Mare of Easttown

[Eskimohorn 5635]

I guess I’m in the minority. It seemed far-fetched, and based on what had been shown there’s no reason to have suspected Ryan. Oh well, good show but a bit of a letdown ending for me.

He was a suspect. Think a few folks suggested it on here. There was the exchange about the secret and the former mistress (who vehemently denied it before the big reveal). Then he showed a very severe act of violence to defend his sister.

Regarding the boy (what 10 years old) threatening Erin with the gun, it happens. I dont buy Jon gonna wack his brother in cold blood, with his wife’s consent. The cover up one murder by committing another never makes sense unless you’re an insulated mob boss.

[CooterBrown 18012]

He was a suspect. Think a few folks suggested it on here. There was the exchange about the secret and the former mistress (who vehemently denied it before the big reveal). Then he showed a very severe act of violence to defend his sister.

Regarding the boy (what 10 years old) threatening Erin with the gun, it happens. I dont buy Jon gonna wack his brother in cold blood, with his wife’s consent. The cover up one murder by committing another never makes sense unless you’re an insulated mob boss.

Did they ever say his age? He was in junior high. Would’ve been 12-14. A kid a year older than me was in 7th grade when he raped and murdered a classmate’s grandmother during a burglary. I’d say inadvertently killing your dad’s side piece is much more believable than that real event from my hometown.

[Patrick Bateman 3914]

4 hours ago, Buzzrock said:

I guess I’m in the minority. It seemed far-fetched, and based on what had been shown there’s no reason to have suspected Ryan. Oh well, good show but a bit of a letdown ending for me.

The pieces were there.  I agree they were faint but they were there.  Remember episode 5, showing his penchant for anger?

[RPM 26321]

So is this series any good? I haven't watched a second of it because I wasn't impressed with the trailers. It looked... boring.

[MissingInAction 25076]

Cemetery forgettable but a hood show to watch with a lady friend. 

[Red Five 40858]

Did they ever say his age? He was in junior high. Would’ve been 12-14. A kid a year older than me was in 7th grade when he raped and murdered a classmate’s grandmother during a burglary. I’d say inadvertently killing your dad’s side piece is much more believable than that real event from my hometown.

That is frowned upon in middle schools nowadays. JMHO

[bschoolprof 6254]

So is this series any good? I haven't watched a second of it because I wasn't impressed with the trailers. It looked... boring.

Yes, it’s quite good, and I definitely recommend it even if I wasn’t 100% satisfied with the ending. Kate Winslet is amazing in it.

[Patrick Bateman 3914]

12 hours ago, A-Tex Devil said:

Dylan wanted to burn the journals so he/his family could keep DJ.  

I think folks understand why, it just was sloppy and hamfisted.  Interview with the creator gives insight into they understood it too.  They did a scene where he's chasing down the friend without a gun, but they thought it was too light.  So they put the gun in.  It's just not a great, logical arc.  If he wanted to keep the baby, going out and committing armed assault isn't going to help.  Not a huge deal, but the motivation vs action was silly.

4 hours ago, bschoolprof said:

The show was very well done and the writing held up much better than I expected.  But I guess I wasn't as satisfied with the resolution as everyone else.  

1) The Ryan involvement was silly. Imagining my 12 year old or any kid of that age doing something like that - on his schwinn at midnight, miles from home - is laughable.  They should have just left John as the killer. 

Real quick: so the old man noticed his gun was missing in the middle of the night during the 2 hour window that Ryan took it and returned it? 

 

Yea, I didn't get this point either?  It was sort of weird how Ryan said he returned it that night when the old guy didn't even really worry about it and found it later.  He could have just said he returned it later.  Sort of weird and a little sloppy.

And when I was 12, I would sneak out all the time and go miles away from home on my bike.  It's not really that surprising although technically he's 13.  

 

 

[4th&Five 41552]

4 hours ago, Bateshorn said:

The plot had some minor holes, but for a mystery it was solid.  I’ve seen some absurd BBC mystery plot twists over the years.  This was small stuff. 
 

The reality is the the series was about grief and history. How we process it and don’t, how it affects our lives in ways big and small. It was as beautifully acted as anything I’ve seen in years, without a single weak point.  
 

Her Bates quip had my hard lol-ing. Guy Pierce was about to exchange one shitty small college town with weird accents for a different shitty small college town with weird accents.

I kind of chuckled when he said Bates and my wife looked at me funny. I said there was a guy from Surly that went there and she said “oh, it’s real?”

[ChickenSandwich 9836]

24 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said:

I think folks understand why, it just was sloppy and hamfisted.  Interview with the creator gives insight into they understood it too.  They did a scene where he's chasing down the friend without a gun, but they thought it was too light.  So they put the gun in.  It's just not a great, logical arc.  If he wanted to keep the baby, going out and committing armed assault isn't going to help.  Not a huge deal, but the motivation vs action was silly.

