S02.E14: Raspberry Pie

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

Miles is confused when the God account sends him his own name as a friend suggestion; Ali begins fertility treatments in an effort to freeze her eggs before beginning chemotherapy.

Original air date: February 23, 2020

[mommalib]

I'm really trying to enjoy the show but what they have done with Miles and Cara has screwed with the pleasure I used to get out of the show. And now they got this Adam guy swooping in and Miles and Cara haven't even been apart that long. I still enjoy the friend suggestions and the outcomes but the Miles and Cara situation is really taking something away.

[KaveDweller]

19 minutes ago, mommalib said:

I'm really trying to enjoy the show but what they have done with Miles and Cara has screwed with the pleasure I used to get out of the show. And now they got this Adam guy swooping in and Miles and Cara haven't even been apart that long. I still enjoy the friend suggestions and the outcomes but the Miles and Cara situation is really taking something away.

It's so strange....did they have a new showrunner/writer come in and decide they just didn't want Miles and Cara together? It is like they just reset everything to how it was last season.

[mommalib]

32 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

It's so strange....did they have a new showrunner/writer come in and decide they just didn't want Miles and Cara together? It is like they just reset everything to how it was last season.

Yes a guy named Robbie Hull was promoted to co-showrunner. But even so they still had Miles go all the way to Paris for Cara and they got to a point where they admitted they loved each other so this makes no sense.  I hate to be that guy but I hope racism didn't play a part in all this.

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, mommalib said:

Yes a guy named Robbie Hull was promoted to co-showrunner. But even so they still had Miles go all the way to Paris for Cara and they got to a point where they admitted they loved each other so this makes no sense.  I hate to be that guy but I hope racism didn't play a part in all this.

I agree that it's very unsatisfying that the show is keeping Miles and Cara apart, but I really hope racism has nothing to do with it.  I want to doubt it based on how progressive this show is on race and other issues in general.  I'm thinking it might have more to do with the show trying to keep the audience interested.  If they get Miles and Cara together too soon I think they fear that it will become boring and that to keep viewers tuned in they have to find ways to make us doubt that they will end up together.  It's a really common, tired old trope used over and over again on TV and in movies.  Boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back.  And the way they're handling it has been clunky and unbelievable at best.  As soon as they introduced that guy at Cara's company I knew he was put there to be a threat to her and Miles' relationship.  So predictable and dumb, IMHO.  If they have to be so obvious it doesn't feel authentic.  Plus I really think the audience would like it better if they kept them together instead of inventing every reason to keep them apart.  I know I would.

[Ellee]

Maybe the guy asking Cara out is going to turn out to be a friend suggestion to complicate things further. 

[MissLucas]

At this point I'm just ignoring whatever is going on with Miles and Cara - obviously TPTB have not yet received the memo I would like to send to all showrunners: 99% of love triangles on tv shows are annoying as hell, contrived and nobody wants them on their screen anymore.

I hard a really hard time feeling sorry for the little punk/hacker with his attitude about being smarter than everyone else and therefore being entitled to do whatever he pleases and scamming people. He got off way too easily  - would the DOD really be so nonchalant about someone smuggling a major hacking device onto its premises just because allegedly no actual hacking took place (and how good is Rakesh!)? Also: if you're a little hacking genius I don't see how losing West Point and instead getting to the MIT would be much of a punishment. He also was not forced to face the music for his scam as Rakesh had already made sure people got their money back. His Dad on the other hand was great.

Looks like Ali got a love interest - now let's hope that does not turn sour. Girl needs a win!

