THE New Normal

[SonofRobbieJ]

I'm certainly not going to argue that! They are different from me (and, I'm guessing, you). But...the fact of that guest house is not really all that out there for the specifics of this couple (OB-GYN and successful television writer). If I'm ever lucky enough to have a (successful) tv show and need to relocate to LA, I'd certainly buy a house with a guest house similar to what we saw last night. I've actually thought about this. Which is probably some early sign of dementia, but there ya go!

[JoeKv99]

TV writer? Is that what the stupid-looking one does? All I know is that I have some pretty successful friends (real-world successful vs TV sitcom successful) but even the most successful among them don't live like these bozos.

[PalJoey]

If I'm ever lucky enough to have a (successful) tv show and need to relocate to LA, I'd certainly buy a house with a guest house similar to what we saw last night. I've actually thought about this.

Can I come stay in your guesthouse, Robbie?

[SonofRobbieJ]

That's why I'd have a guest house! To put you up and have Florence bring meals to you so I don't have to watch you eat!

[broadwayjim42]

A definite improvement over the pilot. The whole Little Edie thing killed and Rannells definitely dialed it back a few notches. He was fine on "Girls" so I'm wondering if it was just a poor acting choice in the pilot to go OTT of if he was directed to do so. Or, as others have said, it's impossible to play the role as written.

Barkin's character is still a real sore spot. Unless there's some shading to the character very soon, she's going to stand out like an ugly, festering sore thumb.

[JoeKv99]

A weekly series has to give you some reason to care- I hate each and every character on this show. I literally can not stand to hear any of them talk. I was able to watch about 10 minutes last night because I kind of loved the idea of the little Edie but it grew wearying quick.

[bwayphreak234]

Well I enjoyed it andthrought it was entertaining and funny. I adore Andrew Rannells to death.

[Jon]

I prefered on 30 Rock when Tina Fay did "her impression of Drew Barrymore's inpression of that Grey Gardens lady." One short monologue, and it was done.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

I liked the second episode better than the pilot, although I found it as equally unfunny. On the plus side, Georgia King seems like she's doing less of an impersonation of Emma on Glee come the second episode, although she seemed a lot more shaky on keeping her real accent at bay.

The rest is just ... eh. Andrew Rannells reminds me so much of Jack from Will and Grace, in that we're supposed to listen to his nastiness for 30 minutes but find him hilarious as well as "awww" at the gooey core he's supposed to have as well. I think it would be radical to have a prissy tv gay who looks like he's dressed by the spirit of Ann-Margrock every morning that wasn't brittle and caustic on the outside, all the while hiding his warm, gooey inside. I can't wait for him to start calling bone-thin people fat!

Like I said about the pilot, I think Ellen Barkin's character exists to simply place whatever ridiculous/offensive/ stereotype-wielding nonsense they can think of. I just don't see a reality in which these people would tolerate her, especially considering they are paying her granddaughter $35,000 to carry her child. I would think that wildly unsupportive grandmother would have been red flag to the surrogate agency, but then again, these are the people that gave them that cartoon Leslie Grossman was playing and made it up to the couple by matching them up with someone who literally just walked in off the street.

And Nene Lekes (who's positive notices mystify me, since everything she says sounds sing-songy and recited) seems to exist to let Ellen Barkin make black jokes.

To Eric's question, I'm thinking they sort of made it clear in this ep that Goldie was married to that guy and that he's Shania's father. I mean, I know we're supposed to think he's awful, but that's still an awfully big decision for Goldie to make, taking his child halfway across the country. Yes, I know we saw him cheat. Yes, I know he must have been equally horrible the past eight years, but that has to make one question why she let him stick around, anyway, what with living with her grandmother and all.

And Goldie's big decision to stand on her own (with treacly music and all) just rang false to me, too. Again, she's being paid a huge sum of money to carry their kid, a decision she seemingly made overnight. If she's serious about law school (and I'm guessing she never went to college, but that won't be much of an issue, I'm sure), wouldn't it make more sense to be able to live cheaply and not have to eat away at the money she's getting from them until she finds a (presumably, as set up by the conceits of the show) low-paying job that's beneath her to get by? But if she lives in a bad neighborhood that should give us some much-needed Mexican jokes from Nana, right?

