scidram wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 9:48 am
rscholar wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 4:49 am
Just finished episode 1 and I'll get to the other stuff in the other threads when I see more, but, ummmm...
*Series overview plays during credits*
"This season on The Miniature Wife--"
This....SEASON?!
That's standard industry speak, not necessarily a guarantee that there'll be a second season. Even if this is the only season, they'd still call it "this season." Besides, what else would they call it?
Also, a lot of times, producers keep things open for potential additional seasons. Even in my big compendium, I predicted a few possible endings that would keep things open. No guarantees, but if ratings/reviews turn out good, the industry wants more.
So don't get your hopes up yet. We gotta see how this plays out when all the normies react to it. As for us, I think it's some of the best SW content we've ever seen. And I'm only 4 episodes in.
Yeah, that makes more sense, though I'd have figured they would bill this as a limited series. If they do greenlight more but don't have a proper way to continue, that would make for..........................diminishing returns.
Now, my take:
Overall: GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY THIS IS AWESOME! Really, even disregarding the all-time incredible SW content this has, this has just been a fun show in and of itself - I don't really watch TV and especially not streaming, but this feels exceptionally good. The plotting is intricate with tons of moving parts, the pace covers a surprising amount of ground, and the people in charge of casting deserve praise because Banks and McFayden are dynamite together - Banks obviously has to do a lot of heavy lifting and she's chewing the scenery so hard I think she might sprain her jaw. Like, I would actually recommend it to anyone on its own merits and I wouldn't be surprised if it got some award buzz. And the effects of course are spectacular, possibly the fulfillment of the promise emerging tech had for the future of this fetish - one way or the other, this is nothing short of a goddamn triumph and I'm so happy to be here for it.
Episode 1: Terrific setup briskly covers everything in time for the shrinking event at the end. I had to remind myself this was a shrinking woman show because, while I don't know if the background plot without the size elements - the marriage, career failings, keeping up the lavish fascade - could've completely carried the show on their own, I was still invested and felt like I was watching a completely different show than what I knew would be coming. Did anyone catch the books in the bookstore? I know there was "Art of War" but I could swear I also saw something about Persephone. I didn't catch the "pushing buttons" meta pun, but the jab about manhood to scale followed by the spray (bukkake anyone?) convinced me Les did it on purpose, even if on impulse. I'm actually glad I got to see his narcissism on display ("Do more with Les!" ....how did I not catch that about his name when we first heard about it? I mean Littlejohn [it's stupid - there, I said it] was on the nose, but that just flew right by) and his softening during the main story was seeming like true remorse, at least until he gets fed up and spits it out that he did mean to shrink her which causes her to go rogue. Still, he's so damn petty, literally jumping up and down tantruming about a Nobel.
Episode 2: I'll get into some other thoughts in a sec but first......wow. I know we already saw pretty much everything from the trailers but...Just. F***ing. Wow. The reveal. The dollhouse opening. The exploring. *The handheld* (her little chuckle as she climbed on, because the whole situation was absurd, just melted my heart). Also, Les' comment admiring her at her new size was one of those affirming moments that made me so happy: "You're...incredible! You're so beautiful." I love it so much.
That said - there's probably a more in-depth way to describe it that I can't completely articulate here, but the mood, however ridiculous and comical in the "tragic" circumstances, was surprisingly cynical. I mean, her meltdown during dinner made sense (the turkey chucking was a nice touch, such a waste though) and she has every right to not feel like following Les' fake cheer, but the "being tiny isn't so bad" sequence was, like, satire in a way. The short montage of her trudging around interspersed with Les' dumb face was almost like the show was saying being shrunk wouldn't actually be all that interesting: "Wow-wee, everything's big, sooo fascinating *yawn*" The train bit was the real rug-pull though. Considering it's *the* image, from ads to the streaming banner, we were led to believe it would've been a bright spot where she got to loosen up a little and have fun, only for her to break down into "I Love Lucy" level hysterics (the petting was real nice though and the angles under the tree were lovely). It feels like massive metaphor - putting on a smile and powering through a moment to appease others only for the facade to crack and start the downward spiral. That's their marriage, their careers, dealing with shrinking, and likely the endgame we know will get heavy - bright and fun until everything goes to hell. I can't help but feel that's deliberate and I almost have to give the showrunners credit for showing that perspective, but it really sucks the energy out of the moment. I'm seeing more and more why some people want to get away from the idea of shrinking as a negative and it reminds me of Emma's tiny sex scene where the wackiness masks the depression.
Speaking of sex scene, the flashback to happier times after Les sticks up for her and they get freaky made me appreciate this being rated mature: it was such a beautiful happy moment shot intimately and not gratuitous or shallow like others like it. It also lends to the idea about being to see a woman appear sexually active and engaged so that, I don't know, "glow" transfer to when she's shrunk, like in Innerspace where the villain Margaret was shown being kinky before she became tiny. God, I know the whole "not for us" thing, but I kept picturing that same MW sex scene but Lindy was like 3ft tall.
The "Colon" bit was unexpectedly hilarious and I was thinking at first the mention of The Shining was going to be purely subtext - writer trapped in house goes insane - then Banks finds the meat cleaver (...why is that even there?) and goes all in on the goggle-eyed impression. Weird. I know she wanted to get out in general, but trying to get to the phone for her editor made the attempt make more sense than her just being stubborn.
Episode 3: We're already at the lab reveal - that was quick. Agreed her running around and caught in the basket was amazing, as was the seatbelt scene (though a tad dark to appreciate, but at least the lighting simulating the night driving was well done). Lulu's already an interesting foil and I really want to see what the relationship is about. Richard...is kind've annoying. A good disruption for the plot, but I really thought when the actor said "Shakespearian" that he meant metaphorically, not "every other sentence." As I mentioned earlier, I'm not expecting him to stick around long and I get the feeling that will be a turning point.
Call me crazy, and I'm a little disappointed for thinking so, but was the best use of special effects so far with Vivienne and the cat? I mean, from a GTS perspective, the giant woman being so tender with the petting and kissing was hot. I know we're due for one or two Lindy interactions so I'm hopeful they can reach that level. All the same, the FX people are absolute rockstars.
As for Vivienne herself, I was a little put off when I realized during her watching the video that she was in love with Les, but the spreadsheet put it so far out there that it kind've wrapped around to being funny. ....I really want to focus on Lindy and invest in her, but if Vivienne is that unhinged...could she pull a "Richard" for Les?
Final thoughts:
....I don't know that I can sum up anything other than this is a hell of a rollercoaster. I'm genuinely blown away by how much they've spun out of a straightforward short story. I know he probably doesn't care that much since his work is on the screen, but I'd love to know what Manuel Gonzalez thinks about all this - maybe he's like Chuck Palahniuk watching the Fight Club movie and all like "Damn, wish I thought of that!"
No concrete opinion overall until I see the rest, but so far this was definitely worth the wait.
