S04.E05: Storybook Love

[JKL845]

1 hour ago, Quickbeam said:

I felt like they tried extra hard not so show the Sophie character clearly. I don’t think I ever saw her full face.

Teen Sophie has been on before. Same actress. 

[TheLotusFlower]

1 hour ago, Neurochick said:

Edited October 24, 2019 by TheLotusFlower
double post

[TheLotusFlower]

1 hour ago, Neurochick said:

What's wrong with the hairstyle?  I think it looked nice on Tess.  Better than flat iron or relaxed.

Sometimes I feel this way too.  Then I'm like, "shit let's just enjoy this show and not worry about things like finances and how do these people have money to do blah blah blah...it's TV, not a documentary."  

At first I thought that Kate's reaction to her former boyfriend's picture was because he might have been abusive to her in some way.  But the show likes to mess with our heads because so many of us are hypersensitive to abuse these days.  

Sometimes I think anxiety isn't so much a mental illness as a reaction to the world around you.  Bad stuff has gone on since the beginning of time but most people never knew about it unless it happened either to them or someone they knew.  Today, we're aware of all types of horrors, that's why when I saw Kate's reaction t her boyfriend, the first thing that came into my head was, "he probably raped her."  

I'm glad I somehow missed that comment about Tess's hairstyle.  There is absolutely nothing ugly about it.  It's a tapered cut on natural hair.  Like you said, better than flat ironed or relaxed (or otherwise straightened) hair.    

Regarding anxiety, I can only speak for myself but mine is a lot more than just a reaction to the world.  Often, the things that I'm anxious about haven't even happened yet, and may not ever happen at all.  I just get into a spiral in my own mind thinking about the worst case scenario for pretty much all situations.  It becomes overwhelming and exhausting.  I've dealt with it for decades, from the time I was a kid.  And I was a kid before the days of cell phones, internet, and 24 hour news cycles.  We didn't even have cable, and the 3 network stations we got literally signed off at midnight.  So it's not really about being bombarded with all the bad things that happen in the world.  I'm sure that doesn't help, but anxiety disorders existed long before we were so connected and aware of one another's problems.  Back then, a lot of people just called the person "sensitive" (I got that a lot) because they didn't really understand the concept of anxiety very well.

[Neurochick]

Though I don't think anxiety is caused by the 24/7 information cycle, I can see the 24/7 information cycle contributing to anxiety.

[hula-la]

I just watched this episode. Why did I record it? Because the Princess Bride was on tv. Priorities. 

[Tdoc72]

16 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Golden vanilla ice cream has egg yolks in it.  That is why it is yellow.

It’s also called French vanilla. Vanilla Bean is the whiter one w/black specks in it. And now I want ice cream...

[ElectricBoogaloo]

20 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

I'm curious about what happened with Miguel inasmuch as he seemed to be very comfortable with the family at the dinner, with Rebecca in the kitchen, etc.  He also seemed to have been somewhat involved in their move.  Something happens and he is completely out of the picture for 10 years, living in Houston or somewhere, until Rebecca connects on Facebook after Tess is born. 

I assumed that at some point  after Jack’s death, Miguel moved because of work or to live closer to one of his kids. Back in ye olden days before Facebook, it was really common to fall out of touch if someone moved. Staying in touch required long distance phone calls, writing letters, etc. And even after the advent of Friendster/MySpace/Facebook,a lot of adults didn’t join for several years. I remember a lot of people resisted joining Facebook until tribe failed one too many times (circa 2008?).

ETA: I went back and checked. Jack died in 1998. Rebecca got back in touch with Miguel in 2008. She hadn't talked to him in eight years, so he moved around 2000.

18 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Plus, frozen ice cream isn't that easy to cut through, and you can't wait for it to soften without having a serious mess.

If you run the knife under hot water first, it will cut through the ice cream like buttah!

16 hours ago, bybrandy said:

I can't speak for everybody but I can guarantee you the one time I moved a piano bench (organ bench?) I looked in there, went "Oh, god I don't have to time to sort through more crap!" tossed some tape on the bench to make sure it didn't open in transit and sent it on its way.
 

Same here. We moved from Chicago to California and we did not unpack the piano bench. We left all of the sheet music and other piano books in there, wrapped something around it so it wouldn't open it transit, and had them put it on the moving truck!

