I was wondering if he was used to directing his melodramas on stage where audience reacts and pauses in dialogue *can* work better than on TV. (SPeaking of, I admit I'm curious how closely this is based on his play of the same title.)

Ha I just watched this episode--and spot on.

Wyatt is utterly completely unlikeable (and I usually feel sympathetic to the jerky troubled characters). Celine still in full on bitch mode (why did she get Hannah the job anyway?) And then just more of Tyler Perry's dialogue. The actual dialogue is bad enough but he doesn't seem to realize how to edit. Even the worse soap writers don't draw out everything with a question or comment.

"What do you think of me?"

"What do you mean?

"What I said--what do you think of me?"

"In what way?"

"In any way"

"Hrmmm."

"Well?"

(that's a direct quote. I mean c'mon maybe the episodes would be too short but you could cut half of that and have the exact same meaning. The poor actors must have to take sedatives on the set to maintain their pace.)

You forgot to mention that the camera cuts between close-ups with each line.

I can't decide whether it's more silent film or very early sound film.

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by Vee

Just go ahead and hook Jeffrey up with Wyatt and be done with it. Very intimate dialogue between these two. The kind not often seen between two men on soaps. I'm surprised that Wyatt would even ask Jeffrey what he thought of him, given what he knows about Jeffrey. That said, I did like their loving exchange with each other.

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by Vanguardian

That won't be happening, IMO - Tyler Perry is deeply closeted and deeply self-loathing. The man put a [!@#$%^&*] '70s Paul Lynde caricature in the equally hilarious and terrible Why Did I Get Married? films, where all his misogynistic, hyper-religious pathology is even more on display than it is here. A fat middle-aged white man with a poodle and an ascot - in like 2010.

Tyler Perry's alleged closetedness and self-loathing sounds rather unfortunate. Jeffrey and Wyatt are characters he could really capitalize on in this regard. They're practically a couple already.

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by Vanguardian

You forgot to mention that the camera cuts between close-ups with each line.

I can't decide whether it's more silent film or very early sound film.

Yes! I think I mentioned that back in ep 1 but it really gives the show a weird feeling. I guess it's a directing trait--instead of typical soap closeups where you usually see a bit of who they are talking to, etc--but in this way they cut back and forth with the characters often looking directly at the camera and I find it creepy or something.

The gaps between lines do make me think of early sound film. Though with the constant, never ending tinkling music--if they just added intertitles instead of the gaps I suppose it would be silent film.

ANd that ending! Wyatt (why is he even on the show when he's not shirtless?) sorta apologizes to Jeffrey,but then takes it back, but then apologizes,and then while Jeffrey is still there goes to his computer to look at porn or escorts or something--because he seems obsessed with computer escort sites now and no longer drugs or booze--and Jeffrey finally just sorta slinks away--until they find Candy's dead-eye escort advertisement (she looks like a sex doll in bad lingerie.

Some of the gender stuff confounds me to (no big shock, it is Perry.) Like in the previous episode, that church woman that Hannah tricks to set up with her son. She comes to the door saying that Hannah asked her to make her a lunch (weird friendship but ok...) Apparently she made roast beef, cobbler, you know wholesome food all for lunch and specifically for this lunch--not dinner leftovers. But she can't eat it herself because she is too busy working. ANd the food was used as a trap to lure her son in? Ugh.

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by EricMontreal22

Just go ahead and hook Jeffrey up with Wyatt and be done with it. Very intimate dialogue between these two. The kind not often seen between two men on soaps. I'm surprised that Wyatt would even ask Jeffrey what he thought of him, given what he knows about Jeffrey. That said, I did like their loving exchange with each other.

Loving? Wyatt said he didn't liek people laughing at his friends, Jeffrey hears for the first time ever that they're friends, then he makes a comment about Wyatt caring and Wyatt says he doesn't. The end.

That won't be happening, IMO - Tyler Perry is deeply closeted and deeply self-loathing. The man put a [!@#$%^&*] '70s Paul Lynde caricature in the equally hilarious and terrible Why Did I Get Married? films, where all his misogynistic, hyper-religious pathology is even more on display than it is here. A fat middle-aged white man with a poodle and an ascot - in like 2010.

