Mare of Easttown: Sticks the Landing (4)

Here’s the third thread for Mar of Easttown.

Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper should have played these parts. Discuss.

So, was there any word about the HBOMax app crashing, was it because of the sheer number of people going to watch, or was there a purposeful hijacking by internet trolls?

Good ending I was wondering what they were going to do wrapping it up with 45 minutes left but they did a good job for a finale

Wasn’t there another movie where the kidnapper of several women turned out to be side plot / red herring? Now I can’t remember.

Are you thinking of Kiss the Girls? With Ashley Judd?

A good ending. The double bluff was a fantastic plot move and it made total sense who the killer ultimately was.

I want to know what happened to the kidnapped girl who got pregnant and was taken away.

Will Ryan’s juvie shower scene be included on the DVD?

Why did father Dan give that look when Deacon Mark was released? It’s like he knew he really was a kiddie diddler and would be free to do it again.

[quote] The double bluff was a fantastic plot move

Yes, and never done before.

R9, yeah I definitely got the impression it was like “well, he didn’t kill the girl, but he was still inappropriate “

I think you’re right, r6.

What's the buzz on a season two?

r10, there's basically no plot move under the sun for mystery novels and mystery shows that's never been done before.

Father Dan got on my nerves.

There will be no season tow. Let it go.

[quote] There will be no season tow. Let it go.

People who force a change in pronunciation of words to create a rhyme are so cute.

Big no to more MoE. The beauty was the acting, the fun the little moments between characters and bijou depiction of grieving traumatised people. We don’t really need to revisit these people’s lives.

Hopefully they will learn from Broadchurch s2 and especially the unadulterated shit that was Big Little Lies s2 after an excellent first season.

The finale left all these characters in a good place, and I can't see the point of continuing their story.

R19, all the characters are in a good place?

R19 R20 I'm not exactly sipping drinks on the French Riviera.

Hardly worth ignoring....

Has it been mentioned that they recast DJ for the finale? He originally had red hair. Now he’s a totally different kid. Must’ve had to recast him after the COVID production delay.

R23 the same actor is credited for the whole season. He probably had a growth spurt during the delay because...teenager

Another thing really liked about the production design was how Grandfather Ross’ house had the same layout as Mare’s house only it was decorated differently. That was a really nice detail.

DJ is Erin & John’s baby. He’s not a teenager, R24. He’s a baby.

R26 my bad. Was thinking of Ryan. But yeah, we also don't really see how much time has passed.

R19, all the characters are in a good place?

Also DJ, living with his wronged stepmother, eventually with the brother who killed his mom, and in a town where EVERYONE knows he's an incest baby

The original DJ was a nightmare. Very demanding, very handsy, never learned his lines. Spent valuable production hours in his trailer with his stoner friends, doing bong rips and playing Fortnight. They had to buy out his contract.

Ultimately, I liked that the killing happened by accident and wasn’t malicious like the serial kidnapper/racist/killer. It was so circumstantial because of the father’s sins. It also seemed very American because - guns, everywhere. It’s interesting that no one even blinked that a 13 y.o. had access to a gun. And if not that one, he could’ve taken the one out of the tackle box. Or from his cousin/uncle Kenny, etc. I wonder if they missed a trick by not showing any surprise that a kid could get a gun? I mean, it seemed like a reflection of the country, certainly the state.

Also I loved how Jess’ mom always had shoulder cut outs. lol

When Siobhan was saying her goodbye's before the roadtrip to Berkeley, she turned to say goodbye to her mom, my immediate impression was Mare look like the Scarecrow. Fleeting but distinct.

[quote] I wonder if they missed a trick by not showing any surprise that a kid could get a gun?

You're not American, are you?

That would be like showing surprise their drinks are served with ice.

Why is this thread greyed out??

Maybe OP is one of those posters obsessed with the royal family?

They should do season 2 and have it revealed that Mare was adopted and her real mother is a drunk played by Meryl Streep.

Change your settings view to asbestos eyeballs R35. It's so much easier.

If continuing to discuss plot annoys you... skip this.

Did Kenny have a death wish? Why did he leave the gun in the box? Did he remove bullets at least? Why did he tell his brother do "go ahead and shoot me" even after he had struggled with him to get the gun? Was he just so traumatized by moving the body of his cousin? He was a character that never seemed to have a stable center... which I guess the point.

[quote] Mare could just went alone to their house,

Oh, dear!

C an I just say I could never send my freshman college student off in a car by herself to travel across country?

Why not R41?

Why didn’t Lori get a lawyer for her son? Why did she allow her son to confess? He could have beaten the charge. First, his father was willing to take the wrap. Second, just because there’s video of him going to the shed and supposedly taking the gun, that doesn’t prove he shot and killed Erin. I’m unsure how I feel about the ending.

We needed a scene of Faye worrying about Mare ruining the wedding.

Your fiance’s hotheaded ex coming to the ceremony?

Yes, yes, yes, r41! I was so upset by that!

You'd be surprised, r41, how many lower-income families do just that.

I feel ripped off that they made a child the killer. What a giant waste of time.

Complete waste of time. And that stupid “twist” did not require those endless flashbacks. WE GET IT - the kid did it. With the amount of flashbacks and voiceover - you would think they were doing some complex crazy plot device - when it ended up being no different than an episode of SVU.

