions with students – it’s not surprising Elena wasn’t the only one – is a bit of a contrivance. It does bring up a couple of insecurities about the lack of sex in this relationship but they work through it. That is until they do the second Tracy “I know the truth” mixup and Finn cops to sleeping with Elena. For some reason I thought they’d only kissed, maybe I wasn’t paying attention but yeah they totally did it and now Tracy can’t forgive her.

Elena talks to Felicity about whether Ben could have gotten over it if Felicity had slept with Randy and even though Felicity gives a vague you can’t predict what will happen answer, from his reaction I’m leaning towards no. But hey I could be wrong. Elena does the old school thing and writes Tracy a letter and it’s not enough. I’m sad about this break up as I really liked them together and does this mean the end for Donald Faison on this show?

Another couple has break up dramas as Sean goes on a religious kick after surviving surgery and Meghan is pissed at this turn of events. This very much feels like a Sean fad and he likes to throw himself into whatever project he is into on that week. Luckily he gets some wise words from his Rabbi hospital roommate, well maybe not entirely wise as he tells him to propose which is a gesture that is too big. What did you think of the Meghan and Sean temporary break up?

And what about Javier’s big question?

Felicity 3.08 JavierJulie: Oh, my god! That was Leonard? I totally missed that. I’m off my TV recognition game lately because it took me three weeks to realize Rawls was McNulty’s father-in-law on The Affair.

I hope it’s not the end for Donald Faison. He needs a bigger goodbye, at least, or maybe he should move into the loft with everyone because that’s where exes go to die. He and Noel could be wingmen out on the town, stalking ladies and not having sex with them. Maybe this could be a spinoff.

I’m still peeved at Elena for sexing Finn. I guess she wanted to see if she could have her cake and eat it, too, but then you don’t pick the dude who lives across the hall and is your boyfriend’s sociology partner. Amateur mistake. I really don’t blame Tracy if he can’t forgive her for this.

As far as the Sean stuff goes, the show is venturing into religious territory again with Sean’s new devotion to his Jewish roots. You’re right, it screams of being a Sean fad and it won’t last. I’m glad the rabbi noticed this and set Sean straight. I suppose the biggest point of this whole story was to show just how much Meghan cares for Sean. She’s willing to go along with his shabbas plans, procuring all the food for him while he’s in the hospital. And then she’s pissed (but really hurt) when he dumps her because she won’t convert. And, yeah, it was a bit hasty of Sean to jump from break up to engagement, but, again, that’s Sean. Meghan doesn’t seem too fazed by it.

Then we’re back to the tale as old as time: Javier needs a really intrusive favor and he needs Felicity to do it. Back in season 1, he asked her to green card marry him and now in season 3, he wants her baby making eggs. Probably next season he’ll be asking for a kidney. Oh wait, the show already did that one.

Felicity, of course, says immediately that she’ll donate her eggs for Javier and his husband. Why they’re doing it this way is beyond me. Wouldn’t it be easier (at least for the whole baby-making process) if they just artificially inseminated Felicity and then let her carry the baby for 9 months instead of transferring embryos into Samuel’s 49-year-old aunt’s uterus? I mean, it wouldn’t be easier for Felicity, but who cares about her needs at this point? She’s apt to agree to whatever.

Anyway, she agrees to do it and then freaks out because she realizes she’ll still see this kid who will be one half biologically hers. That is weird. So she has to pretend to be Javier’s wife again to get a girl from Brown to carry the baby. The girl falls for it, until she walks in on the most randomly deployed baby shower in the history of time. There’s no baby to shower yet, morons!

The girl realizes that Javier is a gay and she does not want to carry a gay couple’s baby. So, Javier managed to find the only conservative girl at Brown to carry his child.

What did you think of this ridiculousness?

Felicity 3.07 elena and tracyEmma: Have you seen the trailer for Let’s Kill Ward’s Wife? It looks as bad (and misogynistic) as the title would suggest and I bring it up as it’s a Felicity reunion with Scott Foley, Donald Faison and Greg Grunberg. I’m sad it’s for this film and while the trailer might be misrepresenting the film I don’t think I’ve ever heard the theory that everyone gets one murder.

This new movie is not the Felicity spinoff we deserve.

Javier asking Felicity to provide an egg is yet another in a long list of adults asking Felicity to do something selfless. I understand why Javier and Samuel think Felicity would be a good match, but this is a HUGE favor and Ben’s uncomfortable reaction is understandable. He’s also concerned that she has a habit of making impulsive decisions, particularly if it will help someone who is close to her. Ben explains later on that he was so against it at first as she always puts the needs of others first. He also gives a good example of how this might end up with the kid feeling some trauma in the same way Julie did – her adoptive parents raised her in a loving home but she still felt like something was missing.

