'Swingtown' Porno art

Tonight on Swingtown, the role of the morally superior Janet was played by Bruce. Janet opted to spend her time conducting Tupperware parties and watching Deep Throat. No, I did not make up that last bit at all.

The show was not transported to Htrae (5 points for anyone getting that reference!). They did, however, try to tackle gender roles, parentified children, and censorship in addition to the usual problems swingers face. Which, according to the show, are primarily when the next party is, who is going and how to coerce your hot neighbors into joining the scene. Even if it means putting up with their frigid friends.

Speaking of Janet & Roger, we found out that Roger is ready for her to be less...well, Janet. He offers to help her "relax" (is that code for oral or am I just exceptionally gutter minded?) but she brushes him off because she just did her hair. Yes, really. He asks where the crazy skinny dipper from the prior weekend is and she tells him not to hold one moment of poor judgment over her head and reminds him that it's not Friday. Which means they have a sex schedule that relegates the act to once a week. No wonder married people are depressed!

Over at Susan & Bruce's house, she has over made seven layer dip for Janet's upcoming Tupperware party and decides to take some across the street to Trina & Tom's house to see if she wants it for her party. Which is when she discovers she really should have read the invitation before RSVPing, because it's a fund raiser for the legal defense of Harry Reems. She tries to retract her RSVP, explaining "I have children". Breeders are against porn? Sylvia challenges her position, saying that even if she doesn't approve of the film it's still wrong to censor it. Which is when Susan makes her big misstep, saying that she and Bruce haven't discussed the matter. Of course, Sylvia mentions she didn't seem like the type of woman who let her husband tell her what her opinions are. And I cheer!

Trina comes over later, interrupting the Tupperware party and thanking Susan for not inviting her (amen, sister) while also apologizing for Sylvia's attack. Susan admits that she felt stupid and Trina happily hands over some "research materials" on the matter.  A few hours later, Tupperware having been sold, Bruce returns home. He's perturbed that Susan didn't pick him up at the train station, but that's nothing to when he finds out why she missed his train. She's been reading all about Deep Throat and she wants to go to Trina's party. Bruce tells her he saw the movie (for laughs. With the guys from work. Sure.) but that he doesn't want her to go to the party without him because of "what goes on over there".  And he has the big bowling championship, so he isn't going. What happened to being open to new experiences, Bruce?

Susan decides to level the playing field by going to see the movie herself. Afterward, she goes to see Janet and tells her about the movie and about Trina's party. Which seems sort of pointless, because Janet is sure to clutch her proverbial pearls and gasp. However, Susan asks Janet to go to Trina's party with her, likely because of the very fact that Janet is so uptight Bruce couldn't possibly object if she was there too. Unfortunately, even if predictably, Janet refuses.  It's not Friday, after all!

Susan tells Bruce that she is going to the party anyway and Laurie cheers her for standing up against censorship and for her own freedom. Bruce tells her it's none of her business and reiterates to Susan that they decided she wasn't going. Which means, of course, that as soon as he is off to his bowling thing, Susan goes. Once there, Tom is making his lame jokes, Gail is getting sauced and trying to pick up the star and Susan is trying to act like nothing is amiss. Which is when Janet shows up - not to support the cause, but to support her friend. However, she ends up talking to Harry Reems about his situation and finding out that porno stars are people too.

Over at the bowling league lounge, Bruce and Roger's team won, but Bruce is morose. He mentions to Roger that he and Susan have been having problems ever since getting involved with Trina & Tom. His main complaint seems to consist of how ever since that fateful night she has "opinions"! Also, she didn't pick him up at the train station and went to see a porno. Roger reveals that he an Janet only have sex every other Friday. Roger wins! He also reveals that Janet went to the party with Susan. Bruce says "The Deep Throat party?!" and Roger asks "The what party?!" Get ready for hilarity to ensue!

And by hilarity, I mean both Bruce and Roger showing up at Trina & Tom's. Bruce immediately locates Susan and tells her to get her things because they are leaving. She refuses and he storms off. Strangely enough, Janet & Roger not only stay, they watch the private screening of the movie. Susan confides to Trina that she isn't sure that Bruce is on the same wavelength as she is anymore and Trina urges her to get him on board. So, she goes home and tells him she loves him and he gives her the cool shoulder. Things are far different for Janet and Roger who go home and don't even make it to the bedroom, opting for the kitchen floor instead. Bizarro!

The kids stories remain...well, as if they belong to another show altogether. Laurie continued to flirt with her teacher, who seems over his whole underage issue, now being more concerned with them waiting until he's no longer her teacher. Meaning, next week. Logan confronted Laurie with having watched the teacher leave her house late at night last weekend, but she rather easily talks him out of blowing the whistle.  Meanwhile, B.J. and Samantha continue to hang out. Well, when she isn't off buying her mother cartons of cigarettes or peeling her drunken behind off the living room floor. She wants to be a bird. He wants to be a tiger. I want to take a nap.

The worst line of the night goes to Tom this week, who said "That's a little hard to swallow" in response to Harry Reems's legal situation. It crushed my soul a little.

So, the show remains rather...not titillating. They tried to add some depth to Trina & Tom by creating some unease for her in regards to his new route to Japan. We learned that he left a committed relationship to be with her, after cheating on his former lover with her, but even that doesn't manage to carry any weight. I am not sure if that was because of the swinger issue or because the matter received less then 2 minutes of screen time. What say you, fellow watchers?

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