Last week, I wrote about the phenomenal work Maggie Gyllenhaal has been doing on The Deuce, even as her performance as Eileen Merrell/Candy Renee has been more or less flying under the radar, in terms of industry recognition. This week, I have to write about Emily Meade, because after this week, Meade’s Lori Madison won’t be on the show any more.
There have been more surprising and dramatic deaths in television history than Lori’s tragic, miserable suicide. But I can’t recall a TV death much sadder. The way this episode played out, I have to admit, rattled around in my head for hours afterward. It was mood-altering. Lori’s story is marked by a sense of despair and righteous rage that’s tough to shake off.
Give a lot of the credit to Meade, who since episode one of The Deuce has fully inhabited a character who doesn’t deliver long, revealing monologues (at least not like Gyllenhaal’s Eileen), but instead carries a lot of what she’s feeling internally, expressing it through physical acting, subtle reaction shots, and brief angry outbursts. Meade’s performance demands the audience pay close attention. And in this episode—titled “That’s A Wrap”—while we’re leaning in, The Deuce smacks us hard.
We first see Lori in “That’s A Wrap” back in her old stomping grounds of Minneapolis-St. Paul, showing up unannounced at a local strip club, trying to earn enough money to make it back to New York. Rebuffed by the manager, she asks a cab driver to detour past her childhood home, which she finds has been boarded-up and abandoned. With nowhere else to turn, she calls her old friend Candy, asking for an advance on some potential work in whatever porn project might be shooting when she arrives in NYC.
Lori catches Eileen at exactly the right time. She’s burned through the budget for her potentially career-defining art film, and still has several key scenes she needs to shoot before her cast and crew scatters. Harvey suggests she raise some money by adding more explicit sex scenes and casting a marquee porn star. (“It can’t all be art,” he grumbles.) But the first person Eileen thinks of turns out to be retired, having married one of the biggest real estate developers in New York City.
This could be a vision of Eileen’s own future: rich but bored, missing the attention of fans and fellow filmmakers. It’s definitely a metaphor for what’s happening to the smut trade in New York in the mid-‘80s. Unable to use the law to chase the porn stars away, the realtors pumped in enough money to take the sex-workers off the market.
So Eileen’s film still needs a star, and Lori needs work. Two problems solved, right? Actually, the situation actually creates two new problems. First off, Lori’s still under contract to Vibrance, beholden to a production company partly run by an ex-boyfriend not so inclined to give her a break. And then, during the negotiation process, one of the company’s other partners, Larry, makes Eileen—or Candy, really—a lucrative offer. For $15,000 and the free use of Lori Madison, would Candy be willing to have sex on camera?
This is an interesting test of Eileen’s convictions. She was just on the other side of this same kind of offer, trying to coax one of her retired former stars back into the business. Later, during a conversation with Lori, Eileen goes through her usual spiel about how Lori should embrace who she is and revel in flouting society’s rules. But is Eileen willing to do the same? Can she be Candy on-screen again? She haggles and raises Larry’s price, but we never hear her give a firm yes. Will she actually go through with this?
We’ve been conditioned by The Deuce to think of Eileen as one of “the good ones,” but a big part of her job still involves talking women into taking off their clothes and revealing the most intimate sides of themselves, in movies that she herself admits are likely to be around forever. “Now that the movies are on tape, there’s no such thing as an ex-porn star,” she says to Lori, in what’s supposed to be a pep talk. Instead, Lori hears this as, “You’re telling me I can never really escape the life.”
That’s what sets up the shattering final sequences for Lori Madison on The Deuce. First, Eileen tries to tell Lori that there’s more to her than just a porn actress, but Lori shuts her down, saying, “How do you know? You’ve only ever known me like this.” She has no family to ground her, no boyfriend to support her emotionally, and no hobbies (aside from cocaine and an aborted attempt at a music career) to distract her. She won’t even tell Eileen her real name, instead calling back to when they first met and saying she’s “Land o’ Lakes Girl.”
Lori does though seem to give her real name to a man she spontaneously hooks on the Deuce, after she spends the last of Eileen’s money on more coke. She hesitates for a second, then tells this dude her name is “Sarah.” Then she lets him do whatever he wants to her for the pathetically low price of $50. Then he leaves, and she puts his money and Eileen’s credit card neatly on the dresser. And then she shoots herself in the head.
Lori’s devastating death isn’t all that happens in “That’s A Wrap,” but it does put a painful button on an episode that’s largely about the characters feeling trapped. Abby is trying to embrace the life she’s chosen, as a friend and a comfort to the “undesirable elements” that Gene Goldman intends to shoo out of Times Square. But for her troubles she gets dumped by her girlfriend; and after she briefly wonders whether she gave up to soon on her relationship with Vincent, she ultimately clears all her stuff out of their apartment when she finds a gun hidden in their closet.
As for Vincent, he’s having trouble seeing any positive way forward with his life. His brother Frankie is dead. His closest friend and confidant Mike is dying. His girlfriend hasn’t really been his girlfriend for years. He sleeps with his ex-wife every now and then, but she lets him know that’s while their time together is very nice, their relationship is still permanently broken.
Then there’s Vincent’s new boss, Tommy Longo, who expects everyone to pay him the same respect—and the same money—they gave Rudy Pipilo, even though it’s fairly obvious to everyone that he was involved with Rudy’s and Frankie’s murders. Tommy is an unsentimental sort, whose big idea when Bobby tells him that the parlor’s old staff is working freelance now is that Black Frankie should rough one of the women up a bit.
Similarly, Tommy all but warns Vincent that he’s going to be back to managing a club for the mob soon, ignoring what should be clear to anyone with eyes and a hear: that Vincent is burned out, and ready to move on. “We’ll find you a new spot and it’ll be like it was,” Tommy says. But for everything to be “like it was,” something miraculous would have to happen. Someone would have to resurrect Rudy, and Ruby, and Frankie, and Dorothy… and now Lori. What made this life tolerable was the people. And one by one, they’re all disappearing.
Stray observations
- There are multiple era-specific signifiers in this episode, from a can of New Coke to Reg hooking Melissa up with a crew gig on a movie that sounds very much like Crocodile Dundee. But perhaps the most significant “sign o’ the times” here is Joey trying to convince his father Bobby to take advantage of an insider trading tip, and to invest in a short-selling scheme involving a heart medication that’s likely to be rejected by the FDA due to its strange side-effects. The timing isn’t exactly right—1985 is, I think, a few years too early—but the joke here may be that the Dwyers are about to bet big against Viagra.
