Swingtown Episode 7: "Heat Wave" - discussion

[JustAskJulie]

Tonight's Episode:

Tom throws a pool party witout conferring with Trina, who is bitter about his affair; after losing his job, Roger turns to Susan for advice; Bruce and his co-worker, Melinda, get comfortable.

Should be very interesting.

[LFM2]

WOW!

Gotta make sure dinner and dishes are done before this one comes on!

[JustAskJulie]

Don't Do it! Please don't do it! No He didn't!

That pretty well sums up this episode. Once again I'm liking Janet more and more and at least Trina while upset and considering something we've seen people consider here over and over again realized that two wrongs don't make a right. At least in the end she was honest and stepped up to communicate with her husband what was bothering her and what she felt needed to happen. It will be interesting to see if they do both actually stick to being exclusive.... somehow I have a feeling he's going to slip again... and I definately see that little blond bimbo making every effort to make it so.

I feel like perhaps the cheating angle they are taking with Bruce & Susan is to maybe contrast swinging and cheating.... swinging is open and honest, cheating is lying and deceit. But, as my Pet pointed out, will the Vanilla population really pick up on that? I don't think so. I think they will see it all as one and see the openness to swinging leading to the cheating. Swinging is the gateway to cheating... because of course there's no way he would have cheated if they hadn't gotten into swinging and that whole openness thing... and then of course it's Susan's fault for pushing him to help Melinda.

Janet & Roger are getting better and better as they learn to communicate with each other. I was glad to see her say that she would give him whatever he needs and that she wants him to have what he needs. I really feel like they both really want what's best for each other. And damn, Roger without his shirt. HOT!

Lorrie & the teacher. BORING! Hopefully, the boys will be back from camp soon and we can get some more BJ & Samantha... and Samantha and her mom.

[cplnuswing]

Janet is finally coming around for me, this was the first episode that they seemed like a couple, not just a leader and subservient follower.

Tom and Trina will be ok I think, they have the skills to finish working through their issues. I don't see them staying exclusive for long before they get back into swinging. Trina was tempted to score some points back against Tom, but didn't. She's sees Susan and Roger although no one else seems to yet. From the preview, Janet seeing the pool picture of Roger (but without Susan) in Trina's closet is really going to put Trina in a bind and it will be interesting to see what she decides to do. She's by far the most interesting character to me, she is very perceptive, and although tempted otherwise, usually does the right thing and doesn't use her skills at reading people to manipulate, although she knows she could.

Bruce and Susan, BIG problem brewing! By the end of this episode, it seemed the message the writers were trying to send was even being the "perfect" conventional couple doesn't mean things are perfect. Not wild like Tom&Trina, not repressed like Roger&Janet. But, both of those more unconventional couples faced a big challenge and have taken the first, hardest steps of successfully working through it. Bruce and Susan on the other hand can't see the problem, or if they do, don't think their relationship can stand addressing it so they just pretend and go on.

Lorrie and the teacher - both need to go study overseas or something, as long as it is far enough away that we don't have to keep yawning through their scenes!

BTW, wonder why the show started at 10:05, according to both the clock and the satellite program guide? Maybe something got edited out?

[JustAskJulie]

Originally Posted by cplnuswing

She's sees Susan and Roger although no one else seems to yet. From the preview, Janet seeing the pool picture of Roger (but without Susan) in Trina's closet is really going to put Trina in a bind and it will be interesting to see what she decides to do.

I was thinking that Trina looking at the picture of Susan and Roger together was a bit of a fore-shadowing. Evidently she took some other pictures of Roger during the day, which Janet finds later.

Originally Posted by cplnuswing

BTW, wonder why the show started at 10:05, according to both the clock and the satellite program guide? Maybe something got edited out?

I noticed that. Tivo started recording at 9pm (our time) but I had to fast-forward through the end of CSI to get to the start of Swingtown. So perhaps something else ran long.

[fordman460]

Originally Posted by JustAskJulie

I noticed that. Tivo started recording at 9pm (our time) but I had to fast-forward through the end of CSI to get to the start of Swingtown. So perhaps something else ran long.

It wasnt in HD for me in addition to the funny start time.

[cplnuswing]

Originally Posted by JustAskJulie

I noticed that. Tivo started recording at 9pm (our time) but I had to fast-forward through the end of CSI to get to the start of Swingtown. So perhaps something else ran long.

That's what I thought too when I saw the delayed start time. But on Dish Network, CSI went off right at 10 and they just filled to 10:05 with commercials. On the website, last episode was actually the longest of the four they have up at 43:21 runtime. Strange.

[tittietwister]

We thought this was the best epsisode thus far.

