MaiSoCalled

I know this thread is almost a year old, but I just listened to this episode. I remember around the time this episode came out, El Niño hit SoCal hard. My high school in Newport Beach closed for a few days due to flooding about when they would have filmed this episode. I think PCH really was flooded at the time and Clare’s line was meant to be topical. That said, no, you would not take PCH down to Orange County, Brandon! As for cult referrals, I spent a bit of time around some of the EST offshoots. After the seminars, they asked us to write down the names and phone numbers of 3 people we thought would benefit from the experience. Then they would call those people and harass them until they signed up. Hell, they called me for over a year trying to drag me back in. I’m shocked New Evolution only had 12 referrals - not only were they a cult, they were a cult with bad recruitment techniques! Thank you, Sarah, Tara, and Dave for this Podcast. It has literally been getting me through one of the hardest months of my life. Once I’m current, you’ll see me on the forums for real!

I don't want to give the show a lot of credit, but I felt like Locked was intentionally ridiculous - almost a parody of a famous movie. That said, it also seemed to be fairly self contained. I don't know how it was meant to be a franchise. This show was fairly forgettable. I'm sure I wouldn't have watched it if not for the ability to binge watch (whoever made the choice to have the entire series available immediately was brilliant). One thing I did like was that I'm not sure who in the love triangle I'm supposed to root for. Usually the writing points you in one clear direction, but the show seemed to favor Jake and Rainer equally. I would be shocked if Alexis didn't leak her own tape. The entire thing screamed a set-up. I may binge watch season 2 when it's out - 10 episodes is a short binge - but I won't be surprised if it doesn't continue.

I think we were meant to side with Paige. I feel like Emily looking in the mirror after Paige and Addison went away was supposed to be a "what have I become?" moment. Then again, I also live in hope that this season is when Aria finally says goodbye to Ezra, so I may be in denial. If Ezra is AD, I will forgive this show for a lot.

I think in Robert's shoes I'd be angry, but more at the situation than Sol. In truth, my biggest frustration would be that everyone had their cell phones on in the theatre. Mallory as a mother with small children I can understand (begrudgingly), but everyone else? Unplug until intermission. If it was truly life or death, Grace could have gotten in contact with the theatre. I did like that Robert was concerned. He knew that his entire family wouldn't have walked out on a lark.

I agree. I think it's less that Brianna wants a man, and more that she found someone who makes her happy. She's learning that there's more to life than work, and that is a beautiful lesson. Maybe she won't get married. Maybe the relationship will crash and burn within a week. But I think in the end, we will find a warmer Brianna. Someone who truly will be the Frankie to Mallory's children, not only as a bad influence, but also with some of Frankie's kindness. I'm not remotely invested in Barry, but I'm very invested in Brianna learning that it's okay to feel and love. On the flip side of the coin, Mallory learned that she is happier without a man. Considering that before this season, the character has been entirely about her family, I think that's huge.

I completely agree. Even if he's gone shopping with Stef, Lena, or Mike before, he may not have paid attention to the final cost. I did some of the shopping as a teenager, and even when I was given a strict budget and list, I managed to sneak a treat or two in there. I'm not surprised that an 18/19 year old boy bought things that weren't on the list or that he lost the list. Honestly, I thought having Brandon do the grocery shopping was a great idea. He may need a good grocery store tutorial, but I hope this doesn't excuse him from helping out. Years ago, there was an episode of Roseanne where Roseanne takes one of her daughters to the grocery store to teach her how to shop. I don't remember much of this episode, I haven't seen it since it first aired and I was a child at the time, but one of the lessons involved Roseanne buying store brand cereal, taking it home, and putting it in a name brand box. I think it also discussed coupons.

I blame Regina for the electric bill situation. She is the one letting Bay and Daphne stay in the apartment, she's likely the one who set the apartment up with electricity, why didn't she give the girls the contact information for the electric company? It's not unreasonable to believe that the electricity for the Cracked Mug is connected to the apartment. One thing I found particularly odd was that when Bay was inviting people to the party, I never heard her mention the cover charge. Perhaps it's because I'm a bit older than the kids, but if I went to a party and only found out about a cover charge when I arrived, I'd be very upset. Pitching in for some pizza or a beer run - sure. But paying to enter? I'd probably go home. I did like that Simone was sincere when she said being a tattoo artist was a great fit for Bay. It really is and I hope to see her succeed!

