Something rich and strange...
updated 17 September 1999
written by Andrea Denholm and Doug Macleod directed by Paul Moloney
Guest cast:
Raj Ryan as Ravi Kapoor
Matthew Green as Lionel
Brett Swain as Griff
Francis Greenslade as Simmo
Introduction:
There's no episode guide yet - I've been kind of frantic of late. Even better than an episode guide is a reformatted version of a debate on aus.tv about "Other peoples' opinions". Take some opinionated SeaChange viewers (I'm one of them), throw in some argument and you have the equivalent of David and Margaret on speed. I think it's a good read! Please note that some of the comments have been slightly modified/edited.
Episode overall
Koala said: I loved this episode. I'm sure Quokka the Sceptic will be able to point out the shortcomings of the ep, but I found it very poignant and lovely!
Quokka said in response to Koala: Look it wasn't bad... but why did it have to be such a "Karen Miller becomes Joey Potter"???
Leanne asked in response to Quokka: Who is Joey Potter?
Revenant said in response to Koala: Agreed. Good stuff. Max *is* a stirrer, isn't he? And Laura's just so stirrable...
Revenant said in response to Quokka: I *knew* someone would say this!
Lyn said in response to Quokka: Hmph. I thought it was a great episode, probably my favourite of season 2 to date . . . well, this and the invisible crabs, anyway.
Koala said in response to
Quokka: I really liked seeing more character development about Karen - but more
about that later....
Max and Laura Scenes
Koala said: Favourite scenes:-
all Max and Laura scenes - particularly the beginning!
Quokka said in response to Koala: Not terribly taken with any of them - particularly the beginning. I agree with Meredith... with only 7 months since Elena's death, it seems a bit soon.
Revenant said in response to Quokka: A bit soon for what exactly? There's no romance between them. There's clearly some latent attraction there, but he doesn't look as if he has any interest in pursuing it.
Lyn said in response to Quokka: Although the interesting question given last week's discussion, is that given that Max had clearly been awake for a while, why did HE stay in the bed? He had some lame excuse about Laura lying on his arm, but if he was really uncomfortable with the situation, this wouldn't have stopped him from leaving.
Koala said in response to Quokka: Well nothing's HAPPENED. From the very first second they met, there was a certain chemistry/attraction between them. This has intensified over the next seven months but basically nothing has happened. If they fell into bed right now, that would be something very fast, but I think it's just a lot of development. I think Max isn't grieving as long as I expected him, too, but then again he's not an albatross.
Angus and Karen scenes
Koala said: - all Karen and Angus scenes
Quokka said in response to Koala: Better... but, as above, this storyline is more or less identical to Dawson and Joey on Dawson's Creek. She wants to take some time out to "find herself" before committing to him - even though she loves him.
Leanne said in response to Quokka: Oh, that's who he is. I don't think it was that at all.
Revenant said in reponse to Koala: Again, agreed, though it seemed a bit sudden on the part of Angus to propose like that. Addendum to an earlier thread: *Now* we've seen some development on the part of Karen...
Revenant said in response to Quokka: Yes and no. Angus' part is quite different to Dawson's.
Lyn said in response to
Quokka: Point taken, but I think that this treatment was - predictably - far
more interesting than the eternally awful Dawson's Creek. Karen's focus to date
on 'weddings, weddings, weddings' came to an abrupt halt. The best part about
the acting this week, was how terrified Karen looked as the certainty in her
world vanished. It was truly poignant, and utterly believable. And quite a bit
more substantial than Joey's 'I love you more than anything, which is why I'm
dumping you' speech.
Mitzi the Cat
Quokka asked: Speaking of which... what of this joke that Laura stepped on the new cat in the same way she injured the long-suffering Mitzi in the very first episode? What *has* happened to Mitzi?
Revenant said in response to Quokka: Good question.
Lyn said in response to Quokka: I've got so many Mitzi conspiracy theories, I won't bother starting. But does anyone remember Kevin's carpet snake anecdote from the first series when Mitzi went missing? Maybe Mitzi's been eaten by an invisible carpet snake? (and frankly, on the Victorian coastline, I think you'd only find carpet snakes of the invisible variety anyway . .. )
Koala comment: aha, I'll
pull up one of Lyn's posts from 8 September 1999 on the subject of Mitzi:
Seachange: Whatever happened to Mitzi?
On the subject of the cat from 'Kitty Litter': did anyone else wonder why no one said: 'Hey, Laura already owns a cat. Why doesn't she take it?' I can only think of a few reasons why this didn't occur:
1. Mitzi's invisibility would have created tension and friction between the two felines.
2. The town is well versed on Laura's track record with cats, including her tendency to tread on them and then be snarky about the vet's bill.
3. The writers forgot Laura owns a cat, even though she and Diver fed it a mullet in episode 1, series 2.
4. That's it! Maybe the mullet poisoned the cat, and the Gibson family is in mourning; hence Laura's reluctance to take the cat is simply a manifestation of her denial.
