Cellar Door

Great to hear about the renewal, and also some Emmy nominations for the show.

This season is a lot of fun so far!

milo bloom

Finally caught up last night, there is a slightly different tone but I'm glad of it because a carbon copy of the first season wouldn't work as well. And it's obvious they're lampshading themselves a bit to make that difference.
Charles' step-daughter is actually an interesting new character that helps humanize him a bit (plus she's quirky without being too on the nose about it) plus gets us the secret passages in a believable way. And the Bunny episode was really good. Again, a different tone for the show but it still worked well.

Noonan

Fun episode this week. Great acting by Short. I really hope they don’t go the obvious route with who the killer is.

milo bloom

Not sure why they're focusing on the twist about the DNA, but I'm guessing it's to rattle

RichC2

2nd season still isn't as strong as the first but I'm very much enjoying it still.

TomOpus

RichC2

He's 76 and there's at least one season left. That seems fair.

Bandoman

I completely understand, but he's such a great talent I hope he finds another role that interests him.

bluetoast

This DNA thing is way too drawn out. And since they're putting out the podcast as things happen (the podcast which is now a complete afterthought) wouldn't they be revealing all their current info to the cops, including knowledge of the passageways?

TomOpus

His banjo gives him great spark.

Coral

S1 was OK - didn't think it was good as everyone was saying. But S2 is a convoluted mess. The episodes are only 30 minutes but feel like an hour.

RichC2

I don't think it's overly convoluted but it definitely isn't anywhere near as good as season 1. It lacks structure.

RichC2

The writing still isn't as smooth but I did enjoy the end of the latest episode.

Gunde

Yeah, I'm really losing interest in this season. The mystery is not compelling, and all the tertiary characters being focused aren't either.
I will of course finish, since we're so close, but there really needs to be a shake-up for season 3.

Noonan

Agree that this season is a bit of a mess. They still have a podcast but basically any mention of it has been taken out. Throwing a bunch of potential suspects at the viewers isn't the same as clever writing. Rappaport is such a bad casting choice. Nothing about his schtick fits with the show's style.

TomOpus

Sidenote: Started watching Selena's cooking show on HBO Max. She's adorable and fun to see her in a real world situation.

milo bloom

It’s a bit batshit but I think it works. Jealousy and ambition? A toxic combination.

bluetoast

This is a minor thing which speaks to the overall lack of care or attention to detail for certain things in this show, but if Alice used a box cutter or whatever crude cutting instrument to make the puzzle, then the finished product should not look like a professionally crafted jigsaw puzzle. It would have looked more interesting and added to the aesthetic if the cuts were hand made/crappy looking.

The main three characters continually doing their own things and not communicating unless they’re physically in the same room is also a bit repetitive and evocative of a pre-technological era desperate their constant use of texting when otherwise convenient.

And speaking of which, you would think Mabel, as a younger person, would make fun of them for wasting time on making color printouts and a physical cork board of evidence (in a room that they know the killer has access to) instead of just doing it on a computer or memorizing the basic facts of the case. But she’s right there with them, pinning a photo over the “criminal mastermind” label.

Deftones

I think she said she used an exacto knife.

Eric F

Mabel has been blacking out since she was 6 and nobody on the show seems concerned about it.

milo bloom

She’s probably seen the meme of that guy with the corkboard and the crazed look on his face and is humoring them because she digs the aesthetic.

Plus sometimes it’s easier to think through a problem if you can physically touch things and move them around. Activates different parts of your brain and all that.


And I had the same thought about the puzzle pieces but I figured Alice would be the type to have a puzzle template handy that she could use.

I also briefly wondered if Alice was the killer but she’s simply too slender.

It’s not like Ghostface in the Scream movies where they use the cloak to hide their shape.

Fist of Doom Jr

at Mabel calling Kreps "Raging Bullshitter". Yeah, it wasn't superclever, but Selena's deadpan delivery cracks me up.

milo bloom

I have to confess that when I started watching I had no idea what to expect from Selena. I was aware of her but hadn’t seen anything of hers. But I had grown up with Steve Martin and Martin Short so I expected them to carry the show.

I have been absolutely pleased to see her not only holding her own against those two but also frequently outshining them.

I expect we’ll see more shows like this combining the Elders of Hollywood with the younger generation.

TomOpus

List of most-followed Instagram accounts

She's the 4th most followed Instagram account at 342 million followers. She almost has her own small nation.

milo bloom

Yeah, I’m aware she’s pretty popular but she simply wasn’t in my media bubble.

I was glad to be proven wrong about her abilities.