The end scene with mare and Lori sobbing on the floor was overdone and ridiculous.

I don’t blame the actors but the writing of that finale was atrocious.

And in what world would Lori let that kid speak to the cops without a lawyer present. That was so fucking fake and stupid. Just sat there and let him confess to murder?

Absurd.

R39? You mean Billy. :) I liked the way the actor played it. Billy has his own problems, always being made to feel he was irrelevant and that his life didn’t matter.

Hey R34, no, I am American. I’m not completely desensitised to our gun culture. I just thought, no one was even concerned that there were so many guns around and that they were so accessible to a kid that he could wind up in such a tragic situation. It’s as you say, it’s so common, of course. I guess someone did remark, maybe Lori, that he didn’t even know how to shoot it.

If it happened in another country, Rysn would be thought of as a deeply disturbed sociopath like the Jamie Bolger killers or Mary Bell. I guess the difference here is that they actually were stone cold child killers. Whereas Ryan was mentally disturbed due to his father’s behaviour. It was kind of ironic when Mare said to the killer, “Ryan, sweetie, was there anything else you want to tell us…?” And while she did say to John, “You mean, having sex?” she never called it statutory rape. But Erin must’ve been underage, right? She was just a year out of high school at the top of the show when DJ was over a year old (based on her Instagram post). “Easttown” is a place of slippery morality.

When I went back and watch the six episodes this week in anticipation of the finale there was a point where they said Erin was 17, but then another where they said she was 16.

Is the actor who portrayed Billy Ross of the homosexual variety?

He reminded me of Brad Dourif.

[quote]People who force a change in pronunciation of words to create a rhyme are so cute.

Oh dear! Don't you mean "force a change in the pronunciation"? Hie thee to an editor, you ruffian!

[quote] And in what world would Lori let that kid speak to the cops without a lawyer present.

Did ANYONE ever ask for a lawyer? I know they all know Mare, and they’re not exactly a well-educated lot, but that always seemed overly convenient.

R55 The bad girl who beat up Erin demandeda lawyer many times and was intimidated by Mare every time.

R48 flashbacks and voiceover? What fucking show did you watch?

I was also taken out of the story when Mare just waved as her daughter drove off. She could have accompanied her and probably should have. It would open up potential for a second season to send Mare and Siobhan out into the world. Mare would be extra peculiar outside of her hometown, she'd have no juris diction as a cop but of course would become ensnared in some criminal activity and would hold up her daughter's trek, making it all about herself and her work, Siobhan could be endangered, raising the stakes, they could bond while also building tension, etc.

Pinning it on the kid just seemed sad. Supposedly he was affected by his father’s infidelity at age 7 or 8: to the point he flipped out at 13. I find that very hard to believe. His mother seemed sane and would have shielded her kids from the gory details of her marriage. Maybe I dozed off but what was the point of Dylan and his crew burning the journals and intimidating people. iIn end that subplot went nowhere and Dylan turned into a decent person. The acting and setting made this series work. The plot could have been an SVU show stretched out to 7 episodes.

R59 Dylan didn't want people to know he wasn't the father because his parents were attached to the baby and Dylan wanted them to raise him. He was protecting his parents. Erin's friend explained this in the end, and she explained that it was her idea to burn the journals with Dylan to protect the paternity secret and also because she felt obligated to protect her friend's personal life. So yes, almost all the villains turned out to be misunderstood people who did bad things out of love for others.

One thing I really dislike about stories like this is that they always inevitably end with people explaining everything that happened like the end of a Scooby Doo episode to tie up all the misdirection.

R60 "So yes, almost all the villains turned out to be misunderstood people who did bad things out of love for others." How was this piece of shit a misunderstood and a good person. He stood and watched with bunch of his friends while his equally piece of shit girlfriend beats Erin. Hell, he was behind catfishing Erin just so they can beat and humiliate her. So he's not a misunderstood, good kid. He was a piece of shit.

The ending was MEH. 1/3 the arcs were overlooked. 1/3 the arcs received perfunctory wrap ups. The kidnapping story arc was a cheap pulpy writing, conception, and mis-en-scene. The murder arc was done well enough. Someone on DL called it ahead of time - cheating? or a close watcher of this genre? Bravo.

At the end Dylan did give all of Erin's money, she saved for her boy's ear infection, to Lori. He didn't just pocket it which makes him, somewhat, a decent guy. He, and his parents, cared for the boy even through he wasn't Dylan's.

I think we all do shitty things. It's how, and if, we make up for them that matters.

The fact that they showed Ryan at school beating the shit out of a guy was important. Because you had to ask yourself at some point, what was the purpose of showing that scene? Yeah, showing Dylan being a scumbag for most of the series was a red herring, but he had been Erin's boyfriend and was walking around assuming he was the father of her kid. So there was a point to him. But Ryan? That should have been a huge signal....and I missed it. You know, all of them will be out of jail in a few years. John, Ryan, Billy, Kenny. All of them. I think the reason people want a season 2 is because of Kate Winslet. This series was damned near flawless IMO and it's perspective was really European.

r63, are you being paid by the comma?

[quote] it's perspective was really European.