15 hours ago, S.Batts said:

I'm curious about the time after Jack died.   Rebecca doesn't have a job so Jack was the bread winner in the family.   Did they have home insurance?  Did Jack have life insurance?  Was that all mentioned in an episode that I missed?  How is that they could afford rent on the apartment and then buy a house?   

The time line last night with Miguel at the dinner with the the kids respective others, was he married yet?  

Right before the whole wine story, Miguel told Rebecca that he had been dating a lot so he wasn’t married during the raw chicken dinner flashback. As far as we know, he and Shelley split up when Jack was still alive and then married Rebecca after Tess was born. Not sure if there was another wife in between Shelley and Rebecca. 

13 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I thought some time back, Kate mentioned having some community college work......it was when she applied for a school music teacher, but, didn't have the credentials.  Someone else may recall the details.

In one of the S1 flashbacks when she’s working as a waitress, she mentioned to a customer that she was taking a night class at community college. She must have transferred to a 4 year college at some point after that because Kate said that she was a few credits short of a bachelor’s degree when she applied for the choir job that Madison told her about.

ETA: Kate said she was eight credits short of her degree. I don't remember if she ever made it clear if she meant eight units or eight courses. Eight units is not a full course load so that could be finished in one semester/quarter. Eight courses is a lot to take at once but it depends on what the classes are. At some school you have to get permission to take more than six classes at once. But since Kate managed to finish her last eight credits at community college during her pregnancy, I'm guessing it as eight units (not eight classes).

13 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Yeah, right after Jack died, she and the kids would not be in the most secure financial situation.  Even with life insurance, it only goes so far. 

12 hours ago, Crs97 said:

Didn’t we see Jack buying life insurance for the family?  I think it was then that he made Miguel pinky-swear to take care of Rebecca and the kids.  I know our financial planner suggested enough insurance for five years, figuring it would take us that time to determine how to move forward.

Between his life insurance, the homeowners insurance, and the settlement from the crockpot company 😊 she should be okay for at least a year or two.  We know Mom is still alive; maybe her rich father is gone and left her something there as well.  I guess I’m not too bothered by it.

Jack was also in the military so I’m guessing Rebecca would receive his monthly pension?

10 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I thought Kevin was an asshole for asking his mom for money as a wedding present.   That definitely could have waited until Rebecca was more financially stable. 

Heh, I don’t think Kevin was asking for the money as a wedding gift. He was just straight up asking for money. 
 

Edited October 24, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[WonderWuman73]

And Randall is still a d**k, it’s ok for your daughter to get help but not you... mmmkay

Love the scenes between William & Beth

still loving Kevin 

I started taking selfies back in 1998 when I was on MySpace. 

Edited October 24, 2019 by WonderWuman73

[bros402]

13 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I thought some time back, Kate mentioned having some community college work......it was when she applied for a school music teacher, but, didn't have the credentials.  Someone else may recall the details.

WHY oh WHY do people resist mental health treatment so much?  Randall is being so stubborn.  If he had learned anything about his condition, he wouldn't be in such denial.  People who suffer with full blown anxiety attacks not only impact themselves, but, their entire family! It's very disruptive and painful to watch a loved one go through those episodes.  So, to avoid treatment when you know it's on the horizon.......very selfish choice, imo. 

I believe Kate was like 6 credits short of a degree, and they were magically going to let her make up the credits from a different institution 20 years later.

People resist mental health treatment because of the stigma placed on it by society. It is seen by many as something only for people who are "crazy" or pretty much suicidal.

12 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Ha!

Not to mention paying for Kevin in California, Randall in college, and Kate (up until very recently) at home with no job.

Kevin was in NYC.

[himela]

If Cassidy's husband had offended me by saying that I'm the old women his son claims to be his best friend, I would have left right then and there. How the hell can he take this behavior like he is some kind of a perv? I mean, he is a public figure, people know him and it's normal that the kid has some admiration for him. In general the whole Cassidy story can go to hell. I think they just wanted a famous actress in the show to help with the numbers? It doesn't seem anything romantic will occur between Cass and Kevin anyway. Why waste our time?

