|
|
Post by frokes on Feb 12, 2016 7:14:43 GMT -5
I wish I could buy the first season of this series on DVD in Europe, but my googling after it hasn't succeeded so far. I did find a Swedish site where I can pay for a subscription and watch a few episodes from this season, though. I'll try that one. I'm positively surprised to see that the creators of this series are exploring choking/breathplay.
|
|
|
|
Post by Hawthorne on Feb 12, 2016 16:43:16 GMT -5
This is one of the most disconcerting shows I've ever seen. None of the puzzle pieces seem to fit together. That's probably because there's some big clue that's been withheld so far. Word on the next episode is there is going to be an "aha!" moment and Taylor is going to do something very intense that changes everything. I'm very worried he's going to kill himself. He's been headed in that direction and now he's been beaten up by a bunch of players on the basketball team. Previews show him with a gun. Oh, dear!  The only things about this story that I'm pretty certain about are: - There's some kind of connection between Kevin and Eric that hasn't been revealed yet.
- More photos of the party are going to emerge.
- Taylor has still more secrets.
I also suspect that coach Dan has a big secret. I'm very surprised to see Taylor and that Luke character developing a fandom on YouTube. Considering Luke's cold attitude and how close to suicide Taylor is, along with the general context of a deeply unsettling story about abuse and shallow morals, there's nothing romantic about their pairing so far. |
|
|
|
Post by frokes on Feb 13, 2016 7:53:55 GMT -5
IMDB has overviews of which characters that are featured in the upcoming episodes for this season. So, given that those overviews are correct, I think it's only an attempt on Taylor's part. (I haven't seen full episodes yet, but I searched some more yesterday, and found out that there's a TV channel in my country which aired the first season and will air the second season at some point.) Hawthorne, I agree with you about the pairing not coming across as romantic. And it's good to read your analysis! I read this article about how the crew have been working with angles and such things: blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/how-john-ridley-and-company-create-the-emotional-resonance-of-american-crime-20160208. I thought it was nice to get a fuller understanding of the camera work that the crew does. |
|
dmagiclight
Full Member
OPEN YOUR MIND AND ANY THING IS CAN HAPPEN
Posts: 1,657
|
Post by dmagiclight on Feb 13, 2016 12:23:11 GMT -5
I didn't think Taylor would try to harm himself when I saw the preview with the gun I thought he might go after the Basketball players,
|
|
|
|
Post by alohaTHOR on Feb 13, 2016 12:32:11 GMT -5
This is one of the most disconcerting shows I've ever seen. None of the puzzle pieces seem to fit together. That's probably because there's some big clue that's been withheld so far. Word on the next episode is there is going to be an "aha!" moment and Taylor is going to do something very intense that changes everything. I'm very worried he's going to kill himself. He's been headed in that direction and now he's been beaten up by a bunch of players on the basketball team. Previews show him with a gun. Oh, dear! The only things about this story that I'm pretty certain about are: - There's some kind of connection between Kevin and Eric that hasn't been revealed yet.
- More photos of the party are going to emerge.
- Taylor has still more secrets.