This is meaningless.

Making Ryan the murderer was too contrived. The show got addicted to endless suspects.

It would have been better if it was John and the whole ending was about the town coming to terms with his infidelity.

I also found the Lori character insufferable. Her husband fathers a baby with his cousin and she sticks with him. She also was a compulsive liar.

Pointed out in the earlier thread, but the show manipulated everyone by having the coroner tell Mare that Erin died from blunt force trauma. In the end, we see she was shot but we don’t know where (in the head, in the chest?).

Dylan asked for a lawyer in Episode 6 and the scene was included in the finale’s pre-episode recap. For those in the back of the bus.

We know nothing about that boy, really. So, whatever. Thoroughly manipulative series with a few grace notes.

Erin tried every dick in Easttown until she found one she liked! Little whore. And I seriously doubt that married man John would pose for a photo nude in bed with her and just be like, “Oh sure, take a snap of us together.”

R66, fine I didn't say it well, but I have watched a kazillion British detective stories, and series, and Scandinavian, and German, and French, and Mare was a cut above the usual American fare. It would fit seamlessly in the British or Scandinavian or French or German small town detective series. It seems smarter than the usual American crap, and the whole notion of the dead end small town where everyone knows one another, is often related to one another, and seems to just stay in place one generation after another, and the multi-generational living arrangements, etc. reminds me of many European stories I've seen. You could put this whole narrative in some place in Wales, for example and not change a thing.

Mare’s cousin Deacon Dan is gay, right?

John was asleep when Erin took the picture... What I found disgusting was her age when he fucked her. And she was not mature looking. I mean. If she were 16-17 and looked mature a sexy and ripe then yeah, but she looked like a child.

R73 A forgotten point: shouldn't John's charges include statutory rape?

R70 Have you even seen the photo? He was sleeping.

I loved that they dragged out the trope "it was more than just sex, I could talk to her about stuff I couldn't talk with anyone else, including my own wife!" creeps use.

Get a fucking shrink if you need someone to talk to. It helped even Mare (remember her high almighty "Don't be disappointed for not getting a big wow! epiphany moment out of me!" speech?).

R59 I was around that age when my mother's cheating blew up my family. It absolutely messed with my head to a massive degree.

People know to ask for lawyers - especially for their kids and especially if their husband just went to jail and was involved in the court system.

Kate Winslet stopped director from editing ‘bulgy bit of belly’ in sex scene

Kate Winslet put her all into playing Mare Sheehan — and didn’t want any of herself to be edited.

The actress, 45, says she told “Mare of Easttown” director Craig Zobel to leave her body au naturel in a steamy sex scene with Guy Pearce.

A New York Times piece recounts that Zobel “assured her he would cut ‘a bulgy bit of belly'” from the scene, but Winslet told him, “‘Don’t you dare.'”

Winslet also said that she sent the HBO show’s promotional poster back two times because it was too retouched for her liking.

“They were like, ‘Kate, really, you can’t,’ and I’m like, ‘Guys, I know how many lines I have by the side of my eye, please put them all back,’” Winslet recalled to the outlet.

The Oscar winner — who plays a Delaware County, Pa., detective in the series — also noted that the crew used lighting to make her skin look duller and that they went to great lengths to find unflattering clothes.

“Listen, I hope that in playing Mare as a middle-aged woman — I will be 46 in October — I guess that’s why people have connected with this character in the way that they have done because there are clearly no filters,” the “Titanic” star explained. “She’s a fully functioning, flawed woman with a body and a face that moves in a way that is synonymous with her age and her life and where she comes from. I think we’re starved of that a bit.”

The British-born actress also tried to get real for her role by frequenting the American convenience store Wawa.

“It almost felt like a mythical place, Wawa … and so by the time I got there, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s real!’” she recently told the Los Angeles Times’ “Envelope” podcast. “It was like Lapland.”

“Walking into a Wawa ultimately felt, it was kind of an honor in a funny way because to me, that was the heart of Delco,” she added. “To finally walk through the door of a Wawa, I felt like, ‘Ah, yes, I’m here! I belong! This is where it’s at!’ Wawa.”

Considering the show made a point of showing Mare eating crap frequently throughout - cheese steaks, burgers, pizza, crackers with cheese whiz, etc., it would be totally nonsensical if they DIDN'T show her gunt in a sex scene.

Kate has already started her Emmy campaign. I think it’s terrific that she is having this resurgence in her late 50’s.

Watch her lose thelead actress Emmy but Julianne wins the best supporting actress Emmy. Lol... Kate would never work with Julianne on a project again.

These teenage girls like to fuck daddies with bellies and wives and kids? I mean they aren't hot 23 yo military guys!

Daddy issues from their own abusive fathers is likely the cause - case in point: Erin and her shitty father Kenny. Though it doesn't explain why they wouldn't go after the actually HOT DILFS - like Dylan's dad. If I were Erin, I'd be flirting initially with Dylan to get close to his dad... and then seduce his father away from that frumpy frau wife of his... I think the girls in this Easttown shithole all have such low self esteem that they just respond immediately to the first older man who's remotely nice/attentive to them... incest-be-damned...

