Kevin Can F**k Himself: The Grand Victorian
July 18, 2021 9:35 AM - Season 1, Episode 6 - Subscribe
Allison and Patty make a deal with Nick; Kevin celebrates his birthday with two dinners; to Patty's surprise, she goes on a date with Tammy at the Vic House; Allison confronts Nick about going through with the plan her way.
Not a fan of the Nick character, but maybe that's the most "real"? Unreliable and an indication that both Patty and not just Allison are in way over their heads and don't have a realistic grasp on the reality that they got themselves in.
Kind of disappointed that that realization rests on an unreliable (ie., poseur) rather than running face first into someone who's actually a criminal with competency in criminal behaviour.
The colour/ tone change in the restaurant scenes keep me coming back to this.
The Patty-Cop stuff is heady, but I've been rewatching 'Claws' and the LEO relationship thing feels old, tired, unrealistic, and that it shouldn't work out.
Allison is definitely jealous but in a superficial kind of way without understanding how much harder it is (in a different way) than how she has to deal with Kevin. But the Kevin character is still being written as a dick - despite trying to justify his behaviour.
The sitcom bits are starting to get "complicated" - I wonder if the show will do a reversal and continue to give the brightly coloured bits more nuance.
"Hating Kevin" is the foundation for the show, but I'm still waiting to see how the hate ultimately is justified (as it should be) - or not. I will break stuff if the show ultimately tries to write Kevin in a sympathetic light.
It would make sense melding the bleak/ washed-out parts interface with the saturated coloured bits - but the trick is how they do that.
posted by porpoise at 2:19 AM on July 19, 2021
Kind of disappointed that that realization rests on an unreliable (ie., poseur) rather than running face first into someone who's actually a criminal with competency in criminal behaviour.
The colour/ tone change in the restaurant scenes keep me coming back to this.
The Patty-Cop stuff is heady, but I've been rewatching 'Claws' and the LEO relationship thing feels old, tired, unrealistic, and that it shouldn't work out.
Allison is definitely jealous but in a superficial kind of way without understanding how much harder it is (in a different way) than how she has to deal with Kevin. But the Kevin character is still being written as a dick - despite trying to justify his behaviour.
The sitcom bits are starting to get "complicated" - I wonder if the show will do a reversal and continue to give the brightly coloured bits more nuance.
"Hating Kevin" is the foundation for the show, but I'm still waiting to see how the hate ultimately is justified (as it should be) - or not. I will break stuff if the show ultimately tries to write Kevin in a sympathetic light.
It would make sense melding the bleak/ washed-out parts interface with the saturated coloured bits - but the trick is how they do that.
posted by porpoise at 2:19 AM on July 19, 2021
Fuck Shawn Sean Avery.
Even as a celebrity cameo he's an useless shit.
posted by porpoise at 2:20 AM on July 19, 2021
Even as a celebrity cameo he's an useless shit.
posted by porpoise at 2:20 AM on July 19, 2021
The non-sitcom parts are becoming more comedic and the sitcom parts more dramatic.
This is still interesting enough that I hope the finale will be suitably cathartic and genuine. There's enough bleed between the two that it may collapse into #notallkevins but I'm hoping that's a fakeout by the writers.
I still think this may go much darker and the sitcom sections are shown as the deliberate abusive behaviour it is. I imagine this show is a difficult watch for a lot of people.
posted by fullerine at 4:36 AM on July 19, 2021
This is still interesting enough that I hope the finale will be suitably cathartic and genuine. There's enough bleed between the two that it may collapse into #notallkevins but I'm hoping that's a fakeout by the writers.
I still think this may go much darker and the sitcom sections are shown as the deliberate abusive behaviour it is. I imagine this show is a difficult watch for a lot of people.
posted by fullerine at 4:36 AM on July 19, 2021
The juxtapose of the sitcom-trope plot beats (inverse of the two-dates-in-the-same-restaurant classic) bleeding into the 'reality' plot beats (the cop bar that Patty surreptitiously went to is directly under the restaurant that Allison is at, that Nick works at, that her side-booty shows up to with his wife), and now both Allison and Kevin have to do the same juggling of groups they don't want to meet? I think this episode might be the greatest case so far for 'ALL the show is unreliable narration', with a third layer that exists with the 'actual' plot framing.
posted by FatherDagon at 8:01 AM on July 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by FatherDagon at 8:01 AM on July 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
FatherDragon I love your point that the two worlds are bleeding into one another. I felt this but hadn’t articulated it yet. I’ve also noticed that I’ve started laughing out loud during the single camera bits and staring through my fingers in suspense during the multi camera bits. I have absolutely relished this show so far.
posted by rogerroger at 9:31 PM on July 20, 2021
posted by rogerroger at 9:31 PM on July 20, 2021
For some inexplicable reason, I'm giving 'American Princess' (2019) a try.
Mary Hollis Inboden (Patty) has a very different role in that and is... kind of delightful.
posted by porpoise at 11:24 PM on July 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
Mary Hollis Inboden (Patty) has a very different role in that and is... kind of delightful.
posted by porpoise at 11:24 PM on July 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
My read is that Allison is a little jealous and also slightly taken aback that Patty who she thought she generally knew has this big other side to her, rather than homophobia, while Patty is being very vulnerable and brave and nervous telling Allison and it’s all - knife edge.
The relationship between Allison and Patty is truly incredible. The meta layers of Patty acknowledging that (as a supporting sitcom character) she used to think Allison was kind of dumb and joined in bullying her, and then the "real" drama plots where we find that Patty is way more interesting than her sitcom character. I wonder if any of the sitcom scenes pass the Bechdel test with Patty and Allison? They rarely even address one another in them. I don't want to rewatch this until the season is finished, but I want to watch their relationship more closely.
And then that moment in the restroom is so fraught with unspoken tension — I need to tell you/I can't believe I didn't know this about you. GAH, it's riveting.
posted by gladly at 6:35 AM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
The relationship between Allison and Patty is truly incredible. The meta layers of Patty acknowledging that (as a supporting sitcom character) she used to think Allison was kind of dumb and joined in bullying her, and then the "real" drama plots where we find that Patty is way more interesting than her sitcom character. I wonder if any of the sitcom scenes pass the Bechdel test with Patty and Allison? They rarely even address one another in them. I don't want to rewatch this until the season is finished, but I want to watch their relationship more closely.
And then that moment in the restroom is so fraught with unspoken tension — I need to tell you/I can't believe I didn't know this about you. GAH, it's riveting.
posted by gladly at 6:35 AM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
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I loved the very layered reactions between Allison and Patty over the date with the cop - so much possibly implied and the tension. My read is that Allison is a little jealous and also slightly taken aback that Patty who she thought she generally knew has this big other side to her, rather than homophobia, while Patty is being very vulnerable and brave and nervous telling Allison and it’s all - knife edge.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 5:29 PM on July 18, 2021 [2 favorites]