I also suspect that coach Dan has a big secret. I'm very surprised to see Taylor and that Luke character developing a fandom on YouTube. Considering Luke's cold attitude and how close to suicide Taylor is, along with the general context of a deeply unsettling story about abuse and shallow morals, there's nothing romantic about their pairing so far. I think the missing connection is the DNA test for the semen found on Taylor. I don't think they ever confirmed that it was Eric's, they merely assumed it was his since he admitted to having sex with Taylor. And since they took for granted it was Eric's, none of the other boys were tested. |
|
angel
Junior Member
Posts: 390
|
Post by angel on Feb 13, 2016 15:18:17 GMT -5
I wish I could buy the first season of this series on DVD in Europe, but my googling after it hasn't succeeded so far. I did find a Swedish site where I can pay for a subscription and watch a few episodes from this season, though. I'll try that one. I'm positively surprised to see that the creators of this series are exploring choking/breathplay. When you have an Amazon Account, you can buy worldwide, your Account is working on every country amazon site. American Accounts can buy in Europe, Europes can buy on Amazon.com, and mostly the price even with shipping costs is nicer than some underground shops. I didnt check the DVD, but mostly Amazon have everythink. |
|
|
|
Post by frokes on Feb 13, 2016 16:52:13 GMT -5
When you have an Amazon Account, you can buy worldwide, your Account is working on every country amazon site. American Accounts can buy in Europe, Europes can buy on Amazon.com, and mostly the price even with shipping costs is nicer than some underground shops. I didnt check the DVD, but mostly Amazon have everythink. Thanks for providing this information! I'll check it out.  |
|
|
|
Post by morgain on Feb 13, 2016 18:32:58 GMT -5
What is so fantastic about this show is that you never know where it will go! You can think what you like but the likelihood is that it's not what happened or will happen. There are still so many secrets to be unveiled.... and they are missing some major linkages to be able to start pieces things together..I'm not sure about the gun... Taylor does seem like someone who would hurt himself rather than someone else but then I thought that Eric would explode outwards then inwards so.. Taylor might have finally lost it and makes a move against his rapist. He's shown in the last episode he is ready to start confronting his problems head on when he showed up at Nate's and put him on the spot about his homophobic comments and then later trying to confront Eric about what happened.
I have to admit I would really enjoy seeing Taylor discard the victim persona and take control of his own life instead of just being pushed around by other people and their wants. And I actually think he might have started to remember more from that night. He told Eric he knew what happened not like before when he wanted to know what happened. Hopefully Anne can calm down enough to back off! She is the supreme catalyst for this whole series and when she makes a move (without thinking about the people involved - including her own son) they just set off tsunamis!
I'm not sure about the Kevin thing yet... He seems both incredibly dopey and yet very clever and conniving. When he said that Taylor wasn't a bitch but a dude and that other dudes can be dealt with he must have known where it would end up! And the fact that he is talking about women as bitches in the first place!?!? He is clearly showing that he has the ability to dehumanise and maybe if his girlfriend rejected him (which she did later on as well in his room) and he saw an incapacitated Taylor who was in no position to say no, or even likely to remember, maybe he took what he thought was his due.
I don 't know about Dan the coach.. they are spending a lot of time with him (especially at the end of each of the episodes) when it seems like his part is small. There is going to be something revealed about him but I'm not sure what... Maybe he was the rapist. The major players in this series have all been stripping off their nice layers and showing something a little nastier underneath (like Michael! I never thought he would be the one to initiate intimidation of Anne!) so it wouldn't be a leap to conclusion for Dan to start stripping away some of his niceties...
|
|
|
|
Post by overtherainbow on Feb 14, 2016 2:30:15 GMT -5
I think Taylor always knew what happened. I think he lied about it. He wanted it rough, regretted it later when he saw the drunk pics and he lied about getting raped.
|
|
|
|
Post by davidw on Feb 14, 2016 19:00:20 GMT -5
I think Taylor always knew what happened. I think he lied about it. He wanted it rough, regretted it later when he saw the drunk pics and he lied about getting raped. Interesting. My theory of what happened is almost the opposite. I come back to the point of the Captains' Party, which was for the basketball team players to "make the team", meaning to have sex with a girl at the party. Add in Taylor's description that he couldn't consent to sex with Eric because he was intoxicated with something. In spite of not drinking enough to be drunk Taylor couldn't make decisions or give consent. I think Taylor was given a drugged drink. And I think there were drugged drinks at the party because all of the basketball players intended to "make the team". Eric didn't give Taylor the drink, someone else did. I suspect Kevin. And I expect that Taylor wasn't the only person raped at that party. |
|
|
|
Post by alohaTHOR on Feb 15, 2016 1:07:58 GMT -5
I don't remember all too well what Kevin's alibi for the party was. Didn't he say that he was with his girlfriend the whole time and that they were having sex? From what I could tell of his girlfriend (the little that they've shown) is that she isn't the type to just have sex anywhere, let alone the bathroom of a party. I guess the drugged drinks could have come into play for that but it still makes me wonder.
|
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Feb 15, 2016 10:44:09 GMT -5
I'm impressed that the show is willing to show gay people as less than perfect. Too often they shy away from that for fear of reinforcing negative stereotypes of gay men. I love how gritty and real this show's take on a taboo topic like male rape is. None of the characters are angels; they are very much human (although there are one or two antagonists verging on cartoon villain).
