Monday, August 26, 2019

Why Women Kill S01E02: I'd Like to Kill Ya, But I Just Washed My Hair

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The wives face the biggest obstacle to their marriages: sex
by Chuck Duncan

The second episode of CBS All Access series Why Women Kill was just as much of a hoot as the first one and did a great job at juggling the three concurrent storyline across five decades. I really enjoyed how the episode opened with a narrator, a man who had lived in the same neighborhood for his entire life, recounted the murders that occurred at the mansion in 1963, 1984 and 2019. He, and we, saw the covered bodies but ... we don't know who actually died. Of course we're led to assume it's the husbands but the title of the show isn't 'Why Wives Kill', so the victims could be a surprise come the final revelations. And this week, each wife faced what could be the biggest problem in all of their marriages -- sex.

In 1963, Beth Ann has confided in neighbor Sheila about her attempts to befriend 'the other woman', April. She did get the confirmation she feared that April did indeed know her guy Rob is married, and suggested he's strayed because of the boredom. Beth Ann did everything but announce she's Robert's wife, and her almost hysterical response, as a 'widower', to April's notions were more than alarming. But April didn't seem to pick up on any of the red flags. Sheila, meanwhile, suggests to Beth Ann that she needs to spice things up in the bedroom, or elsewhere, and gives her a marital sex manual, the images of which completely rattle Beth Ann.

But after getting a new hairstyle (honestly, in Robert's defense it didn't look that different) and spending her week's allowance on a new dress he didn't notice either because he said none of that mattered to him, Beth Ann took the dress off and came back to the dinner table completely naked. And Robert's boss was outside the window right at that moment, there to retrieve the briefcase Robert accidentally brought home. But Beth Ann wasn't about to give up, pulling a page out of the manual and trying some oral gratification on Robert in the shower. It didn't go well and he ended up crashing through the glass wall, requiring a trip to the hospital. And in the end, he still insisted on keeping his 'business meeting' that night, even though he was several hours late.

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In 1984, Simone brings Karl home from the hospital, only to discover he didn't take a bottle of sleeping pills. He just hid them under the cushion of the chair in the bedroom. And he didn't need the cane he was using either. Simone was prepared to make their separation and eventual divorce easy on all of them, particularly because he daughter was getting married in a few months, but this deception was too much. But Karl had a trump card to play -- her catty friends, among whom Simone was the cattiest. If she throws him out now, they'll all know the truth and start gossiping about her, and that was just too much. Simone was even in for a bigger shock when her friend Naomi revealed she knew about Karl's affair because she saw his car parked at a seedy motel. She just didn't know who the woman was that he was seeing. Simone is actually okay with Naomi thinking Karl is cheating with another woman. She's also okay with finally setting up a booty call with Naomi's son Tommy (who we assume is now 18). That the only private place he had that was free was a catering van didn't sit well with Simone, but she couldn't deny Tommy's charm. And she was even more into him when he was ready for seconds just a few minutes after their first. So what if it was in a catering van. That still doesn't answer the question of who was lying dead on the stairs in Simone's mansion. Could Naomi find out about the affair Simone is having with Tommy and that's Simone under the sheet?

© CBS All Access
In 2019, Taylor has a different problem with Eli. The arrangement with Taylor's friend Jade is going well, but Eli is starting to become overbearing, flat out asking Taylor if they can have a three-way. Taylor is uncomfortable with the idea but Jade overhears them and says she's fine with that. The three head to the shower and Eli seems to get all the benefits and after they hit the bed, Taylor shoos him away so she and Jade can finish. He obliges and prepares some pie and ice cream for them all but after more than 30 minutes, the women still have not come downstairs. Eli spies on them and sees Taylor looking at Jade like he hasn't seen her look at him for some time. Is Taylor actually in love with Jade? It gets worse when Eli learns the two have known each other for six months, not just a couple of weeks, and that throws him into an emotional tailspin. Taylor assures him that she loves him, she loves everything they have together, and he seems to buy it. But jealousy is sure to rear its ugly head once again, sooner rather than later.

This episode has certainly given us a lot to ponder.

What did you think of this episode? Start a conversation in the comments section below!

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