Siobhan grew up as the sibling of a troubled special needs brother who required all the attention, energy and emotional reserve from the parents with very little left for her. These children grow to be very self sufficient and independent, knowing how to take care of themselves and not be dependent on parents. Many times they become the quiet overachievers who don’t cause a worry for their parents like she became, leaving even something as complicated as college applications to be done on their own, which was an important telegraphing character aspect presented at the star of the first episode. It would be completely in character for her to drive across the country alone to start college.

The opening scene of Ryan sets this up as well, it’s Friday night and he’s doing homework. Even though his sister’s disability isn’t at complicated as having a brother like Kevin, you still sense he’s a very good child. He wants to please his parents and cause no trouble, he wants his family to be harmonious and perfect as it can be, but then that also becomes his fatal flaw.

Much of what you need to know about those characters and the parallels in the families is laid out right at the beginning when you meet them.

There's something about Kate Winslet that I really like. She shamelessly campaigns for her awards, she talks about how much she really wants to win. There's no false modesty or underhandedness no desperation. Her shameless enthusiasm for the work is so authentic. I adore her. I wish I could do that as well as she does. We all need to be more unapologetic about blowing our own horn and doing it in a way that doesn't seem egotistical.

I totally agree!!

She's been talking about image stuff for years. She doesn't like being airbrushed, etc. She thinks people should be shown as they are so that audiences will stop thinking something is wrong with them for not looking professionally lit and photoshopped all the time.

Filming the kidnapper’s house sequence.

R84, if you were Erin you would’ve been dead a LONG time ago because of your scheming ways!

Does ANYONE care about ME?!

who actually has a physical photo in this day and age?

For those who found Ryan preposterous as the murderer, I'd remind you that when he went to find Erin he was intending to scare her away from his father's entanglement with the gun, he wasn't intending to kill her. And he'd been presented as an overly-sensitive boy in a very troubled home whose nerves were constantly on edge.

However, I feel that seeing that scene with little (or no?) dialogue wasn't good enough. I really had hoped they would re-introduce Erin to the viewer in flashback in the finale and we'd see more scenes of her that had been withheld.

I'n sure there's bonus footage with six more twists. Erin killed herself and Ryan pretended to kill her to save her from shaming her father in the church!! But before Erin killed herself, she unwittingly drank hemlock that her father put into a Sprite can to punish her for being a dirty whore!

Ryan screaming "leave my family alone" to Erin... isn't she like a close part of his family?

As noted, in real life, the coroner would have told Mare early on that Erin was killed by a person of her own height by gunshot in close range. That would immediately cut down the number of suspects, including John, but I get that they wanted constant red herrings so people would not guess the killer. And if Erin was shot twice, the second bullet would have been in her body.

I wish the scene where Mare and Lori were at Brandywine Park they showed them heading home by walking, even it if was a long one. Something to establish that the park was somewhat near the residential area, which I feel it wasn’t. I guess it’s possible that Sharp’s Woods and Brandywine Park are on the edges of opposite sides of the town, yet still accessible for Erin and Ryan to be riding bikes to them, from about a seven mile epicenter of the distance.

R95 she's his second cousin. But anyone would make the distinction of immediate family

The ACCURATE dialogue would have been, "Leave my immediate nuclear family alone, second cousin Erin!!! Bang! Gasp! Bang! Splat!"

So there were two bullets shot, one was in the tree, the other was?

One bullet shot off her finger.

The other bullet killed her but they don’t tell us this until the end.

Worse coroner ever.

What's going to screw DJ up the most:

I'm an incest baby.

My brother killed my mother.

My father stripped my mother's body and dumped her in the river.

Growing up in Easttown where everyone knows all these things.

R102, at least Dylan didn’t smother him.

I *think* the bullet in the tree is the one that shot off her finger? They never mention what happened to the second bullet, but I assume it would be inside her. They never said that she was shot twice until the end.

I definitely remember hearing that she had her finger shot earlier in the season

The finale was very good. After the ending, there was an extra of the all actors speaking about the series. Most were British and one was Australian. The Brits always nail American speak...and even got in the Philly accent, which would be from that area. I'll have to sit and binge watch this again.

Right, but not that she was shot twice and the second bullet killed her. That was only revealed at the end.

That behind the scenes was too jolly.

One point worth noting is Ryan's sister has Down's. Kids with handicapped siblings tend to be much more sensitive and much more protective of their families. One of Beto O'Rourke's younger sisters is mentally handicapped. He talked at length about how the family closed ranks to protect her and he knew from a very early age that he would eventually become responsible for her after the death of his parents. I imagine the same dynamic played out in the Ross family and Ryan already considered himself responsible for holding the family together.

Someone finding the finger is what lead them to Brandywine Park in the first place, that’s how they got to the murder location. The dogs (and Colin) were right that her body was dragged to the bridge and hid for a short time.

Ryan and Baby DJ will be Dataloungers

The kid would have a better chance with Dylan and Dylan's parents.

The kid is fucked, because the whole town knows his backstory. That would not have changed when being raised by Dylan's parents. The murder investigation brought it all to light.

One would hope they move to a new town.