For Ben this isn’t about Javier and Samuel, but how Felicity will deal with knowing that this child is biologically half hers. By the end of the episode Ben says he’ll support whatever she chooses and she ends up coming down on the side of saying no. I’m glad they’ve addressed Javier and Samuel’s desire to have a family, but the bigot egg donor and them pretending to be a couple just comes across a retreading old ground. And yeah that baby shower was WAY premature.

At the moment it’s hard to see entirely where this season is going exactly and I think that’s why some of these stories come across as filler rather than anything substantial. I’d still like to see more of how Sean is dealing with having cancer and I hope they don’t just ignore this now that he has had surgery. The Elena/Tracy story has come to a head and I’m intrigued to see where Elena will go from here as I think this could be the shows longest on screen romantic relationship so far.

Molly is making me uneasy and it’s not just because this character has always put my nerves on edge. Something will come between Felicity and Ben at some point this season and I have a sneaking suspicion it could be her. Not that I’m suggesting there will be a hookup, but she definitely comes across as threatening when she reminds Ben that he can’t spill anything that gets said during those meetings. Can’t Ben just go to another one? This is New York so I’m guessing there is more than one option.

Oh and random observation but the concentration on Ben’s face as he played PlayStation one handed was such a delight.

Also are we ever going to see Sean’s Docuventary on TV?

Felicity 3.07 BenJulie: Yeah, pretty sure “everyone gets one murder” is not a thing. Also, that movie looks terrible. It makes The Wedding Ringer look like high art.

I think the whole Felicity saying yes to everything is so perfect for her character (and I also see why it’s so frustrating for Ben). She always wants to do the adult thing, without really thinking it through. She’s a very impulsive person, secretly. She comes across as this prudish, do-gooder, but she’s really kind of big on the knee-jerk reactions. You need a green card wife? On it. Egg? Sure. You’re going to New York for school, Ben? Good. Me too. She rarely thinks things through. For being such a smart person, she’s kind of an idiot.

Ugh. Yeah about Molly and coming between Felicity and Ben. I definitely don’t think it will be a hook up situation, but since Ben has been so insistent that the two of them tell each other everything, his keeping Al-Anon secrets from Felicity could be a problem, just because she’s directly affected by them. Molly’s going to wind up getting in trouble and he’s going to have to come to her rescue and Felicity will have a hard time with that. That’s just my prediction.

I’m also hoping they don’t drop Sean’s ball story and I’m wondering how they’re ever going to get Noel back to the place where we’re rooting for him and Felicity to hook up again. The writers have certainly made it difficult for themselves.

Julie Hammerle is, according to Klout, an expert in the areas of both Morgan Freeman and glasses. Her writing can be found at chicagonow.com/hammervision and you can holler at her on Twitter as well.

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TV Rewind: Felicity, “Surprise” & “One Ball, Two Strikes”

23 Oct

Felicity, Episodes 3.5 & 3.6
“Surprise” & “One Ball, Two Strikes”
Original Air Dates: Nov. 1 & 8, 2000

Felicity 3.06 Elena

Emma: As we predicted Ben did indeed find out about Felicity’s drunken mistake and the mistake is she passed out in another dude’s bed. It doesn’t matter to Ben that she didn’t do anything besides take her top off because a) she couldn’t initially remember whether she had slept with Randy (I can’t believe this is his name) and b) she didn’t tell Ben it happened and he found out via an email. His anger at this whole thing is understandable, except for the super anger part, that is not cool. Of course he’s going to pissed that his girlfriend got so wasted she took her top off and slept in another dudes bed. Plus the whole lying factor.

Bad form from Noel and Dr Pavone encouraging her to keep it a secret as this is terrible advice. I get that Noel was trying to do the right thing by both Ben and Felicity as he knew there was a surprise party, but with that email flyer out there it is some Sean levels of dumb advice. Dr Pavone thinks Felicity just wants to unburden her guilt, which yeah she probably does but it’s also the adult thing to do when he’s blatantly going to find out.

I’ve skipped ahead so I’m going to go back to the beginning and raise an eyebrow at the timeline of this episode and the last one we discussed – so this is meant to be the same day as the end of “Greeks and Geeks” and we’ve not heard Felicity’s birthday getting mentioned until now. Hmm. Scepticism aside, we do get to see Felicity going to see the doctor and getting the morning after pill (not from the NYU health service by the looks of things) and getting a small dose of judgement from the doctor. Look lady she already feels shitty enough without your sneering that tomorrow is her birthday.