5. Alternately, Mitzi the invisible cat may have been taken by an invisible shark.
Given that all these possible explanations seem quite reasonable, I'm concerned that the only thing I can't figure out, is why Laura acted so worried when the cat went into her bedroom. Why anyone who owns a cat would be worried about a cat running around is beyond me. Any suggestions? (apart from the possibility that maybe she was just trying to get Max into her bedroom . . .!)
Karen and Kapoor scenes
Koala said: Karen and Kapoor (?)
Quokka said in response to Koala: And I really hated these... it was just *so* transparent and contrived. Karen doesn't appear to be the sort of person who could get so emotionally knocked about by someone just passing through. The fact that she raised his bail so that he could flee the country is even less likely. We even saw in this episode that she thought he was doing "awful things".
Leanne said in response to Quokka: I think he did something that no one else has been able to. She said it herself, everyone just accepts her, no one questions her. Everyone thinks that she is the person who will get married and then have three kids with their names all picked out, no one had ever said to her before that, what happens after that. It is the first time she realised that she had never considered herself capable of anything else. I think that man just began the process of her thinking about what she wanted, really wanted. Who's not to say that she won't come back next series and say, yes that is all I want, I have thought about my other options and I don't want them?
Revenant said in response to Koala: "Ravi" should do...
Revenant said in response to Quokka: She got knocked about by the truth. It took an outsider to tell her the truth. [re the bail] I figured that was her subconscious looking for an excuse to dispose of the wedding money - and thus the wedding.
Lyn said in response to Quokka: Disagree. I think that Karen putting up bail was the most interesting part of all: it was like she deliberately sabotaged her own wedding. I think she chose to use the money, so that she had to confront Angus, and had to express her confusion.
Koala said in response to
Quokka: But I thought that this just went to exactly what the theme was. Karen
had built up this notion of what she wanted for herself and the whole town including
herself believed it and accepted it without question. Meredith, Bob, Angus etc.
They all just assumed that that was who she was. It took a complete outsider
- not just someone from outside the town, but someone from outside her country/culture
to look at her from a different viewpoint. Also, the fact that he was capable
of awful things doesn't mean that he wasn't capable of *seeing* things. There
are people whom I think are awful but there is validity in some of their observations
and I don't discount their views just because I think they should never have
been born. =) Someone at work was saying that just because Kapoor had totally
stuffed up his own life didn't mean that he wasn't able to look at Karen's life
and give a view.
Being a police woman
Quokka said: Whatever she wants to do in the long run, we do know she likes being a police officer. It is *not* a nothing job for her. Tonight's episode asked us to suddenly accept that it was. I never can accept these sudden "history changing" plot developments in shows which are supposed to have continuity.
Leanne said in response to Quokka: She never said she didn't want to be a policewoman any more. Well, I didn't think that. Then again she also said she joined the police because that is what her father wanted, so maybe she realised that it was time to do what she wanted. I don't know. I just think it is all possible, probably not as quickly, but it is TV and they can do what they like on TV.
Revenant said in response
to Quokka:
Lyn said in response to Quokka: Yeah, I felt the same way about Diver's suddenly developing wanderlust. Where did THAT come from? I actually think Karen's change was a bit more in character though.. We've known ever since last season that her father pressured her into the police force, and she even told Miranda that as soon as she got married, she'd throw it in to raise kids. I think in this sense, being a cop is part of the troubling pattern of Karen's life: she may enjoy it, like she thinks she loves Angus, but she has to rethink the way it fits in her life.
Koala said in response to
Quokka: It's not a "nothing" job but it's one of those things that one does
just because it's convenient. Lots of people do a job just because they can,
because they get the marks, because it seemed like a good idea at the time.
It's like how people get married because the other person seems nice, and at
the time - it seems to be enough. The "suddenness" in her change of thought
wasn't supposed to be consistent. Basically, it was a pivotal moment in her
life in which she questioned everything - her expectations, her aspirations
etc. I think it was supposed to be drastic, and perhaps I'm more gullible but
I found it plausible that someone could go through their own minor SeaChange.
Just to see one's self through another's eyes can be a humbling/distressing
experience.
Kev and Phrani
Koala said: Hmm, that's pretty much the whole episode isn't it?
Revenant said in response to Koala: You forgot Prahni and Kev. But I found that fairly flat.
Max Connors sleeping with treees
Koala said: Oh, the headline about Max Connors sleeping with trees was pretty funny.
Quokka said in response to Koala: I saw it coming a mile away I have to say. That entire plot line was pretty predictable... once again Max proves he knows the town better than "outsider" Laura. She may not have his history with the town... but she's been around for some time now... and indeed he was away for years before coming back - it's not unlikely she would actually have the edge over him.
Revenant said in response to Koala: Actually, Carmen's pretty good all round - they should be doing more with her...
Revenant said in response to Quokka: Me too. It was still funny though. [re being an outsider] Pearl Bay doesn't look like the sort of place that changes much. I doubt it would have changed too much from when Max grew up there.