So far, anyway, I think he does think he's doing a "good" and earnest gay storyline. But there's nothing groundbreaking here (I can't really comment on this, but one tv and movie blog about race said that there's also the cliche of the gay black son being preppy and rich.) It's also all played weird--Jeffrey's mom acts like she's going to have her son killed of he sleeps with a man, but Kathryn and Hannah just laugh about how hysterical it is she doesn't know with comedy music in the background.

Tyler Perry's alleged closetedness and self-loathing sounds rather unfortunate. Jeffrey and Wyatt are characters he could really capitalize on in this regard. They're practically a couple already.

I agree that they seem to be the most couple-ish of anyone on the show--I suspect Perry would deny that, though.

Maybe teens would talk that way in real life....but they're not teens. And the editing makes it sound way too stilted. You shouldn't hear crickets chirping between nearly each and every response either. There was one that seemed like five seconds long. That's forever in tv time. It's almost like Perry is leaving in space for a tv laugh track...only this ain't a comedy. At least not an intentional one.

I hate to sound like a downer all the time, so I will give one positive comment. If Tyler Perry does nothing more than relaunch Crystal Fox's acting career, that is a good thing. It's clear she deserves it.

That scene was driving me nuts. Crystal and the actress, who portrays Hannah are the strongest performers on this show. I hope that both of their careers are relaunched.

ETA: The possibility of Wyatt and Jeffrey being a couple would be capitalized on, if the show was in the hands of another EP and writer.

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by difficultdiva

Loving? Wyatt said he didn't liek people laughing at his friends, Jeffrey hears for the first time ever that they're friends, then he makes a comment about Wyatt caring and Wyatt says he doesn't. The end.

No, it's not the end! At least I don't think so. It's all too clear that Wyatt is just a hot head who doesn't want to be seen as sentimental, let alone anything else. You also have to ask: Since when did Wyatt consider he and Jeffrey friends? Wyatt practically threatened to blackmail Jeffrey about being gay early on. That's hardly friendly.

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by Vanguardian

That scene was driving me nuts. Crystal and the actress, who portrays Hannah are the strongest performers on this show. I hope that both of their careers are relaunched.

ETA: The possibility of Wyatt and Jeffrey being a couple would be capitalized on, if the show was in the hands of another EP and writer.

So Jeffrey's purpose for his entire duration on the show is to follow Wyatt around like a puppy that wants to be taken home and to be Wyatt's babysitter at the same time? Whatever Tyler Perry's mindset is, I'd hope he'd have something slightly more interesting in mind for ALL of these characters.

So Jeffrey's purpose for his entire duration on the show is to follow Wyatt around like a puppy that wants to be taken home and to be Wyatt's babysitter at the same time? Whatever Tyler Perry's mindset is, I'd hope he'd have something slightly more interesting in mind for ALL of these characters.

LOL. Sadly, I do think that Jeffrey will be the "sad, lonely and in denial" guy for a bit longer. I don't think that Perry has the plan of Wyatt slowly falling for Jeffrey. I think, we'll see some new guy introduced, that has an instant attraction to Jeffrey right before the first season (or series) finale.

Crystal Fox is a really good actress, but she left me scratching my head at the dinner table with Benny's father. She went from 0 to 5 million in less than a second. The way she went off was crazy and it should gradually progressed to that. It wasn't a good scene at all, and I think we should have had more build to "this reveal". Introduce him at the beginning of the eppy and then tell us who he is at the end. Not enough is being done with Benny for us to care. And they sure did pick someone who looks like he could have spit Benny out himself.

And are we going to have two pappy reveals? What about Candace's father?

LOL. Sadly, I do think that Jeffrey will be the "sad, lonely and in denial" guy for a bit longer. I don't think that Perry has the plan of Wyatt slowly falling for Jeffrey. I think, we'll see some new guy introduced, that has an instant attraction to Jeffrey right before the first season (or series) finale.

And then in typical soap fashion, Wyatt gets jealous of Jeffrey getting lots of attention from the new boy toy. HAHA! Also, I nominate Blair Underwood to play Candace's father.

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by Vanguardian

ALL of you are going to hell for putting me on Toilet Paper's defense team. That is all.