S02.E12: BFF

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Miles is surprised when the God Account sends him the name of Trish’s daughter on the eve of Arthur and Trish’s wedding. Also, the wedding gives Miles the opportunity to chase down a new lead on the God Account, and Ali receives important news.

Airing Sunday, January 12, 2020.

[UNOSEZ]

The show chickened out.. By having Miles say he's willing to forego love to help the GA save hia sister... For one  we have no idea if that's even what the GA wants... Secondly it takes all the heavy lifting off of Cara

[MissLucas]

Miles' reasoning made absolutely no sense - especially since it seemed also to imply that Ali's cancer was another gadget the GA uses to keep him in line. (And the show better not fridge Ali!)

I liked seeing Amber Stevens West - loved her on 'Greek' and was disappointed when 'Happy Together' was cancelled. Although the sudden appearance of a daughter for Trish did surprise me. All I could remember about her was that farm up-state 😁 - was a kid ever mentioned before? It was an interesting plot on its own - having two people fall out of love but salvage the friendship that came before. I just didn't like how it was tied to Cara and Miles - those two do not have the same long history as BFFs.

Rakesh and Joy make a good team. I do wonder if the show intends to pair them romantically. We'll see how much longer Joy is hanging around in NY. Rakesh also wins fashion MVP for this episode. The combo of flower patterned shirt/tie he wore to the wedding was fantastic.

Of course team Prophet was handed another red herring. I kinda dig Not Neo leaving them a clue in the form of the Queen of Hearts.

Edited January 13, 2020 by MissLucas

[Ellee]

3 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

The show chickened out.. By having Miles say he's willing to forego love to help the GA save hia sister... For one  we have no idea if that's even what the GA wants... Secondly it takes all the heavy lifting off of Cara

Miles had said that his sister doesn’t remember what their mother went through but he does.  I think that is where this foregoing love might be coming from.   I don’t know. 

[FormerMod-a1]

He was willing to make a trade - he'd stay the god account's profit if the god account would save his sister.  Which, since Cara no longer wants to work with the god account would mean forsaking romantic love.  But I think that's a false dichotomy, with a lot of assumptions.

[Bringonthedrama]

5 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Although the sudden appearance of a daughter for Trish did surprise me. All I could remember about her was that farm up-state 😁 - was a kid ever mentioned before? It was an interesting plot on its own - having two people fall out of love but salvage the friendship that came before. I just didn't like how it was tied to Cara and Miles - those two do not have the same long history as BFFs.

Yes, Trish has mentioned being a single mother - but I thought she had more than one kid, and that they were still minors or early 20 somethings. I wondered all this time why she's never referenced "having dinner with my kids" or  "my daughter can't come see me sing like I expect you to Arthur because ---"  

It's like the Cara's mother's husband story, in that - until the episode about Cara's family - I assumed Cara's mom was a single mother to Liv because we never heard her mom say "my husband" or Liv say "my dad." It's hard to feel sad for this woman/couple because there was zero emotional investment in them as a part of the family. If Trish thought her daughter and son-in-law were such a perfect couple, why didn't she cry at least a tiny bit when she heard about the divorce?

Cara, not Miles, said this couple was "basically us" and I thought, way to make everything all about you and this situation isn't remotely similar. Miles stated in his podcast that the God Account stuff started a year and a half ago. So Miles and Cara have only known each other a year and a half, haven't said a word about marriage, and certainly have not been trying to have a child together for years. Trish's daughter said she and her husband have been friends since she was 10; she looks like she's in her late 20s to mid-30s now. So I think she and her husband have been friends and then a couple for at least 15 years.  They have endured relationship and fertility struggles whereas Cara walked away from her romance with Miles because she wanted things to work out a certain way when that was impossible due to her mom's husband's criminal activities. Cara comes off like a young girl who could never handle being in a marriage.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I totally geeked out over seeing Ashleigh from Greek!  Pleeeeeze, let's have Rebecca Logan and Cappie in recurring roles, too.

The parallels are there and were intentional, imo.   It's all ridiculous, but this show is really up against it if the only tensions are from the Suggestions, who always, always, always, end up in a much better place thanks to our intrepid team. 

