AMC Week of August 26, 2013 Discussion Thread

[Jonathan]

He did. But I don't think that's him.

[Wizzerkat]

I think he's the one who BCT got to show him where Uri's girls were working.

[marceline]

Any complaint I had about episode 59 vanished at the sight of Myrtle. I love the fact that Zach carries a picture of her around with him.

They finally have me interested in Anders. I like the idea that he's the survivor of something that people should remember.

Did anybody else notice Rob's Boston accent reasserting itself when he yelled to Opal through the door? "Mom, I'll call you in the mohn-ning" I was laughing at Celia. Girl finally understands the man candy sitting in her hands. Go on and get yourself some, girl!

It's funny that I was thinking that AMC was handling the profanity thing really well in the last episode only to have this one feature that annoying editing.

[DramatistDreamer]

I thought I was the only one that finds that the editing out of expletives is so distracting! I realize that PP/TOLN felt the need to take action ASAP to pacify the Pearl Clutchers but it would have been less distracting to just leave it in and modify the language in the shooting scripts for Season 2.

For some reason, I was affected by Dr. Anders in episode 59. The idea of 'still waters run deep' being a possibility in a character who can appear, at turns, to be very cold, is intriguing to me.

The best thing AMC can do with this character is have Dr. Anders reveal himself, bit by bit (not all at once), perhaps only to Dixie and maybe Dr. Joe Martin.

To me, I prefer when soaps reveal characters,particularly new ones, piece by piece so we get to know them more. We can see the contrast between who they appear to be and who they eventually reveal themselves to be--much juicier a way to lay out exposition.

For this reason, I don't mind that we don't really know that much about Jane, although by Season 2, they do need to give us more, piece by piece about who she is.

The Lady and the Tramp theme, I don't know but I kind of appreciated it. It could've been corny but to me, at least, I'm glad they didn't go with some Classic movie that every show seems to reference these days (Casablanca or any Audrey Hepburn movie). And within these scenes, it looks like Celia is turning into a woman and a red blooded one at that. Something tells me that the next confrontation with Colby won't go down so easily.

Have to admit, I expected a more elaborate plan from Colby and Opal. The skunk thing seemed clumsily executed as a plan and a story plot point. Jill Larson can rock a catsuit though with her willowy frame. I'm just waiting for her and Lee Meriwether to walk down a catwalk somewhere.

I may not have been a viewer at that time but I really appreciated those flashbacks with Myrtle and Zach. Not only is it great when soaps draw on their history and then relate it to current characters but it was done in a charming way that showed us that Zach really can be sentimental and that family and friends truly are important to him. With this and the scenes of Bianca giving birth to Miranda, AMC has been incorporating classic scenes very well. For relatively new viewers, it provides a context and lets the uninformed get familiar with some characters from the show's history, even the characters who have passed on.

Just for this reason, I'm hoping for a Holiday episode from AMC down the road.

[Vee]

Episode 58: I cannot begin to describe how fantastic Colby and Opal the Love Burglars were. I'm sure everyone's already been over it - I wasn't that annoyed by the skunk thing, I just loved them creeping around in black. Suffice to say Jill Larson's body is still bangin' - looking at her on the new show vs. how they had her made up as a bug-eyed drag queen in the 2008 reruns that are airing on SN, it's like night and day.

Miranda and Zach's interplay is still great for both those characters, exactly what they both need, and I love the idea of them moving in together with Bianca away. That's perfect. As was the awkward passive-aggressiveness between Miranda and A.J. which was very real.

Crazy Jesse and his mime gun were fantastic. I loved that mess. And Cassandra not a) in the hospital, in a hospital gown or c) held captive and screaming in hooker clothes is tripping me out. Seeing her as a civilian is going to take time, but I'm thrilled she's finally out and about. I've been waiting absolutely forever. We'll see if Sal Stowers can handle everyday material - I agree that's her biggest test.

Celia is still just weird. I prefer when they focus on her mystery - with romance, Jordan Lane Price seems to unconsciously play things as a much younger girl. Pete is great, though.

The Chip Hayes anecdote above from LeClerc concerns me.

[EricMontreal22]

I had never heard that about CHip before, although I had heard very faint rumblings about his co-workers either loving or disagreeing with him fiercely. That said, while his episode this week was not well scripted, IMHO, he also has scripted some of the best episodes this "season." Not that that means much at all when it comes to HWriting (except in that in theory a HW does have final script revision--though some seem to use this more than others.)

[cassadine1991]

sometimes script writers/associate head writers/breakdown writers either make the best or the worst head writers

[EricMontreal22]

Well yes, I think I can agree with that argument, lol if it is an argument.

[Vee]

Episode 59:

So yeah, the most uneven week in awhile for AMC, at least in terms of edits and pacing. There seemed to be huge chunks lopped out of the stuff with Zach and Lea, as well as the Pete/Celia scenes - why was Zach escorting her home? When did Celia and Pete get so intimate on the couch? Did I like the stuff, yes - I thought Pete and Celia were surprisingly cute and sexy, and not just sweet, on the couch. And I liked Zach and Lea, but I feel the material for Zach keeps flip-flopping between nuanced and self-deprecating, which is desperately needed, and then reverting back to the macho sexism of the character in the past. I thought the use of Eileen Herlie and Myrtle was incredibly classy, right down to the credits, however. If they give the pairing more time - time to talk - I'll be all for it, because I do like them together.

J.R. also needs more time to examine his motives, beyond just roid-induced paranoia. I know Ryan Bittle can do more. And I hope they're not pulling the plug on J.R. and Cara before it even gets going. There's a lot more to explore there.

The best stuff for me were the extended scenes with Dixie, Joe, Cara and Anders. He's a lot sexier when they let the actor out of the Milhouse Van Houten drag. I can definitely see those two going somewhere.

Sort of a 'just there' episode, but decent. Roll on finale.