The email discovery comes courtesy of Noel’s new computer fixing job and this brings up issues of consent with the photo of Felicity that has been used. She is very rightly hacked off they’ve used her image and a photo she can’t remember being taken. This plot is not as insidious as some of the very horrific, real life college/frat video/photo stories in the recent press and I wonder if this show was on now how they would deal with this. It’s 2000 and this email blast feels so quaint considering where we are now, but I had full on stomach churning tension feelings as Richard was checking his emails.

Once again I am impressed with how this show deals with sexual health issues and general health issues over both episodes with Sean. Felicity has made a mistake and it did in love getting blackout drunk, however I don’t get the impression that this is a ‘don’t drink, kids’ PSA. It’s definitely more of a ‘check your balls and go see a doctor if there is anything unusual’ PSA. Before we head into Sean territory, what did you think of the whole Felicity reveal?

And doesn’t Randy look a whole lot like MPDG Eli from S1?! Which also brings me to slight trouble in Ben and Noel friendship paradise. And the episode started so adorably between them.

Felicity 3.05 Ben and NoelJulie: OK. I just put randy and Randy together.

And, yeah, that nurse was every timid patient’s worst nightmare. You’re supposed to be helpful, woman. You’re supposed to want people to feel comfortable seeking help from you. You’re not doing your job.

Also the email thing vs. today’s media onslaught was really interesting. I mean, I check my email 4700 times a day, thanks to the phone. But back in 2000, we were only checking whenever we had access to a computer. And, if I remember correctly, I think we only moved to webmail right around that time. Before that, you had to be at a computer with an internet portal for the university, I think. I don’t remember, but I do remember that our early college emails were text only and all black and white. I am old.

As far as the Ben and Felicity stuff, A) she did not handle ANY of this well and B) I definitely told my TV after Ben got jumped at the end of the second episode, “Yup, he had to see that coming.” These two episodes were a master class in doing the wrong thing.

I don’t think Dr. Pavone’s advice was completely off, other than the fact that there was no way Ben wasn’t going to find out about Felicity’s night. EVERYONE knew she didn’t sleep back at her dorm that night. Someone was going to slip about that, and then the truth would come out. The email just sped everything up. But, since Dr. Pavone didn’t know that there were other friends involved in the situation, I think her telling Felicity to keep it to herself was kinder (assuming Felicity could find a way to fend off Ben’s sex advances while waiting for her STD test results). OK, never mind. Dr. Pavone was way wrong.

What Felicity did that was the MOST wrong, though, was asking Randy to talk to Ben. Give it up, girl. Move on. Yes, Ben is mad at you. Quit dragging Randy into this. What good could POSSIBLY come from Ben talking to Randy? No good. No good, and a lot of punching.

Ben, other than the punching, was in the right, in my opinion. Yes, he was hard on Felicity, but all he had was the fact that she didn’t remember anything, there was a picture of her topless, and Randy’s word. That’s not a lot to go on. Merely the fact that she allowed herself to get into that situation had to be disturbing for him. That said, I think a lot of this problem could’ve been rectified if he had just let Felicity talk for once, and if she had just apologized and said, “I understand why you’re mad. Yes, nothing happened with Randy, but the fact that I allowed myself to get into the position where something might have happened, is also problematic. I’m very sorry, and I promise never to let it happen again.” But of course, things had to get much more dramatic than that.

Before we move on to Sean’s balls, I just want to say before I forget, that when Felicity was telling everyone that the paintings with the red dots had been sold, I said (to my TV), “Has Molly also been sold, because she has a red dot on her forehead.”

Felicity 3.06 paintingEmma: It’s now clear why Ben’s father stopped by at the start of this season and not only to show the daddy issues are strong here, but also to emphasize where Ben gets his anger issues from. It’s dumb that Felicity asked Randy to talk to Ben and it’s even more dumb that Randy did it while Ben was sitting at a bar with a drink in his hands. Terrible, terrible idea. Randy didn’t deserve the four punches he took (and the way Ben was going I thought he was going to put his hand through his skull), but this really wasn’t the best way to go about it. And yeah Ben also did deserve the retribution, even if it was very melodramatic in the set up.

Now that Ben and Felicity have made up is this going to be the elephant in every argument? I always knew there were going to be issues this season between them, but ugh I’m annoyed it happened this quickly. It’s surprising that Felicity is the one who fucked up and I pretty much had Ben pegged for the one to cause the friction. I’m glad our lead has flaws and she does fuck up, I just hope the next run of episodes isn’t miserable.

