Xenos

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan...Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!

Cho-cho-chocolate and Laura the bendy Hooker. What more could you ask for. Damn good looking boots.

And dentists! Who would have guessed. I want to party with those guys!

Is this enough X? Too bad, I'm gonna polish off the cookie dough and rewind to Laura's little diversion. (Fine, I'll share.)
 

The XenosHubby
Acapulco!

Here is what I liked:

Laura quoting a movie, "Boomtown" to her sister
Meeting Laura's sister, Frances, and her husband Donald
Learning more about Laura's past, she hated being compared to her sister
Remington being jealous
Laura's hooker outfit and all that makeup
The Holt curse and the way both Laura and Frances say cho-cho-chocolate
Laura in that toothpaste costume, so cute

It seems that Mr. Holt left the family when Laura was pretty young. Frances complained of getting into trouble for not watching Laura and her spilling red wine while Abigail was on a date.

Found it hard to believe that the killer would murder two people, and ransack the hotel rooms leaving his fingerprints all over the place.

Didn't like that there was little romance in this episode and the kiss seemed kind of meaningless.

Isabel
 
 

But the ages do not add up to Laura telling Steele her father left when she was 16, just two episodes ago. You have Francis married 15 years but she wasn't married when her father left (but near enough Abigail was pushing an engagement) which would make Laura (now about 28) younger than 16, more around 12 or 13. This show was never any good with dates and continuity especially concerning Laura. (Steele was easier to play with because they rarely gave concrete dates) Not only are the years with her family screwed up the years with the agency, Havenhurst, college etc don't add up and rarely are the same twice. Not to mention the actress playing Francis is only 4 years older than SZ and they don't act like sisters who had a large age difference between them, tops 5 years.

I love the scene where Laura is talking to Donald and Remington and Whittaker are watching through the plants!

And of course there is the cho-cho-late:)

First things first...I apologize for the XenosHubby's pitiful post. Obviously, he couldn't think straight yet from the effects of seeing Laura as a hooker.

Oh, how I love this episode. Susan Baskin is one of my favorite RS writers. Such fun, such witty dialog, such insights into the secret world of dentists! They party as hard as bankers! Who would have thunk it, eh? I gotta start with the dialog. Here are my favorites:

Frances: Mother was right. You should be glad you don’t have someone special enough in your life to break your heart, Laura. (Poor Laura!!! If it's not Abigail, it's Frances!)

Mildred: Please, Mr. Steele. Oh boss … don’t … you—you’re not going to fire her, are you?"
Remington: I’m afraid she’s on the thin edge, Mildred. The thin edge.
Mildred: Oh, Miss Holt is a very hard worker. I know that you’re angry … oh please, give her just one more chance. (HA!)

Frances: I knew it, I just knew it! GET OUT! The party’s over! Go home to your wives and children. Feed the dog, water the lawn, go to church and pray for forgiveness! (Love how she makes "pray" a two syllable word!)

Donald: Frances!
Frances: Adulterer!
Remington: Apparently Frances and Donald are already acquainted.
Donald: What are you doing here?
Frances: Confirming what I already know.
Remington: And judging from the shrill tone, I’d say they were husband and wife. (*chuckle*)

Donald: Frannie, how could you doubt me? When the evidence of my undying faithfulness is everywhere. Could a man who’s having an affair dig a new cesspool? (Eeewwwwwwwwww!)

Laura: I too have dreams. Warm, sensuous dreams. I walk into a dark room, and a deep bath of chocolate awaits me. I lower myself into it. I’m covered in chocolate. And I discover what the pursuit of happiness means. (OK...I, too, have warm and sensuous dreams...Only I lower Mr. Steele into the chocolate bath and discover the pursuit of happiness!!! Oh-ho-ho, yeh-heh-hes!!!)

Yes...Great dialog, indeed! Plus...Pierce looks freakin' hot in this episode, eh?!

