Improvements in Scope and Drama - Tuesday Night Book Club, Episode 2 by Brian Busch
The reality drama Tuesday Night Book Club is evolving from a starting point of a book about rating yourself in bed, to a caring group of young women who are students in the hardest lesson ever presented in relationships - sacrifice.
We’ll start with the two characters that we did not get to in the first recap, Kirin and Sara. By the way, the writers are finding it hard to fit in all seven characters in each show, as we only saw two brief cameos from Cris, and her husband Matthew was completely absent from this episode.
Kirin is the doctor’s wife with two kids, who appears to have it all, but as our narrator says, “the life she thought she always wanted has left her feeling empty.” She needs more intimacy and attention from her always-concentrating husband.
After getting into a sexy, leather motorcycle suit at the suggestion of Jenn’s husband, and even arranging to have grandma and grandpa take the kids, she gives the sex hint that they can “go to bed early tonight.” Her husband, however, takes advantage of the opportunity to shine up his motorcycle in the middle of the night.
This week's theme: Sacrifice
Sara is the newest, and youngest member of the group. She hasn’t made any personal sacrifices yet, as the narrator says, but she knows she will have to soon. She is a 26–year-old, free and easy single blonde who likes to party with a cocktail or two. In this episode, she looks to start her own fashion design business, and money is the object.
Our screen shows Lynn’s well-sculpted body and our narrator says, "Lynn has sacrificed to get the perfect body, unfortunately sacrificing for her marriage has been a struggle.” We knew this last week.
Tina has the gang over again early in the show, and much to the surprise of the viewer, a plastic surgeon walks into her kitchen, where all the ladies are. This is another irrelevant scene similar to the house scene in the first episode. Jenn says to Cris “You’re getting Botox and a breast lift - on me.” But Cris never ends up getting it, in fact no one gets the full surgery. Jenn is the first volunteer and then Lynn bravely goes up to him for the novacaine as well, and the ladies cheer her on. I don’t see the relevance of this scene to the show’s theme, other than that Lynn seems to lack self-esteem, according to Eddie, anyway. (It could become relevant if the 47–year-old surgeon hooks up with the 46-year-old Tina.)
You gotta love Lynn! She’s strong, brave, happy, and self-assured, all in a girl-next-door package.
Now it’s Kirin's turn at trying to get up the courage to tell her spouse about her unmet needs. She breaks down sobbing as she says, “ I’m really, really, lonely all the time and I am tired of being second place to the motorcycles.” He just looks at her blankly, as if he was being interrogated by police about a crime.
Now the focus switches to Jamie as Kirin sits poolside with her and tries to play the counselor role that Tina did more of in the first episode. Sarah takes her to a tarot card reader, and this reader tells Jamie what she already knows, “you’re being pulled in two directions.”
Jamie stares wistfully at the mindreader, dreaming for a few moments, then the scene ends. No it doesn’t end, it was just a commercial break!. (It probably should have, though.)
Sarah talks to the tarot card reader, who tells her that she will get financial backing from someone (for her fashion design business). So what does she do? She goes to her parents where her request for money is turned down flat.
Two couples get the most focus
Each show will likely focus on two couples. This week, one of them is Kirin and the doctor and the other is none other than Lynn and Eddie. Jenn and Lynn are training for a bodybuilding contest, and Lynn tells Jenn that her ex-boyfriend is going to be at the show. She wonders if she should tell Eddie that he will be there.
“There’s nothing to explain,”assures Jenn. “He’s your ex and you’re married.”
Her worrying continues however, and it is beginning to affect the body sculpting process.
“Just relax,” says Jenn. “You're retaining water because of it.”
Lynn laughs and cringes. “It’s making my ass look big," she says.
Tina continues to battle the work/home life balance and her kids have started giving her a letter grade on her performance - on the family part only. She went from a “C” one week to a “B-” the next. This is unacceptable to her, as she wants an “A.”
The turning point: Lynn is vulnerable to Eddie
In what appears to be the climax of the show, Lynn decides to spill her guts to Eddie in saying that her ex will be at the competition. She asks this amidst Jenn and her husband, and Eddie has several questions for her, but doesn’t lose his cool (that’s because he doesn’t have ANY). Then there is an awkward silence at the table.
I applaud Lynn for being vulnerable because honesty is the best policy. I would have done the same. Of course, Eddie the imbecile admits that in this case, it was better left unsaid. “You know what’s gonna happen if I see him there?” he says, in more of a statement, than a question. “Would you rather I didn’t tell you?,” she asks. “ That would have been the better way to go, but I am not a girl, so…” another brilliant line, Eddie.
Lynn, apprehensive and worried, will be “devastated” if he is not at the competition, giving her moral support. She slowly boards a private plane for the show, without her husband, and the show ends. There’s reason to tune in next week!
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