Hot Styles - Episode 48

[amyk]

Okay, so I watched this one tonight....I give it a 7 on the Sidney scale. If BA were actually in it, I would likely rank it at least an 8 because I do enjoy quite a lot in this one. However, I don't like that they cast Markie Post as Rena, only because she already portrayed Leslie. If they wanted her to guest star again, I would have preferred that they bring back the Leslie character. Otherwise, I would have preferred a different actress. On the other hand, Markie Post does play the Rena character quite well and does not make me feel like I'm watching "Leslie reincarnated" so perhaps it is not really that big of a deal that they brought her back in another role. Or maybe it is a testimony of her good acting skills that she can play such a different character in the same series.

Some of my favorite parts: Murdock's fashions, the way that Face knew Rena would tell on him to Turien so how he didn't actually switch the film, and the scene when Murdock and Hannibal salute the flag.

[sidney]

You know what? I completely agree. Having the same actress play a new role wasn't cool. It worked well with other guest stars, but I would have liked Leslie to reappear as well. And as much as I like Markie Post, maybe having a different actress would have made Rena more likable. Because honestly I don't find Rena likable what-so-ever. I love the idea behind Rena, and that she was mom who just wanted to protect her child. But the way it played out, you weren't feeling compassion for her, you were feeling like she was a nuisance.

I'm really surprised they didn't just scam some already made fashions, to be honest. It probably would have made more sense than having Murdock create some designs and then finding a crew of elderly women to sew them. There's a lot involved in that, including making the patterns, finding the different material, constructing it... I know The ATeam are super powered and can disassemble a truck and bury it in a matter of minutes and then reassemble it just as fast, so I guess they can do anything.

[amyk]

And did Face scam those sewing machines from somewhere?

I also wondered if Rena divorced Turien's brother. I assume she did. I think she said he killed someone. Did she say he is in prison? Or do we assume he is deceased? And also do you think that Rena's son is Turien's nephew? Would he really kill his own nephew by throwing him to sharks? Don't even mobsters have some kind of family loyalty and wouldn't Turien's brother be pretty angry with Turien if Turien killed his son?

[sidney]

I always assumed that the boy was his nephew.

Mobsters and bad guys usually have family loyalty. According to tv and movies. But maybe this guy was just the baddest of the bad and felt no loyalty what-so-ever. It's possible that he was just a complete sociopath. Maybe killing his own nephew meant absolutely nothing to him. In which case, we're lucky the team stepped in.

BA should have done the designs. He had the most fashion-sense. Hear me out! Murdock wore the same pair of pants and a tshirt every day. BA took risks, made bold choices, and combined elements you'd never combine! He should have been the designer. I actually think it would have been more believable!

[amyk]

I think that it could have been funny if Face and BA had to work together to make fashion designs.

[sidney]

Do you think Face would have been interested in Rena had he known about the boy ahead of time? Were there other episodes where the girl he dated had a kid? I'm thinking about TIMBER!, but did he ever pursue her? I remember him being flirtatious, but I don't think he put the moves on her, did he? I'm going to have to watch that one again.

[amyk]

Maybe one of the reasons I like TIMBER so much is because Samantha is not your typical "fall into Face's arms" kind of woman. I don't think he really tried to pursue her too much.

Hmm....if Face knew Rena had a son, I don't know that he would have pursued her as much. For one thing, that would complicate things even more as far as keeping his cover. And even how they talk at the end of the episode, they both knew it could not really work out for them to have a lasting relationship, with or without the son in the picture.

[sidney]

Was she believable as a model? Was Markie Post believable in the role? I'm just thinking about the time and its treatment of women. Most of the time, the women cast opposite the guys are young enough to be their daughters. Isn't she too old to be a hot fashion model? This would be a woman character that they'd need to cast young, as most models are in their teens/early twenties.

Also, how much do you think Face spent on this/where did he get this?

[amyk]

Maybe Face scammed that necklace? Would he do that, even for a woman that he really cared about? Sad to say it, but yes, I think maybe he would!

I don't know about Markie Post as the model....were the models as young then? How old was Christie Brinkley when she was really popular as a model?

[sidney]

I really don't think he cared about her. This is EXACTLY like Leslie. He was lying to her. He was probably going to cut her loose when he got bored. What changed for him was suddenly there was a chase. She was needing help... And he helps those in need... But then she was pushing him away. As soon as she started pushing him away, she became irresistible to him.

Why didn't Hannibal and the team put up more resistance to helping Rena, like they did Leslie. Was it solely because there was expense in travelling to save Leslie? They made him pay them for that one. Yet, for Rena, they just took his word for it and dove in. Maybe Hannibal was bored? What was really different between saving the two girls?

[amyk]

I think that the team will always try to help someone in trouble. I think with Leslie, the rest of the team didn't really understand that she was in trouble, but once they realized that she (and the orphanage) was in trouble, they were all in.

[sidney]

Do you think Murdock really put bricks under the seat, or was that something he just said to be silly?

[amyk]

Oh, I think maybe he really did that!

[sidney]

Whether or not someone thinks he really put the bricks there is indicative of their opinion of whether or not he is actually crazy. I thought he was just joking. I do NOT think he's actually crazy like he pretends to be.

I seriously doubt BA fixed the suspension to accommodate his weight on the drivers side. He cant weigh THAT much... Think of how Hannibal carries him draped over his shoulder all the time. Hannibal would be a good weight then, too. I doubt it would be very different from BA, to be honest.

[amyk]

Well, they also don't always have BA driving the van....Amy has driven it before. So if BA had it fixed for his exact weight, then it may be a problem when others would be driving it.