GRChereck

FanFest: 3x21 highlights :) ABC: Don't miss the season finales of FOTB and SL

I think both she and Melanie have been wonderful additions -- the best things that could've happened to JJ and Maya, respectively -- and are as freakin' adorable as the main cast. :D Jimmy being as proud of Kenneth as he would be his own kids was cute, but I did feel something was a little off about the reveal of Kenneth's transcript -- it didn't sound like it jibed with what the big guy had told Dylan about getting kicked off his b-ball team after taking bribes from alumni "boosters" (in 1x20 "R-U-N-- Runaway")... though I suppose it's possible he felt the truth was too embarrassing or, judging from his reaction here, he could've simply forgotten about all the other stuff. (Sort of like how he casually referred to his dad as The Colonel in s.1, but in s.2 Maya had to be corrected when she assumed the man had served in the military.)

I thought all three plots this week were incredibly sweet: JJ/Izzy -- Apparently, Izzy hadn't told her parents about JJ's power-chair; when her dad meets him and starts being patronizing to him (not seeing him as a sexual being that he would normally want to protect his daughter from), it upsets Izzy as much as JJ. But after JJ is further upset over having needed so much help getting up to her bedroom and her loft bed ("I tried to show your dad that I'm a man -- I wound up showing you that I'm not"), she reassures him that everyone needs help sometimes, and that as hard as it was getting him up to the bed, there's no other boy she'd rather be with there. ❤️ (I did have a pretty good laugh at Izzy's dad after he catches JJ in her bed, how he ends up angrily threatening him yet trying not to be too insensitive as he carries him downstairs.) Maya/Melanie -- At a Cerebral Palsy Foundation event (for which Fashion 4 All is a sponsor / supplying clothes), Maya envies Melanie because her son Logan was able to attend and give a speech praising her; when she later apologizes to Melanie for the scene Ray and Dylan made, Melanie admits she's a little envious of the strides JJ has made (he was too busy to come to this year's event because he was with his girlfriend) but also says that they shouldn't be comparing their kids and Maya should be proud of JJ, to which Maya replies that Melanie really did deserve her moment of glory. They've both come such a long way since this season's Thanksgiving episode! Kenneth/Jimmy -- The first college JJ receives an acceptance-letter from happens to be Kenneth's alma mater; but when JJ (who's still holding out for a possible acceptance from NYU) doesn't want to hear his dad's arguments for going with a school that's more affordable and closer to home, Jimmy invites Kenneth to go with him to Long Beach Technical College and make a little tour video for JJ (thinking his son will be more likely to listen to his friend). When Jimmy asks Kenneth if he's ever thought about finishing his degree, he's surprised and touched to have his question actually taken seriously; but as they look into re-enrollment for Kenneth, a glimpse of his old transcript (which reveals just how much of a screw-up he'd been as a student) sends him into a funk, and he later admits he's afraid of reverting to his old self after JJ (who's been largely responsible for bringing out his best self) leaves for college; Jimmy apologizes for having pushed re-enrollment too hard on him but assures him of his support. :) Choice cues: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell (as Izzy and, later, Joyce help JJ up the stairs); "My Boy Lollipop" by Millie Small (as Jimmy and Kenneth have some campus fun after finishing their video for JJ).

This made my day. :D (Last year, John brought Kyla to the set for an episode that taped a few days after they wrapped filming on 'Speechless' s.2: Pic 1 & Pic 2 ) *** Also, I saw where the new season of 'Marvel's Agents of SHIELD' takes over the TGIF slot starting May 10: http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/marvels-agents-of-shield/listings/

Good to know -- I will avoid visiting that site from now on. :\ Ah, thanks. :) *** USA Today -- Save Our Shows 2019 (poll) I went with the same picks as the TV Line poll -- except for 'Schooled,' which is as good as renewed at this point (and thus wasn't on the ballot). EDIT: ABC announces full season-finale schedule -- including May 8 for the Wednesday comedies, and May 21 for the Tuesday comedy lineup.

