Here and Now 1×09 Reaction Post

Well, we finally got a ‘reunion’ of sorts between Steven and Greg (and a lot of posturing), as well as some hard truths about Steven’s real motives. This was a riveting episode, and I’m not just talking about the Steven/Audrey storyline! With only one more episode left, I’m already wanting a second season!

What did you think? Let us know in the comments below – and as before, it doesn’t have to be just about Tim’s scenes. And thanks so much to those who jumped in on last week’s discussion! Lots of great opinions/meta going on there!

Expect spoilers for the episode – so if you haven’t seen the episode yet and don’t want to be spoiled, you should avoid reading the comments on this post until you’ve watched it.

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12 Comments on “Here and Now 1×09 Reaction Post”

  1. Ramon’s story is getting more mysterious now. 👍👍 plus of course can’t wait how Steven will continue to “use” Audrey now that Greg showed up in his office. 🤔

  2. Interesting episode. I really don’t get Audrey and Greg’s relationship. It’s just odd. Are they going to discuss the state of their marriage? They seem to mainly ignore the cheating – is this a common pattern for them? Do they have an open relationship? I certainly didn’t get that impression when Audrey found out about the prostitute. I also have difficulty swallowing Audrey’s sanctimonious attack on Steven. She’s either a hypocrite or plain dumb if she didn’t realize that an international billion dollar corporation would have some shady practices by North American standards. She approached Steven when her funding got cut – she didn’t seem to feel the need to delve into the company’s dealings/reputation before she came asking for funding. In my opinion, she’s equally as guilty as Steven in ignoring unsavoury practices until the topic becomes unavoidable. I enjoyed seeing the two Tims acting together and thought the comments on their respective heights were funny, particularly since they’re both big tall guys. (As someone who married a 6 foot 5 man and has a 6 foot 3 teen son, I feel Holly’s pain in being in a land of giants!lol)

    I really liked Farid in the early episodes but now he creeps me out. I quite like his son. He’s an original character. I’m intrigued by the orphanage storyline, as well as Ramon’s current story. Are they supposed to wrap everything up next week in 50 or so minutes?? I know the critics were pretty tough on this show, and I have no idea what its ratings are like, but I do hope it will be renewed. It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly entertaining!

    1. I don’t think Greg and Audrey have an open relationship, and it was pretty surprising (outside of the fact that I obviously knew about Tim’s role beforehand and that this was going to happen) that Audrey went off at Greg about his affair, but then turned right around and pulled an ‘anything you can do, I can do better’ by sleeping with Steven. And then, like you said, seemingly ignoring it. She kicked Greg out, he showed back up, and not only did she leave him there, but she joked around about how she likes Greg better when he’s high and that “really does it” for her. (Granted, I liked Greg better in that scene, too, but still…)

      As far as the shady business practices, I think she was just being really naive. She’s struck me as naive throughout the whole series, from being shocked that her comments were taken out of context on TV to finding out about Steven’s workers in third-world countries. I actually sided with Steven in the argument (and not just because it’s Tim) – she wasn’t involved with that side of the business, so why should she have expected him to tell her about it? She was only in it for the funding for her program.

      I loved seeing both Tims together as well! There’s a shot where they’re standing there facing each other (so you can see their side profiles), and it’s just a great illustration of not only the actors’ heights, but also a great bit of posturing by the characters. 🙂

      Totally agree with everything in your last paragraph. Farid is getting pretty manic, and it’s off-putting – both the alienation of his family, and his obsession with Ramon. Navid is wonderful; I can really relate to him, as someone who is nonbinary myself, and I’m enjoying his friendship/relationship with Kristen. No idea how they’ll wrap this all up (or if they even will), but I’m hoping we’ll get a second season. Whether or not Tim is involved in S2, I’ll keep watching.

      1. It’s interesting how current the show is. You mention being nonbinary and relating to the character of Navid, who isn’t a typical TV teen. Our children came to us through birth as well as international adoption and that’s not a common family dynamic on TV. While I can’t say our experience in raising children who are from different birth cultures than ours resembles what’s shown on Here and Now, I do appreciate the fact that such a family is being presented.

        1. I love how current it is, both the good and bad.

          In the first episode, I almost felt like it was a little forced, but I think that’s just because we were so bombarded with it because of the worldbuilding. After that, it worked really well and continues to do so.

          And rather than hyperfocusing on one current issue, this show has a wide variety when it comes to representation. There’s a good chance almost everyone can relate to something or someone on this show, which is a big plus.

  3. Ah! I had the feeling that Steven was a little too eager to put Audrey on TV in the previous episode. Now I see why…

    Only Tim Robbins to think Tim DeKay is short LOL
    I liked the confrontation between the two. Poor Steven was a bit worried he’d get punched LOL

    I do like Greg and Audrey’s chemistry. You can feel that despite the current struggle, they do share a long history and a natural closeness.

    I finally find Farid’s storyline interesting. Though I kinda wish there wasn’t the supernatural aspect with the connection to Ramon. I’m not sure it adds to the story. Both Ramon and Farid seem to have suppressed memories/traumas, which I find interesting to explore – and probably enough each on its own.

    I think overall, I’ve been more invested in the show for a couple episodes now. I wish it wasn’t the end of the season already. I do hope it’s gonna get renewed, there’s still a lot that can be explored for all those characters. Though my hopes are not really high…

  4. Okay, I already covered some of my thoughts in my reply to Jules above, but there was a lot to cover in this episode!

    The confrontations between Steven, Greg, and Audrey were interesting. Greg was obviously already baked when he visited Steven; it was kind of amusing to see how laid back he was – and how keyed up it made Steven! As far as the Steven and Audrey thing, as I said above, Audrey struck me as really naive (and often has in the past). Of course Steven wouldn’t have told her about the workers; her project had absolutely nothing to do with that side of the business. Maybe she should have researched Steven’s company more, rather than just going to him because she knew he was rich and had a crush on her back in the day.

    So all of the older Bayer-Boatwright kids had potential successes come up in this episode (but at a cost) – wondering how all of those will play out, or if we’ll ever get to see. I actually thought Duc was a little more likeable in this episode, especially during and after the book signing. (And I loved seeing Tim’s former Carnivale co-star, Cynthia Ettinger, return as Duc’s patient – this was the episode where she and Tim got to catch up behind the scenes!)

    Still really enjoying Navid and his scenes with Kristen, both just as a friendship and a relationship. And it was interesting (but not at all surprising) that the principal never reported the graffiti to the police – loved how Kristen seemed to suspect that and revealed it to the police officer!

    As with the rest of you, I’m curious to see how they’ll wrap this up in one more episode, and/or if we’ll get a second season. As I said above, I’ll still be watching if there’s a season two, whether or not Tim is involved. The show is original and intriguing enough that I’m curious to see where they’ll go with it, if given the chance.

    1. I agree. They need to continue the series considering that it is getting intriguing. Esp the kids story.

  5. Steven, Audrey & Greg remind me of Mr Big, Carrie & Aidan (fr SATC) as I was watching this series. Holly and Sarah Jessica have some resemblance. Can’t wait for this Sunday!

  6. This is totally unrelated to Here and Now, but Aragarna, I see that you’re seeing Hamilton tonight. Please tell me what you think. I’m seeing it in June and can’t wait! I’malso seeing Matt Bomer in Boys in the band. 🙂

  7. Did a fun thing with this week’s film clips. I turned the sound off, completely. Didn’t need dialogue to see what was going on between these three great actors. Fun to watch all of the movement in that small office space. Great work by all three.
    No sound necessary. Silent movies!

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