Lodge 49: Estrella y Mar
September 12, 2019 9:06 AM - Season 2, Episode 5 - Subscribe
Marriages are tested, tried, discussed, considered, and re-considered. Alchemical truths (the magnum opus, making gold, finding the elixir of life and becoming immortal, "an endless catalogue of bullshit") are enjoyed. A psychic is consulted, about life and ponies. And there's a brief, violent interlude with a nail gun, which might just be the nexus for positive changes.
Poor Beth. She didn't sign up for any of this.
posted by Etrigan at 11:22 AM on September 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Etrigan at 11:22 AM on September 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
She signed up for a grab bag and that's what she got. Usually people vet their prospective spouse by dating them for a while. Beth left her groom at the altar rather than breaking up with him, which is incredibly shitty. Dud didn't pretend to be anything he wasn't. Caveat emptor and I'm saving most of my sympathy for Tim.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 1:30 PM on September 12, 2019
posted by ActingTheGoat at 1:30 PM on September 12, 2019
I don't get the point of the marriage in the advance of the story. Dud didn't change. We'll probably never see Beth again (if this was her story it would be interesting). It just seemed like an attempt to add a slightly amusing interlude show the nature of Dud we already know about.
posted by ShooBoo at 7:14 PM on September 12, 2019
posted by ShooBoo at 7:14 PM on September 12, 2019
I can’t imagine they threw such an extreme-yet-brief complication at us without plans to revisit it. I think Beth’s (or maybe Tim’s?) role in the story is far from over.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 8:17 AM on September 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 8:17 AM on September 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
I've been musing on what Dud got out of his marriage, and why he got into it in the first place.
It contrasted how he and Liz reacted and related to the world, and relationships. She had a rebound relationship to feel good, where Dud was trying to recreate or capture his image of his parents' relationship -- something sudden and magical and perfect. Liz then spent more time with Lenore to learn about her mom, trying to find new stories, maybe some new truths, and ended up treating Lenore as a bit of a mother figure. But that image was shattered at the end of this episode for Liz. She and Dud got a pay-out, but doesn't Liz still have all that product to push?
Dud shifted his focus from the Lodge to his marriage, which further stressed Blaise, and that may have pushed him to the point where he'd pick up the nail gun. That then lead to Beth reuniting with Tim. And with his brief marriage ended, he can now re-focus on the lodge, and being an apprentice to Blaise, and he might be more grounded, realizing that you can't rely on fate to steer your path, that hard work is required to achieve your goals.
Beth was able to re-confirm her love for and trust in Tim, putting to rest her uncertainty about her initially planned marriage.
I think this was a brief detour into optimism for all parties, which quickly got re-routed back to reality. The psychic who wasn't psychic about horses, but who put in time with people who worked with the horses, was a fine example of that. But because it's Lodge 49, there's also some mystery and portent in his parting message to Liz.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:49 AM on September 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
It contrasted how he and Liz reacted and related to the world, and relationships. She had a rebound relationship to feel good, where Dud was trying to recreate or capture his image of his parents' relationship -- something sudden and magical and perfect. Liz then spent more time with Lenore to learn about her mom, trying to find new stories, maybe some new truths, and ended up treating Lenore as a bit of a mother figure. But that image was shattered at the end of this episode for Liz. She and Dud got a pay-out, but doesn't Liz still have all that product to push?
Dud shifted his focus from the Lodge to his marriage, which further stressed Blaise, and that may have pushed him to the point where he'd pick up the nail gun. That then lead to Beth reuniting with Tim. And with his brief marriage ended, he can now re-focus on the lodge, and being an apprentice to Blaise, and he might be more grounded, realizing that you can't rely on fate to steer your path, that hard work is required to achieve your goals.
Beth was able to re-confirm her love for and trust in Tim, putting to rest her uncertainty about her initially planned marriage.
I think this was a brief detour into optimism for all parties, which quickly got re-routed back to reality. The psychic who wasn't psychic about horses, but who put in time with people who worked with the horses, was a fine example of that. But because it's Lodge 49, there's also some mystery and portent in his parting message to Liz.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:49 AM on September 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
So do they ever say the name of the horse that they had to put down?
posted by Stanczyk at 8:01 AM on September 14, 2019
posted by Stanczyk at 8:01 AM on September 14, 2019
Nice little mini-interview with Sonya "Liz" Cassidy via the AV Club.
posted by Etrigan at 6:52 AM on September 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Etrigan at 6:52 AM on September 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
So do they ever say the name of the horse that they had to put down?
Nope, just mentioned as "one of the horses" or "the horse."
"We won. But it looks like one of the horses took a bad fall."
...
"They're bringing out a white tent."
"What does that mean?"
"It means the horse broke its leg. They're going to shoot it."
So it was more of a general theme/ idea, rather than a specific message about what or who broke to "win" in this scenario.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:18 AM on September 16, 2019
Nope, just mentioned as "one of the horses" or "the horse."
"We won. But it looks like one of the horses took a bad fall."
...
"They're bringing out a white tent."
"What does that mean?"
"It means the horse broke its leg. They're going to shoot it."
So it was more of a general theme/ idea, rather than a specific message about what or who broke to "win" in this scenario.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:18 AM on September 16, 2019
But the horse that won was named for the sea and stars. It just seems like the horse that died made a sacrifice and my brain is always looking for clues and connections. The horse that won was named after what their Mom was immersed in on those midnight swims, so the horse that died must also have a name that relates to the mystery. I couldn't find it in the dialog either and I've been wondering if it's viewable on the screen at the bar, or audible in the audio calling the race, but I can't see or hear well enough to catch it.
Of course, this is exactly what Pynchon and Paul Giamatti want me to be wasting my time on.
posted by Stanczyk at 11:22 AM on September 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
Of course, this is exactly what Pynchon and Paul Giamatti want me to be wasting my time on.
posted by Stanczyk at 11:22 AM on September 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by filthy light thief at 9:07 AM on September 12, 2019