Last night on "The Slap" was Mackenzie Leigh's turn to shine as Connie, and she came through brilliantly. Homosexuality was finally introduced into the show, but Connie's story here is vastly different from the book, which is in some ways good, in others bad.
Mackenzie makes Connie a vastly more believable and intelligent figure than how she came across in the book. There, Connie lives with her Aunt Tasha, who I wish had been used; apparently her parents had been hippies, musicians, druggies, whatever, and virtually abandoned her to Aunt Tasha. They have a good relationship, and much of the book is devoted to contrasting Connie and her gay friend Richie, who are teens about to embark on college, with grownups Gary and Rosie, who seem to have less parenting prowess than these youngsters. Hugo, the little tyrant, virtually listens to what Connie tells him, and he just loves Richie.
Some of this was conveyed in the book, what with poor Rosie facing having to go to trial over Harry and the slap. However, here Hugo comes off as pretty independent; the relationship the baby sitter has with Rosie is that the adult woman seems dependent on the child, and needs to be taken care of, as much as Hugo. Sort of like Wendy Craig as Virgie, in the 1965 Bette Davis film, "The Nanny."
Connie's home life is horrible. Her stepfather, early on, comes off as an Anglicized Stanley Tucci, while her mother is an ugly harridan, whose life of drugs has made her a mess, not to mention her hatred of her husband, and her inability to share the truth with her daughter, makes her come off as a monstrous. She is just one step removed from Barbara Hershey in "Black Swan."
Connie does find out the truth, which is that her father was gay--or bisexual, depending on how you look at it--and left his lover, who it seems he went back to--for Connie's mother. I am all for alternative life styles, darlings, but stick to one, please. This is my issue with gays who try straight marriage, and then make a mess of things.
Connie packs up her father's memorabilia, returns home, and seems content with it. But there is a more difficult truth she has to face.
It is that Hector wants to drop their affair--the show really is not clear on how far they have gone--and stabilize his relationship with Aisha and the kids. This makes perfect sense, but poor Connie is left in the lurch. She cries a little, but she is no fool! And I love the way she copes!
She puts her hair up, puts on her prettiest party dress, goes out to party, drinks and takes pills. Sounds good to me. But Connie is a good deal younger than I--indeed, of some of us on here--so she can handle this. I am not sure I could.
But Rosie needs her, and she will be there. Kudos to all last night, but Mackenzie Leigh especially!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next week is Aisha's turn! Oh, boy! Thandie Newton!!!!!! I can't wait!!!!!!!!
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