SwingTown Episode 3: "Double Exposure" - discussion

[vewybadcpl]

I completely forgot about that dream....yes she defiently wanting some of Trina....course she's hot who wouldn't??

I totally agree but I was afraid they we're moving her down the path of the "dark side" too much before last. Trying to portray her as the "evil, conniving, do anything to get what she wants swinger (stereotype). They do a great job of keeping her sexy interesting and just walking that line between the light and dark side....Bravo


Mr. Vewy Bad

[two4youinswva]

A decent episode overall.

At first, I thought it was going to be a crappy one, but things definitely changed for the better.

Susan appeared to have quite the breakthrough in dealing with her feelings. It was nice to see some of the things we talk so much about on here being discussed on the show.
Oh, and the wallpaper was pretty cool too.

Now, if this were "real life", I would have to say that Janet & Roger would never be swingers, and probably wouldn't ever cheat on each other. Tonight's show reinforced that for me. I really saw Roger's reaction of one of not understanding how a man could mess around with someone other than his wife. I think he does have the hots for Susan, but keeps that compartmented away, and would not likely act on it. I just see them as a vanilla couple that is generally happy with who they are, and are happy being vanilla.

Now, since this is TV, and Janet & Roger's storyline as described above would quickly become stale and rather boring, I believe they will end up either playing around, or one of them screwing around on the other.

As a side note, I'll add this: It wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit if all the kids on the show left for summer camp, and were then written out by sending them to boarding school in the fall.
IE: "Kids, meet Chuck Cunningham"
(See, I even referenced a show from the same era)

[shymxcpl]

It's not only jealousy for Susan that has Roger feeling down. It's a dream that's been shattered. He seemed to have always idealized her in a way that no one else had. Susan was the perfect wife (the one he doesn't have). That was... until she crossed the boundaries of what he considers moral at present time. He cannot fathom the idea of her with another man because to him she's perfect. His previous crush on her was a self destructive mechanism to prove to himself that she was not perfect, if he could get her to cheat on Bruce that is. But he couldn't and now that's virtually impossible since, after all, now they ARE swingers!

On the other hand, Trina, who's been shown as a very intelligent but with a hint of evil, is now shown caring for her neighbors relationship.. and even encouraging Bruce to remember that Susan IS "One of a Kind". She has a heart, and tries to help them out with their relationship issues. That was very good representation IMHO.

[ratimadan]

I have a feeling we may find out that Janet already has a wild past... as opposed to Susan & Bruce having only been with each other prior to their fun with Tom & Trina... I think Janet has some skeletons in her closet that she's afraid to open the door on.

That is our hunch too. She is not as innocent as she wants us to believe.
As a matter of fact it seems she has hangups due to her past where she has had several sexual partners before, and, after she got married. Roger on the other hand seems to be innocent and does not know his wife's past.

Once she gets going Janet is going to be one hell of a swinger. Most likely it is either Bruce or Tom who will get into her panties and fuck her.

[prettylady]

That was not a video camera, beta isn't going to come along til the early 80's. The movie camera that they were showing is what was known as a Super 8 movie camera. Called that because it used film that was 8mm. You had to send it in to be processed. Once it was processed you received a reel back that you used a projector to play it on. It was somewhat popular because it was an affordable way to record moving pictures. If you compare the quality by todays video standards it is not that great, but back then it was pretty good. It was meant to be a way for the "average" family to be able to capture events on movie film. Believe it or not but the film is still avalible today and in some circles is still quite popluar.

My family had one of these. I loved watching the reels, it was like movie night at my house.
My parents just got them put on to dvd, not the same movie night feeling anymore.
Your friend,
Prettylady

[prettylady]

As a side note, I'll add this: It wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit if all the kids on the show left for summer camp, and were then written out by sending them to boarding school in the fall.
IE: "Kids, meet Chuck Cunningham"
(See, I even referenced a show from the same era)

But kids are a real part of life.
I don't think the story line would be believable to those of us who have to deal with balancing kids with the lifestyle. It would make the lifestyle too perfect, and it is anything but perfect when you have to deal with getting babysitting, watching what you say, or how you act around your kids.
The kids need to stay in order to keep it as real as possible.
Your friend,
Prettylady

[two4youinswva]

But kids are a real part of life.
I don't think the story line would be believable to those of us who have to deal with balancing kids with the lifestyle. It would make the lifestyle too perfect, and it is anything but perfect when you have to deal with getting babysitting, watching what you say, or how you act around your kids.
The kids need to stay in order to keep it as real as possible.
Your friend,
Prettylady

Actually my point was that I didn't find the kids' storylines compelling at all. For me, they kind of drag the show to a halt.
That would be my only reason for sending them away.

[des1re06]

“He seemd pariccularly cross at not being the first to fuck Susan.”
I totally agree, and think that’s why he left in a huff. He was angry that they were such close friends with them, but had sex with basically strangers first. We still encounter this type of jealousy today; do we not?

I also loved the scene about the boys and Playboy. I wonder if I’m the only mom who’s given their teen son Playboy and Penthouse for his “private time”.

My favorite memory of the show was when Trina and Tom are talking in the kitchen and remembering their first time.

They sure had guts to mix vanilla and swinger friends. I think that would be so difficult to pull off.