[alexvillage]

9 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I want to know that Jack got rabies shots after the bird incident.

And I want Randall to STFU. Not only did you blow off the councilman you already blew off, you shared details that were not yours to share. Tell him the school called and you have to go get your kid. No more info! Boundaries, Randall. So rude.

Yes, that's what I thought too. Don't out your kid, don't out anyone, ever, without their consent. 

On a side not, with the new hair cut Tess reminds me of Samira Wiley. 

I liked the episode and how the timeline kept changing. I didn't like, and I don't care, for Kevin's storyline. Why is he offering marital advice to almost completely strangers? Nosy much?

[Enigma X]

Wow. I honestly don’t see Randall as not getting help as a dick move but part of his mental complex and one of his disorders. I have extreme anxiety and totally get why he wants his daughter to get help and the fear of admitting he may need help for himself.

[ShadowFacts]

4 hours ago, bros402 said:

People resist mental health treatment because of the stigma placed on it by society. It is seen by many as something only for people who are "crazy" or pretty much suicidal.

8 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

Wow. I honestly don’t see Randall as not getting help as a dick move but part of his mental complex and one of his disorders. I have extreme anxiety and totally get why he wants his daughter to get help and the fear of admitting he may need help for himself.

Agree with both.  He has gotten help before, but not before he had a crisis.  It will probably take a crisis again.  Right now he's thinking he can handle it. 

[Johnny Dollar]

Since 19 year old Kate is average size but 30-ish Kate was already morbidly obese, too many viewings of My 600 Lb Life tell me that there had to be some kind of trauma in the interim to make her gain so much weight. My guess is some kind of assault by her new boyfriend. 
 

For some reason, grown adults calling each other “babe” really grates on me. Please stop. 
 

In his never ending attempts to be the perfect husband, and the perfect father and the perfect councilman Randall is showing that he kind of sucks at all three. 
 

I like the way they’ve been having the 19 year old Kevin start to mimic the mannerisms and speech patterns of present day Kevin. Good job for a show where continuity doesn’t always carry through the various timelines. 

Edited October 28, 2019 by Johnny Dollar

[BetyBee]

Maybe Randall's next big breakdown will be when he realizes that they forgot to pack Annie when they moved!

[Crs97]

3 hours ago, BetyBee said:

Maybe Randall's next big breakdown will be when he realizes that they forgot to pack Annie when they moved!

Yes!  I expect to see her photo on a milk carton any day now.

Edited October 24, 2019 by Crs97

[ams1001]

7 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

It’s also called French vanilla. Vanilla Bean is the whiter one w/black specks in it. And now I want ice cream...

Me too! Between that and a conversation with a coworker about tea that made me realize I'm out of my delicious apricot vanilla creme tea, now I have to stop at the store on my way home tonight.

Although...they do have ice cream in the cafeteria. Maybe a Good Humor chocolate eclair bar is in order at lunch today...

[JudyObscure]

5 hours ago, bros402 said:

People resist mental health treatment because of the stigma placed on it by society. It is seen by many as something only for people who are "crazy" or pretty much suicidal.

Yes, and also because the part that makes decisions about going to a therapist is the part that is sick.  Asking a person with clinical depression or schizophrenia to go see a doctor about that is like asking someone who broke his leg to walk over to the hospital and see someone about that.

There's also an attitude among the well, like Beth, to think, "If he will just go see a therapist this problem will be fixed and I wont have to deal with it anymore."   Some things can't be fixed by the greatest therapist on earth, and not all therapists are great.  The only therapist I ever saw was a marriage counselor  my ex and I went to.  She made things much worse.

[Tosia]

On 10/22/2019 at 9:22 PM, Violetgoblin6 said:

Remember ice cream in cardboard. Sealtest.

Me too.

Remember Neapolitan ice cteam wrapped in wedges or individual  slices? 

I liked Rebecca yelling at the kids in the kitchen and the others in the dining room hearing it. Very real moment.

But does Rebecca's effort at trying to have a perfect dinner also influence Randall's perfection anxiety (nature and nurture...cuz, William had it too).?

Do Beth's steely intentions for "starting a new chapter"  withthis perfect dinner add as well to young Kate's grief/depression/feelings of inadequacy when comparing herself to her mom --ALL lead to self-medicating with food issues? 

