i'm like, so the right candidate for watching this show
― surm, Tuesday, 26 February 2013 16:28 (eleven years ago) link
I caught up on this a couple of weeks ago and now I'm behind again :(
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 26 February 2013 16:30 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.vulture.com/2013/02/mike-white-on-enlightened-tough-road-to-season-three.html
― just sayin, Wednesday, 27 February 2013 20:21 (eleven years ago) link
I keep wanting to love this but I just don't.
― Simon H., Wednesday, 27 February 2013 20:40 (eleven years ago) link
the play of emotions in the last big scene in the episode, where there's this dawning revelation that she's just caught in mid-air was fantastic.
― s.clover, Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:27 (eleven years ago) link
looks like we can officially change the thread title to "seasons 1-2" :(
― steaklife (donna rouge), Tuesday, 19 March 2013 23:50 (eleven years ago) link
WTF!!
― kate78, Wednesday, 20 March 2013 00:28 (eleven years ago) link
:( :(
― surm, Wednesday, 20 March 2013 16:24 (eleven years ago) link
when we watched the s 2 finale it did seem verrrrry, like, done
but i just thought it was bc it was the s 2 finale
but then my boyfriend was like, you know i think that was it
i think it's over
i'm still actually pretty sad. i don't get into new shows that much anymore. this actually had a meaning, a depth.
This will probably be replaced in the line-up next winter by Mike Judge's Silicon Valley show.
― Cunga, Wednesday, 20 March 2013 16:26 (eleven years ago) link
as soon as i heard the v/o echoed the one from the pilot i was p sure it was over
would have loved to see more but it doesn't feel unfinished
― open the blood gates (elmo argonaut), Wednesday, 20 March 2013 16:27 (eleven years ago) link
I'm still excited to watch this, I'd always been meaning to but there are only so many hours in the day and all. Was really enthused after hearing Mike White's WTF interview.
― i kant believe it's not buffon (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 20 March 2013 16:28 (eleven years ago) link
dern is just an A+ actress, like not one moment was she out of character. scene where newspaper guy broke up with her o_O :( :|
― surm, Wednesday, 20 March 2013 16:30 (eleven years ago) link
I shotgunned both seasons of this in about a week and loved it. Just beautifully written, and acted. I'm okay with it ending, though. Not everything needs to carry on for years and years, and this story felt like it had been told. I'm more keen to see what Mike White does next.
― DavidM, Thursday, 21 March 2013 16:18 (eleven years ago) link
according to white s3 would've been her dealing with all the lawsuits
― steaklife (donna rouge), Thursday, 21 March 2013 16:39 (eleven years ago) link
oh that would have been so great.
― s.clover, Thursday, 21 March 2013 17:15 (eleven years ago) link
Just watched the finale. I'm glad Eileen seems to want to give Tyler another chance. May be a good place to end, as long as MW continues to produce shows.
I don't think a season of law suit action would be very involving, tbh.
― nickn, Friday, 22 March 2013 04:09 (eleven years ago) link
i preferred the slower pace of the first season actually. loved the dreamy episodes most of all.
― s.clover, Friday, 22 March 2013 05:57 (eleven years ago) link
How would we diagnose Amy Jellicoe?
― Leon Septamost, Friday, 6 September 2013 04:59 (ten years ago) link
why would you want to
― your authentic guitar playing self (elmo argonaut), Friday, 6 September 2013 11:20 (ten years ago) link
― Leon Septamost, Friday, September 6, 2013 12:59 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
with science?
― "Dave Barlow" is the name Lou uses on sabermetrics baseball sites (s.clover), Friday, 6 September 2013 18:35 (ten years ago) link
The show is about a protagonist who is suffering from some undefined mental illness, and I thought it'd be interesting to speculate about what, precisely, the fuck is wrong with her. And more to the point she reminds me a lot of my ex-girlfriend. So what is it? Manic depression? Borderline personality disorder? Extreme narcissist? Or just a good old fashioned fuck up?
― Leon Septamost, Monday, 9 September 2013 06:40 (ten years ago) link
nothing?
― "Dave Barlow" is the name Lou uses on sabermetrics baseball sites (s.clover), Monday, 9 September 2013 13:30 (ten years ago) link
i think she is suffering from a condition called ~lyfe~
― your authentic guitar playing self (elmo argonaut), Monday, 9 September 2013 13:33 (ten years ago) link
i really i don't think there's anything to support the idea that the character was written to have a specific mental illness or disorder. she's written as exceptionally human with deep flaws, lots of sorrow and anger, and some troubling behavioral issues, but she's also capable of deep insight, compassion, faith, and courage.
― your authentic guitar playing self (elmo argonaut), Monday, 9 September 2013 13:39 (ten years ago) link
I agree about her positive traits. That's what makes her so interesting. She is also on and off psych medications, has no impulse control, and is that person about whom everyone says "Oh shit, here she comes". I haven't seen season two, but watching her struggle, sometimes obliviously, through season one I wondered what particular blend of disorder causes her ongoing self defeat.
