GRChereck

Yeah, I could've worded that better -- I meant Ray taking JJ to the restroom was a sweet moment, plus I got the feeling that JJ realized he should've given Ray his second ticket in the first place rather than take his chances with a girl he knew wouldn't be able to do bathroom transfers (though JJ had planned to avoid drinking anything on his date, what if he'd ended up having to go anyway and Ray hadn't been able to get in the theater with Logan?).

Aww! :) Also, Jimmy was in a punk band -- why am I not surprised? So was the fella who plays him: Splitsider: John Ross Bowie Talks '90s New York Pop-Punk :D Okay, so I'm not the biggest 'Star Wars' fan (I saw the original trilogy when it was reissued on the big screen in early 1997, but I haven't had much desire to revisit it on video or TV) -- not to mention that more ABC/Disney cross-promotion a week after a 'Bachelor' alum guest-starred seems to be pushing overkill -- but this must have really been a blast for the cast and crew, and the show hasn't lost sight of the character dynamics at its heart. I was most psyched for the Dylan/parents grouping; it stands to reason that between JJ's needs and Ray's issues, the boys do tend to affect most of their parents' day-to-day decisions, and their sister usually ends up fending for herself. All three characters must be used to putting others' happiness ahead of their own by now, but Maya and Dylan relishing the opportunity to enjoy an evening at home without the boys while Jimmy (being quieter and less assertive than the ladies) has to be manipulated into doing and getting what he wants seemed an oddly appropriate angle for this plot to take. The Kenneth/Dr. Miller plot wasn't a direct follow-up to their missed coffee-date in "R-O--Road T-R--Trip" (1x11), but I wasn't expecting it to be since that was quite a while ago anyway; I thought Kenneth exploring the school after dark was fun (he still had his keys from his old groundskeeping job), and his celebration for Miller at the end was sweet. As for JJ/Ray, my biggest laugh the entire episode was how Logan said without hesitation, "I like screwin' over JJ" when Ray asked him if he liked 'Star Wars.' xD JJ realizing he wanted Ray (rather than his own date) to take him to the restroom was a sweet moment; JJ's confession that he's been missing Ray since Ray's been spending more time with Taylor seemed to come out of nowhere and I'm not sure it landed as well as, say, the beach-bonding session in "R-A-Y-C--Ray-Cation" (1x8), but I suppose it must have been a hard thing for JJ to admit given all their past tensions and teasing.

The TV Guide piece finally got posted on TV Insider this morning: https://www.tvinsider.com/650985/5-things-know-about-speechless-john-ross-bowie-interview/ They also posted a little preview of tonight's ep: https://www.tvinsider.com/653209/speechless-kevin-smith-star-wars-last-jedi-video/ *** :D

TVLine First Look photo: http://tvline.com/2017/12/04/leighton-meester-last-man-on-earth-season-4-photo/ Looks like she might figure into a flashback involving Fred Armisen's character in one of the two upcoming January episodes...

It usually comes back in March, the first Sunday after the Oscars. :) I'm guessing they'll have new episodes of 'Bob's Burgers' to put in the post-FG slot (since football often prevents it from airing in its usual pre-'Simpsons' slot).

Carol's jealous / petty side has been coming out an awful lot lately -- after Pamela kidnapped Tandy, when she and Tandy wanted to live in a hospital and the rest of the group didn't, and since she finally became a mother she's had two episodes in a row where she put herself and her babies in competition with Erica and Dawn (first for Gail's attention, then for Jasper's). That's like half of the 8 episodes we've had so far this season; as much as I still love her relationship with Tandy, on her own she's kinda getting on my nerves and I hope the writers start varying her stories a bit more. :\ Still, I had to chuckle at Gail and Erica's talk of not getting "Caroled out" or "sucked in" to her crazy, as well as the 'Say Anything' boombox-scene parody. Plus, I always like Tandy and Todd together (the onetime "bacon brothers"); the scene where Tandy went overboard with showing Todd how to discipline Jasper reminded me of the sort of stuff Forte used to do on 'Tim & Eric, Awesome Show, Great Job' (especially the screaming in the Will Grello bits). xD Also, I thought it was especially sweet that Jasper ended up turning to Melissa and opening up to her, consider he was the one she bonded with when she was first coming out of her mental-illness / medication haze (at the end of 3x15). And since she's the only character who's never really shown interest in raising children, I thought it fitting that she was best able to simply listen to him as a fellow human being (rather than treat him like a child), understand his situation and figure out how the others should try to deal with him. :) Looking forward to the backstory on Fred's character...