136 Comments
I expected some level of tragedy, being the penultimate episode of the final season…but good Lord. The little burst of energy Lori seemed to get from being on her old stomping grounds, invigorated as she shed her jacket…only to be followed by that miserable rutting scene where Meade played so many emotions in the span of a few seconds. Searching, reaching for euphoric, longing…and then dull realization. Sarah setting the bills in order on the dresser was enough to tell us what was about to happen; holding on it was the show challenging us not to look away.I can’t imagine the finale could match evoking that same miserable feeling in the viewer, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.(As far as the Viagra thing; a quick look at Wikeypedia tells me Pfizer didn’t stumble upon sildenafil until ‘89. I’m sure there’s some complicated short-selling mechanism here that might result in a net loss if they are to write this as a smaller company on the verge of discovering boner pills being bought out by the big guys, but it might just be Bobby and Joey fuckin’ up the old fashioned way.)
“The little burst of energy Lori seemed to get from being on her old stomping grounds, invigorated as she shed her jacket…only to be followed by that miserable rutting scene where Meade played so many emotions in the span of a few seconds.”I actually disagree—i didn’t see any joy in anything she did after returning to NY…I didn’t expect that sudden gunshot, but I was thinking that she was going to OD or maybe that john doing something to her.The performance was great though, but for me it was because you could see the deep despair the entire time and could see something really bad was coming.
Meade’s performance masked the despair just long enough to make me think there was going to be one final turn. You knew she was down, but she took off the jacket, shook her hair out, seemed like she was in her element; right on the heels of that scene with Eileen it felt like maybe she was going find a way to embrace being Lori, in some way. But no, in retrospect, after she says “Sarah,” she’s already gone.
I also agree and one will go one step further: The light bulb finally went off and she realized she’s been playing with house money her entire life. She came from shit and realized she wouldn’t have fared much better if she had stayed put, following the drive by of her home. She already came back to NY earlier since leaving and nothing changed for her. Everyone with the ability to impact change in her life – both men and women – are all nothing more than her pimps. She finally accepts who she is when she picks up that john, but is overwhelmed by depression over it. The only thing that blocked the depression was the coke, which she throws back in her purse. That’s what sold her suicide, since it was the only thing keeping her alive through all of this.
I know people may not like this comment, but I’ll preface it by saying that I grew up as a teenager around a similar environment. I saw organized operations and interacted with people like this. Like Lori, deep down the vast majority of people relegated to this kind of work have a very low opinion of themselves because they can’t change their lives. Lori was just smart enough to realize how worthless she was in the world outside of the sex trade. Her only value, her only abilities and advantages, were over the scum of the earth.
Lori was just smart enough to realize how worthless she was in the world outside of the sex trade. Uh, this is whorephobic as fuck. Lori was not worthless. She was sweet and sensitive and liked to sing and she was stuck playing by the rules of a rigged game where she never even had a chance to win.Two points:1. Society TELLING Lori she’s worthless does not mean she IS worthless. 2. Lori BELIEVING she is worthless does NOT make her worthless. Sex workers are not worthless simply by virtue of the jobs we do to survive in this fucked-up world.
I was shocked by the scene, and had assumed she would be robbed, OD or something tragic. But the speed in which she offed herself was a whoa moment.I don’t think she was worthless, but her character’s whining and constant entitlement was tiring. If she has been written out after CC’s death it would have been okay.
wouldn’t you whine a bunch too if your entire life was being controlled by people who only saw you as a money-making vehicle? it’s easy to say that Lori should have just sacked up and done her own thing (lord knows I hoped she would) but the entire point of the show is that all of these women were being controlled by someone. not just the sex workers, but ALL women. Eileen finally makes this connection explicit for the audience when she sees the waitress performing for tips; it’s clearly one of the show’s overarching thesis statements. there’s always a threat, whether it’s violence, homelessness, detoxing, hunger… that forces women to do the things they need to do in order to survive, as they have done since the beginning of time and will continue to do for as long as the Earth spins around the sun. (i mean, there’s a reason why prostitution is called, “the oldest profession.”)but i’d even go a step further and say that it’s not just women who are beholden to the higher power of capitalism, it’s ALL the characters on this show. and that’s the truth that Simon/Pellicanos are trying to show us. from Vincent and Frankie, to the police department, to the city planner, to the mob guys with their strict hierarchical systems of power. it all comes down to the same brass tacks. so i guess you can’t really fault Lori for taking back some tiny measure of control in a system where she’d never have any real autonomy, regardless of what she decided to do with her life.
I am so glad you are commenting here.
The speed is what made the scene so devastating for me. There was no visible thought process. The time from reach-into-purse-for-gun and suicide was only a few seconds.
There was no staring at the gun with doubt or remorse or depression. There were no tears or even a look of fear in her eyes.
The sheer mechanical simplicity of Meade’s actions made the death seem almost like a casual act… almost.
Just devastatingly sad…
Yeah…
Lori was just smart enough to realize how unvalued she was by the world outside of the sex trade.fixed
“whorephobic”? LOL, you realize this is just a show, right? I know you feel bad for the girls and it’s justified when looking at this show because the writers made each and everyone of them likable victims. That’s not the case in the real world. Not everyone is an angel who was shit on by society. Try substituting other groups of people into your last statement and see if it still rings true. Do you think the pimps who raped, beat, and abused the sex workers weren’t worthless pieces of trash? I’m sure if we looked at each one of their childhoods, their families, and upbringing we would find that they too got a raw deal. There was even that scene where a few of them were sitting at a table in the diner talking about how they didn’t know how to do anything else in life, just like the hookers. So if you’re going to use “whorephobic”, you should also be using “pimp-phobic”….or maybe not label everyone as a victim who holds no accountability for the choices they made in life.
the sex workers depicted in the show never “raped, beat, or abused” anybody, so clearly i was not talking about the pimps. also, whorephobia is a very real thing. and for YOU maybe this is “just a show” but for ME it’s one of the only depictions of sex workers in popular media where we aren’t used as punchlines or immediately murdered in order to make moral judgments about our life choices. so yeah, i kinda care about how people construct their critical analysis. i don’t “feel bad” for the workers, i AM a worker, and i care about and appreciate that this show depicted us as three-dimensional human beings, as well of victims of the time/environment/culture in which they lived, something you seem to be totally fine with ignoring. (take Melissa, for example, one of the workers who fled her childhood home as a teenager because of an abusive, alcoholic father whose behavior led to the death of her mother. would you say Melissa has “no accountability for the choices she made in life?” no. you would not. She did what she had to do to escape an abusive, dangerous situation.)nice strawman, though!
would you say Melissa has “no accountability for the choices she made in life?”I would say that you don’t want to assign any accountability to them for becoming prostitutes, and my guess is that it’s because you don’t want to accept any yourself.