Yeah, the best thing for DJ would be an out of state closed adoption. But John "needs" his abused wife to raise him

Ah, besides praising MoE it gives a nice shout out to Cruel Summer. It’s on tonight and has a just a few more episodes to wrap up. It’s very different, but satisfying nonetheless, especially for the 90s nostalgia and of course DL poster boy Froy. There’s also a sweet secret gay relationship between the jock and nerdy Black boy.

Well, weirdly DJ is double family, so it’s not like they’re going to let him go.

[quote] Pinning it on the kid just seemed sad. Supposedly he was affected by his father’s infidelity at age 7 or 8: to the point he flipped out at 13.

No R59 he flipped out because he shot and killed Erin. Did you watch the show? Erins death happens at the beginning of the story. We don’t see Ryan flip out until a couple of episodes after Erin is already dead. I guess you expect a 13yr old boy who commits accidental murder to be more hardcore.

He shot her twice. How was this an accident? Maybe the finger but he deliberately shot her dead the second time.

The location of Brandywine Park has been driving my mom crazy. Her one point of contention is that the park was too far for Erin to ride her bike to (13 miles according to Mare) but NOT too far for Ryan to bike to and still get there before Erin and the Deacon.

I tried to convince her that the woods and the park are on opposite sides of Easttown and that Frank’s party was closer to the park.

She tried to accept that...

[quote] [R66], fine I didn't say it well, but I have watched a kazillion British detective stories, and series, and Scandinavian, and German, and French, and Mare was a cut above the usual American fare.

And yet, literary scholars agreed an American (Edgar Allan Poe) invented the modern detective story, and Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett are imitated endlessly by Europeans.

Go figure!

I still can’t believe this was over $1,800 for ear surgery. If they only had saved their pennies and waited for their stimulus checks.

R119 if you watched the final episode and did not understand what happened then I’m not going to waste my time trying to explain it. It was all right there on the tv.

It’s fine. It just didn’t seem like an accident which is why he is in Juvenile Hall.

Kate wants MORE!

What could season 2 possibly be about? Mare of Berkeley? Investigating a rape/murder on her daughter's campus? With special guest appearance by Det. Olivia Benson?

Yes. Maybe it would have to be her investigating a crime in a completely different town. These characters like Lori and John are way too grim for a return.

They should learn from Big Little Lies and quit while they're aheda

[quote] You mean Billy. :) I liked the way the actor played it. Billy has his own problems, always being made to feel he was irrelevant and that his life didn’t matter.

Yes. I joked earlier about Billy not having seen Godfather II, but really, Billy IS Fredo. He even knew it was his role for John to shoot him.

The way Ryan and DJ's arcs were written left a lot more to be desired, though. If Ryan wanted to scare Erin with the gun - a reasonable idea from a kid like him - why not dump out the ammo first? And why "panic"? Erin was never going to shoot him once she'd disarmed him. The worst she could've done was out him later for menacing her with a gun, which in Easttown would probably only get him an hour on the Naughty Step. Likewise, even in Easttown the authorities would never have given DJ to the Ross family, which was a split second away from Duelling Banjos. Dylan's parents probably would've had the brains to take both their children and leave for greener pastures while the going was good. Dylan is going to be in jail in ten minutes otherwise.

I did think Drew's real mother was beautifully written as well as acted.

I also noticed the haircut on Katie Bailey. We never found out anything about her kidnapper.

Maybe he was a fine hairdresser, driven to madness by living among the hair stylings of Easttown?

R98 Second cousin? She was his cousin.

Wasn't the little girl with down syndrome adopted by Lori and John?

R131 no. Her father and his father are first cousins. Erin and Ryan are second cousins.

R132 I believe she was their natural child, unless I missed something

It’s only a TV show, but I don’t think Erin would be charging Ryan after her finger was blown off. She would be on the ground crying.

[quote] What could season 2 possibly be about? Mare of Berkeley? Investigating a rape/murder on her daughter's campus? With special guest appearance by Det. Olivia Benson?

Mare in WaWa. Duh!

The entire second season will take place in that magical place that has been sullied by a vicious ... MURDER! *gasp*

Kate will spare off with new, special guest cast member Olivia Colman as special needs WaWa store cleaning lady and Meryl Streep as no-nonsense security guard who gets territorial with Mare.

R135 security guards are only in city Wawas...and eventually they get shut down

Sorry, Kate will be sparring with ...

And then Meryl can reintroduce “the scream”. So embarrassed for her that she did that. And with a dental insert. Nicole should’ve slapped her in every scene.

Though R134, she did know she’d been fucking his father and given birth to his half-brother. She might’ve been motivated by guilt, knowing she was in the wrong, about to get her comeuppance.

This is a good re-watch. It only occurred to me while re-watching that Mare ended up in church at the end, after being so vociferously against it from the beginning. Deacon Dan wins!

Does Dawn work at a WaWa? In episode 4, I think when Tony thinks he’s intimidating Mare while she pays for gas and Dawn says, “Leave her alone,” Mare does unwrap a hoagie in the very next scene. Was that a WaWa or did she stop somewhere else on the way home?

R141 I'm thinking Dawn works at a rather depressing mom & pop kind of place.

WaWa's are much more brightly lit than that place-

Season 2 - tired concepts:

oxycodone - fentanyl

environmental dangers and developers/big evil corporations

sexism and racism in local law enforcement

town / gown conflict -- rich vs. working class -- educated vs. deplorable

undocumented residents

spooky shit

Mare Takes Manhattan! (This would be a crossover with the Sex And The City reboot.)

