LOOKING- Page 25

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 2:02pm

Good pointt, re Richie.

I assumed that was the point of pop-ups? You find out about an available space and within a couple of weeks you've set up for a few days? *But I have no idea...*

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 2:05pm

'(I admit a part of me also always thinks "So these people got drunk the night before, and they seem perfectly fine going into work the next morning?" but that may reflect more on myself--and at any rate is a TV cliche anyway.)'

Paddy's family would NOT have a Sunday wedding...right? Cause the whole staff was at the meeting at Most Dangerous Games the next day, right?

I feel like pop-ups can happen really quickly in a space that is already set up as a restaurant. That didn't bother me too much...and we're to think that a lot of those decisions were being made in the two weeks between episode 6 and 7.

The more I pull at the strings, the more it unravels for me. I don't buy Richie and his love-falling, but I also don't buy Kevin's all-consuming passion. And as wonderful as Groff is, I keep thinking, 'So much fuss over somebody called Paddy???'

I'm just gonna stop worrying and learn to love messiness of it.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 2:09pm

Thanks for finding ways to put it better than I do. Nobody tells you to shut up or that you're whining!

Also, all of the frustrations can be overlooked if you remember, these characters are quite dim and on top of that, frequently chemically altered.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 2:11pm

This show would be a bit more fun if the drug of choice was cocaine.

Cocaine...it's a helluva drug.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 2:13pm

Most shows don't hold up to close scrutiny in terms of continuity- too much is contracted or contrived in order to make things happen.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 2:25pm

True, but if you're trading in hyper-realism (which I'd argue the show does), then it's just gonna look a bit more jarring.

Even with what I perceive to be flaws, I really enjoy the show a lot. Groff is immensely watchable and I'm pretty damn invested in the Dom and Lynn storyline. I think Augustin acts A LOT with his eyes...like, Marty Feldman levels. But watching Frank destroy him was delicious.

OH WAIT. Something else that bugged me. The reference to Augustin being a 'bored rich boy' came out of nowhere! I don't mind not having everything spelled out from the beginning, but that piece of information felt like a half-assed reveal.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 2:37pm

Then again, he was spending on the low-end Rentboy. (Only based on his rate in comparison to others in the Bay Area.)

[Kad]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 2:39pm

I was actually talking to a friend about that, which made me realize how little we really know about Agustin. We know he's Cuban-American, Floridian, an "artist," and a dick. I mean, I guess it explains how he's been paying an escort to hang out (is that guy coming back? I liked him)

I feel he's super in love with Patrick, and I thought that's where his shame spiral would lead.

And Frank's read of him was perfect. Frank, as a whole, was pretty excellent.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 5:23pm

"Paddy's family would NOT have a Sunday wedding...right? Cause the whole staff was at the meeting at Most Dangerous Games the next day, right?"

Exactly, especially for one with, presumably, a number of people coming from out of town. I did actually find my mind wandering and thinking that I've never been to a wedding on a "school night" and had to go to work the next morning...

"The more I pull at the strings, the more it unravels for me. I don't buy Richie and his love-falling, but I also don't buy Kevin's all-consuming passion. And as wonderful as Groff is, I keep thinking, 'So much fuss over somebody called Paddy???'

I'm just gonna stop worrying and learn to love messiness of it."

Absolutely, that's what I do (despite my overwrought posts on here dissecting or guessing at things.) As for Kevin, I don't think we are meant to buy some sort of all-consuming passion. I don't see him as a villain, exactly, but I'm pretty sure that's not what this was. Given what we know about Paddycakes, the Richie/Pat stuff makes more sense to me--he's barely been in any sort of relationship so it makes sorta sense that he's acting like an 18 year old who just discovered this dating thing.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 5:24pm

"This show would be a bit more fun if the drug of choice was cocaine.

Cocaine...it's a helluva drug."

