[dswallow]

The show suffers a lot when John stares at steel frame storage tanks most of the episode.

 

[aus1ander]

Meyer Dickstein draws a circle and a line to make a man in cement. Interesting.

 

[terpfan1980]

The big question from this episode: just how long is the time frame John is talking about in reference to Shaun?

 

[michad]

So do we have 12 followers yet?

 

[dswallow]

The big question from this episode: just how long is the time frame John is talking about in reference to Shaun?

And John doesn't exactly talk in specifics either, so also unknown is precisely what he meant by Shaun "going away."

 

[Anubys]

best I can say is this ep didn't suck as much as the last one

best exchange (or only good exchange);:

"I'm trying to remember how I ever practiced before I met you?"

"was it without a fractured skull?" :up:

 

[drew2k]

The scene in the hotel conference room was killing me until I finally figured out that Linc's VP was Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Yet another actor from another of Milch's creations, NYPD Blue, although I think Milch may have been gone with Mark-Paul was on that show.

I really just hated that hotel conference room scene, but I guess it was to establish that Linc was on the outs with his own company, Stinkweed. Now he's going to be a rich man, but if he keeps giving away a million dollars just to hold hands, that may not last long.

My only question (yes, just one), was Cissy actually pleased that Kai had Butchie's boards and Butchie and Kai are apparently forming a deeper bond with each other? It was almost a smile on her face at the motel.

 

[Anubys]

I think she was happy he was not high and that he was putting his life together...

 

[hkancyr]

I figured Butchie was clean now. Hopefully Shawn is leaving on a pro surfing gig.

 

[Family]

I love the line at the end (I think Linc said it) "What the hell is going on here?"

 

[Vendikarr]

So do we have 12 followers yet?

Doctor Smith and Cass for certain. I think at this point, those two will follow John anywhere.

 

[markp99]

I find nothing about Link's storyline interesting. These scenes are a real detractor for me. I don't understand his motivations other than wanting to sign Shaun. I'm close to zipping thru these like I did for Melfi.

I do enjoy the other core characters. I'm warming to Butchie and Kai; I like seeing him emerge from his habits and connecting with Kai and his son.

I really enjoy the motel crew; what a great assortment of characters.

It was strange to have John off working on Big and Huge for his Father for the majority of the ep.

 

[TAsunder]

I like the link storyline. I didn't really follow his rant to the IT guy. I thought Link was going to be the antagonist to john's angelic goodness, but it seems like he's being given a second chance too.

It took me a minute or two to recognize zach from saved by the bell / slipowits' last partner on NYPD blue.

 

[cwoody222]

I loved seeing Mark Paul!

Not as good as last week's episode due to the boring Linc story and lack of John... but still good.

 

[Chibbie]

I like the link storyline. I didn't really follow his rant to the IT guy. I thought Link was going to be the antagonist to john's angelic goodness, but it seems like he's being given a second chance too.

There is an explanation of the speech on HBO's "Inside The Episode":

Linc's Meltdown

A few comments on the scene in which Linc (Luke Perry), the founder and CEO of Stinkweed, spins out of control during a meeting with his lieutenants. When he says, "Fires," he's asking if the company faces any fresh crises that need addressing. The "e-commerce *****-fest" refers to a problem that many manufacturers face these days: By selling direct to consumers through their own web sites, they risk alienating the storefront retailers through whom they built their businesses before the Internet existed. It's a particularly nettlesome problem for surf-related companies, who depend on specialty shops not only for sales, but also to maintain their "core" image among serious surfers. That's why "Wonder Boy" says Stinkweed is rolling out new P.O.P. ("point of purchase") incentives: to placate its brick-and-mortar retailers, and why he says, "A wise man [i.e. Linc] once told me, 'The core shops are Stinkweed's soul.'"

But all of that has become a ******** capitalist game as far as Linc's concerned, because the SoCal surf tycoon has reached a tipping point. He knows something earthshaking is going on in Imperial Beach, and that it revolves around John Monad and the Yosts, but he can't figure out what to do about it. Here's what David Milch, the show's creator and head writer, had to say about this scene before it was shot: "Sometimes the way you force yourself to walk through a new door is to cut off your avenues of escape."

Which explains Linc's rant. Without even knowing why, he all but sets himself on fire. Here's the transcript of Linc's self-immolating tirade, and the exchange that leads up to it:

WONDER BOY: If this is a referendum on information technology, our target demographic's for it.

LINC: Oh, so that ship has sailed? The best we can do is hope to jump on board? Does that summarize your position?

WONDER BOY: [Mimicking Linc] If you're treading water you're getting ready to drown.

LINC: If I'm treading water, ****-face, I am not swimming toward a ship that has set sail and begging them to pull me into their dinghy. If I got a surfboard beside me, I'm getting on that ****er and I'm paddling out, turning around and flipping the bird to all the *******s on that ship. And maybe three percent of them weren't sure they wanted to be on that boat to begin with. And some of them, they're diving off. Now them... them I give 'em a big f**king smile, I ride up to them on my board and say, "Hey how would you like to buy one just like it, or my jockstrap, or my boardshorts, wetsuits, ski jackets, snowboards I always take with me when I'm surfing, I am such a tremendous boardshort-wetsuit-ski-jacket-snowboard ripper." What I'm not is a ****ing ******* with allergies trapped on a boat or jerking off to the Internet like ninety-seven percent of my target demographic. And the upside for me is, I like being on the water.

Linc pulls down his pants.

LINC: So if you're not too salty from your salmon, maybe I could interest you in a little ham.

WONDER BOY: Give me a ****ing break.

Two final things about that scene: Luke Perry earned many high-fives for nailing, repeatedly, the long speech he received just the night before. And Wonder Boy was deftly played by Zack Whedon, author of the season's tenth and final episode. (On a related note, the bicycle-rental dude who tosses Butchie the keys to the surf shop was played by Ted Mann, also a writer and producer on JFC.)​

 

[PJO1966]

Since they hired a surfer to play Shaun, should he have a stunt double when he's supposed to be showing emotion? That was painfully bad.

 

[markb]

I noticed that scrawled on the shoulder of John's wet suit were the words "THE BEAST". That was Butchie's surfing nickname, but I'm guessing there's probably deeper significance, as well.

 

[Bananfish]

I've been trying so hard to like this show. Real hard. And I was hoping that last week's speech by John signified a turning point in the show - that now that John had imbued them all with whatever "we have done here," there would be a new direction to the show, and that the characters would be moving toward something that was more concrete.

Alas, just more of the same impossible to comprehend ramblings. I won't bore you with the details, but there must be at least a dozen different things about this show that I find annoying or disjointed, including such basics as bad acting, overacting and even bad dialogue.

I'll stick the season out, because that's what I do with HBO shows, but if this show doesn't go somewhere by the end of the season, I really can't see myself watching any more (assuming HBO renews it).

 

[InterMurph]

Big question: what was written on Palaka's cast? I think it said either "Drop dead and die" or "drop dead and go".

Also, I didn't buy that Sideshow Luke Perry's own right-hand man would be authorized to offer a $35 million buyout, and also be authorized to negotiate up to $65 million. And then try to blackmail him.

And doesn't he know that dropping the recorder in the ocean doesn't destroy the recording? Flash memory can last a while in sea water.

This show is so unrealistic!!!

 

[johnperkins21]

And doesn't he know that dropping the recorder in the ocean doesn't destroy the recording? Flash memory can last a while in sea water.

This show is so unrealistic!!!

The recorder dropped in the ocean was old school mini-cassette. Salt water is not really good for that sort of thing. The one Mark Paul used was digital, the other one, not so much.