graycav56
3rd Level
I can't imagine not rewatching with you next week.
Posts: 948
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Post by graycav56 on Apr 28, 2009 19:31:54 GMT -5
6. Do you believe Maddie and David are “together”? Why or why not? (Yeah, I stole this one from the old thread, but it’s still a good question!)
If you are asking if, during this episode, Maddie and David acted as a couple, well, yeah, I think so. I fully expected them to grow together during this season, not turn into the debacle we wound up with. I think that even at the END of this episode, they are together, and were going to work through the pain of losing the baby as a team, as partners.
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graycav56
3rd Level
I can't imagine not rewatching with you next week.
Posts: 948
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Post by graycav56 on Apr 28, 2009 19:38:49 GMT -5
Are you jumping sharks?
No, not yet, but I am in the water and bleeding. The demise of my favorite show of all time occurred not in one instance, but in waves of disappointment. As folks have mentioned countless times, the perfect storm of endless reruns, on and off set strife, pregnancy, movie careers, writers’ strikes and misbegotten plot twists finally sucked the life out of even the most ardent fans.
I suppose the end of this episode left me rather numb. As I mentioned on another thread, I went from being a rabid fan to one who just didn’t care anymore.
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graycav56
3rd Level
I can't imagine not rewatching with you next week.
Posts: 948
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Post by graycav56 on Apr 28, 2009 19:43:02 GMT -5
Wow, lots of posts in a row here. I know this is a tough episode, but it's lonely out here in TV land.
Do you believe that had GGC still been an active writer in Season 5 that Maddie and David’s relationship would have survived the loss of their baby?
Yeah, I think so as GGC understood that the show WAS about their relationship. They couldn’t break up, they couldn’t go back to being just friends, that is NOT why people tuned in.
Nobody watched to see who the guest star of the week was or to try and solve a puzzling case. We wanted banter! We wanted witty repartee! We wanted a comic break from our daily lives.
Unfortunately ML turned into a pale shadow of its former greatness, and nobody had the decency to pull the plug before it was too late.
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Post by jpen on Apr 28, 2009 19:47:58 GMT -5
2. What do you believe is the purpose of showing Baby Hayes the good and the bad parts of the world in which he will enter?
I'm out there danglin' with lin and gray. When I re-watched this time, I appreciated the creativity and sweetness of this part of the episode much more...though the Montage of Evil is a little jarring, I think it fits with the ML tradition of mixing the drama in with the comedy, which was lost somewhat in season 4. (Unfortunately, the ending of this episode gets the recipe wrong...very, very wrong...but that's for Q7...) And Bruce was a delight as Baby Hayes. You gotta give the guy big-time kudos for being willing to play a role at the opposite end of the spectrum from an action hero!
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graycav56
3rd Level
I can't imagine not rewatching with you next week.
Posts: 948
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Post by graycav56 on Apr 28, 2009 19:51:29 GMT -5
And Bruce was a delight as Baby Hayes. You gotta give the guy big-time kudos for being willing to play a role at the opposite end of the spectrum from an action hero! Absolutely! Bruce pulled off a FANTASTIC performance here. He not only proved he was a good sport, but made it absolutely believable. Bravo indeed to Bruno.
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Post by lin212 on Apr 28, 2009 19:57:04 GMT -5
#6 - Do you believe that Maddie and David are still together? Why or why not?
For me, I guess this goes back to the earlier question about the Nanny for Hire scene. They do not feel like a couple here. Also, at the end of S4, I imagined that, going forward, David would be spending time at Maddie's place. BUT in the opening scene in bed, she is obviously alone. They arrive at work separately. Maddie goes to lunch alone. There is really nothing very intimate in their conversation in the office. If it weren't for Maddie wrapping her arms around David's neck and giving him that look during the dance, there would be no inkling of the depth of their relationship.
It's not until the tag, that we see them as a couple. David is worried about her, he is holding her hand, he says that they are going to be OK. Yet even here, Maddie says that it is going to be hard to go home alone. Obviously, she has no expectation that David is going to stick around now that the baby is gone. He reassures her that he is not going anywhere. And the final words by Dr. Weed telling them that they can try again real soon...it's as if they beginning and end of this episode were written by two different people. I know that both Glenn and Chick Eglee worked on this one - is it that simple?