Edited February 24, 2020 by MissLucas

[UNOSEZ]

I'd roll my eyes a whole lot less if the obvious romantic entanglement that is this character of Adam wasn't a very attractive ( and I'm sure talented)  white guy... Even if not on purpose it makes those of us who have lived through bait and switches erasure more prone to believe that somewhere someone brought race into this at the very least for "business" reasons... It would also be easier if anybody understood this breakup... If they just ended it when Cara was all bent outta shape because of her stepdaddy.. That woulda been cleaner,  but I guess in an attempt to not make her look like the bad guy we get a muddy mess that has all of us shaking our heads... 

because we have the on again/ off again trope... The new option trope.... But the way they ended after being so deep into each other just makes it look like  plot points moving characters.. Instead of the other way around

[Nilknarf]

I agree with everyone else who is upset by the direction they are taking Miles and Cara. The ambiguity is more disturbing than a breakup would have been.

i was distracted last night with Cara’s hair. It was just so limp and uncharacteristically unattractive. And in one scene she had a little bow in the back that looked so poorly placed

Lastly, I am starting to lose track of what happened with some of their past friend suggestions. I couldn’t remember that military man at all

 

 

 

[mommalib]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I agree that it's very unsatisfying that the show is keeping Miles and Cara apart, but I really hope racism has nothing to do with it.  I want to doubt it based on how progressive this show is on race and other issues in general.  I'm thinking it might have more to do with the show trying to keep the audience interested.  If they get Miles and Cara together too soon I think they fear that it will become boring and that to keep viewers tuned in they have to find ways to make us doubt that they will end up together.  It's a really common, tired old trope used over and over again on TV and in movies.  Boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back.  And the way they're handling it has been clunky and unbelievable at best.  As soon as they introduced that guy at Cara's company I knew he was put there to be a threat to her and Miles' relationship.  So predictable and dumb, IMHO.  If they have to be so obvious it doesn't feel authentic.  Plus I really think the audience would like it better if they kept them together instead of inventing every reason to keep them apart.  I know I would.

Your right it is a tired old trope but it is so unnecessary on a show like this with characters like these. It's like the showrunners and writers don't even understand their own show. I might not even have a problem with Miles and Cara breaking up if it wasn't so flimsy and contrived.

Edited February 24, 2020 by mommalib

[mommalib]

2 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

I'd roll my eyes a whole lot less if the obvious romantic entanglement that is this character of Adam wasn't a very attractive ( and I'm sure talented)  white guy... Even if not on purpose it makes those of us who have lived through bait and switches erasure more prone to believe that somewhere someone brought race into this at the very least for "business" reasons... It would also be easier if anybody understood this breakup... If they just ended it when Cara was all bent outta shape because of her stepdaddy.. That woulda been cleaner,  but I guess in an attempt to not make her look like the bad guy we get a muddy mess that has all of us shaking our heads... 

because we have the on again/ off again trope... The new option trope.... But the way they ended after being so deep into each other just makes it look like  plot points moving characters.. Instead of the other way around

You hit on another thing that ticks me off and that's the fact that they put the responsibility on MIles it seems in order to take the heat off Cara.

[FormerMod-a1]

22 minutes ago, Nilknarf said:

i was distracted last night with Cara’s hair. It was just so limp and uncharacteristically unattractive. And in one scene she had a little bow in the back that looked so poorly placed

That bow distracted me, too!  It was a limp bow, and not holding much hair.  I don't know why it was there.

[Orbert]

4 hours ago, Nilknarf said:

I am starting to lose track of what happened with some of their past friend suggestions. I couldn’t remember that military man at all

That's Lt. Freemont.  He was in the episode last year which introduced Joy.  In this episode, they referenced the ending with he and his girlfriend kissing in Times Square (or something like that).

That's good, because in the "Previously on..." they didn't include him but *did* include Arthur's old war buddy who is definitely *not* behind The God Account.  I kept waiting for him to show up and be related to all the military/DOD stuff going on, but I finally decided that they screwed up and included him in the "Previously on..." instead of Lt. Freemont.  Come on, show.  You haven't even been on two seasons yet, and your fans keep better track of things than you do.

