A Teacher

[purrswhileheeats]

New show on FX (probably not available in the UK yet) Kate Mara plays a young teacher who becomes involved with a 17 year old pupil. It's horrific and compelling - some awful scenarios of grooming.

I think these series eventually get moved to Netflix, look out for it.

I agree the final scene was upsetting, what courage Eric had to spell it out like that.

Claire's life wasn't perfect; that was obvious right from the start when she was seen shoplifting. I partially expected her brother and husband to forgive her - it was written so well.

Watch the first 2 episodes but just don't feel invested enough to watch the rest

It does start rather slowly, but the danger factor and thus the tension ramps up as the story progresses. Watching it, I can’t help thinking Claire is crazy given what is at stake when a teacher has a relationship with a pupil. For a testosterone-fuelled young man, it must be addictive.

What I felt was interesting was how carefully it was set up to overturn our stereotypical perceptions of the male teacher and the schoolgirl; firstly, by reversing the sexes and then by making Claire so physically tiny and psychologically fragile - it really challenged us to recognise that what she did was still very abusive. I thought the scenes that were really well done were all the scenes at the frat house: when the other young men can't really understand that he has been violated, and the way he himself joins in the degrading of her even though he hates it (talking about her pubic hair and so on).

I couldn't believe it when she said to him "but you kissed me first", as if that was the first time a line had been crossed - in total denial about all the lines she had crossed before that!

@thelake

The actor who plays his Eric's friend seems too old casting wise

Ironically, the actor is only two years older than the actor playing Eric. They're both well into their twenties.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, very engaging and I think the pace was perfect.
Claire seemed damaged and naive. I was so glad Eric had the courage to open her eyes and tell her that she made the first move long before he did. She crossed the boundaries so so early on.

when the other young men can't really understand that he has been violated

I'm not entirely sure violated off the right term. It's more about manipulation, about one of them holding all the cards. She makes him desperately want her, fall in love with her, only to discard him later. She leads him down that hopeless path and there's nothing he can do to escape emotionally. The moment when she tells him to go be a kid is the one I really wanted to slap her. Poor guy is left with the worst of both worlds: saddled with a toxic relationship and now heartbroken. The light just goes out of his eyes in that moment. It's so, so unfair on him.

But he has been violated for the very reasons you say. The other boys in the frat house think he's a player, a legend, what a lucky guy to have sex with not just an older woman but a teacher. They can't understand how it's damaged him at all, except for Cody, who I think has an inkling.

I've watched the first 6 episodes today and aim to watch the final 4 tomorrow.

I too think Claire is a bit crazy and trying to escape from the fact that her and her husband can't have kids naturally and she is also making up for some lost youth through Eric.

I can't believe how understanding her husband is being though. She definitely has some issues, like Logan, Eric's friend said 😳

Not enjoying the amount of swearing in it though. All the students look and act like they should be in uni, not final years of high school!

I started it but decided it wasn't for me.
I think I got as far as the shop lifting confession to her husband. That was enough of a transgression for me.
I thought life is too short to watch something that will make you sad about the world. Iykwim
Particularly now with another lockdown.
I deleted the recordings.

Well I've now watched all 10 episodes. And I stand by my first thoughts that Claire was a master manipulator and us totally to blame!

The ending was sad for Eric as he was still struggling to move on, whereas Claire seemed to have got the perfect family set up, despite what she had done 🤨

What I don't understand though, is the last episode was supposed to be 10 years later. But the school reunion said class of 2014? Surely that makes it only 5 years later, as it must have been 2019 (rather than 2024 🧐)

@Meredusoleil I think it must be 10 years on given the age of Claire's children and how much Eric's brothers are in that episode. I think it must be set in the future

[quote thelake]@Meredusoleil I think it must be 10 years on given the age of Claire's children and how much Eric's brothers are in that episode. I think it must be set in the future[/quote]
Thanks for the reply.