Overall, it was great.

[JustAskJulie]

While I do agree that Roger's strange reaction was jealousy, I have a different theory of what he is actualy jealous about. We all agree he wants Susan. Before last night that was all it was. No possibility of that every happening (outside of a "cheating" context). Now after last night things have changed. There may be a possibility of him sleeping with Susan, except for one thing. Janet. I think he is jealous that the other couples are enjoying something that he feels will NEVER happen cause Janet is soo uptight.

Just watched it again so that Pet could watch it with me and watching Roger's reactions again I have to agree with you. I do think Roger is jealous on two-folds. One at Bruce & Susan's ability to expand their relationship (as well as their relationship overall (the openness of it) and two at someone else getting Susan before he had a chance too. Niether he nor Janet or particularly happy with their current relationship but neither of them are willing to step up and admit it just yet.

now no one has wrote about it.. but who saw the sceen where janet was dreaming that she walked in on trina and roger.... and then trina comes over and starts in on her.heheheh she's dreaming about them for sure.....

There was actually a good bit of discussion about that in the Episode 2 thread.

[prettylady]

Actually my point was that I didn't find the kids' storylines compelling at all. For me, they kind of drag the show to a halt.
That would be my only reason for sending them away.

I can think of lots of reasons to send kids away to boarding school.
But I get your point.
Your friend,
Prettylady

[Alura]

During the mid-seventies, I worked for the European Sony distributor. We introduced the Beta at that time but the machine was huge and far too costly to sell well as consumer electronics.

One of our demo cassettes was "Deep Throat." We didn't, of course, show it in public, but at the end of the day during the consumer electronics show would always play it for the exhibitors.

That was a Super 8 camera they used.

Mr. Alura

[cataryna]

I've watched since the first episode and have been one of the more outspoken supporters of this show over on the CBS board so I was thrilled to know that there is a board over here too for it where I won't be defending myself and my actions from the moralistic crowds.

From the get go I was concerned that eventually CBS would fall in line with public thinking and portray the lifestyle as a bad thing, a marriage breaker upper, so to speak. So as episode 3 began I was doing a lot of frowning, about Susan's jealousy issues to her demanding that everyone go to church because she was feeling guilty and felt like she needed to go to church to "cleanse" herself. I know that the producers should address the negative aspects without putting a negative spin on it. As this episode progressed I was relieved that they were showing Susan working through her issues and think they ended the show on a good note.

As for Janet and Roger...well one is a fanatical cleaner when upset, the other drinks. Way to deal with your emotions there.

I still haven't grasped where the storyline for the two children is going to go. I guess time will reveal that. I do feel incredibly sorry for the girl next door and her mother. They are both so lonely. The mother because her husband never came back from Vietnam and the daughter because she's "lost" her mother to grief. I hope at the end they show the mother realizes what she's done to herself and to her daughter, that she comes out of the drugs and the bottle and that they begin rebuilding their relationship.

[bendmeovernow]

It's not only jealousy for Susan that has Roger feeling down. It's a dream that's been shattered. He seemed to have always idealized her in a way that no one else had. Susan was the perfect wife (the one he doesn't have). That was... until she crossed the boundaries of what he considers moral at present time. He cannot fathom the idea of her with another man because to him she's perfect. His previous crush on her was a self destructive mechanism to prove to himself that she was not perfect, if he could get her to cheat on Bruce that is. But he couldn't and now that's virtually impossible since, after all, now they ARE swingers!

On the other hand, Trina, who's been shown as a very intelligent but with a hint of evil, is now shown caring for her neighbors relationship.. and even encouraging Bruce to remember that Susan IS "One of a Kind". She has a heart, and tries to help them out with their relationship issues. That was very good representation IMHO.

You might have a point there. It would be interesting to find out what way they play that. You know they will have it all out sometime in a fight.... or conversation between susan and roger, maybe have them talking about regular things and something slips out about how she was perfect or something like that.

[bendmeovernow]

But kids are a real part of life.
I don't think the story line would be believable to those of us who have to deal with balancing kids with the lifestyle. It would make the lifestyle too perfect, and it is anything but perfect when you have to deal with getting babysitting, watching what you say, or how you act around your kids.
The kids need to stay in order to keep it as real as possible.
Your friend,
Prettylady

yeap.... for those that have the dealing with kids and swinging the kids i think help the story line along. i'm sure they will have a show on what if the kids find out and all that too. maybe susan finds her daughter kissing or sleeping with the teacher and has to explain why it's okay for them to sleep with people they aren't married to .... but she can't 'date' someone she loves.now that would be an interesting parent / child fight... heheh

[D_and_K]

I'm surprised no one has commented that Laurie was... out... all night.

They got the 70's library look right, I worked in one!

It's clear the Millers had no idea their daughter was out after dark in a library with a man and a record player with some Dylan LP's. You want recipies? That's a recipie for disaster!

I'm impressed by the characters, they have a depth I find intriguing.

Janet shedding her inhibitions in one giant flash of passion and getting it on with Trina... without Roger around... that would be one huge plot development. I know Penthouse had girl/girl pictorials in the late 70's, whether that translated to to wives going lez at parties during that era I don't know, but is has been a common male fantasy for a long time.

K