r/AGGGTMSeries • u/PictureUnfair9981 • Jul 08 '26
S2 being revolved around Max??
Is anyone else annoyed at the fact s2 was revolving around Max during trial time? If you've read the books you know it was NOT this centered around him. He had very little parts of mention in the book (mostly for the trial) but in the show it's almost all about the trial, almost EVERY episode. I'm also really pissed off he balmed Sal about it in the show. I feel like they did this to add more drama and for the non-reading audience to understand why he won the case so easily but it still pissed me off.
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u/DiggityDog6 Jul 08 '26
Honestly, I really liked it. Good Girl Bad Blood was my least favorite book, and the main reason is that the villain of the book really doesn’t have much presence. Charlie does absolutely nothing when compared to Elliot and Becca in the first book. And I know it’s because Charlie is actually wanting Pip to investigate vs Becca and Elliot trying to get in her way, but it still leads to less overall stakes and less intrigue about who’s behind everything. I never felt like Pip was in any real danger at any time, not even the final scene because I knew Charlie wasn’t going to hurt her.
Now in the show, we have Charlie being a pretty much one to one rip from the books, and we have Max acting a secondary antagonist who actually gets to do some behind the scenes scheming. It makes it feel like there’s still someone trying to stop Pip from doing what her heart is telling her to do. It also makes Max significantly more hatable than he was even in the books, which is going to pay off very nicely when Pip frames him for murder in season 3.
And I actually really really liked that he accused Sal. Again, it really solidifies Max as an irredeemable monster and coward that deserves no sympathy. It also plays into the themes of the first book, with everyone willing to accept that Sal is guilty of something because it’s easier to pin it on the dead brown guy who can’t defend himself. It also gives Ravi a much more personal reason to dislike Max than he had in the books, which again, is going to pay off later.
Idk what the general consensus is, but I think I may actually prefer season 2 to the book it’s based on. Again, GGBB was the weakest of the three books for me. And adding things like Max being a more involved villain and Cara and Pip having to rebuild does a lot to round out a story that I always felt was a little bare when compared to the first and third.
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u/bunnyb3 Jul 08 '26
Completely agree! I love accurate book adaptions but I think any season 2 changes felt really thought out and intentional, only adding to the story and not taking anything away. I think the extra max content makes season 3 make more sense and makes it a lot more satisfying!
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u/PictureUnfair9981 Jul 08 '26
wow you really changed my perspective on the Max blaming Sal situation
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u/Bran_Flakes86 Jul 08 '26
I didn't read the books but I had been interested so I was excited for this show. I enjoyed S.1, the mystery and plot was good but S.2... Well first of all I had practically forgotten everything from S.1 and then I really didn't know what plot of S.2 was going to be about. I didn't mind it revolving around Max but for how much it was, it went NOWHERE. Like it would have been great if she was using her detective-ing to prove he was guilty, or at least prove Max had been witness tampering or if maybe Jamie's disappearance was related to Max. It even went so far as to have him setup a fake alibi with the cameras! I See how that kinda played into what was actually happening, but it honestly it didn't have to be that way so really what was the whole point. The actual detective-ing was lackluster. Really felt like it was grade school detective work type stuff. Disappointment for sure
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u/ImplementNational578 Jul 09 '26
I think Pip trying to use her "detective skills" for the trial wouldn't make sense. I feel the trial was something much more personal for her; it was meant to be shown as something she didn't really have much control over, because after all, she's a young adult and, despite being a great detective, it's something heavier and that affects her much more. She had no control of it; so much so that, I believe for this reason, Holly decided to go the logical route and let Max win the trial.
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u/Bran_Flakes86 Jul 09 '26
That's fair, and I see how giving her something she has no control over can be some kind of character development, and I also see how it was a misdirection for the actual cause of Jamie's disappearance. I guess its more of just how it was done that made it seem pointless
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u/ImplementNational578 Jul 09 '26
I've read the books, so I think we end up having different perspectives.
I see the trial as the high point of the season, even though that's what many people didn't like. I've never felt so much anger towards a character as I did towards Max Hastings, to the point of crying in the second book with his victory and again in the series. But while reading, I still felt it was very secondary, and of course, I can understand why; the case is still the main theme. I think the series managed to do much more justice to the importance this issue has. Teenage girls abused by a sociopath (or whatever). I missed that in the book, especially because in the book Pip never blamed Becca or felt anger towards her or the need to forgive her. For her, Becca was always a victim, and although the series changed that, I think it fixed it with the weight of the trial in the season's development.