Oh that is weird to be set in the future from even now 😳

I personally would have liked to know how Claire managed to get the seemingly perfect husband and life after what she'd done. Especially given poor Eric was still stuck in a time freeze almost 🙁

I've over thought this but she is an attractive woman and could have retrained in another career. Some men wouldn't even judge her the way women would judge a male teacher with a female pupil.

Also her name is pretty common so after the initial stuff people would probably move on and forget

I really enjoyed this.
Although it annoyed me when she said her marriage was breaking down and so she decided to destroy it.
Her marriage seemed fine apart from the stress of not being able to conceive, and her husband seemed like a nice guy who was left broken by what she did.
Also annoyed by her blaming Eric For starting it by kissing her, as PP have said, and her poor me, I can’t get a job, attitude.
Very thought provoking about the long term effect on Eric.

@Papergirl1968

I really enjoyed this. Although it annoyed me when she said her marriage was breaking down and so she decided to destroy it. Her marriage seemed fine apart from the stress of not being able to conceive, and her husband seemed like a nice guy who was left broken by what she did. Also annoyed by her blaming Eric For starting it by kissing her, as PP have said, and her poor me, I can’t get a job, attitude. Very thought provoking about the long term effect on Eric.

I agree. She should have just moved away from Texas and started her life over again where no one knew her name or her past!

I saw the first episode last night and grumbled all the way through. BOUNDARIES, woman! Where are they? She should have left the bar as soon as she had been approached by the lads. And doesn't her school have a Social Media Policy? I'd be amazed if a person with such obviously poor judgement could even get into Teacher Training.

Any teachers here? Tell me I'm wrong!j

Oh and my other gripe was that I couldn’t actually read most of the texts! The letters were too small - or my eyes too bad!
But overall I did really enjoy it.

@BitOfFun

I saw the first episode last night and grumbled all the way through. BOUNDARIES, woman! Where are they? She should have left the bar as soon as she had been approached by the lads. And doesn't her school have a Social Media Policy? I'd be amazed if a person with such obviously poor judgement could even get into Teacher Training.

Any teachers here? Tell me I'm wrong!j

Yes I agree. I am a teacher myself and kept thinking how down with the kids she was 🤨 It was like she was a new teacher and didn't know how to behave around young people 🙄

At American schools, teachers can be a lot more approachable than in the UK. That can in turn lead to dodgy boundary blurring... although of course they have rules over there too. Just saying there's a cultural element to that situation perhaps which can facilitate that disaster.

Just bumping this thread up again so the person that started the new one can see it 👍

Thank you!

I watched the whole thing. I think it was really interesting how it was filmed. It reminded me of Normal People in some ways. It kind of draws you in to be rooting for them in the early days but knowing she is morally reprehensible. I do feel like it seemed to lose momentum in the later episodes.

I was shocked how quickly Claire seemed to jump right in which didn't really make sense until the last episode (wanting to get out of her marriage). The early episodes of their relationship made me conflicted but as it went on it was clear that Claire was using Eric and actually didn't care about him, she was often cruel.

I didn't understand why she told the teacher friend about them, seemed a bit strange as she had been so strict about Eric deleting photos / evidence.

Ultimately, it made me sad. I didn't get any sense of hope that Eric's life would work out, she really screwed him up and stole his innocence. I was annoyed that she got a happy ending.

Yes I agree. Totally unjust that Claire seemed to come out relatively unscathed despite spending time in jail and obviously having a criminal record. Whilst poor Eric was still suffering as a result of the trauma.

I think Claire needed an ego boost and a way out of her marriage. After 10 years with the first guy she had ever slept with, she wanted to feel young and alive again and make up for the time she lost during her youth when she was looking after her father. But to go from that to the borderline sex hungry selfish bitch that she became was a bit of a stretch imho!

Poor Eric was like putty in Claire's hands. He acted like a love sick puppy but to look at him, he was like a fully grown man!

Claire was definitely on a power trip. She knew she could do what she wanted with him and had full control I reckon!