The conceit of Miles is typical.  TV Trope 101.  Bargaining?  The young man most certainly was not paying attention as his dad was explaining how the higher power works.  If it's just about some secular mastermind, does he not first have to find her/him so he can even make the offer?  How is any of this a solution?

The end conveniently ignored how Julia fundamentally betrayed Sam by having the last IVF procedure without his awareness.  Does anyone know if two-party consent is required for each instance?  Sure seems like it ought to be.  How Sam decides to get over such a betrayal is well beyond me.  What happens when he is transferred or changes job locations again?  Up and comers typically do.  Will Julia just follow him?  Would she not look to marry again?  Hmmmm.

Memo to Miles:  Julia did NOT choose to go back.  Do not assume Cara would choose differently.  She has already demonstrated a situational ethos, as it is.  Then again, this is TV.   This show in particular is proving to turn on a dime in service to any one ep.  I simply do not care anymore about the characterization of their romance.

This really should have been a two-parter.  I can not believe they found 5 or 6 additional scripts, all of which are superior to the really deep issues and themes in this ep.  Alphonse goes from reasonably credible GA to nothing at all in a nanosecond?  Wasted dramatic opportunity.  Now we are back to a super-duper programmer.  ZZZZZZZZZ

I highly doubt we will witness real physical horrors of Ali's cancer.  Did you note how TPTB did not give us any prognoses?  The discovery seems like it was early on.  Ali obviously has been careful.  There is more than enough time this season to set up an unexplained miracle cure.  Of course, this arc could also be a cliffhanger for next season.

Did anyone see any number of religious at the ceremony?  The freaking Bishop was getting married and nobody came to concelebrate or obviously/prominently witness?  Poor form.  In a totally unanticipated development, and weirdly coincidental to the airing of this ep, Pope Emeritus Benedict has just broken his silence in his "exile" by warning Pope Francis to not mess with the current prohibitions against Catholic Priests marrying.  Yes, I am well aware it's a different Church.  The timing is still unreal.

Joy has the lightest caseload of any PD in the history of Cook County.  It was strange to me seeing her just standing around like a Price is Right model smiling like a fool while the others were advancing plots.  She sure has undergone a metamorphesis!   

What was Alphonse going to tell Miles before he was challenged by Miles?  Methinks there is a not-so-great reality/bit of news that will come out from Alphonse.  He's a fascinating character and I would welcome his return as some truths get fleshed out.

 

 

  

 

[Bringonthedrama]

35 minutes ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

The end conveniently ignored how Julia fundamentally betrayed Sam by having the last IVF procedure without his awareness.  Does anyone know if two-party consent is required for each instance?  Sure seems like it ought to be.  How Sam decides to get over such a betrayal is well beyond me.  What happens when he is transferred or changes job locations again?  Up and comers typically do.  Will Julia just follow him?  Would she not look to marry again?  Hmmmm.

The show made it clear that this was a betrayal. Sam said he would not abandon this child, period. He still felt betrayed - he didn't just get over it.  She said she didn't want to lose the basic friendship that they'd had before falling in love. They agreed that the divorce was the right decision; they are going to co-parent as friends.  He went after a job not knowing she was pregnant, because she had the last IVF without telling him. So she decided the best way for him to get have his dream job and be a father was for her to go with him. I assume her decision to go with him was a) because he made an effort to be a friend to her back when they were kids and b) to make up for going behind his back to get pregnant with their baby. She knows he wanted to be a father and she wants him to be an active father in their kid's daily life.

[mommalib]

I do not life that they have done with Miles and Cara's relationship. All these complications aren't necessary. But it seems that the writers have been screwing with they're relationship from the jump. As soon as they kissed in that restaurant last season they had a major conflict with in two episodes. It's like they're grasping at reasons for drama with them and that's unfortunate because in a show like this I thought we would get to see the two main characters in love and in a relationship and helping people together but silly me.

