TV Series Mare of Easttown

[Sparhawk]

Ok...I got through Ep 6. What a killer show.

I see much more clearly how it revolves around the Ross family now. They are doing an excellent job on holding the cards close on just who while leading us in closer.

What the fuck is in the picture? My first thought is it proves the Ross family angle is the biggest red herring yet.

This is what I like about such well done TV. They could just as easily stick the finale on the Ross family as it could all be bunk (and tragic considering she is approaching a man with a big gun in the tackle box).

Enjoyed the call out to “heading up” to the Lehigh River. That’s my families old stomping grounds.

There's a lot of interesting theories out there, which is all you can really ask for.

 

[DraftNerd]

There's a lot of interesting theories out there, which is all you can really ask for.

I love a show where we are but going “I know it” leading up to the finale. It’s been a while for me.

 

[DraftNerd]

I’ll just leave it at this for now....THAT is how you do prestige television!!
Very satisfying.

 

[Mr.Hockey]

I’ll just leave it at this for now....THAT is how you do prestige television!!
Very satisfying.

you loved it??

haven’t had the chance to watch yet. But that’s awesome if they wrapped it up well

 

[Mr.Hockey]

Alright so I just watched.

It stuck the landing. Of all the many theories out there it ended up being the one imo I thought was most likely/would make the most sense. And I think that made it perfect. It didn’t feature some extreme twist that serves as almost a slap in the face because of its unpredictability. Everything added up and made sense with what we were shown.

The performances throughout were stellar. Winslet and the lady who plays Lori were flawless in the finale.

Will be quite the travesty if they don’t sweep all the awards.

Also the guy who plays Dylan. Based off his IMDb page he’s basically a nobody in terms of his resume to this point. Doubt that lasts long. He was so damn good this whole series.

 

[Sparhawk]

Alright so I just watched.

It stuck the landing. Of all the many theories out there it ended up being the one imo I thought was most likely/would make the most sense. And I think that made it perfect. It didn’t feature some extreme twist that serves as almost a slap in the face because of its unpredictability. Everything added up and made sense with what we were shown.

The performances throughout were stellar. Winslet and the lady who plays Lori were flawless in the finale.

Will be quite the travesty if they don’t sweep all the awards.

Also the guy who plays Dylan. Based off his IMDb page he’s basically a nobody in terms of his resume to this point. Doubt that lasts long. He was so damn good this whole series.

Agreed. Fantastic job. And to think that old Mr. Carroll had the Scooby moment where it all clicked.

Okay, now for my one very minor nitpick :

How far was Brandywine Park from the Ross house?

I'm not sure I'm keen on letting a 13 yr old bike their way to a location in the middle of the night in a town that has seen a lot of drug problems. And with folks wrapping up their celebrations on the night, nobody saw him riding his bike or Erin riding her bike to the park? Again, very minor, but this was a very angry and ambitious kid....

 

[DraftNerd]

Alright so I just watched.

It stuck the landing. Of all the many theories out there it ended up being the one imo I thought was most likely/would make the most sense. And I think that made it perfect. It didn’t feature some extreme twist that serves as almost a slap in the face because of its unpredictability. Everything added up and made sense with what we were shown.

The performances throughout were stellar. Winslet and the lady who plays Lori were flawless in the finale.

Will be quite the travesty if they don’t sweep all the awards.

Also the guy who plays Dylan. Based off his IMDb page he’s basically a nobody in terms of his resume to this point. Doubt that lasts long. He was so damn good this whole series.

That was the exact analogy that came to mind last night for me.....they stuck the landing. Staying with that analogy....that was all they had to do yet as they spent six episodes performing a damn close to flawless vault.

I noticed both Julianne Nicholson (Lori) and the actress that played Dawn from Boardwalk Empire (oddly). Both had such underwhelming roles in that show, and both were great on this show. But Nicholson absolutely blew me away in the finale. Holy shit. As far as the fifth episode I didn’t fully realize what a rough role that was going to be to play.