Before anyone took advantage of any of the girls in the show, what we’re told by the writers is that they knew they were becoming hookers. Of course they didn’t know everything that would come with it, but they knew how they’d be making a living. The girls weren’t forced into this life through human trafficking. They were fed a story by a pimp and said “ok, I can do that, I’ll work with you.” Candy was approached multiple times by the same pimps, but she never made the choice to join them, nor did she end up with them by force. So it was a their decision and, at the end of the day, every single character had to live with the results of their life – no matter what it was. No amount of empathy or made-up words change that. The show and specifically the suicide were very effective in conveying that moment of realization that the only thing she felt she could do was continue selling her body or just end it all. I don’t see how you can dispute that she felt worthless when she killed herself. If there was one point in their lives where they had control over a decision and what to do, it’s when they decide that they’re going to enter the sex trade.
And I’m not ignoring anything, nor am I afraid of whores. I can tell you’ve been looking to make that word a real thing and insert yourself into these comments from the minute I read “whorephobic”. This is a tv show that has nothing to do with you or me personally, and I wouldn’t have sat through 3 seasons of it if I was turned off by any of the subject matter.
“I would say that you don’t want to assign any accountability to them for becoming prostitutes, and my guess is that it’s because you don’t want to accept any yourself.”lol. of course i take accountability for the choice i made to become a sex worker. i am thankful for my privilege because not everyone who enters this business is afforded that choice. could i do other, more “respectable” work and get paid a fraction of the money for 10x the work helping someone else make a profit off my work-product? sure. but i don’t want to. would i still be a sex worker if all of my needs (food/shelter/clothing/car/healthcare) were being met? nope. but you could say this about literally any job under capitalism. i don’t need to be “assigned accountability” for a job i willingly chose because being a sex worker doesn’t make me a bad person and it doesn’t make the women on the show bad people either.“Before anyone took advantage of any of the girls in the show, what we’re told by the writers is that they knew they were becoming hookers.”nope, wrong again. what we know (either from the beginning or through character development over time) is that every single one of the sex working women had a backstory that involved them running away from abusive homes and having virtually no other options for survival. also, “whorephobic” doesn’t just mean “afraid of whores” you fucking simpleton. it means hatred, disgust, or dismissal of sex workers as human beings deserving of dignity and respect. it is the belief that we are all victims, spreaders of disease, inherently bad people, or too broken/damaged to be reliable narrators of our own experiences.
“I don’t see how you can dispute that she felt worthless when she killed herself.”again, reading comprehension must not be your strong suit because i did not say that. i said that just because she FELT worthless, did not mean she WAS worthless; a distinction which apparently seems a bit too nuanced for you to understand. i’m done, with you, and these comments. congratulations, you watched 3 seasons of a television show and completely missed the entire fucking point. well done!
It’s interesting to look at Lori’s progression through the season. In LA, she’s always fighting back against the porno directors, her boyfriend and Kiki. But by the time she’s in NY, she just looks defeated with not much fight left in her.
When she gets back to Times Square, takes off her coat and starts strutting, she seems relatively happy, or at least comfortable. It was obviously fleeting.
Thats my point though—even with that bravado and painted on smirk, you could tell that she was still in deep despair–thats what I saw when I watched it anyways. Wasn’t buying the “back home, I’m ok” posturing one bit, and TBH, I think that’s how we were meant to see the scene you speak of.
Yeah, it was a moment of “being home” before the reality of what that meant sank in. The undercurrent was always there.
I expected that she would die by OD.
I was thinking she was going to OD at some point too.
From the little I know about cocaine, if your body is constantly used to it for as long as Lori’s has been, it’s pretty hard to OD on it unless you do an insane amount (which she wouldn’t even have the cash with), it was laced with something as is so often the issue now (with opioids often being mixed in), or it’s injected. That was why I mentally ruled out that happening (which gave me some relief) while watching, and then….
She could have ODed with other drugs too but it was kind of a shocking twist.
I don’t think it was viagra either. Not only would the timing have been wrong, but it wouldn’t have made any sense to be introduced in the second to last episode. The whole point of that scene was to show how those people are just going to move on to another racket.
I meant episode not scene…unable to save my edit
Maybe it’s minoxidil.
I liked Black Frankie’s prison story. but it really went over their heads
…who’s Tuco?
Man, fuck you Pelecanos. I hope your beer at the Hi Hat was a warm Michelob! These goddamn penultimate episodes. Fuck. Every time.
I know you’re kidding, but I’d shake his hand right now if I could. This season has been great, even though it’s a year too late (probably 2 years). You guys are are all a smart bunch. You had to have seen this coming.
I’m just goofing around, I know the pattern they’ve established over the years. Love the show, love all the Simon/Pelecanos shows and the majority of the Pelecanos books I’ve read too. It’s a good kind of devastated.
Warm Michelob!?! It’s not like the guy is a chomo, sheesh!
It’s been apparent for awhile that Lori was going to end up dead.
I was really hoping for a different ending for Lori. I like to think Eileen wrote Lori a decent part and Eileen directing her again would boost Lori’s self esteem.
It was the only quality ending that made sense. A happy ending for that character would’ve destroyed the show’s credibility.
Eileen wasn’t writing for Lori to have a quality part. She was using her to profit off sex scenes that she herself often claims to be above, and maybe Eileen was comforting herself by telling her she was helping Lori out financially.
Frankly I was relieved that Eileen was definitely in the wrong here. Love her, love Gyllenhaal, but her wisdom, decency, and even introspection when she’s mistaken were at risk of making the character border on perfection, so I’m glad they circumvented that.
Poor Lori. I can’t remember that last time I actually yelled out loud over a death on TV.
Omar
I just binge watched this series and I’m going back through the reviews, and you nailed it: her death bothered me as much as Omar’s. Two vastly different characters but man…they both really hurt.Curse you David Simon for your brilliance.
Same here, I yelled ‘shit!’ out of shock and sadness..
Mine was a resigned “Oh, FUCK.”
Me too. Sad to see the show come to and end.
Agreed—this has been a terrific series. I’ve never been this invested in a group of characters.I just want someone to make it out intact…
Same, could only repeat “shit shit shit…” With my hand o er my mouth.
It was literally jaw dropping. No primly standing on a chair, tying a noose, no tears. Just a sudden decision.
the suddenness reminds me of the suicides in the french film Caché [Hidden] (2005), and the polish film Ida (2013) [whose depiction of it was copied beat-for-beat by Game of Thrones when the young king did himself in). all so harrowing and stays with you.really hope to see Emily Meade in more projects.
just googling Emily to see if she did interviews and there is one article about Debbie Harry where she says she would like Emily to play her in a movie of about her. that would be cool.
great interview with Simons and Meade on Rolling Stone website – https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-features/deuce-lori-season-3-episode-7-david-simon-emily-meade-interview-900235/
Me and my girlfriend were stunned when it happened.
Please no more unnecessary mentions of having a gf. Thanks in advance
I uttered a small, hurt, “oh” when I watched it. This show is so good and so sad.