Yea, I didn't get this point either?  It was sort of weird how Ryan said he returned it that night when the old guy didn't even really worry about it and found it later.  He could have just said he returned it later.  Sort of weird and a little sloppy.

And when I was 12, I would sneak out all the time and go miles away from home on my bike.  It's not really that surprising although technically he's 13.  

 

 

Dylan dying in the first episode would have worked better overall. 

[utxmike05 1828]

Called it last week...Ryan.  Although I wish it wasn't him.  Sucks to see Lori suffering and Mare in a hard ass spot to be in...do your job or be a best friend?  I'm not sure what I would have done in Mare's shoes.

Why couldn't the cops awhile back just put out a community newsletter that said "if anyone knows of or has seen a rare Colt special handgun lately let us know" or something...probably not standard police work but it is a a small ass town so you may get answers quick.  Then the old man could have talked awhile back.

Great show.  Best in awhile of this genre.

[Buzzrock 14920]

The pieces were there.  I agree they were faint but they were there.  Remember episode 5, showing his penchant for anger?

Yeah I admit I forgot about that.

One other odd moment from the finale: when Mare told the guy in her kitchen that the padre was being released, they focused on him for a beat and he had a weird look on his face. I thought something else was going to come to light from his involvement.

[Eskimohorn 5635]

Yeah I admit I forgot about that.

One other odd moment from the finale: when Mare told the guy in her kitchen that the padre was being released, they focused on him for a beat and he had a weird look on his face. I thought something else was going to come to light from his involvement.

There was a followup Deacon homily - about Deacon Creeper coming back - that set the stage for the finale.

So rather than have a scene where the Deacon is welcomed back, you see a furrowed brow.

[Hozz 1017]

Best thing from HBO in quite a while.  Their app and service are steaming piles of shit though.  We gave up trying to watch it Sunday and even last night it didn't want to load and when it finally did the resolution was bad for longer than normal.

What happened at the creek and then later John's confession was exactly what I thought the ending was going to be based on episode 6.  So it was pretty satisfying for them to work in a plausible scenario that was not that.  Kate Winslet and her mom put in amazing work here.  Also John's confession was a nice performance.

[utxmike05 1828]

Yea wtf is up w HBO app.  Sometimes it gets hung up after the "previously on".  Or it forgets what episode to load next.  And I had issues adding captions a few times...had to restart the app.

[TwiceHorn 31471]

1 minute ago, utxmike05 said:

Yea wtf is up w HBO app.  Sometimes it gets hung up after the "previously on".  Or it forgets what episode to load next.  And I had issues adding captions a few times...had to restart the app.

It's crap.

[tantric superman 4667]

I'll admit to being relatively bored after the fun loving sidekick was shot in the head.  So what, last two episodes?

There was so much junk after that when they had the big emotional scene between Mare and the mom/wife/inlaw of all the criminals and criminal spawn, it just didn't pack any impact at all.  Nor did kid going of to college, etc.

Kind of ran out of people to root for. 

[Bash Riprock 1695]

Show ran out of steam after the girls were captured in the old Bar House.

[Vito Andolini 9126]

I thought it was really, really good throughout, but the show had more red herrings than a fish cannery. The burning of the diaries/asshole kid chasing girl in the street, the mysterious death of the old dame in the car crash, Frank’s fiancé suddenly ending the engagement, the kidnapper’s bearded poker buddy, the aforementioned drunken deacon (not the one with the history of hanging out too much with young girls) with multiple weird looks during the series, Guy Pearce’s ENTIRE story arc... they really wanted to keep you guessing. 

They even threw in a couple bonus tantalizers to keep your interest... did you think for a second Lori was going to pull a knife from the block and give ‘ol Mare one in the back? Didn’t Richard’s sudden departure seem fishy? 

But still really good, and a thousand times more satisfying than that POS ending we had to endure with The Undoing. Winslet with a great chance at the Emmy, and I think Jean Smart has it in the bag. I’ve only watched one episode of Hacks so far, but I think she’s funnier in Mare.

[CooterBrown 18012]

Only thing that bugged me is the daughter heads off to drive cross country to start college by herself. Come on. The dad could’ve been in the fucking driver’s seat instead of waving good luck.

[ChickenSandwich 9836]

4 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

I thought it was really, really good throughout, but the show had more red herrings than a fish cannery. The burning of the diaries/asshole kid chasing girl in the street, the mysterious death of the old dame in the car crash, Frank’s fiancé suddenly ending the engagement, the kidnapper’s bearded poker buddy, the aforementioned drunken deacon (not the one with the history of hanging out too much with young girls) with multiple weird looks during the series, Guy Pearce’s ENTIRE story arc... they really wanted to keep you guessing. 