Edited January 13, 2020 by mommalib

[Lonesome Rhodes]

45 minutes ago, Bringonthedrama said:

The show made it clear that this was a betrayal. Sam said he would not abandon this child, period. He still felt betrayed - he didn't just get over it.  She said she didn't want to lose the basic friendship that they'd had before falling in love. They agreed that the divorce was the right decision; they are going to co-parent as friends.  He went after a job not knowing she was pregnant, because she had the last IVF without telling him. So she decided the best way for him to get have his dream job and be a father was for her to go with him. I assume her decision to go with him was a) because he made an effort to be a friend to her back when they were kids and b) to make up for going behind his back to get pregnant with their baby. She knows he wanted to be a father and she wants him to be an active father in their kid's daily life.

The big smiles and the warmth portrayed in the final hug suggested to me an intention by TPTB to portray all was much better than the circumstances (as you outlined) warranted.  My metaphor of writing checks that could not be cashed applies.  The gulf was far too wide to have been closed so powerfully, imo. 

TV dramatists are very well aware that visuals are far more powerful than words.  The final images were, without exception, loving, and warm, and hopeful.  There were no furtive glances nor furrowing of brows.  Sam's mien at that final revelation (Julia moving) went from deep skepticism to an overwhelmingly positive and emotional response.  The cut away to Julia similarly portrayed much joy.  Very powerful.  Far more than justified, imo.

Then, Miles struck a hopeful stance about Cara "returning" to him.  To me, that was TPTB using the "healing" of the betrayal by Julia to signal a happy ending to the Cara/Miles arc.  Ali's cancer is a separate deal, for now.  There's no nexus, as far as I can tell, between Miles' GA activity and her contracting the cancer.  We'll see about the outcome of the disease.

The show tried to square a circle, just as it did with the lottery story a few eps back.  The contrast with Cara's obvious displeasure over the GA's solution to her Stepdad's pending imprisonment is stark.  All was not well.  Not even close.  Consequences were self-evident.  At the close of this ep, everything excepting Ali's illness was presented as having workable solutions.  YMMV.

 

[Empress1]

3 hours ago, Bringonthedrama said:

Cara, not Miles, said this couple was "basically us" and I thought, way to make everything all about you and this situation isn't remotely similar. Miles stated in his podcast that the God Account stuff started a year and a half ago. So Miles and Cara have only known each other a year and a half, haven't said a word about marriage, and certainly have not been trying to have a child together for years.

I was like " ... Girl, no they're not." You summed it up beautifully. Cara and Miles became good friends in a year and a half (she called them best friends and I was like " ... You are?") and then fell in love, but that's not remotely the same as this couple.

1 hour ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

The big smiles and the warmth portrayed in the final hug suggested to me an intention by TPTB to portray all was much better than the circumstances (as you outlined) warranted. 

I agree. I wouldn't have smiled and hugged in Sam's position.

[Brian Cronin]

The show was likely intentionally vague about Ali's diagnosis, as there is a very good chance that what she has is DCIS (Ductal carcinoma in situ), which is basically a Stage 0 diagnosis. ANY sort of breast cancer diagnosis is bad, and there are plenty of stories of women with DCIS who end up getting invasive breast cancer later, but DCIS, in and of itself, is not invasive breast cancer, so it is not life-threatening in the here and the now.  

However, there are also invasive forms of Ductal Carcinomas, and the doctor simply said "ductal carcinoma," so the show gave themselves a dramatically wide berth here for how they want to handle Ali's diagnosis. 

[SpiritSong]

3 hours ago, mommalib said:

I do not life that they have done with Miles and Cara's relationship. All these complications aren't necessary. But it seems that the writers have been screwing with they're relationship from the jump. As soon as they kissed in that restaurant last season they had a major conflict with in two episodes. It's like they're grasping at reasons for drama with them and that's unfortunate because in a show like this I thought we would get to see the two main characters in love and in a relationship and helping people together but silly me.

Yes, the character assassination of Cara continues.

[tennisgurl]

Alright there Cara slow your damn rolls. The situation between you and Miles is literally nothing like the situation between Sam and Julia other than you a man and a woman with a romantic past! Cara and Miles were hardly best friends for years (let alone since they were kids like Sam and Julia), Rakesh is pretty definitely Miles's best friend, and they were friends for, what, six months or so, before they got together, they were never married, and their angst isnt about being unable to have a child or not being romantically compatible, its all about Cara being pissed that the GA forced her step dad to accept the consequences of his actions. Way to make it all about you though girl! Seriously, why are they making Cara so insufferable? She had to specify that she wasnt mad at GA friend requests? I miss when Cara and Miles were just cute together. Her never ending whining about the GA is such a massive pain, and its all so pointless. 

