[cxg] further adventures in media consumption, again via the medium glorified chatlogs

[kaberett]

Last seen: S02E07, "Who's the Cool Girl Josh Is Dating?"

This show. It is so! exquisitely! put together!

Let's see.

We've got:

• Scott having absolutely 0 clue what anything Paula just said meant, but recognising that she's excited and trying to be supportive
  
• Josh is about 5 minutes into this relationship and he's already Pulling The Face about her enthusiasms when she turns her back for five seconds
  
• the beautiful reprise of the "That's what I love about you--" "-- you love me?! :D" "... what I love... about... you..." conversation, with Josh shifting seamlessly into Rebecca-role and approx 0 apparent self-awareness, which is amazing
  
• the startling clarity with which Rebecca understands consent when it's not her violating it!!! which we've also seen previously in conversations with Valencia.
  
• and also Valencia mirrors Rebecca's behaviour, with Rebecca actually advocating restraint re maybe not stalking
  
• Paula treating Sunil and his feelings the way Rebecca treats Paula and her feelings, because this show is alllll about holding up mirrors and seeing characters in reflection
  
• the amazing Paula-and-Rebecca duet, which just so neatly encapsulates The Specific Dynamic...
  
• ... and is brilliantly juxtaposed with the way Scott and Paula are also not communicating
  
• because, right, Paula is going first with apologising to Scott in exactly the way she isn't with Rebecca, and also is apologising in exactly the same... framing-tone-dynamic-flavour as she would with Rebecca, and in the context of Rebecca communication is achieved, and in the context of Scott it is not
  
• AND THEN SCOTT USES HIS WORDS. ABOUT HOW HE'S SAD. AND HE JUST NEEDS TO BE SAD FOR A BIT. AND HE DOESN'T ACTUALLY CARE WHOSE FAULT IT IS. and yes they're talking at cross-purposes but also, you know what, Paula actually did a way less good job of displaying interest in Scott's enthusiasms this episode than he did hers, and that's important, actually
  
• like: no, Scott isn't perfect, not at all, see the "somehow doesn't know how a washing machine works" and "still can't cook", but... the way Paula behaves this episode? really really shifts the frame, for me, on the season-1 "It’s been 5 years since I’ve made love without the TV on and 10 years since someone held my hand."
  
• because. what if. what if. Paula is as unreliable a narrator as Rebecca? what if (and I think we do actually have plenty of evidence of this) she's falling into all of the same traps of treating her feelings about the world as facts about consensus reality?
  
• we know who the person in this family is who refuses to put her phone down even during mealtimes when everyone's sat at the table. we don't know who's been choosing to put the TV on, but. well.
  
• especially given that Tanya From Shipping, with whom we know Scott has previously "almost had an affair", absolutely is actively engaging with and encouraging his interests and skills.
  
• again: Scott! is not perfect! (nobody in this show is and that's why I love it!) but goodness this episode does a very neat reframe of perspective and narrator reliability again, simultaneous with all its uncomfortable parallels
  
• aaaaaaaaaah it's so GOOD

Comments

[lokifan]

we know who the person in this family is who refuses to put her phone down even during mealtimes when everyone's sat at the table. we don't know who's been choosing to put the TV on, but. well.

RIGHT. I mean, yeah, Scott sucks in many ways and puts so much of the household work on Paula, but she has also totally disengaged/given up on their relationship and her kids in a lot of ways.

I LOVE IT SO MUCH