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Of course, Jonathan was shown to be a routine liar early on and if he squinted, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and flashed the baby blues while looking wretched and apologetic 9/10 times he'd get a pass on the lie and presume it was no longer relevant. Until he was found to have lied again. I appreciate Hugh Grant's acting efforts, but maybe he's been in too many rom-coms...? I thought Nicole Kidman did a fine job, but her character mostly was angry, hurt, confused, or suspicious, and she'd just cycle between them and it got tiresome. But all-in-all, it was a fine show and well-produced.
Some fans of the show seem off-put that there was not a twist in the end about who killed Elena. But all along, there were statements like from her friend the lawyer, who said something like "I think he probably did it, too much evidence, but I think there is enough reasonable doubt to not get convicted." I remember thinking, yeah, it probably/logically WAS Jonathan, but they kept throwing out "muck." It would have been a short series if Grace stayed the hell away and he sat in prison, unable to come up with $2M cash for bail and anything beyond a public defender. On that note, his first defender stated he prided himself on his ability to READ clients, and he was completely fooled.
Fair enough. It seems like a large proportion of viewers did not like the ending, expecting or hoping for a twist on who killed Elena.
I think the moment she volunteered to go on the stand it was hinky. To me the most telling line of the episode was when Grace said "I'll do what is best for Henry," which is when I turned to my wife and said she's going to throw him under the bus. Not exactly a deep insight of course.
I'll note that if Grace had stuck to her first impulse and not let Jonathan back into her life even a jot he'd have had a public defender and stayed in jail...
What about the 8000 ln king kong gorilla, why the eff would Jonathan not have tossed the murder weapon into a river as he drove over a bridge (since he clearly likes them) or, how about the lake that is, you know, 20' from the outside fireplace. And Henry just finds it right away...? That was incredibly contrived.
Disagree. I think the length was actually just right. As for Elena, she was obsessed, but the only person who kept saying was Jonathan, a known liar. So I discounted every time he said it. What I thought was telling was the doctor/former colleague who said they were not discrete and he had ignored many warnings. He also said he loved her repeatedly, also crap. That's the issue, Hugh Grant's was, if nothing else, and stone-cold liar.
As for him snapping and killing Elena, she seemed to ignore verbal than physical abuse and warnings, so dysnfunctional relationship x 100.
I enjoyed the series.
I enjoyed the ending, though Dr. Fraser just giving up on the bridge was...anticlimactic. But probably real.
In the end, I just did not buy his performance, not all of it. It is so easy for him to revert to typecast...charming, self-deprecating sense of humor, and a bit but zany and neurotics, As he is in virtually all of his movies, which are usually romantic comedies. We're USED to it. When he did snap and lied to everyone around us, it was mostly convincing most of the time...except when it was not. And those moments really rang like a bell to me, such that his character was, to me, muddled and unbelievable. He gave it a great try.
Nicole Kidman's character's rationale for testifying was just out there and not believable as to WHY she would do it and HOW it would help. She acted it beautifully, but it was still so implausible and predictable. The lawyer was excellent, until she did not see the "she fucked me" ending.
The real biggie is why did he not TOSS the hammer in the lack, or better yet--in a river crossing a bridge. It was a remarkably stupid thing to do, and the kid finding it....? Massive plothole.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the series and it was entertaining.
I thought of this thread last night as there was "more" toothbrushing.
Really great episode.
I don't think it was Henry. His parents went out, he did not know where, and then he finds himself at her studio and kills the woman, trace free, leaves, and does not fall apart later? He's not a mastermind criminal. I think he is covering for either his father, grandfather, or even mother, whether he was asked to, or he found the hammer at home or his grandfather's and kept it as he thought it would help.
As for Dr. Fraser, we know he lies like a rug, can turn on fake emotions to get sympathy or distract persons asking him hard questions, and might be a true sociopath. The grandfather red herring was very well done, but it could still be the dead woman's husband. Basically, I think nothing Dr. Fraser, MD says can be believed.
My wife and I are enjoying this show, and she thinks he did it. I suppose it is possible, and they are showing how ruthless and effing RICH he is. Outside of Dr. Fraser, who embodies entitlement and patronizing smarminess, the widower would seem to have the most motive. They just say he had an alibi, but that was early on and not revisited. Of course, Nicole Kidman's character could have done it and it wiped that memory clean. She seems to have some mental health issues going on and they are getting worse.
One last thing. Dr. Fraser, the physician, indicated that he had a "one-off" that he tried to downplay. They did not go to the trouble of mentioning that for nothing...one way or another. Well-crafted and enjoyable show.
Yes I did. Good point.
Yes, a staple for years, but seems to be much less in past decade or so. I'm talking the whole-house or outdoor park with 30+ teens openly drinking...which happened at least 3 times. Not that it goes on, but that it goes on in such large numbers.
I remember Dazed and Confused set in 1976 and it was like "you crazy kids, try not to get carried away" with 100+ teens in the woods with kegs and it was like...yep, that's how it was. Growing up in the mid- to late-80s, we had to be more discrete, but mostly tolerated. By 90s and since, far higher stakes and smaller parties. Just sharing some general yet anecdotal observations.
Good discussion here and below. Johnny is clearly in shape, and in Season 2 he is noticeably buffer, Daniel also is in good shape. Daniel trained his daughter and refers to training accomplishments in his 20s. So we can presume he's stayed up with his karate for much of his adult life. It is less clear with Johnny in terms of telling statements and reveals, but I think it is safe to say he probably fought a lot of actual fights over the decades given his temperment and training.
I did medieval-based fighting for 25 years. Have not for a decade. But when I pick up the weapons or watch a fight, I know what to do...but the issue is whether I can execute it given lack of conidition. 25 years of training and muscle memory comes back fast, provided the body is in sufficient health and condition to knock layer upon layer of rust off. As another person stated, the speed (twitch reflexes) and power may be long gone, but the instincts and training are still imprinted.
I think Stingray is an amusing character. I'm fine with the lesbian kiss, honestly I was surprised it took so long to get to.
I have to say that all the rampant, consequence-free underage drinking is disappointment and, I think, unrealisitc, given the massive size and openness of those situations. Not just once, but several times in the series...
Fair point. I barely remember the sequels.
I commented on this elsewhere. My wife is a school teacher in a very large public school system. First day of school rumble with loads of people needing medical treatment? Crack-down on the highest level. At least one police officer assigned to school as a security resource, at least a dozen kids said goodbye to their wishes to go to quality colleges, etc. The fight was just so over the top it was completely unbelievable.
That was my take on his almost disappearance.
Finally got through this show. The Season 2 final episode did come close to jumping the shark. The epic running HS karate fight was ridiculous. My wife is a school teacher and she commented how a few dozen kids would be suspended for weeks or sent to "trouble-maker" emotionally disturbed schools, or jail. Many HS have an assigned police officer who would have been hosing down the fighters with pepper spray etc. It was just way too big and went on for way too long. Johnny losing his dojo the formerly homeless loser, etc. Its like the show doubled-down 2-3 times on cliffhanger crap. Really down note on what was a very enjoyable if campy show. All that stated, I'll give season 3 a watch and hope they right the ship.
Good production and most acting is quite good. I liked it much better when they finally took a break with all sexuality. I GET it, I'm not a prude, but first 3-4 episodes non stop. When they got to making the movie "Meg" it hit its stride and was quite good.
We bailed about half-way through...
I liked it plenty. Wish I saw in the theaters, but oh well. Lots of replay value. Not a great movie per se, but a solidly entertaining one.