TheLastKidPicked

It would be interesting to see them go even deeper into this storyline. If you grew up in the midwest, you have seen this many times. A person graduates from High School or college and sets out to make her mark on the world. She'll be a writer, exploring the world and sharing her adventures with others. Or a journalist, covering that big story. Or an entrepreneur, building that great new business. And when they return and have to take that factory job, it's often very depressing. It's almost admitting to yourself that the big plans are not going to happen. As they showed in the Lavern and Shirley comparison, the future is not bright. They see people ten or twenty years older than they are, and those people are still stuck in exactly the same job.

You paint with words, Peacheslatour!

Good points! And this is the problem when the kids see Youtubers getting rich overnight. They see others their age doing it and figure they can too. So they don't want to take a job bagging groceries at the supermarket because it takes time away from them building their Youtube (or Tik Tok or Twitter) counts. It's the modern day equivalent of hopping on the bus to L.A. to make it big in the movies.

This is something touched on in the original show. The problem with Dan taking side jobs for cash is that he is not eligible for unemployment, worker's comp, or other benefits. The problem with Becky and Darlene taking side jobs is they also are not eligible for these benefits. The Connors came along at the perfect time because with the gig economy, many people working for Uber, Lyft, and delivering packages for Amazon are thinking they will be compensated if they are injured, they think they will receive unemployment if the works dries up. Then, when it's too late, they find out that as "independent contractors" they have no safety net.

It was great to see Mel enjoying himself, and he just seemed so genuine and happy. There is a flashback episode where they had Mel wearing a toupee in order to look younger for the flashback. Believe it or not, he was actually quite handsome! What's great is they presented him and his wife as a wonderful suburban couple. Intelligent and charming. The kind of family you would want as neighbors. People smarter than me have commented that this moved our country noticeably closer to acceptance and inclusion. I'm very grateful they did it. The fact that it was HILARIOUS was just icing on the cake!

The things you point out do a great job of showing how between Johnny and Daniel, there is no one "good guy" and one "bad guy". There are good and bad traits in both of them and that makes both of them more interesting. Very good points as always, Doctoratomic. I'm glad you don't know anybody who is still re-living the past 30 years later because some of us definitely do. You actually have to avoid them because once you get to talking, the conversation always goes to "the big game" back in high school.

Here is why William Zabka is good looking: He is comfortable with his age. Too many people, especially actors, try to look younger. Either with plastic surgery or with wearing a younger person's hair style and clothing style. Zabka doesn't do this. He seems happy and comfortable being in his fifties. That is an attractive trait in anybody.

Something I noticed is that when you watch interviews with different actors, Billy Zabka is very respectful and allows the others to speak without interrupting them. He has a quiet confidence about him and is happy to take a half a step back and allow others into the spotlight.

Driad, have you heard that in real life, Richard Deacon and Morey Amsterdam (Buddy) were good friends? They used to work out the gags and the insults between takes. I wish somebody could have filmed that. It would be fun to watch.

And here's a fun one from the office: The scene starts with Rob and Buddy building a pyramid out of cigarette packs. Mel walks in: Where's the script? (Sees the pyramid of cigarettes) What are you two doing, playing games? Rob: Let's try it on Mel Mel: Try what? Rob: Of the top ten filter brands, which one should you smoke? Mel: Kent! The one with the micro light filter. Buddy: No fair! You must have told him, Rob Rob: No! He got it on his own, Buddy. Mel: Kent has the best balance of filtration and satisfying taste. Mel makes a grand gesture of taking the pack of Kents and walks toward the door. Rob: Wait a minute, Mel! Don't you want the script? Mel: No thank you I smoke Kents. Laughter as the scene fades out.

You're right! Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez did a commercial for a Westinghouse refrigerator that had a drawer in the middle that slides out. Lucy pulls out the drawer and Desi exclaims, "You broke it! Let's get out of here!" and they run into each other trying to get away from the refrigerator. A model walks over and explains that they didn't break it-- the middle drawer is a feature on Westinghouse refriderators. Have you ever seen the videos of the actors doing a "live" advertisement during an episode where today's commercials would go? They make it almost appear as if it is part of the episode. For example, a Dick Van Dyke show commercial for Kent Cigarettes: Laura sees Rob relaxing and smoking in the living room: "Well, you're in a good mood!" Rob: And why wouldn't I be? I have the two things that would make any man happy. A gorgeous wife and a Kent cigarette. Laura: And which do you like the best? Rob: That's a tough one. (Looks thoughtfully at his cigarette as we hear chuckles from the live studio audience) Let me see, for cooking and dancing and kissing, you satisfy best. For filtered taste, Kent cigarettes satisfy best. Laura: I'll accept that. (And she takes a puff from her Kent Cigarette) . . . . . . I wish they would sometimes leave these in. They are fun to watch!

