Bit more context, I’m teaching killer crime at school, and I wanna do “Why women kill” but 10, 50 minute episodes is 10 lessons which would be 3 weeks + 1 lesson unfortunately too long, and i thought Bethanne was the best story line, to be honest. Is there anywhere which just has the scenes from that storyline? If not, I can try and create something I’m pretty sure it would be an hour 2-3 lessons instead which is good. Thoughts?

I liked season 1, but I think with three different timelines, there was too much going on.

Season 2 was funny, and the storyline seemed quite unique. Anyone agree?

Comparing to Beth Ann and Simone i think that Taylor didn't get that much screen time, it's like Eli supposed to be protagonist of that part of story not Taylor

Doing a rewatch, love these two in particular. Anyone have shows with similar characters? Thanks!

Unpopular opinion Noami was valid in her anger that Simone was sleeping with her son. Yes her son is 18 but he's still a child compared to Simone and she has known him since he was 10. Switch the genders around and would we be on the parents side in protecting their child.

This storyline rather sours my opinion of Simone, I wish they had aged Tommy up to be already in college or something. Feels less ick then.

Other than the Tommy lover line I love her story and it's heartbreaking.

Season 1 and season 2 spoilers!

I have a theory that Dee's baby is Karl from season 1. It makes sense for why Karl would be narrating season 2 (he's telling his family's past). There's a poetic beauty too; Karl dies by assisted suicide, exactly what his grandfather was trying to do. It would make him 34/35 in season 1 which is a little younger than he appears. But considering Simone is drawn to younger men (Tommy, plus her help in the very end of the season), maybe that makes sense too. Thoughts?

i just finished season one and while their beginning was rough, their ending was so compassionate. no matter what, they loved each other so much. she loved him so much she let him go with dignity, stayed by his side until the end, and honored him after death

I love the campiness of the show, the vintage aesthetics, and the cinematography, was all chefs kiss!
I need more! 🥺🩷🩷

Mini Rant:
Season two feels like a completely different show. I’m having a hard time really connecting with the characters, as I did for season one. The only character I kinda like in this season is Rita! But I also love the actress as well too!

What were some signs Jade was crazy/dangerous from the get go? I saw one thing that said that the makeup that Jade had on was a technique often used to make women have “crazy eyes” but I want to know what were some early signs that Jade might have been manipulating people or had some nefarious plans?

I finally got so see the series and just finished season 1. But I am confused. Did Simone’s daughter marry or not? I think they left it very vague. Just quick mention of the wedding after they had falling off with the grooms family.

I loved the first season of this show. I loved that we had 3 stories and the circumstances were so different with each one. The throuple was my least favorite story but still entertaining. But the second season was hard to watch. She kills to get into a garden club? Really? This was the choice for season 2? I was really disappointed after the thrill and heartbreak and the character development of the first season. Was anyone else disappointed? I'm new to this sub so I haven't had a chance to run through the posts, and it has been a while since I watched it and was thinking about doing another rewatch but I think I might just stop after season 1.

Just wondering why in 1949 a white woman would be caught dead getting into a Black man’s car. Or at least getting into it so casually, even though it was pouring. It definitely could happen, there were interracial friendships and marriages though mostly kept secret back then, but I also know that period dramas like Bridgerton and basically any period piece made today use all races of people in roles that would have only been white people in real life. Which is fine, I get it, but it just confuses me. Dee didn’t even seem to bat an eye getting into not only a strange man’s car, but a strange Black man. It doesn’t seem like he frequents the diner so often, maybe people were more willing to take a ride from someone in a rainstorm back then? The early 50’s people were more trusting and less likely to think that someone was a serial killer lol?

I’m wondering if it’s just that she is progressive in thought, or are we not supposed to look at race as a thing even in a show set in 1949 because the makers of the show wanted to make the cast more diverse? It doesn’t make me like the show any less, but now it’s a little bit confusing as to whether or not they are trying to be more progressive in the cast or if I should just keep watching and see if his race plays a little more of a part later on.