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Post by lin212 on Apr 28, 2009 20:07:12 GMT -5
Once David is revealed as the father how did you originally react? Why do you suppose that this information was not revealed to David and Maddie?
I loved the fact that the truth was finally revealed, even though I knew that the baby had to be David's. Maybe the truth wasn't revealed to Maddie and David because the decision had already been made to remove the personal side of their relationship and knowing that the baby was David's might have created a bond even though the baby didn't make it. Whew! Long sentence, but you get my point, right?
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Post by lin212 on Apr 28, 2009 20:16:02 GMT -5
3. When Jerome is showing Baby Hayes a picture of his mother (Maddie) he describes her as “an extraordinary woman, bright, beautiful, a huge heart, though often times she pays it little heed. It’s the creators’ hope that your arrival will help amend this situation.”
When Jerome describes Baby Hayes’s father (David) he says, “He has an extraordinary passion for life and an extraordinary passion for you mother.” Whose viewpoint do you believe Jerome is speaking from? “The Creator” The viewers? Or both?
I guess I would say both. If we take the "Creator" to be GGC, I can almost hear him describing Maddie and David in this way except for the part about the baby helping to mend the situation since he did not intend for the baby to survive. That would have been something that the fans would feel - that the baby would soften Maddie and cement her relationship with David.
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Post by lin212 on Apr 28, 2009 20:23:58 GMT -5
Do you believe that had GGC still been an active writer in Season 5 that Maddie and David’s relationship would have survived the loss of their baby?Yeah, I think so as GGC understood that the show WAS about their relationship. They couldn’t break up, they couldn’t go back to being just friends, that is NOT why people tuned in. Nobody watched to see who the guest star of the week was or to try and solve a puzzling case. We wanted banter! We wanted witty repartee! We wanted a comic break from our daily lives. Unfortunately ML turned into a pale shadow of its former greatness, and nobody had the decency to pull the plug before it was too late. Spot on, gray. Glenn comments that Season 4 was difficult because Maddie and David were not together and that was what made the show what it was - the banter, the heat, the tempers, the laughs. It was all about the chemistry. I think Glenn would have fought to keep fanning the flame.
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Post by lin212 on Apr 28, 2009 20:28:59 GMT -5
#5 - What is the signficance of Bert and Agnes' conversation in David's office about parenthood?
I'm not sure that there was any real significance. On the commentary, Jay Daniel mentions that this scene was a last minute filler because the episode was short. They filmed the episode in early October and it aired in December. It was only at the end of November that they decided to add this scene and finished the final edits at 4:30 in the morning on the Tuesday that it aired.
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Post by lin212 on Apr 28, 2009 20:32:52 GMT -5
Wow, lots of posts in a row here. I know this is a tough episode, but it's lonely out here in TV land. I guess it's my turn to be lonely out here. Where'd everybody go? Gray? Rose? Jen? Somebody??
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Post by beesnbears on Apr 28, 2009 20:40:36 GMT -5
LOL!! Hi Lin! You guys have been great great!! ...I've been spying!! You nailed it with thinking that "The Creator" is Glenn!! Ok, as far as the little hidden clues as to who the father is...pay attention to the music starting when Maddie wakes up and then drives to work. You guys are very close!!
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Post by lin212 on Apr 28, 2009 20:49:58 GMT -5
Bees, do you mean the choice of Baby Love as the song? The lyrics talk about kissin' and makin' up, need ya, don't throw our love away, etc. ??
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Post by beesnbears on Apr 28, 2009 20:57:45 GMT -5
Ok, here is what I am thinking....and I could be wrong ...or making stuff up!!
When Maddie wakes up we see a foot of the bed shot of her huge belly and there is harmonica music playing, but it sounds like "Maddie music". A harmonica playing has ALWAYS been "David music"!!
In the car, she is listening to something David would be playing on the radio. When have we ever seen or heard Maddie play David's music in the BMW much less singing!!
And in the commentary, JD says that the script called for specific music, almost like that had never been done before. That had to be Glenn's touch.
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Post by lin212 on Apr 28, 2009 21:02:15 GMT -5
OH, I get it. I think.
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