Yeah,  humans and  psychology are complex.  

Loved the boyfriend asking Miguel, "And who are you again? "

I like Miguel. He is the saint of this show, putting up with this all-things-Pearson worship. 

Edited October 24, 2019 by Tosia

[Tosia]

On 10/23/2019 at 7:10 AM, gonzosgirrl said:

Agreed! Whether or not I like the character/find him necessary, I think the actor is brilliant. He's really making me look forward to the Nicky scenes, which I was definitely not doing in the beginning. I am a huge Jack-stan, and Nicky is kind of... the anti-Jack, so kudos to Griffin for making me enjoy this character, however grudgingly 😛 .

I  love Griffin Dunne in St Elmo's Fire and Werewolf in London. He is still awesome.  Can't wait to see him cleaned up at Emmy's next year. 

[luna1122]

On ‎10‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 10:30 PM, Carmel Cub said:

Actor's name is Austin Abrams. He played Ethan on Euphoria.

He also, sort of interestingly, played Sophie/Alexandra Breckenridge's son on Walking Dead. And there's this sweet little movie called Brad's Status, with Ben Stiller, in which he gives a very good, intuitive, naturalistic performance. I kind of love him. I hate the way the storyline is apparently going.

[Tosia]

21 hours ago, Blakeston said:

i'm not crazy about the idea that Kate had her weight under control until an evil boyfriend came along. I think Jack's death, and the guilt she carried, would be more than enough to make her spiral into food addiction.

But I suppose the actress who plays Teen Kate being slim kind of painted the writers into a corner. It would be hard to pass her off as someone who's massively overeating, so they're pointing ahead to a "final straw" incident, to explain why it hasn't happened yet.

Younger Kate has been shown several times eating junk much to Rebecca's consternation. I think, as a teen, Kate and other kids like me, haso  been growing taller so her weight from junk food has not caught up with her height yet. 

In birth order studies the middle child typically " inherits" the issues of a family and manifests them in different ways. Addictions of all kinds, usually, including over exercising, or controlling, or workaholism, so not just drugs, alcohol, or food. 

Kevin, the oldest, is the hero or most successful, and Randall, kind of the youngest, is the clown or  one who tries to make things more friendly--although, being adopted and Black,  Randall is going to be unique. He is very successful academically and professionally, but the cracks in his psyche are showing.  

Is Beth an angel or lacking in assertiveness to put up with his dismissive crap. Or does she know enough to plant a seed and let Randall  grow it in his own time? So Not me. 

I so don't want Kate's boyfriend to be abusive. Maybe he dies young and adds to Kate's grief, ala Love Story. Or maybe he is just her first love who breaks up with her too soon.  Idk. 

Psychology lesson over. 

Edited October 24, 2019 by Tosia

[PRgal]

14 hours ago, kili said:

Did people use polaroid cameras to take selfie style photos back in 1998? It seemed a little odd when Beth just raised the camera above her head and snapped that perfect selfie picture of her and Randall. I recall those were the days when you had to ask people to take your picture, you couldn't be too close or your camera lens couldn't focus and if you did what she did, you would probably get a photo where only part of you appeared in one corner. Even when cellphone pictures became a thing, the first selfies were mirror pictures and it took people a while to learn they looked best when the picture was taken from above.

Speaking of polaroids, those have been sitting in the bench for the last 20 years? Nobody shuffled through the bench looking for music, noticed the pictures and tossed out the one of Marc?

They just lost most of their stuff in a fire. You would think that Rebecca would want to keep track of these new photos especially since they are the photos of the "wedding reception" and she only had 4 photos from the actual wedding.

If you do it properly (and Randall would), you get a piano mover and the piano should be tuned after the move.  I don't think movers Randall hired would leave them on the porch.

It would have been nice if Miguel had been there for the piano arrival. He originally gave that piano to Rebecca to make the apartment feel more like a home after Jack died.  It's kind of full circle with it now coming to Kate in her new home when she needs support.

I don't recall taking selfies in 1998.  But I also don't recall using a Polaroid (how much did those people pay to be on that episode, anyway?).  It was more about disposable cameras back then.  In fact, I assumed Sophie ran into Duane Reade to buy a disposable camera!