I wasn't sure they could sustain this storyline for a full season of ten episodes, especially after a very slow start, but it's really picked up pace in the last couple of episodes and doesn't look like it'll flag anytime soon if this week's promo is any indication.
Connor Jessup and Joey Pollari were both really good in the last episode. Connor always is (he's done some great work in the past, including a number of gay roles) but Joey's been having a good run, too, considering he comes from a comedy background. I'm glad they're finally giving them more focus after the early episodes focused on the adult characters. Don't get me wrong, the actresses are absolutely phenomenal, but this story should focus more on the characters at the center of the case: victim and perpetrators, not their parents.
If this show is not acknowledged by the awards it will be daylight robbery.
|
|
|
|
Post by kevvoi on Feb 16, 2016 20:07:15 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Hawthorne on Feb 18, 2016 0:02:44 GMT -5
This show isn't predictable, I'll give it that. The latest twist is heartbreaking. It's also very unsatisfying since now the character we've been sympathizing with, who is/was the victim, is now the criminal and will be in prison instead of the unsympathetic characters. At least... that's how things stand now. That computer guy who tried to connect with Taylor's mom has, I think, a way of helping Taylor. He might have some photos that show what actually happened at the party. We'll see.
I don't think this show deserves any awards. The actors are quite good, but the writing has been very inconsistent. Some aspects are great, such as the way they turn everything on its head from how you would expect them to be, but other things are just very badly done. For example, the assembly that Leslie holds to welcome Eric back to school days after he tried to kill himself and with a still open rape investigation hanging over his head. It was just ridiculously unrealistic. I haven't been able to take the show seriously since that. Too many scenes feel random and don't really add anything to the story. In general, I think the writers have played their cards too close to their chest in this story. Clues about what's going on have been few and far between. Ratings for the season have been abysmal because nobody can find a story thread to latch onto.
Edit: I've done some research and it looks like Taylor can probably get off due to Indiana's very strong Stand Your Ground law. According to this law, what Taylor did is actually perfectly legal. Basically, it's legal to kill someone in Indiana if you have "reasonable belief" that they are going to cause you bodily harm. Taylor had a very reasonable belief since Wes had previously beaten him up. The show has been tackling so many other American controversies so tackling Stand Your Ground laws fits right in.
|
|
|
|
Post by kevvoi on Feb 18, 2016 8:57:50 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by harmonium on Feb 18, 2016 14:55:17 GMT -5
I thought the latest episode is rather disturbing to watch. I found myself cringing at some scenes because how the event has turned out was really difficult for me to digest.
As a viewer, what Taylor did is totally irrational, why is he making the matter worse if he is afraid that his mom is going to suffer because of what has happened? But under the circumstance (being attacked again, having no one to listen/understand what he has gone through and also under drug influence), I can see why he has decided to do something that drastic. But it was rather painful to watch how he has caused himself greater (and unnecessary) trouble. You can justify his actions but there is no way his actions can be condone.
At this stage, the primary focus of the show should be on Taylor's shooting incident (and to clear up what actually gone through in the alleged assault). What happened to Eric (& his coming out problems) and the Latino school protest have no longer any impact on the show as they potentially takes away the key storyline.
I must admit, the premise of this season is really intriguing and it did get me hooked because I am so vested in the storyline that I want to know what exactly happened. But the development of the story has just made the show more and more difficult for me to watch. It's like there is no one in the show that you want to root for or feel sympathetic for after the mistakes they have made.