Mare Vs. Zombies!

CSI: Mare!

Mare-ish!

Mare's Got Talent!

[quote] Mare Takes Manhattan! (This would be a crossover with the Sex And The City reboot.)

Neigh! NEIGH!

Still, the biggest WTF twist of this entire show... There is no way in HELL that the guy playing Deacon Dan is only 32. he absolutely MUST be in his mid-40's.

You’re thinking of Deacon Mark played by James McArdle, right?

I watched Broadchurch this past week killing time for the finale and the first season was really strong. And I’d love to see Happy Valley, but it doesn’t seem to be streaming anywhere at present. Why are the British supposed masters of the genre?

Yes. The McArdle Deacon. I don't understand how he could be physically 32...

Well, finally an admission about what it was, but not really a clear explanations about what happened.

I saw James McArdle as Louis in the NFT revival of Angels in America. He was good but not very Jewish.

The show was great and I appreciate the effort in making it. Kate and Jean deserve Emmys. But there were frustrating plot holes.

Old guy says his revolver went missing and then reappeared. But obviously old guy didn’t check his storage shed in the middle of the night as Ryan took it and put it back on the night of the murder.

Mare’s dark-root hair isn’t grown out by the last episode. What an unbelievable oversight.

Baby DJ is with Lori. Come on, no CPS placement would allow that.

Mare had to be under investigation for accompanying Collin. And Collin doing an in-house interview alone with no paper trace or backup? That’s not real life.

I do hope there is a season 2 with DJ being raised by Kenny and a loving new wife, Mare back to her brown hair color hanging with Guy, Siobhan loving Cali, Dylan in community college studying a trade, and Ryan making upstanding friends in juvie. I want a season 2 just to hear that accent.

Jiiiimmmmmmaaaay!

I never need to see most of these underwritten characters again. If they all had to be followed It would only result in a very far-fetched pot with more holes than Swiss cheese.

R121, we are talking two different mediums. You cite Literature, I am citing TV shows.

[quote] But obviously old guy didn’t check his storage shed in the middle of the night as Ryan took it and put it back on the night of the murder.

He told Mare that he got spooked by the prowler that night and went to the shed to get his gun, and it was gone.

R153 😂😂😂😂😂 Dying you scummy motherfucker.

Plot ideas

Siobhan murdered in Oakland and Mare must work with Detectives Benjamin Bratt and Tessa Thompson who find Mare annoying.

Lori disappears and Mare takes in all of Lori’s children while she works the case,. Meryl Streep stars as Lori’s bipolar mother who screams out secrets and has always hated Mare.

A hot detective (Eric Bana) comes to town and tells Mare there are related kidnappings in another nearby town. Mare realizes they did not investigate the Easttown kidnapper, including associates he had in other cities. Mare drinks heavily when her mom kills her grandson in a boating accident. Mare is interested in Eric Bana but he is a vegetarian and finds her too fat.

Timothee as her new partner/boy toy. Their heterosexual lovemaking will be SCORCHING!

For me, it's quite different R154 (and maybe others). I really enjoyed the week by week broadcast - I was very engaged with this series, I think almost unlike anything I've watched before (excluding binge watches here, which I tend to consume like Chinese food). I remember catching up with Big Little Lies, S01, a few episodes in and I did look forward to the remaining ones as they were originally broadcast. I did like Sharp Objects but that was like "appointment" television that I had to set a reminder for. I think because my people are from PA (though I didn't grow up there but I've returned regularly throughout my lifetime for proper, annual family reunions), I think I really felt drawn to this - I've always liked Kate Winslet and the 1st episode, as brutal as it is, held out a lot of promise. By the time the 2nd episode aired, I was watching each episode about three times and started re-watching Winslet's body of work, in between episodes. I have really looked forward to each one and was not disappointed.

The binge watch of this - and knowing the outcome - is really satisfying precisely because the characters are so well drawn and there is immense grief in this community. That really pulls me in. Knowing the outcome actually makes a lot of these characters even more interesting because you see the other things that are motivating their behaviour. For instance, Brianna trying to hang onto Dylan, and his rejection of her motivating her to see him in a different light. Or when Mare recklessly charges over to Frank's to question him about Erin and you think, how much of this is about being a detective (a lot) and how much of this is about wrecking his relationship with Faye? The motivations are complex. Knowing that certain characters have nothing to do with the murder, reveals motivations that seem more indigenous to Easttown. I think as the writer Brad Ingelsby intended, these characters show each other a lot of mercy - whether it's Dawn protecting Beth from what her brother put her through (how could Beth possibly bear that?) or Mare's wordless acceptance of Tony Delrasso's apology and gratitude for her, etc. Mare recounting the death of her son or the way Helen, who admits she wasn't a very good mother to Mare, is always at the ready to be there for her now, however spikey she may be. There are so many terrific scenes to enjoy, both comic and dramatic (I'll just never recover from "I had an affair with Helen Fahey"); little moments to enjoy like when Mare says to Frank something like, "I guess I'm a shoo-in to be the Maid of Honour" and Frank looks at her and says, "Not a chance in hell." That's actually quite a complex exchange. It's good writing.