Approaching Ben in a bar doesn’t go so well for Noel and I get why Noel is reaching out to his now friend, however it’s one thing Ben coming to him and crossing the personal boundary line telling him his “I knocked a girl up in school” as opposed to Noel’s “oh I’ve been there with Felicity” comparison. He’s trying to be a good friend and I bet he feels guilty for telling Felicity to wait, this is not the solution and it’s not surprising Ben isn’t receptive to this advice.

Ha on the Molly thing at the art show and yeah she continues to wear bindis and be generally annoying.

This was also the very rare instance where someone’s art on TV didn’t make me cringe, the symbolism is on the nose, but it was a rather good simple image. Yay Felicity!

Now onto Sean’s balls and I’m glad Sean has been given a story that doesn’t involve his documentary or some other scheme. Yes it’s super shitty they’ve given him cancer, but this is a meaty (hmm maybe bad word choice) opportunity for this character. It’s also an important story to tell as dudes are less likely to go see a doctor about these matters and particularly at a younger age (how old is Sean?). This is around the time Steve from Sex and the City also had testicular cancer (and also had to have a testicle removed) and I wonder if this was a story trend (Lance Armstrong had become the famous face of testicular cancer in the mid-90s, I might be reaching for a link).

Regardless, they did the whole it’s awkward for dudes to talk about this stuff for each other, though I do get why Ben and Noel passed on looking at his balls and told him to go to the doctor instead. Ben doesn’t want Sean to say the word testicles because it’s gross and Noel pipes up that it’s like when a woman says labia. I don’t know if I’ve ever said labia, except right now of course.

Sean is embarrassed to tell Meghan and she’s worried he has crabs. The moral of these two episodes is tell your beloved about whatever shit you have going on. Meghan is pretty great with walking Sean down off the ledge as he goes into denial about what’s going on and I’m so glad they’ve made them a for real couple. Everyone has a story about someone they know who died from not getting treatment/getting treatment too late and Meghan doesn’t want to have her own story like that. This is extra great coming from her as she has stories for everything.

Cancer isn’t funny, but I’m glad there was still humor after all the trauma and denial. The peanuts gag could have come across as cruel, but it’s Richard and it’s rather sweet.

There’s a whole thing between Ben and Sean, with Sean telling a Ben that he’s needs to get his shit together. It’s something Ben needs to hear and it’s the first bit of advice he gives a go. In this scene Ben is wearing a black beanie, he should never wear it again because it looks awful. And yes Ben you are out of control and he needs to find a better way to deal with things

What did you make of this Sean centric story?

Felicity 3.06 Richard and NoelJulie: I loved the way Meghan handled Sean’s ball scare. The speech about not wanting to have a horrible story about testicular cancer was spot on. I also loved the way she called him out for being a dreamer, who just assumes everything is going to work out, and this time, in this instance, he actually has to live in reality and face the fact that this is serious business. The two of them together are delightful. They really bring out the best in each other.

And while this was definitely a Hot Topic of the Times that they were tackling on this show (I’m pretty sure Lance Armstrong was the impetus), I think giving one of the characters access to the kind of perspective that comes with a death scare like that worked well. Sean was the one who called out Ben for running away from Felicity, and he was able to tell Ben, with certainty, that if he didn’t forgive her, it would eat away at him.

It also gave us a little insight into Tracy’s faith, and while I’m not religious, I thought what he said was beautiful and positive and exactly what Sean needed to hear.

And, yeah, Sean should’ve definitely told Ben to torch that hat.

Now, I think we can move on to what we really want to talk about, which is Noel’s new job as a computer genius. In the first episode, he became the object of his client’s affection (and started to suspect that Richard might be gay, which I’m really sad he isn’t because he’d be a great gay character and very different from Javier). In the second episode, Noel’s client was a hot junior dance major played by none other than Ms. TYRA BANKS.

How was Tyra’s acting for you? Did you catch her smizing at all? Was her hooch tooched?

Felicity 3.06 Meghan and SeanEmma: I agree with you on the Tracy/Sean conversation and like you I am not religious, but it shows how it can offer comfort particularly at a time like this in the form of a universal language. Tracy’s beliefs have only been spoken about it terms of sex before marriage prior to this and I’m glad to see them referenced in a different way for once.