― Leon Septamost, Monday, 9 September 2013 18:41 (ten years ago) link
I agree that we don't really need to diagnose her with anything, but she is pretty histrionic, if you wanna play that.
― emilys., Thursday, 19 September 2013 07:44 (ten years ago) link
I just power watched the first two seasons and on the last two eps; this is absolutely amazing tv. wanna finish and then throw in my own two cents once i read the thread.
It's obvious why this didn't get renewed but damn, what a crime.
― ill never click this homo erotic site again (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 17 November 2013 04:36 (ten years ago) link
We just started this a couple of nights ago and are already into the second season. I feel that I may have unfairly dismissed Mike White after not being super crazy about Chuck & Buck because the writing here is amazing. And Laura Dern is amazing. And Diane Ladd is amazing, and I think the episode where she quietly wanders around the house seeing flashes of her past was one of the more amazing episodes of television that I've ever seen (and a perfect distillation of showing without telling).
― Ronald Raisins (Old Lunch), Thursday, 22 January 2015 14:58 (nine years ago) link
Realizing that I never reported back to mention that this was easily the best show I've seen in several years. Such a shame it hit the skids so soon.
Anyway, I rewatched the first episode the other night and it occurred to me how perfect it would be to play the Golden Girls theme over a montage of Amy and Krista's awkward interactions, naturally culminating in scenes from Krista's baby shower.
― An Automatic Response To Things That Are Bullshit (Old Lunch), Monday, 29 August 2016 12:21 (seven years ago) link
There's a theater up here where one can kludge together a Mike White doubleheader of BEATRIZ AT DINNER and THE EMOJI MOVIE (he's one of three people credited as a writer on the later; the other two are the movie's, uh, masterminds)
― maura, Saturday, 29 July 2017 17:39 (six years ago) link
whatever show you think is good is not actually as good as this show
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 11 January 2018 18:44 (six years ago) link
^^^
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 11 January 2018 18:49 (six years ago) link
Well, yeah.
I mean this might be in the all-time top ten for me. Insanely underrated/underdiscussed.
― the smartest persin in the room (Old Lunch), Thursday, 11 January 2018 19:25 (six years ago) link
rewatching my favorite show :D
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Saturday, 12 May 2018 17:31 (six years ago) link
thread title makes me sad :(
― 808s & Deep States (voodoo chili), Saturday, 12 May 2018 17:32 (six years ago) link
anyone else watching the White Lotus, first ep was intriguing, same feeling as Enlightened where I have no idea where this show is going
― self-clowning oven (Murgatroid), Tuesday, 13 July 2021 02:31 (two years ago) link
seriously phenomenal so far, where are my Mike White heads at
― self-clowning oven (Murgatroid), Monday, 19 July 2021 03:31 (two years ago) link
only watched 1st ep and i was v into it!
― just sayin, Monday, 19 July 2021 03:55 (two years ago) link
Watched ep 1 just now and liked it, based on your (Murg) rec, and I like Mike White.
― nickn, Monday, 19 July 2021 05:01 (two years ago) link
1st ep was great.
― Yours in Sorrow, A Schoolboy: (forksclovetofu), Monday, 19 July 2021 05:38 (two years ago) link
Yeah, I'm digging this. Not much of consequence has happened and I have no idea where it's going yet (and no idea what the elevator pitch could've possibly been), but I appreciate its slow unfolding. I can't imagine it lasting more than a single season (at least unless it becomes a sort of anthology) but I'll take what I can get while I get it.
― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch), Monday, 19 July 2021 11:17 (two years ago) link
it's a six-ep limited series
― self-clowning oven (Murgatroid), Monday, 19 July 2021 11:47 (two years ago) link
Ah, that makes sense. Unfortunately brief but understandable.
― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch), Monday, 19 July 2021 11:48 (two years ago) link
Oh also this show premiering prompted me to finally buy the Enlightened DVDs, only to discover that it's not just out of print but so out of print that new copies are scarce even on the secondary market. Such a shame, that show is just gonna be unceremoniously swallowed up by time.
― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch), Monday, 19 July 2021 11:51 (two years ago) link
thank u past self for buying them on sale at HMV
― self-clowning oven (Murgatroid), Monday, 19 July 2021 11:53 (two years ago) link
I KNOW A LOT OF RICH WHITE FUCKED-UP PEOPLE
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 20 July 2021 01:56 (two years ago) link
As a meditation on service industry it feels pretty sharp thus far
― Yours in Sorrow, A Schoolboy: (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 20 July 2021 04:04 (two years ago) link
this is a pretty great turn of events
absolutely thrilled to report that this man has a star turn in the white lotus...living well is the best revenge!!!! https://t.co/YjNc64CnwF— rachel syme (@rachsyme) July 19, 2021
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:16 (two years ago) link
i loved every second of this show & it should have its own thread frankly but it did feel a little off the way that quinn's story became more dominant over the course of the season culminating in being the final shot. like, "kid who is glued to screen and then is exposed to nature and has his world changed" is prob the least interesting social/cultural phenomenon being explored in the show, to me. i liked him running off at the end bcuz it sort of begs you to picture a version of home alone 4 being spun off from white lotus but ending the show w/ a shot of them all rowing in the canoe felt a bit ham handed to me. otherwise, no notes!
