It isn't often a show completely reinvents itself so quickly. Gretchen's depression adds a new level of complexity and explains a lot of her earlier behavior. I'm glad they didn't just fall into a "Let's have them drink and do drugs and be awful to everybody" rut. In the beginning of this 2nd season it looked like it would and I was about to give up but I love this curveball.
shareIMO, it will be the death of the show. Jimmy won't put up with the BS for long and will seek comfort elsewhere. That will make it worse for Gretchen. Then it will be a thing of will they get back together or not? Is she really better? Does he really want this happiness, or is he really happier being with a shallow person like Gretchen so he can be shallow himself?
This isn't a "laugh-riot" show or a show where everything turns out ok in the end. There are some laughs, but most of the show makes you cringe at their behavior. And when you think they can't get any worse, they do.
I just don't see how that is going to work with this. None of them were to be sympathized previously, so are we supposed to feel bad for Gretchen? And, a lot, if not most, people are going to side with Jimmy for not waiting around for her to get better. Remember, it isn't just that he's unable to help, he gets sh!t on when he does try to help.
I just don't see how that is going to work with this. None of them were to be sympathized previously, so are we supposed to feel bad for Gretchen? And, a lot, if not most, people are going to side with Jimmy for not waiting around for her to get better. Remember, it isn't just that he's unable to help, he gets sh!t on when he does try to help.Feel bad for her? I would have to put myself in the role of actually knowing her. Since it has been maybe 12-14 hours or so (actual episode runtime) I can't exactly say as I'm invested so much that I would put up with her for too much longer.
I think it's a complete disaster. This show is (supposed to be) a comedy. If I wanted to see bad melodrama I'd go watch reruns of parenthood or brothers and sisters. I don't see a third season in this show's future.
shareNo, it's becoming The Worst. It doesn't even know what it is anymore. I almost laughted at those pseudo-intense scenes of Gretchen looking numb. And when Lindsay hit her with the spoon, that was rock bottom for the show so far (there is more where that came from, no doubt).
Horrible writing, horrible execution. I have never seen a promising show become a disaster so fast and in such surreal fashion.
Personally, I like the show much better with the mid-season pivot of Gretchen's depression. I think it adds more depth to the shows, and I still think they're very funny.
My caveat is that I didn't begin watching until Season 2. I didn't find the first few episodes of Season 2 very good, but I liked it enough that I thought I'd watch it out until the end of the season, and that would probably be it. But after the pivot, I think the show has been really good, although I didn't care very much for the episode where Gretchen obsesses over the "perfect couple" she sees.
I can see why early fans of the show don't like this turn of events, but as I said, it's made the show much better for me.
I agree completely. Everyones "troubled" past has been discussed before, except for Gretchen's. We never really knew why she got in to so many drugs or why she was so shallow and shut off. Anyone saying this "came out of nowhere" knows nothing of depression, all of her previous actions are explained by that. Aya Cash is doing an amazing job of portraying what dealing with severe depression is like.
shareJimmy's already got himself a new girlfriend. I hope Gretchen just kills herself if she is that depressed. It would make the show much better.
shareThe problem is, only Edgar was any kind of sympathetic character. The other ones were douche-bags to the point of being proud of their scummy behavior.
Now we are supposed to feel bad for her? She's been diagnosed yet chooses to get drunk all of the time and use illegal drugs?
Nope. Sorry. Not happening. The charm of this show was that it wasn't some "Happy, everything gets solved in 30 minutes, feel good, father knows best and will teach you a life lesson" TV show.
I do not know who you are or what your background is but I, within the knowledge I have, will assume that you probably have not had any experience or exposure in the true clinical side of psychiatric mental health. I can see why you reacted this way about the show and why you said those words - about sympathy to Gretchen and about how she already knew her diagnosis but still continues to do such things. I want to tell you that it is understandable to react that way, however, I believe this show is so true and honest and it is defying its genre by being so.
People who are diagnosed with depression or any related mood disorder are not really in control of themselves, especially if they are not being compliant with their treatment. The actions they do will not make any sense to people who are not diagnosed with a mental illness or people who are "normal." When you said "..yet chooses to get drunk all of the time and use illegal drugs,
" people with psychiatric disorders do this to escape the reality they are in, the reality that they are not "normal." It is hard for them to live their lives knowing that there is a problem in their brain that cannot easily be fixed. It can be comparable, to an extent, to "normal" people being super drunk and doing stupid things (because they are not sober, ergo, not being able to control their actions). People with psychiatric disorder usually, when they are having an episode of their illness, do not know why they are doing such things. They just do.
People who choose to do recreational drugs or do any form of substance abuse are not all bad people. There are people out there that are not in control of their behaviors because of A LOT of reasons and I think they should be given the benefit of the doubt and not be judged instantly. Maybe they had a *beep* up childhood, they were raped when they were a kid, their parents die when they were young and no one raised them, they were poor and lived in a crappy neighborhood with lots of gangs and fights, etc.
Assume all you want.
When you said "..yet chooses to get drunk all of the time and use illegal drugs,
" people with psychiatric disorders do this to escape the reality they are in, the reality that they are not "normal."
People who choose to do recreational drugs or do any form of substance abuse are not all bad people.