itt we talk about Enlightened on HBO, seasons 1-1000000

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.

looks like we can officially change the thread title to "seasons 1-2" :(

WTF!!

:( :(

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.

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

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.

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 :( :|

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.

according to white s3 would've been her dealing with all the lawsuits

oh that would have been so great.

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.

i preferred the slower pace of the first season actually. loved the dreamy episodes most of all.

How would we diagnose Amy Jellicoe?

why would you want to

why would you want to

How would we diagnose Amy Jellicoe?

― Leon Septamost, Friday, September 6, 2013 12:59 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

with science?

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?

nothing?

i think she is suffering from a condition called ~lyfe~

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.

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.

I agree that we don't really need to diagnose her with anything, but she is pretty histrionic, if you wanna play that.

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.

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).

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.

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)

whatever show you think is good is not actually as good as this show

^^^

Well, yeah.

I mean this might be in the all-time top ten for me. Insanely underrated/underdiscussed.

rewatching my favorite show :D

thread title makes me sad :(

anyone else watching the White Lotus, first ep was intriguing, same feeling as Enlightened where I have no idea where this show is going

seriously phenomenal so far, where are my Mike White heads at

only watched 1st ep and i was v into it!

Watched ep 1 just now and liked it, based on your (Murg) rec, and I like Mike White.

1st ep was great.

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.

it's a six-ep limited series

Ah, that makes sense. Unfortunately brief but understandable.

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.

thank u past self for buying them on sale at HMV

I KNOW A LOT OF RICH WHITE FUCKED-UP PEOPLE

As a meditation on service industry it feels pretty sharp thus far

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

What's bizarre about that is dude's apartment seems... fine? Like, I make a good living and that's pretty much what my Zoom background looks like, what is the great shame supposed to be here?

watched 2 episodes tonight. A+ amazing.

in addition to everything else that's great about the show, Cristobal Tapia de Veer is just doing exceptional work for the soundtrack

agreed. probably overdue for a devoted thread imo.

new thread here: “Sorry That Chaise Is Taken. But You’re A Very Pretty Man”: A Thread for White Lotus on HBOMax

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.

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

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.

I kind of hate it when people say things like this, but: that ambiguity was the point of the show imo

That's kind of neat, but it's a weird experience!

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

eh not really a catch-22. remove that part of the sentence

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"

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.

i loved this show, tempted to rewatch to see how MY feelings have changed

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

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

TIL mike white is the guy across from Dern at her work lol

also really enjoyed robin wright as hippie friend