Insatiable: Season 1/ Episode 5 “Bikinis and Bitches” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
As the episode addresses body dysmorphia, trans issues, and Nonnie’s sexuality, we get a slight reprieve from what Insatiable usually puts out. [adinserter name=”General Ads”] Network Netflix Director(s) Andrew Fleming Writer(s) Lauren Gussis, Andrew Green Air Date 8/10/2018 Actors Introduced Julie Michelle Hendley Child Sex Crime: Regina, Dixie, Patty, Bob A, Bob B, Coralee, Christian…
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As the episode addresses body dysmorphia, trans issues, and Nonnie’s sexuality, we get a slight reprieve from what Insatiable usually puts out.
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| Network | ||
| Netflix | ||
| Director(s) | Andrew Fleming | |
| Writer(s) | Lauren Gussis, Andrew Green | |
| Air Date | 8/10/2018 | |
| Actors Introduced | ||
| Julie | Michelle Hendley | |
Child Sex Crime: Regina, Dixie, Patty, Bob A, Bob B, Coralee, Christian
Karma is quite swift acting on Insatiable. One day Patty blows up Bob A and Coralee’s marriage and the next day Regina sets up Patty by making it seem she circulated nudes of her daughter Dixie. Taking a page out of Coralee’s book. Because of this, The Miss Magic Jesus competition eliminates Patty and combine that with Bob A learning how Patty screwed him over, and she has no one. Well, besides Nonnie.
However, with Christian pushing the idea he can find out who did it, if Bob A gets him a slap on the wrist from Bob B, so comes a conundrum. Mostly for Bob A for he learns Coralee ran to Bob B when she needed time to think. So, while he, as a favor to Christian’s mom, who donates to WMBS, was in process of arranging Christian to go to jail, as a favor to Coralee, he does a 180. For between doing something unethical for Coralee or helping Patty and maybe winning pageants, he decides to side with Patty. Only to learn Christian played them both.
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Luckily, things narrow down to Regina using her cellmate to send out the pics, Bob A manipulates her, the cellmate, Regina gets a longer sentence, and all is well – Except for Bob A and Coralee’s marriage.
Commentary
I get writers find it fun to write characters who behave badly in some sort of ridiculous way. But, come on. Why would Regina agree to have sexual pictures of her daughter circulate throughout her school? I know she is supposed to be stupid but come the f*** on. Then with Coralee, one of the factors of you marrying this man was him becoming a lawyer over working in sales. What do you think could happen if he was caught intentionally trying to screw over his client so that his wife’s organization continued to receive payment? Be it through public opinion, much less being disbarred, his life and yours would be over.
But, nothing “funny” on this show really does well if put under a microscope. Because it isn’t funny at all. It is just someone doing something stupid, and someone reacting by either doing something as done or manipulating someone to at least get back to square one.
Daddy Wasn’t There: Patty, Brick, Bob A
As briefly seen in one of the first episodes, Bob and his dad aren’t close. Also, as noted in an early episode, Bob and Brick are so distant that learning Brick is his son is almost a surprise. He barely talks about him and before learning Bob and Coralee were married for decades, you’d assume Brick was Bob’s stepson. Alas, he is biological and the reason they are so distant is a similar reason to why Bob Sr. was distant from Bob Jr – he wasn’t what he wanted really.
To put it simply, Bob Sr. wanted a man’s man and Bob Jr. seemingly wanted a girly girl. Neither got what they wanted so they might have raised their sons, supported them financially, but were never close. Patty kind of changes that by getting them both to recognize how many don’t get a chance to correct their past or have any kind of relationship with their dad.
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Leading to, for Bob, him maybe not getting Coralee back but at least getting to bond with his son.
Commentary
If Insatiable was called a bait and switch, would the bait be the bad jokes or when it actually pursues touching moments? For this whole Brick and Bob thing was just a warm-up. One which, as with all touching moments on this show, which someone foolishly thought should be an hour, feels like it could have gone deeper but it didn’t. But, hey, from a turd grows flowers so, I guess we should appreciate what we get?