[UNOSEZ]

26 minutes ago, Orbert said:

but I finally decided that they screwed up and included him in the "Previously on

That was because it wasn't about Alphonse... But the hacker.. Who had the team believing it was Alphonse behind the God Account... Which he still may be.. But  thats why that part popped up on the intro.. They got the playing card from the hacker and the card will move them to the game which I assume will get them closer to some kind of answer

[juliet73]

I agree with everyone else regarding Miles and Cara.

Normally, I enjoy this hokey little show, but tonight's episode was my least favorite.  The kid steals $10k and he has no remorse and no punishment.  Miles and the gang basically give him a second chance and he couldn't care less.  The police should have been called by now, but no because he's a computer prodigy so I guess he's above the law?  Then they give him a 3rd chance and he lies to them and is going to hack into the DoD anyway.  He gets caught and nothing?!  I hand wave a lot in this show, but the DoD just releasing him?  No!  And after committing numerous felonies, this punk is then rewarded for his bad behavior by working with Rakesh and then attending MIT?!  No! No! No!  No!

I'm glad Ali has a love interest or at least a friend.  

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, MissLucas said:

At this point I'm just ignoring whatever is going on with Miles and Cara - obviously TPTB have not yet received the memo I would like to send to all showrunners: 99% of love triangles on tv shows are annoying as hell, contrived and nobody wants them on their screen anymore.

I hard a really hard to time feeling sorry for the little punk/hacker with his attitude about being smarter than everyone else and therefore being entitled to do whatever he pleases and scamming people. He got off way too easily  - would the DOD really be so nonchalant about someone smuggling a major hacking device on its premises just because allegedly no actual hacking took place (and how good is Rakesh!)? Also: if you're a little hacking genius I don't see how losing West Point and instead getting to the MIT would be much of a punishment. He also was not forced to face the music for his scam as Rakesh had already made sure people got their money back. His Dad on the other hand was great.

Looks like Ali got a love interest - now let's hope that does not turn sour. Girl needs a win!

I get really, really tired of "will they/won't they" really, really fast, so I'm with you. They should have just kept them together. And I know he was just a kid, but I wanted to smack the shit out of the case of the week - he was so smug! I was like, did your mother teach you about how to speak to your elders?

No lie: I completely forgot Allie was gay. It was a major point for a while, how the church turned its back on Arthur when Allie came out (which the Episcopal church would not do, but I've made that point already), but Allie has kind of been a non-factor for a while now and I just totally forgot about it. (Emily's line about not looking people in the eye in waiting rooms wouldn't have worked on me; I'd have been like "Yeah. I'm reading though, so ..." because I always have a book with me when I go to the doctor, BECAUSE of the waiting room.) 

[Orbert]

3 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

That was because it wasn't about Alphonse... But the hacker.. Who had the team believing it was Alphonse behind the God Account... Which he still may be.. But  thats why that part popped up on the intro.. They got the playing card from the hacker and the card will move them to the game which I assume will get them closer to some kind of answer

Ah yes, I had forgotten that the hacker claimed that he was hired by Alphonse, so that was the connection.  Thank you for that.

Still, it was odd to include flashbacks to Alphonse, including the team saying he must be behind TGA, and Alphonse saying he isn't, simply because he's the guy the hacker ("Zie"?  I couldn't catch him name) supposedly worked for.  We did get the hacker and the Queen of Hearts, which I would have thought sufficient.  A "previously" with Lt. Freemont still would have made more sense to me.

[KaveDweller]

21 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I'm thinking it might have more to do with the show trying to keep the audience interested.  If they get Miles and Cara together too soon I think they fear that it will become boring and that to keep viewers tuned in they have to find ways to make us doubt that they will end up together.  It's a really common, tired old trope used over and over again on TV and in movies.  Boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back.  And the way they're handling it has been clunky and unbelievable at best.  As soon as they introduced that guy at Cara's company I knew he was put there to be a threat to her and Miles' relationship.  So predictable and dumb, IMHO.  If they have to be so obvious it doesn't feel authentic.  Plus I really think the audience would like it better if they kept them together instead of inventing every reason to keep them apart.  I know I would.