This is great art here. They didn’t try to be smarter than the room. They didn’t try to zig when there were plenty of zags to keep us guessing. If you build a sufficient who-done-it that has plenty of red herring characters in play all you have to do is faithfully execute.

The best example is Dylan. He’s a real shit head. But, they wove just enough into his character throughout that it was possible he was going to be trying not to be such a shit head anymore. Or....he was going to do shit head acts for not so shit head reasons. Once they quickly laid out all his act was trying to save DJ for his parents it fit and it made sense. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.

Finally, they sure as fuck didn’t waste having Kate Winslet at all. What a character they created for her. And, what a fucking performance from her. I learned long ago not to try to prognosticate the fucking Emmy’s or Oscar’s.....but she just flat out deserves the Emmy for this. Full stop.

 

[DraftNerd]

Agreed. Fantastic job. And to think that old Mr. Carroll had the Scooby moment where it all clicked.

Okay, now for my one very minor nitpick :

How far was Brandywine Park from the Ross house?

I'm not sure I'm keen on letting a 13 yr old bike their way to a location in the middle of the night in a town that has seen a lot of drug problems. And with folks wrapping up their celebrations on the night, nobody saw him riding his bike or Erin riding her bike to the park? Again, very minor, but this was a very angry and ambitious kid....

Hmmmm.....I’m trying to find nit picks since last night myself. It’s a stupid thing I try to do with all media.

Way I saw it they were having this party and everyone was drinking and/or all over the place that night. Lori would probably be at the bar while Mare is being picked up on around the time of the killing. And....what we know about John do we really think he was paying much attention to his kid? Or maybe all the guys were already at the bar by this time anyway? No one was watching Ryan.

Logistically the distance to the park probably shouldn’t be much (small town). But, who was watching Ryan at that point anyway?

Just for giggles I tried to play Google Earth to find where Brandywine Park is in Easttown Township and couldn’t get it to work. There is a lot of Brandywine things in Chester County, but can’t tell what is in Easttown township.

 

[DraftNerd]

Here’s a true measure....I am very much a fan of the limited series. I think most all TV dramas should be this format these days. It sticks you to getting in and out with the story and not offering so much space to drive it into the ground, like so many good dramas have done before.

I love it.....get out while this story and main character is strong. But, I’ll miss Mare’s character in a show. I’m glad it won’t continue....because where the hell do you take her story from here? But I’ll miss her character.

 

[Sparhawk]

Here’s a true measure....I am very much a fan of the limited series. I think most all TV dramas should be this format these days. It sticks you to getting in and out with the story and not offering so much space to drive it into the ground, like so many good dramas have done before.

I love it.....get out while this story and main character is strong. But, I’ll miss Mare’s character in a show. I’m glad it won’t continue....because where the hell do you take her story from here? But I’ll miss her character.

Yeah, I enjoyed this format very much.

I was mulling over the ending.

What if Mare didn't call the police right away when she figured out it was Ryan.
Then drove over to their house.
Then made the slow walk to the door and entered.

How would that conservation have played out?

John being put away and having everything blamed on him isn't such a bad thing, no?
Should Mare have to shoulder that secret for the rest of her life?
Or could she finally save a troubled youngster which she couldn't do for her own son?

I think it would have been an interesting twist that would have some real emotional investment.

And regardless of what they decide, she could still go up in the attic at the end.

 

[DraftNerd]

Yeah, I enjoyed this format very much.

I was mulling over the ending.

What if Mare didn't call the police right away when she figured out it was Ryan.
Then drove over to their house.
Then made the slow walk to the door and entered.

How would that conservation have played out?

John being put away and having everything blamed on him isn't such a bad thing, no?
Should Mare have to shoulder that secret for the rest of her life?
Or could she finally save a troubled youngster which she couldn't do for her own son?

I think it would have been an interesting twist that would have some real emotional investment.

And regardless of what they decide, she could still go up in the attic at the end.