I didnt even remember that Trish had a daughter, isnt it kind of weird that Julia and Miles have never met? I mean, they're about to be step siblings, you wold think they would be curious to meet before the rehearsal dinner. Yeah its different when your all adults, but still, I would think they would have met by now. It was great seeing Amber Stevens West, I always like her, and I like how the story with her and Sam ended. I've seen things like that before, when a boy and girl are close friends and everyone just assumes that they will get together romantically, and then they do just because people expect them to. There is an interesting subtext here that Sam and Julia felt kind of pressured to become a couple (even Trish kept gushing about her they were so meant to be since they were ten) even if they didnt have romantic feelings for each other, so of course it didnt end well. Its nice that they can go back to being best friends and raise a child together while now hopefully finding new romantic partners. 

Joy and Rakesh were a fun pair, she sure has come a long way since her first few episodes! You would think after so many twists and turns with Simon and Pria they would be a bit more suspicious of hacker guy! This is an interesting twist, looks like the GA is taking them in yet another direction! 

I dont think that Alphonse is behind the GA, but I think that meeting him is at least a step in the right direction. So, does Miles think that the GA gave Ali cancer, and can get rid of it?! Does he think that GA is God now (or this guy is?) or something? Or else, how could a hacker have the power to give a person cancer and then take it away?! Since he is apparently rich he can certainly help her, but I dont think he has magic powers!

Edited January 14, 2020 by tennisgurl

[KaveDweller]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

I didnt even remember that Trish had a daughter, isnt it kind of weird that Julia and Miles have never met? I mean, they're about to be step siblings, you wold think they would be curious to meet before the rehearsal dinner. Yeah its different when your all adults, but still, I would think they would have met by now.

I could have bought them not meeting because they mentioned the daughter lived in Westchester, which isn't super convenient and they are all adults with bust lives. But, this was a rescheduled wedding. Where was the daughter earlier in the season when Trish and Arthur were going to get married somewhere else, and Arthur brought Miles and Ali to see the location?

[Yeah No]

The Julia and Sam story line has my head spinning.  If the thing both of them wanted most in the world is to get pregnant and have a child together isn't the "betrayal" of Julia doing the IVF without Sam's knowledge a somewhat forgivable offense in the big picture?  It's at least a sign that she wanted his child, otherwise she would be moving on to find another guy to do IVF with.  If he had any feelings for her at all, romantic or otherwise, wouldn't he soften to that thinking she was trying one last ditch effort to fulfill their dream, and maybe secretly hoping it would help rekindle their relationship?  I can see him being upset but not as upset as he was with her.  She acted like the one that was dumped like she wasn't going through with the divorce because that's what she really wanted. 

I understand that he felt betrayed but I didn't get Sam's cold stance with her.  You'd think she was out there seeing other men or something - Oh wait, HE was the person seeing someone else!  And what about THAT?  That's a loose end that wasn't explained or tied up.  I also don't get why she would want to move out to the West Coast with him to only to be "friends" and raise the child together.  That also makes no sense whatsoever.  If their relationship was truly over or she didn't have hope of rekindling it, she wouldn't do that despite remaining friends.  I don't see it.  So despite what they said, I think they really did have a fully romantic relationship, not just a friendship, and that they both want to rekindle it.  That's the only thing that would make the ending make sense.  True to its season 2 form, this story line is all over the map.  First he's taking the job, then he's not taking the job, then he's taking the job.  And what employer would say OK to someone's wife calling to tell them their husband really wanted the job but said no because of a "miscommunication"?  In what 15 year old brain does this sound plausible in the real world?  Absolutely none.

Oy vey with this show sounding more and more like it's being written by a pre-teen!!

[Yeah No]

29 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

I could have bought them not meeting because they mentioned the daughter lived in Westchester, which isn't super convenient and they are all adults with bust lives. But, this was a rescheduled wedding. Where was the daughter earlier in the season when Trish and Arthur were going to get married somewhere else, and Arthur brought Miles and Ali to see the location?

