`Blue - Season 3, Episode 2

(click here to watch the episode)

Blue sees a very different side of Arthur. At home, it’s Josh’s turn to keep a secret from Blue while Lara and Satya get themselves into a dangerous situation they might not escape.

Notes.  As you see, the move to Hulu allows us to watch a full episode of `Blue, as opposed to piecemeal.  Also, I've had difficult embedding video from platforms other than YouTube, which may be a deliberate block by Google.  But no matter, where there is a will there is a way.

"You can tell me what the hell is so funny."  "You pay for sex and dinner-theater.  You don't pay for people's thoughts." 

"How's Francesca?"  "She's fine."  "Oh, trouble in paradise?"  "We're fine, Blue."

"Lara, is this how you live your life now?"  "How?"  "Like a gypsy, following that girl everywhere.  You could've been killed today?" 

"Do you ever think about me in the long-term?"  "No.  Baby, I'm not saying I don't think about you in the long-term.  I live in the moment, I want to take it day by day." 

Such exquisite tension between Josh and Francesca.  Their talk is clipped, even absent.  The perspective is distant, then closer, and mirrors perfectly the wax and wane of that tension.

"In my experience, men who can cook well make excellent lovers.  Are you like that?  I bet you are.  I can't wait to find out.  Am I boring you?"  "I want the other girl back." 

Blue's semblance of control is anchored in having sex, whereas Arthur's, interestingly, is in not having sex."

"So who asked out who?"  "I don't know.  No one.  I guess it just kind of happened.  I don't really think we knew what we were doing."  "Kind of like two planets colliding." 

Such good acting, such a good script, such fine cinematography.

`Blue - Season 3, Episode 1

(click here to watch the episode)

Blue’s sister Lara and her friend Satya pay an unexpected visit and take over the apartment just as Josh and Francesca’s relationship gets serious. Meanwhile, Blue meets a new client with an odd request, but she recognizes its lucrative potential.

Superstar LeBron James stunned the basketball world in 2010, when he said he would take his talents to South Beach.  He fled the Cleveland Cavaliers, to play for the Miami Heat, in what has become known as The Decision.  He returned home to Cleveland this summer in a similarly stunning reversal of The Decision.

It was disheartening to see `Blue, and WIGS overall, fly the coup of YouTube and take its standout talent to Hulu.  But the story behind the move is, in and of itself, intriguing from a media business standpoint, as CNET writer Joan Solsman explains in a very informative article:

WIGS move highlights how the YouTube audience may not be perfectly suited for content that wants to move up the food chain. As Fox takes WIGS further along the path to potentially appearing on its own channels, it's expanding the series to a platform with a fraction of the viewership.

For Google, "Blue" and other WIGS shows expanding to Hulu raises their profile to YouTube's benefit. Viewers who see "Blue" elsewhere and want more of WIGS will come back to YouTube to get it. The expansion, YouTube would say, confirms the value of its site for premium content, rather than questions it.

James Dix, an analyst for Wedbush who covers Google, says advertising prices on a program typically are higher the greater the reach of the program, so it makes sense for YouTube get as much distribution as it can. Though a portion of the advertising revenue is lost to Hulu, "if it's reaching a million people versus 100,000 people, in theory that would help YouTube."

Reference: 'Blue' expands to Hulu too, spreading beyond YouTube.

I imagine this is a highly calculated gamble for Fox, that is, expanding its reach for WIGS by sidling into a much smaller platform.  The endgame may not just be Fox.com, as Solsman points out, but perhaps a movie for the big screen and-or an outright TV series on either free or paid channels.  Such tried-and-true media are where Fox excels.

For Google, beastly parent of YouTube, its formidable platform is not fazed in the least, and the Fox gamble may indeed pay handsomely in return: not just with more views to the WIGS content it already has, but also with a bigger draw for both advertisers and creators.  In other words, if quality content can establish an amazing footing on YouTube, then it makes sense to come to the giant's lair.

All that said, let's enjoy Season 3 of `Blue!

"Looks like you're good at that, Mom." "Practice, Josh, practice makes perfect."

"Hey, Josh, what up, bitch?" "If she gives you permission, you're still whipped, Joshua."  "Fuck you."  "Yes, please."  

"I don't do that." "You don't do what?  You don't pretend to be someone, in order to give a client what he needs?"

"She's older than me, by a couple of years." "Cougar, fun." 

