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(If youre new,you might catch up on part one here.)
He just needs it so bad.
Does this narrator love these people or does this narrator hate these people?
How much of what were watching is supposed to evoke deep pity for this person?
Which is so uncomfortable to spend that much time in.
How much of that am I supposed to be questioning?
Im like, yes, where thefuckare you?
So I kept ping-ponging between these extremes about how I was supposed to be reacting to this whole conceit.
Julie Kosin:This was aFleishmanretread.
This time he has a wife though.
And that desensitized me to shock.
And the fact that he always writes kidnapping plots.
There was no pathology that was left unexplained.
To me, it makes it boring that this character is just a collation of flaws.
Absolutely no redeeming characteristics except for maybe his desire to be a good parent.
There has to be some glimpse at a potential for redemption, even if that potential is then quashed.
Kathryn: I wanted his flute daughter to be a twerp.
What I thought was a lot more interesting was his pathology around food thats never really explained.
Jason: I think its supposed to be consumption generally for him.
He is someone who consumes, who is addicted to wealth and to food and to sex.
He has no self-control.
Julie:The In-N-Out thing was just thatI Think You Should Leavememe.
I found Nathans section to be the best part of the book.
I wondered whether I would have enjoyed the rest of the book so much if Beamer hadnt come first.
We should probably talk about what hes doing in this book.
Emily:Wellcanwe get Mandy Patinkin?
From a scene-by-scene basis, you’re free to see it, absolutely.
But the sibling structure I dont think you could do it that way.
Jason: Lilys Eyes is really a beautiful song.
Thats the one that Carl sings in his room at one point.
Beautiful, beautiful song.
Its a duet between two brothers, Mandy Patinkin takes the high part.
Jason: Mandy Patinkin icon, legend.
Very famous among non-Jewish people forThe Princess Bride.
My name is Inigo Montoya.
You killed my father, prepare to die.
Hes known for musical theater.
He was in some Sondheim shows, he played George inSunny in the Park With George.
That movie was big.
Jason: Kathryn, Im curious what you thought in this section would be difficult to adapt?
How would you go about depicting that without voice-over?
Emily: Has anyone else ever seen the unaired HBO pilot for the Noah Baumbach adaptation ofThe Corrections?
What it actually should have done is introduced all of the siblings in the pilot.
Jason: Im curious what people thought about the scene with the medium.
The fact that her name was Phyllis felt one level too obvious to me.
There was no space between the reader and the text that the reader could fill.
Kathryn: The medium was very, how do we make this feel like Los Angeles?
Julie: I would have loved a little passage of that section from Noelles perspective.
Zach: That is true.
But she clearly likes him and its never understood why.
That would have been a way for us to like Beamer.
Jason: We are constantly told how charming he is and never see it.
Would you rather watch the Santiago trilogy orFamily Businessand why?
Julie: What channel doesFamily Businessair on Kathryn?
Kathryn: Its clearly an HBO show, right?
Its a Sunday-night HBO show.
Julie: It obviously is justSuccessionbut something about it felt less HBO to me.Kathryn: Its notSuccession.
Its sort of between.
Emily: I love a good dumb action movie that makes no sense.
I would totally watch the Santiago trilogy.
AndFamily Businesscould be great or it could suck and Im honestly not sure which one it is.
Kathryn: I would be fascinated to watch it!
Thats the really entertaining little nugget where its like,gasp!
Cat: The Cut could run Beamerssex diary.
Zach: One thing we never discussed is the diversity woman, Anya.
I dont know who she was trying to make that joke for.
I was like, this could have been funny, but you didnt know who the audience was.
I think that that was a nice bit of writing.
Emily: I would throw it away immediately.
Seems like child abuse.
That was legitimately funny that the authors child died though.
Emily: If they cant get Mandy Patinkin, they should strongly consider F. Murray Abraham if hes available.
Julie: Patinkin should play Carl and then F. Murray Abraham can play the Patinkin role.
Emily: What about for the siblings?
Zach: Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin?
Julie: No, you cant useSuccessionorArrested Development.
Emily: Mark Duplass is Beamer, no argument there.
Zach: No, Mark Duplass as Nathan.
Jason: I guess hes too old, but I wanted a Matthew Broderick in there somewhere.
Emily: Hes too much of a goy.
Zach: Itd be fun to do all goy: Rachel Sennott, Bradley Cooper, Rachel Brosnahan.
Emily: My God, the ADL is coming for that production.
Julie: Mark Duplass could be Beamer and Jay could be Nathan.
Cat: Jesse Eisenberg is crying in his room.
Just have to point out that theyre not Jewish, but we all know that already.
Zach: Shes perfect for this.
She should play young Ruth because I always say Dianna Agron has thebest nose job in Hollywood.
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