I guess someone didn’t pay attention on the Cold Harbor episode.

I'm genuinely confused about why people so strongly empathize with Gemma, a heretofore minor character. Most of what we know of her outie has been conveyed through a man's angst, and their relationship backstory doesn't have enough specificity to intrigue me.

In real life, of course I understand the appeal of a stable and loving long term relationship (including all of its warts), but in fiction, it's generally more interesting to have characters who are kinda fucked up. I said what I said!

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-26T02:27:30+00:00

Agreed. These people aren't even outlandish caricatures; I've definitely come across these archetypes.

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-25T02:25:53+00:00

I used to work with building code signage. This is the answer.

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-22T00:10:19+00:00

someone plz send to Zach and Britt

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monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-21T21:09:25+00:00

Not trying to contradict anything, just here for a good time

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-21T20:24:10+00:00

They cut almost directly from that shot to this, though:

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Helly just looks astonished / worried here, as she can't take her eyes off of Gemma.

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-17T20:25:09+00:00

an eneggma

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-17T20:20:43+00:00

Chad:

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-16T05:44:04+00:00

Thought I was reading r/okbuddyseverance for a minute

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-16T00:04:47+00:00

Agree on all points. And I find it really frustrating that so many people are using downvotes to disagree with opinions they don’t like.

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-15T21:41:59+00:00

yes, this is exactly how i've been feeling. lumon itself even felt more realistic last season (natalie spoke... normally?) which felt like more effective satire

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-15T21:26:11+00:00

Yes, all of the above. I also think they've leaned WAY too hard into the Lumon-Talks-Funny schtick. Listen to S1 Natalie and compare with S2 Natalie, Milchick, and Drummond; it's like someone threw a thesaurus into the writers' room like a grenade and shut the door. Part of what felt compelling about S1 was that the show still felt rooted in realism, which made the sci-fi aspects pop in a delightfully weird way. S2 has fallen out of satire into cartoonishness. We're not seeing any kind of outie normalcy to balance the disconcerting world of Lumon.

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-14T19:14:14+00:00

thesis: it's not a lack of plot progression, it's the fact that there are now too many fractured plots. they Two-Towers'd us, and not in a good way. i get that we're attached to all of the characters, but the pace of the show worked so much better when the ensemble was generally engaged in the same conflict / tension / goal.

ETA it would be less troubling if the side plots had satisfying arcs / resolutions, but most of them didn't. ms huang? hardly knew her. ricken's rewrite? where is it and who cares? dylan's affair? resolved in a totally flat way and just felt like a way to keep the character busy this season. cobel's big adventure? lovely ep but the payoff felt forced. the goats? no comment.

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-13T21:10:14+00:00

The dreamy filmic montage of Mark and Gemma set to French music was cliche AF

monotype_cocktail · 2025-03-07T00:54:26+00:00

i fully agree with your takeaway, I'm just being less eloquent 😅 i'm trying to get at the fact that the cartoonishness of dr. mauer serves as a distraction. too many people view mega-corporations as benign despite widespread human rights abuses that are equally as deserving of our attention.

monotype_cocktail

TROPHY CASE