#like talking about ep 11 she went ‘pat breaks down the most bc this is the first time we see him with nothing’ and I was like YESSSSS

[jemmo]

it happened. my little sister has joined the bad buddy fandom.

we watched ep 11, we cried, then proceeded to talk for 3 hours (yes, three!) about bad buddy, im talking the fandom, the fic landscape, then nonstop just analysis, the themes present, the dynamics and relationships, the character building. basically fawning for hours about how incredibly crafted the show is. she’s an english lit major and a fic writer so she goes fucking ham on this kind of stuff, to the point where she said things that even had me shook bc like… not even to see the show through somebody else’s lens, but through someone that understands writing on an academic level and how she applies that appreciates it, it was just so interesting to see the things she picked out and how she applied them.

so yeah, she’s come out of it with a rudimentary fic idea, a dissertation’s-worth of analysis to write and a whole list of taylor swift edits to make, so get ready.

[mego42]

1x08 discussion questions

blah blah blah clever intro, most importantly, thank you @pynkhues​!! I really appreciate rewatch nights. s3 was my first experience watching live/with people and that was obvs a more, erm, contentious experience so it’s been really nice to get to kind of mulligan that with the rewatch.

ANYHOO onward!

1. What was your favourite scene of the episode? Tell us why!

the spa robbery, I could talk a big game about the montage editing and beth’s dress (which are all worthy points) but at the end of the day? it’s the robes, they just do it for me. they’re so snuggly and they have hoods.

2. Was there any scene that missed the mark for you? And if so, how?

tbh while there was a lot of delightful elements about this ep, the whole thing is largely underwhelming to me and rewatching reminded me why I often forget about most of it.

3. This episode opens with Beth discovering that the money is gone – not just the fake cash that she’s washing for Rio, but the cut of what they’d already washed too. What do you think this tells us about Rio’s mentality and approach as an employer / boss?

maybe if he weren’t such a dick and the kind of boss that breaks into your house to take back your paycheck, beth wouldn’t be so inclined to shoot him.

4. This episode also features the start of a really pivotal arc for Ruby and Sara around crime, and Ruby’s worries about Sara somehow inheriting that part of her. Do you think Ruby was right to react the way she did in this episode? Was there a better way she could’ve handled it?

I mean what else was she gonna do? be cool with it? who is she, darren’s parents? I love the nuance retta and reno bring to that scene, both with their reactions and empathy for why sara did it and also the way stan backs ruby in front of sara to present a united front. It’s just excellent parenting all around imo.

5. What do you think this episode tells us about Annie and Nancy’s relationship prior to the series starting? Do you think Nancy feels threatened by Annie? Or vice versa? How do you think they’ve negotiated their respective places in Greg and Ben’s lives?

honestly the hair oils comment makes me holler bc I feel like that’s nancy’s version of I see you being a dick and I’m going to pretend I don’t to take the wind out of your sails but also you’re dirty and garbage and get off my fancy couch. the way both actresses play it, the conflict feels so lived in I can’t see how it isn’t a long standing thing, but then the way nancy opens up (both in this ep and then in s2 at the baby shower) makes me feel like annie’s been the driving force in them not getting along up to this point.

6. The spa heist! What did you think of it? Good? Bad? Tell us all your thoughts!

I mean it was a terrible idea that rested on being able to unload botox to a 17 boy who sells pot and hallucinogens in a grocery store parking lot. the execution was neat, but any scenario where dean is able to pick up the pieces and save the day is obviously flawed in some fundamental way.

7. In a lot of ways, Annie’s ‘slow boil’ comment to Beth feels like it’s been a long time coming. When do you think Ruby and Annie realised that Beth got something beyond just financial fulfilment from crime? And do you think they know the full extent of it at this point in the episode? Hell, do you think they know the full extent of it in s3?

I think ruby and annie know beth well enough to know she’s getting a happy little zip out of crime-ing no matter what she says about it. the part I think they don’t/may still not realize as of s3 and/or are starting to realize as of s3 is how far and how dark she’ll go

8. Let’s talk about Beth’s sales pitch to / second date with Rio! Do you think it was a good pitch and Rio missed an opportunity? Do you think Rio was genuinely there to hear her out, or was he just entertaining her? And this is the first time he brings up the idea of her being a boss (via, well, her not being one yet). Do you think he sees her as that yet? Or if, again, he’s just entertaining her?

It was a terrible pitch but hysterically depicted. I love christina, she did a note perfect rendition of every single software sales rep I’ve ever encountered. rio was, imo, 1000000000% humoring her on the specifics of the pitch once he realized what she was trying to sell him.

that said, I think the boss encouragement was an organic evolution of how he’s been watching her step up over the past few eps and recognizing her overall potential to think creatively and take charge. the you don’t need it comment, on the other hand, always feels a touch out of place to me

9. How do you think Annie felt about the news Nancy was trying to get pregnant? And do you think she would’ve broken up with Greg if Nancy wasn’t?

I think she felt absolutely wretched about it, though based on later eps (is that cheating?) I think she would’ve tried to give it a shot with greg if that hadn’t been a hurdle. the getting preggo situation was def a significant factor for her, probs at least in part because she is obvs intimately acquainted with the trials and tribulations of single motherhood and isn’t trying to force that upon nancy if she can help it.

10. Mary Pat has two pretty tight scenes in this episode where she has power plays with Ruby and then later Beth. What did you think of these scenes? And how do those exchanges compare with each other?

mary pat runs circles around them in her bumbling, oh shucks me gotcha way and I love it. I feel worse for ruby who’s basically like please oh please just let me live, but beth 100000% strolled into that house trying to pull her we’re just moms in this together schtick but with an alpha twist (shout out to @gild-and-fire‘s which gg character are you quiz you should absolutely take if you haven’t already) and mary pat looked her up and down like do not even try to pretend you don’t wrap a fake bill around your vibrator before you get off with it. classic.

11. Ruby finds out about Eddie’s arrest! We talked a little about Eddie’s loyalty last week, but how do you think the arrest went down between Stan and Eddie?

ooh like did it involve the handcuffs stan brings home to ruby? kinky.