MovieChat Forums > Episodes (2011) Discussion > What is Beverly's problem???

What is Beverly's problem???


They are writers, why doesn't she want to try to do another show, this time their way, and make a bunch of money in the process? If I was Shawn, I'd put my foot down. We are doing this. You go back to England if you want to, but I'm a writer and this is my dream and I'm not passing up on a chance to do it right this time.

I'd say:
If we try again and fail again, we won't spend the rest of our lives wishing we didn't spend those extra six months in America. It'll just be a faded memory that we even bring up fondly, 'Yep. That was our Hollywood adventure." But if we don't even try, I'll spend the rest of my life wondering what if and building up resentments and hating myself and I will not live like that.

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Beverly has hated LA ever since she got there. She regretted moving there and has hated being surrounded by those people and that culture since day one. Of course she wants to move back to the UK where they were the writers of a very successful and critically acclaimed tv show and were living normal lives and weren't surrounded by crazy, mentally unstable, fake people all day long. I know it's hard for people to understand but the US isn't the end all of success and you can be quite successful and happy in other parts of the world. Some people want the Hollywood glamor lifestyle, others don't. That doesn't necessarily mean those people who don't have a problem, it's probably the other way around.

Also speaking as someone who has relocated chasing a dream and having that dream crash and burn down in flames there is something very comforting and appealing to leave the place of your "failure" and go back to your base, surrounded by people who love and support you and where you can regroup, re energize and re focus on yourself and your next steps.

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I know it's hard for people to understand but the US isn't the end all of success and you can be quite successful and happy in other parts of the world.
Are you kidding me?! Ugh. That has nothing to do with this conversation and makes you sound like a complete snob. I don't even see comments that allude to that ridiculous conclusion to which you jumped.
...there is something very comforting and appealing to leave the place of your "failure" and go back to your base, surrounded by people who love and support you...
Except when they were leaving England they said to each other, "who would you miss?" followed by "we need better friends." Yes, it was a joke, but you know what they say about truth delivered in jest. They also said they were reluctant to return home a failure. Remember the joke about the mass email, about having said to everyone basically, "we hit the big time. We're heading to LA; see ya suckers!" Then their show was massacred and they stuck with it instead of walking out or doing anything but putting poorly conceived crap on the air, and even after it was universally poorly received they kept the show-that's-not-our-show on life support for far too long. If they return home now it will be in shame and likely include ridicule and they may not work as much or get good projects because of that colossal failure with their names on it. Then the UK will hardly a safe space to recharge and be supported, especially if they weren't kidding about having crappy friends.

Yes, Beverly wants to go home. She believes she'll feel better there with what's familiar. The OP's point was that Sean's dream (to win a zebra at the carnival) is different than Beverly's dream (to go home to England) and that [perhaps because he's whipped/henpecked/browbeaten, as he admits] he's acquiescing to Beverly's demands and going home rather than chasing his life-long dream. The thing is they can go home any time but right now, in this moment, Sean & Beverly have been offered the world (and Judi Dench!) to do another show, to do it RIGHT, and to do it NOW, and if they pass up on that opportunity they may never get another one.

I'm with Sean on this. He's deciding to go home to appease "Betsy", giving up his dream, and he may eventually resent her for it, which can split them up just as effectively as an affair would (and did). They were worried about L.A. destroying their relationship, but resentment over missed opportunities and surrendered/discarded dreams is destructive too.
Is Beverly worth it? Perhaps right now she is; they just reconciled and he wants to make her happy, but before long he will feel the itch again and wonder "what if...?" and if she gets to go back to the UK Beverly will absolutely never leave home again to give LA another shot. Their best bet is to give it another go, especially now that they've learned SO many hard lessons and it's less likely they'll be duped or taken advantage of like they were the first time. Now they can get things in writing and use their advocate Eileen Jaffee to fight for what's right or get them the power to walk away if it isn't, and do it right so they can go home with their heads held high after having a rousing success. They can choose not to let LA beat them, especially after one experience. Yes it was hellish but learning experiences often are.

It has absolutely nothing nothing NOTHING to do with the asinine thought that Americans feel the US is superior to the UK and other countries; it has to do with Sean surrendering what he wants, what he hopes, and what could be to cure Beverly's homesickness, which could cost them both quite a lot in the end. That's all.