I get that shows like to do the will they won't they, and I wouldn't have minded if they waited to put Miles and Cara together. Put my issue is they put them together and then backtracked.  I always end up hating couples that break up and get back together over and over, and I fear that is what is going to happen here.

15 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I hard a really hard time feeling sorry for the little punk/hacker with his attitude about being smarter than everyone else and therefore being entitled to do whatever he pleases and scamming people. He got off way too easily  - would the DOD really be so nonchalant about someone smuggling a major hacking device onto its premises just because allegedly no actual hacking took place (and how good is Rakesh!)? Also: if you're a little hacking genius I don't see how losing West Point and instead getting to the MIT would be much of a punishment. He also was not forced to face the music for his scam as Rakesh had already made sure people got their money back. His Dad on the other hand was great.

I do not think that DOD would be that nonchalant. They'd probably be able to find evidence of hacking and evidence that Rakesh was trying to cover that up and press charges against them both. Their technology is so much better than what the kid would have been able to get, and they have so many people that at least one of them must be smarter than the kid. He annoyed me so much with his attitude I wanted him to get arrested.

But then, Rakesh can apparently hack into literally anything in about two seconds, and find out every personal detail about them, so maybe he is good enough to cover it up. In which case, he is greatly under utilizing his skills at his current job.

[Yeah No]

8 hours ago, juliet73 said:

I agree with everyone else regarding Miles and Cara.

Normally, I enjoy this hokey little show, but tonight's episode was my least favorite.  The kid steals $10k and he has no remorse and no punishment.  Miles and the gang basically give him a second chance and he couldn't care less.  The police should have been called by now, but no because he's a computer prodigy so I guess he's above the law?  Then they give him a 3rd chance and he lies to them and is going to hack into the DoD anyway.  He gets caught and nothing?!  I hand wave a lot in this show, but the DoD just releasing him?  No!  And after committing numerous felonies, this punk is then rewarded for his bad behavior by working with Rakesh and then attending MIT?!  No! No! No!  No!

I'm glad Ali has a love interest or at least a friend.  

Yes to everything you said. I applaud your composure, LOL. I admit I didn't pay that much attention to this plot, probably because I knew if I did I would have written an all caps ranting post about it.  Plus I didn't need to raise my blood pressure over a stupid TV show.

I'm worried about what they're going to do with Ali.  It seems like they're leading up to some sort of tragic love story between her and her new friend.  The love story is fine but I don't need the show making me worry about whether Ali lives or dies.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Rakesh totally missed the RFID chip in the card.  It's not like they/he would not have obsessed over it.  Ay yi yi.

Zero consequence to using Ali's laptop for contacting the twerp.  Uh huh.

Knowing Adam was into her, why did Cara accept the dinner before the card game?  It can't be because she is self-absorbed and strikingly and willingly uses people.  Nah.  Can't be.

I can see why the Army was not very interested in ameliorating Sgt. Waller's unauthorized enemy contact.  Did she make anyone in command aware of the situation?  of course, the enemy there has never used a feint of an attack elsewhere to mask where the actual target was, coughcough, like a FOB missing a sentry?  Then, if the story is correct, the Afghan couple managed to slink off, ending up in NYC and there was no evidence of a firefight.  Absolute coverup and the show refuses to mention this.  Yeah...the twerp would give up fighting that fight.  Uh huh. 

At a bare minimum, DOD would have confiscated that Pi.  Being released within a scant few hours to his Dad's custody?  Unpossible.  Of course, not one hint from anyone to the twerp as to STFU and that a lawyer would represent him.  That would be crazy talk, right?

TPTB did relent on one thing...it was allowed that the team could split up individually to pursue leads.  Who knew?!

