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Post by Hawthorne on Feb 25, 2016 3:25:54 GMT -5
I really liked the Zude scenes - especially the fact that they weren't wearing any clothes in half of them. This episode seemed to be all about letting the Zude fans wallow in the bliss of their couple-dom. Lionel obviously has no problem with Zero coming out, but if Oscar gets back in control of the team, there could be some drama due to Oscar's homophobia.
An NBA star coming out is such a huge thing that I was a little surprised Jude and Zero were still confined to their normal 5-minutes of screen time in the episode instead of spilling over into the other characters stories a bit more. We did see a brief mention of what happened by Jelena and Lionel, but otherwise everyone went on as if the biggest event of the decade hadn't just happened. It felt weird that we didn't get any reactions from Zero's teammates or coach Pete. None of the other players had any comments for Zero when they were playing that outdoor game? It felt a bit off to me, but perhaps we'll see the team's reaction next week.
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Post by mrfixit477 on Mar 1, 2016 3:37:52 GMT -5
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Post by kevvoi on Mar 1, 2016 10:43:32 GMT -5
New clip courtesy of Nanii:
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Post by Hawthorne on Mar 1, 2016 16:05:11 GMT -5
This is the best gay story line going at the moment, IMO. At least, it is the most adorable. I like that they are going to be exploring Zero's past. I wonder what we'll find out.
Also, I wonder if Oscar really cares about Jude. There was a scene that suggests he does, but his actions speak otherwise.
I noticed that none of Zero's teammates nor his coach were at Zero's party. The show seems to be avoiding the team's reaction to Zero coming out for some reason.
I'm a little worried about Zero telling that writer/biographer guy (who is kind of creepy) that he's not gay and just happens to be with a guy right now. On one level I approve of the no labels thing, but I also wonder if Zero is going to feel a need to demonstrate his non-gayness down the line. Lionel's warning to Zero felt a bit like foreshadowing to me. Of course, there is eventually going to be drama in Zude's relationship, but I hope not this season since there are only ten episodes and I'm enjoying seeing them get comfortable sharing their lives with each other.
Speaking of seasons, the ratings for HTF have been pretty decent - certainly good enough to warrant renewal. But are there others factors in play? It's still a mystery to me why VH1 pushed this successful show off their schedule for more than a year.
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Post by Zathras on Mar 1, 2016 21:19:55 GMT -5
I've only recently started watching this show. I like that Zero was caught up in the moment and just kissed Jude publicly like that. I am still amazed that they haven't dealt with the reactions of the people around him to his coming out like that. In last week's game I expected something to happen, like at least one teammate saying or doing something odd. Instead we got nothing. Maybe that's the point: the reality not being as bad as he might have feared. Or maybe Zero isn't a central enough character to warrant any more focus. I get the feeling that Oscar doesn't care much about Jude, from what little I've seen. Or, at least, that he cares a lot more about himself than about his son. Jude's trap work just the way he expected, I think. Unfortunately. I am curious what Zero's past really is. He lied to Jude about where he grew up, but it sounds like he is willing to tell his story (to Jude, at least).
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Post by atlanticslide on Mar 5, 2016 15:02:09 GMT -5
Yeah, Oscar very much doesn't care about Jude - if you haven't watched any of Season 2, the brief backstory there is that Jude's mother was married to him years ago and then left him when Oscar was building up his empire because she didn't want to be a part of it. We've never gotten any more backstory about what it was like for Jude growing up, but he clearly had no relationship with Oscar because he spent much of last season trying to get in Oscar's good graces despite the fact that Oscar balked anytime Jude just tried to call him "dad". At one point Oscar even said to him, "I don't really know you." That was just before he revealed that he'd found out that Jude was gay and told him "you will never have my approval. I have no son." So yeah, Oscar has very little interest in Jude and Jude seems to have finally wised up to that fact.
If you haven't watched Season 2, I really recommend it - it's really interesting to watch these two from their beginnings on the show, to see Zero go from being this hotshot player and celebrity who sleeps around and is scheming in every move he makes to hooking up with Jude, a man, and the one person who he hasn't tried to scheme against.
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Post by kevvoi on Mar 8, 2016 8:31:14 GMT -5
New clip courtesy of Nanii:
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Post by Zathras on Mar 8, 2016 20:32:50 GMT -5
Zero seems to try to hold his emotions very close to himself. Was he really afraid Jude would leave if he saw Zero lose his temper and smash the place up? Or did he just not want to look weak in front of Jude, I wonder. Either way, it looks like he has a lot of pent up anger and anguish over his childhood. I think he underestimates Jude and it would have been nice to get a little more development of that dynamic in yesterday's episode.
