SwingTown Episode 9: "Swingus Interruptus" - discussion

[JustAskJulie]

I agree that Brad and Sylvia could have and should have brought up their preferences much earlier, they've all been chatting for a while now and it was obvious where it might lead. But at the same time I've been with couples where the guy on one hand really wanted to get involved but he just couldn't and as it went he was just into watching. It's much easier for those guys nowadays as so many women are bi and therefore not as likely to get left out. However, in a situation like that where the women are straight and with one couple being so new someone would have to direct traffic to turn that into a threesome for him to watch and at that point Bruce & Susan's only experience was swapping. It's pretty easy to get caught in situations you aren't expecting in this lifestyle.

Trina the muffin woman. I can totally see that happening. Keep in mind her first instinct was to take her shopping and Susan pointed out that she needed to something more in line with who Janet is. I can see someone like Trina (someone I doubt is a serious cook) making a mistake like not using muffin liners and taking the whole tray over to her without removing the muffins. Hell, she did good to actually bake muffins IMO.

[Pepper & Drew]

I agree that this episode was great, especially after those two weeks that I really didn't like.

Now, more than ever, I'm convinced that someone isn't just doing their research...they're actually in the lifestyle.

I was disappointed that while Bruce told Susan about his time with Melinda, but Susan didn't mention anything about Roger coming over. I know they didn't mack out, but still...She was far too alarmed when Bruce said that Roger wanted to talk to him.

I want to be friends with Trina. I like her so much for making ammends with Janet. And Tom was wonderful for telling Janet she was a desireable woman. And I felt such anguish for Janet when she told Roger she would need the car keys if he wanted to stay. I wanted to put my arm around her and tell her honey, this is not a one way street and not to ever hold back on her feelings.

OMG, I could feel the awkwardness when Susan found out that Brad was a watcher. We haven't had that particular situation there have been times when we found out something once we were in the situation that was a total surprise. If Sylvia and Brad are not new to the game, why in the hell didn't they mention that earlier? Duh! But, then, we've been with seasoned swingers that failed to mention stuff upfront too.

Can't wait for next week!

Pepper

[cplnuswing]

Another thing I liked about this episode was how when you saw some of the swinging-related scenes, you thought to yourself "wow, they just nailed it, that's perfect." That's not really happened for me since the first episode, which had several good scenes culminating in what I think is still the best scene of the whole series when Tom & Trina and Bruce & Susan decided to hook up. That scene was so well done - not just the dialogue, but the looks that were exchanged, expressions, body language, everything. I watched that one several times before it was taken down, and every time it got even better as you would pick up on more of the subtle things.

To me, the swinging scenes have been where the acting really shines the most which is interesting since you would expect the actors to struggle more with something they don't have a good feel for. As we've been speculating about, somebody who is involved in the show must have direct experience - anybody can research and learn the lingo no problem, but they are hitting the emotions too and you almost have to have experienced that to get it right.

[SnakeBabe]

Originally Posted by JoCoCpl

It will be on the CBS website later today.

I can't find it, can you send me a link?

[JoCoCpl]

Originally Posted by SnakeBabe

I can't find it, can you send me a link?

Here ya go!

Swingtown Video - CBS.com

[sweet_tna]

Originally Posted by socolais

Trina's muffin ploy suggests something manipulative about her that would make me very cautious. Who in their right mind would bring petrified muffins as a friendly gesture while they're still stuck in the original baking pan? Especially as a gift to Mrs. Betty Crocker!

I have to disagree with you, my friend. Trina needed to find a way to make amends with Janet and letting her feel competent/in control was the best way to do it. Tapping into Janet's "Betty Croker" image was just the thing Susan meant when she said, "It needs to be more . . . Janet."

I don't think Trina was being manipulative in a negative way, at all. I think she was being savvy and sensitive to Janet's needs and had only the best of intentions.

=)

[sweet_tna]

Originally Posted by cplnuswing

I liked that they brought up the voyeur thing and that not every swinger is into the same thing, that's not what I had a problem with. For me anyway the omelette thing just made the whole scene go off track, and actually took away from that point. Why not just have Brad tell Susan once things heated up to a certain point that he only wanted to watch Bruce and Sylvia, or show him parrying her advances and then show Susan trying to figure out how to deal with that? While that is going on, then they find Lorrie and Doug. The omelette thing just seemed a very off the wall way to make that segue.

I agree that they voyuer/not everyone being into the same thing was an excellent topic to bring up. And I've been in one of those situations recently where we didn't know that about the other couple up front. Like you said, it's way more likely to come up as things get more heated up in a play situation. I think the omlette was thrown in there due to the whole network B.S. They had to tone it down from the orginally planned episode, I'd venture. I'd love to see what the scene was originally written to be like.

Hopefully, they'll include a director's cut/deleted scenes on the DVD's.

