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Better Things - S2 - Starring Pamela Adlon, Co-written by Louis CK - Thursdays on FX

Dereck

Member
Initially I was watching this show for the scenes with the daughters since I found Pamela's arcs to be particularly uninteresting.

This episode is the first episode where I found myself engaged in everything involving Pamela. Good on the show for giving the daughters minimal screentime in order to focus more on Pamela. The frequent posturing towards Pamela getting "you're attractive" comments and the young actor wanting to pull out his junk in the car was interesting.

Pamela's interactions with her mother are interesting because it brings out a certain thought that I've had about parents and my parents. Both of my parents are nearing on 60 and I notice that (my mother in particular) is very talkative and perhaps the lack of people that she has around her that are willing to listen to her talk about her life are slowly decreasing. As a son who loves and cares about her I am more than happy to listen to her talk about herself. It's no where near as much as Pamela's mother in this show but I get it.

Now Pamela sometimes won't put up with it if she feels that her mother is being somewhat unreasonable or aggravating but often times she'll be there for her mother which is evident to her living right across the street.

I also dug the scene with the baby daddy and Pamela's generally non-sympathetic attitude when making replies like "It's not fair" and replying with "I know" to "you're always superior".

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chris121580

Member
I think the show is just so good. It really fills the void of Louie. Pamela Adlon has been phenomenal and she deserves to be nominated for her role. I was also blown away when I looked it up and saw she's 50. She looks great for 50
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
I didn't much care for that one. I appreciated the attempt to broach the subject of religion, but I don't feel that the show, like most shows, handled it well at all.
 

big ander

Member
Yea that was a fun one. Sam and Phil in that first barely-a-scene was perfect.

the show's found itself in this second half of the season, since they worked out how to be endlessly digressive without preventing the characters from being actual characters.
 

hateradio

The Most Dangerous Yes Man
Moms are tough, the series.

I still find the show marginally entertaining, but it's missing elements that can make it better.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Decent finale to a very uneven first season - a season that never fully clicked with me. There were occasional moments of greatness, but mostly I kinda feel like the show was just mediocre.

Here's hoping Adlon can find a way to make the show more compelling next year.
 
I stopped the last episode with less than 9 minutes left, because I wanted to watch a rerun of a sitcom. I need to finish it today.

That was the finale, though!? Wow. That's over quickly, and without much happening. Typical Louis CK though? (I never liked his show much)

It got better later on. I almost dropped it, too. It's still not anything special, but I do enjoy it for the most part.
 

Niraj

I shot people I like more for less.
Decent finale to a very uneven first season - a season that never fully clicked with me. There were occasional moments of greatness, but mostly I kinda feel like the show was just mediocre.

Here's hoping Adlon can find a way to make the show more compelling next year.

Feel the same way, well said.
 
D

Deleted member 1235

Unconfirmed Member
This is the first time I've seen anything about this. We'll have to check it out. Thanks, CB!
yeah me too! love the star, but what's up with her and Louie, they work a large amount together.
 
yeah me too! love the star, but what's up with her and Louie, they work a large amount together.

Do they? I didn't know they collaborated until this. Then again, I don't really follow them.

I remember liking Adlon in Californication, which I need to watch Season 3-5? of.
 

Dereck

Member
I don't know if you guys know but she's in Louie, I can't tell if you guys know that already but just for the sake of being safe, you guys probably already know that.
 

hateradio

The Most Dangerous Yes Man
Frankie's situation has got me hooked on the show now.
Too bad it came at the last episode. Hope things work out.

Do they? I didn't know they collaborated until this. Then again, I don't really follow them.

I remember liking Adlon in Californication, which I need to watch Season 3-5? of.
Californication, almost forgot that thing existed.

She's been in Lucky Louie (HBO), Louie, and now this. She wasn't in Horace & Pete, which I thought was interesting.
 
She and he were in the only season of HBO's _Lucky Louie_ as well. Like the show, but man, ditching her mom at the start of this past episode -- harsh.
 
The new season starts tonight and has been getting rave reviews. I'm a bit behind on the show and won't be posting much. If anyone wants to start a new thread, please be my guest. Just put a link back in here so that we know. Thanks.

Season premiere tonight:
September

Sam has people over.
 

Klocker

Member
yea just watched the whole first season recently and do not understand how people don't see this as amazing. sure some cringey moments but the girls are amazing and the stories and acting is superb.

telling stories not normally told and in a very believable way.

although I see how some people just cannot relate.

last episode was stellar in particular.
 

big ander

Member
I'm really looking forward to this. first season took a minute to find itself but I enjoyed the last few episodes and every advance review is promising.
 
Yikes at Max dating a 36 year old when she is 16. I'm glad Sam was able to deal with him by the end.

I would not want to play Truth or Dare with Duke.

Frankie can sing.
 

big ander

Member
that was a masterpiece episode. They really don't let Sam off the hook—in the breakup scene she was sort of right, but also seemed just awful. And damn, the extended shot of her outside the motel room while the music played, followed by the montage, followed by the return to that shot implying maybe the Fox girl's vacation day was merely an idea—stunning.
 

Dereck

Member
This season is off to an excellent start. I think a lot of what happens in this show is multi-faceted and complex. I really enjoyed episode 2, I thought it was a masterpiece. So much stuff going on. I liked how Henry Thomas's overreaction to the hotel room situation purposely made him look kind of ridiculous. Ridiculous enough for his self-doubt later on in the episode to be convincing. Seemed like he's been going through those types of things frequently before. I liked that it was clear that Sam didn't really give a shit and to her, it wasn't a thing, just a temporary road block that she moved on from, much more quickly than Henry Thomas did. It was as if Henry Thomas wanted to be forgiven but Sam didn't see anything there to forgive. Proverbial moment of one person making something a thing and another person not making something a thing, happens more times to me than I would like to admit.

When Henry Thomas invited Sam over the phone to the trip it seemed so organic, he sounded a lot like how I would sound before asking out a woman on a date. Because it's very important to me, it's a pivotal moment from being vulnerable due to the possibility of rejection and then being happy or content with the yes or no reply. Shit is really anxiety ridden but also life like and I appreciated that. Once again her kids doing obvious kid things just adds to the heavy layering, and Sam driving past her Mom like I'm trying to leave and don't bother me just for this brief time period adds to it too.
 
I enjoyed this episode more than the previous one.

The opening with Sam's mom in the bookstore was great.

Also Sam dealing with the kids father and struggling to accept happiness with her new boyfriend.
 
I enjoyed this episode more than the previous one.

The opening with Sam's mom in the bookstore was great.

Also Sam dealing with the kids father and struggling to accept happiness with her new boyfriend.

Glad to know I'm not the only one still watching. Her husband will be forever typecast as a "douche" ha ha. He's good at it. I thought that the boy was the one peeing, but they pulled the switcharoo.
 
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