Open spoilers after the OP.
This series took a while but ultimately it grew on me (which may be a bad thing to say for a show about melanoma). I was actually moved by Adam’s breakdown in the warehouse on tonight’s episode and was glad that Cathy and Paul got back together and even overlooked each other’s infidelities.
That said I’m not at all saying “More! More!” like I usually am with the season finale of a show I like. I’m not sure how much further they can take this and nobody really wants to watch a show about somebody struggling through cancer treatment; those of us who’ve seen a loved one through it or those who’ve been through it themselves probably don’t need a reminder and those who haven’t don’t have a lot of desire to I shouldn’t think. Plus I hate that they killed off Marlene- I liked the old broad (and one of my favorite moments was when she cussed out Sean for trying to “cock block” her).
Couldn’t care less about the Sean and Rebecca plotline- have a kid or don’t, who cares.
Marlene’s daughters could and would and arguably should sue to break their mom’s will since it’s indisputable her judgment was impaired and I’m doubting she was a great mom. I would have them flogged for putting poor Thomas in the shelter though (as if a lesbian couple would do that- please- I’m sure a lesbian couple exists somewhere that would be heartless where an animal is concerned but I’ve yet to meet them myself).
Thoughts on the episode or the season in general?
It’s just barely watchable.
I think Gabourey Sidibe’s part was wholly unnecessary and quite possibly nothing more than stunt casting in response to Howard Stern’s comments. Worse, I don’t think she was very good in the part. Hopefully she’s gone next season.
Not fair to judge based on one episode, but I thought the one episode I saw was way too sweet. Everyone was too nice and too reasonable and too understanding and caring and it felt phony, like the writers came from the Hallmark school. Since you guys watched more than one episode, it must have gotten better.
The only episode where I haven’t thought of Cathy as a complete bitch.
The series creator addressed that in an article in the New York Times Magazine.She said that as the first season of the show took place over one summer, the next season (if there is one) would take place in the autumn, followed by the winter, and so forth. So a six-season run would be only eighteen months. But you’re right that the storyline might get darker as she goes through treatment.And I agree that the scene with the son in the self-storage unit finally realizing the gravity of the situation was very moving.
Yeah, I kept assuming she was going to become integral but she remained “special guest star: the star of PRECIOUS”. I did like the episode where Cathy went to visit her at home expecting to find- well, Precious’s mom- and found a middle class loving family. That said I thought Cathy was very patronizing to her.
And featuring Reid Scott (the Dr.) on a show that displays male nudity (if only rear) when none of that nudity is Reid Scott should be against a law somewhere.
I think the actor does a good job as a doctor. His slacker character on My Boys is so convincing I wasn’t sure if he’d be able to pull off a person of substance, but he does it pretty well.
I like the show but find it hard to imagine where it can go from here.
When the screen went white at the end I was afraid we were going to see…
Cathy Whateverherlastnameis
1966 - 2010
I don’t watch The Big C but two people mentioned bawling during the finale so I caught it on a rerun. I’m holding you personally responsible for the water damage.
Holy shit. I mean, even without the benefit of the context of the rest of the series, and being what I consider to be a somewhat stoic and cynical folk, I feel like I’m peeing out of my eyeballs.
I bawled my eyes out twice. I can’t even remember the first scene but the storage unit was an obvious second.
Beyond crying copious amounts, multiple times, I also enjoyed the way it defied expectations by having the fuzzy lesbian couple eventually be the “enemy”…
I want to add, well, I sympathize with the son.
I haven’t even been subject to the plethora of video games that most boys have, that might cement their understanding of the difference between reality and fiction.
But despite that, various things have made me overly immune to the concept of death (or the theoretical concept of anything really) outside of the reality of it, not to mention the social conditioning for boys not to cry or be emotionally affected by anything in general.
But when my grandma recently died, well, I bawled my eyes out, although shielding my tears of course from the two uncles on premise.
So…
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No one knows what they will be affected by when they realize it’s real
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What people are wiling to be affected by in private is different than what they are willing to affected by in public.
I like that Cathy is more complex than what I’d expect: She has cancer! She’s learning! She’s wise! She’s pure and good! She wants to make her wrongs right! …I suppose part of that stems from having a crush/going on a couple of dates with a guy in college who had had cancer, and learning then that jerks get cancer too, and don’t all become wise life sages after. Ah, my early 20s. The naivete was so…quaint.
Anyway, I, too, am bummed they killed off Marlene. I liked her. However, her jaded daughters and the gutting of her house hit a little too close to home. It was a little too reminiscent of my father’s passing (and how all of his things were almost immediately given/thrown away), though thankfully Mom still has his cat. However, this experience helped me understand Marlene’s daughters. My dad could be an amazingly generous, kind man, but he could also be a grade-A selfish brat at the expense of his own children. He caused all of us daughters a lot of pain, some of us more than others, though two of us came around to love him toward the end. So, not knowing what Marlene was like as a mother, I actually gave the daughters a little more benefit of the doubt. But dumping the tank (which would NOT have been possible–it would have weighed several hundred pounds!) and putting the bassett in the shelter truly was, as Cathy said, downright cruel.
Afterwards, hubby and I had to cuddle up together for a while. Don’t want to think about going through that…we both have promised to do our best to stick around. sigh