I'm originally from NYC and in no one's reality is living in Westchester ever used by anyone as an excuse for not going to NYC, especially if you have family there.  It is really super convenient to New York, by train and even by car.  It's easier and quicker to get from Westchester to NYC than from just about anywhere else in the area, including and especially from some of the boroughs (like Staten Island or Queens).  I lived in Westchester for a while plus worked there for a while when I lived in NYC, so I know.  The traffic down is especially easy and much easier than getting there from Long Island.  Especially on weekends, NYC is full of people from Westchester, Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey.  When I moved to Fairfield County, CT, it took me only 35 minutes to get to NYC by car on the weekends and I visited my family and friends all the time.  So I found that to be a lame excuse like some writer pulled it out of their ass at 3:00 a.m. because they couldn't be bothered to think of a better one.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Yeah No

[Yeah No]

14 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

The show chickened out.. By having Miles say he's willing to forego love to help the GA save hia sister... For one  we have no idea if that's even what the GA wants... Secondly it takes all the heavy lifting off of Cara

14 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Miles' reasoning made absolutely no sense - especially since it seemed also to imply that Ali's cancer was another gadget the GA uses to keep him in line. (And the show better not fridge Ali!)

10 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

He was willing to make a trade - he'd stay the god account's profit if the god account would save his sister.  Which, since Cara no longer wants to work with the god account would mean forsaking romantic love.  But I think that's a false dichotomy, with a lot of assumptions.

Without knowing it, Miles was acting as though he believes that the GA is actually God and has the power of God.  Does he really think that a computer program could have the power to save his sister from cancer?  Maybe it will somehow lead them to just the right doctor that will have a revolutionary treatment that will cure her.  I could almost buy that if I squint really hard and suspend disbelief, but it really struck me how he was acting as though he was bargaining with God to spare his sister's life.

[zoey1996]

Overall, I liked the episode.  However, Miles confronting his father's friend sounded like an accusation and annoyed me.  You don't just blurt out, "I know you're behind the God Account" with basically no proof, just a hunch you have.  

[Trini]

I don't like how they barely give Ali anything to do, and now they decide to give her cancer. What's the goal here??

I too have noticed how lately Miles (and others) talks about the God Account as if it is God even thoughhe's supposed to be an atheist. But then again, the show kind of writes the God Account that way - despite continuing the trail of clues they will supposedly lead to a person.

It was cool to see Trish's family even if they were the case of the week. I wasn't really satisfied with the resolution for Trish's daughter and her soon-to-be ex-husband, but that situation was messy all around, and I don't think there would have been a perfect solution in anyway. Some of these problems are not things that can be resolved a day.

Style notes: Loved Cara's fitted orange coat (the whole outfit actually) when they went to visit Trish's daughter. I'm looking for something like that for myself, but in a different color. And while I know that it's okay to wear black to a NY wedding, I still thought it was an odd choice, since they generally like to put her in brighter colors or patterns.

Oh, forgot: I wonder if Alphonse really has nothing to do with the God Account? Why would they get a recognizable actor for a nothing part? Yes, I know to be a red herring, but still -- I'd think they'd want him to have a bigger part.

Edited January 16, 2020 by Trini

[Orbert]

On 1/13/2020 at 9:15 PM, Yeah No said:

The Julia and Sam story line has my head spinning.  If the thing both of them wanted most in the world is to get pregnant and have a child together isn't the "betrayal" of Julia doing the IVF without Sam's knowledge a somewhat forgivable offense in the big picture?  It's at least a sign that she wanted his child, otherwise she would be moving on to find another guy to do IVF with.  If he had any feelings for her at all, romantic or otherwise, wouldn't he soften to that thinking she was trying one last ditch effort to fulfill their dream, and maybe secretly hoping it would help rekindle their relationship?  I can see him being upset but not as upset as he was with her.  She acted like the one that was dumped like she wasn't going through with the divorce because that's what she really wanted. 

Not only was her "betrayal" the act of a desperate person, the results were supposedly exactly what they thought would save their marriage, so yes, I think it should have been a forgiveable offense.