I admit to being more dense than I usually want to admit. First recap I read last night started like this.....”It was always about mother’s and sons”. That’s a major underlying theme.

And, I think, that’s what Lori was screaming at her about in the car. Why didn’t she come to her to figure it out? Mare to her core would say “that’s not how it works, he is responsible for Erins death”. But she doesn’t say it. And I don’t think it was as simple as this would just set Lori off more. I think she was struggling with doing the right thing in the face of what happened to Kevin, and how well she knows Ryan and Lori.

What a place for a character to be. And how fucking well did Kate play those scenes? The discovery on the security cam....the call out of the APB for Ryan....the scene in the car. So well done.

How would it have played out? Knowing what I know about Mare it would have been the same explosive conversation. She would not back down that she must do her job (though the tidbit about planting drugs on Andrew’s mother does raise some points if she would “do her job”).

Maybe that’s what Lori came to eventually. No matter how Mare handled it it had to go the way it went.

 

[DraftNerd]

Yeah, I enjoyed this format very much.

I was mulling over the ending.

What if Mare didn't call the police right away when she figured out it was Ryan.
Then drove over to their house.
Then made the slow walk to the door and entered.

How would that conservation have played out?

John being put away and having everything blamed on him isn't such a bad thing, no?
Should Mare have to shoulder that secret for the rest of her life?
Or could she finally save a troubled youngster which she couldn't do for her own son?

I think it would have been an interesting twist that would have some real emotional investment.

And regardless of what they decide, she could still go up in the attic at the end.

Also, who’s to say Mare doesn’t feel she saved Ryan by not letting him get away with it?

He’s a good kid who made a bad decision. I didn’t get the sense he has anywhere near the challenges Kevin has.

The son she has to save is and always will be Andrew. I love limited series all the more because there are story lines we can take ahead in our mind how we see it.

I knew the scene she had with the neurologist about Andrew so well. The litany of diagnoses they had on him. Damnit, I know that all too well.

But, I also know understanding and treatment in those areas gets better all the time. I see her saving Andrew with a combination of being a more engaged parent and better understanding of these special needs.

 

[stakesarehigh]

Wow. Just thought it would be your typical whodunit ending. What a good show.

 

[DraftNerd]

Wow. Just thought it would be your typical whodunit ending. What a good show.

When it went down so fast I kept looking at the time left. Around an hour. No fucking way it’s fully solved.

They do an excellent job of slowing it down after John fully confesses, even letting it clearly show that weeks/months are passing. And then she runs into Sandra and it’s all back on. The pacing is phenomenal, just as it has been all series.

 

[stakesarehigh]

When it went down so fast I kept looking at the time left. Around an hour. No fucking way it’s fully solved.

They do an excellent job of slowing it down after John fully confesses, even letting it clearly show that weeks/months are passing. And then she runs into Sandra and it’s all back on. The pacing is phenomenal, just as it has been all series.

The final 20 minutes was some of the best TV I've seen in some times. Just tears your heart out. Especially for a parent.

 

[DraftNerd]

The final 20 minutes was some of the best TV I've seen in some times. Just tears your heart out. Especially for a parent.

Yeah. I’m not ashamed....I was blinking a good bit through those scenes. They were strong and so well done.

And, you’re right, you have to be a parent to really feel the impact of the last 20 mins, especially with Mare going up the attic stairs at the end.

 

[Mr.Hockey]

I admit to being more dense than I usually want to admit. First recap I read last night started like this.....”It was always about mother’s and sons”. That’s a major underlying theme.

And, I think, that’s what Lori was screaming at her about in the car. Why didn’t she come to her to figure it out? Mare to her core would say “that’s not how it works, he is responsible for Erins death”. But she doesn’t say it. And I don’t think it was as simple as this would just set Lori off more. I think she was struggling with doing the right thing in the face of what happened to Kevin, and how well she knows Ryan and Lori.

What a place for a character to be. And how fucking well did Kate play those scenes? The discovery on the security cam....the call out of the APB for Ryan....the scene in the car. So well done.