I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class, especially since I rule.

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I know it's hard for people to understand but the US isn't the end all of success and you can be quite successful and happy in other parts of the world.

Are you kidding me?! Ugh. That has nothing to do with this conversation and makes you sound like a complete snob. I don't even see comments that allude to that ridiculous conclusion to which you jumped.



Actually, that was the most spot on comment in the entire thread. You taking it so personal just emphasizes how right it was.

Censorship is advertising paid by the government.

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Replace "US" with "Hollywood" and it's more accurate, to the point, and not unnecessarily offensive.

Except maybe to Joel Silver et al.

"Fashion sense is an oxymoron." - KWL aka MNW

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The OP's point was that Sean's dream (to win a zebra at the carnival)


I think it was a giraffe.

**Have an A1 day**

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When they were first seduced by Merc, they didn't know anything and took what he said at face value. Now they know better, and can demand that they have creative control and safeguards against all of the things they don't want to have happen written in their contracts. Don't take anyone's word, it has to be written and looked over and signed by the studio heads and lawyers and all of that. Now, if no one is willing to do that, they go home. But if someone is, they stay and give it another go. That's all they have to do, just have terms they need met in order to stay and if those terms are not met, go home. Beverly doesn't even want to attempt to use the lessons they learned or play hardball. She just wants to quit and go home.

If I was Shawn, no way. You want to go home, you go home. Since we were here, you slept with one guy because you thought I was cheating, and then you slept with another guy when we were broken up. Clearly you are able to move on pretty easily, so, who is to say what'll happen given other circumstances. You didn't give me the benefit of the doubt and you screwed my best friend the very day, the very morning you decided I was cheating on you, even though I wasn't. And you were never going to tell me; I had to figure it out on my own. Even after all that, I didn't screw around on you until months later, whereas you slept with someone else hours after wrongly convicting me of cheating without even listening to my side. I think you owe me the chance to pursue my dream. Just freaking humor me, even if you think I'm a fool. England isn't going anywhere, we can always go back to it. But this chance, and it is a chance, will be gone if we don't go after it now. I want to have you here with me, but I'm doing it no matter what.

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I think Beverly is rightly justified in worrying that American TV will ruin their "dream script," and would prefer to take a chance on having it made the right way back in England. If it's ruined in the US first, bye-bye English prospects. And she's learned that you can't believe a single fawning thing that comes out of anyone's mouth in LA!

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if their script were that much in demand i'm sure at least one of the networks would consent to full creative control to the writers. if i were beverly i would insist that i would only stay if they had full control.

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[deleted]

I think Beverly is also projecting her trauma of marital ruin onto the whole Hollywood experience.

In other words, her utterly negative perception of their experience in the US is partly (or mostly) due to the bad experiences with her husband and their mishaps while there.

Of course she is also the only one seemingly aware of the dangers of putting their beloved work in some studio exec's hands again after personally witnessing how dangerous that is, and how quickly and easily it could turn out ot be a Pucks 2.0.

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In other words, her utterly negative perception of their experience in the US is partly (or mostly) due to the bad experiences with her husband and their mishaps while there.


This is similar to a phenomenon I once read about. People will go to a foreign exotic place, meet someone, and fall in love. But when they come back to where they live, they discover that the romance was really about the exotic settings and not the actual person they were with. Paolo the pool boy isn't nearly as interesting in Des Moines. Probably fits in well with the phrase "the honeymoon is over." While there is some truth that a particular place can take on the role of being toxic simply because bad things happened there, more often than not there are also other issues. Coming to LA may have simply revealed that deep down Sean and Beverly wanted different things, but back in the UK perhaps those options weren't available to them. Back in the UK I am certain that Beverly had little competition for Sean's attention, but in LA that was a different story. So her solution was the leave LA, figuring that if she removed temptation, the Sean would once again be her's. But having seen the light, Sean is reluctant to leave. As long as it remains a situation where one isn't true to themselves, it will be an issue. Beverly can physically remove Sean from LA, but he may always resent her for it, and what value is a victory under those circumstances?