Not to give away too much, but the recapper at Tracking Board (who's otherwise been a lot less hard on the show than the s.1 critic, grading most of the s.2 episodes A to B+ -- this got a straight B) seemed bothered by the implication of such rare conscientiousness in disability representation and hiring coming from (of all things) the makers of a sleazy, tasteless college romp -- a move she called both "truly bold" and "lamer than anything." I guess I could sort of see that, and it would've been nice if JJ's newfound passion could've been sparked by something more original or more relevant to current pop-culture; but by the same token, I think the unspoken irony of a piece of old-fashioned sub-'Animal House' / 'Revenge of the Nerds' / 'American Pie' raunch being more progressive in dealing with disability than many prestige / "Oscar bait" projects (which have often been guilty of cripface, inspiration porn, depressing / tragic portrayals, etc.) is at least as funny and ballsy as anything that actually happens onscreen in the episode. :D

Yep, those are some things JJ and his parents should consider looking into, especially (as I said) now they have a better idea of his field of interest so they can focus their efforts. :) *** One more thought on the Maya/Jimmy subplot: Going into it, I wondered if it might be a reverse "S-I--Sick D-A--Day"; in that episode, she called into question his contribution to the family outside of money, and they both realized that while she's the undisputed leader of the household, he lends the comfort and support that keeps everyone happy and calm enough to help her do her job more easily. Here, he called into question her ability to handle being subordinate to others (as he has been doing in his airline job for the past 16 years, not to mention to his grad-school internship and any other jobs he may have had before then -- "some of us just have a flair for being emasculated") in case she ever needs or wants to work outside the home; but the conclusion seemed a lot less tidy / more open-ended, as I'm not sure Maya learned anything from her experience other than maybe a slightly better appreciation for Jimmy's breadwinner role ("I had no idea how hard it was to let people walk all over you!"). Still, as with JJ discovering his passion, this seems like a thread that the show should pick up again as the season goes on.

I imagine they were probably just waiting for him to take the lead on deciding what he might like to do, rather than try to steer him towards anything (I suspect now that he's apparently interested in filmmaking, he might have his parents start looking into film schools); but yeah, in any event, they could've at least started setting some funds aside just in case. :\

Yeah, as low as my expectations were for him, he didn't blow me away or anything but I can't really say he ruined it, either... Also, I noticed this episode got a little more promotion than the show usually gets -- I first saw an ad for it Monday night during the CMA Country Christmas special, and then one each during reruns of 'The Middle' and 'Fresh Off the Boat' (the promo was also up on Twitter by Tuesday afternoon; the official SpeechlessABC feed doesn't usually post them until the day of the show), as well as a couple of preview clips that had been released to outlets like E! News (eonline.com) and PEOPLE.com. Personally, I'm more psyched for next week's 'Star Wars'-themed outing. Yeah, I know -- more Disney cross-promotion -- but at least there's some precedent for the DiMeos being fans (SW was one of their past Halloween family-costume themes), and I'm also looking forward to a cameo by Kevin Smith ('Clerks,' 'Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back,' etc.). Anyway, I had ABC's "Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration" special on in the background earlier, and I already saw a promo spot for "S-T--Star W--Wars W--Wars" (2x9) during the second half-hour; I'm hoping this is a good sign... :) One of the things I really appreciate about the show is that it does allow JJ to be more-or-less a typical teenage boy (especially one who's getting close to college-age), including the fun stuff and even some of the less-savory aspects; his basic humanity is not denied. Also, I liked that -- despite the distasteful nature of the project being filmed -- its makers took care to cast a person with a real disability for the role of a wheelchair user, and the episode called a bit of attention to that. (Similar to how, in this season's Halloween ep, JJ made reference to how disability portrayals in film are often limited to one-dimensional saints or passive victims.) "[JJ and Ray] thought I was asleep. They always talk girls when they think I'm asleep. The things they would do to Emma Watson... We have to warn her!" ~ Dylan. (Gah, I loved that episode... xD )