Definitely one of the best TV shows I have watched. We have left with 3 episodes and I wondering how are they going to wrap the story with so many things left unexplained.
|
|
|
|
Post by kevvoi on Feb 20, 2016 18:17:48 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Feb 21, 2016 10:52:21 GMT -5
Interesting that Connor revealed that the showrunner told him "what if the true crime hasn't happened yet?" in regards to Taylor's rape ... suggesting that the titular crime at the heart of this series is really the shooting. I'm a bit disappointed because they had made it seem like they wanted to shine a light on the taboo of male rape but ultimately it gets sidelined to the school shooting. The acting performances are really strong though and I still think the show's got some serious balls - I can't imagine any other show on a broadcast network trying to tackle a lot of these issues. But I'm coming round to Hawthorne's opinion that they should have gone with a tighter focus on certain aspects instead of trying to cram it all into a 10-episode season. Male rape, cyberbullying, gay-bashing, school shooting, stigma around mental illness, race relations, classism, homophobia in sport ... it's just too much to cover with any reasonable clarity in one season.
|
|
|
|
Post by mrfixit477 on Feb 22, 2016 20:35:15 GMT -5
American Crime Mega Buzz: The Aftermath of Taylor's Violence Changes the Series www.tvguide.com/news/american-crime-taylor-shooting/Terri LaCroix (Regina King) turns uncharacteristically kind -- trying to comfort her husband Michael (Andre Benjamin) and even seeking out someone from her past to right a wrong. Coach Sutton's (Timothy Hutton) daughter Becca (Sky Azure Van Vilet) attempts to clear her conscience by admitting her role in giving Taylor the drugs he took - a decision that has immediate negative ramifications on her family.Eric's father (Brent Anderson), whose decency and sensitivity throughout his son's ordeal remains one of this season's optimistic spots, begins to come undone after his wife Lilah (Emily Bergl) makes a drastic, unfathomable decision that shatters the last bit of normalcy the family has left. |
|
|
|
Post by kevvoi on Feb 26, 2016 7:14:14 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Hawthorne on Mar 4, 2016 2:24:07 GMT -5
My opinion of this show keeps going up and down. I definitely don't like that the "victim" looks like he's going to be the one out of a large cast of unsympathetic characters who ends up paying the biggest price. Of course, the next and final episode could end on a hopeful note for Taylor.
The previews suggest that Kevin's dad is going to get in trouble for something. That hacker guy is probably going to dig up some more dirt that helps Taylor (although I suspect that he too is going to get in trouble). Eric, it seems, really did rape Taylor. It's possible he could confess out of guilt. He looked pretty shamed when his mother threw it in his face. And having recently been almost raped himself, perhaps guilt will get the better of him.
Dan the coach has proven to be self-obsessed and despicable. Was he really telling a kid that had just tried to kill himself (Eric) that he should be thinking more about his (Dan's) life?
I think that this show can't really be enjoyed in the typical way crime dramas are enjoyed - seeing justice served to the guilty. The crimes in this show are really just excuses to explore race and class issues in American culture. Solving the crime isn't the goal. I have to give props to the shows' creator for making such an effort, even though I have found the writing a bit uneven and several aspects aren't realistic. I think this show is a work of art - a flawed work of art, but still art. It's surprising to see such a sophisticated show on network TV and it's audience has been quite small because of the sophistication. It would be more at home on a cable network. I suspect ABC won't bring it back for another season, but perhaps one of the cable networks will pick it up. The acting has been extraordinary.
I hope in the end we at least find out what really happened at the party.
|
|
|
|
Post by kevvoi on Mar 10, 2016 8:38:03 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by kevvoi on Mar 10, 2016 8:44:17 GMT -5
|
|
dmagiclight
Full Member
OPEN YOUR MIND AND ANY THING IS CAN HAPPEN
Posts: 1,657
|
Post by dmagiclight on Mar 10, 2016 9:22:57 GMT -5
I watched the final episode and I was left with so many unanswered Questions.
|
|
|
|
Post by alohaTHOR on Mar 10, 2016 21:27:53 GMT -5
I watched the final episode and I was left with so many unanswered Questions. Don't worry, you weren't the only one. |
|
