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« Tell Me You Love Me
Episode 1 & 2 Recap: "Getting to Know You"
Since there was no posting last week for the premiere, I am going to dive right in and combine my impressions of Episodes 2 and 1.
This totally engrossing drama about three couples with relationship problems not only has great acting but raises questions about the differences between sex, love and intimacy. Does sex equal love? Can we love without intimacy? And while the sex scenes may be titillating, their true meanings are found not only by examining why and when it's happening but by contrasting that with what is said during therapy sessions.
Jamie and Hugo are twentysomethings engaged to be married. Though Hugo (Luke Farrell Kirby) says he loves Jamie (Michelle Borth), she overhears him doubt that anyone can be attracted to one person for the rest of his or her life. This is a huge red flag for Jamie. As her jealousy grows and her trust wanes, Hugo tries to reassure her by vowing to be monogamous. But can he stay true? Are her accusations of him flirting irrational? They retain a passion for each other and continue to have spontaneous sex, but is this the result of raging hormones or an attempt to avoid talking and understanding what makes the other tick? In any case, trust is an issue, and she plans to leave without working it out.
Carolyn and Palek mark their one-year anniversary of trying to conceive a baby with a visit to their therapist, Dr. May Foster (Jane Alexander). As their session begins, they turn off their cell phones (signifying their connection to others?). Carolyn (Sonya Walger) says she doesn't blame Palek (Adam Scott) for not being able to get pregnant, but her actions suggest otherwise. Carolyn lies about going to the clinic, and is so obsessed with having a baby that she considers insemination by an anonymous donor.
Palek's actions also speak louder than words. He tells Dr. May that sex with Carolyn is great, but later on he would rather watch a football game and eat a sandwich than have sex on demand when Carolyn says she’s "estrogenic." He also refers to himself as a "sperm machine."
Dr. May gives them a homework assignment: to temporarily forget about getting pregnant. With the pressure lifted, they find private time in a bedroom while visiting Palek's mother. Their sex now seems more like lovemaking because of the spontaneity. Does Carolyn's intense desire for a baby suggest something lacking in the relationship? And is sex for reproduction instead of intimacy pushing them apart?
Katie and David is probably the most interesting couple of the three. When Katie (Ally Walker) sees David (Tim DeKay) manually stimulating himself, she realizes what they aren't doing, and haven't done in a year. The fact that David is sneaky about it shows that he still has sexual urges.
They say they love each other, but their conversations end up being about the kids. And David substitutes material objects for affection when he wants to buy Katie a new car. Or maybe it's to buy her off so she won't visit Dr. May, since he's afraid that her therapy sessions will turn them into a "couple with problems."
Katie thinks having sex will help fix the marriage. Will it? Dr. May suggests that Katie remember herself as a sexual person. We next see her stimulating herself first on the bed, then in the bathroom, then giving up. These two aren't communicating, verbally or intimately. Can just knowing they love each other be enough?
May and Arthur are in their sixties and appear to maintain a healthy love life. Arthur (David Selby), who is retired, assists May in choosing photos of intertwined nude bodies (without faces) for a book she is writing called "Bed Dread." Later, May returns a call she received from "John" and says she cares about him. Who is John, and why does May convey a serious tone when she informs Arthur of the call?
Where are these couples headed in their relationships? Can they withstand the scrutiny of therapy?
For more Tell Me You Love Me, check out our Online Video Guide.
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Sep 17, 2007 12:11 AM
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I definitely preferred this week's episode to last week's. I see that the show is actually going somewhere so I'm glad I gave it a chance.
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Sep 17, 2007 3:39 PM
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Just wondering, why a blog for a show that premiered to less then a million viewers?
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Sep 17, 2007 4:42 PM
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I gave it a chance, then gave it up. No prude am I, ever! But sex scenes like violence, should be natural to the plot; they should not BE the plot. [see The Sopranos as an example of how it should be done] I think HBO is desperate and has pushed the envelope as far as it could go (at the moment), in the hopes of building momentum for one of its dismal shows. By the end of the first episode, all I could think about was, 'no, not another instructional lesson from the "Joy of Sex"'. The characters are interesting, and I would have liked to follow their stories, but on the other hand, there is way too much good TV on right now, for me to waste my time.
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Sep 18, 2007 8:33 AM
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Humorless, grim characters, bad sex, unrelenting misery... PASS.
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Sep 18, 2007 9:01 AM
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This show is a bit painful to watch. I actually have to fast forward through the sex scenes because they're just NOT FUN. And is it just me, or does Palek look (and act) like Carolyn's son and not her husband?
I can't find one character I like on this show and I've tried really, really hard. Once the primetime season starts, Bros & Sis is going to win out over this HANDS DOWN.
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Sep 18, 2007 10:30 AM
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I'm sticking with the show for a while longer because I think it does a great job of showing what real couples go through and how a lack of communication in a relationship can be so damaging. I definitely feel like I'm being a voyeur watching these couples and I don't mean just the sex. It's not a feel good show and I'm not sure I can handle the consistently grim tone for the rest of its season, especially with the fall season starting soon and so many new shows I want to check out plus returning favorites. I don't really know what kind of audience the show will attract in the long run and I'm thinking it probably won't last but I'm still very impressed with the actors and the writing. Then again, I imagine it isn't a very expensive show to produce for HBO so they may just keep it since they sure aren't spending the money on the shows they should have, like Carnivale, Deadwood and Rome.
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Sep 18, 2007 1:12 PM
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This show is scary real. I'm guessing that a lot of people who watch it are made uncomfortable by its forthrightness, but I think that it's one of the best things HBO has run.
Pity it's not drawing flies...
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Sep 18, 2007 10:54 PM
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I admit I fast forward through the sex scenes too. I do like this show's idea though. I mean, to me it appears to be about male/female relationships at every stage of life... 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s.
I love the relationship bubble that everyone appears to be in. All of their friends just seem to be superficial and as if they don't talk to them very much. It's interesting how true a lot of the plots can be for some people.
It's no Carnivale, Deadwood, or Rome though.
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Sep 20, 2007 3:25 PM
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