― J0rdan S., Monday, 16 August 2021 20:37 (two years ago) link
i actually thought there was an ambiguity in the final scene between rachel and shane, the way that rachel says "i'm going to be happy. don't worry about me. i will be happy." left me wondering whether she was referring to getting back into the relationship or her life after him, trying to make him feel like he wasn't to blame. but then i watched the little thing after the episode and mike white was talking about them being back together.
― J0rdan S., Monday, 16 August 2021 20:41 (two years ago) link
oh i missed that ambiguity but you're right, and I think the ambiguity works even if IN THAT MOMENT she has decided they're staying together, surely it's clear that the matter is not Now Settled For Good
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 16 August 2021 21:00 (two years ago) link
yeah quinn’s arc was a deep eyeroll for mealso i cant imagine having Quinn on the longboat crew helped at all except maybe as ballast lol
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 16 August 2021 21:05 (two years ago) link
new thread here: “Sorry That Chaise Is Taken. But You’re A Very Pretty Man”: A Thread for White Lotus on HBOMax
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 16 August 2021 21:16 (two years ago) link
xp As with everything White does I ask myself "what is NOT on screen (because it's not in Quinn's mind) about what the other canoe rowers actually think about Quinn?" Seems relevant and is part of the arc.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 16 August 2021 21:17 (two years ago) link
great thread title
if someone would maybe c&p all the convo itt over to the new thread aka the pineapple suite that would be great
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 16 August 2021 21:17 (two years ago) link
I can't think of any other series with such a bizarre POV and treatment of its main character. Are we meant to sympathize/empathize with her? Are we meant to agree with her? Is she a hero? If so then why is she so fucking annoying? Why does it so often seem like it is mocking her?
― akm, Thursday, January 31, 2013 10:54 PM (eight years ago) bookmarkflaglink
I am watching this show now and am about here^ with my assessment so a little confused. Also very amused there is a post from 2013 that is so exactly a print out of my current thoughts watching this.
― Evan, Monday, 23 August 2021 21:16 (two years ago) link
I kind of hate it when people say things like this, but: that ambiguity was the point of the show imo
― rob, Tuesday, 24 August 2021 13:06 (two years ago) link
That's kind of neat, but it's a weird experience!
― Evan, Tuesday, 24 August 2021 15:44 (two years ago) link
Beyond the ambiguity in and of itself, I think there is a point in there about the Catch-22 of intolerable people and obnoxious behavior being necessary in order to take a stand against the things in our world that are intolerable and obnoxious. But it has been a long time since I watched the show
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 24 August 2021 15:55 (two years ago) link
eh not really a catch-22. remove that part of the sentence
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 24 August 2021 15:58 (two years ago) link
it's a weird experience!
Definitely, it's a singular show. I haven't watched White Lotus yet so I don't know how similar they are, but I think Dern should get a lot of credit for why Enlightened is so striking, though I also think the supporting cast are all really great (I esp love the manager guy who was also on Undeclared).
intolerable people and obnoxious behavior being necessary in order to take a stand against the things in our world that are intolerable and obnoxious
Yes exactly. I think at a macro thematic level the show is about what it means to be good/ethical in a corrupt world where most people would prefer not to think about the bad/unethical. But then because it's not just a morality play, they smartly choose to make Dern's character complicated and not easy to root for. So you're forced to think through why you find her "fucking annoying"
― rob, Tuesday, 24 August 2021 16:23 (two years ago) link
my feelings about that show obviously changed after that post, and I'm more comfortable now with the ambiguity with which White treats his characters.
― akm, Tuesday, 24 August 2021 20:24 (two years ago) link
i loved this show, tempted to rewatch to see how MY feelings have changed
― think “Gypsy-Pixie” and misspelled. (We are a white family.) (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 24 August 2021 21:09 (two years ago) link
S1 e4 is good, Luke Wilson does coke in a motel and tells a long loud story about a dog jumping into a lake, then Laura dern hugs a pillow and starts crying
― calstars, Monday, 26 December 2022 18:22 (one year ago) link
haven't watched in forever but i do remember those luke wilson scenes playing a key role in making the whole show feel more light and floaty and surreal. so much more nuanced and hard to pin down than white lotus
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Monday, 26 December 2022 23:03 (one year ago) link
TIL mike white is the guy across from Dern at her work lol
― calstars, Sunday, 1 January 2023 14:07 (one year ago) link
also really enjoyed robin wright as hippie friend
― calstars, Sunday, 1 January 2023 14:09 (one year ago) link