Okay, I'm a guy. I watched S1 with my girlfriend and I tried, I really did. But the obviousness of the plot points killed the show's vitality. Charmaine's pregnancy...like no one could see that coming? But the writers stretch out the reveal for two episodes. And the "letter conundrum"? Drop it in the mail. The illegal pot growers? A couple calls to the BLM and ATF.
And the relationships? In my experience, successful ones connect two people of relatively equal desire who both recognize the fragility of a good thing. Yet, the men in VR exhibit a sort of clubbed, everlasting love cut with the patience of Job, while the women seem narcissistic and self-absorbed. Doc cheated on Hope, once, 20 years ago and she has since resisted his every apology. But an unattached Doc would draw older women out of the woodwork. A few years of Hope's cold shoulder and Doc would turn to a warmer one. If Hope wanted to keep him, she'd have to address her issues, accept his apology, and meet him halfway.
And Jack is the most eligible bachelor in town (despite his relationship with Charmaine). A thoughtful, good-looking ex-Marine who owns and operates the town 'hot spot'? He'd have his pick of the local women. As a young man, I tended bar in a place like this and trust me, women for miles around would hound him. And even if reluctant, certainly, he'd understand the truth of his circumstances: high-demand. But, here, he's a doormat. The self-serving, drama queen Mel treats him like dirt, leaving for L. A. without a word, then refuses to return his calls. Here, the writers/Director refuse to include scenes of Jack going to the cabin and finding it empty; of a worried and heartsick Jack calling Mel, again and again, to no avail. Instead, we get Mel at her dead husband's grave, and Jack crawling back to her to renew his unquenched love. Meh.
A lot of guys (like me) would pass on Mel, a woman far too self-obsessed to see her partner with any clarity. But in this show, it's all Mel, all the time.
And the relationships? In my experience, successful ones connect two people of relatively equal desire who both recognize the fragility of a good thing. Yet, the men in VR exhibit a sort of clubbed, everlasting love cut with the patience of Job, while the women seem narcissistic and self-absorbed. Doc cheated on Hope, once, 20 years ago and she has since resisted his every apology. But an unattached Doc would draw older women out of the woodwork. A few years of Hope's cold shoulder and Doc would turn to a warmer one. If Hope wanted to keep him, she'd have to address her issues, accept his apology, and meet him halfway.
And Jack is the most eligible bachelor in town (despite his relationship with Charmaine). A thoughtful, good-looking ex-Marine who owns and operates the town 'hot spot'? He'd have his pick of the local women. As a young man, I tended bar in a place like this and trust me, women for miles around would hound him. And even if reluctant, certainly, he'd understand the truth of his circumstances: high-demand. But, here, he's a doormat. The self-serving, drama queen Mel treats him like dirt, leaving for L. A. without a word, then refuses to return his calls. Here, the writers/Director refuse to include scenes of Jack going to the cabin and finding it empty; of a worried and heartsick Jack calling Mel, again and again, to no avail. Instead, we get Mel at her dead husband's grave, and Jack crawling back to her to renew his unquenched love. Meh.
A lot of guys (like me) would pass on Mel, a woman far too self-obsessed to see her partner with any clarity. But in this show, it's all Mel, all the time.