First of all, nice to see the return of the crawlspace (from 1x9, "Sled Hockey"). xD And I could see why Dylan would want to keep her snake a secret from her parents, even though (as mentioned in 1x2, "New Aide") the family had had a pet snake that got loose around the time they first moved into the neighborhood -- it makes sense that the kids wouldn't be allowed to have another if they were irresponsible enough to lose the first one. Good ol' Kenneth -- though he wasn't mentioned in the press-release synopsis, I kinda figured he might be part of Ray's plot (their first pairing since last year's Thanksgiving episode). 'Risky Business' parodies are beyond old-hat by now, but I had to laugh when Ray screamed for "mommy!" when he skidded into the nail; and what he did for his friend's little brother was a nice touch. As for the main plot, I'd been looking forward to a JJ-goes-on-a-campus-visit ep since at least the end of s.1, though I didn't have high hopes for the casting of 'Bachelorette' / 'Bachelor' / DWTS alum Nick Viall; still, I thought he did an OK job for the type of role he was playing. (When the promo pix for this ep first came out, I had assumed his plot might have to do with JJ simply wanting to visit a movie set or taking Dylan to meet an actor she likes.) I'm not sure how JJ, as a minor (if he was 16 in the pilot, he's got to be 17 by now), was able to answer an open casting-call without his parents knowing; or for that matter, how he had expected to be able to film his scene(s) without them finding out (as they were going to be on campus too). The scene where he got to operate a camera was lovely, and it's good to see him starting to show passion for something beyond chocolate and girls. :) Based on the promo ad, I'd hoped for more from Jimya. Jimmy gave up his dream career to take a full-time job with benefits, having to do a lot of stuff he may not have wanted to but finding ways to make lemons out of lemonade (giving his co-workers nicknames, playing games like "luggage golf" with them) so he can support the family, while Maya has pretty much been living by her own rules (albeit primarily in the service of fighting for JJ to have the best life possible) for so long that taking simple orders seems beyond her by now; but I imagine she must have been doing something before she became a mother, while Jimmy was still in grad school (I find it hard to believe he would've been able to fully support them both AND keep paying tuition as an architecture intern). This episode could've been a good opportunity for them to reminisce about those early years together, offer a hint or two of Maya's education / career background, and/or raise questions about what she could do once JJ leaves home. :\ On a lighter note, I wonder if credited writer Danny Chun has seen the 1998 British comedy 'Love & Death on Long Island' -- the title "Bikini University 3" sounds like a nod to "Hotpants College 2" (the film-within-the-film that turns John Hurt's reclusive-writer character on to a teen heartthrob, played by Jason Priestley)...

"S-I--Silent N-I--Night" (2x10, Dec. 13) (press release AND promo pix!) Logan will put in yet another appearance, and Sarah Chalke (Dr. Elliot Reid on 'Scrubs') will be playing his and Taylor's mom -- who will have some sort of history with Maya. :D Also looking forward to rare pairings of JJ/Dylan and Jimmy/Kenneth! Still no promo pix for 2x9 ("Star Wars Wars"), and I'm guessing there won't be any if they're not posted this week after 2x8 ("Bikini University") airs. EDIT: Yup, they were posted today (11/30)! :) *** In the new TV Guide (Nov. 27-Dec. 10, 2017 "Holiday Preview" issue): :) *** And now the first s.2 promo ad that's been posted on YouTube since the one for the season premiere (I already saw it aired during Thursday night's 'Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Christmas' special and Friday night's 'Agents of SHIELD' s.5 premiere):

Scratch that -- after three weeks off for the holidays, we're getting two more episodes in January before the show takes its mid-season break: http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/last-man-on-earth/listings/

Seems like they're building up to something there, yeah. :) Also, according to the latest Futon Critic update, 4x8 is NOT the mid-season finale -- we're getting two more episodes in January before the show takes a Winter Hiatus:

Den of Geek Writers-Room Walk-through s.4, part 2 -- "Wisconsin" (4x4), "La Abuela" (4x5), and "Double Cheeseburger" (4x6) (with co-EP Tim McAuliffe, and writers Matt Marshall and Emma Rathbone) Topics include reaffirming the core-group dynamic, Carol's hospital home, the "trash magnet" scene, Melissa/Todd sexual role-play, Todd's health-scare, deciding when to use a Kinks music cue, the use of flashbacks for the cartel-leader's mansion, the piñata, how the baby-proofing stuff was inspired by the new setting, working with babies, trying to avoid "tired and familiar" baby stories for Dawn (both as an "apocalypse baby" and taking after her mother), the reasoning behind the bomb idea, wanting Carol's birth episode to go differently than Erica's, choosing the twins' names, Gail's conflict with Carol, Tandy's growth as a character, etc.