They're on this week's episode of Zach Anner's 'Speechless Podcast,' which just went up yesterday. :D *** I know, right? :) After the season started off with a Jimmy/JJ subplot right off the bat (the former trying to help the latter have a good time in London despite the lack of accessibility), I was hoping it meant there would be more pairings later on than the usual one-per-season they've gotten in the past; too bad we had to wait so long for another, but at least it was a damn good one. Similar to last week's episode when he went off on Maya (finally reaching a breaking point as to how much he's willing to support her when the effort he's currently supporting -- the clothing line -- doesn't seem important enough to her), I feel like his breakdown here was all the more earned and effective for having been held back. I think what I like best about this plot is that, while Jimmy deciding to prolong their stay at the diner (when he could've just had the tires patched up, and then after the new tires were ready to be picked up) was ultimately about him wanting to have Jimmy Junior to himself for just "one more day" before graduation / college, it wasn't his plan to manipulate the kid or force the bonding on him -- a lot of it was still about what JJ wanted: He was originally told to stay behind with Maya but knew his dad wouldn't be able to carry both tires into town himself; he wanted his dad to try the waffles when Jimmy just wanted to keep an eye out for the mechanic; and he was the one who initially took advantage of this chance to be alone with his dad ("don't tell Mom") to ask about meeting people in college (which was a nice touch, as I think he knew if he told his mom he was nervous about going, it would just upset her and make her want to keep him closer to home). As for Kenneth, it's possible the school might be paying him a little extra now that he's also working as a basketball coach there...

FanFest: 3x20 highlights ❤️ The Mighty -- 4 reasons why the show deserves a 4th season :)

Aww, Jimmy (and JJ, and Dylan)... :') I guess the "fun they shouldn't be having" had to do with Jimmy promising Maya (when he had to go to the nearest town to either have their punctured tires fixed or just get new ones, while she had to stay behind with an ankle injury) that he wouldn't let JJ and Dylan have any fun if they accompanied him, so their mom wouldn't miss out on anything. So much of this season has been about figuring out how Maya will cope after her "baby boy" leaves, and to some extent how Kenneth will get along without his little buddy around (heck, even Dylan got emotional at the thought of how her brother's impending departure from the nest would "change everything" in "W-H-- Wheelchair P-L--Planet"), Jimmy was kinda lost in the shuffle in that regard until now, so I'm glad he finally got to open up. Loved how the Cat Stevens "Father and Son" cue during their diner bonding session turned out to be from the jukebox (it briefly stopped when they started to play something else, but they felt it would be better to go back to it), and Dylan was sweet (if weird) capturing one of her dad's tears in the capsule that had held the prize she'd bought; also, I loved how Jimmy was able to reassure JJ about meeting people in college (it had been slow for him at first, but he turned out OK), and JJ in turn got to reassure his dad that he'll still make time for both him and his mom. As for Maya and Kenneth's conflict, it seems my hope was mostly right -- it had to do primarily with the dueling care manuals (his more comprehensive and up-to-date), how Maya feels like Kenneth is second-guessing her ability to care for JJ, while Kenneth feels like she doesn't appreciate the strides her son has taken since he met him and he's being undermined by her every chance she gets -- not to mention that he had thought they were actual friends (she initially brushes him off as "friendship of convenience"), and he only came up with his own "JJ Care Book" because he wanted to be more like her, "ready for anything". I was a bit surprised she didn't object more to the fact that Kenneth had found another potential aide for JJ without her input, but it makes sense that she would go along with it if she knows this is what JJ needs and wants. Other observations: -- Love how Maya and Jimmy just threw together a "Born to Be Wild" parody after Dylan pointed out that, since the road-trip announcement didn't come from them, they didn't have one prepared. xD -- DiMeo road-trip rule: "Getting carsick isn't a choice, but letting the vomit leave your mouth is!" -- Ray has joined the Eagle Scouts to beef up his high school resume for college; as I can recall, hasn't he also had Astronomy Club, Choir (1x10 and 1x23), Quiz Bowl (3x18 -- he got the team to Regionals and Finals), and his JJ's Dream inclusive playground (granted, not a school activity, but quite an accomplishment for a 15- or 16-year old) among things he could include, not to mention he got to be in a few of JJ's films? (EDIT: I forgot he was also briefly on the basketball team in the s.2 finale...)

No problem; I was able to go back and edit the original post in this thread. :) (Alas, I can't do that with previous threads, as the edit function disappears from posts that have been up 1 whole week or longer.) EDIT: Also, keep an eye out for JJ's real-life sister in tonight's ep:

According to a just-released preview clip, it sounds like their conflict in this ep may largely stem from Kenneth's promise to help JJ find his next aide at the end of "S-P-- Special B-- Boy T-I-- Time"; if they just went ahead and started their search without telling Maya or asking her permission first, I can see where she would definitely have a problem. But yeah, I hope Kenneth and Maya both keep in mind that JJ ultimately should make his own decisions, and their argument ends up being more about who (between the two of them) is more in tune with what JJ knows he needs at this point in his life. EDIT: Another sneak-peek has a major callback to the "JJ Care Book" from s.1 (Kenneth has not only made himself a copy, but he's been keeping it updated...). :)