They even threw in a couple bonus tantalizers to keep your interest... did you think for a second Lori was going to pull a knife from the block and give ‘ol Mare one in the back? Didn’t Richard’s sudden departure seem fishy? 

But still really good, and a thousand times more satisfying than that POS ending we had to endure with The Undoing. Winslet with a great chance at the Emmy, and I think Jean Smart has it in the bag. I’ve only watched one episode of Hacks so far, but I think she’s funnier in Mare.

Any truth to the rumor Guy was a last minute recast meant for a lesser actor?

[Patrick Bateman 3914]

43 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Any truth to the rumor Guy was a last minute recast meant for a lesser actor?

Correct.  Original actor is a British TV actor.  Guy is personal friends with Kate so he stepped in.  The EP admits it caused a bit of a red herring issue.

Quote

Speaking to Vanity Fair, series creator Brad Ingelsby said Pearce became an “accidental red herring”.

“I do understand the suspicion,” Ingelsby said. “Especially because it’s Guy and he’s such a wonderful actor, but, um, but he was always only written as that. It was just a beautiful little relationship that came at the right time in her life that provided some tenderness.”

It turns out Pearce wasn’t originally meant to appear in Mare of Easttown. The role of Richard was given to lesser known actor Ben Miles but he had to pull out due to a scheduling conflict.

Winslet suggested she could ring Pearce whom she had worked with in the past and offer him the role instead.

“She said, ‘Listen, it’s an easy call I can make, we’ll see if Guy would be interested’,” Ingelsby told Vanity Fair.

Pearce told Entertainment Tonight that he couldn’t turn down the offer from Winslet.

“To have Kate call me and say, ‘I’m doing a show. You have to come and play this role. This is the story. This is the connection between the two characters’. I just go, ‘Well, yes’,” Pearce said.

 

[mchookem 16336]

still thinking about it a few days later... i'm really glad they did not give us the cathartic emotional breakdown of Mare finally grieving her son. 

as she was pulling down the attic stairs i was sort of bracing myself for this massive emotional gut punch, after we'd just gotten one from the scene with Lori. 

when it ended i felt a sense of relief...like, it would have been the expected ending, but it would almost have felt indecent, i did not need nor want to see that from Mare.

i really related emotionally to Mare, in many ways. i felt her.

Kate Winslet is kind of a good actress. 😁

Edited June 2, 2021 by mchookem

[Patrick Bateman 3914]

Just now, mchookem said:

still thinking about it a few days later... i'm really glad they did not give us the cathartic emotional breakdown of Mare finally grieving her son. 

as she was pulling down the attic stairs i was sort of bracing myself for this massive emotional gut punch, after we'd just gotten one from the scene with Lori. 

when it ended i felt a sense of relief...like, it would have been the expected ending, but it would almost have felt indecent, i did not need nor want to see that from Mare.

i really related emotionally to Mare, in many ways. i felt her.

Kate Winslet is kind of a good of an actress. 😁

The whole series was pretty wonderfully played.  I had a couple of minor issues with John's portrayal but for the most part, it was very well done and Winslett will most likely get an Emmy nomination (well deserved).  I hope so much that Jean Smart gets an Emmy nod as she stole basically every scene she was in.  Nicholson's quiet torment was extremely effective too.  The music was very good too.

[DDD Dad 14339]

Any truth to the rumor Guy was a last minute recast meant for a lesser actor?

Considering he can’t seem to afford a decent haircut he might have needed the part.

[Eskimohorn 5635]

Considering he can’t seem to afford a decent haircut he might have needed the part.

Looked pretty authentic for a adjunct professor at Eastown College and then Bates. Then he googles what locals like and brings it to Mare as a get well basket.

[JimmyTwoTimes 79]

23 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

Only thing that bugged me is the daughter heads off to drive cross country to start college by herself. Come on. The dad could’ve been in the fucking driver’s seat instead of waving good luck.

Was it Berklee School of Music in MA? It’s a highly regarded music school, she was a vocalist in the wedding, and a much more manageable drive from PA. Not sure, maybe I missed something as well.

[TwiceHorn 31471]

2 minutes ago, JimmyTwoTimes said:

Was it Berklee School of Music in MA? It’s a highly regarded music school, she was a vocalist in the wedding, and a much more manageable drive from PA. Not sure, maybe I missed something as well.

No, very clearly Univ. of California.

It was also pretty stupid that she was somehow admitted by talking to some prof there when her Mom had been nagging her about college apps and she hadn't done anything about it.

