Forward movement! Intriguing plot twists! Character development! Could it be that this drama has finally grown out it’s set up and decided to become an interesting drama? Or was it just interesting because we spent most of the episode going,what is going on? Who is that? Seriously, what is going on??
Jacqueline: So HOLY-EPIC-PLOT-HAPPENINGS BATMAN! Remember back in the day I was grumpy about The Village’s plot being slow as ass and structured like crap? SO not the case now, man. I gotta hand it to ‘em, it only took almost half their running time but suddenly this drama got good! But…also confusing. I’m feeling ten kinds of stupid trying to wrap my head around…well…everything.
Stephanie: It’s one thing to be interesting, it’s another thing to be so confounding as to make your watchers almost completely lost. This episode really straddled that line–luckily I like a drama that makes me think–or do biological math….
Jacqueline: EXACTLY! I’ve complained about this writer being complaint-worthy almost since day one, and my bitching still stands. But this time around it’s because, even though the story was awesome-sauce with exciting new developments, the script did a crap-poor job at keeping plot points in somewhat of a followable order. (Is followable a word? Screw it, it is now.) Good job writer for dat character development, though, because what ho, HEROINE FINALLY FOUND HER BRAIN! Our female lead now knows that dead-girl is her sis, so that’s nice. Plus Miss Leading Lady now doesn’t suck! What is this, my birthday?!
Stephanie: I love the fact that she is growing a backbone. She’s not allowing the town to chase her away, or back talk her or her sister, she is standing up to the students, the now officially crazy artist mother, and even better? The Brother. When she found out he was digging up information without her and then keeping the information from her–she didn’t give him a pass on it–didn’t let it go. She can’t trust him and she’s sticking to her guns.
Jacqueline: EXACTLY! I mean, she’s standing up for herself almost like a human with personal agency, and dare I say it, PERSONALITY! Baby-obsessed Mama-drama artist tries to intimidate our heroine, and she’s all “nope fudge you dude.” And, like you said, her dealings with the students and Brother Dearest…it’s like she’s finding confidence in who she is and what she wants. Assuming show writer didn’t just eat some bad potatoes while writing eps 7 and 8, let’s hope my prayers to the drama gods are heard so that the awesome momentum stays true in subsequent episodes. Because as of now? I actually kinda care if heroine-chicky gets murdered in the face. Who knew, right?! But, dude, we gotta talk about the two characters I affectionately refer to as Crazy Sisters; Artist and Pharmacist. BOTH seem to be bat-crap cray-cray, so double-who-knew right?!
Stephanie: I will admit the pharmacy is becoming a much bigger character than I had originally anticipated. Call me crazy, but I think she may have had more screen time than the Baby-Obsessed-Mama-Drama Artist. (To which I also have to say, I’m very disappointed in her–she was a really cool character to begin with, now she’s beginning to feel like crazy mother from Bachelor’s Vegetable Store.) So many questions with them, especially the biggest–who was that lady at the end? The pharmacist called her mother, and we know that she and the artist have different mothers–but something was off. She was taunting that woman, telling her that exactly what she’d fought so hard against was happening. was she the other grandmother they were talking about? Why was she all dressed up like a wealthy person? It was all very intriguing.
Jacqueline: RIGHT?! Pharmacist lady so threw my ass for a loop-de-loop. Previously my theory had pegged Walnut Crossdresser as being the string puller, (though I still feel he’s likely an incognito good guy). Now, though, it’s looking like that role goes to Pharmacist with her “I wrote the letter to get What’s-Her-Face here in the village because of boredom and reasons.” Interestingly, the show had initially structured these characters with much of the attention given to Pervy Art Teacher, not Pharmacist lady. But for the last few episodes, he’s been practically MIA. I gotta say, I miss creepy Pervy Art teacher, but I’m not missing crazy highschool girl. This chick needs to take up Shuffleboard or something, because hobbies are a good thing. Wanting the heart and penis of your art teacher is the opposite of a good thing. Lastly, YES! I’m so mad-faced about crazy-baby-lady artist being turned into a butt-stupid cliché. (And an evil I’m A Bitch I’m A Mother who-doesn’t-care-about-my-daughter cliche at that.) Side note, I also find it cool we were introduced to Paralyzed Mom Lady after the Pharmacist went out fancy-shopping, spots an outfit, put said outfit on Paralyzed Mom Lady before acting very dominating and very creepy towards her. Could Paralyzed Mom Lady be Artist’s mother, you think?
Stephanie: Considering who they cast in the role of this new character, I’m thinking she’s no going to be immobile for long–no sense in wasting that sort of makjang talent. I’m fairly certain there is more to the story on why exactly she’s set it up for our heroine to Come Back Home (queue 2ne1). Yeah, for such a big intro, Pervy Art Teacher has turned out to be a bit of a non-starter–my guess though is that the writer has his plotline on the back-burner. They’ve done this a few times now. I am glad to see that we still have the Walnut guy as part of the story–who apparently is still completely cured from his cross dressing. I wonder just how his friend the artist who rented the old lumber mill works into all this. Question. Is it me or did it seem like they introduced a lot of new characters his episode? We have the baby seller, we meet the politicians driver, whoever that guy who was murdered at the end, the woman in the coma (or whatever) at the end who may or not be the Pharmacist’s mother, and the other grandmother who’s got the wheelchair grandmother’s panties in a bunch. (My guess is that one of them is a mistress or a ‘second wife’ like in Gloria.)