As someone who suffers from bipolar disorder and depression, as well as a 15-yr+ substance addiction/battle, I can attest that Lori’s portrayal of someone in despair is the most accurate I’ve ever seen on screen. One of the things that “Hollywood” and mainstream media often gets wrong about suicidal characters is this big, over the top grandiose dramatic sequence that leads to the ultimate price: an avoidable & premature death. But in my experience, every time I’ve truly come close to suicide, is when it would surprise people the most. Maybe I’m just getting better at analyzing TV (because my 20 years of adulthood have been spent scouring the TV Club), or maybe this episode spoke to me due to my own life experience, but from the first scene of the episode, and every subsequent scene with Lori, it was like watching all the pieces fit together in a tragic puzzle. And it was done in a masterful way.
Love you and stay beautiful
Trigger warning: discussing suicideThat scene…was I think the most honest, frank and brutal depiction of suicide I’ve ever seen. What so many films and shows get wrong, what shows like the egregious 13 Reason Why, don’t understand, is that suicide isn’t some grand gesture, some operatic expression of sorrow writ in blood. Suicide is meaningless and sudden, inexplicable and unfathomably sad. People often say after someone takes their life, that they didn’t seem suicidal right before they did it. They seemed fine. They had much to look forward to. People always try to ascribe some kind of logic to suicide, when it is inherently illogical. It has often been reported that people, before they take their lives, often appear to be quite happy. One theory is that when someone decides to finally take action, it is a form of release that can outwardly manifest as a normal, even happy demeanor. This may be true, but just as often, suicide can be something that is just chosen, an impulse that might not have been considered just five minutes before, which is why the suicidal are so vulnerable. It is a choice, as simple in its own way, as deciding to turn left instead of right while driving. It’s why the suicidal need such care and attention because if the means to end one’s live is available, the action can come at the most unexpected, and seemingly shocking moments.As a researcher and documentarian, I have seen a great many things, plummed a great many depths in search of knowledge. One time, I had the opportunity to view a video of a suspect waiting to be interrogated. His crime was assaulting a police officer. A serious crime to be sure, but not a life ending one. This suspect seemed calm. He sat, leaning against the wall, drinking from a bottle of water given to him by the detective, who stepped out of the room, and left him alone. The man takes several sips, then puts the cap back on. Then, he reaches behind his back, pulls out a gun he had hid there, and shot himself in the head. This seen was almost identical to that which played out in tonight’s episode. I wonder if the creators viewed this video, as I did. Because the frankness, the brutal reality was there. Suicide is a choice. Final, ugly, sudden and indescribably sad and lonely. It was masterfully done. I just wish there had been a suicide tag line at the end. This was the kind of episode that could really get a good discussion going.
This may be true, but just as often, suicide can be something that is just chosen, an impulse that might not have been considered just five minutes before, which is why the suicidal are so vulnerable. It is a choice, as simple in its own way, as deciding to turn left instead of right while driving. It’s why the suicidal need such care and attention because if the means to end one’s live is available, the action can come at the most unexpected, and seemingly shocking moments.That reminded me of this passage from a New Yorker article about suicides and attempted suicides at the Golden Gate Bridge:
A familiar argument against a barrier is that thwarted jumpers will simply go elsewhere. . . . Although this belief makes intuitive sense, it is demonstrably untrue. Dr. Seiden’s study, “Where Are They Now?,” published in 1978, followed up on five hundred and fifteen people who were prevented from attempting suicide at the bridge between 1937 and 1971. After, on average, more than twenty-six years, ninety-four per cent of the would-be suicides were either still alive or had died of natural causes. “The findings confirm previous observations that suicidal behavior is crisis-oriented and acute in nature,” Seiden concluded; if you can get a suicidal person through his crisis—Seiden put the high-risk period at ninety days—chances are extremely good that he won’t kill himself later.https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/10/13/jumpers
Very true! I can recall the story of one of the few to survive a jump from the Golden Gate Bridge, and he was going through a suicidal crisis, but he said the minute he let go of the bridge, he regretted his choice and wanted to live. In so many cases, suicidal behavior CAN be overcome, and in the interim, keeping implements of harm away from the person, is paramount, and that goes for barriers on bridges.
Owning a gun makes it too easy to act on those impulses
Absolutely. I think everyone here has said very important and meaningful things—and I found the episode incredibly haunting and sad. And in no way do I mean to minimize the suddenness, for lack of a better word, of most suicides, no matter by what method. But it did make me think—if I had had easy access to a gun during a certain time in my life, I would be long-dead.
Absolutely. I spent a good chunk of time doing crisis counseling for a suicide hotline and a big part of it was just “buy a day” (not articulated that way in training, but that’s how it felt to me). Literally help them delay their suicide a day. And it typically works. Get them past that moment, the next moment is different.(I only watched this episode 2 days ago but damn, it’s going to haunt me for a while. The suicide in Show Me A Hero followed me for months. These showrunners are good at that. Again: damn.)
I didn’t identify at all with Lori, but her suicide shocked me, leaving me speechless for a long time while I paused the episode. Where was the suicide helpline graphic during the credits?
It’s a dramatic show, not a social service.
True, but even shows with just the thought of suicide get a helpline hotline graphic at the end. And this one had a very graphic scene.
Trigger warning…shut the fuck UP.
Au contraire, you are still stuck in the greys, and I have automatic approval. So make me!
It was so sudden and brutal it felt like she really made a split second decision the moment her hand felt the gun in her purse.
Haunting.
Lots of penultimates feel like finales. This one too. Abby’s speech wrapped up her arc nicely as well. The crowd reaction gave her what she wanted: acceptance by New Yorkers as one of their own. It took 14 years but she earned it. Again the theme: loving the attention. Needing the attention.Hoping for/looking forward to the David Simon finale musical montage. What song will it be?
If there’s one character I hated, it was Abby. Abby was that generation’s version of the misguided millennial. She thought she was so smart, but wasted half her adult life away – and most of it promoting the wrong cause. She puts all that focus on “the gun”, when in reality the gun itself is meaningless. Vincent could’ve accomplished the same thing a million different ways, but she doesn’t focus on him at all, beyond chastising him like she does everyone else. 3 seasons of her assigning blame everywhere except herself was enough for me.
I didn’t hate Abby, though she definitely, especially in earlier seasons, fits what you say (in season 1 she clearly is seeing this life as a tourist might). I do disagree that she wasted those 14 or 15 years though simply because “all” she did was run a bar.
Yeah you’re right, hate is too strong of a word. She was my least favorite, partly because the writers attached her to the depressing aspect of the story line and how she treated Vincent.
Changes by Bowie would be too on the nose, but I can see it.Maybe “Summer in Siam?”
Candy by Lou Reed is also too in the nose. But his Sweet Jane from the 87 live album is the best version of that song anywhere.
Although he hasn’t used any Rap music at all which I find strange for how ubiquitous Rap music was in NYC during this time frame I hope Simon uses The Message by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five.