Yup, it was in "The Big Day" (3x16), after the six-month time-jump. :)

"S-T--Star W--Wars W--Wars" (2x9, Dec. 6) "Silent Bob" himself, Kevin Smith, will be playing himself in this one! And nice to see Logan (Taylor's brother) again already... :D We finally get another Kenneth/Dr. Miller pairing (their first since 1x11, "Road Trip"); while it would be weird now for them to get into how he stood her up in that episode, at least this one seems like a good opportunity for the show to delve more into their personal lives. Also, can't wait to see what Dylan and the parents are up to... *** Entertainment Weekly -- an exclusive First Look at Nick Viall on next week's episode ("B-I--Bikini U-N--University") iGeneration Youth -- nice article/review, including comments from Micah and Cerebral Palsy Foundation CEO Richard Ellenson :)

I think you have it switched around -- she is Australian, but she faked being American to get hired by the US State Department: :)

THR: LMOE Stars on Family, Feminism, and (Literally) Breaking the Glass Ceiling -- Kristen Schaal Q&A, with additional comments from Will Forte and Rich Blomquist :) Highlights/tidbits: -- KSchaal had wanted to direct an episode since around s.2, and spent the rest of that season and all of s.3 shadowing different directors on the show -- The timing of her directing 4x7, "Gender Friender," had more to do with filming after a hiatus week ("so I could prep for it") than the fact that her husband wrote it (which may have been just a happy coincidence) -- Both she and Rich had noticed and wanted to comment on "male-dominated" language, steering Tandy's ridiculous wordplay in a more positive (or at least well-intended) direction -- She was glad to work with such a supportive cast, crew and overall set-atmosphere, but was less-than-thrilled about having to direct herself; if given a hypothetical s.5, she would like another chance to direct as long as Carol has a greatly reduced role in the episode -- Now that Carol has what she has wanted since the very beginning of the series (to reproduce / procreate with Tandy and start repopulating the planet), Kristen is curious to find out what the character's achievement of her goal will mean for her now.

When I first heard about the casting, I thought it kind of hypocritical considering that Maya wasn't originally written as British, but Scott Silveri insisted Minnie use her real accent (plus, the writers were willing to rewrite the character for her) because he said something about how easy it is to spot a fake and it takes the viewer out of the story. I mean, I get there's a difference between the star of your show and a possibly one-time guest shot, but the very problem Silveri had wanted to avoid with Maya is exactly what has happened with Maya's mother. :\ ETA: On the other hand, I wonder if it was a deliberate move, given the character's pretentiousness. I don't know if anybody here remembers the film 'An Education' (2009), but I seem to recall Peter Sarsgaard had a similarly shaky Brit accent in that; yet in a funny way, I think the fakeness sort of worked for the kind of character he was playing (shady, not all he was cracked up to be).

Erica Dundee -- nice. :D I wonder how long the writers were sitting on that one, though I can see why she would've been so loath to tell Tandy for the longest time (what with all his 'Crocodile Dundee' jokes). Also, as with Todd Rodriguez, it took another wedding to find out another character's full name! Gail's marital history -- so her second husband would've been the father of her son (who died some time before "the virus," as mentioned in 3x6), and I'm guessing hubby #3 would've been the one with whom she owned a restaurant, as mentioned in 1x9)... Callbacks -- good that the writers remembered how Gail and Erica had a relationship (including sex) long before they encountered the Tandy Crew; also, the fact that Todd was an orphan (1x6), though here it was in the context of having missed out on father-son stuff with his own dad and thus not quite knowing how to bond with Jasper. (He's clearly been having an easier time of it with the baby girls, but then he mostly gets to do the fun stuff while their mothers tend to handle the responsibilities.) Speaking of Jasper, his little man-cave looked fun; I'm guessing maybe he was busy putting it together while everyone else was either focusing on the births of Carol's babies or tending to Erica's baby last week... Nice to see Tandy finally actually play that guitar, rather just banging away on it like a percussion instrument... But yeah, I agree, he does tend to run off at the mouth a bit too much -- I wanted to see Gail to smack him at the wedding! (Also, I thought some of the language in this episode pushed the envelope more than usual: "VAGINA DOODLE DOO!", Tandy's line about being like a Bill Clinton "between two legendary Bushes" and all the lesbian-sex references in his wedding speech, etc.) Overall, not a bad job for KSchaal's directorial debut. :) The next new one (airing Dec. 3) is supposed to be the mid-season finale.

