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Post by Dallas on Oct 10, 2016 14:33:11 GMT -5
Chasing Diamonds - Season 2, Episode 10 "Odette's Revenge"
- Odette carries out a violent act of revenge
- Lex collapses
- Vivian and Kent continue to clash
and MUCH more!
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Post by Michael on Nov 26, 2016 19:18:25 GMT -5
Sorry to bump this one to the top prematurely, but I didn't want to post anything spoiler-y in the threads of any of the other episodes! Anyway, I blew through the entire season in the past week or so. As Bruno Mars would say, 24-karat magic in the air at Rockwell Mining this season! So much fun stuff going on. You have a really keen sense of soapy twists and turns, so things never slow down for a moment. Like I said in an earlier thread, I was really shocked that you went ahead and had Houston die in the car accident, but it turned out to be a really strong jumping-off point for the season's action, including Vivian's introduction and Kent's (foolish!) mission to reveal himself as Lex's father. I was surprised by the way you navigated some of the story threads from last season, like Celeste losing the baby and her estrangement from Mac. It was interesting how Mac calmed down and calmly told Celeste whatever decision she made. Given the generally melodramatic/primetime feel of the series, I didn't expect that, but I felt like Celeste made the right decision. Truthfully, it always kind of seemed like she did truly love Mac but was physically attracted to Cole. I thought it was strange that we never got to see/hear them explain to Mac that they actually met prior to Mac introducing Celeste as his fiancee, because that seems important. But it looks as though this isn't over, based on Celeste's lingering thoughts of Cole. Tossing him into an affair with Vivian has been a fun touch, too. I wonder if him supporting her on Houston's birthday will wind up deepening their bond beyond something purely physical. Lydia really emerged as more of a villain this season. I was glad to see everyone turn on her for all the shitty things she's done -- her scheme to steal all of their proxies was nuts, so it was nice to see them catch on to what she'd done. I was a little confused about some of the stuff going on at Rockwell, I have to say. Like how could she just tell Marat he wasn't getting the 5% he'd been promised? Wouldn't that be breach of contract? I was waiting for him to threaten legal action or do something about it, but he just kind of stood around waiting for it to be resolved. I was excited to have someone new and unconnected to the family around for this season, but Marat's stuff felt the least developed this season. I did like seeing Stacey start to come out of her grief (though I miss her working in the mine's cafeteria! The contrast of the princess working a menial job was really interesting), and even Houston is a part of her that no one can ever take away from her, it's good for her to move on. There's also a lot of potential in whatever Marat's past with Celeste is. I have a feeling Season 3 will feature some sort of redemption for Lydia, but we'll see. She can't really go that much further down, can she? I have to say, I'm not sure I see her and Kent ever getting married. I feel like they might turn on each other if it were ever beneficial to one or either. It was about time that Lex finally came out to the family. and it was interesting how Odette and Jarek's plans sort of laid the groundwork for 'Phase 2' of this season. I couldn't believe Jarek was so cavalier about poisoning and killing Lex -- I guess it remains to be seen how he really feels about him, but I can't imagine having real feelings for someone and then being so casual about murdering them! I loved how Odette put her own plan in motion and then lost control of herself. Good for Mac for standing up to her blackmail. That was smart and made me feel like he's the sort of guy who could've built an empire. It was also nice seeing more of Lucinda this season. She seems like a broad who really can't be messed with, though I'd love to see her really follow through on some of her threats! (BTW, you have Bette Midler listed as Bette Davis in Lucinda's profile, which gave me a LOL.) If I were to have one real criticism, it's that the series really feels small sometimes, especially for characters in a world that's supposed to be very grand. We really only see the same 10 or so people, in the same 4-5 locations. I know this is exacerbated by binge-reading, but it gets to be a little crazy how everyone just ping-pong from the one office at Rockwell Mining to the country club to the Rockwell living room. And we don't really ever see them interact with anyone outside that small circle. It would be fun to see things broaden a little in Season 3. Like do the Rockwell kids have any friends? Does anyone else work at the company? Do they ever go to any other places to eat?  Also a result of binge-reading: it's no wonder these people always have so much drama, because they must always be wasted! They drink so much! Anyway, thanks for the fun read for my holiday week. I love having a primetime-style webseries around to pick up the mantle of The Blackthornes. Can't wait for more! Congrats on a successful season. |