I like to think at that time Black Frankie considered “If I Ruled The World” by Kurtis Blow to be his personal theme song. Of course he’d never say that out loud.
I’ve got some ideas, but they’re a bit on the nose: “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles, “This is the Day” by The The, or “Modern Love” by David Bowie.Dark horse candidate: “Peg” by Steely Dan.
Two on screen deaths have always haunted me. Pvt Mellish in Saving Pvt Ryan, and Agent Wallace in The Untouchables. The suddenness and the looks on their faces are burnt into my memory. I think Lori’s death will too. Holding the camera on her making you really absorb what just happened, made it that much more heartbreaking, even though I knew it was coming.I actually think her name was Lori Madison, and that her using “Sarah” was her first attempt at separating herself. Madison being the capital of Wisconsin and her calling herself Land O’ Lakes girl was her own little inside joke. She never had any reason to hide who she was as she stated in her conversation with Eileen/Candy.
I agree. I think that’s what the show was getting at. That Lori really didn’t have an identity outside of “the life” and therefore didn’t need a pseudonym, which is one of the reasons she feel so trapped. I’m not trying to invalidate Lori as a character by saying she didn’t have an identity or personality outside of her work. I mean “identity” in the sense her and Eileen are talking about right before her suicide. As in another personality or name to return to.
It’ll be interesting to see what Simon says about it as the show wraps. It works both ways, but I assumed she didn’t tell Eileen her “real” name because there was never a separation for her, and Lori was her real name.
It’s a bit frustrating that the headline combined with the picture for this (otherwise great) write-up implies a huge spoiler for the episode.
I missed the episode when it was on. Came on here, saw it, knew immediately it had been spoiled. I mean, you see it coming in the episodes beforehand, but still.
The writer is not obligated to adhere to your timetable.
The writer isn’t obligated to use spoiler headlines and pics either.
Third week in a row now: “sex workers” is not hyphenated. Signed, -a sex worker with an English degreePS: Then she lets him do whatever he wants to her for the pathetically low price of $50.
Uh, first of all, he paid her what they agreed upon, was polite and complimented her when she got into his car, then fucked her doggy style for a few minutes. As far as dates go, that was a pretty decent one. Lori’s story is, of course, extremely layered and profoundly sad. But let’s not make value judgments here. The sadness of Lori’s story isn’t because of what happened on this specific date, it was that she saw her life coming full circle and realized there was no way out. She said it herself, she had no family, no love, no support. There was definitely a way to word what was going on in this scene that was way less whorephobic, man.
I support you and that opinion;an unemployed distiller with an English and a writing degree
oh, and by the way, irrespective of the disgusting and unempathetic way you phrased this review, $50 in 1984 was roughly the equivalent of $120 in today’s dollars, which could go a long way to helping a person get off the street for a few nights, feed themselves or their children, or satisfy a drug habit that could cause severe physical withdrawals if stopped cold turkey. (…and what was Lori supposed to do? stop cold turkey? and then do what? keep working while she detoxed? lol nope. go home to her family? nope. and did anyone bother to notice that the first thing her scumbag producer boyfriend did when she walked out of rehab for the fifth time was feed her a fucking bump?) Lori’s end was most definitely tragic, but the classist, sexist, whorephobic way that you chose to describe her final scenes was painfully tone-deaf. her character deserved better than what you wrote and tbh, you should be ashamed of yourself. (additionally, The AV Club should be ashamed that this is the person y’all chose to pay for critical analysis of this show.) this entire series attempted to shine a light and provide context and humanization for some of society’s most marginalized members, and here you are, some white guy, just happily cashing your checks while missing the entire fucking point.
You do realize that even within the show’s context, 50$ is clearly meant to indicate Lori is underselling herself? Even her customer says “what a steal!”. Maybe try actually watching the episode before going on a racist tirade against “white guys” on the internet.
I appreciate everything you say–and I think statements like “the pathetically low price” etc (like it would have been different if she had been paid whatever isn’t pathetically low) are value judgements. However, to *partially* defend the reviewer’s poorly worded comment, they did have the john actually make a comment about how incredibly cheap a price that was.
her John didn’t call her “incredibly cheap” though, which would be insulting. he said that a woman like Lori was, “a steal at that price” which is a compliment.
You’re right—I re-watched the scene. I didn’t think the line was delivered or filmed to sound like a complement, myself, but I can see how it could be (and the wording certainly could be). At any rate, we agree that there’s no indication that this was a pathetically low rate she was “subjecting” herself to, or that he was a particularly cruel john who went out of his way to degrade her or do things to her that she didn’t want to do. I read the scene as her perhaps desperate attempt to recapture the, well, control and power (at least to some degree) she felt when she entered the trade, that so quickly in the last few months–despite how big a star she had become–she no longer felt.
thanks for engaging with my comments on a real level and being open to other interpretations than the ones you initially came to. while i agree that Lori’s final walk on the stroll was, perhaps, in a sense, “an attempt to capture her control and power” (which, to be fair, she never really had, as she was always working under Cici’s control in that environment) at the end of the day, Lori was walking that stroll for the same reason all women walked that stroll: to earn money to survive.
No need for the thanks—I’ve enjoyed your comments throughout this season.
Of course there’s that. I’m not articulating myself well, but I guess if it was simply (this time) about needing more money, I think she would have still managed to first see what happened at the film shoot, if it could lead to anything more, just how much cash (obviously not enough to last long) she would get, etc, before taking to the streets again. That’s why her doing so when she did felt to me like an attempt to see if she could return to doing what she did before she was a VHS superstar.
you’re literally trying to defend a woman selling her ass for chump change in a show where selling her ass destroyed her life and she literally kills herself afterwardyou must be the dumbest whore on Earth because you don’t even know it’s not cool to be one and you think you outsmarted the TV show
Whatthefuckever.
