33 replies to this topic

[TWoP Gadget]

MSN:

Ray begins to develop feelings for Jemma; Tanya meets someone who sets out to help her get through her writer's block; Jessica invites Ray to a family dinner.

[Scrb]

Drunken Tanya is funny. Says she should have gotten a tattoo of Sylvia Plath than Proust.

"How do you know they're good and firm?"


Looks like despite being stood up by Jemma, Ray won't depend on her business so Tanya has to dig up employees at her office.


ETA: The promos are the funniest. This week it was shooting commercials or a web video probably. Previously, it was Tanya trying to promote the business on camera. They must have those videos up somewhere.

Edited by Scrb, Aug 16, 2009 @ 10:37 PM.

[jade76]

Drunkun Tanya is very funny. Our DVR cut off so no previews, but I don't see Ray being able to bring in his own clients, he needs someone else for that. I am beginning to wonder how long Jemma will be around.

[SpencersMommy]

What is becoming apparent is that Ray falls for beautiful [blonde] women who are completely self-absorbed and see Ray as a means to an end. Jessica the ex saw Ray as BMOC, the hunk who was going to make her the wife of a rich, successful professional athlete. When Ray got a career-ending injury, stuck her with twins who, in her eyes, are less than perfect, living in the lake front home that soon became the eyesore in the midst of McMansions, and the wife of a high school teacher, off she goes to marry a rich doctor who provides her the lifestyle she craves with the added bonus of being able to keep her looking young.

Jemma seems to be just batshit crazy and another user. What she brings to Ray is the memory of himself as the guy who gets the best women. And lots of money, which he needs but resents when it comes from her.

The more I see Tanya's character developing, the more I dislike her. She appears impotent in every aspect of her life, which makes it ironic that she sees her ticket out of her dreary existence in the selling of sex with a virile man to other women like herself, who ironically can't pay for it, so she winds up forced to deal with the very women who make her feel more impotent and invisible. And now we have mommy issues, which is just so played out.

I'm sticking with the series for awhile longer because HBO is so good at crafting a good show, but mostly I just find Thomas Jane adorable and endearing.

[Scat]

Yeah this episode was a little disappointing, I didn't like the whole Tanya and her mother subplot.
I did like Ray finally having sex with his neighbour's wife, that bit cracked me up.

[Wittgenstein]

I just thought Tanya's new friend was adorable - it would be nice if we all had cheerleaders to inspire us to discover our own inspiration.

[BooksCatsEtc]

Absolutely loved Mrs. Koontz reaction to naked Ray. Does anybody know what accent she has? I'd guess Spanish, but I really have no idea.

Poor Ray's weakness for beautiful blondes is going to do him no good. Jemma has already told him that paying for it is what makes it fun and still he doesn't pick up a clue. I suspect Jemma's definition of "fun" is feeling in control; that's what it's really all about with her. More and more I sympathize with the unseen past boyfriend who "did her wrong". I'd love to hear his side of it.

I thought Rhea Perlman was perfect as Tanya's mother. I didn't hear if Tanya mentioned what her mother does, but I'm guessing liberal arts professor. (I just had the most awful thought -- Tanya's mother as one of Ray's clients)

I'm glad Ray has seen that Tanya's half of their business is not a walk in the park, and requires a good deal more sublty than Ray has. Or probably most men have. What Ray clearly thought was tempting just came across as creepy stalker guy.

[marsha]

I absolutely love Tanya (not to mention Jane Adams) and it is her storyline that keeps me coming back to this show. "Ray" and Thomas Jane are ok and I quite like "the twins" and Anne Heche is never boring to watch but, for me, this show is called "All About Tanya".

[Fisher King]

Glad to see some background on Tanya. Love the instant boyfriend and hope he sticks around awhile.

[cagewench]

Yes, instant boyfriend adds a new dimension to Tanya and Ray's interactions - and I quite like seeing Tanya in her own storyline :>

[Imonrey]

I absolutely love Tanya (not to mention Jane Adams) and it is her storyline that keeps me coming back to this show.

For me it's the opposite. I find Ray somewhat intriguing and even his ex-wife and kids are interesting, but I find Tanya borderline repulsive. She is distractingly homely and increasingly pathetic. I can't figure out what her appeal is supposed to be. Am I to find her "relateable" because she looks like an "ordinary" woman? Is that rat's nest on her head supposed to identify her as "frazzled" and "harried?"

I'm not too crazy about the direction the Jemma storyline is taking either. Now Ray wants to date her? It's almost like the show has moved away from its premise in just seven episodes. I don't have any idea where this is going. The show seems to be struggling for an identity.

[freespeech]

The show seems to be struggling for an identity.

