A Perfect Passion

Season 1: Episode 2 – “The News”

Kiss Her I’m Famous follows two down-and-out best friends as they look for fame in all the wrong places. Their plan? A celebrity sex tape to catapult the into the limelight.

Kiss Her I’m Famous Episode 2

Warning – some spoilers and candid thoughts ahead in our recapaview for episode 2

Episode 2 – recapaview

Jen has decided it’s a good idea to wake up her friend by scaring the living crap out of her. Luckily, Mandy is a lot more forgiving than I would be, and doesn’t decapitate her with a single blow. She does, however, start to freak out about being late for work, thus missing or failing to remember the fact that her best buddy is naked and in her bed… Maybe it’s because I’m an uptight English woman but if my best friend decided to get into my bed, naked, I’d be seriously wigging out.

Mandy continues to rush around like her tail is on fire while Jen looks on a little bemused that Mandy is expected in on a weekend. At which point you can almost hear Homer Simpson going ‘Doh!‘ inside Mandy’s head as she realises she could have had a lie in – I have had nightmares like this, so my heart goes out to her.

Let’s get breaky – what does that even mean?

Apparently Mandy’s apartment – which I love – has a swimming pool on the roof and not a flake of snow in sight, so it’s sparking a bit of envy, but just to prove that sun and swimming pools aren’t everything, Jen’s boyfriend, the fur-ball that is Josh, calls. Now most of us would have declined the call or answered, cursed in a variety of languages, and then hung up, but Jen goes one step crazier and throws her phone into the pool.

Josh’s call – now issuing bubbles from the bottom of the pool – sparks talk of Hannah, Mandy’s ex, and Jen’s belief that all they need is a good plan to have them both come crawling back. Why she’d want him back is something of a mystery, unless the phone dunking was only a dry run and she plans on dunking him in the Pacific (or is it Atlantic? Whichever’s closer and has less CCTV coverage).

Jen has a package coming, to help cheer them up – my mind went places it really shouldn’t have gone while writing a recapaview – and if her free reign with Mandy’s wallet is any indication it might just cost her friend dearly.

Later in the day, Mandy is eating some seriously defrosted ice-cream while Jen is moving the rest of her stuff in – and still waiting on her delivery – when they are interrupted by a new entertainment segment (is this the only show they watch?): it turns out that Josh’s ‘sophiebabe’ is none other than the French lady from the sex-with-a-Senator-tape and his pre-hotel-hook-up photo has leaked (I presume purposefully) and somehow become news.

The female TV presenter seems to have missed the fact that Josh’s head is made of fur and is going all googly-eyes over his junk (slang isn’t my strong suit but isn’t that the part of his anatomy covered by steam? or am I just not looking closely enough?)… Either way, Jen is not amused.

ralst

………………………………………………………………………………

So, we left Jen and Mandy at seemingly low points and crossroads as they both are having relationship issues. So, you can’t get lower than that, right? Wellll… the episode opens and we see Mandy lying in bed, earplugs in place, awakening from her slumber as a hand creeps into the frame and covers her mouth. Is she being robbed or attacked? Nah, it is just Jen (and thus was born the Jen/Mandy fanfic pairing). Jen is bubbly and trying to convince Mandy to go to breakfast, and as what comes off as an innocent side note, she is not wearing any clothes (Jen did warn us last episode she likes to sleep in the nude).

I have to say, I really liked the camerawork and choreographing of this scene. Jen’s nakedness is not thrown in for gratuitousness viewing, or thrown in our face. You never once see full-on naughty bits, but the staging showcases Jen’s form and is one of the few naked/not showing the full on naked bed scenes I have seen that does not just stick the actress under a sheet with just her upper chest and shoulders exposed. I remember a conversation I had with a fanfic writer about differences in erotica and porn and how erotica gave you more with less and porn just shoved it all in your face. The nudity in the scene was less and thus more. It also was a great way to showcase the differences between the two (Mandy with T-shirt, long pj pants and earplugs and Jen au natural).

Their differences comes out in many other ways throughout the episode (and I find myself looking forward to seeing these differences as the series progresses). Another one of my favorite visual moments of this episode highlights the differences between the two (yes last episode I was on a quote kick, this episode is all about the visual). During the bed scene Mandy begins to have a breakdown because she is going to be late to work, Jen is just casually propped up in bed watching the frenzy that is Mandy and seems to be uncaring about Mandy’s predicament. Mandy admonishes Jen for not taking the concept of work seriously. Jen looks dutifully scolded, even kicking her leg a little in a sullen manner, then as the camera continues to focus on Jen, she looks up and her expression goes from frown to this simplistic, charming “how can you be mad at me” smile in one fluid motion. It is just a wonderful moment caught on camera (have I mentioned how much I like the camera work…)

And then we come to the rooftop scene. I want to have a rooftop like this. As ralst mentioned, I am feeling the apartment envy (rooftop pool is awesome). There is this nice balance between the skyscrapers and cityline and the two as they chat. We are outdoors in a big city, but in a place that is isolated (rather than say in a restaurant, or a park with city noise, etc.) making a nice disconnect from the hustle and bustle. The scene started with Mandy sitting on the pool steps her back to us as she looks at the buildings, the shot set so we see the city skyline as well. In a nice visual circle, the scene closes from the same general vantage point as the opening, but this time Jen and Mandy sitting and chatting.

And closing out the episode we are back in Mandy’s apartment, Mandy on her couch enthralled by whatever she is watching on the television. The camera takes the position of the television so we can focus on Mandy. Again the facial expressions speak volumes and I really do not need to see what is on the tv as watching Mandy watching the show as well as “eating” her ice cream soup is a delight. Enter Jen, who is drawn into the broadcast as well (literally as she crawls over the couch to sit down, eyes completely on the tv as she moved) and we find things can get even lower, or, well, at least weirder.

jojo

Kiss Her I’m Famous is part of TelloFilms Premium Subscription – you can find details on how to subscribe and begin seeing this series and more here – https://tellofilms.com/content/product/become-tello-premium-subscriber