Other great scenes:
1. The kiss at the loft (of course). LOVE it when Mr. Steele is jealous!!! He looks so cute!!! Love how Mr. Steele leans over the couch and pulls Laura in. (If I were Laura, I would have pulled him down on top of me and made out like a bandit! Who cares if Donald and Frances were there?! Grrrrrrrr!!!) Did I mention how great Mr. Steele looked?
2. Dr. Bridges and his "lady of the evening" (or should I call her a "love broker") walking through the hotel lobby. Pierce was so incredibly funny with the "carefully crafted alginate impression", almost using it as a puppet! And Steph looked GREAT in that outfit. Trampy...But great. (The XenosHubby wants me to get an outfit like that.)
3. Frances stuffing her mouth with cho-cho-chocolate under the table.
4. The "Frances...Don't...Go in...There" scene.
5. Remington as Dr. Bridges joining the party. "Which side am I on?" LOL!

Other observations/comments:
1. I LOVE the actors who portrayed Donald and Frances! You really get the "married vibe" between them. LOL!
2. What's with RS and the name "Myrtle"?!
3. Remington watching Laura with Donald and getting jealous...*sigh* LOVE it when he's jealous. He's so gorgeous!!! Plus, Pierce does some of his best work in this series with ficuses! LOL!
4. Poor Laura...First a bunny rabbit in "Steele's Gold" now a tube of toothpaste!
5. Love the relationship between Laura and Frances. The whole "I ran away" scene speaks volumes about both Holt sisters. Good grief! I would have run, too!
6. Love that Laura's starting to quote old movies, too! He's really under her skin now...No question about it! (I was gonna follow that with, "Now if he could only get under her skirt"...But I changed my mind. Too crass.)
7. Love the whole safety deposit box key/the will/the insurance policy bit.
8. Holy crap, did Pierce look good in this episode!!!

OK...I'm done now. Thanks for reading!
 

Xenos

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan...Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy! 

I also loved it when Mr. Steele got jealous of Donald. Though I found the chocoholic thing a little annoyingly over the top, I have to say.

Susanna

Frances?
ADULTERER.

That is a very messy bathroom.

"Mom, usually your hair looks sort of frazzled."
 

Okay well, since it's now officially summer (not like I haven't been out of school for almost a month...) My brain has shut off and I can no longer make witty, insightful responses to the episodes. Umm.. so here goes.

I liked getting a look at Laura's past again. It's always fun when we get some Frances time (she's only on the show like what.. twice?).
Steele lurking behind plants to spy on Laura, being jealous. That was funny, enjoyable.

I can't understand how you could NOT eat chocolate. How can you not even be able to say it?.. It's like my favorite thing in the entire world. No matter what, it's there for you. Got in a fight? There's chocolate! Failed a test? There's chocolate! Accidentally run someone over driving home from work? There's jail!.. and then perhaps chocolate when you've served your sentence... :)

Once again Pierce looks smokin' hot. I liken him to a magnet. He just attracts me like crazy. Teehee... ugh. this is just embarrassing. See what happens when I'm not in school.. loose all brain stimulation, can barely put sentences together. I'm gonna get it together though. Taking some correspondence classes over the summer to lighten the load in grade 12 heheh... I should be back to my old self soon enough.

I'm gonna go eat some chocolate ice cream now (it's hot out!) and soak in some quality RS eps, of my choice...aaah see you ladies later!

"You lived with a man who wears white belts? Am I disappointed"
BoaW 08/07

Ooh ooh ah
Now I told you so you ought to know
Ooh it takes some time for a feelin' to grow
Ooh you're so close now I can't let you go
Ooh and I can't let go

With you I'm not shy to show the way I feel
With you I might try my secrets to reveal
For you are a magnet and I am steel

I can't hope that I'll hold you for long
Ooh you're a woman who's lost to your song
Ooh but the love that I feel is so strong
Ooh and it can't be wrong

With you I'm not shy to show the way I feel
With you I might try my secrets to reveal
For you are a magnet and I am steel

With you I'm not shy to show the way I feel
With you I might try my secrets to reveal
For you are a magnet and I am steel

For you are a magnet and I am steel
For you are a magnet and I am steel

(Courtesy of Leo's Lyrics)

Guess I'll have to go download that song now. Darn it!
 

Xenos

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan...Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy! 

"You lived with a man who wears white belts? Am I disappointed"
BoaW 08/07

Another example where the guest stars get to have all the raunchy fun animal sex -- and we don't care! Here it's even worse because it's more than once. Pffft.