Oh, yes! Just looking at a picture of the Brady house brings back the comforts of simpler times.

Very good point! You want to root for Johnny, but you know that even if he gets a few breaks he will find a way to mess things up.

To this day, every time I hear "Hot Blooded" I think of John Redcorn pulling up in his Jeep.

And these subtle jokes are why you can't just have this show on in the background while you do chores. You have to really watch or you'll miss many of the little things.

You have just summed up the Eddie Haskall character! He is always putting on a front, but underneath is very insecure.

Kahn and Min had the greatest character introduction of all time, if you really understand the way that a Texan (or most well meaning Southerners) process ideas about people who don't look like them. Hank: So, are you Chinese or Japanese? Kahn: I live in California for the last 20 years, but first come from Laos. Hank: Huh? Kahn: Laos. We are Laotian. It is a landlocked country in southeast Asia. Between Vietnam and Thailand. Population 4.7 million. Hank (Thinks about this for a minute): So. . . are you Chinese or Japanese?

Re-watching this and agree with others who have commented that the show holds up very well! There are a couple of things that were very much time-specific and I'm afraid they might be lost on younger viewers who might latch on to the series: Barney's job. Back before companies were able to track your productivity and micro-manage your time, it was amazing to know people like Barney. Friends who you knew very well, but couldn't really figure out what they did for a living. And they made piles of money! In the 90's and 2000's we really did know people like Barney. Heh, heh. . . Please. Barney's motivational posters. It was fun to see Barney surround himself with the trappings of an employee on the way up, including motivational posters everywhere. I don't think the younger viewers will catch that, but I guess that is a fun detail for us older folks to enjoy!

You are right that there is a difference between young Eddie and older Eddie. As time went on, the writers did a nice job of giving Eddie a backstory. Once we began to see what motivated him, Eddie's became a much more enjoyable character.

And this goes to show how different areas of the country have different personalities. Fredrick is more New York just as Josh Flagg couldn't be Josh Flagg anywhere but L.A.

I think your comment is exactly what the writers are going for. You hope he finally gets some wins. I might be reading too much into it, but I think there is another reason that Johnny is an Iron Eagle fan. It would make sense that poor Johnny always latches on to second best. All the cool kids are watching Top Gun. Johnny latches on to Iron Eagle. All the cool kids have VCR's. Johnny's stepdad brings home a Betamax. The cool kids have Firebirds, and Johnny has a hand me down station wagon. When he does finally get that cool Firebird, it has gone out of style anyway. Hashbrown Cobra Kai! I'm just waiting to hear him say, "The tournament should be on the internet! Should we call the internet to have them come out and film it?"

The writers on this show are doing an amazing job of writing for Johnny. The details such as his 80's Firebird, his 80's music, and his 80's favorite movie, Iron Eagle. On a sadder note, I know a few people like Johnny. They give off a vibe of, "If only I could go back to the good old days, before the tournament, before I lost the girl. Before I lost everything." They do a nice job of giving Johnny that same vibe, where you don't quite feel sorry for him, but you do want to root for him. On a happier note, my friends and I quote the first episode every time we have to deal with a difficult customer or co-worker, and laugh every time we do it: "She said I called her a bitch? I would never call her that. I said she was being bitchy. There's a difference" **pause** "Your firing me over that bitch?" BHWHAHAHAHAHA! It's amazing how often we work that into a conversation.

Isn't there an old adage that applies here? "When you first start dating a person, watch how they treat the staff at the restaurant." Tracy won me over when she was talking about selling her house. She didn't dwell on the upgrades and finishes. She spoke mostly about the memories of raising her daughters in that home. She is around all that wealth all the time, but seems to have her priorities straight.

Here's why I have grown to enjoy James and David: Josh Altman seems to have a persona of, "This is hard work. I work harder than anybody else." And I appreciate that and believe there is some truth to it. Josh Flagg seems to have a persona of being a bit "above it all". And in a way he is, because he has inherited so much money that he doesn't need to do any of this. The Brits? They are the ones who have this vibe of, "This is so much fun. The houses are so cool! The people are so eccentric! We are having a blast and can't believe we are getting paid for this." I like that. Their enthusiasm is contagious and they are fun to watch.

Nice catch! Have any of you seen the "Nick at Night Classic Rewind?" They point out errors exactly like the one Chessigal found. My favorite one is on Brady Bunch. The kids are jumping on the trampoline and the adults are cheering them on. When Jan and Peter take their turn, you can hear Carol Brady say, "Good job, Eve! Great job Chris!" Accidentally calling the kids by their real names instead of their character names.