Jacqueline: I’m so right there with you on that. I feel like Pharmacist wants to bring her sister down, and I’m betting heroine and heroine’s dead-sissy (likely now somehow related to crazy-baby-lady artist) are tied up in that end game goal. If Pervy Art Teacher DOESN’T come back for more playtime, I’m gonna get mad because crazily…I like him, and I know, I shouldn’t. (Don’t judge me.) Why am I getting the sense, though, that among the SLEW OF NEW PEEPS (seriously, show, slow your role with all these new humans and faces, okay?)…why is this lumber mill artist guy giving me “Hey, maybe I’M the serial killer” vibes? I could be overreaching, but this dude pops up in the story in the SAME episode our serial killer got his groove back?
Stephanie: I can’t imagine that the killer will end up being someone introduced so late in the game–it feels like that would be a cheat somehow. I forgot one more very important new character that we kind of met–the artists dead (or possibly no dead) child? Now there was a turn I did not expect. I just can’t see where all of these pieces come together. The dead girl, the illegal adoptions, the serial killer, the pharmacist. There was one time where we literally had to stop the tape to figure out what was going on–actually twice! Once when the we found out the dead girl was adopted by someone who wanted her to assume her own dead daughters identity (very, very Bachelor’s Vegetable Store) and the other time when we found out about the artists missing (or dead) daughter. I was trying to do the math to see if the dead girl could have been the artists missing kid. Sounds silly right? But here was my evidence.
- Dead girl found a maternal (female) family member, This could have been the pharmacist! This would fit as to why the pharmacist would be in on whatever scheme the dead girl had cooked up.
- Dead girl resented the artist called her trash–so it wasn’t just a matter of her having an affair with the husband, dead girl hated her in particular.
- The age is a bit of a stretch, but if the baby broker happened 30 years ago, and the girl died 2 years ago, she would have been about 28 when she died. Artist could have been a teen mom who gave up the baby to further her own aspirations (to marry he politician). With the stigma of single motherhood, the grandmother would never have let her in the house with a baby. We all know she’s crazy enough to abandon her child–she’s trying to do it again with her daughter.
Jacqueline: Ms. Sherlock Holmes, you blowing my mind. Realistically I’m sixteen degrees of confused when it comes to how many adopted parents, kids, and family trees are running amok in this show. So when it comes to now putting this complicated-ass puzzle together, I’m riding your theory coattails. I’m easily confused ‘cause I’m four years old, but it’s interesting writer’s still got my investment, despite all the whacky Guess Who DNA game. Either way, I’d rather be a bit confused than bored, so yay for The Village having done a great job these last two episodes in not making me fall asleep at my laptop.
Stephanie:This is quite the incestuous little town. One thing I really liked seeing in this episode, besides, you know, the heroine finally growing a backbone, was the fact that the brother is now, possibly, realizing that the artist has been using him all these years–that the only reason she was nice to him was to ingratiate herself into the house. That is a hard blow for someone who was completely in her corner. Makes me wonder what he may have done for her in the past o protect her–murder maybe???
Jacqueline: YESSSSS! I think that’s probably my second favorite lil’ development we’ve had in the character department. Brother potentially seeing the light on his evil stepmom (cue Disney theme music here) wasn’t only surprising, it was also very well done! All through the drama this guy has given us hints he could be a goodie or baddie. But this new “Wait, mom’s crazy?” near-revelation in him is filled with juicy nuance, and I like it. His step-sister, AKA Problem Child, is also playing an even bigger role than I first thought, since her ghost-seeing/shitty-mom-having are significant aspects to this drama getting unsucky. As for Brother being Murder Suspect #176, that is a legit theory I’m liking, but I feel if that’s the case it’ll probably be similar to what we’ve theorized about Old Politician Dude…Brother tries to buy dead-sis off/get her to skip town, she refused, they tussled, she whoops-died, and he covers it up. I could be wrong but with the layers Brother Dearest has been given thus far, I’m not reading premeditated murder-fun-time in his eyes.
Stephanie: No, I’m not seeing him as the actual murderer–but with this show, who the hell knows? They do seem to be putting him and the heroine closer and closer, part of me says they are setting them up for a loveline, (which still could mean he’s the murderer) but the other part of me says it’s not that sort of show. I do like that the heroine at least is starting to suspect him, as her wide-eyed naivete was grating. She is now in the game and that game means hotties may be trying to kill you. (Or hotties be trying to hide the fact they killed your sister).
Jacqueline: BLESS ALL YOUR WORDS! I’m feeling that potential love-connection vibe too, but also…not…’cause like you said it doesn’t seem to be that sort of show. While Beta Police Puppy was rocking the heart-eyes for our heroine since day one, now he seems to have pumped the brakes on that a bit. He’s more focused on solving the town mystery, and I love how, even with the Powers That Be constantly trying to sabotage their case, they’re policing it out. Every episode they’re inching with more clues and detective-ing, and that just makes me happy. Cause I need them to figure out how the crap that time capsule box-thingy is tied up in all this, ‘cause I need answers.
Stephanie: I always saw the police man as a b-lead although, he was just too eager–she takes him for granted–but I am super rooting for him and that other girl from the art school to get together! She is more suited for him. And yes, it’s funny (in a not funny way) how the main police stations are completely discounting their work because they are a sub station when they are getting shit DONE in every episode! I especially love how they have put the squeeze on the ex driver of the Politician to make him tell them what he knows–or lead them to more information. So smart–and it shows they have connections.
Jacqueline: Alrighty, The Village, you get your gold star for the week. You’ve done a fangirl proud in pulling your ass from the fire, now don’t screw it up.
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2 Comments
Well, maybe now I will give this show another look. Or, I could just keep reading your very entertaining recaps and wordplay like “policing it out”
Yeah, too soon to tell if it is completely turned itself around or if these two episodes are a fluke. We’ll keep you updated.