Who by Fire?: Thoughts on Bad Sisters

Courtesy of Apple TV +

A couple of my friends kept recommending Bad Sisters recently. I had heard very little about it and wasn't really sure what to expect. The biggest draw was a certain actor, which I will say more about soon enough... Anyway, from the very first episode, I was completely absorbed. I knew I would love it when it started with Grace covering up her dead husband's post-mortem "excitement". Then we are quickly introduced to her four sisters, who we get to know a lot better over the season. And everyone can agree with them about John Paul (Grace's husband) needing to be out of the picture immediately. (Listen to the song "Goodbye Earl" by The Chicks and you'll know what I'm talking about. Watch the video, while you're at it.) 

While we know from the beginning is that John Paul (JP) is dead, but we don't know how it happened or who did it. That's where the story gets really, really interesting! It feels like a mix of Desperate Housewives and a Marian Keyes novel (probably closest to This Charming Man). The latter is because it takes place in Ireland.

I can't stop recommending this show! And I'm so glad to hear that a second season is in the works. Here are some reasons you should watch it. (Get a free trial of Apple TV + just to binge this and some other great shows--ahem, Ted Lasso--if you don't already have it.) I will share spoilers after the trailer, so stick around if you're already a fan of this show and want to discuss it further.

1. If you've seen Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, the hottie from that movie has a big role on this show. I like him better without facial hair, but to each their own.

2. Each of the sisters has a compelling narrative, especially in regard to why they are wishing for JP's demise.

3. While it's definitely a drama, there are a bunch of funny moments and lines.

4. Once you get into this show, you will easily become addicted. Perhaps even obsessed!

5. The setting is so beautiful. 

6. The mystery really keeps you on your toes and has you guessing along with some of the other characters. 

7. It allows you to enjoy a revenge fantasy. Believe me, there are some people who are even worse than JP (if that's even possible) and I still fantasize about delivering their karma but don't want to mess things up for other innocent people as a result. 

8. There's a lot to discuss. You're welcome to contact me to discuss it once you've watched. I'd love to watch it again vicariously through you.

9. The theme song is really catchy. I had no idea P.J. Harvey was the one singing it. However, it also reminds me of Rosh Hashanah... Honestly, all of the music is really good and it definitely sets a mood for the show.

10. There are some LGBTQ+ characters. 

Trailer:

If you're new to this show...time to close out this post. Come back when you've finished watching.

If you've seen Bad Sisters, stick around to read more of my thoughts, with spoilers.

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Let's start with the obvious...JP. As Audrey II once said in Little Shop of Horrors: "A lot of folks deserve to die..." This totally applies to JP. He has now joined the ranks of Terry Silver from Cobra Kai, Percival Pickens from Riverdale, and Greg from White Lotus as one of my most hated fictional characters of all time. I gave him the middle finger and shouted lots of expletives at him, he was that truly awful. Even though we knew he was going to die eventually, I kept hoping that each attempt on his life would be the final one so we wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. He just became more and more hateful throughout the season! He looks like a mix between Ty Burrell and a young Pierce Brosnan, with a little Chris Noth mixed in. Every time he opens his mouth, I want to smack him. I was cheering on anyone who took him on physically. I especially love when Gabriel pushed him into the urinal! I could go on all day talking about what an effing piece of sh-t he is, but I want to get to the other characters sometime this century. I'll leave you with this: Among all the horrible, disgusting, despicable things he's done, one of the worst was what he did to Roger. Roger did NOTHING to him. G-d forbid he was kind to Grace. It wasn't like he was competition. He could practically be Grace's father. But JP couldn't handle him being nice to Grace and basically ruined his life! And then he had the nerve to treat Roger like crap when Roger tried to forgive him. Wow. Just...wow.

Now moving on to the sisters!

First we have Grace, the widow of the vile JP. Let me just say right off the bat that I knew she was the one who killed him. Her alibi wasn't tight and I had a feeling she was just going to snap after all the mean things he said to her. It made me sad how she was so diminished by him all the time and I know it was hard for Blanaid to see that happening. I also got annoyed at how she would stand up or make excuses for him. So I applauded the way she killed him and how she staged it to make it look like an accident. It also made me sad that she tried reinventing herself by taking classes but then felt so little confidence that she couldn't stick with them. 

Then there's Eva. Sharon Horgan (who also created the show) played this role really well. Not only is Eva the oldest sister, but she's also the de facto parent after both the sisters' parents died. She has a lot of pressure on her shoulders, as well as a lot of loss to carry around; the loss of a baby and the ending of her relationship with someone she really loved. Not only that, but she works with JP and he's spreading lies about her to get the promotion she wanted. He even alienated her from her closest work friend. So she's definitely had motive to kill him. 

Next is Ursula, who is having an affair, even though her husband is great. I don't even like the guy she's having an affair with. However, that doesn't give JP the right to harass her about it and follow her around. I will say that she was stupid not to lock her phone. Who keeps it open like that for anyone to get into? Especially since she has a lot to hide. I was so stressed out by JP messing with her phone and tricking her into sending him that picture though. I don't blame her sisters for getting in his face about it and I especially don't blame her for wanting to end his life. I love how she had access to all those drugs and she knew the best ones to use for the job at hand.

