Show is very well written:
My thoughts on episode 4:
Overall theme of the episode was power, the power of secrets and the power of sex that allows women (mostly females) to get what they want from the other gender. Not in so much of a negative manipulation, but more as a way to compensate from the emotional pain experienced through their ordeals with men. Maddy has power over Nate, Jules has power over Cal, Kat has power over the festival dude, Mckay has power over Cassie, and Nate has power over Jules.
-Cassie's ordeal with the merry-go-round was just a re-imagining of the scene in the first episode of all the guys seeing her get fukked on video. Her individuality and self respect has been compromised, and others perceptions of her have been formed through her looks. This is why her and Maddy are together this episode. Both have been objectified and slut shamed, only Maddy keeps going in circles, attempting to get Nate's approval, and is in fact malicious with her power over Nate; whereas Cassie is naive and foolish and love struck, not really purposefully trying to use her looks as a means for power, just ignorant to how people see her, especially Mckay. Cassie is just a regular girl who likes to enjoy herself, but due to this situation with Mckay she sort of becomes this side show freak for people to gawk at. I wish someone would gif that black woman looking at her when Cassie comes too on the merry-go-round
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-Remember the first time we see Maddy is in front of a mirror, wishing she had bigger titties and wanting to look good to make Nate jealous. Fast forward to episode 4 and we see her in front of a mirror again, this time sobbing. Earlier in the episode we see her in the mirror fun house admiring her looks. It's clear what her looks have brought her and how she sees herself through the eyes of men who don't respect her.
-We see Rue walk Gia home and there's a cross again, this time Rue isn't alone. Ali was trying to wake her up from her cycle of overreacting and misunderstanding her own feelings. I don't think he was trying to say that Jules was a bad influence, or that Rue's feelings weren't real, but he was trying to help her see how her self destructive behavior comes about.
-The beginning of the episode is brilliant. We get Jule's background and come to understand the recurring trauma themes of her life. She is often burned for trusting people: first that therapist is lulls her into a false sense of security and comfort, knowing she was about to be committed; then her mother; and then we see it come full circle with Nate. The situation with Nate is the same exact situation with that therapist. We get to see that her mental makeup is identical to Rue's in that she has some kind of obsessive mental tick that won't allow her mind to rest (remember Rue says in the first episode as a kid that she is fukking exhausted...mental overload). That ride through the lemon grove on her bike was haunting, like she was disappearing into the ether. Hope she doesn't die (probably won't this season)
- The show likes to note the influence of images and information through technology as having an adverse effect on the youth's mental makeup. Rue is born during 911 and she somehow absorbs the dread; mckay's perceptions changing about Cassie just through one video he saw on someone's phone (remember he mentions that that might not be her; would be funny if it wasn't); nate's personality changing from the impressions he gets from the videos he sees of his father fukking trehs on video as a kid.
-Nate's character is the most interesting one, as it is clear his homosexuality was passed down to him from his father through parental paternal modeling. And so his disgust with his homosexuality is more a disgust with his own father. He rejects it, just as his brother rejects that win at all costs attitude his father tries to emulate. @re-up was right about Nate raping that kid. It's unclear if Nate has the disk of his father fukking Jules. He probably does, but even still we can see his knows about them from the looks he gave his dad and jules when Jules asked Cal for some Chili. I think Nate's feelings for Jules are genuine, but he is confused about what to do or how to feel; and now that he knows that Jules has had a tryst with Cal, he wants to both protect his family (he says so at the end of the episode) and protect his own secrets. So it seems he is scared that both he AND his father will be exposed by her. He didn't have to reveal his identity to Jules, but he chose to. He may have already known about Jules and Cal, but I think that stunt Jules pulled with having Rue watch really set him off.
Anyways, good episode. Not sure where this show is going. It's a little absurd in some ways and may end up having to be that way because of there not being strong enough plot lines to keep the audience's interest: something crazy almost has to happen for them to keep the show's momentum. They set this tone themselves.
if it happened.
@ drake