Last time I was in SF it was actually kinda hard to find coke... At least compared to anything else. So this is just another example of how true to life the show is, right? :P

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 5:30pm

I think that's what some people have issue with Season 1--and I think its valid even if it doesn't bother me. Mixing the Weekend/"mumblecore" style (a term I hate) while also trying to incorporate serialized drama is a hard mix. Add to that that most of these people (writers, producers, directors) seem new to tv/serialized storytelling. David Marshall Grant is an EP as well but he has his own projects he's more involved with, and I wouldn't be surprised if HBO wanted him there due to his history of writing/producing serialized shows (and his on and off screen and stage long history with gay subject matter going back to his gay role on thirtysomething if not longer.) But Grant's track record isn't great--he worked on Brothers and Sisters when creator Baitz left to return to the theatre after blogging about ABC demanding too many story changes and the show didn't exactly improve, and he quit season one of Smash due to "personal issues" with its creator...

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 5:32pm

The "poor little rich" Augustin thing seems to have confused everyone I know. Did his parents cut him off but leave him some money? I mean he obviously was paying for RentBoy and considering how much footage he had I assume that wasn't cheap despite his San Fran bargain special price. And yet he apparently was *not* paying rent--which makes me think his parents didn't give him a huge trustfund or anything.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 5:42pm

"David Marshall Grant is an EP as well but he has his own projects he's more involved with, and I wouldn't be surprised if HBO wanted him there due to his history of writing/producing serialized shows (and his on and off screen and stage long history with gay subject matter going back to his gay role on thirtysomething if not longer.)"

Even behind the scenes this show is a Rorshach Test.

I love that you've gone so far as to imagine what size trust fund his parents left Augustin. Given what we now know to be the um, improvisational (rather than non-existent) story planning, I give the show credit for at least thinking of a two-second half phrase of retroactive continuity in case anybody has been paying attention to the actual plot that there has been.

Updated On: 3/11/14 at 05:42 PM

[HorseTears]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 6:04pm

I'm confused. Why is everyone saying that the finale takes place one day after the wedding? I got the impression the wedding was on Saturday and then the finale took place on Monday. When Patrick goes to Richie's barber shop, he says, "I left you so many messages yesterday and you didn't pick up the whole day." I assumed that "whole day" was the Sunday after the wedding. But maybe I'm misremembering? If it WAS a Sunday wedding, then, sure, that does seem like a small mistake. I've been to Sunday weddings, but I doubt Patrick's mother would plan one for a Sunday.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 6:07pm

If I recall correctly, Kevin says something along the lines of "I want to apologize again about last night."

[HorseTears]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 6:12pm

Ah. I forgot about that scene. Yeah, that is a bit of an oversight, then. I doubt Patrick's mum would have organized a Sunday wedding. But, it hardly unravels the whole show for me.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 6:39pm

Maybe not for you, but it sure does for me. Harumph :P

[HorseTears]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 7:46pm

Ha. Seriously? That's the proverbial straw for you, eh? I agree that it's an oversight, but I don't think setting the finale one day later would have changed the nature of any of the scenes, nor the outcome. Obviously, Haigh is still learning about how to effectively structure a tv show. I imagine we'll have fewer of these inconsistencies in s2.


We've really been spoiled by the quality of television produced in the last 15 yrs. Can you imagine if people back in the 80s were interested in and able to apply such a critical lens to tv shows? Let alone the first season of those shows? Nearly every program would instantly fall apart.

Updated On: 3/11/14 at 07:46 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 8:04pm

Some of the current TV aficionados around here get a tad Stepford. Wanting an alleged prestige show to make sense is just a sign that you're spoiled.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 8:07pm

Horsey, not even remotely seriously... I thought you would have known my opinion on the show by now :P Definitely agree when it comes to TV and viewer expectations, though part of that of course comes from the shows and how they're promoted themselves--especially on cable.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 8:30pm

I guess the opposite end of the spectrum then would be those who watch things "ironically" and then snark on them later?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 8:40pm

How does one watch something ironically?

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/11/14 at 9:52pm

For season 2, I hope they stop using whatever weird filter they use to shoot - even scenes in bright sunshine seem dark and depressing.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 2:51am

^That's not a filter. That's just San Francisco.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 2:38pm

Really enjoyed this brief but insightful essay on s1 from the LA Review of Books.


LOOKING S1 - How should a "gay show" be