Never Enough: Patty, Nonnie, Magnolia, Bob A, Brick, Julie, Dixie
Magnolia, Patty’s would be competition, decides to help Patty after seeing her harassed when everyone assumes she is lesbian. Which she denies, as does Nonnie who is assumed to be Patty’s new girlfriend. More on her in a second. Anyway, to help Patty reform her image, and get on the board of Miss Magic Jesus’ good side, it is recommended she raise money for charity. Especially since most girls already raised about $5,000 for their own causes.
As for what is Patty’s cause? Well, [tooltips keyword=’body dysmorphia’ content = ‘ A mental illness involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance.’] is decided on and she’ll be raising money to help an eating disorder clinic. So far, sounds like a good idea right? Problem is, then bikinis get involved, alongside washing things. Something Nonnie raises a red flag over but is immediately railroaded.
That is, until Patty sees herself in a bikini and we get some real genuine moments. Mostly around the idea that, even thin as she is, she isn’t think enough to be in a bikini. Leading her to, for most of the event, be covered up. However, with meeting a trans girl named Julie, someone also uncomfortable in her skin, she finds a kindred spirit in a way. One who understand, but for different reasons.
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But, from what it seems, they may share a moment but don’t become friends. Who she does become friends with though is Brick. Someone who, after Dixie scares the cheerleader and paegent types away, brings some ladies from the LGBTQ center, including the aforementioned Julie, to help. Add on him saying he called them over specifically to help Patty, and noting that he has spoken to her more than he has to Magnolia in a year of them dating, and it seems he is moving on.
Picking back up on Nonnie, with all these LGBTQ people around, and so many assuming she is lesbian, she asks a woman who is queer how she knew. Leading to, you guessed it, all of that woman’s signs matching Nonnie. Leaving us to wonder if Nonnie may officially come out and also out as what?
Commentary
What has kept me going is when this show stops trying to be funny and gets to the heart of each character’s issue. For talking about Patty eating birthday cake out of a trash can isn’t funny. It’s sad and not something you can easily make a joke out of. In fact, you have to wonder if the show even tries to make any kind of “Laugh to keep from crying” moments.
That thought aside, the dressing room scene and Patty in the bathroom with Julie hit hard. Almost got me teary-eyed. For the dressing room scene felt very authentic. This idea that, even though Patty is thinner now, and gets all this attention, is she thin enough to do what people who have been thin all their lives do? Like, put on a bikini in public and know the stares aren’t because of some flaw she sees but the beauty others see. Ryan’s tears seemingly came from a personal place and when Nonnie hit her with that:
That messed me up. As I type this out I get teary eyed. And that is what frustrates me so much about this damn show. It’s clear they know what to say and do when it comes to real moments, but in pursuit of trying to be funny, it goes from one extreme to another and disregards the idea there can be middle ground. Add in the bathroom scene when Julie is talking about how, as a Trans woman, she feels, even with being post-op, she may never fully feel comfortable in her skin, and that hits you hard too. For as seen in Pose and The Trans List, there is this idea that with having societal gender confirmation surgery, it means more legitimacy, increased realness. However, like being overweight, changing the physical doesn’t peel back and heal all the mental scarring that led up to that big change. If anything, it is like putting makeup over it. No one else may notice, but you know what you look like.
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Leading to the need to ask, does Patty have stretch marks? 70 pounds loss so quickly should mean loose skin and stretch marks. I mean, if the show had the audacity to use a fat suit, they minas well have did the whole nine and put in, or mention, stretch marks, and maybe give Ryan some sagging skin around her abdomen. Not just talk about her breasts shrinking and that be it.
But, oh, my bad, thinking they’d add in some of the physical side effects of weight loss would imply this show is doing more than just enough to excuse its terrible jokes. What was I thinking?
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- What drugs did Magnolia buy off of Christian?
- How can a show made by a woman often seem like so much of it was written by a misogynistic man?
Highlights
- The real deal moments dealing with body dysmorphia and insecurities. Not just for girls like Patty either but girls like Julie too.
- Bob A realizing his relationship with his son, Brick, is following the same path the relationship with his father was/is on.
- Patty bringing up her relationship with her mom, and lack of one with dad, enough to push the situation but not beg for sympathy.
Low Points
- Any attempts at jokes or funny situations.
- Can we please hear what Bob A did for Regina to have such a vendetta against him? Was he supposed to be Dixie’s adopted father but he dropped out? Leading to Regina having to go all the way to China to get her?
On The Fence
- What is Christian’s long term purpose?
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