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, JudyObscure said:

Yes, and also because the part that makes decisions about going to a therapist is the part that is sick.  Asking a person with clinical depression or schizophrenia to go see a doctor about that is like asking someone who broke his leg to walk over to the hospital and see someone about that.

Right. Mental illness is illness. I wonder if Randall has stopped taking his medication? In the flashback Beth said something about waiting to see how he adjusts to new meds.

I have a cousin with bipolar disorder and it's a very common cycle for him to take his meds, feel good enough to think he doesn't need to take them anymore, stop taking them, and spiral out of control. I suspect Randall does the same thing.

1 hour ago, Tosia said:

Maybe he dies young and adds to Kate's grief, ala Love Story.

I suspect not, given Rebecca's reference to not seeing "what was going on back then." But we'll see! I guess it could be drugs and he could die of an overdose ...?

Edited October 24, 2019 by Empress1

[Kdawg82]

3 hours ago, luna1122 said:

He also, sort of interestingly, played Sophie/Alexandra Breckenridge's son on Walking Dead

YES!!! That's where I know that grouchy little buggar from!! Thanks for the reminder! (Maybe the last decent season of TWD, in my opinion). He's a good young actor anyway so he should knock it out of the park. 

I think these actors/directors tend to really pull each other into projects in a nepotistic sort of way. If you know someone for a role, you recommend them. Like Mandy Moore has this role as she did "Tangled" with writer Dan Fogelman.

[TheLotusFlower]

4 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Yes, and also because the part that makes decisions about going to a therapist is the part that is sick.  Asking a person with clinical depression or schizophrenia to go see a doctor about that is like asking someone who broke his leg to walk over to the hospital and see someone about that.

There's also an attitude among the well, like Beth, to think, "If he will just go see a therapist this problem will be fixed and I wont have to deal with it anymore."   Some things can't be fixed by the greatest therapist on earth, and not all therapists are great.  The only therapist I ever saw was a marriage counselor  my ex and I went to.  She made things much worse.

I would give you 1,000 likes if I could!  I agree with every single thing you wrote here.  Especially regarding the well spouse's attitude that if you'd just take your butt to a therapist, everything will be just fine.  There's even this idea amongst some well folks that if you don't get the treatment they tell you to get when they tell you to get it, then apparently you just don't want to get well.  It's not like you fell and broke your arm.  A doctor can't just quickly patch you up and send you on your way to heal.  Some of us with depression and/or anxiety have tried therapy before and that mess went sideways quickly, so we're hesitant to try again because it's not easy to keep re-opening old wounds.  That just adds new wounds.  And when you're already anxious and depressed, you try to avoid situations that will drag you further down into the dark pit.  And like you said, the part of you that would make rational decisions about those things is also the part that's sick.  So it's like a never-ending cycle of wanting to get better but being legitimately afraid of taking the steps that could possibly (but not guaranteed to) make you better.  But nobody wants to hear the many complicated reasons we may choose not to seek treatment.  They just want to label us as a selfish jackass and move on.  That's much easier to do.  Part of the problem is too many people still view any kind of mental disorder as a character flaw or weakness rather than an actual illness.

Edited October 24, 2019 by TheLotusFlower

[abc123baby]

ok, i went back and re-watched it. i don't think he abused her. after she says 'i didn't see it either' she looks at the pic again. she doesn't seem upset, she seems more wistful. if he was her abuser, i would expect it to be a little more stunned by the pic i'm thinking. she was more sad.  i don't know what that means, but she's sad when she looks at him. not mad, not horrified, not angry, just sad. maybe she misses him? 

[himela]

4 minutes ago, abc123baby said:

ok, i went back and re-watched it. i don't think he abused her. after she says 'i didn't see it either' she looks at the pic again. she doesn't seem upset, she seems more wistful. if he was her abuser, i would expect it to be a little more stunned by the pic i'm thinking. she was more sad.  i don't know what that means, but she's sad when she looks at him. not mad, not horrified, not angry, just sad. maybe she misses him? 

Maybe he was a drug addict and he ends up dying.