we can all choose to read Lori’s death as depressing and sad (which, of course, it certainly is, for lots of reasons…) but i am going to make a case for her death as a tiny bit of justice and self-determination that was a LONG time coming…Lori was one of my favorite characters on this show because she had such an insanely magnetic star-quality. i could never take my eyes off her, even if she was just pouting in the diner smoking a cigarette. but throughout the entire series, i just kept waiting and waiting for her to make a move and stick up for herself and break free of the pimps and agents and skeezebag producer boyfriends. my heart beamed for her when she was doing a great job dancing in that music video and then expressed an interest in the guitar; or when she went up on stage at that open mike, trying out different things, learning how to be a person who wasn’t defined by their work. i wanted such good things for Lori, i really did. but did i expect David Simon to give us an ooey-gooey happy ending for her? lol no, c’mon, obviously i know better than that by now…Lori spent her entire life being controlled by other people: first by her pimps (Cici), then by her agents (Kiki). (…come on, do you think those name choices were an accident?) after her conversation with Eileen she realized that there was no way out of The Life for her, because really, there’s no way out for anyone. the stigma is too great, the world is too small and unforgiving. Lori had zero institutional support, a drug problem, no family, no friends. nobody was on her side in the world, unless they stood to profit from her somehow.(also, Eileen didn’t even offer Lori a place to crash, which….? most workers i know would happily offer their struggling friend a couch to stay on, and they would certainly prefer to do that before handing over their Visa! Eileen, what are you doing?! she’s in the middle of a shoot that’s running on fumes and prayers and just handing her Visa card over to her friend/”big name” actress with a very well-known known coke habit???? ooookay? interesting choice for the gal the show continues to posit as “the smart one.” *cough* also not taking the $150k that your rich boyfriend literally offered you with no strings, instead choosing to negotiate an on-screen appearance with douchebag producers to do the kind of work you doesn’t even want to do anymore? for 1/10th the money??? girllll…. *cough*)so, my point is that when Lori finally picked up that gun that she bought and decided to put a bullet in her head it was one of the few times all series that she ACTED rather than REACTED. in a sense, Lori finally took control of her own narrative. she saw the hole she’d gotten herself into (financially, emotionally, physically) and decided that she’d rather take her own life than spend one more second giving any more of it away to others at “a steal for that price.” so, it is tragic? sure. but it’s also the first time that Lori Madison (…or, Sarah, possibly) actually did what she wanted. and for that, i’m choosing to find a small measure of grace. 🖤
Your magnificent comment…made me think…and cry…..
aw thanks. (i figured since AV Club was only gonna let a white dude talk about this show i’d pop in to offer some much-needed criticism from a more knowledgeable perspective.)
it’s fucking depressing to read. (and probably right too)
I took Eileen not taking the money from her rich bf as a way to show she really liked him because when it comes to money there is no such thing as a *No Strings Attached* offer. If she took that much money from 1 source then that source would instantly have say over her on how her dream project is actually produced.
listen, i can’t speak for all sex workers or all women, but let’s put it this way…if Eileen had taken her boyfriend’s money (which again, he OFFERED! completely unprompted! and did so in a way that suggested he would NOT be interested in making any artistic decisions whatsoever!) then she would not be where she finds herself in the series finale, which is looking like a return to on-camera work in order to be able to shoot another week. i think maybe Eileen forgot for a moment that her life was inextricably bound by the patriarchal system she was working in, because she passed up a great offer from a person she had a genuine fondness for, in exchange for 1/10th the funding to go do a job that she no longer wants to do. to me, there was nothing in her boyfriend’s offer that suggested nefarious or exploitative motivations, he just seemed genuinely invested in Eileen as a person and as a filmmaker. (she’s not just “classic talent” that some vulture porn directors are hovering around.)also, the way he casually threw around that $150k figure, it seemed to me like even if he thought Eileen’s project was a complete stinker with no +ROI% potential (which again, i did not get that vibe from him at all) that amount of money would not make a material difference to his life one way or the other. Eileen has reached a level of privilege in the industry where her basic survival needs are being met but “ends meeting” means different things to different people. Eileen’s fate, if she chooses to go to that taping to get that money, is going parallel Lori’s final trick on the drag. both are doing what they have to do in order to afford their habit for one more night. (…and what even is filmmaking if not Eileen’s habit?) i think you are thinking the same way Eileen did, which is that taking her boyfriend’s money would somehow inherently symbolize some kind of a loss of power. but what Eileen has failed to realize, even after alllllll of her years in the sex trade, is that the only real power in this world comes from having money. (…or, in her case, access to it.) think about it, she was perfectly willing to take Harvey’s money. why? why is Harvey’s money any different than her boyfriend’s? Harvey’s money comes with WAY more strings, as he’s going to want to be a lot more invested in how every penny is being spent and what shape the film will eventually take. they even have a moment this season where they kiss (oof, yuck) and then he later whines that he’s “the dumbest John” because he “doesn’t even get to fuck her” after all of the money he’s given her. but that’s the person she willingly chooses partner up with? the guy who has essentially acted as (a version of) her pimp for the last decade? if Eileen’s principles are what you say they are (…and what it appears the writers are trying to say they are too?) then why would she take a single fucking dollar from someone who disrespected her like that? after all of his years of knowing Eileen to be a brilliant, capable, director… Harvey still thought it was okay to use her past against her in an argument about money. her boyfriend did not seem to judge her current or past work one bit. he never intimated that he found it shameful or dirty, or asked her to keep her life a secret from the friends he introduced her to over dinner. i don’t know if it’s just because she just wasn’t used to outright generosity like his (remember, Harvey has made her literally BEG for every opportunity he’s ever given to her…) but she should have known a Gift Horse when she saw it and taken his check straight to the bank. this dude was not trying to put a ring on her finger, or demand to know the minute details of the film’s production, or make her do anything she didn’t want to do; literally all he wanted was to simply write her a check because he knew it was something he had the power to do that could make her happy. as a sex worker and as a woman who has worked in the film & television industry, here is my assessment: FUCK Harvey and his pathetic $20k that comes with so many strings you could play it in an orchestra. FUCK those shithead porn producers who are essentially coercing her into appearing in a movie for them because they’re trying to capitalize on her financial vulnerability. and FUCK whatever kind of lesson David Simon is trying to teach us here about sex work and money and morality, but i’m sorry, i’m taking that stress-free $150k from my rich Sugar Daddy/Boyfriend every single time, in every single version of this simulation. and then i’m gonna go make whatever the fuck i wanna make. ultimately, i’m gonna make sure that i get what i need, in the most efficient way possible, whether it works out with Prince Charming in the end or not. …and hey, if i just so happen to have a fondness for the guy funding my ambitions, then that’s just icing on the cake as far as i’m concerned. (which she clearly does!) so again, to say that i am puzzled by Eileen’s behavior this season would be… an understatement.plus, realistically-speaking, after directing a movie like this, assuming it is as “groundbreaking” and “amazing” as everyone keeps saying, it stands to reason that Eileen will have a much easier time securing funding for her next project from a wider variety of sources all on her own, without the help of either of these guys. (but at the end of the day, SOMEONE’S always going to need to write her a check! that’s just showbiz!) maybe if Eileen realized that the film industry is wayyyyy less of a meritocracy than she thinks and the majority of projects are funded by rich guys throwing money at people they randomly bump into at parties, she woulda been much quicker to accept her bf’s once-in-a-lifetime offer. i mean, what’s really less degrading, accepting her boyfriend’s money, or pitching a roomful of shithead producers who only see her and her work as a potential bottom line? (because hi, if you think straight film producers are any less shitty than porn producers…. heh…. spoiler alert.) again, i can’t speak for all sex workers, but what i CAN say is that i think anyone who’s spent as much time in the industry as Eileen really should have known better. “the life” is just code for hustling, and Eileen’s actions this season have displayed a startling lack of it for someone who’s supposedly been doing it for 2 decades. i really hope i’m able to eat my words after next week’s finale, but i’m just not very confident that the production team consulted with enough sex workers to ensure this series gives Eileen the ending her character deserves. /shrug
Eileen probably didn’t want to take Hank’s (her luvah) money because she *still* had trust issues (what her father did when her was a pregnant teen). Hey, money is money, but maybe she doesn’t want to accept it from her lover. Eileen might feel like the power paradigm would shift in their relationship. She’d rather take the movie role (those producers are so grimey) than to accept money from Hank. And yes, Harvey is a pain is the arse, but she can still gauge his reactions and responses. They are colleagues. Maybe she should accept (yes!) Hank’s investment, but Eileen want to hold on to the power she believes she has.