This episode starts off slowly - not just because it's 5 minutes or so of criminal hijinks to start off with but then it's 5 plus more minutes before Steele even shows up. This was worse on PAX where they often cut the Steele entering the office scene and he didn't show up until the hotel about 1/3rd into the episode and even then he only has a couple of minutes and then is off screen again until the episode is almost 1/2 over. As Susan Baskin says on the commentary as soon as he walks into the frame the energy level goes up. Steele bristles with energy and vitality. When he's off screen for so long the show drags for me. "Morning morning morning!" indeed.

Poor Francis, she goes in the script from tall, sophisticated and elegant to a "suburban matron" in a mink. But the actress is wonderful. As is the actor that plays Donald. They're a very believable couple. Laura and Francis also make believable siblings, especially with Laura in the unusual for her care taker position for her older sister. Laura gets extra points for a movie annotation. She also does a good job of being the caring voice of reason. I like their discussing their childhood together over a glass a wine. Baskin said it was a conscious choice by her to make Laura warmer here and I think it works.

Pierce plays Steele's jealousy well though it's stretch to believe Steele is jealous of Donald -- then again Laura has shown that she likes rather innocuous looking nebbishes (e.g. Wilson - later we see she's also not adverse to Neanderthals -- I guess she likes extremes) Still the behind the plant acting -- funny stuff.

Love the keep away game with the teeth.

Steel's facial expressions as he tries to figure out what's going on around him -- who's related to whom and doing what to whom-- priceless.
 

"Francis -- don't-- go -- in -- there -- "

Marvelous physical and vocal choreography by the actors and Francis's great subdued reaction when she comes out of the bathroom.

There are some great insights from the commentary with Baskin and Gleason, both on the plot and structure of the show, the characters and their relationship. A very enjoyable listen. When all four characters are in the loft it's an interest observation that Donald and Francis are on the level above -- not just in terms of geography but their relationship. That Steele and Laura's relationship is incipient. Love Steele's tugging of Laura's belt into a kiss -- very proprietary and playful.

One of my favorite commentary bits is also from this scene:
 

    Baskin: You always get the sense that Remington is absorbing everything.

    Gleason: Yes, Pierce does project a great intelligence even when he's confused, which I think is the mark of a really terrific actor. Even when he's confused he's processing.

    Baskin: Nothing is ever lost on him. And he also projects a real emotional intelligence, which in terms of his persona you wouldn't necessarily expect. He was great at playing a rogue but never a cad.
 

Completely spot on.

Where oh where did Laura get the clothes for her hooker outfit? OK the sweater is a normal (tight) sweater just unbuttoned and the boots maybe belonged to another outfit -- but that short little skirt? I'd love to see the scene where Steele is going through her closet picking out clothes and dressing her up for her disguise, because you know it was his idea. He can't find a skirt short enough so they stop off in the gift shop to finish tarting her up. :D

One of my favorite bits of physical comedy anywhere on the show (maybe anywhere) -- Steele with the teeth and how he keeps clicking them open and closed for emphasis -- especially when Laura does Cho-cho-chocolate and he's miming her with the teeth! LOL! Just inspired.

Laura's hooker outfit - SZ has never looked so sexy or seemingly comfortable in her sexuality. Usually when she plays at seductress I find her stiff and unsexy (e.g. her high school temptress in a braid and one piece in Steele Away With Me). She seems liberated by her hooker attire, she should have worn it more often. The outfit also emphasizes her legs-- probably her greatest physical asset. Her hair also looks great.

Speaking of fashion -- marvelous dark pinstripe and dark wine tie on Steele and it better be he only has the one outfit in this episode until the end tag.

Laura isn't nearly as appealing as a rolled up tube of toothpaste. LOL How do you even get into a costume like that?

Steele's absolute pleasure at Laura's chocolate weakness is a great character point. They both know what's in the present which is why he wants her to open it and she wants to avoid it. But he tempts her until she actually rips the wrapping paper off (no careful undoing and saving here) and then there's the humor, glee and interest on his face as he watches her do it. He enjoys her weaknesses as much as her strengths -- as he says in Diced it makes her appealingly human.

Although I question the sanity of Laura's dreams where she "discovers what the pursuit of happiness means" (chocolate over Mr Steele?) I'm thankful that this character point has been used in some very fun fan fiction. ;)

Isabel

Xenos

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan...Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!