I am sad I have to agree with this. This show had such an engaging premise and good actors to start with.

This past episode - no twins? Why not? They are interesting, and they are the reason Ray is driven to make money - to give them a car, and get them back home with him.

I don't like the Jemma storyline, Ray is getting distracted from what should be a focus - his earning money as a prostitute.

I liked the Tanya character better when she was actively trying to find Ray work. I don't mind seeing more of her personal life and struggles, but it is veering away from the main story.

Why not more Lenore?? She was intriguing, racy, and has a bunch of clients who will buy what she suggests. Why was she given such short shrift, especially after the plot point of her borrowing someone's home she called her own??

[isiscloud]

From the way Tanya talked about her mother, I was expecting someone a lot worse. That was some bad poetry. She makes a living with this? Rhea Perlman was excellent. Gorgeous house!

However, I thought this show was called HUNG, not Hung Out to Dry. Ray is new to the prostitution as is Tanya, and I think he's a little, ahem, heady, on his early success and got, ummmm, cocky about how easy it seems like it should be.

How is Mrs. Koontz going to help Ray out with the summons w/ regular sex? That seems a little nebulous.

[Absurdist]

Okay, does the Josh Leonard appearance mean that Tanya is the Blair Witch? Or is it her mother? Or is it the Ethiopian woman?

I know that the Blair Witch is in there somewhere, and Pierce is gonna die because of it.

[redrobin27]

For me it's the opposite. I find Ray somewhat intriguing and even his ex-wife and kids are interesting, but I find Tanya borderline repulsive. She is distractingly homely and increasingly pathetic. I can't figure out what her appeal is supposed to be. Am I to find her "relateable" because she looks like an "ordinary" woman? Is that rat's nest on her head supposed to identify her as "frazzled" and "harried?"

I'm not too crazy about the direction the Jemma storyline is taking either. Now Ray wants to date her? It's almost like the show has moved away from its premise in just seven episodes. I don't have any idea where this is going. The show seems to be struggling for an identity.

Agreed. It's rare that I immediately like a show - usually, it has to build. I liked this show right off the bat, but my interest is waning. The Jemma storyline took a downturn when he showed up at her house. I suppose a play on the "whore falls for a client" storyline was inevitable, but it's awfully early to play that card.

I've never liked Tanya - to be more precise, since I don't particularly like any of the characters except Damon, I've never enjoyed watching her. What I feared the most is happening: because she's the other main character, she's getting more screen time, more backstory, and.... I just don't care. I don't care about her mommy issues. I'm not sure when borderline neurotic became symbolic of the ordinary woman, but I certainly don't agree with it.

And really, she's NOT that great of a pimp. If it wasn't for Lenore, what would she have? Hell, it's fairly clear to me that, despite having very little screen time and what the show is attempting to tell me, Lenore is the driving force behind the business, not Tanya.

[uclagirl]

From the way Tanya talked about her mother, I was expecting someone a lot worse. That was some bad poetry. She makes a living with this? Rhea Perlman was excellent.

I don't know how much worse she needed to be. Everything she said to or about Tanya was cutting and dismissive, and I think growing up with that would be pretty terrible.

The poetry was really bad, but that's also not what she made a living with--that's what she wrote when she was 14.

[Fisher King]

And Tanya doesn't make a living writing poetry. She works for that banking firm or whatever where Lenore worked. I doubt the lyric bread idea has gone anywhere.

Edited by Fisher King, Aug 18, 2009 @ 10:17 AM.

[AmandaRaymond12]

I also find Tanya's appearance very distracting. Everytime she's on screen, I'm always looking at her ratty hair, and homely clothing to even pay attention to the storyline. I just wish they'd do something with her hair, just brush it down or have her wear it back into a ponytail nothing fancy.

The sex scenes are a bit over the top, the moment he sticks his penis in a woman she goes to screaming into ectasy?? And he's just laying there, not really doing much...

Edited by AmandaRaymond12, Aug 18, 2009 @ 10:28 AM.

[photoshopgirl]

I don't know why I never knew who he was before this, but maybe this is the role he needed.

I remembered him from The Sweetest Thing and Dreamcatchers but he's definitely one of those actors that improved with age.

I wasn't thrilled with this episode. It just seems like the original premise of the show is going nowhere fast.

[Fisher King]

I wasn't thrilled with this episode. It just seems like the original premise of the show is going nowhere fast.

I think the original premise will always be the underlying theme but I am thrilled to have some character development. There are aspects of the show that appeal to many of us, or not, on different levels.