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Post by Hawthorne on Mar 9, 2016 0:57:17 GMT -5
Very little Zude screen time in this episode and they do not appear in the previews for the next episode. Hmm... I'm sure we'll see them next week, but they seem to be getting placed on the back burner. I'm still scratching my head over why we haven't gotten any reactions from Zero's teammates and coach over his coming out. I can only conclude that the show wants to keep Zude as a sideshow apart from the main story lines involving the team and the dancers.
I'm a little afraid that the writers are setting Zude up for a sunset farewell. Their story is kept isolated and both characters' story arcs seem to be reaching their conclusions. Jude is now finished with his father, Oscar, who was the main reason he wanted to be around the L.A. Devils in the first place and Zero seems to have purged the ghosts from his childhood in L.A. (which is the main reason he wanted to play and be successful in L.A.). And, of course, they are both now a strong, committed couple, bringing an end to that arc. I think that Jude is going to locate Zero's sister, Laura, who probably lives in another city, and Zero and Jude will move to that city in the final episode. Either Zero gets traded there after Lionel loses control of the team or Lionel trades Zero there at Jude's request. Jude, of course, will go with Zero. And that will be the end of them on the show. A sunset ending is s good thing if HTF doesn't get renewed, which is a real possibility, but it would suck if there's a season 4 with no Zude. Neither Zero nor Jude appeared in HTF's first season, so they really aren't core characters. I could see the show wanting to bring in some new characters to freshen the show up. I've been watching the full episodes and, except for the Zude scenes, the show feels stale compared to the previous seasons. (This could be why it was shelved for so long.) Anyway, I think we better enjoy Zude while we can.
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Post by deepdarkmidnight on Mar 9, 2016 5:35:31 GMT -5
Zude had quite a good screentime for more than half the season, so it seems logic that having 3 episodes left, they will have less screentime, there are many stories going on in the series and each one needs its own time. I wouldn't speculate much on this story, because the plot has shown us how things go as no one expected (Zero coming out for example). And also James Larosa is the guy in charge, he's the creator of the series and he has shown his support for Zude. If we're gonna get a 4th season I wouldn't worry about whether we will have Zude or not, because I know James will take care of that.
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Post by atlanticslide on Mar 10, 2016 2:16:32 GMT -5
I agree, while it was a little disappointing to get so little of them in this episode, there are so many characters and storylines on the show, it's only natural that everyone's going to take a bit of a back seat at some point, and this was their turn. Hell, Ahsha is ostensibly the main character, and I feel like she's barely been on the show this season. Jude/Zero has a huge following online and James LaRosa (and whoever works on the show's publicity) knows it, they've been promoting Zude more than just about any other couple, character, or storyline this season, so I have to think that they know how popular they characters and pairing are and wouldn't write them out. I do think their storyline has been pretty disconnected from the the other characters, but that's been one of the overall problems with this season - every storyline is pretty disconnected from one another, and a lot of the characters are kind of off on their own storyline islands, so this isn't just an issue with Jude/Zero. James LaRosa also just seems very attached to these two characters and their storyline, so I'm not too worried about them.
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Post by kevvoi on Mar 15, 2016 7:15:44 GMT -5
New clip courtesy of Nanii:
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Post by Hawthorne on Mar 15, 2016 15:18:24 GMT -5
I don't think Zude could be headed for a sunset farewell because their screen time is down, but because their individual character arcs are reaching a place where an exit would make sense. If Oscar is back in control of the team and Lionel feels betrayed by Jude (which is a major contrivance), then Zero could get traded - probably, coincidentally, to the city where his long lost sister lives. We'll see... Since it's not clear if this will be the show's last season, a sunset ending for Zude is a good thing, IMO. They can always bring them back if they get renewed.
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Post by Zathras on Mar 15, 2016 20:23:19 GMT -5
"What's the worst she could do?" Famous last words, Zero. I liked Zero coming out and helping Jude like that, like Jude helped him out last week. Even if he does suck at tennis.
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Post by atlanticslide on Mar 20, 2016 9:44:18 GMT -5
I just don't see why the show would write them out. They have a huge following, the showrunner loves them and loves the actors, and it's very easy to write new storylines as other storylines wrap up.
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Post by Hawthorne on Mar 22, 2016 10:13:14 GMT -5
The previews for the season finale make it look like Zero really does get traded off the team. Jelena gets revenge on him. I wouldn't count out a sunset departure for Zude. Of course even if they do ride off together, they could easily be back if there is another season. I'm not sure they will be, though. They've basically told their story. And they seem to be clearing out a bunch of characters to make room for fresh ones. They killed off one of the Devil Girls, sent German to prison (it's amazing how he got tried and sentenced in a matter of days) and now, it seems, Zero gets kicked off the team. Hopefully, if my dream comes true, Jude and Zero will get their own show on late night cable.