I think my percentage of Chimp DNA is higher than others. Cleaver Greene

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They are writers, why doesn't she want to try to do another show, this time their way, and make a bunch of money in the process? If I was Shawn, I'd put my foot down. We are doing this. You go back to England if you want to, but I'm a writer and this is my dream and I'm not passing up on a chance to do it right this time.

I'd say:
If we try again and fail again, we won't spend the rest of our lives wishing we didn't spend those extra six months in America. It'll just be a faded memory that we even bring up fondly, 'Yep. That was our Hollywood adventure." But if we don't even try, I'll spend the rest of my life wondering what if and building up resentments and hating myself and I will not live like that.



The story is not about you, it's about Beverly and Shaun. Way to project your own feelings on the situation. Have you watched the series from the beginning?

Shaun and Beverly are BAFTA-award winning writers. The BAFTA is the British Emmy. It's more prestigious because there is no campaigning for the award. That means they were already at the top, financially successful, happily married and in love. Evidently that's meaningless to you. So the happiness of your partner is meaningless compared to the paramount importance of your career and financial advancement?  Nice. Not. 👎


















Some things you just can't ride around...

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financially successful,


Not according to Matt. ;-)

I think my percentage of Chimp DNA is higher than others. Cleaver Greene

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"You should be out chasing beaver" - Something to that effect, that Jack Nicholson's character said in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Please share your secrets to divine wisdom.

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It is a conflict with no apparently clean resolution. 12-step group anniversary coins usually have a statement on the back which says "To thine own self be true." Beverly and Sean each want something different here. Beverly believes that if they go back to the UK that everything will return to normal, though it likely won't. Sean believes that having been through the wringer once in Hollyweird, that they will avoid all the pitfalls in round 2, again, likely not. As a couple, it will at best be a split decision as to who is happy. Whichever choice they make will have one likely resenting the other.

As I see it, the tie-breaker is timing. They have the potential for a hit right now, therefore Sean wins. They can always go back to the UK, although I think Beverly's fear is that they, as a couple, will not survive another two years in Hollywood. I also don't think that as a character that beverly has acknowledged just how much both of them have changed as people by the experience of being in Hollywood. While not necessarily healthy, I'm sure the Hollywood lifestyle is addicting and they may not realize how deep they've gotten into it. When Joey is talking about him having to live on only $1M a year, he is also subtly telling them that their standards now have a new bottom line that working for BBC won't likely meet.

I have to give this show credit for exposing the Hollywood system the way they have. It is a bit like SOB, the Player, and Network all wrapped into one.



I think my percentage of Chimp DNA is higher than others. Cleaver Greene

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Well, her problem now is Sean plagiarizing--or being accused of same--by their old "friend."

So, her reservations about working again in L.A. are panning out.

Also, if she didn't hate the lifestyle--well, except for "free stuff"-- there'd be no show, no conflict.

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She is the worst most annoying character in the show. l genuinely hate her guts. And Shawns obviously completely whipped.
l don't know if they're meant to be like that but that's how l see it.
Love the show though

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I think the character of Beverly hasn't accepted that things are going to be different. She is like a person from the midwest who goes to NYC and then complains about the lack of county fairs rather than enjoying the great museums. Of course, her real disappointment is with how the show was ruined by Merc et al, but she is taking out her anger on everything else instead. Of course, she could just be a buzzkill killjoy at heart regardless. She does team up well though with Carol as complete opposites, similar to Sean and Matt being complete opposites as well.

I think my percentage of Chimp DNA is higher than others. Cleaver Greene

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Do you actually know anyone from the midwest who moved to NYC and complained about the lack of county fairs??

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Someone who moved there? Probably not.
Someone who *went* there? Sure!

"Fashion sense is an oxymoron." - KWL aka MNW

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So what was she supposed to do? Be all happy about their show being gutted and completely changed?

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I think Beverly cares about their marriage more than their career, and she just wanted to get out of the storm and go back to the world that made sense to her.
If they left Hollywood, they could go back to being writers- but without the LA politics and foils.
As for Sean resenting her... I don't think he would. He is naive and optimistic, but he also has proven he can let things go and move on. I don't think the character is the stewing type. He couldn't even stay mad at Matt and Beverly after they slept together.

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