Apropos of nothing, I'm curious about the way Ryan Murphy writes and casts gay relationships. Between this, Glee and American Horror Story, it seems as though there always has to be a pretty rigid adherence to heternormative gender roles and the femme is ALWAYS played by a gay actor, and the other character isn't.

But, like I said about the pilot, despite what I or any other naysayers say, I bet this thing runs forever.

[NYadgal]

The beauty of TV is that if you don't like it, you don't have to watch.

I'm giving it a shot. For me, there is more to like, at this point, than to dislike. Put me in the Fan column for Andrew Rannells.

(and put me in the category of having a guest-house on my life wish-list!)

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

I know that comment was directed at me, but I will just point out that we're talking about the first couple of episodes. If this turns into something like the Smash thread, where the same people come in and bitch and complain every week for an entire season, then I'd see it as an issue.

[NYadgal]

I promise, it wasn't.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Hee. I know! And everyone should rest assured, I gave up hate-watching (and hate-posting!) about Glee early on, so I'm sure I won't be in this thread much longer! :)

And put me in the category of someone who wishes to live in one of the guest houses you guys are wishing for!

[Jordan Catalano]

The show has promise, I think. But I agree with a lot of what Phyllis said, especially about Barkin. The first few minutes were funny but when every single line is about a fudge packer or presidents used to own people like Obama, it's very quickly turning just plain old offensive.

[JoeKv99]

And now I read that Ryan Murphy says the show grew out of his own relationship and desire to have kids. So he sees himslef as Andrew Rannells. Talk about self-loathing.....

[PalJoey]

Well, Ryan Murphy and his real-life husband, David Miller, got married this summer in Provincetown, they spent their wedding night seeing Patti LuPone sing.



That might sound crazy to some people (to some humdrum people?), but not only would my partner and I spend our wedding night seeing Patti LuPone sing, but we would also be happy to have her sing at the wedding itself. (Patti, if you're reading this, let us know your availability!)

So perhaps what seems over-the-top--or heteronormative--to some of us is just the new normal for others.

[AEA AGMA SM]

I just finished the second episode and am still not every enticed to keep watching. I agree with others who are having trouble finding a likable character. For me Justin Bartha's comes closest, but I've yet to see why he puts up with Andrew Rannell's character other than the fact that he's pretty. I don't see any other connection between the two yet.

And I'm not giving in to the love for Ellen Barkin's character. So far she's just been there to say nasty things so we can all go "oh, she's so naughty, tee hee. Can you believe that they had her say that? It's so risqué."

[random person 112]

On another slightly related topic has anyone noticed that murphy names most of his female characters after icons, epecially gay ones. Goldie=Goldie Hawn, Shania=Shania Twain, Rachel=Rachel Green. Is that bizarre to anyone else?

[FindingNamo]

I don't watch Murphy's other crap, but I thought the gay characters on American Horror Story were loathesome because, you know, it was a horror story. My ignorance of his ouevre maybe allowed me to give him more credit than he deserves.

I'm beginning to really respect the nuanced artistry of the Modern Family storytellers and performers.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

For what it's worth, it's not that I'm saying their relationship on The New Normal is heternoromative so much as I'm saying their adherence to stereotypical male-female gender roles (Fashion vs Football, etc) makes them heteronormative. I have no idea if Ryan Murphy's husband is a Blaine/Justin Bartha/Guy who wasn't Zachary Quinto.

And Namo, you are probably right about them being (extra) loathsome because it was a horror show (AHS, not Glee), but I just think it was notable that the roles and the casting all seem to follow a pattern.

[JoeKv99]

1) Goldie Hawn is a gay Icon?

2) Shania Twain is a gay Icon?

3) Who is Rachel Green?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Rachel Green was on Friends. Who was called Rachel on this?

[JoeKv99]

Oh. Then let me replace question #3.

3) Rachel Green is a (fictional) gay icon?

[AC126748]

I think he's referring to Rachel Berry.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Oh, that makes more sense, although I don't really think she was named for Rachel Green, or that Rachel Green was a gay icon. I mean, she and Monica Geller are my gay icons, but I don't think that's a universal thing.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Does this mean Ellen Barkin was named after gay icon Nana Visitor?