The Curse (Showtime) TV Show • Page 9

The ending of this episode. Good lord

 

Incredible episode. Nathan deserves an Emmy. Dougie's last line killed me. Can't wait for the finale.

 

Yeah, some big laughs in this one for me (Asher bowling I'm particular) but also the ending left me so unnerved. Nathan is great. I can't believe they made a show about making an HGTV show this anxiety-inducing.

 

Both of these characters are terrifying.

 

You cannot humiliate a cuck, it will only make him stronger

 

New episode is incredible. Absolutely lost it at Asher’s “Can I get a kiss?” while Whitney is aggressively using the row machine. The bowling scene, my god. Beginning to consider this is a perfect season of television if they stick the landing.

 

I still think it likely ould have benefitted from maybe eight half-hour episodes instead of 10 hour-long episodes, but I also think I'm starting to "get it" and it's really coming together for me. Hard to compare it to any other Safdie or Fielder project because it very much feels like it's own thing, and that's good.

 

Cutting over half of the show would be awful. I'm so happy these are hour long episodes because it lets them really drag some of these situations out and fit in way more stuff.

This last episode is really bringing everything together in such a satisfying way. I can't wait to see how it ends.

 

Cara is the best, love her character, on ep 5

 

I've always thought Nathan's energy could be effectively used in a really creepy way and the ending of this episode fucking proved that, he came across absolutely unhinged there, I loved it

 

Literally anything can happen in the finale. It's going to be madness

 

All caught up now, this last episode was fantastic.

It took me a few episodes to get into this show, mainly because I was trying to figure out when the Fielder-esq schtick was coming. Once I realized this show was very much its own thing I got hooked.

 

The scene where [ ] Benny tells Whitney that she can't break up with Asher thus revealing that Whitney used the pretext of making money off the breakup as an excuse to leave him [] peak fiction

 

I still say this show didn’t need to be 10 episodes long. But that last episode was pretty much everything I was hoping the show would be. Really good stuff. The Fliplanthropy footage was so dead-on, down to the flute music when they were acknowledging the Native land. I also realized Emma Stone’s mom in this is the voice of Patti Mayonnaise.

That said, they still haven’t answered my burning question of whether or not the chiropractor killed or paralyzed Barkhad Abdi’s character.

 

Yes they have. He was in the scene when Dougy and Asher go to their place to fix the smoke alarm

 

If I took anything from that scene, is that it’s representative of Asher and Whitney’s misguided attempts to help—but how they’re ultimately hurting—the people of Española. Tbh I don’t think anything will come of it narratively.

 

Welp! I’m blaming that complete oversight on the COVID brainfog

 

Absolutely. It’s one of my favorite parts of it is how far Whitney will go to appear like she cares when it’s all just for looks and Emma Stone just plays it perfect. I don’t think she’s ever been this mean in a role on purpose (well, maybe “The Favourite.”)

The part where she buys the Native American statue for the artist gave me such intense second-hand embarrassment. Even the tip for the massage she didn’t get. It was like Leslie Knope with the Wamapoke representative but even more cringy, where they’re just using their ignorance and stupidity to their advantage. Whitney is just so dense.

 

It’s an incredible character. She’s so abusive to Asher and believes she’s a saint, while he’s completely insane and neurotic and hates himself. Both Nathan and Emma go deep into these roles. I’ve been so impressed by the performances so far.

 

Everyone saying this should have been shorter isn't recognizing how well developed these characters are and how dense the episodes actually are. Every time they do the "previously on" I'm reminded of minor plot points or little "throwaway" scenes used to further explain the relationships between characters and I'm kind of wondering how they're going to wrap it all up in just one more hour.

 

I know it’s a cheap comparison but I’m somewhat reminded of Twin Peaks: The Return, not really in atmosphere (maybe a bit in tone), but how fearless this is to do its own thing and take its time doing it. It’s also similar in how some people just don’t have the patience for that. They don’t want to luxuriate in the details or exploring the more literary elements of a narrative; every scene must drive the plot forward, because they want answers to their questions now. Meanwhile, I’m over here completely enthralled by the dialogue-less, tense af opening of the last episode just watching a car drive the streets of Española. I mean I get it, a casual viewer comes in expecting a more traditional narrative, especially with the starpower this show has, and instead they get something with a unique and uncompromising vision. But what a show this has been for people who enjoy weird art. I’m really, really glad Showtime gave them this much freedom to create something this ambitious and bonkers.

 

Fwiw, I don't think the minor criticism of "this show could be leaner" is the same as not having patience for it. I wouldn't consider myself a casual viewer (love Fielder and the Safdies, watch every Friday), and I think I'm "getting" as much as we can about the show right now, in the moment, and I'm enjoying it a lot. I just thing some moments throughout could use a little trimming, and that's okay.

 

1000%. Overall, I like a lot of what it’s doing.

 

I can understand that take. I personally like the sprawl of it. Even just the feel of it, like I could watch more without getting tired/bored, though it could probably be more concise. I could see myself wanting that in a more traditional show, but strangely enough I don’t want concision here. Maybe that’s just because it feels so fresh to me in terms of style that I’m savoring it. I appreciate that it’s challenging the medium. Overall the show makes me hopeful for any possible future Fielder/Safdie (/Stone?) projects.

 

Yeah I think any form of cutting it down, especially to half hour episodes, would be drastically changing the show for the worse. I can't imagine having to cut half of the material here and it having any where near the same impact.