I love Tanya, and Rhea Pearlman as her mother is great. But yes, show, do something with Tanya's hair already.
I like Ray even though I think he's pretty dense most of the time.
Can't wait for Lenore to come back. I have a feeling that she may just try and take over the business. She certainly is beneficial because neither Ray nor Tanya know very much. And they need someone like her.

[braggtastic]

Tanya's hair fits well with her character. She's a woman in her 40s whose childhood bedroom appears to be a shrine to the 1970s. Why does she keep her yearbooks & journals at her mother's house instead of in her own home? She no longer lives there but still has a key & feels free to walk in when her mother isn't there? Major boundary issues.

[sunrise65]

Why does she keep her yearbooks & journals at her mother's house instead of in her own home? She no longer lives there but still has a key & feels free to walk in when her mother isn't there? Major boundary issues.

You mean it's not normal to have a key to your parent's house and go in whenever you want? I have a key to my dad's house and if he wasn't 500 miles away, I would go over when he wasn't there...it beats going over when he is there. All my highschool stuff was at my parents until they sold the house and dumped my stuff. Yeah, without even asking me about it!!! What the hell?!?!? lol

Anyway, I don't find it strange that Tanya still has space at mom's or a key. You know most of us would still bring laundry home with us if they let us get away with it!

[freespeech]

I also find Tanya's appearance very distracting. Everytime she's on screen, I'm always looking at her ratty hair, and homely clothing to even pay attention to the storyline. I just wish they'd do something with her hair, just brush it down or have her wear it back into a ponytail nothing fancy.

I agree with you, Tanya's disheveled appearance is distracting. It's too over-the-top for me - the writers/editors are trying too hard to sell her "quirky" personality. We get it, don't hammer us over the head with it.

[Fisher King]

I don't find it all that odd that Tanya has a key to her mother's house, or that she still has her childhood stuff there. It shows that her mother cares enough about her to allow that. That also may be a part that Tanya is overlooking with regards to the issues she has with her mom. Pierce tried to tell Tanya that her mother could possibly be her muse. But Tanya flat-out refused to see that, even after she discovered that reading that childish poem in front of her mother's friends didn't cause her world to end. Tanya blew the moment by walking out. Her self-esteem is zero, and her issue with mom is something she has to confront.

Edited by Fisher King, Aug 18, 2009 @ 3:43 PM.

[Jeff]

I found Tanya really compelling in this episode, and-- I may be projecting onto the show-- I'll tell you why. She's changing. She's someone who, for whatever reason, is stuck in her life. She's stuck to old ideas about herself, the world, what's good and bad. And, there's nothing about her that can just fall/luck into success (like Ray previously had before the sports injury). And, she knows it. She knows she's a loser, which is why she's so repulsive (and why Jane Adams is brilliant playing her). That's why she was in the Get Rich class where she ran into Ray again. She's ready to be a winner. But, there's NOTHING about her that is winning, except this weird ambition that's starting to grow in her. So, we're seeing her sort of learn to walk. Pierce telling her that her mother was the source of her writing instead of her block was a breakthrough. Just like Lenore telling Molly that she needed to pay in advance was probably a breakthrough. I'm perfectly prepared and excited to see (again I may be projecting this arc but hope I'm not) Tanya turn into a ball-busting ho slapper. Metaphorically. I love seeing Tanya learn these bits along the way, bits that are metaphors for success in almost any field. "Take the upper hand." "Don't back down." "Etc."

[jennifda]

She's someone who, for whatever reason, is stuck in her life. She's stuck to old ideas about herself, the world, what's good and bad.

I agree and think that is exactly where Ray is. He is stuck in his vision of himself as an athlete and trying to get Jemma as a replacement for his ex-wife so he can feel like he has it together again. When Ray and Tanya realize those old ideas are never going to become reality, that is when the change is going to happend. While I am not crazy about the Jemma story, I can see why Ray needs it. He needs to get through that to see himself as she sees him because that is what he is, a prostitute, not a coach with a hobby. However, I am sure real prostitutes don't really see themselves that way at first, either. It's just something they are doing short term for extra cash. Or at least that's what I've learned from tv.

[Wittgenstein]

As much as I enjoyed the Jemma storyline, I assume (hope) that she's gone. Ray was acting very unprofessionally and making quite the fool of himself with her (even if she encouraged him to cross the line).

Rhea Perlman - like hubby Danny Devito - appear to be the 'go to' actors when you want someone to play mean spirited or openly hostile. I wonder what the married couple make of their designated roles in life - well, apart from, 'nice work if you can get it.'

[photoshopgirl]

Rhea Perlman - like hubby Danny Devito - appear to be the 'go to' actors when you want someone to play mean spirited or openly hostile.

I actually saw her as Tanya's mother because of the appearance commonalities versus the stereotypical role Rhea plays normally. :)