The Birds was a terrible film! It was just a bunch of people having a birthday party in a seaside town! I left after the first hour!
It is almost as if the were setting up a world and stakes that will be flipped completely over, but there is no way to know if you leave early.
Finished season 2 last week. Loved the show, and I loved the direction they went in with the character growth of a lot of the people surrounding Miriam. The plotline with Tony Schaloub’s character this season was just great. I loved the Bell Labs stuff (and I won’t get into spoilers) but it was interesting seeing him hate and then slowly enjoy living in France for a bit, and then return to the U.S. only to have un-knowingly brought some of Paris back with him.
This whole season was about growth. Miriam growing in her comedy, Joel taking charge of the family business (and his life as well), Miriam dating again, and understanding why she fell for Joel in the first place. Rose’s trip to France was a “mid-life crisis” that lead to her remembering her original desires of art and learning. And Abe having the moment where son passes father, and a realization of how his life got off of the track he was initially on.
I love this show because the characters and dialogue are perfectly written. Midge really does feel like the daughter of Rose and Abe. I think you can see both her parents in the way that she acts, studiously keeping fit, having a quick wit and an excellent grasp of problem solving and sweet talking.
But, this season you see the comedian side of Midge in her parents. Abe comes to the realization that maybe his entire world he has built at Columbia and Bell Labs isn’t really what he wants, but what was expected of him. Much how Midge was expected to be the doting wife, and now that she has a budding (and fastly growing) career in comedy, why is he staying in his lane also? You also see this in Rose going back to art school, as she too needs more than just keeping a well run household to fulfill her needs.
And of course, this is all set to a beautiful backdrop of the 1950’s New York Jewish community. (Which involves 2 month family vacations to the Catskills) I haven’t even begun to get into the characters of Susie and Joel who both grow as well, and become much better at their jobs throughout the season.