The one place they do overegg the genre tropes is in Episode 6 when Dylan and his friend are chasing down Jess and Dylan pulls a gun on her. While it's true that Jess' continued revelations to the detectives are not helping Dylan at that moment, that just feels tonally off and it never comes to anything. Otherwise, y'know, the centre holds.

There is that one speech that Mr. Carroll gives in Episode 7, which has already been clarified accurately above but he goes into that speech saying, "Ever since Betty died...." and then he does refer back to the morning when Mare came by because Betty's granddaughter saw the pervert in the backyard so he resets the timeline to the day of Erin's death, when Betty was still alive. But it's an odd way into it and one wonders if the actor himself improvised the beginning or if the writers thought that was a good segue from their conversation about grief to his present concern. (Though I thought he phoned her over to talk about grief.)

(cont.)

The only other thing, for me, is: "Because he co-operated fully, Billy Ross will be paroled in June." Prior to the revelation about Ryan, what would Billy have been charged with when it was thought John accidentally killed Erin? So John threw his brother under the bus and said Billy helped him move the body? I suppose Mare would've said, "Lori told me you said your father saw Billy the night of the murder covered in blood. What was that about?" But couldn't John have just said, "I made that up to make it look like Billy did it" or something. Anyway, Billy Ross will be out on parole in June for whatever he's been charged with.

Did the DA decide not charge Lori for obstruction of justice on compassionate grounds so she could care for her daughter and DJ (and Ryan, when he gets out of juvi)? Isn't she part of a conspiracy here? It is possible she was shown some leniency, at least in the context of this story. They showed her some mercy as a mother her loves her son fiercely.

The big thing is they should've cut that sequence with Dylan and Jess in Episode 6 and it would've seemed less muddled. Still, a lot of great stuff here. (Like how perfect was the casting of the young prostitute who escaped from the killer's van? And Colin Zabel's great scenes, both drunk and when he finally kisses Mare? And all his grimacing throughout like when Patty Delrasso greets them at the restaurant and says, "Dinner for two?" and he smiles and then quickly wipes it away.)

[quote] he kidnapping story arc was a cheap pulpy writing, conception, and mis-en-scene.

Oh, dear!

Get a blog, R160. Jeez!

R160/161 you are asking more questions than I did! I cannot wait to rewatch this series while keeping your post in my mind.

I so hope there is a season 2!

R163 - learn to scroll past posts you’re not interested. I do it ALL THE TIME.

You could dislocate a finger scrolling past the pretentious drivel at R160.

Yes, the "immense grief in this community" "really pulls me in", too!

I'd be afraid another season of Mare would end up like True Detective 2 and 3 which were disasters.

R168 DITTO

Season 2 should be a prequel starring Evan Peters and his ass.

[quote] The bad girl who beat up Erin demandeda lawyer many times and was intimidated by Mare every time.

I so wanted to see Mare beat that belligerent little hussy's ass.

Damn I did not realize that was the same actor from Man In The Orange Shirt!

Just caught up on this show. Sad I missed out on four complete threads about it!

Damn -- Nobody plays rubenesque matron romantically paired with boyish twink better than Kate Winslet!

Hey R166 - as Mare would say to Sandra Elliot: Fuck off.

If you'd followed the threads before posting, R172, you would have known back on May 21.

[quote]James McArdle who played the priest was in The Man in the Orange Shirt.

And the mare you rode sidesaddle in on, R174.

fucking pissed they killed off her cute cop guy buddy.

mare was one fugly slog.

it was an ok thriller

R176, I agree. I mean if they were planning a second season, keeping him alive would have allowed the dramatic tension to build between him, Mare & Richard.

American Horror Story: Mare

Starring Evan Peters as Colin Zabel/Tate Langdon

Mare Winningham

And Kate Winslet

R168 Third season of True Detective was brilliant. Acclaimed by fans and critics. So what the fuck are you talking about?

There should be no season two. This is not that type of a show. They should leave it as it is. But knowing Americans, how they love milking the cow dry and how they ruined countless shows that started good cause they didn't know when to stop...or didn't wanted to, I can already see them making a season two

R176 Calling Kate Winslet ugly? Sure. While you probably look like Danny DeVito

MARE! The Musical

[quote] Wasn't the little girl with down syndrome adopted by Lori and John?

[quote] I believe she was their natural child, unless I missed something

Yeah, i also think she was their biologcal child. The show never made any mentions of her being adopted.

was there for evan peters.....now he gone, fukkit.

winslet is gross

Mare of Easttown’s epic themes are more fitting of a opera then a musical. A lot of plot would need to be streamlined, but I think it could still work.

Would have been a more intriguing plot with more believable possibilities if Erin had been beaten to death. Then the big reveal could come when finding the busted cafeteria tray inexplicably planted at Freddie's house.

Mare used that tray on Wayne Potts so she and Ryan had that in common.

Then she saved that tray for little Drew to use as a sled during the next big snowstorm.

This is great news, I would rather see him get thrown money to create new shows then Rhimes, Murphy or Weiner. His three movies all come off as labors of love and despite having some star power must have been struggles to get made. Maybe he continue to focus on the region, I would love to see a show taking place on the Philly Mainline, like Bloodlines, where the local environment shapes the story and with perhaps a wealthy and blue collar family intertwining.

