Welcome to Chippendales: Switzerland

January 3, 2023 8:46 PM - Season 1, Episode 8

In a bucolic Swiss village, Steve's sins finally catch up with him. As he stares down the consequences of his actions, he makes a final, fateful choice.
posted by kitten kaboodle (5 comments total)

I didn't hate this but this was such an example of a show that started so strong and then just kind of fizzled out on the landing. I don't think the showrunners ever quite decided on what they wanted this show to be. Steve wasn't any kind of hero, but Kumail Nanjiani played the role well. The supporting cast was good. But it just rushed through events and didn't give weight to any of Steve's decisions.

And that's weird because this story has everything! It has sex and drugs and money and murder!

I watched all of it and I didn't dislike it but I feel like something else could've been done, even with this same cast. I'm not sure what happened.
posted by edencosmic at 6:52 PM on January 4, 2023 [3 favorites]

I'm not sure what happened with these last couple episodes. They really didn't stick the landing, did they? It's weird because the first half was so good. But when they pulled out the ghost talking to the murderer so he can express his thoughts and feelings for the audience, I groaned out loud. I feel like Kumail and Emily Gordon, his wife, are better than that final episode would show.

I really wanted to see what was happening with Irene and feel very short-changed that this episode was almost entirely Steve and the weird lackey. I can't even remember the guy's name! There was just so much about those final years and all the stuff going on, and we never got to see it. However, I would be interested to learn more about how they nabbed him, just because it felt so forced with the terrible, terrible sting operation and lackey guy frantically trying to get Steve to confess when Steve could smell the desperation on him; it seems implausible that's what happened, so I'd like to know how it really went down.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 10:09 PM on January 4, 2023 [2 favorites]

The lackey whose name escapes you is Ray Colon.
posted by emelenjr at 9:05 AM on January 5, 2023

I never knew the story behind Chippendales, and as dramatized as it was it was pretty riveting.

Kumail Nanjiani got a platform to show off real acting chops.

I forgive the last episode as a denouement, a coda.

It did really felt rushed, though. I'm certain the real story must have had a bunch of (republican) politics and stuff in it that would give the ending flavour, like the real reason for escalating it to a RICO case. I'm surprised that not being present to be sentenced saved the Chippendales company from being seized.

What would the US Gov. do with such an asset?
posted by porpoise at 3:40 PM on January 5, 2023

What would the US Gov. do with such an asset?

Rebrand as US Male?

I feel like they were somewhat constrained by having to tell the actual story more or less. Though this seemed perfunctory, I could imagine a version that spent more time after Nick’s murder being a real drag.
posted by snofoam at 6:04 PM on January 5, 2023