I think my favorite part of the dinner plot was when the kids and Bow came together. They are capable of enjoying the same meal, but too often they go with the easy option of take-out. It really frustrates me in general when children aren't allowed any agency in their eating habits, particularly when you get teenagers. By now, Junior is old enough to know that he needs to avoid squash and it shouldn't matter if the reaction is as minor as a mild case of hives or an upset stomach. It says a lot about Ruby that she didn't know and didn't care about Junior's allergy. I liked the meaning behind Ruby's insecurities. Ruby wanted to cook for the kids and she wanted them to give her food a chance. I'm just not sure I would trust Ruby not to secretly slip squash in a meal to "prove" that Junior isn't really allergic. I, also, had no idea that was Chris Brown and assumed he was a musician I was unfamiliar with. I am notoriously out of touch with pop music and am used to not knowing who a musical guest star is. (Except when Daveed Diggs guest stared. What I lack in pop music, I make up for with Broadway). Now that I know it was Chris Brown, I'm surprised, because it seems very unlike this show. Overall, this was a generally good episode. I was invested in the B plot and I really liked the resolution to the A plot. I hope Chris Brown doesn't keep people away from the episode, but at the same time, I hope the show understands how disappointed people are with the casting of Chris Brown.

I wonder if Jane knows the answer herself. She believed that marriage was forever and has only recently opened herself up to dating. I'd like to see her struggle with this decision. So many options make sense for the character (open to sex, only sex when in love, only sex if remarried), I'm curious what she'll do.

I feel like the show is trying to give Jack an alcohol problem that the Big 3 don't know about. It's clearly enough of an issue that Miguel knows Jack doesn't drink, but not enough that we have received any indication about it in present scenes. I wonder if his death is alcohol related, and Kate/Miguel cover that up to protect his reputation with the kids.

There seems to be this running theme in the show that the best choice is always to sacrifice your career/professional passions for your family. This week, Rebecca abandons the band for Jack, and I feel we're meant to see this as the correct choice. Also this week, the voice over implied that Kevin was making a bad decision by choosing Ron Howard over Sophie. (Is that her name? I always forget...) Almost every character this season has had the opportunity to choose their family over their career/passions, and each time they make the "right" choice, they are celebrated. Jack gave up his professional dreams to work a job that would support his family. Randall chose William over work, eventually quitting. Kevin left opening night of his show for Randall. Rebecca, ultimately, chose her marriage over singing. I often feel for the other people impacted by these choices - particularly the cast of Kevin's play and Rebecca's innocent bandmates - but I understand the message that the show is trying to make. I'm also really excited for Kate's storyline next season. I like her voice, but more importantly, I think this will be a great opportunity for new and different weight loss stories. I love Kate's struggle with her weight. It's a story that I don't see often on TV and is very personal to me. As a performer, your body is suddenly a part of your profession. How will Kate deal with this? How many gigs will she lose as a result of her weight? Will this help her relationship with Rebecca, the former singer, or will it only enhance the weight based animosity between the two? If Jack does die soon, I wonder if Rebecca stops singing out of guilt. If so, I bet even money that we get a scene where Kate encourages Rebecca to start singing again.

It's unfortunate that this was cut, because a moment from Kevin was really missing for me. We saw moments between Kevin and William earlier in the season and the two lived together. I know that Kevin was distracted with his own plot and they probably didn't want to overuse the actor at the expense of other cast members, but I would have liked to see this scene. I am another one who feels that Randall was justified for feeling hurt about the pears. His allergy wasn't a throw away conversation, it was a big moment from his interview. The pears themselves weren't an insult. They were probably sent by a well meaning employee who thought pear was a clever play on Pearson. The insult was that someone who has known Randall for years didn't take initiative. Based on how pivotal Randall was to the company, the person who interviewed him should have sent something personally. Initially, I was upset that Randall didn't give any kind of notice, but then it occurred to me that he's still on leave. What's the point of giving notice if he wasn't planning on coming back for another week or two anyhow?

It's on Hulu, they're putting up new episodes the next day, so you can still recommend it to others!

I really appreciated how the final song made sense for all the characters involved. As soon as Juliet called Maddie to her dressing room, I knew where the story was going and I was sad that Daphne wouldn't be singing too. However, while I wanted her as a viewer, Juliet and Maddie were always the two with the connection. Juliet has always encouraged Maddie's career, not Maddie and Daphne. I also really liked when Juliet admitted that she wouldn't have been Rayna's first choice to sing a tribute. Daphne and Deacon running on stage after Maddie broke down made the moment very true to the characters, especially when sweet Daphne knew that the best thing they could do was sing together. It was an even better outcome than just Maddie or the Maddie/Daphne song that I had wanted. I also have to admit, I love the current version of Scarlett. She works well as the level head in a crisis. Scarlett and Maddie are both characters who work well as members of the family unit. Maddie is at her best when comforting Daphne or honoring Rayna or Deacon, and I love Scarlett's relationship with the girls and Deacon. More loving family Maddie and Scarlett and less boy problems and romantic drama Maddie and Scarlett, please.

Do we know that they're supposed to be in the same year, or only that Cheryl is in classes with Archie and gang? When I was in high school, a lot of my classes were a mixture of different years. I think Cheryl is meant to be a senior while everyone else is a sophomore. I can believe that a senior is captain of the River Vixens and in a few classes with sophomores.