Selfie: Pilot
September 30, 2014 11:52 PM - Season 1, Episode 1 - Subscribe
Rebranding -- "You'll discover that not all well-dressed, articulate, detail-oriented men are gay. Many of them are just... Asian."* -- Charmonique puts up a lot -- Ga ga, ooh la la -- "I can see you, you live in a glass house" -- "I rarely call my mother" -- "It's archaic, but it's dead-on"
*Okay, technically this is from Veronica Mars, but it does describe this scene well.
*Okay, technically this is from Veronica Mars, but it does describe this scene well.
Something that really bothered me: the books in his office are fake. It's wallpaper that looks like books. That's just horrible.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:54 AM on October 1, 2014
posted by leotrotsky at 8:54 AM on October 1, 2014
This show is going to cure a lot of lingering Amy Pond crushes.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:28 AM on October 1, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:28 AM on October 1, 2014 [3 favorites]
I liked this show, but in part because I think Eliza's loneliness and difficulty making friends is part of what makes her think Henry is helpful. I hope that she can get to a place like Suburgatory's Dallas or Brooklyn Nine Nine's Gina, where she just knows she's awesome and it's fine to dress as fabulously as you want. She just seems like she's always been unsure of herself and of how to relate to people. And I did like near the end, that when she told Henry some of the things that were wrong with him, he agreed. That's what gives me some hope that they will fumble their way improving both of them, together.
posted by Margalo Epps at 10:15 AM on October 1, 2014
posted by Margalo Epps at 10:15 AM on October 1, 2014
Hmm, they changed it between the preview release and premiere, for the worse. I was surprised it was bearable and even charming before. This does not bode well. I miss Suburgatory.
posted by provoliminal at 7:18 PM on October 1, 2014
posted by provoliminal at 7:18 PM on October 1, 2014
Suburgatory never grabbed me. (I watched the first eight episodes or so, and it never did anything but veer from cartoonish to mean-spirited for me.)
This show has some of that flavor too, but I'm going to give it a shot and not just ban it for crazy misogyny right out of the gate. (A Lotta cringeworthy stuff, though, right? O successful man, teach me how to be respected!)
Because I like TV and need more sitcoms in my life.
posted by purpleclover at 10:08 AM on October 2, 2014
This show has some of that flavor too, but I'm going to give it a shot and not just ban it for crazy misogyny right out of the gate. (A Lotta cringeworthy stuff, though, right? O successful man, teach me how to be respected!)
Because I like TV and need more sitcoms in my life.
posted by purpleclover at 10:08 AM on October 2, 2014
This episode put me off. I want Karen Gillan and John Cho to succeed, and I think they did a decent job with what they had, but I don't think this is it. I hope it improves.
What struck me most is how much this show is a mean-spirited takedown of women performing their gender. Ugly girl is unpopular so she works hard, and succeeds, at being beautiful and popular and good at her job. So obviously she's a narcissistic, self-absorbed walking faux pas who deserves to be taken down a peg and taught about "real beauty."
It's the double standard, right here in an easy-to-swallow 22 minute pill. Be beautiful and popular and successful but, by God, don't _try_ to be those things or you'll need arch, withholding tutelage from a man to tell you how ugly you are on the inside.
The scene where Henry makes Eliza ask the receptionist how she is doing felt pretty awkward, too. Henry's supposed to be a master of messaging, so why is he taking up the receptionist's time and holding her up as an object lesson? It made him just as rude as Eliza is supposed to be.
posted by gauche at 4:06 PM on October 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
What struck me most is how much this show is a mean-spirited takedown of women performing their gender. Ugly girl is unpopular so she works hard, and succeeds, at being beautiful and popular and good at her job. So obviously she's a narcissistic, self-absorbed walking faux pas who deserves to be taken down a peg and taught about "real beauty."
It's the double standard, right here in an easy-to-swallow 22 minute pill. Be beautiful and popular and successful but, by God, don't _try_ to be those things or you'll need arch, withholding tutelage from a man to tell you how ugly you are on the inside.
The scene where Henry makes Eliza ask the receptionist how she is doing felt pretty awkward, too. Henry's supposed to be a master of messaging, so why is he taking up the receptionist's time and holding her up as an object lesson? It made him just as rude as Eliza is supposed to be.
posted by gauche at 4:06 PM on October 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
Even worse than the misogyny* was the vomit based humor. I don't know why so many tv shows and movies these days insist on showing people vomiting. I thought it was absolutely the worst, until this: showing us the vomit fall down her front. WHY. WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT
*okay maybe not actually worse than the misogyny
posted by meese at 4:25 PM on October 2, 2014 [4 favorites]
*okay maybe not actually worse than the misogyny
posted by meese at 4:25 PM on October 2, 2014 [4 favorites]
I don't know why so many tv shows and movies these days insist on showing people vomiting.
Right there with you. Despite numerous recommendations, I haven't watched past the first ep of BoJack Horseman for this very reason.
posted by gauche at 5:49 PM on October 2, 2014
Right there with you. Despite numerous recommendations, I haven't watched past the first ep of BoJack Horseman for this very reason.
posted by gauche at 5:49 PM on October 2, 2014
This pilot episode was made much more entertaining for me by visualizing John Cho as his Sleepy Hollow character for the entire episode.
Agreed on the vomit aspect. Blech. So gross.
posted by cardinality at 10:54 AM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
Agreed on the vomit aspect. Blech. So gross.
posted by cardinality at 10:54 AM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
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posted by Etrigan at 5:00 AM on October 1, 2014 [1 favorite]