I thought Trina's tit for tat threat was atypical for what has been a very mature and level headed character. Fortunately, she didn't follow through. What we don't know is what the rules were between her and Tom. There appeared to be a failure to update rules made earlier in different circumstances. Hence, I'm not prepared to judge Tom as having an affair or cheating even though that's how the writers framed it.

Janet also won us over with the unequivocal support she showed Roger and her willingness to forget about him failing to tell her about his job loss. Unfortunately, I think that kind of response is a fantasy when checks start bouncing and the guy is without a plan.

Re the cheating angle, I hope the writers are not trying to send the message of swinging leading to cheating as I'm not sure how that story line could be sustained and keep viewers - too negative. Alienation of affection is always a risk though and one that people in the lifestyle have countermeasures for. But it happens so is fair game for the show.

[MN hotdish]

Isn't it interesting that they're starting the Susan / Roger angle at the same time that they're getting us to warm up to Janet? I was starting to think that maybe Roger was going to be used as Susan's "revenge" on Bruce, but it seems that Susan's character is above that. I can't see her hurting Janet that way. Also Bruce seems too loyal to hurt his wife or his friend. There's definately some chemistry there, though! He really is pretty yummy!
I LOVE Trina & her "impish" little eyebrow thing! She seems pretty intuitive & I can see her more than Susan being the one who might end up "lureing" Janet & Roger over to Swingtown...even with this photo trouble they let us peek at for next week. As for the cheating...Damn Tom! Damn Bruce! I think a lot of non-swingers WILL see the difference between it & cheating, but whoever said that it'll mostly be viewed as a gateway to cheating is probably right. DAMN Tom & Damn Bruce!

[JustAskJulie]

I know there has been some issues with filling the available commercial space. I know when we watch it the Time/Life 60's music set (a 2.5 minute infomercial type thing) gets played at least once if not twice during every episode. So they may just be showing a later start time so they can sell more commericial space after CSI to the CSI buyers rather than having to sell it as Swingtown space.

[JustAskJulie]

Originally Posted by tittietwister

There appeared to be a failure to update rules made earlier in different circumstances. Hence, I'm not prepared to judge Tom as having an affair or cheating even though that's how the writers framed it.

I got the impression from their talk a couple of episodes ago that a) it was tell each other everything FIRST, b) no sleeping with stewardesses (after he comment about that's how they got together when he was on a previous overseas flight while in another committed relationship and he cheated with her). I know he mentioned in this episode that "she was on the list", and there was a comment that indicated that the 3 of them had played together at some point. I took that to mean that past playmates for the most part were open game.

I think it's a case of mis-communication. I think the earlier talk she had with him regarding how they started was meant to establish a new set of rules for this overseas flight, but he didn't quite pick up on that. Maybe?

Originally Posted by MN hotdish

Isn't it interesting that they're starting the Susan / Roger angle at the same time that they're getting us to warm up to Janet? I was starting to think that maybe Roger was going to be used as Susan's "revenge" on Bruce, but it seems that Susan's character is above that. I can't see her hurting Janet that way. Also Bruce seems too loyal to hurt his wife or his friend.

I'm guessing you meant Roger there, not Bruce.... since Bruce has already proven he's not as loyal as we'd had hoped.

[two42lovers]

Bruce is a cheater, Tom playing without permission, and the episode ends with a none-too-subtle implication that Susan is thinking about cheating with Roger. They have mixed the concept of swinging with that of cheating and implied you can't have one without the other. (And what was that comment from Tom saying "she's on the list"? Did Tom and Trina have an agreement about who Tom could play with solo? Evidently not - based on Trina's reaction to what happened.)

Gotta say the show went down a bunch of notches for us. Not cool. The last episode really muddied the water, and made cheating and swinging pretty-much the same thing. Bruce and Susan play one time in the first episode - and now we have Susan and Roger alone at the "play house", and Bruce flat-out cheating with his co-worker. We had the threesome between Trina & Tom and her HS friend - which only led to tit-for-tat and strife and Tom's playing without permission. What's next? Susan & Bruce cheating and Janet being crushed (and after standing by her man - typical TV fare.)

[Pinmonkey]

Did I miss it or are we sure that Bruce slept with his understudy?

[JustAskJulie]

Originally Posted by Pinmonkey

Did I miss it or are we sure that Bruce slept with his understudy?

I took him shying away from kissing his wife and doing the "i need a shower first" bit as a yes that he did. But, even if he didn't, it's quite evident from next week's previews that he definately will.

[2insandiego4u]

Mixing swinging and cheating makes for good drama down the road, so that's probably why it was done. Janet has grown on us a lot too! We hope that they just swap (her and Roger with Trina/Tom or Susan/Bruce, or both!) rather than Roger just cheating with Susan. Bruce seems to be the most seedy right now with his little affair with a younger woman. It's funny because he seemed to have trust issues with Susan going to the fund raiser, and now he is the one proving he can't be trusted.