Once again, Ali instinctively went to willful ignorance as a tool in mapping her life course.  It's fine she wanted to put off dating until there was concrete evidence she would win the fight against Big C.  It's actually a good thing to have as few emotional issues as practicable when fighting that fight.  But, she chose to stay mum.  Until she didn't.  Ugh.  Poor Emily. 

Given the timeline Ali outlined, by not seeing the fertility specialist ASAP upon the C diagnosis, she missed a potential harvesting cycle.  La di da.  Look, squirrel!  

When's the last time there was any mention of an article or a project Cara was directly involved in?   Remember how strict and severe her employer was made out to be when TPTB introduced Adam?   Realistic and heartless metrics were all the rage.  Now?  Fiddle dee dee.

I totally get this was/is supposed to be a trifle.  Cute fun.  Winning actors/characters.  A dose of higher-powered benevolence.  Several of us signed up for that.  Anymore, it's a vehicle for agendae which have little to do with happily ever after.  'Tis a shame.

[Trini]

Agree with everyone about the Miles/Cara situation. The contrived drama isn't necessary. Why did they break up, when they haven't even been officially together that long anyway? I could go on, but I feel I'd be repeating the points already made.

Case of the week was interesting and had a few good twists -- although, yes; there were several plot holes in the resolution. I did like that the Kid Hacker got to hear about his mother from the Afghan woman. However, that might have been the most unbelievable twist (on a show built on unbelievable twists), that her name was on the list of scammed people when it shouldn't have been according to the algorithm, and them crediting it to The God Account??

In any case, I liked that Rakesh (and his ridiculous TV hacking skillz) was a bit more involved in this one.

I still don't like that they gave Ali cancer, but her subplot in this episode was good; and I liked seeing her interact with someone else outside the GA Squad. (I forgot, do we have a name for them?)

The show's fashion game is still on point! Everyone had great patterned shirts, and I especially liked Ali's black and white top in her first scene.

Edited February 25, 2020 by Trini

[FormerMod-a1]

I thought the reason that had Miles and Cara break-up was stupid, really stupid.  But I don't mind that they are broken up.  I liked them together, but I'm watching this show for more than their romance so the rest of it is holding my interest.  If they get back together - great, if not - fine.  I'm good either way.  

[Orbert]

I know that there are far more serious issues with this show, but something that's been bugging me for a while is how Arthur Finer always wears his hat indoors.  He's a military man, and I don't know any vets who wear hats indoors.  You step inside from outdoors, the cover comes off.  It's automatic, literally a reflex.  Ladies may wear hats indoors, gentlemen do not.  Sexist, yes, but that's the code.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Orbert said:

I know that there are far more serious issues with this show, but something that's been bugging me for a while is how Arthur Finer always wears his hat indoors.  He's a military man, and I don't know any vets who wear hats indoors.  You step inside from outdoors, the cover comes off.  It's automatic, literally a reflex.  Ladies may wear hats indoors, gentlemen do not.  Sexist, yes, but that's the code.

Yes, that's also especially true of a man of his generation.  And of the cloth, too.

[andromeda331]

Still hate the Miles and Cara stuff. Its just really stupid and makes no sense. I wouldn't mind if they had problems or broke up if it any of it had made any sense. But they didn't. In the process they made and still make Cara come off worse. 

I didn't like Zach either. He ripped money off tons of people and never once showed any remorse for it. Nope, when Miles and Rakesh talked to him in the coffee shop he was just smug and bragging how they couldn't turn him in cause he'd get rid of the evidence by that point. Then when goes back on his word when they try and help him out by finding a way and pretends to give the raspberry pie to Miles and breaks in anyways. I really hate that in the end nothing happened with him. He should have been arrested and had to serve some time or something for that.