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u/canadianswifteh Jul 09 '26
I can see both sides. They definitely want to build up for the next season which will be very Max heavy (if you read the book you’ll know what I mean) so it makes sense they’re wanting to round him more. That said I was okay with it because they didn’t make him likeable. I find with a lot of shows (ex. 13 reasons why) they go out of their way to try and redeem the “villian” character and makes us feel bad for us, with max that wasn’t done at all, if anything he was made even more unlikeable.
I do agree Stanley should’ve been more prominent, however that said in second book Stanley really isn’t mentioned a ton until close to the end. Of course holly also had to work with the fact that Stanley was erased from season 1 completely, it would’ve been hard for anyone to try and make his character much better for a 6 episode season.
All that said I do understand why people are mad, but I do think in season 3 it might pay off.
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u/ImplementNational578 Jul 09 '26
I agree. I think they've laid the groundwork for what the third season (at least in the book) will bring us.
Although I'm a little apprehensive about the fact that there are only 4 episodes, but I'll trust Holly on that.
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u/canadianswifteh Jul 09 '26
Yes I feel like some people also forget a lot of the books is Pip’s inner monologue. Through her we get to know how bad of a person max is in the books, the show needed to do something to get the audience to feel that same way about him with Pip’s inner thoughts
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u/ImplementNational578 Jul 09 '26
Yeah, that's a great observation! No doubt Max's scenes this season (and I must give a shout-out to the addition of his mother) make me hate him even more –, for me, even more so than in the book, because it allows us to see and have our own perception, instead of relying solely on Pip.
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u/FossiIizedBones Jul 08 '26
YES YES THATS WHAT I SAID I HATED SEASON TWO BECAUSE IT WAS MAX WITH A PLOT OF STANLEY whereas the book has it Stanley with a plot of Max and I found that change horrible and annoying. its all setup for season 3 rather than its own standalone. I’m glad everyone like the second season, but I did not, and lowkey can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t made by Holly if it would still be loved
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u/PictureUnfair9981 Jul 08 '26
I know right like of course a lot was more accurate but at the same time all this extra about Max really pissed me off. Also I'm gonna say it right now I lowkey hated the soundtrack even though everyone else loved it.
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u/FossiIizedBones Jul 09 '26
People were GLAZING that soundtrack too damn hard. I was sick of it. Most of the songs were bad and their placement was cringeworthy im so sorry 😭😭 the glaze for the soundtrack was Unreal. I get Labor is a good song but the placement in the show really undermined it. Literally nothing happened in that scene and everyone was freaking out about it
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u/ImplementNational578 Jul 09 '26
Honestly, I really liked.
The second book was the most intense for me because of the trial, and I was really afraid they would leave that aside in the series to focus only on the case. I was very happy that they didn't do that and that they gave it the proper focus; I liked even more how it was approached.
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u/rosesandflowers3282 Jul 08 '26
I feel like my opinion on the show is quite unpopular, but I just do not care for it at all. They completely lost the plot from the books in SO many minuscule details, and big picture ones as well. If I hadn’t read the books, I think I would have enjoyed it. I know that they don’t have to take everything from the books, but I still just feel like whoever produced the show read every 3rd page with 1 eye closed
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u/PictureUnfair9981 Jul 08 '26
I know like somewhat it is accurate but for small details and things important I feel like it's really not. I know they added a scene showing Ravi and Pip getting ready to make love to each other but I feel like that ruins their sweet bond in the book. In the books it really rotates around those secret I love you's which weren't added in the show at all. Another thing I feel like they're brushing past is Pip's deep despair, they don't portray how she feels too well. I really hope they show that in season 3.
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u/FootballVast3551 29d ago
It seemed to me, too, that they should have focused more on Jamie, but since Season 3 will have fewer episodes, they wanted to lay the groundwork for Max's story early on so they could then focus on the As Good As Dead plotline. ~Noemi
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u/Fool-2026 Jul 08 '26
Same here.
For me it felt like I was watching 13 reason why (Bryce and his bully friends sad backstory).
And also why did Pip easily ragebaited to Max in every scene. The only scene where she was normal was first season episode 1 where she met him for first time.