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<blockquote data-quote="Crimson" data-source="post: 438524" data-attributes="member: 5079">Onto episode 2, which I watched twice.&nbsp; Not because I loved it so much I immediately watched it again, but because my reaction initially was indifference.&nbsp; I laughed a few times but otherwise it didn&#039;t connect much.&nbsp; Given the comment about the show not hitting its groove until the second half of the season, this didn&#039;t concern me . One thing struck me though: I wasn&#039;t actually sure what had happened.&nbsp; I wasn&#039;t even entirely clear why the doors disappeared, which was a pretty key plot point.&nbsp; That&#039;s on me.&nbsp; I have a bad habit of not so much watching TV as listening to it while I multi-task. That&#039;s fine for an episode I&#039;ve seen 20 times already, less so for a show whose comedy is driven by its narrative. On second view -- actually paying attention! -- I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the episode. I might just go back and rewatch episode one before moving on.I admit I gasped a bit at the casual use of &quot;dago&quot; directed at Manuel. American shows of the 70s weren&#039;t adverse to use of light slurs, but never so casually or directly. Archie Bunker might vaguely refer to a group as &quot;dagos&quot; but never straight to one&#039;s face. Other shows might use a slur to make a point about bigotry, but this was just&nbsp; there, neither funny nor purposeful. I hardly found it offensive, just oddly pointless.&nbsp; On a far better note, the intricacies of the plot and the escalating comedy were joyful to watch.&nbsp; After 40 years of knowing John Cleese almost exclusively as Archie Leach, Basil Fawlty is the character I have embraced the least. Neither his misanthropy nor his temper bother me, I just find it hard to see past Cleese&#039;s AFCW character that I am overly familar with.&nbsp; I also find myself slightly wishing this was Mr. &amp; Mrs. Leach running a hotel, even if that would be a vastly different show. Sybil Fawlty, played by an actress I have zero familiarity with, has been the star of the show for me; somehow both abrasive and appealing.&nbsp; So far at least she fits no American sitcom archetype.Bickering couples are a staple in American sitcoms but there is almost always a &quot;Baby, you&#039;re the greatest ...&quot; under the bitterness.&nbsp; Basil and Sybil seem to genuinely dislike one another.&nbsp; I expect that will not be undermined or explained, which is fine my me.&nbsp; I am curious if the show will indicate which of the two is the catalyst for the unhappy marriage.&nbsp; Basil would be the obvious choice but given how fearful he appears to be of his wife and how quickly she turns waspish, I&#039;m not so sure.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Crimson, post: 438524, member: 5079"] Onto episode 2, which I watched twice. Not because I loved it so much I immediately watched it again, but because my reaction initially was indifference. I laughed a few times but otherwise it didn't connect much. Given the comment about the show not hitting its groove until the second half of the season, this didn't concern me . One thing struck me though: I wasn't actually sure what had happened. I wasn't even entirely clear why the doors disappeared, which was a pretty key plot point. That's on me. I have a bad habit of not so much watching TV as listening to it while I multi-task. That's fine for an episode I've seen 20 times already, less so for a show whose comedy is driven by its narrative. On second view -- actually paying attention! -- I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the episode. I might just go back and rewatch episode one before moving on. I admit I gasped a bit at the casual use of "dago" directed at Manuel. American shows of the 70s weren't adverse to use of light slurs, but never so casually or directly. Archie Bunker might vaguely refer to a group as "dagos" but never straight to one's face. Other shows might use a slur to make a point about bigotry, but this was just there, neither funny nor purposeful. I hardly found it offensive, just oddly pointless. On a far better note, the intricacies of the plot and the escalating comedy were joyful to watch. After 40 years of knowing John Cleese almost exclusively as Archie Leach, Basil Fawlty is the character I have embraced the least. Neither his misanthropy nor his temper bother me, I just find it hard to see past Cleese's AFCW character that I am overly familar with. I also find myself slightly wishing this was Mr. & Mrs. Leach running a hotel, even if that would be a vastly different show. Sybil Fawlty, played by an actress I have zero familiarity with, has been the star of the show for me; somehow both abrasive and appealing. So far at least she fits no American sitcom archetype. Bickering couples are a staple in American sitcoms but there is almost always a "Baby, you're the greatest ..." under the bitterness. Basil and Sybil seem to genuinely dislike one another. I expect that will not be undermined or explained, which is fine my me. I am curious if the show will indicate which of the two is the catalyst for the unhappy marriage. Basil would be the obvious choice but given how fearful he appears to be of his wife and how quickly she turns waspish, I'm not so sure. [/QUOTE]

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