MovieChat Forums > Top of the Lake (2013) Discussion > Is anyone watching season 2 now? (China...

Is anyone watching season 2 now? (China Girl)

posted 7 years ago by Popcorn Kernel (2368)
9 replies | jump to latest

From the older posts it looks like a lot of people already saw it early but i am avoiding those threads for spoilers.
I'm watching it now on Sundance- it's a 3 night miniseries and tonight is day 2. Just wondered if anyone else is watching it for the first time along with me.

Thoughts so far after just seeing episode 1 & 2: Mary is hella fucked up. I love Gwendoline Christie's character, but she drinks and smokes too much for a pregnant lady. Has the news about not doing drugs while pregnant not reached the southern hemisphere yet?
The murder shows signs of being an interesting mystery. There are so many feminist cliches it almost seems like a parody at times? Like Mary said she's not a feminist because she likes to wear makeup. Um, I think you don't understand what that word means.
Also, Mary's 40 yr old fiance who hangs out at brothels and all the teenage hookers love him- what am I missing? He just seems like a gross pretentious creeper to me, what do all these young girls see in him?
Also is everyone in Oz suddenly bisexual? Mary's mom left her dad for a woman. The medical examiner has also recently switched teams. It's just odd. It's normal to have some gay characters but not so many that just suddenly became gay in middle age.
The broflakes rating all the hookers all day at the coffee shop- do any of them have actual jobs?

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

I watched this about a month and thought the show to be weird - it doesn't exactly paint Australia in a positive light.

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

Season 1 definitely did not paint New Zealand in a positive light, but I suppose Campion knows the area better than most.
I've usually thought of Aus and NZ as more progressive and evolved, like Sweden, but Campion sort of portrays them as fetid swamps of misogyny.

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

I didn't like any of the characters in Season 2

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

I thought I liked Gwendoline's character after the first 2 episodes but hen by the end I really disliked her. All her histrionics and unprofessionalism, she wouldn't even draw her gun when Robin told her to, and she got herself shot. Pretending to be pregnant, and how irresponsible she was. having an affair with her married boss and then using a surrogate to have a baby with that married man and even though she was not carrying the child she was still drinking heavily- what happens when the baby is born? Is she still going to be drunk all the time and smoking around the baby?And she was soooo in love with her boss but was still messing around with Robin's brother? what the hell?

The end was just such a let down. A murder mystery when there was no murder? Are we supposed to believe Cinnamon committed suicide? And Pixie (the receptionist at the fertility clinic) also killed herself- why?
All the police were just the worst I have ever seen in any tv show. They were all so busy having affairs and being drunk all
the time that nobody could do their job. That one officer who kept sexually harassing Robin and never took no for an answer- he does not belong on the force.
Even Robin- she noticed that box on the beach when the beach was still empty, Why didn't someone go check it out then?
Why did they wait until the beach was full of people? And we're supposed to believe that all those people sitting next to the box, not one would have picked it up or moved it? And we're supposed to believe that the guy laid there in the hot sun, buried in sand, with a box over his face, all day long?
Why did Robin never arrest that crazy Alexander for assault? She just let him get away, she's lucky he didn't kill Mary.

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

it was a bizarre show - you have summed it up perfectly.

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

I added more rants while you were typing.
character limit cramping my style.
I have a lot to say about this stupid show.
I really liked season 1 so this was a huge disappointment.

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

And don't even get me started on Mary. A little ray of sunshine MY ASS, She was a black hole, she just sucked up all this undeserved love from everyone and she did not give a shit about anyone but herself. While all 3 of her parents and the whole police force were running around crazy trying to find her , thinking she was a hostage, she was sleeping in her parents basement the whole time and never bothered to let anyone know she was safe. Then at the end she just gives her mom a few crumbs of attention and cries some crocodile tears, and all is forgiven!

I don't even understand Alexander's scam. The surrogates don't get paid until the parents get their babies, so what was the point of taking them all back to Thailand? was he going to sell their babies on the black market for more than the surrogate fees? That whole plot made no sense, and his stupid little video to tell the parents he was stealing their babies, why waste all the money and energy to make that when he could just leave a note and say bye bitches, I stole ur babies. Where did he get all the white babies to use in that video? It was just too fucking stupid. One thing after another was just too stupid and unbelievable.

Also the whole series seemed to portray motherhood, or the desire for motherhood, as a mental illness. Not just one, but THREE of the infertile women were literally insane. One was actually in a mental hospital and her husband still thinks she would be a great mom and that having a baby would 'cure' her insanity. Or having THREE babies- they actually had 3 surrogates working for them! Miranda (Gwendoline's character) was completely unstable and unfit to be a parent too.

In summary- it started off with good potential but then just flushed it all down the crapper.

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

Also
also also also

When Robin shags Mary's dad without a condom, after telling Miranda about her miscarriages, did anyone else predict 'of course Pike's magical sperm will get her pregnant again and she will get to keep the baby and raise it herself'?
Just too many cliches.

[–] [email protected] (1354) 6 years ago

I agree with all your points! And how convenient to have Miranda be involved with a surrogate from the crime scene. They didnt even really resolve Cinnamons murder.
As unstable as the second season was, I did still like it, and the romantic in me hopes Pyke ends up knocking on her door, and actually staying for good. I mean Robin definitely needs a break in her love life by now.

Hope theres a season 3