Because of Zach's actions I have mixed feelings about what actually happened with his mom. On one hand it was a great story and nice that his mom helped the couple even though some how the Army had no idea what happened which seems extremely unlikely but on the other hand it would have been interesting if what had been nothing or his mother cracked or something due to her being tired like her husband had said he noticed the last time they talked. Its so common to want to think the death of a parent especially serving in the military that there had to be more to the death, that its not the whole story, or there's a coverup especially when your a teen and unable to accept what happened. Or maybe just because there's always a cover up or something more to the story it would have been nice to have something different. Finding out at the end there really wasn't anything else would have been interesting. Maybe having Miles realizing it at some point and talk to him about losing a mom. 

I did like seeing the old friend suggestion and an update on him and his girlfriend. That's one thing I really do like about this show is we do get to find out off and on what happened to the past friend suggestions. 

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, andromeda331 said:

Because of Zach's actions I have mixed feelings about what actually happened with his mom. On one hand it was a great story and nice that his mom helped the couple even though some how the Army had no idea what happened which seems extremely unlikely but on the other hand it would have been interesting if what had been nothing or his mother cracked or something due to her being tired like her husband had said he noticed the last time they talked. Its so common to want to think the death of a parent especially serving in the military that there had to be more to the death, that its not the whole story, or there's a coverup especially when your a teen and unable to accept what happened. Or maybe just because there's always a cover up or something more to the story it would have been nice to have something different. Finding out at the end there really wasn't anything else would have been interesting. Maybe having Miles realizing it at some point and talk to him about losing a mom. 

It seemed like they didn't drop the other shoe with regard to Zach.  If not making him have legal consequences for his actions they should have shown him wanting to make restitution for the money he stole after finding out the truth about his mother's death.  Perhaps he could start an online charity in his mom's name, anything to show that this experience changed him and some good came out of it.  It didn't seem like they showed any change in him whatsoever, unless I missed something (which I might have since this plot line didn't really grab me).  And isn't the point of this show to bring about changes in people to effect good ends?  Leaving that out seems wrong.

[tennisgurl]

I just dont know why this Miles and Cara thing is still going, its so contrived and annoying. I dont mean to make assumptions, but I feel like people dont watch this show for relationship drama, I feel like they watch to see good people working to help other fundamentally good people with their problems, or for the God Account mystery, or for the discussions about religion and technology and their places in the modern world...non of which are cheap relationship drama. Miles and Cara were so good together, and their reasons for breaking up were so stupid, that this whole plot is just going to be painful to witness. And trying to have them date other people? Didn't we already DO THIS!? They both tried to date other people, and realized they were meant to be? But now Cara has to not be with Miles because of the GA...except she is still with him all the time, she is still going GA stuff, nothing has really changed, except that she and Miles arent together, for the stupidest reasons imaginable. 

Anyway, the Friend of the Week had a nice ending, but it seemed like they were way too forgiving of Zach for everything he pulled. Yeah he was doing it because he wanted to find out what happened to his mom, but he still scammed a bunch of people, broke a ton of laws, and never expressed any regret for it, or any sense that he will be giving the money back. It also strains a lot of credibility that the DOD would give him just a light slap on the wrist and send him on his way so quickly, even being a kid, and Rakeshs magic hacking skills. His smug attitude towards Rakesh and Miles didnt exactly endear me to him either, even with the sad backstory. I did like his dad though, and the ending where they found out what really happened to his mom was nice at least. It just fits into a greater problem I have had with the show this season, with more "bad guys" and more morally questionable people as suggestions, even if things usually work out alright in the end. Then Zach broke tons of laws, stole tons of money, showed no remorse, and then everything worked out with no real consequences, except we cant go to West Point...but will go to MIT instead, which sounds like its more his speed anyway. So the happy endings felt a bit forced. 

I am still not a huge fan of Ali getting cancer, but I am glad that she got a decent story, and the girl she met seems cool. 

I did like seeing the army guy again, and checking in to see how things are going with him. I always enjoy checking in with old Friend Requests. 

Edited February 29, 2020 by tennisgurl