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Post by Dallas on Nov 28, 2016 21:54:48 GMT -5
Sorry to bump this one to the top prematurely, but I didn't want to post anything spoiler-y in the threads of any of the other episodes! Anyway, I blew through the entire season in the past week or so. As Bruno Mars would say, 24-karat magic in the air at Rockwell Mining this season! So much fun stuff going on. You have a really keen sense of soapy twists and turns, so things never slow down for a moment. Like I said in an earlier thread, I was really shocked that you went ahead and had Houston die in the car accident, but it turned out to be a really strong jumping-off point for the season's action, including Vivian's introduction and Kent's (foolish!) mission to reveal himself as Lex's father. Thank you for that! I had a lot of fun writing this season, I felt like everything fit together nicely this season. I'm also glad people are "binge" reading it like a Netflix series. I really love the idea of releasing the full season at once. Like I said in the previous thread, I wanted a big aftermath from the car crash so Houston dying made sense, and it was a great way to have Vivian come on to the series. I was surprised by the way you navigated some of the story threads from last season, like Celeste losing the baby and her estrangement from Mac. It was interesting how Mac calmed down and calmly told Celeste whatever decision she made. Given the generally melodramatic/primetime feel of the series, I didn't expect that, but I felt like Celeste made the right decision. Truthfully, it always kind of seemed like she did truly love Mac but was physically attracted to Cole. I thought it was strange that we never got to see/hear them explain to Mac that they actually met prior to Mac introducing Celeste as his fiancee, because that seems important. But it looks as though this isn't over, based on Celeste's lingering thoughts of Cole. Tossing him into an affair with Vivian has been a fun touch, too. I wonder if him supporting her on Houston's birthday will wind up deepening their bond beyond something purely physical. I'm glad that some of the beats of this story worked for you. The past of Cole/Celeste is still there and it IS mentioned again in season 3. This story has some more legs, because of Celeste's lingering feelings. Even though she chose Mac, there is obviously still something there between Cole and Celeste. I thought Vivian and Cole's affair would be a great way to keep Vivian engaged in the storyline's and create more conflict between Lydia and Vivian. The Vivian/Cole relationship has great effects next season as well. Lydia really emerged as more of a villain this season. I was glad to see everyone turn on her for all the shitty things she's done -- her scheme to steal all of their proxies was nuts, so it was nice to see them catch on to what she'd done. I was a little confused about some of the stuff going on at Rockwell, I have to say. Like how could she just tell Marat he wasn't getting the 5% he'd been promised? Wouldn't that be breach of contract? I was waiting for him to threaten legal action or do something about it, but he just kind of stood around waiting for it to be resolved. I was excited to have someone new and unconnected to the family around for this season, but Marat's stuff felt the least developed this season. I did like seeing Stacey start to come out of her grief (though I miss her working in the mine's cafeteria! The contrast of the princess working a menial job was really interesting), and even Houston is a part of her that no one can ever take away from her, it's good for her to move on. There's also a lot of potential in whatever Marat's past with Celeste is. I can't remember if it was episode 2.02 or .03 there but there a discussion where Lydia said that there was a clause in the contract with the Russian mine that they could make any changes at any time. I know you like the characters outside the family, so I'm glad he worked for you. Once Mac got the company back, his "conflict" was sort of gone, but because of the clause in the contract, he couldn't really do anything. I was also thinking of bringing Marat's father on, but I'm still on the fence about that. The Stacey/Marat relationship is much more flushed out, as is the Celeste/Marat connection. I have a feeling Season 3 will feature some sort of redemption for Lydia, but we'll see. She can't really go that much further down, can she? I have to say, I'm not sure I see her and Kent ever getting married. I