=)

[jjmcd]

All I can say about Swingtown is that "Someone has a great grasp of the era". As probably one of the Resident Old farts, I can remember how confusing the 1970s were. The 60s were about Vietnam, and the racial turmoil, the 70s were about the real issues of marriage and women's rights. I remember paying $500 for "Pong" when it was "Hot". And I remember Regan's speech at the convention and saying "Why is he not the candidate?"
I don't remember the Unicorn nomenclature. I think that is a 90s thing. Other then that, EVERYTHING in this show is right out of the 70s. And so real it is scary.

The Susan / Bruce relationship is something I saw a LOT from 1970 to 1999. We are talking about women being in their mother's conventional role for a long time and then waking up and saying "What else is out there?". I had the pleasure of knowing a "Susan" who was married to a career Navy officer. He had a lot of Bruce issues for a long time. When Barbara said to him "Women are Not Property, and men who think so are self delusional" (Right out of Time Enough For Love) he began to stop and think.
She mutated from a Susan to a Trina over the course of a few years and he grew. He just had to make sure he reminded himself that his marriage was the best thing in his world and that was that.

And that is the thing we don't really have a grasp of today. Marriage defined you in those days. You didn't define yourself. Bruce/Susan and Janet/Rodger are in that mindset. And slowly coming out of it. Roger has had his world rocked a lot more then Bruce has (lately. early teen pregnancy has a tendency to rock you a lot). Janet is coming to grips with Rodger seeing her the way others see her. Tom did EXACTLY the right thing. He reminded her that "in a great dress, you are a Knock out". And left her to let that bomb go off in her mind. And when Rodger got up and walked out with her, he was VERY clearly painting a picture of "You lead, I follow" in the decisions on the lifestyle. (Smart men realize that women Really Do Run Things. Tom has that same intelligence. And his wife is smart enough to listen and leave when he says he is like a kid in a candy store)

As to the "Omlette" incident. I was with a couple once where the same thing happened. he wanted to "Watch" and my partner spent a hour talking about a lot of things that I knew nothing about. We later invited her as a "unicorn" when we went to clubs. He cheerfully sent her out, and they are married to this day. (Never try to figure out people)

I have to say that the writers have taken both the 70s and this lifestyle VERY much to life. And done a wonderful job with it.

Lord, how the years roll by.

[JustAskJulie]

Originally Posted by Pepper & Drew

I was disappointed that while Bruce told Susan about his time with Melinda, but Susan didn't mention anything about Roger coming over. I know they didn't mack out, but still...She was far too alarmed when Bruce said that Roger wanted to talk to him.

Not sure what you mean there. Bruce knows about Roger coming over, he found out when Janet did at the end of the last episode. They talked about it and the episode ended with either him or Susan commenting "so that's it, no more secrets then" (of course, leaving the secret of Melinda to come out the next morning, or whenever it was that he finally decided he'd better tell her).

[Pinmonkey]

I think it was the next week.

[two42lovers]

The voyeur thing was goofy and didn't make sense. Brad avoids Susan, says he's a voyeur, but then he doesn't want to watch at all, he wants to make omelets. As it turns out, no one ended up playing in this episode except Lorrie and Doug. (At least the bed-scene kinda implied it.) Instead we have Susan & Bruce catching their high-school-age daughter with her teacher, and their daughter catching her parents with Brad and Sylvia. Seems like the writers are leading up to a truth-telling session between Bruce & Susan and their daughter Lorrie. Any guesses what the outcome will be?

[Alura]

It seems to me that a lot of the scenes and dialogue in Swingtown are written more for comedy than for making sense. Thankfully, the writers are doing a great job at it. If parts of the show don't make sense, it's probably because a lot of really funny events don't. We haven't laughed so hard since Boston Legal took its summer break.

It's interesting that Brad on Swingtown has the same name he had on Boston Legal.

Mr. Alura

[Pepper & Drew]

Originally Posted by JustAskJulie

Not sure what you mean there. Bruce knows about Roger coming over, he found out when Janet did at the end of the last episode. They talked about it and the episode ended with either him or Susan commenting "so that's it, no more secrets then" (of course, leaving the secret of Melinda to come out the next morning, or whenever it was that he finally decided he'd better tell her).

That's right! I forgot that. Geez...see what happens when you watch the show with swinger friends? You get distracted .

Pepper

[kissyface]

One thing confused me. A few episodes ago they showed Tom/Trina in the pool with Brad/Sylvia, they had switched partners and were kissing. Now if Brad is only into watching Trina would know that, and why wouldn't she have said something to Susan? She new Susan and Bruce were taking Brad/Sylvia home. It just seemed odd.

[SW_PA_Couple]

Originally Posted by Pepper & Drew

...see what happens when you watch the show with swinger friends? You get distracted

the reason we can never answer the trivia question correctly -=- we can't keep our hands off each other