[quote] I would rather see him get thrown money to create new shows then Rhimes, Murphy or Weiner.

I agree with this. i also think Rhimes is overrated as fuck and most of her shows are shitty. She doesn't seem to get called out on things as much as Ryan Murphy does.

[quote] Still, the biggest WTF twist of this entire show... There is no way in HELL that the guy playing Deacon Dan is only 32. he absolutely MUST be in his mid-40's.

Maybe he has Angela Lansbury/WIlfred Brimley syndrome.

[quote] But knowing Americans, how they love milking the cow dry and how they ruined countless shows that started good cause they didn't know when to stop

You mean like "Absolutely Fabulous"?

Whoops! That's one of yours! Okay. how about like "Downton Abbey"?

R193 "Whoops! That's one of yours" What the hell are blabbering about?

When Ryan grows up, he can move to a red state and run for political office where he will most certainly be elected by a landslide.

Don't laugh...take a look around.

Just give the Best Sound Editing Emmy to whoever worked on the scene where Colin's mom slaps Mare twice. I practically tasted it!

Will Kate have a meltdown if she loses at the Emmys?

R196 Only if Julianne gets one and she doesn’t.

Shonda at her best is good soap opera, she's had her moments but like Murphy she gets off track because no one can edit her.

Can anyone explain the structure of this article, which I think is being complimentary, but I’m not quite sure?

Anyone else sad there’s no episode tonight?

Kate Winslet is just a master…..I thought she was good in Contagion also.

IMO, Kate will be seriously pissed if Amy Adams gets one. That woman in the window is pure garbage.

I wanna see the reaction on Kate's face when Julianne wins an Emmy and she loses. LOL she'll never work with Julianne again.

R202 But one is a movie, the other a tv show. Can they be nominated in the same category?

R204 no. And everyone agrees that Amy's movie is garbage (and I love her) but it SUCKED

Julianne Nicholson deserve an Emmy nomination. I hope she doesn't get snubbed.

IMO, it's Jean Smart that deserves an award. She and Kate. Julianne was fine, but Jean snatched any discussion of awards right out from under her.

Mare of Easttown is going to get a slew of Emmy noms and will probably win Limited Series, Writing, Directing, Best Supporting Actress, maybe even Best Supporting Actor.

As deserving as she is, it will be a miracle if Winslet actually wins. People seem to think Anya Taylor-Joy can act and even if the buzz for her as cooled since the earlier awards season, there are also deserving actresses like Michaela Cole and Thuso Mbedu who will likely be included. I just can’t see voters bypassing a minority win to award Winslet. Maybe they will. I doubt she will care, as she has assumed more of a leadership role amongst women in the industry and, y’know, doesn’t even know where her Oscar is anymore.

What impact does the fact that Jean Smart’s role was basically a comic relief one in a heavy drama have on her being nominated/winning? Is the award for “dramatic performance” or “performance in a drama?”

[quote] Mare of Easttown is going to get a slew of Emmy noms and will probably win Limited Series, Writing, Directing, Best Supporting Actress, maybe even Best Supporting Actor.

Dear Lord, not writing

R210 Why not, from the standpoint of original story, complex thriller, ability to set a scene and create a distinct world it did phenomenal well?

I stopped watching. Did Evan Peters end up eating Mare's snatch?

R212 Not after losing half his face.

Nice IG Live/Variety Q&A with Kate looking gorgeous.

Why did they spend so much time on Mare’s daughter? For a minute I thought she was the killer because they gave her so much screen time.

R208 "People seem to think Anya Taylor-Joy can act" Probably cause she can.

Fair enough, R216. And she has a far warmer personality than what she’s been allowed to portray on screen.

But she was mostly asked to model and pose in The Queen’s Gambit which had about as much life as a comic strip. Even in actual scenes, her character was often “some place else”. It didn’t require much proper acting; she was part of a larger image and production design, like a prop, an object. Not really a character.

^^ For instance, despite all the drugs and alcohol she consumed, she was never asked to portray the effects of that in any kind of believable way. Certainly not the effects we know those substances cause.

These actors are all white so they can't win next year. Didn't you old coots get the memo?

[quote] Did Evan Peters end up eating Mare's snatch?

According to Winslet he would order the Gobbler hoagie at Wawa, eat it and then pass out before she got any action.

A number of sources are making predictions for a Julianne nomination with her pulling it out of her ass in the last episode.

I assume all these interviews are basically a “for your consideration” video for the Emmys, but it gives lots of background and insight into the show.

This has a link to read the first episode script, it’s really brilliant, I don’t understand the person who said that the writing was weak.

Comprehensive breakdown of the Zabel drunk bar scene.

[quote]Why not, from the standpoint of original story, complex thriller, ability to set a scene and create a distinct world it did phenomenal well?

The writing was mediocre.

Made me like Kate Winslet, the grown out roots and natural look was good for the character.

What a boring show. My partner is watching it now, and we are on episode 5. After episode 4, I looked up what happened on Wikipedia.

BORING!

R228 that was a fun read, thanks for sharing-

Evan leads the Emmy pack.

r227 boring people are bored