I just love Susan Baskin's scripts. I like the way they delve into Laura's background and fill in the missing pieces from her past. Maryedith Burrell and Michael Durrell are also great fun as Frances and Donald. And while my own case is not as severe as the "Holt curse", I can certainly relate to their chocoholism!

This ep kinda starts slowly for me. I realize we need to set everything up, but Frances' conversation with Cookie (and our thinking that perhaps that's Donald - and not Howard) is the main burst of life in the first 5 minutes.

Memorable Stuff

- Frances wearing her fur coat to LA. Does it ever get cold enough in LA to need a fur? (It is pretty, though)
- I love how they have both a dental convention and a chocolate convention in the same hotel at the same time.
- After Donald sends Howard off to the shower, he asks for the teeth and Cookie pulls them from under the covers. Ya gotta wonder at what plans Cookie & Howard had for them!
- Steele getting all bent out of shape at Laura going off on her own and Mildred pleading with him not to fire Laura.
- Laura walking in on Donald and Cookie and his reaction when he realizes how it appears. Love that Donald travels with an 8x10 of him and Frances to display in his hotel room.
- Steele jealous when he thinks Laura & Donald are having a clandestine affair. Hide-n-seek behind the foliage!
- Steele's chagrin when his veiled suggestions as to Laura's activities of the morning start Frances off on a crying jag.
- Playing keep-away/football with the teeth
- Frances "cleaning house" of all the partiers in Donald's room
- Steele using the teeth like a puppet. Even mimicing Laura trying to say cho-choc-chocolate. Great piece of acting.
- Frances hoarding chocolate in her purse.
 

Character Development

- Frances and Donald have been married 15 years, probably putting Frances in her mid-30s, so she's 6-7 years older than Laura. But timeline inconsistencies abound regarding Laura's background.
- Laura "rebels" by becoming a detective; Frances "rebels" by going to a dental convention with Donald before they got married
- Frances reinforces Abigail's opinion that Laura should be thankful "she doesn't have someone special"
- Laura unconciously giving the annotation for the film "Boom Town". Mr. Steele is under her skin! (and he'd be so proud of her if only he'd known)
- The talk between Laura & Frances at the loft. The perfect one vs. the rebel. Living the life mother wanted vs. living the life you want. Great revelations and spot-on as far as sisters who aren't particularly close.
- The Holt Curse: cho-choc-chocolate. Great fun. Nice to see them bonding over it.
- Wild Laura (fully appreciated by Mr. Steele) reappearing briefly to play hooker and distract the policeman
 

Favorite lines

Frances: Mother was right. You should be glad that you don't have someone special enough in your life to break your heart, Laura.
L: I thank the Lord for that every day, Frances.
--------------
R: Tell me, what mode of transportation did she use?
M: The limo, I think.
R: I see. Then would you be good enough to call Fred on the car phone? Can't have her wandering off by herself on a case; far too inexperienced. (Ha! He wishes. He's just feeling left out)
--------------
L: STOP THAT TOOTH!
 

Hair & Clothing

- Not crazy about Laura's turquoise shirtdress
- Howard in those boxers. Yuck! At least he has something on under them besides just skin.
- Steele's dark suit looks (as usual) just smashing on him.
- Laura's hooker outfit - certainly does the job! And the hair is faboo.
- The toothpaste costume! (and Mr Steele checking out its fit on her)
- I like Laura's outfit in the tag scene and her hair looks great too.
 

Goofs, Headscratchers & Misc

- Wasn't Wendell awfully close to all that gasoline when he lit the fire?
- Frances only mentions Mindy and Danny. Guess Laurie Beth was an afterthought? Later on, Donald only mentions the two kids as well.
- Laura struggles both to pick up and to carry Frances' two smaller bags (nice bit of subtle physical comedy) yet Frances picks up her huge bag with no problems. While I can see Frances being an efficient packer (strategically storing each item), I suspect she'd bring everything she owns.
- Wendell hasn't hesitated to kill 2 people, yet when he confronts Steele for the teeth, he only chops him on the neck. Yet he turns right around and shoots the police officer. Why leave Mr. Steele as a witness? (Well, other than the fact that he's the hero!)