if Eileen still has trust issues with men, as you say, then she would likely be of the opinion that “love” isn’t real, therefore, taking money from her rich boyfriend shouldn’t have mattered to her one way or the other. if she doesn’t love and/or trust him, he’s just another trick who can help her get what she wants. if she DOES love/trust him (which i don’t think she does, personally) then what’s the problem with accepting a gift that he’s freely offered? what is the point of dating a rich man if you’re not going to take advantage of the privilege he’s offering you? why not just go date a bartender or something?listen, we all live in a capitalist society and just in case nobody’s ever said this to you before, there is no inherent honor in struggle. the idea that you need to “do it yourself” and debase yourself by performing work you don’t want to do anymore otherwise your art is somehow tainted is a fallacy. that just… isn’t the way showbiz works. (plus, we already KNOW Eileen has struggled a great deal in her life; accepting money from her boyfriend will never change that.) virtually every famous movie star/director didn’t get to where they are purely because of their talent or vision; they all got there thru some combination of their talent, their connections and sheer dumb luck. the myth of the struggling artist is just that, a myth. and the sooner Eileen learns this lesson, the sooner she can proceed to continue her career doing the thing she obviously loves. (in fact, i’d make the argument that Eileen doesn’t really love her boyfriend at all. i mean, we haven’t seen him in a while and the last we heard from him he was casually telling her that he was off doing business in another country and wouldn’t be back in the city for awhile.) the only thing we know Eileen TRULY loves (other than her family members to varying degrees) is making movies. therefore, if making movies is the one thing that she TRULY loves, then as a woman, a lifelong sex worker, and a person living under the brutal conditions of a capitalist society, she should be prepared to do whatever she needs to do to make her dreams a reality. and from where i’m sitting, taking money from 1 rich boyfriend is a lot easier and a lot less degrading than hustling some porn producers out of a fraction of what you need and relying on Harvey, a man who’s never REALLY respected her as an artist until VERY recently, if ever. (the fact that he saved his, “i never even got to fuck” comment until the final 3 episodes of the series is a HUGE indication that at his core, Harvey still doesn’t fully respect her. maybe he does as a filmmaker; but as a woman and human being deserving of dignity? nah.)the idea is to work smarter, not harder. any good hustler will tell you that.everyone who makes this comment seems to think that accepting money from someone inherently equals giving them some kind of power over you. which is true, to an extent! but it’s not as simple a formula as: “Person X gave me $ so i gave up 1 power, but Person Y gave me $$$$$ so i gave up 5 powers.” think about it: who would you rather “give up your power to”, as you say? the guy who’s giving you every single penny of your requested budget with NO desire to control or participate in the production of your project, or the guy who’s been feeding you fucking crumbs your entire career, who only offers to MATCH your contribution, who tells her that she “needs a name” if she wants to raise any more money, and whines about/makes her feel guilty about the choices she’s made to get where she is today?if you’re going to give up some notion of “power” by accepting someone’s money, TAKE IT FROM THE GUY WHO IS CUTTING YOU A BLANK CHECK BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU AND BELIEVES IN YOUR PROJECT *NOT* THE GUY WHO IS OFFERING YOU A TINY FRACTION OF WHAT YOU NEED IN EXCHANGE FOR *HIS* CREATIVE INPUT.also, it doesn’t apply to my argument re: the show, but just in general, the idea that “love isn’t real if someone is paying money for it” is also one of society’s greatest fallacies and is pretty much just a con to get women to fuck men for free. marriage is, and always will be, a business arrangement between two consenting parties. (this is/was especially true in the time that the show takes place, but also holds true today. did you know that in the United States, single women weren’t even allowed to open up their OWN BANK ACCOUNTS without a MALE CO-SIGNER – either a father or husband – until 1974? yes, that is an absolutely real and true fact.) so yeah, if you’re not going to provide a woman with the social and political benefits that the institution of marriage provides in our society, then getting paid money for your sexual labor is simply a fair exchange of goods and services. a woman doesn’t “give up her power” when she accepts money for her sexual and emotional labor, she wields it. anybody who tells you anything different is just trying to sell you something, period. truth hurts, guys. sorry ‘bout it!
Calm down. No one is arguing with you. People have a right to express their opinions or take on things— that’s what forums are for. There is zero reason to feel personally attacked. We’re talking about fictional characters after all. The previous poster said Eileen should have accepted her beau’s help. With that funding, she could have her own production company! Your tired, raggedy multiple paragraph posts filled with random factoids and condescending bile only makes you look small. Save the SJW crusade for current events and enjoy the show.
I am COMPLETELY thinking as I imagine Eileen would in that I believe that she preferred Harvey’s offer over her bf offering to fund her entire project because Harvey insisted that he would only fund half and that Eileen must cover the other half of the picture which therefore gives her control over HER movie. As much as Harvey loves her I think by only covering half this is Harvey’s way of helping her succeed but also staying out of the way. As I said earlier Eileen has been an independent contractor her entire adult life and this movie that she’s trying to make isn’t just another porno. It’s actually a piece of her soul that she’s trying to present to the world. Sure it’s nice to have someone you love or maybe like a lot, as I see the relationship between her & the bf, take care of you financially but this show has presented Eileen as her own boss and from scene 1 she has lived her life on her terms without a pimp or anybody telling her what to do or how to do it. Having her accept her bf’s offer now would totally go against the character that Simon has created from the start.
https://tv.avclub.com/1839310745
I agree. Well said!