[PRgal]

11 hours ago, himela said:

If Cassidy's husband had offended me by saying that I'm the old women his son claims to be his best friend, I would have left right then and there. How the hell can he take this behavior like he is some kind of a perv? I mean, he is a public figure, people know him and it's normal that the kid has some admiration for him. In general the whole Cassidy story can go to hell. I think they just wanted a famous actress in the show to help with the numbers? It doesn't seem anything romantic will occur between Cass and Kevin anyway. Why waste our time?

Maybe they cut the cord and only "watch TV" on streaming services.  Even Cassidy's HEARD of Kevin, but it was pretty clear that she wasn't too familiar with The Manny.  I don't get the vibe that Cassidy's husband works for a gossip/tabloid site and just wants to get Kevin in trouble...

[Captain Asshat]

6 hours ago, Crs97 said:

Yes!  I expect to see her photo on a milk carton any day now.

Annie's hanging out with Henry from "The Americans." 

[Alexander Pope]

On 10/22/2019 at 7:05 PM, Armchair Critic said:

I usually like the flashbacks more than the current day.

Miguel was a good guy all along. Looks like he was patiently waiting for Rebecca.

Hmmm... so what happened with Mark? Also what do I know that actor from?

I'm pretty sure he played a government intern on The Americans whom Elizabeth seduced.  He found out and she let him live.  I thought he was pretty great in that.

[CrystalBlue]

18 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I want to know that Jack got rabies shots after the bird incident.

And I want Randall to STFU. Not only did you blow off the councilman you already blew off, you shared details that were not yours to share. Tell him the school called and you have to go get your kid. No more info! Boundaries, Randall. So rude.

You're so right.  I'm sure the councilman couldn't care less about Randall's latest family drama or that he has to step in because the wife/mother isn't answering her phone.  Leaving like that after he already was "friendly" reprimanded about standing up Councilman for drinks isn't going to work in Randall's favor.

[CrystalBlue]

4 hours ago, TheLotusFlower said:

I would give you 1,000 likes if I could!  I agree with every single thing you wrote here.  Especially regarding the well spouse's attitude that if you'd just take your butt to a therapist, everything will be just fine.  There's even this idea amongst some well folks that if you don't get the treatment they tell you to get when they tell you to get it, then apparently you just don't want to get well.  It's not like you fell and broke your arm.  A doctor can't just quickly patch you up and send you on your way to heal.  Some of us with depression and/or anxiety have tried therapy before and that mess went sideways quickly, so we're hesitant to try again because it's not easy to keep re-opening old wounds.  That just adds new wounds.  And when you're already anxious and depressed, you try to avoid situations that will drag you further down into the dark pit.  And like you said, the part of you that would make rational decisions about those things is also the part that's sick.  So it's like a never-ending cycle of wanting to get better but being legitimately afraid of taking the steps that could possibly (but not guaranteed to) make you better.  But nobody wants to hear the many complicated reasons we may choose not to seek treatment.  They just want to label us as a selfish jackass and move on.  That's much easier to do.  Part of the problem is too many people still view any kind of mental disorder as a character flaw or weakness rather than an actual illness.

Well, I'd give you 1,000 likes for this post.  Every word.

[kili]

Quote

I want to know that Jack got rabies shots after the bird incident.

Only mammals get rabies. 

Quote

I have never been in a house that hasn't had window screens. 

It's common around here. We don't have a lot of bugs, so why bother with screens?

The house Jack bought had been under renovations for a long time. Maybe they hadn't gotten around to putting back the screens, but then I don't remember them knocking out the screens to escape from the house fire.

[CrystalBlue]

3 hours ago, abc123baby said:

ok, i went back and re-watched it. i don't think he abused her. after she says 'i didn't see it either' she looks at the pic again. she doesn't seem upset, she seems more wistful. if he was her abuser, i would expect it to be a little more stunned by the pic i'm thinking. she was more sad.  i don't know what that means, but she's sad when she looks at him. not mad, not horrified, not angry, just sad. maybe she misses him? 

I'm now thinking he got into drugs which is why Rebecca and Kate didn't "see it."  Maybe Kate's first love/boyfriend died of an overdose.

