MarthaEllisanne

I understand Mary wanting to go home in time of family crisis, but I believe they are better off without her at this point. They are in survival mode and having to improvise on the fly; Mary is not good at that. She'd have to undo and redo everything they've done and waste time arguing and praying over everything On Missy's cooking: They eat hearty sit-down dinners - meat, taters, vegetables, dessert, etc. Kids, usually the girls, who came home from school before Mom got off work were often expected to "start dinner" - doing the prep work. I did at that age. Just filling in a possible blank; it wasn't depicted on the show.

So Mark graduates at the top of his class and doesn't qualify for any merit scholarships? I also question that the family income is too high for Mark to qualify for need-based aid. As usual with this family, things don't add up.

Yes! This is practically the first thing retirement financial planners tell you: Do not use your retirement savings for your children's college education. Children can take loans for their education but you cannot take loans for your retirement. Also, I wonder what will happen when PETA-packing Darlene is required to serve the mystery meat of the day as lunch lady. I recall it did not go well when her mother asked her to serve loose meat at the Lunch Box years ago.

As usual with these folk, the math doesn't math. Dan was right. Darlene has two minutes of management experience, counting Welman. She thinks she is going to be a contender for management in her 50's after five years on the lunch line? (If her smart mouth and 'tude don't get her fired). Mark has not had it easy, but it appears he is prepared to get a college degree however he can. He doesn't need the "classic college experience" Darlene now thinks he must have. Mark could be the lunch lady and get tuition benefits. May take him longer, but lots of people work at universities in order to attend (I did). Plus if the school offers tuition benefits, they most likely offer medical, retirement, etc. benefits. Mark could be well-covered. I recently retired from Higher Education and will add these notes: many universities now require a few years employment before one qualifies for tuition benefits. Also, at a number of universities, services have been outsourced to contractors so food service, custodians, grounds service, etc. are not employees of the university so they do not qualify for tuition benefits. I still say "Run, Ben, Run!"

Becky needs to move out of that house asap - go back to Dan's if possible. Darlene abuses Becky frequently and, while Becky tries to defend herself, she knows she is beholden to Darlene for housing. Plus, as several people have commented, Ben has more chemistry with Becky than Darlene, always has. It may bubble to the surface some day and turn that household into a worse hell for Becky than it already is. Darlene seems incapable of happiness. Any time something happens that should make her happy, she finds a way to pick it apart. Darlene casts a pall over every scene she is in. I loved when Neville told Jackie the reason for the separate finances. I hope he can help protect his sister's assets from the in-laws.

Although technically she was not in hiding, Kim was living her own Gene Takovic existence in Florida.

Who thinks Mary working for Brenda is going to end well? Also, George is (presumably) also a teacher. I believe most high school coaches teach classes, stereotypically history or health. He should have the college degree required by some of the want ads, or he might be able to get another job as a teacher, even if at another school. I have seen this show described as a "dramedy," which is accurate. BBT was more of a comedy.

The opening sequence to The Days of Wine and Roses is a thing of beauty, memorizing. I've re-watched it several times. I stumbled onto an article discussing the careful choreography and the use of a dance troupe as the packers. Also interesting was how they filmed the opening with falling neckties using conveyor belts. https://www.indiewire.com/2022/04/better-call-saul-cinematographer-ant-ties-drain-pipe-shot-1234718184/

Drew needs to go home and get back to work. In life, he would pay child support, possibly alimony, and medical & drug expenses related to transplant. His "job" at the Valley Hills can't support all that. Sell that RV, get the house back (can't remember if he sold it or not) and go back to work as a counselor. Drop in to see the folks at VH every 4-5 episodes, then fade into background. If they are going to keep Drew, at least bring back Sara Rue, but not the sullen kid.

I finally pulled the plug on this show, and I stuck with it through the last few seasons of the original show that were Roseanne-ego driven (and terrible). Sarah/Darlene is "Roseanne'ing" the show and it has become unwatchable for me. Sorry, because I like the other characters/actors, but they are caught in the maelstrom of producer/show-runner Sarah's delusions.

Time to remove Drew and Gabby from the cast. They are part of Gina's old life and gets harder to wedge them into storylines. Besides, they are both as annoying af.

Dr. Linkletter let Sheldon retake the test because he knew that if he didn't, he would hear about it from the college president. The president has made it clear in prior shows that that the college's reputation has a huge investment in Sheldon. Unfortunately, Sheldon also knows this. Dr. Linkletter is probably tenured so he can't be fired, but there are other ways the president can make Dr. Linkletter's life hell if he does not keep Sheldon happy.

The show seems to be struggling to keep Middleditch's character included & relevant and it is not working. The producers should pay off his contract and send him on his way and let the show concentrate on Gina and the characters in the home.

I wondered the same thing. Giant purse clutched to her front, pillows, the usual tricks to conceal pregnancy.

Okay, why aren't Dan and Louise moving into her condo? He could rent the house to his loser children since they are living there anyway. I cannot imagine why Louise would consent to moving into that zoo.

The furniture reminded me of an episode of The Bob Newhart Show (yeah, I'm old) when Emily was trying to show how hip and young she was. She redid their apartment and her wardrobe in impractical funky 70's stuff. The sofa was a day bed and it was impossible to sit normally - Newhart's legs stuck out straight, as Bob said last night, like a toddler. Both funny scenes with two Bobs.

Love the old house porn, but often have to mute because of the woman's voice. I've heard worse on these shows, but sometimes she ramps up the vocal fry and it is like fingernails on chalkboard. Perhaps HGTV should spend some money on vocal coaches for these young women.

I have no idea why Ben stays with Darlene. She is toxic in every way and he could certainly do better. Unless she has a "magic vagina" (stealing a line from Two and a Half Men).

Kudos to the wardrobe and hair/makeup departments. The outfits the women wore to the banquet were beautiful, simple & elegant, and perfect for each actor. Wendy's dress was pretty - too bad it was used for a gag. It was nice to see the ladies out of their jeans and hoodies for a few moments. They were lovely.

I was happy to see Lorne Cardinal (Bruce Stone). He was one of my favorites on Corner Gas.

Drew's house has apparently joined the sitcom competition to see how many characters they can stuff inside. The Conners is still in the lead.

I am still on Team Andy and hope Jill and Andy will find their way back together before the show ends. I kinda expected a woman's voice to call out to Andy from inside his apartment in order to complete his and Jill's breakup. Since that did not happen, I have hope. On the subject of Bonnie working with Tammy, doesn't Bonnie have a full-time job as the apartment manager? I know they've played fast and loose with her work hours over the years, but Tammy works full-time during the day on her contracting business and part-time at the bar at night. Bonnie's part of the business may not be full-time, but will likely take place during business hours. Will be interesting to see how that works out.

I'd love it if Molly's shy sister Charlotte grew up to be wildly successful. (Someone in this town should.) Also, Run, Ben, Run!

Darlene: "Oh, I am so stressed. The best way to unwind is to go to a humid germ factory known as an indoor pool and fall asleep in a chair." How 'bout a walk in the woods or beside a lake? The writers keep trying to portray Darlene as intelligent, but I have yet to see her do anything remotely intelligent.

Forgive me if this has been discussed, but I just found out that Gina Yashere who plays Kemi is co-creator. executive producer, writer, and actress for the show. Kudos! https://www.yahoo.com/news/gina-yashere-her-chuck-lorre-211325895.html