I found the scripting to be rather strange, though.  Sam knew about the first two times, which didn't work.  Then Julia says she's pregnant, and Sam says he knows what that means.  I thought he was going to jump to the conclusion that she got pregnant by some other guy as a last-ditch effort to save their marriage.  In fact, they talked about it twice, how she's pregnant, and what that means.  Apparently it was very clear to everyone involved that she must have had another IVF treatment (or whatever they're called) and not an affair, because she never specified how she got pregnant.  Maybe I was just assuming that Sam would think along those lines because we'd just seen him with another woman in the previous scene.  Too bad for the other woman, I guess, because Sam's moving to CA now and she wasn't even mentioned again after that.  Just some very strange, clumsy scripting.

[KaveDweller]

6 hours ago, Orbert said:

I found the scripting to be rather strange, though.  Sam knew about the first two times, which didn't work.  Then Julia says she's pregnant, and Sam says he knows what that means.  I thought he was going to jump to the conclusion that she got pregnant by some other guy as a last-ditch effort to save their marriage.  In fact, they talked about it twice, how she's pregnant, and what that means.  Apparently it was very clear to everyone involved that she must have had another IVF treatment (or whatever they're called) and not an affair, because she never specified how she got pregnant.  Maybe I was just assuming that Sam would think along those lines because we'd just seen him with another woman in the previous scene.  Too bad for the other woman, I guess, because Sam's moving to CA now and she wasn't even mentioned again after that.  Just some very strange, clumsy scripting.

Yeah, I actually thought that Julia was pregnant with another guy and that's why she knew there was no saving the marriage. Then after she admitted to the IVF, I also thought Sam was assuming it was another guy.

But maybe Julia and Sam had talked about having one last embryo that they knew would be destroyed, and Sam told her not to do it. So when she got pregnant he figured out that she did it anyway?

[Yeah No]

On 1/16/2020 at 1:00 AM, Trini said:

I don't like how they barely give Ali anything to do, and now they decide to give her cancer. What's the goal here??

I know, plus what happened to her new ambition of becoming a preacher or whatever?  First they had her get involved in that LGBT church, then she decides that her true calling is to follow in her father's footsteps in some way, then nothing, then they give her cancer.  Whuh?  It sounds to me like they really don't know what to do with her.

8 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Yeah, I actually thought that Julia was pregnant with another guy and that's why she knew there was no saving the marriage. Then after she admitted to the IVF, I also thought Sam was assuming it was another guy.

But maybe Julia and Sam had talked about having one last embryo that they knew would be destroyed, and Sam told her not to do it. So when she got pregnant he figured out that she did it anyway?

At first I thought the same thing - that she was probably pregnant by some other guy.  Then when she said she had done the IVF, I didn't know what to think because I also thought Sam was reacting like he was thinking it was really another guy's.  But then afterward the way they were acting made it clear that he was upset that she did the IVF, which didn't make as much sense because getting pregnant with her was what he supposedly wanted most of all.  It was very confusing and not at all obvious to the audience what was going on.  The way the whole thing went down it would have made more sense if she did get pregnant by another guy.  Maybe that's the way it was originally written but it was changed later on and that accounts for the clumsiness of the writing?

[Lonesome Rhodes]

There was some exposition by the Julia character that it wasn't just about her being barren.  She said they had each realized they weren't right for each other.  The childless issue merely brought things to a head.  That Sam so quickly began seeing others is indicative of this being true.

The elation by Sam at the end was not congruent with any of this.  Remember, he did not get all giddy with the revelation of the pregnancy.  That made sense to me.  Her offer to move across the country was when the happy ending was portrayed.

I never got the feeling that Sam was as invested in being a father as Julia was in being a mother.  

I would  have been fine with Sam doing a true 180.  Children have a way of causing such.  TPTB simply did not give us the requisite scene(s) which would have indicated such a change of heart.  Clunky to the max, imo.

[andromeda331]

Julia and Sam were so weird from beginning to end. The baby was really the clunker in the whole thing. From what Julia said they were best friends and everyone thought they were perfect for each other and married. No signs that they were in love with each other or why they felt so swayed into marriage. I guess I can kind of chalk the latter up to love but I'm not so sure. Not all BFFs end up falling in love and getting married. That's not their friendship and it sounded like that wasn't Julia and Sam. If Trish was part of that I have even more questions about Trish's character especially since she apparently never notice a problem in Julia and Sam's marriage? She says she hasn't seen them that much. But she knows her daughter right?  