[Vito Andolini 9126]

Ugh, due to the success of this show, the copycats are already starting. STARZ has a version coming out soon, but as you know, their budget is shit, so it’s Mare of Winningham.

[Doc Sam Beckett 5793]

1 hour ago, Vito Andolini said:

Ugh, due to the success of this show, the copycats are already starting. STARZ has a version coming out soon, but as you know, their budget is shit, so it’s Mare of Winningham.

Lol dickhead

[UncleSonny 6572]

A few lingering questions: 

Spoiler

- I'm also pretty confused by the timing of returning the gun. Was that just a mistake on the writers part or a purposeful lingering question for the audience? They even had a line during the interrogation where Mare seems pretty taken aback that he decided to return the gun to the shed right after the killing and she asks him, "what made you think to do that?". Sure seemed like they were setting up another shoe to drop but then nothing. 

- Also, are we to assume that Dylan was telling the truth about driving around smoking a joint the night of the murder? It seemed like an obvious lie at the time but they also never circled back on it. His character confused me, from one scene to the next he was a harmless idiot, a violent asshole, and lastly a sadboy with a heart of gold.

- This isn't really a plot hole but seems kind of stupid the old man keeps his keepsake gun that he has locked away from his grandchildren in an outside shed, fully loaded. 

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by UncleSonny

[mchookem 16336]

^agree on all points...er, questions.

luckily they are small enough issues to not takeaway from the overall story. but yeah...i think sloppy writing, missed a couple of (thankfully) small details. 

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

On 6/1/2021 at 8:56 PM, CooterBrown said:

Only thing that bugged me is the daughter heads off to drive cross country to start college by herself. Come on. The dad could’ve been in the fucking driver’s seat instead of waving good luck.

Good thing you never met my parents. Pre-cell phone and I drove 600+ miles alone to a state where I knew no one. First gen college. It did instill a righteous fear about doing what was necessary to succeed, however.

On 6/2/2021 at 8:47 PM, TwiceHorn said:

No, very clearly Univ. of California.

It was also pretty stupid that she was somehow admitted by talking to some prof there when her Mom had been nagging her about college apps and she hadn't done anything about it.

This one did make me sit up a little, I had zero help with apps, but the deadlines were pretty clear, and I at least knew I needed to have a test score.

I enjoyed the series. I hope there isn't a sequel. It was a brief snapshot into the lives of ordinary Americans who work and grieve and love and and laugh and screw up and make messes--some small, some large and overwhelming. Addiction, suicide, affairs, divorce, and all the other secrets people have to try and hold it all together one day at a time.

Not bad for seven hours of viewing.

[Michael Knight 12977]

Jesus I can't decide who's family is more fucked Mares or Lors. White people are crazy

[Wade 464]

On 6/3/2021 at 3:50 AM, Vito Andolini said:

Ugh, due to the success of this show, the copycats are already starting. STARZ has a version coming out soon, but as you know, their budget is shit, so it’s Mare of Winningham.

This post needs more love.

[Sbbruin 21853]

Through 5 of the 6 eps.  Really digging it.

[South Austin 52504]

When episode 5 ended I thought they’d really have to stretch to fill the final two episodes, but they did a bang up job. 

Yeah, there were some plot holes that others mentioned above. But still a great show with an outstanding cast. Kate Winslet was at her best.

[Sbbruin 21853]

On 6/16/2021 at 6:09 PM, South Austin said:

When episode 5 ended I thought they’d really have to stretch to fill the final two episodes, but they did a bang up job. 

Yeah, there were some plot holes that others mentioned above. But still a great show with an outstanding cast. Kate Winslet was at her best.

Yeah, I thought it was fantastic.  Kept me engaged throughout.

[jeevsie 3734]

Very pleased I finally watched this.

[Vito Andolini 9126]

On 6/16/2021 at 8:09 PM, South Austin said:

When episode 5 ended I thought they’d really have to stretch to fill the final two episodes, but they did a bang up job. 

Yeah, there were some plot holes that others mentioned above. But still a great show with an outstanding cast. Kate Winslet was at her best.

For me, Kate Winslet showing off her early 20’s titties on that couch was her “at her best,” so I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree. 

[ajax 2616]

Just watched binged the whole thing. Really excellent. Julianne Nicholson rightfully won a best supporting actress award.

One of the things this show got right is the absolute crushing shittiness and depression of certain small northeast towns. There's a grime that never washes off. 

[wutang75 449]

Jean Smart is always amazing. Didn’t realize until rewatching Frasier recently she won an Emmy for her guest appearance.


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[Chewbacca 7779]

Don't know how I missed this one when it first came out, but wife and I just binged it over the last 3 days.  Damn, great series.  Winslet deserved her Emmy for this.  Jean Smart deserved one as well.