[Scarlett45]

On 10/23/2019 at 11:51 AM, Ohiopirate02 said:

I found Rebecca's insistence of buying another single-family home at this stage in her life to be selfish.  This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion here.  I can't see her taking care of all the house related things that Jack would have.  That lawn is going to need mowed regularly, leaves need raked, things are going to break down, etc.  Yes, she has Randall nearby and Miguel to help out, but I don't think she should be depending on others.  Randall needs to be living his life, not spending his weekends doing Mom's yard work.  Eventually Kate will move out so she will end up alone.  She cannot expect Miguel to always be there to help her out.  

You can always hire someone to do all that. That’s what my Mom always did growing up. Just get a landscape service and line item it in the budget for snow/grass. 

[Pallas]

7 hours ago, abc123baby said:

i don't think he abused her. after she says 'i didn't see it either' she looks at the pic again. she doesn't seem upset, she seems more wistful.

Most of the episode addressed mental illness, across the different storylines and timeframes: anxiety (Tess, Randall and WIlliam) PTSD (Nicky and Cassidy) and alcoholism (Nicky, Cassidy and Kevin, with appearances by Jack and Pearson elder).

Maybe Mark is part of this scheme. Few shows have touched on schizophrenia. But it typically erupts in the late teens or early 20's in a young person who seemed full of promise: if anything, unusually vital, creative and perceptive. 

[MissLucas]

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

Low flying birds.

That's what cats are for.

[ShadowFacts]

2 hours ago, Pallas said:

Most of the episode addressed mental illness, across the different storylines and timeframes: anxiety (Tess, Randall and WIlliam) PTSD (Nicky and Cassidy) and alcoholism (Nicky, Cassidy and Kevin, with appearances by Jack and Pearson elder.

Maybe Mark is part of this scheme. Few shows have touched on schizophrenia. But it typically erupts in the late teens or early 20's among young people who until then may have seemed full of promise: if  anything, unusually vital, creative and perceptive. 

I also think it's going to be something like this.  I don't think the show has had a suicide yet, hardly any shows do that I know of and this could be a tie-in with the military veterans' stories; it is a hot topic in real life. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 10/23/2019 at 4:37 PM, kili said:

Did people use polaroid cameras to take selfie style photos back in 1998? It seemed a little odd when Beth just raised the camera above her head and snapped that perfect selfie picture of her and Randall. I recall those were the days when you had to ask people to take your picture, you couldn't be too close or your camera lens couldn't focus and if you did what she did, you would probably get a photo where only part of you appeared in one corner. Even when cellphone pictures became a thing, the first selfies were mirror pictures and it took people a while to learn they looked best when the picture was taken from above.

Thelma and Louise were taking Polaroid selfies in 1991 so yeah, it was a thing that people did even before everyone had a front facing camera on their phones.

I have a bunch of non-Polaroid selfies that my sisters and I took of ourselves in the early to mid 90s (I specifically remember one was taken the day Kurt Cobain died because we were on vacation and didn’t know it had happened until we saw a marquis that said “RIP Kurt Cobain”). Even with our short little arms and our cheap crappy cameras, most of the photos  turned out fine aka our faces are centered and the pictures are in focus. 

[JasminePhyllisia]

On 10/23/2019 at 7:46 PM, debraran said:

This was a staple in my home and yes, they do sell the Tupperware ice cream holders. (ratings are so so)

I've only ever seen boxed ice cream served in slices when it's Neapolitan like in your picture (meaning equal parts strawberry, chocolate and vanilla.)  If that sounds tasty (and it is!) try the Klondike Neapolitan bars. 

[woodstock]

Many moons ago we had a bat get into the house via the chimney. My parents spent nearly an hour trying to catch it using a broom and pillowcase - they finally managed to catch and release it outdoors far, far away from the house. I think that's why I never wanted a house with a fireplace!

I loved Beth this episode and I'm definitely going to try the sparkling water trick.

I'm really enjoying the season so far. It feels like the show is righting the ship after the clunkiness that was last season.

Still laughing at Nicky's 'you have the strangest relationships with people' line to Kevin.

[bros402]

17 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Yes, and also because the part that makes decisions about going to a therapist is the part that is sick.  Asking a person with clinical depression or schizophrenia to go see a doctor about that is like asking someone who broke his leg to walk over to the hospital and see someone about that.