I agree with your assessment about why she won’t take her boyfriends money (who I think she will be dumping next week when he finds out she is planning on returning to porn and doesn’t react as open minded as he has been up to now) but I think you’re being a little hard on Harvey. He hasn’t acted as her pimp he’s been Eileen’s only supporter granted a large part of that is because he’s in love with her but time and again he has helped her even though he knows her movies won’t make a profit. His john comment is more about what a sucker he is than about throwing her past in her face.
i didn’t say Harvey was her pimp, i said he was her pimp IN A SENSE, because without his privilege and access (along with all of the other things that pimps would promise their women) she wouldn’t have been able to break into the male-dominated space of directing. and he’s never for ONE SECOND let her forget it. so i’m sorry, you’re saying that Harvey’s been Eileen’s supporter because he’s secretly in love with her, so his money is okay to take, but Hank’s money isn’t? stop and think about what you’re saying and what it REALLY MEANS. why does Harvey think he’s a “sucker” as you say? Harvey thinks he’s a sucker because in his mind, he’s thrown good money after bad at some hooker who never even fucked him. that IS 1000% throwing her past in her face, and if you can’t see that, honestly, i feel bad for the women in your life. everyone in this comments section seems to think it’s better/more noble for Eileen to take a small amount of money from a dude who’s clearly in love with/secretly resentful of her (and has been rude and shitty to her for YEARS) than to simply accept a generous gift from a rich man who wants to back her, no strings attached. y’all are clearly not hustlers because this is… not how the world works.
Sorry I thought you were interested in discussing the show but you just want to yell and insult people
lol sorry that my literal THOUSANDS of words critically examining this show from the perspective of an ACTUAL SEX WORKER with a degree in MEDIA THEORY was too much for your little feelings to handle. and no, i am not here to yell and insult people, i am here to share a perspective that this show’s review/comments section is sorely lacking. but rather than have my analysis taken seriously, all i hear in return is people (mostly men) making the same nonsensical arguments that have no basis in reality. it’s beyond frustrating.
Did you miss the classes where they taught what sharing your perspective means?
yes, and in that class i learned how to support my perspective with evidence derived from the text as well as framing that argument within socio-political frameworks. sorry that i stomped all over your weak comment but it’s not my fault you can’t be bothered to put together a cogent argument.
It’s odd in that I agree with you 100 percent about how she should have taken it from her boyfriend but find your manner of stating so pretty obnoxious. We GET it: you work in the field and went to college. As a son of a feminist however I have to admit I agree with most of your posts that I’ve been catching up on, but man you present it really meanly sometimes.But you’re right either way: I saw no reason why she couldn’t/shouldn’t have taken her boyfriends money in any way, and while I get the character’s backstory and could see it happening I’m with you in that it’s improbable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_policing
Oh but when a white guy does it… 🙂
Of course you’d take the free money, because you’re a sex worker…a whore.
Makes me think of Betty Draper’s final days. She chooses not to treat her cancer, against her husband and her male doctor’s wishes. First life choice she makes in the whole series is to die.
ooooo BIG agree.
Yes, suicide as victory! (Trigger warning).
This headline with that picture is a spoiler!
I haven’t been this devastated by a TV death since the similarly tragic Nina in The Americans.Both women used their beauty, smarts and sexuality to both manipulate men, and be used by them. Ultimately failing to recover from the mistakes of their earlier lives
The suicide took me by surprise. It was just so abrupt. In hindsight, it was forecast pretty clearly, but I didn’t pick up the signs. Emily Meade has done such a good job on this show. There’s no way Bobby and Joey aren’t going to lose everything or go to jail for insider trading. Joey in particular has become a smug, unlikeable character always angling for a pay day from corrupt means. He wants to be a high roller wall street guy, but is the coffee boy in reality. His comeuppance will be severe.
Really wish this article had a more misleading image to go alongside the headline as it’s a big spoiler for anyone that might have missed the episode yesterday. Like me.
Having lost a friend to suicide less than a week ago, this episode hit me especially hard, but the worst part was that the title of the episode itself let me know that it was the end for Lori. I did think the guy she picked up was going to kill her. But I knew this was the end of her story and when it did happen, it really hit me how similar to my own friend’s story Lori’s was.
I’m going to miss the character and I’m going to miss the show.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Just finished the episode, that was so sad. Emily Meade has been fantastic. I really hope Abbie gets on a trajectory she wants to be on.Iso want to rewatch this show now.
I loved the final shot of Eileen, like she had one of those moments when she instinctively knew something was wrong with Sarah.
There are a lot of depressing things going through my head about the culmination of Lori’s story, and the worst one is that for all the prolonged and degrading experiences she had, suicide would probably be quick and easy in comparison. Just another “lie back and take it” moment, except this one is only a split-second long.
I get it, but hard disagree. I don’t think there is any comparison to suicide, and it felt proactive rather than another “lie back and take it” moment.
Brutal episode. Lori’s last scene has been replaying in my head since I saw it. I think what made it so effective was how quiet and understated it was. No tears, no final dramatic gestures, just a desperate woman at the end of her rope, left with nothing but an identity she didn’t even want. Vincent’s story here was tragic as well. He’s lost everything as well, except for a job he doesn’t want to do anymore. I can’t anticipate how things are going to further unravel in the finale, but I’m not expecting a happy ending here.
The only happy(ish) ending I can imagine for Vincent is him leaving the city. Lori’s story is a reminder that some problems can’t be cured by a change of scenery. Vincent, though, seems to have had a genuine realization years ago that he’d rather live somewhere else, but has been stuck (or felt stuck) for various reasons. I doubt it’ll happen but I could see Vincent moving to some small town (like the college town he visited last season) and tending bar in relative peace for the rest of his life. I could even see him leaving without having to look over his shoulder for Tommy Longo, as long as he made it clear he was never coming back.I’m predicting a much more depressing finish for him, but we’ll see.
[Double post]
Jesus this was a beautifully written episode. Do we think Simon rewrites everyone Weiner style? Or has he just found and incredibly talented crew. Surprised that Big Mike’s speech didn’t make it into the article “I drank from the cup.” So many great monologues in this episode – the porn star turned housewife reminiscing about her old life. Abby’s bar speech, lousy acting but great writing. Black Frankie’s prison story. Candy’s speech on the two selves… I swooned for an hour straight.
Also, Lori and Vincent’s sparsity against all those monologues was heartbreaking.
So did the new overlords cut the budget on the search function? I searched The Deuce and the most recent episode that showed up was from September. Second time this week I’ve searched for something via title and couldn’t get the article I was looking for.
The sad thing about Eileen is that, for all the hard work she’s put in and the artistic freedom she’s enjoyed, she’s right back to having to getting paid to have sex in order to get by. Granted, it’s “fund my movie” versus “eat and have a place to sleep,” but she’s still reduced to having to sell herself to get what she wants. It’s just a classier form of prostitution.
Chris Bauer’s work continues to go under the radar – Bobby has become one of the best characters in the show in this last season. But all round, this is once again phenomenal work by Simon. And once again it goes under the radar while the obvious garbage gets all the acclaim.
real bummer of an episode. god, The Deuce has always been a sad show, but watching Lori kill herself….. Just didn’t want to see that.
Chewed up, and spit out.
You forget to edit this?