feel like they might turn on each other if it were ever beneficial to one or either. Yes, this entire season was really having everyone turn on Lydia in some way, not that anyone can be blamed because she did do a lot of shitty stuff. The only people who might have been out of line are Cole & Celeste because Celeste falling down the stairs was an accident, Lydia didn't push her. But I loved the scenes with everyone turning against her. It feels very classic soap to me. It was about time that Lex finally came out to the family. and it was interesting how Odette and Jarek's plans sort of laid the groundwork for 'Phase 2' of this season. I couldn't believe Jarek was so cavalier about poisoning and killing Lex -- I guess it remains to be seen how he really feels about him, but I can't imagine having real feelings for someone and then being so casual about murdering them! I loved how Odette put her own plan in motion and then lost control of herself. Good for Mac for standing up to her blackmail. That was smart and made me feel like he's the sort of guy who could've built an empire. When I was writing Jarek last season, I did have it in my mind that he was in love with Lex, but that somehow changed by his feelings and drive for his mother. Odette's influence on him has changed him - although, early next season, you do see him how he will feel bad for Lex's current situation. I'm really glad that you liked the Mac not giving in to Odette because I wanted him to be smart enough to not fall for this (which I think the entire Kent being Lex's father sort of made him seem dumb, which isn't the case). It was also nice seeing more of Lucinda this season. She seems like a broad who really can't be messed with, though I'd love to see her really follow through on some of her threats! (BTW, you have Bette Midler listed as Bette Davis in Lucinda's profile, which gave me a LOL.) OMG! I will change that ASAP. Haha ... thanks for the heads up! And, I can't give too much away about next season, but Lucinda isn't a woman who just makes threats If I were to have one real criticism, it's that the series really feels small sometimes, especially for characters in a world that's supposed to be very grand. We really only see the same 10 or so people, in the same 4-5 locations. I know this is exacerbated by binge-reading, but it gets to be a little crazy how everyone just ping-pong from the one office at Rockwell Mining to the country club to the Rockwell living room. And we don't really ever see them interact with anyone outside that small circle. It would be fun to see things broaden a little in Season 3. Like do the Rockwell kids have any friends? Does anyone else work at the company? Do they ever go to any other places to eat? Also a result of binge-reading: it's no wonder these people always have so much drama, because they must always be wasted! They drink so much! Well, I appreciate these comments just as much as the parts of the series that you enjoyed. I think the "small" feeling comes from the fact that Kelsey Lake is a small town. Before S1, I did research on where in the US they actually mine diamonds, and Kelsey Lake was the only place that had a mine (it's not active anymore), so that's why I picked that city. Because my biggest inspiration for the series was Dynasty, I actually hate that Kelsey Lake is in Colorado, because that's where Dynasty took place. Anyways, the few settings is really because it's a small town. I can't imagine that a small town would really have many great restaurants, you know? In terms of the characters, I will actually defend the way the series is. I'll reference Dynasty again, because that is my biggest inspiration for the series, but in all the seasons, Fallon or Alexis never had lunch or a drink with a friend, it was always their lovers, enemies or family. On ODaaT, where the cast is more between 25-30 characters and it's a much slower pace, there's time for people to get together, whom are friends/family, to just chat and catch up (and audience expects that). On a a primetime feel series, I think because the cast is smaller and its a faster paced, IMO, there's just no point to see Cole with a buddy talking about Celeste because the storyline wouldn't be moved forward. I haven't started to write S3 yet, but it more of the same, in the sense that it's just the same core characters playing out the drama. But, I can say that there are two new characters coming! Anyway, thanks for the fun read for my holiday week. I love having a primetime-style webseries around to pick up the mantle of The Blackthornes. Can't wait for more! Congrats on a successful season. Thank you for reading - I really appreciate that you take the time to read my work and leave feedback. I take everything you say to heart and always try to improve because I consider Footprints one of the best online series ever! Dallas |
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