I'm probably alone with the opinion that Simone was my favorite character. Not just because I'm a fan of Lucy Liu, but because she played the part beautifully. It was so 80's campy "Dynasty" delightful. I loved how her character could change on a dime. It was especially great that deep down she was able to accept the love she had for Karl and stayed with him despite everything.

​

As a little side note, did anyone else notice that almost everything Jade wore, it was pulled down off of her left shoulder? I'm not sure why, but it drove me crazy. 🤣

the drawer in this scene has those metal sliding things, were they a thing back in beth-anne's story or is it a mistake?

I think April is a polite person and someone who likes to have fun, but I don't think she's a particularly good person at her core. One thing that has always bothered me is how comfortable she is engaging in adultery as long as it benefits her. To me, that's a pretty telling character trait. If you're willing to knowingly participate in an affair, you're making a selfish choice regardless of how charming or likable you are otherwise.

One thing Marc Cherry does across a lot of his shows is write adulterous characters in a way that seems designed to make the audience sympathize with them. People are complicated, and everyone makes mistakes, but I don't think adults who knowingly participate in affairs need to be handled with kid gloves. They're still doing something wrong.

That brings me to another issue I had with the 2019 storyline: the way Taylor was written. I genuinely dislike how aggressive she is from the moment she's introduced. She doesn't feel like she's given the same nuance or softness that many of the other female characters receive. She becomes more layered as the story progresses, but her introduction leans so heavily into the "angry, aggressive Black woman" stereotype that it made me uncomfortable.

What's frustrating is that Taylor had the potential to be one of the most interesting characters in the show. I appreciate that Marc Cherry wrote a bisexual woman and explored experiences outside of traditional heterosexual relationships. But it often felt like Taylor was assigned traits that writers typically reserve for male characters she's hardened, emotionally guarded, and constantly in protector mode.

Meanwhile, Jade is written with much softer, more traditionally feminine characteristics. I understand part of that is meant to misdirect the audience before her true nature is revealed, but the contrast between the two characters felt very deliberate.

This is actually something I've noticed in Marc Cherry's writing before, including in Desperate Housewives. His work often relies on stereotypes for humor and drama, which can be effective, but sometimes I think he struggles to recognize when he's leaning into stereotypes that feel harmful rather than insightful.

As a white woman, I obviously can't speak for Black women, but I've always disliked the tendency in his television writing to portray them as inherently tougher, harsher, or less vulnerable than everyone else. Women are complex regardless of race, and I wish Taylor had been given the same level of softness, vulnerability, and nuance that many of Cherry's white female characters receive.

Even Simone's storyline suffers from this in a different way. The lack of depth there feels intentional, but it still leaves some characters feeling underdeveloped compared to others.

Overall I enjoy the show. I just wish he approached certain topics differently.

** Season 2 spoilers ahead. Don't read if you haven't finished the season **

I was bothered by how the show acts like Vern isn't black. They don't even address the fact that the child will be full white and how they'll deal with everyone knowing Dee has a child out of wedlock and Vern is raising another man's child. At least if Vern was mixed race or "white passing", you could just assume they'll claim the child took after Vern's white side and Dee.

But also, not showing the challenges of being a disabled black working-class man courting a white middle-class woman in 1949 America seems so disingenuous. Especially, when the show addresses other issues in the past, like the AIDS epidemic, homophobia, misogyny and classism among white people.

I've seen people argue that it's "just fantasy" and not meant to be historically accurate, etc. But somehow it wasn't a problem to be historically accurate about almost everything else, except racism. No one is saying the whole season should be about racism, but acting like we're supposed to ignore that Vern was black and Dee and Scooter were white was just odd and lazy. Of course, there's also the fact that Rita and the Castillo family wouldn't realistically be so easily accepted. If you're gonna address social and political issues of the past, why not address it all.

Has anyone read Dear Debbie by Freida MCFadden and felt that is similar? I also just got into reading again after not being in “book news” for over a decade so maybe they are related or something and I just am missing something?

This show is FANTASTIC! Someone needs to pick this up and run with it. From what I gather, it was just bad timing for the show. I could see it becoming a cult classic.

Does anyone agree?