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Post by Hawthorne on Mar 22, 2016 23:02:56 GMT -5
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Post by deepdarkmidnight on Mar 23, 2016 4:41:28 GMT -5
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dmagiclight
Full Member
OPEN YOUR MIND AND ANY THING IS CAN HAPPEN
Posts: 1,657
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Post by dmagiclight on Mar 23, 2016 17:44:29 GMT -5
I do like to watch the Dance routines But If Zero and Jude are written out then I have no other reason to watch
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Post by Hawthorne on Mar 24, 2016 13:45:44 GMT -5
Jude and Zero are my favorite TV gay couple so I certainly hope they don't get written out. That said, if the show doesn't get renewed, it hardly matters. If this is the final season, it might be more satisfying to see them ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after.
While the preview for the finale suggests Zero gets dumped from the team through Jelena's scheming, it's possible that Zero or Jude turns the tables on her later on in the episode. Is the show really going to go out with the baddies, Oscar and Jelena, being the big winners while Lionel is trapped into being Oscar's sex slave and Sloane under threat of death? I guess it could by way of ending the season with cliffhangers, but it's also possible that someone finds a way to bring Oscar down at the end. Even if that happens, though, I wouldn't be surprised if Jude and Zero still leave to go live near Zero's sister.
I've definitely enjoyed the Zude scenes we've gotten since Zero came out, but I've been disappointed by how the show has completely dodged the issue of homophobia in sports. It's weird that there hasn't been a single scene that showed the reaction of Zero's teammates or coach to his coming out. Nor have we seen how the team's fans reacted. Perhaps it's not reasonable to expect such a fluffy, lightweight show to take on a serious issue, but a scene or two where Zero's teammates showed support (or not), would have been appropriate.
The ratings for HTF have certainly been good enough to get renewed, but not good enough to make it a sure thing. It's drawing about 1.3 million viewers per episode, which is way down from its peak of over 2 million viewers. Its audience is very young, though, which advertisers like. That's probably its strongest argument for renewal. However, the way VH1 kicked this third season of HTF off its schedule for over a year makes me think the show is not well liked by the network and could be doomed. We'll see...
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Post by lexmoon on Mar 26, 2016 17:50:09 GMT -5
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Post by sonia38 on Mar 28, 2016 22:39:25 GMT -5
As cheesy as this show is, the season finale was excellent. I adore Zude and the scene when Zero bought them the house where he lived as a child in both their names made my heart smile. I just could not believe Jude said he could not leave Lionel instead of going with Jude to his new team. Zero puts him first, Jude should do the same. I just hope there is another season, I want to see how this works out and of course, who shot the wicked witch Jelena.
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Post by sunshine0786 on Mar 29, 2016 0:39:00 GMT -5
As cheesy as this show is, the season finale was excellent. I adore Zude and the scene when Zero bought them the house where he lived as a child in both their names made my heart smile. I just could not believe Jude said he could not leave Lionel instead of going with Jude to his new team. Zero puts him first, Jude should do the same. I just hope there is another season, I want to see how this works out and of course, who shot the wicked witch Jelena. If the situation were different and Oscar were just a run of the mill jerk, I'd agree that Jude should put him first. However, leaving Lionel to be regularly raped (and it is rape, since she is being coerced) and emotionally abused by his father seems rather heartless. I get that she's no peach, and she's in a situation that she put into motion, but that is still cruel. And just because that's the situation now, doesn't mean it wouldn't have changed. Once Lionel was free of Oscar, I'm sure Jude would have left. Although, all of that is kind of moot at this point. Even if Jenlena survives the gunshot, chances are Zero is staying put for now. There is no way she made the trade yet. She literally just got control of the team, and these things don't happen overnight. Besides, she still has to seem like a competent owner and he is one of the star players on the devils, and if one of her first moves is trading him away it has to be for someone(s) that is brought in to improve the team. So, there are some options: She survives, but needs to recover, so someone else is in control temporarily. Or she could be incapacitated, so there is no way she could do anything as owner. Or she's dead and who knows what will happen with controlling ownership. The Kinkades? Terrence? Someone else who the board appoints? But any way I see it Zero is staying put for the time being. Although, I could be completely wrong. All this speculation could also be for nothing, because the show hasn't even been renewed yet!
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Post by harmonium on Mar 29, 2016 2:38:25 GMT -5
The season finale is well done. I thought they are rushing things to close off the show by giving seemingly happy endings. But having that biatch Jelena as the new owner and getting shot (which is just so satisfying to meand) are making things interesting now. If she dies (though I doubt so), it'll be a guessing game who did it. Everyone has a motive. Terrence because she betrayed him, Oscar because of what she did, both Sloane and Asha because of their grudges and even Zero because she has ruined his plans both professionally and privately. She has made herself so many enemies. I'm pretty confident that the show will be renewed, it'll be stupid not to.
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Post by kevvoi on Mar 29, 2016 6:57:26 GMT -5
New clip courtesy of Nanii:
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