TV Line: Cancellation Countdown -- which 5 shows do you want saved? (poll) My picks: 1. 'Speechless,' 2. TKAA, 3. 'Single Parents,' 4. 'Schooled' and 5. FOTB. :) *** AssignmentX: Scott Silveri interview (from the Summer 2018 TCA press tour) Hollywood Reporter -- SL / FOTB Executive Producers Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar have renewed their contract with the now Disney-owned 20th Century Fox TV for another four years. "U-N-R-- Unrealistic" (season finale; 3x22, Apr. 12) (full press release / promo pix) -- "tough news from NYU," oh man... :\ (On a happier note, I love how each of the three seasons so far has ended with Jimmy and Dylan having a plot together. :) )

My initial assumption when I first read the synopsis was maybe they get into some sort of mischief (like fireworks or something); but then the promo pix were released, mostly showing JJ, Dylan and Jimmy at a diner, so (especially in light of the financial issues revealed and discussed in "S-E-- Seoul B-R-- Brothers") I figured it's possible they could be spending money they shouldn't. I guess we'll see... :)

That's the impression I got -- plus, in the previous Prom episode (1x21), it was pretty much the same arrangement, with the kids doing their thing and Kenneth doing something with the parents. (Though in both, as I recall, he hadn't planned to do so -- in 1x21, he'd forgotten his phone at the DiMeos' house and got caught up in Jimya's argument, and here he was going to leave but decided to stay when the investor Melanie had invited over turned out to be an old friend / ex-boyfriend.) *** Also, nice callback to JJ and Ray's shared crush on Emma Watson. xD I'd just been wondering whether there would be one sometime this season...

Aww, Jimmy! :D I knew it was getting to be about that time in the season when the show brings up his architecture background (1x19 "C-H-- Cheater" in s.1, 2x17 "A-C-- Action" in s.2); but now that Maya has her own business and JJ may be leaving home soon, it looks like he might finally get back into it for real this time. I'm glad Izzy's reason for wanting to go to the prom turned out to be relatively minor -- she'd been on the prom committee and had her Grease theme rejected for a "heaven" motif, so she was bitter about that and wanted to watch the movie with some friends instead -- but still, I'm also glad JJ eventually realized how much it meant to her. I don't recall seeing Bella Thorne in anything before, but I thought she was a hoot here as the ditzy but well-meaning Cassidy ("I love being woke"; "I'm learning!"). The movie she was preparing for sounded hilariously awful in every conceivable way (would-be dancer seriously considers suicide after ending up in a wheelchair, only to get miraculously healed, etc.).

According to SitcomsOnline.com, NBA playoffs are supposed to be on 4/19, and 4/26 ABC has scheduled a 2019 NFL Draft thing (no word yet on what they plan to air in the TGIF block during May sweeps, though.) I suspect going up against NCAA -- possibly as family-comedy counter-programming -- was preferable over risking further loss of viewers by taking a lot of weeks off just so both shows could save their last three new episodes for May. :\ *** FanFest: 3x19 highlights "The S-T-A-- Staircase" (3x21, Apr. 5) (press release / promo pix) -- JJ gets to meet Izzy's parents this time... :)

ABC Announces April Season Finale Dates TGIF comedy notes: 4/12 -- FOTB (5x22, "No Apology Necessary") and 'Speechless' (3x22, "U-N-R-- Unrealistic") Can't say I'm surprised -- since the two weeks for Christmas/New Year's, the only break they've taken was the week before Valentine's Day. :\ (As for the others, 'Splitting Up Together' is ending 4/9 before 'Bless This Mess' takes over its slot, and they have 'The Rookie' listed for 4/16.) Also... Just Jared Jr. -- exclusive pix of Bella Thorne's guest role in this week's episode ("P-R-O-M-P-- Promposal") TV Line: On the Bubble -- Keep or Cut?

