So far my favourite character is Maddy. And I'm really enjoying Reese Witherspoon in this role. However I'm not particularly interested in her story.
My favourite storyline is a toss up between Celeste's and Jane's. There are more interesting things going on there, in my view.
So, who and which storyline is your favourite so far?
I think they all have their different allures.
Maddie - you're just kinda waiting for her neat, little life to all unravel
Celeste - you're waiting for her to emancipate herself from her horrible husband
Jane - you want to know about her mysterious background and just what's up with her kid
So, it's kinda like choose your own adventure in whichever one of those gets you more! I'm just hoping it all doesn't turn into anything super soap opera-y.
I hope not. It being a mini-series will probably protect us from that happening (not that you can't have a melodramatic mini-series :D).
shareTrue! This just isn't usually my sort of fare, but I had nothing else to watch and the cast intrigued me so...here I am! It's fine so far, if not a bit predictable.
shareFavorite story: Celeste and Perry, largely because the two actors just sparkle together. Their acting in that scene with the marriage counselor where they just acted their asses off is an instant legend.
Farorite character: the marriage counselor. She's the only adult in the show so far whom I like as a person. The kids, though, are great!
EDIT: Just realized there's another adult I like: Miss Brewster, the teacher who helps Abigail stand up to Maddy.
The counseling scene was great. Kidman was fantastic, I was really hurting for her...and Skarsgard brought it too. I was surprised they were that honest about everything and it did make me think they had a chance, but ya know, abusers tend to well...always be abusers, sadly.
The kids are so good! And I liked your comment about the counselor being the only adult you like, hah, I can see that. We are watching a bunch of pretty people just be bitches to one another, for the most part!
Very well acted scene. I, too, was very surprised that he admitted to getting physical. But I still have this uneasy feeling that the whole counselor thing would blow up in Celest's face.
shareOh, I don't think it'll solve their problems. Like I said, it's a rather persistent behavior on the end of the abuser. That's the kind of thing that could take someone's whole life to try and get out of their system and reconcile with.
I have no doubt he'll be right back to hurting her next episode. For a show that's some parts escapsim, or even some might call "fluff," this story line is being dealt with with particular rawness, and I appreciate that. Those are hard scenes to watch, which only means they're getting their point across.
True. I like that she's taking initiative, and trying to amend the situation early. But I thing that the counselor might agitate the situation further. And as you said that sort of behaviour could take a lifetime to be corrected.
Evety time he hurts her, I remember what my mother always tells me "If he hurts you once, get out. Because if it's happened once, it's going to happen again".
I thought the counselor would try to take her aside by herself to get the real story, but...then Perry admitted to it so it was out there.
A lot of times people can intuit that that's what's going on, most of all a counselor who's been trained in it. So, when they were still skirting around it and she was looking at Celeste I almost thought she was trying to read her and the situation because I was thinking to myself, "there's no way they'll get into that with him right there, she needs her own session!"
And what your mom said is good advice. You don't have to abandon hope for that person, but you don't have to willingly keep yourself in harms way for it either. But it's hard for people that are abused to leave still, it's a very fraught and scary situation. Abusers aren't only adept at hitting people, but emotionally too in making them feel like they have to stay and all that...so it's a delicate thing.
But I largely agree, that if it happens once it's most likely going to be a repetitive behavior and your staying, as bad as it is to say, could only enable that. I do like that Celeste fights back and did threaten to leave him. She stays and forgives him too easily, but when it happens she doesn't just let it happen, she sticks up for herself however she can.
Oh, it's much more complicated than just leaving. When you factor in emotional abuse, independence, kids, love even. But that kind of advice tends to stick with you, ya know :)
I really like how that whole scene unfolded.
If Celeste goes and sees her alone, or the councelor convinces her to leave, that's going to be bad news.
When they showed Perry grabbing Celeste for the first time on the show, I was taken aback.. He is intimidating. Something so off about him. He plays the role well. But I wish she would leave him. He would be the type to really go off if she tried to. Very scary and unhealthy relationship,,,she takes part in the cycle as well. She does feed off of the aggression too. Very common and very sad.
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