Photos
Video
RSS'Swingtown' Vacilliation
Swingtown has had a few weeks to find its legs, despite the fact that given the subject matter it should be spending more time on its back. Alas, much like Bruce & Susan, it doesn't seem to know what it wants.
Most of the episode tonight centered around the yearly trip to a mountain cabin that Bruce & Susan usually take with Janet & Roger. However, this year Roger has learned that his friends are into kink, so he fakes a flu. At the most perfectly opportune moment, Trina & Tom show up to be invited in their stead. Of course, this means that eventually Janet will figure Roger out and they will decide to drive up to the cabin themselves to surprise their long time friends, only to show up at the most inopportune moment. They argue over who is going and who is staying but in the end Susan insists that they all stay and enjoy themselves. Janet enjoys watching Tom split logs, which means they will get it on by the end of the season, but other then that she remains tight lipped and disapproving.
Getting along is an adorably naive plan, which quickly falls apart over dinner. As Trina and Janet bicker, Susan bemoans the disaster to Bruce in the kitchen. Which is where he reveals to her that he told Roger about their dalliance with the Trina & Tom. And that there is pot in the brownies. Susan storms back to the dining room, tells Trina to stop baiting Janet, tells Janet to stop being so uptight, tells Roger that she wants to talk to him outside, and tells everyone to enjoy a pot-brownie. Completely at odds with her character, Janet grabs a brownie and declares she's not leaving. It's a very "I was here first!" moment.
Susan and Roger have a long heart to heart on the dock, asking each other if they are really happy. This means that they too will get it on by the end of the season. While they've been skipping stones on the lake, everyone else has been inside, peaking on their pot-brownie high. After lamenting having never done anything crazy in her entire life, Janet, Trina, Tom and Bruce run out of the cabin to jump naked in the lake. Where they are shortly joined by Susan and Roger. Which, while charming in a quaint sort of way, seems dishonest in regards to Janet & Roger. And also, not very sexy.
Back inside, they decide to sleep girls in one room, boys in the other. In the girls room, Janet snuggles in between Trina and Susan, while Trina admits she will be lonely with Tom gone on his new Tokyo route. Janet tells her to call, anytime. In a small bit of mercy, we are not subjected to what the boys talk about. Chest hair or splitting logs or something. In the morning, Janet is surprised to wake next to Trina, wearing Trina's clothes, but remains friendly through breakfast until Tom & Trina leave. The moral of the story is apparently that pot-brownies make everything OK.
The kids continue to be irritating, but here are their stories as well:
Laurie's teacher wants to talk, so she invites him over for dinner. And he shows up, later then expected even. Further, he stays, even after finding out that her parents are out of town, and watches old film noir with her. Meanwhile, Logan sits outside her house and scowls like the creep he is.
Rick, B.J. and Samantha broke into Tom & Trina's house, where Rick got drunk and B.J. and Samantha swam in the pool and slept on lawn furniture.
Worst line of the night goes to Tom, for uttering the following: "Wherever the party is...that's where I'm at".
Again, we were treated to incredibly unsteamy "sex" scenes. Although, I am not sure that Trina sitting on Tom's lap, while both fully clothed, can count as a sex scene even if they are trying to imply they are mile-highing it. Also, while things may have been different in the 1970s, I don't recall ever getting a run down of the pilot's career or future plans over the PA. Exposition is fine in the opening montage of "previously seen" footage. Not so much in the meat of the show.
Which is all a way of saying, I am losing interest. They need to turn up some real sauciness in place of the tired cliches they are passing off as edgy. What say you, fellow watchers? Scoring or snoring?
Post a comment
Zap2it Twitter Talk 
I like tonights episode it was better than last week...janet is the best...im not losing interest...hope it last
roger is in love with susan
This series should have been made for HBO or Showtime. They need to be careful because some of the characters are much to like the Desperate Housewives. It was close to being erotic but it will be cancelled if they don't kick it into gear soon.
I vote snore... one dimensional and not sexy in the least. No real drama - I couldn't care less about the characters. And the set up of the middle of the road wife with one old prissy friend and one new slutty friend is too contrived. It's like Goldilocks - too hot, too cold and just right.
While the sets, props and music are fun, That 70's Show already gave us a dose of 70's kitch.
Swingtown needed to bring something more - for me it hasn't.
I like the show and there is really nothing on right now during the summer, so I hope it makes it and CBS runs it as a summer show.
The only problem the show has is that the title and focus of the show put off a bunch of people. It should have been called something else and the swinger part of it should have been minor to the plot. Overall it is entertaining and I love the music and the feel of it.
I still enjoy the show, couldn't care less about the kids story line, but come on, Tom & Trina?! The best neighbors...i bet if Grant Show shaved that mustache he would like just like he did back on Melrose. He is NOT HARD on the eyes at all!! ;-D
i love this show and think it's excellent. i think you are too hard on it jessica---i don't think it's a given tom and janet will hook up---but susan and roger have always liked each other--since the pilot. i agree with you on the kids though--i don't really like them---especially the daughter. i feel bad for you that you have to write about a show you hate--that sucks.
I like the show, but I do agree they could up the sexiness of the show to fit in with today's expectations. But the show is alot more than about swinging, it's about relationships and communication. I hope they renew the show. If CBS steps up to the challenge and really makes the show daring, they could have a huge hit on their hands. Don't worry about the Bush cronies in the FCC, they won't be there much longer.
So far I've really enjoyed this show. Being a child of the late 80s, I always enjoy shows that take place before I was born--gives me something new to think about. It's too bad this show wasn't on Showtime or HBO like someone said in a previous post, then we could get the steamy scenes we've been hoping for. Can't wait for the Roger and Susan lovefest!
I don't really think this show is about sex, although if it had aired on cable we probably would be getting a lot more of that. I think it's about relationships and how making certain choices has consequences.
I wish you had mentioned the Twister game. I think that loosened Janet up just as much as the pot brownie.
The daughter's storyline is nowheresville (and I probably WAS that girl in h.s./college), but I feel a little bit of sympathy/interest in the younger brother and the mopey neighbor girl.
Although i am a medium, i am clueless here.
Someone out there,here,should know if Cbs has pulled apart the sets for the show forever which will tell us what they were thinking when filming stopped on this show last year as it was supposed to be a filler on this past season.Are these actors on other jobs now or sitting home playing cards now for over a year to see if the show is coming back in 09 which is next year.This is not reality so i am afraid cbs will take their sexual bows in history and chalk it up to the low summer ratings compared to the new big brother,etc as they cancel this new fave show of mine..someone start a yahoo group for this so we can keep the memories going as we hopefully buy the dvd which is doubtful really......
I wish this was a daily soap.. even my y and r show has dropped from four million to three mil watching according to soapnet thanks to the writers' strike...now we will have another strike soon with actors since no one gets real pay for web acting at all yet... where does this leave us ?/i hope that this show lives on somewhere.Write to me personally as i cannot get my friends to watch this show sadly either..keep in touch..
chip
david gabriel