While I’m on the subject of Tracy he goes away for the weekend in “One Ball, Two Strikes” as part of Habit for Humanity and Elena says she’ll help Tracy’s partner with his sociology work. In a point of contrivance Tracy’s partner happens to be Finn, the hot guy from across the hall who Elena has a crush on. Of course they end up doing the work in Elena’s bedroom and even though they don’t do anything initially, Finn falls asleep and when he wakes up smooching happens. Gross morning breath alert. Finn’s all Tracy is my friend, but who cares because I’m into you and Elena succumbs to the long standing crush. Elena feels guilty for what she did and I wonder if she’ll take the Dr Pavone don’t say anything route or whether she’ll end up spilling (I predict the latter).

Noel makes a couple of misteps other than the Felicity/Ben shenanigans. First he assumes Richard is gay because of a photo and while he’s trying to be a good friend it’s so awkward and he goes about it in a very naive way. I really wish we could have seen the apology email. Richard is a virgin and he’s never kissed a girl, something he is very embarrassed about – Meghan finds the whole thing hilarious and while Richard is embarrasses it’s clear none of his friends think any less of him because of it – but by the end of the episode he gets a smooch off Molly. Which, I guess is the best thing she’s done so far. Maybe.

The other bad Noel act is some of his creeper antics with the one and only Tyra. He peeks on her while she is getting changed, which makes me question why no one on TV ever shuts the bathroom door when there is someone in the next room and they’re getting into their undies/naked. He also looks in her diary. Bad Noel.

Ah yes the acting style is very much a combination of her whisper voice and that super upbeat thing she does whenever they do anything awful and over acted on ANTM. It’s not terrible, but it definitely in a different lane to everyone else on the show. If only Tyra had been to Harvard Business School at this point.

Does Noel stand a chance with Tyra? Were you just as skeezed out by his creeping as I was?

Felicity 3.06 TyraJulie: I feel like the less said about the Elena/Finn situation the better. He’s super skeevy. He hooked up with Julie and now he’s willing to throw a bro under the bus to get to his ‘ho. Not cool, Finn. And not cool, Elena. Tracy doesn’t deserve any of this.

While Noel did not handle the “Is Richard gay thing” well, I did like the storyline, because I think we all had those friends in college everyone assumed was gay but not out yet. Most people (at least back in the late ’90s) do not show up at school out and proud and sure of their sexuality. I think Noel was trying to be supportive (like he wasn’t with his brother back in Season 1), but I don’t think this is a mistake he’ll make again.

I’m assuming Tyra’s coming back, otherwise what was the point of Noel looking in her journal (other than to have him spill the coffee). Maybe that was it. I don’t know. I thought she acquitted herself well, but yeah, what’s with the open door policy? Between that and Feliciben’s living room bathtub, there’s not a lot of privacy at the University of New York.

Where does the show go from here? Ben and Felicity are back on track. Sean’s going to be dealing with the cancer stuff. Whence will the drama come? Elena? Noel?

Felicity 3.06 BenEmma: I worry that Ben and Felicity despite reconciling aren’t going to be able shake this bump in the road, especially with Ben getting jumped like that and he’s going to have a big dent in his pride as a result. I dunno, I hope they can but I keep thinking that they’re going to reintroduce Noel as a possible love interest soon and ugh I’m not looking forward to that. I liked Noel and Felicity together, but the way things are now with Noel and Ben living together and as friends, I don’t want to see the implosion of this set up.

Yeah I think Tyra will be back as it did seem like this was setting up for something more. Don’t be a stalker Noel. I just checked to see when ANTM started (2003) so this must have been when Tyra was trying her hand at the acting thing.

Drama wise there’s no way the Elena cheating thing isn’t going to come up soon and now she has kissed Finn I think she’s only going to get more tempted, plus he lives across the hall so she won’t be able to avoid him. I predict an awkward elevator ride that ends in a smooch.

Any other thoughts?

Felicity 3.05 Ben and FelicityJulie: I just can’t believe how young Tyra looked in 2000.  I guess that was fourteen years ago, so, yeah. We probably all looked young.

You know Felicity and Noel is on the return, but I’m not sure how they’re going to get there at this point. Right now both characters seem so far from being romantically interested in each other. It would be kind of out of left field. But that’s TV for you.

Emma: I am super intrigued as to how we will get back to that place of Felicity and Noel. I predict booze or beets will be involved.

Julie: Maybe some of Meghan’s smart powder 🙂

Julie Hammerle is, according to Klout, an expert in the areas of both Morgan Freeman and glasses. Her writing can be found at chicagonow.com/hammervision and you can holler at her on Twitter as well.

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