They tried to have a baby. I guess to fix their marriage or because they wanted a kid? I'm not entirely sure. It didn't work out nor did the first two fertility treatments. After the second one things were over they separated and both seem certain of it. But then Julia decides to try the third time. But not tell Sam. That doesn't really make it okay. She put Sam on the hook for 18 years of child support and rearing without him knowing. I'm glad he was furious but he should have been more furious.  She's lucky Sam decided to help raise the kid. But that's still a crappy thing to do. Julia deciding to move to San Francisco so Sam could still get his dream job doesn't make up for it. If Julia wanted to try again then go to a sperm bank that's what their for. That Sam wanted kids doesn't count either or make it any better. By the time she did that Sam was moving on with the divorce and new job in a new city. He might have made peace with it by that point and ready to move on with his life. 

I really hate them trying to show that Julia and Sam were just like Miles and Cara. It wasn't even close. They were friends with 15 years. Miles and Cara maybe a year and half? Their trying to jam Miles and Cara's problems into Julia and Sam's which didn't work. Miles and Cara at least wanted to date I'm not entirely sure Julia and Sam ever did. Plus all of Miles and Cara's problems are due to how stupid their making Cara. Their not even any good internal problem or anything. Its just dumb. 

Edited January 19, 2020 by andromeda331

[andromeda331]

14 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I know, plus what happened to her new ambition of becoming a preacher or whatever?  First they had her get involved in that LGBT church, then she decides that her true calling is to follow in her father's footsteps in some way, then nothing, then they give her cancer.  Whuh?  It sounds to me like they really don't know what to do with her.

I thought they were going to build on that when we saw Ali switch church and speak at that church. It made a lot of sense Ali's always giving advice. Maybe she just found her calling later in life. But then they just dropped it. I really hate that they suddenly gave her cancer. There's no need. And is this going to be dropped or fixed in a couple episodes and then back to Ali barely in? I don't get why its so hard to write for Ali. She's cool. She's fun. Why not just making her part of the God Account team? 

[Yeah No]

8 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

Julia and Sam were so weird from beginning to end. The baby was really the clunker in the whole thing. From what Julia said they were best friends and everyone thought they were perfect for each other and married. No signs that they were in love with each other or why they felt so swayed into marriage. I guess I can kind of chalk the latter up to love but I'm not so sure. Not all BFFs end up falling in love and getting married. That's not their friendship and it sounded like that wasn't Julia and Sam.  

I think that's the thing that made the least sense to me.  Usually if you are best friends and have a romantic and sexual aspect to your relationship, plus you consider yourself to be "in love", that sounds like a valid reason to want to get married.  Of course those feelings could change after marriage but I don't know any woman that would want to marry a guy without those things present beforehand unless they were in an arranged marriage or marrying for money, and we know this wasn't that kind of marriage.  Who lets themselves be talked into marriage with someone they're not in love with or have "friend zoned" into BFF territory?  I don't know any women that would marry their best male friend because usually putting him in that category means she doesn't have romantic feelings for him at all and would never want to have sex with him.  And I don't know any woman that wouldn't consider those aspects prerequisites for marrying someone.  Obviously these two must have had a sexual relationship at one time so Sam wasn't exactly her "BFF" when they got married in the definition of the term that most women would use it.  I also don't think the two of them weren't in love in the romantic sense at the time of their marriage either.  They weren't just "friends with benefits".  I don't know any relationships in that category that ever ended in marriage unless the two people fell in love at some point.  How many men have told a woman, "I love you but I'm not IN LOVE with you" as a reason they don't want to get married?  Just saying....That's why this whole narrative the show is trying to create that these two were best friends that should never have married in the first place feels like they're trying to push down our throats that Miles and Cara probably are not more than BFFs.  But we know that's not the case with them either.  They are in a romantic relationship and are in love.  So I don't know what the show is trying to push here, because I'm not buying it.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Yeah No