How would it have played out? Knowing what I know about Mare it would have been the same explosive conversation. She would not back down that she must do her job (though the tidbit about planting drugs on Andrew’s mother does raise some points if she would “do her job”).

Maybe that’s what Lori came to eventually. No matter how Mare handled it it had to go the way it went.

Yup that's basically what the finale pounded home. The whodunnit portion of the plot was secondary and just a way to explore the personal dynamics more and ultimately help Mare on her personal journey.

I've see a few(very small minority) complaining about this specifically pertaining to Guy Pearce character. People saying an actor like Pearce was wasted and having him simply be a love interest was anti climatic. I loved it for that exact reason. So many people kept thinking Richard was involved somehow stritcly because of the actor playing him. Even though plot wise it would have been a nightmare and the dude had a clear cut alibi.

Admittingly my expectations were lower because I knew that Pearce was a last second casting replacement as a favor when original actor dropped out. So, I knew he wasnt necessarily going to have a huge part.

And in reality Richard did have a huge role in regards to the theme of the show and Mares journey. He was a major part of helping her cope and giving her advice while also being someone she could finally open up to and be interested in again.

 

[DraftNerd]

Yup that's basically what the finale pounded home. The whodunnit portion of the plot was secondary and just a way to explore the personal dynamics more and ultimately help Mare on her personal journey.

I've see a few(very small minority) complaining about this specifically pertaining to Guy Pearce character. People saying an actor like Pearce was wasted and having him simply be a love interest was anti climatic. I loved it for that exact reason. So many people kept thinking Richard was involved somehow stritcly because of the actor playing him. Even though plot wise it would have been a nightmare and the dude had a clear cut alibi.

Admittingly my expectations were lower because I knew that Pearce was a last second casting replacement as a favor when original actor dropped out. So, I knew he wasnt necessarily going to have a huge part.

And in reality Richard did have a huge role in regards to the theme of the show and Mares journey. He was a major part of helping her cope and giving her advice while also being someone she could finally open up to and be interested in again.

I’ve just figured those that bitch about Richard are pissed that they fell for the Law and Order candidate. It’s always the special guest star on that damn show.

But, could they be so blind? If Richard wasn’t cancelled out by the fact that he was with Mare that evening then he should have been as the plot came along. It would have been fucked up gymnastics to bend him as the guy into the plot. And, ultimately, where would that get Mare with where they were developing her character? It wouldn’t have been fulfilling in any way for her character. It would have been further devastation on her.

That’s just an stupid gripe to me. Lazy fuckers.

 

[stakesarehigh]

Yup that's basically what the finale pounded home. The whodunnit portion of the plot was secondary and just a way to explore the personal dynamics more and ultimately help Mare on her personal journey.

I've see a few(very small minority) complaining about this specifically pertaining to Guy Pearce character. People saying an actor like Pearce was wasted and having him simply be a love interest was anti climatic. I loved it for that exact reason. So many people kept thinking Richard was involved somehow stritcly because of the actor playing him. Even though plot wise it would have been a nightmare and the dude had a clear cut alibi.

Admittingly my expectations were lower because I knew that Pearce was a last second casting replacement as a favor when original actor dropped out. So, I knew he wasnt necessarily going to have a huge part.

And in reality Richard did have a huge role in regards to the theme of the show and Mares journey. He was a major part of helping her cope and giving her advice while also being someone she could finally open up to and be interested in again.

Was happy he wasn't part of the murder. Thought it would've been stupid as hell. He was there to make people wonder and then in the end go..."oh shit he really was just a good guy "

 

[Sparhawk]

Was happy he wasn't part of the murder. Thought it would've been stupid as hell. He was there to make people wonder and then in the end go..."oh shit he really was just a good guy "

It kind of felt like his character was 'her way out' in the way that Cal-Berkeley is the way out for the daughter, I mean durdur.

In the end, Mare couldn't commit to him until she resolved her own issues by going up into the attic.
So, off he went to the Bates Motel....