Thanks for all that! :) I guess my initial hangup with the idea of JJ having to give back that first chunk of SSI backpay because he failed to report his earned income reminded me a bit too much of when Maya inadvertently defrauded that family-outreach charity in "J-I-- Jingle T-H-- Thon" (an episode I otherwise enjoyed, even if it got pretty silly). And yeah, I still love the idea of Ray and Taylor's moms working together -- not to mention JJ's closest friend dating Melanie -- so it's like Raylor are destined to be "family" no matter what. ❤️

FanFest: 3x18 highlights :) "On The R-O-- Road A-G-- Again" (3x20, Mar. 29) (press release / promo pix) -- can't wait to see what sort of mischief JJ gets into with Jimmy and Dylan... :D *** The cast and crew pic for s.3 (which wrapped filming this past week): Also, for those who use Twitter, Tracey Phillips (who's been doing the FanFest write-ups) started a #RenewSpeechless campaign -- check it out here: https://twitter.com/RenewSpeechless

Unless I missed something, the letter that came with his SS check didn't necessarily require proof of what he spends it on or anything like that, but it recommended using the money for "living expenses"; also, it's mentioned that he was supposed to start qualifying for benefits when he turned 18. However, sometime during this ep Maya claims she just called the SS office about why JJ still hadn't received checks (I wonder how many times she'd tried calling before...) -- which is how she found out that he did finally start getting them... and also that he still hadn't reported his income from that supermarket job Kenneth got him some 13 episodes ago (3x5 "S-T-- Stage Mom"). I could understand Kenneth not knowing better, but I would think Maya would be up on these things, and I find it hard to believe that JJ was making too much to qualify for any benefits. Still, the JJ plot had some interesting stuff, like how he and his siblings deal with a situation where he's mistaken for charity case, and how he's been considering himself just a "taker" for so long, it's become more important for him to be able to give to his family than get more for himself (even stuff he could really use). His parents' response -- that they don't consider what they do for him "charity," they're willing to help him out now because they really do believe in him and are literally "betting" on him to become successful so he can pay them back eventually -- was sweet, too. As for the other plots: -- Nice to see Jimmy's band is back after that disastrous Lafayette High gig Dylan had arranged for them (3x11 "H-- Hey, You"), as well as Kenneth getting some perspective on Jimya's working dynamic: "In families like ours, there's too much real stuff going on. Maya and I don't have the bandwidth for a lot of silly fun on our own;" she only gave him the OK to join his band's weekly gigs (which he then proceeded to bail on and claim he was working extra hours) "because she had to, just like I would have if she were the one having fun. Maya and I don't wanna do that to each other, so we each do our own little things quietly. It's a beautiful dance that we both hate... The system works, Kenneth -- leave it alone"). His playing in the titular Korean wedding band was a sort of compromise -- getting to play music but not with his friends, and making a bit of cash without putting in more time at the airport -- but since Kenneth had to blow that up (along with Maya's secret about going out for wine once a week with Melanie when they were supposed to be working on their clothing line), it was sweet that he was willing to go into their financials to see where they could afford a little fun for themselves. (Of course, instead he found they were about two years away from going bankrupt, which didn't faze them.) -- The Ray plot reminded me of an episode of 'The Simpsons' (14x12 "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can") where Lisa is bribed to throw a spelling bee with a free-ride scholarship to a college of her choice (she declares her intention to turn down the deal, right before she ends up losing anyway), but it was cute to see Raylor together again.

About a year since his 18th birthday ("E-I-- Eighteen" aired near the end of s.2). :) I'm guessing maybe it's going to be more of a deal that JJ made with his parents or something like that, but we'll see... She's listed in the guest cast on the official press-release. :D

While this ep didn't quite blow me away like last week's did, I found all three plots here about equally strong and thought they cohered surprisingly well: They were about all the characters either facing major life changes (Maya having become a working mom, JJ getting ready to graduate high school and go to college, Dylan starting to deal with all the angst and confusion that come with adolescence) or being affected by them (Ray fearing he'll have to take a back seat to a "new JJ," Kenneth having to let go of his little buddy after nearly three years, Jimmy's frustration at not knowing how to help his daughter or make her happy), as well as their efforts to work things out and help each other deal (Ray offering to be more open with Maya about things he wants after she assures him that she'll make time for him, Kenneth offering to help JJ find his next aide, Dylan opening up about her messy emotions and Jimmy reassuring her that this change in their relationship is something he can handle). However, I would agree the Maya/Ray one was relatively the weakest of the three, as there was a potentially interesting theme there involving motherhood and work-family balance, but rather than addressing that at the outset, the episode kinda treated Ray's concern more like a twist. I think Randy was intended to be unsuitable for JJ in such a way that only underscored what great chemistry Kenneth has had with him; but yeah, I could imagine an interesting variation on this scenario with an aide who seems better than Kenneth in every way at first but then does something or reveals something about himself that ultimately puts JJ off. :\ As for your question, while it's possible Kenneth followed them there (though he denied it -- "I followed The Rock here!"), I think it goes to further underscore how the pair are so in tune with each other -- not only in taste / humor / interests, but they also get the same idea at the same time. :)