Lyn said in response to Quokka: I agree the final comeback was a bit predictable, but it was still well executed. Particularly given that Max is still pretty insufferable at times. The fact he didn't get Laura's stress was really annoying: ie, how it would affect her relationship with her children and her ex-husband. Some would say that any excuse to alienate Jack is great, but she does have to stay civil. Speaking of Jack, was anyone else impressed at how Jack simultaneously told Laura he believed her, and delivered the hugest backhand insult (ie: I don't believe you're capable of a passionate affair). Although this was also pretty silly, given that Jack witnessed Diver wandering out of Laura's bedroom.
Koala said in response to Quokka's first post: Well I still found it really funny. I wasn't "expecting" it per se because I was mulling over the Phrani/Karen emotion thing. In terms of being the outsider - Max grew up in Pearl Bay. He was there until he was a young adult. He was part of the town until he left. Laura is STILL the outsider. Her role as magistrate will pretty much always condemn her to being an outsider I think.
Crying with Karen
Koala said: I think I must have been in the mood for a good cry but I got all teary when Karen was crying.
Quokka said in response to Koala: I was just sitting there thinking "Oh, don't pull a Joey... Oh please don't pull a Joey". She pulled a Joey. Rats.
Leanne said in reponse to Koala: No, I didn't, I just thought Angus' reaction was really nice.
Lyn said in response to Quokka: Oh, get over Dawson's already. I agree that 'finding yourself' is overused, but the decision was very profound for Karen. Yeah, I cried a bit too!
Level-headed Karen
Koala said: She normally seems to level-headed and unflappable
Quokka said in response to Koala: Precisely.
Koala said in response to Quokka: And that's why it's sad to see her upset. It's like when Phrani fell to pieces. I found that quite confronting.
Realism and Karen
Koala said: that it was very sad to see her distressed.
Quokka said in response to Koala: True... but because of the above, there are fairly tight limits within which she can "realistically" get upset. I didn't feel they pulled this off.
Revenant said in response to Quokka: Not quite, but I think they hit close enough to the mark.
Koala said in response to
Quokka: I think that someone like Karen is capable of becoming VERY upset. She's
always completely in control, knows exactly what she wants, has everything planned
out. She always puts a little aside for a rainy day - someone like that just
isn't equipped for the wobblies that life can throw you. It's more shattering
for someone like her when she realises that she may have built up her life around
something that wasn't that important.
Angus loves Karen
Koala said: I was also really glad that this episode let us know that Angus REALLY does love her.
Quokka said in reponse to Koala: Agreed. That penultimate scene with them on the bench was very sweet.
Leanne said in response to Quokka: I'm agreeing again.On a final note, I would like to say that it was nice seeing Karen doing something a little unpredictable, (ah, that's why the quokka doesn't like it, he didn't predict it) and I am looking forward to seeing her do something a little different. I disagree with the quokka and think it can all be possible. That man spoke to Karen on several occassions and I've known people who have changed from someone saying, quite innocently, "you're fat", so I don't think there was anything wrong with it. She hasn't changed completely because she doesn't want to tell the town that the wedding is off, so she is not closing doors completely, she is just going to let a little breeze come in. Do you think Angus will like the new Karen? She made a comment about living a little wilder, so do think she will lose her virginity before she gets married, or do you think that would be too much?
Does Angus love Karen?
Koala said: I always thought
he was going along with the flow, but in the scene where they're sitting on
the bench together and she's crying, and he has his chin resting on the top
of her head, it's clear that he's hurting and that he does love
her. *sob*
Quokka said in reponse to Koala: I've always felt that the "going with the flow" was a pretence - even to himself... but that he really did love her.
Revenant said in response to Koala: Yeh, maybe. Or maybe he's just caught up in her expectations. I don't know about you, but if I see *anyone* in that much misery, my first impulse is to try to comfort them. (My second is to realise that I don't know how and that I'd probably bollix it up, but that's beside the point...)
Revenant said in response to Quokka: I've always felt that he loved her - he's just never been into this prim and proper house-with-three-kids dream of hers. To him, things are just about perfect as they are...
Lyn said in response to Quokka: Yes, I agree with both of you that it was the best part of the episode. It was his cheek on her hair that started me crying, and his expression! Isn't it supremely ironic that the most tender, the most quietly physical moment the two have shared was when Karen told Angus it was over. God that's depressing. And the whole last scene was beautifully written and played, not dripping with sentiment, just honest. Truly great stuff, I felt emotionally drained afterwards. And something neither of you has really touched on: wasn't the development of Kevin and Phrani's relationship interesting? Both had a moment of saying the most awful, hurtful things to the other: when Phrani told Kevin that she sometimes thought him 'just stupid', and Kevin's horrific 'I knew I shouldn't have taken up with a foreign woman'. Both were operating under stress: Trevor's disappearence and Phrani's fear of Ravi, but the impact of the vitriol was still incredible. And even though Kevin apologised, I think this is all still 'out there', yet to be resolved.
And even though I'm probably all alone on this one, I was satisfied to see that there was a little bit of quality Sergeant Grey screen time. He is so underused! But he looked very funky wandering around in plain clothes and a fishing rod, trying to keep an eye on Karen in (I think) a not unkind way.
Koala said in response to Quokka: I've always hoped that he loved her, but I wasn't sure until last night's episode. I thought he might have been doing the old "settle" routine.
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