"Did Dad approach you?  He's not the smoothest operator." "He's totally awk."  "I'm not fucking awk.  I've got game."  "Yeah, 'paralympic' game." 

"So what do you think of my sister?" "She's uptight.  Why'd your Dad call her Blue?" "He said, sometimes she has a sad little face."  

`Blue - Season 2, Episode 5, Parts 1-6

Savages

"I know I'll have a good time.  Not as good as you.  You will be through the roof." "Great, so the sky's the limit." "$600."

Role Play

"What's the other one?" "RPG, it's a role playing game.  It's like a fantasy world.  It has a quest, like you have to make a potion... it's a lot of strategy, a lot of work, too much work." 

Winning With

"This is not a chess game.  This is not some fancy opening move.  When people play chess, only one person wins.  I'm looking for someone I can win with."  

A Straight Answer

"I was out on a date." "Wowza." "Is that so strange?" "A straight answer is what's strange, Blue." 

Choices Add Up

"Choices add up, Josh, that's what they call character."  This really is good stuff.  The story line is deft, and I marvel at the writing in particular.

Where Were You?

"I've looked in the mirror, believe it or not." "Yeah, what did you find?" "Mistakes."  

`Blue - Season 2, Episode 4, Parts 1-5

Hard Time

"Look, if he starts coming here, after a while, the novelty will wear off, and he'll stop coming, and it'll eat away at him. He'll feel like crap, that every minute he's out there living, I'm in here dying." 

The Details

What a person says is telling, but how she says it and how he reacts to it are just as telling. Counseling peels back layers of meaning.  

You're Not a Freak, are You?

"Is that what was stuck in there?" "You had a few other things going on down here, too." "What is that?" "Uh, looks like a condom."   

Getting to the Point

"Just get to the point." "What point, there's no point... I found a condom in the garbage disposal."  

I'm Not a Stalker

"I'm not a predator, OK, I'm a serious person. I'm law-abiding, hard-working, Christian, family-oriented, I'm sober. I don't mean in the sober-alcoholic. I like to make sober choices."

`Blue - Season 2, Episode 3, Parts 1-5

Make Yourself at Home

"He said you're better than 10 sets of regular parents. And then he had to stop, because he said he was starting to sound like that other asshole, like that other guy." 

Old Habits Die Hard

"For a changed man, you haven't changed much." "You have no idea what this is about." 

Doubling the Equation

The dialogue is simply a delay tactic, but it builds the romantic tension between Josh and Francesca.

Are You Clean?

"Go wash your hands, and put the towel in the trash can." So goes an intense, frightening, and surreal bout with a sociopathic client.  

In the Running

"Apparently being assertive burns calories." So perhaps for Blue, not being so assertive - that is, being reserved - is a matter of conserving energy. 

`Blue - Season 2, Episode 2, Parts 1-5

Glue and Lubricant

"Men only have two channels: Find it, eat it.  And find it, fuck it.  Women are more complex... Women keep it together, and keep it going." 

Wow, Wow, Wow

"She gets her strength from you, you know." "You're a very special person." "What, me?" "You're a real friend." ("Dumbass.")

On my Own

"It's subtle. Everyone thinks he's cool, humble, big humble jock, star.  But it's bullshit.  And he's vain... and the worse part, he's got everyone fooled into thinking so, too.  He's a prick, and a crybaby." 

The Truth Hurts

"You're a recovering alcoholic, and you're married to a bartender. That is so fucked up." "Yes, doctor."

A Man's Permission

"Blue, if it turns out that the man is the father, and he finds out about it, he'll have to be reckoned with. When it comes to their children, anyone is capable of anything."

`Blue - Season 2, Episode 1, Parts 1-5

See and Be Seen

"I see my friends with their husbands. I don't want to do that, I don't want to be a caretaker.  Most men suck the life's blood out of a woman. It is the cheapest, most available fuel."

What Kind of a Name is Blue?

"Do you have any idea, how painful it was for Harry to have to hear that he came from bad sperm. Who says that, who talks like that? Who raises a child like that?"

It's Just a Crutch

"You talk about how you feel... You talk about that boy, why he upsets you so much... The whole therapy thing is so self-indulgent."

Everything is a Test

"I needed to pay my debts to Vera. So, yes, from that point of view, I wanted you to leave. Later I realized how much I wanted you to stay."

How Do You Do?

"Francesca is a pretty name." "Oh, shut up."