Wow, there was a lot going on in this one... I will say that I think it certainly did a better job than last year's Thanksgiving episode (1x7) of making room for guest stars while continuing to offer insight into the main characters and explore their dynamics. For starters, I could see why Maya would have "mentioning my mother" on her "dead to me" list! :D Seriously, though, considering that she grew up in the shadow of a well-known cancer-researcher who always put her work ahead of her family (unless I missed a line or something, I wonder where her dad is/was during all of this...), I could understand Maya having wanted to get as far away from her mom as she possibly could and yet still desperately seeking her approval on the rare occasions they reunite. However, while it was sweet that it turned out to be Jimmy's idea for Andrea to visit (supposedly for the first time in 5 years), I'm not sure what else he was expecting from it if he dislikes what his mother-in-law brings out of his wife so much -- unless of course, this time he hoped to convince Maya that it might go a lot better than past visits if she could just be herself and not try so hard to impress for once (in which case, if he hadn't ended up falling into such a deep funk over his failure to finish the Godzilla Sushi Roll, and she hadn't been so quick to send him away with his brother, maybe she might have realized sooner what he'd had in mind)... Speaking of brother, bummer about Uncle Billy -- since we last saw him, Audrey left him and took Duncan and the baby -- but it was nice to see more of his and Jimmy's relationship (beyond their class differences as touched upon in 1x7). Also, good to know there's something else Jimmy does really well (the power-eating thing) besides wheelchair costumes. ;) Interesting to see for the first time how the kids fare with one of their grandparents; how fitting that Ray would have no problem with doing whatever he had to do to impress Grandma Andrea, while JJ and Dylan would have a harder time pretending to be what they're not (I thought it was especially funny how Taylor and her brother Logan -- JJ's rival from camp? xD -- ended up standing in for them). I was a bit baffled by the reveal about Kenneth and his dad; I had assumed from a couple references in s.1 (referring to his dad as "The Colonel" in 1x7, and a line about having moved around a lot in 1x11) that Kenneth had a military-brat upbringing, but I guess it's possible that their having had a singing act together ("The Colonel" having been just a stage name) would've involved a great deal of uprooting too. (Also, I seem to recall in 1x7, Kenneth saying that his dad usually has Thanksgiving with his mom and his sister Kendall; I had to wonder why no mention of them this time...) Anyway, good to see Rob Corddry (Billy) again, great casting of Holland Taylor as Andrea and Keith David as The Colonel, and I hope we see Logan again too. :) ETA: Nice pick of song for The Colonel to sing with Maya, but I thought this version (Kripke and Zack performing karaoke at Sheldon's party on 'The Big Bang Theory') was pretty funny too... (P.S.: For any BBT fans in the house, JRB reprises his role as Kripke on this week's episode, "The Tesla Recoil.")

I've been seeing a promo that advertises the whole comedy lineup; but yeah, it seems to be the only one of the four whose individual promo they're not airing. :( Still, for what it's worth, unlike the last episode's promo, at least this one got posted online by the official Twitter feed -- and in a somewhat timely manner (plus Minnie and Micah have already also posted it):

No new episode on Nov. 26 -- FOX is airing the 66th annual Miss Universe pageant -- but here's the info for next one: "Not Appropriate for Miners" (4x8, Dec. 3) Looks like a pretty Jasper-centric ep (perhaps his total absence in this past Sunday's "Double Cheeseburger" will get some sort of in-universe explanation...). Also, filmmaker Jared Hess (who helmed 2x13, "Fish in the Dish") returns to direct: *** Programming note: According to The Futon Critic, this will be the mid-season finale for LMOE, as 'Family Guy' is scheduled to air an "original holiday-themed episode" in its slot (plus, the hour between that and a new 'Simpsons' will be occupied by a special "original one-hour holiday-themed episode" of 'Bob's Burgers') Dec. 10: http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/family-guy/listings/ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/bobs-burgers/listings/

I think Carol first mentioned it in "Baby Steps" (2x7), calling dibs on the baby names Beziqueel and Yorbalinda after Erica announced her pregnancy; she brought them up again at the end of s.2 just before Tandy went back to Tucson to find Mike ("I want you to come home so that Yorbalinda or Bezequiel can meet their daddy"). Ugh, I kinda wish that between the two names, Carol had gone with the easier-to-spell one... xD How about just calling her "Bez" for short?