Bibi also has a reason for wanting him dead. He caused the accident that made her lose an eye. Also, she's very protective of Grace. I feel like she was more guarded than the others and that while JP did something awful to her in the past, he wasn't currently making her life as hellish as he was for the other sisters. I love how her wife also hated JP on her behalf. I also loved seeing her interactions with her son. I wish she had some closure with the guy she injured though. I think she could have explained that it was an accident and related to him about what it was like to lose an eye so traumatically. 

Saving my favorite sister for last, and she also happens to be the youngest anyway. Becka! She's the one who has her life the least together, but she's also the most lovable of the five. I consider her girl-crush worthy. I've never seen Eve Hewson in anything (at least not that I'm aware of), but I love how she plays this role. I've even cast her in one of the books I've been reading recently. Anyway, I felt so bad for her when she accidentally killed Minna (JP's mom), thinking that it was JP. I loved her relationship with Minna and I had a feeling that would happen when she didn't look at who had actually gone into the freezer. I'm also sad that things didn't work out with Matt, all things considered. They were cute together! He also lied to her about his job, so she had no reason to tell him who she was. I was annoyed that he got mad at her for being one of the sisters when they met under different circumstances anyway. I also love how she screamed at JP, not because he lied to her about funding her massage studio, but because of what he did to Ursula. 

Now for the supporting characters, who do have pretty big roles of their own. 

Thomas: I am back and forth on him. Most of the time, I just can't stand him. Especially when he was playing detective and asking everyone intrusive questions and stealing their garbage. However, I do like how he's so loving to his wife and I also feel bad for him with the money situation. 

Matt: I think I have a bias toward him since the actor playing him was Leo Grande. As I said before though, he needs to lose the facial hair. I do have mixed feelings on him too though. He seems like the more laid-back Claffin brother, but it turns out that he was just as invested in trying to get the truth about JP's death. I'm sure he made some deal with Grace in the end so that she wouldn't go to prison and his insurance company wouldn't have to pay the claim. I also got annoyed by how he would go all hot and cold with Becka. I know it was a conflict of interest, but it was still frustrating... 

Roger: He was such a kind neighbor and he got hurt in such a horrible way, thanks to JP. I love that he helped Grace set it up so that JP's death looked like an accident. I hope he'll move someplace else and find a way to get his reputation back. 

Blanaid: I like that she could see through JP in some ways. I didn't like that she was so hard on Grace though. I know it was hard for her to see her mom being diminished and abused by JP, but she could have been more supportive. I felt bad for her with the cat situation and I hate that she blamed Grace for it. I know JP gaslit her into thinking that way, but still...

Finally, my top five favorite side characters:

1. Theresa: Thomas's very much pregnant wife, who tells it like it is all the time. 

2. Detective Loftus: The Garda who puts Thomas in his place a few times.

3. Minna: She seemed really sweet and I feel bad for her after what happened to George and how JP always treats her. I wonder if she knew about George being in the freezer all along or if she just went looking for Becka and happened to stumble into the freezer where she met her final fate.

4. Gabriel: I really wish things had worked out with him and Eva. I know it wouldn't be romantically, but I'm so sad that JP got into his head like that to ruin their friendship. 

5. Nora: Bibi's wife is great and I love how she supports Bibi in the fight against JP, even if she doesn't always agree with her. 

Overall, just an amazing show that I still can't stop thinking about. I'd love to hear your thoughts, including predictions for season two.

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Seventeen years!

My husband and I are celebrating the second of our many wedding anniversaries during the pandemic. The situation makes it hard to have a formal date or anything, but we'll try to make it memorable. This past year has been rather interesting and complex, but I'm glad we have been together through it all. In a normal year, we'd both be at our separate offices and then together in the evenings and on weekends. This past year, there has been a lot of togetherness, but it has only served to bring us even closer together. While I'd normally converse with colleagues around the coffee and tea area, I now do that with my husband in our kitchen. 

Like all the other years of our marriage, my husband has made me laugh every day. This year, it feels even more important, as I've relied on that laughter to get me through this pandemic. He has definitely delivered, and then some! Here are a few things that I am okay sharing with everyone (as it is either PG or some readers will appreciate the humor too).

*For my birthday last summer, he made me a video card. He took scenes from Schitt's Creek and dubbed his voice into them to talk about my birthday. His impressions of the voices could have used some work, but he was spot on with David. Then he added a Cameo of Randy Rainbow that he found online and dubbed in my name and age at the appropriate spots. 

*Speaking of Schitt's Creek impressions, he does a great job with Bob's jog walk.

*And speaking of people named Bob, he made up this character named Officer Bob and every time I talk about Degrassi, he talks about Officer Bob being on the show and lecturing the kids about doing drugs and stuff. 

*A while ago, I was cooking and asked for some eggs. He brought them up but added a ping pong ball to the ones he was carrying. Then he told me to catch one of the eggs and threw the ping pong ball at me. It was startling at first, but then really funny. Even more so when he did it to our older son. 

*He bought hair clippers a while ago so that we could do home haircuts. Since it was around Passover, he came up with a joke about shaving down the middle of someone's head and calling it the "Red Sea."

*He made some really funny pictures using Photoshop this year, but none are appropriate to post. 

*Aside from Schitt's Creek, he really does some great celebrity impressions, especially Nathan Lane and the guy who played Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day. He still does the Milton from Office Space impression really well, along with a few Disney characters and Kermit the Frog. And he's working on Billy Crystal. 

*He also does some great song parodies. He did a funny one about Iron Man to the tune of the Spider-Man theme song recently. He's the next Weird Al!

Before I go, here are some pictures from our wedding that I haven't shared before.