There's also an attitude among the well, like Beth, to think, "If he will just go see a therapist this problem will be fixed and I wont have to deal with it anymore."   Some things can't be fixed by the greatest therapist on earth, and not all therapists are great.  The only therapist I ever saw was a marriage counselor  my ex and I went to.  She made things much worse.

Definitely this - it took until the third therapist I saw to find the one for me. The first one kept rescheduling and calling when I was 20 minutes in to the 45 minute drive. The second one screamed at me in the middle of a session about how I "did not want to improve" (When he was giving me "assignments" wayyyyy beyond what I was able to do at the time). Then I found the third, who I have been seeing for 10 years next April.

Edited October 25, 2019 by bros402

[Dminches]

I really didn't like most of this episode.  First, the show goes off on too many tangents.  There are too many storylines and each tries to cover too much ground.  Did I really need to know that William had anxiety issue too?  It is enough that Randall and Tess share this issue.

The scene with Kevin and Ryan was unrealistic.  It is more likely that Ryan would be yelling at Kevin to stay out of their lives, not telling a sad story about how the war broke Cassidy.

I do hope they continue the 19 year-old Kate appearances.  She is the best of that generation's kids.

[ams1001]

I saw an article this morning that said something about his showing up uninvited like that was a hint as to where they were going with the character (quote from a producer or someone, I think), so yeah, I'm thinking controlling and emotional abuse at the very least. 

[Ohiopirate02]

9 minutes ago, Dminches said:

I really didn't like most of this episode.  First, the show goes off on too many tangents.  There are too many storylines and each tries to cover too much ground.  Did I really need to know that William had anxiety issue too?  It is enough that Randall and Tess share this issue.

The scene with Kevin and Ryan was unrealistic.  It is more likely that Ryan would be yelling at Kevin to stay out of their lives, not telling a sad story about how the war broke Cassidy.

I do hope they continue the 19 year-old Kate appearances.  She is the best of that generation's kids.

Why yes, the audience always needs to know about William played by Emmy Award Winner Ron Cephas-Jones.  Did you know he won that Emmy for playing William?  

All sarcasm aside, the writers have do tend to double-down on the actors who have the most buzz.  

15 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I saw an article this morning that said something about his showing up uninvited like that was a hint as to where they were going with the character (quote from a producer or someone, I think), so yeah, I'm thinking controlling and emotional abuse at the very least. 

I also think this is going down the emotional abuse road.  The way the actor repeated Rebecca's nickname for Kate was pretty creepy.  He said "Bug" like he was filing that for future use, and not in a good way.

[ams1001]

29 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Did you know he won that Emmy for playing William?

I did not, actually. 

[doodlebug]

Quote

Jack was also in the military so I’m guessing Rebecca would receive his monthly pension?

Jack was enlisted and only served a single tour.  He wouldn't have been eligible for a military pension.  Those are reserved for career soldiers.

[ShadowFacts]

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I saw an article this morning that said something about his showing up uninvited like that was a hint as to where they were going with the character (quote from a producer or someone, I think), so yeah, I'm thinking controlling and emotional abuse at the very least. 

It sure can be an abuse signal, but no boundaries (picking neighbor's flowers and copping to it) can also signal mental illnesses. Or maybe he is homeless, doesn't have family, and takes opportunities to insert himself into a family. That would fit with Rebecca and Kate not realizing what was happening.

4 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Beth had an obligation to tell Randall about William's anxiety and she chose not to.  Shame on her.  Whether it is genetic in William's family or learned behavior, someone should have told Randall about it, simply because he is having anxiety attacks.

William could have told him, too. Beth told William about Randall having gone temporarily blind right off the bat. He might have chosen not to because he didn't want to risk it becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, but more likely it is just kind of a retcon. 

[kili]

Quote

Beth had an obligation to tell Randall about William's anxiety and she chose not to.  Shame on her. 

I just assumed that Beth forgot to mention it. When Beth found out, she was dealing with two young children, a sick William and her husband having a mental breakdown. Her head would have been spinning.

She didn't remember until she saw the warning signs and remembered the conversation about missing the warning signs before.

She blamed herself last time when she missed the signs and Randall had a breakdown. She's noticed them this time and Randall has reacted negatively/tersely to her bringing up the subject of doing something about it. I'm not sure what the correct course of action for her to do is.