Better Things Season 4 Discussion

[heatherchandler]

16 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

I hope not. I don't know everything about her life, but it seems like the real life daughter was maybe interested in acting all along and maybe already working before she went to college? (Of course her Mom's contacts would have helped a lot and Sam on the show doesn't seem to have the career that the real Adlon has, just similarities to it.)

Oh no, Gideon Adlon says she got the role all on her own!  🤣  
Sorry, I just read an interview with her and she is (to put it mildly) insufferable.  
Apparently the middle sister was dating Jaden Smith.

I also hope they don’t make the show too much like her real life.

Edited March 24, 2020 by heatherchandler

[Liamsmom617]

On 3/22/2020 at 4:55 PM, Lone Wolf said:

Again with the spitting on the fingers.  Is that a real thing or a show thing?

I'm glad they finally addressed Sam's hand issue.  IIRC, she was wearing a more elaborate contraption in other seasons and we never knew what the problem was.

Good on Duke for handling the owl situation while everyone else was fumfering.

Good on the show for taking the power away from the c-word.

Good on "Jozay" (Phyllis) for having no problem with Frankie's proposed cultural appropriation.

 

(Spitting on the fingers): It's a Jewish superstition thing. 🙂 To ward off bad luck/evil spirits, you spit 3x (I think--I am Jewish by birth but don't practice any religion now.) Pamela Adlon referenced it in some interview/article or another recently. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E5: Carbonara

Quote

Sam decides to take Duke out to see a performance from the ballet, and then takes Frankie out to Pinkberry.

Clip:

Original air date: 3/26/20

Edited April 3, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[scrb]

I guess the takeaway is that despite resistance, Sam gets things right, like getting the middle daughter a gyno exam?

That she just plows ahead with good humor in the face of screeching and harangue from her miserable daughters?

And we're suppose to find it heartwarming?  These little victories are what are the "better things" in life?

🙄

House is leaking all over the place so Sam's solution is to hire gypsies?  And one of them sands the window frame while the other one does tarot readings?

Well at least she was entertained by the story of the hide and go seek death and the gypsie wisdom doled out.

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ugh, Sam lets Frankie walk all over her. Obviously she's following in Max's footsteps. I can't imagine yelling at my mom after she found me in bed with anyone. And sorry, Frankie, but if you're going to have boys sleeping in your bed then yes, you need to go to the gynecologist and no, you do not get to moan and put your face in a pillow when your mom tells you that she made an appointment for you.

Duke's ballet teacher was full of crap. She was clearly in a very beginner class so there's no need for her to choose between ballet and soccer. If you start ballet after you've already gotten your period, the chances of you catching up and having the potential to be a professional are so small that the teacher probably isn't going to care if you screw up your knee playing soccer.

[sistermagpie]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Duke's ballet teacher was full of crap. She was clearly in a very beginner class so there's no need for her to choose between ballet and soccer. If you start ballet after you've already gotten your period, the chances of you catching up and having the potential to be a professional are so small that the teacher probably isn't going to care if you screw up your knee playing soccer.

I was sad for Duke that she responded to that woman by wanting to be in her class. She was a bad teacher, period--bad meaning incompetent as well as abusive. There was literally nothing we saw her do that was helpful in teaching ballet at all that we saw. She probably turns out far more eating disorders than she does even competent dancers.

[txhorns79]

I'll admit that I laughed at Phyl trying to re-price items at the thrift store so she could get used designer clothing half off. 

I will never understand why Sam allows her daughters to talk to her in the manner they do.

[possibilities]

If you are mortified by the idea of going to the gynecologist, you are not mature enough for sex. That's my opinion. And if you have a parent who is allowing you to have sleepovers, you damn well better appreciate that she's also trying to keep you healthy, and you should let her give you the talk because clearly you need one.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

4.4 clips

Sam's doctor visit

Sam and Max's fight

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E6 New Orleans

Quote

Sam goes to a wedding.

Promo:

Original air date: 4/2/20

[scrb]

Sam wants to pick dicks out of her pussy so she on a whim gives a New Orleans realtor her information to contact her if a certain type of home becomes available there.

She manages to enjoy her trip without thinking too much about her daughters.

Would she bring the whole brood with her if she moves, including her mother?

 

New Orleans is always portrayed in a romantic light.  Good food, good drinking, people playing music and dancing all the time -- blacks and whites seemly living in greater harmony than in other cities.

Treme tried to show people struggling in NO still after Katrina.

But for the most part, they seem to gloss over a higher crime rate.

 

I guess Adlon had friends there or liked the city that she wanted to center an episode there, with New Orleans natives getting a good amount of camera time whether it was at the crawfish place or in some of the music clubs.  Maybe that stuffy restaurant which insisted on a collared shirt and jacket was an actual place too, though they would obviously had to have allowed them to film the whole wedding party scene.

 

 

 

[heatherchandler]

41 minutes ago, scrb said:

Sam wants to pick dicks out of her pussy so she on a whim gives a New Orleans realtor her information to contact her if a certain type of home becomes available there.

She manages to enjoy her trip without thinking too much about her daughters.

Would she bring the whole brood with her if she moves, including her mother?

 

New Orleans is always portrayed in a romantic light.  Good food, good drinking, people playing music and dancing all the time -- blacks and whites seemly living in greater harmony than in other cities.

Treme tried to show people struggling in NO still after Katrina.

But for the most part, they seem to gloss over a higher crime rate.

 

I guess Adlon had friends there or liked the city that she wanted to center an episode there, with New Orleans natives getting a good amount of camera time whether it was at the crawfish place or in some of the music clubs.  Maybe that stuffy restaurant which insisted on a collared shirt and jacket was an actual place too, though they would obviously had to have allowed them to film the whole wedding party scene.

 

 

 

Yes, I agree.  And, ok, not sure how to phrase this, but I will try.  I see a lot of different races on this show, and inclusivity is never a bad thing, and representation on screen is important.  BUT, this is kind of coming off as Pamela Adlon saying "Some of my best friends are black!"

Also, the stories are just not interesting.  There is nothing really happening.  The stories with her kids annoy me because her kids are insufferable, and the stories with her friends are just her hanging out with her friends.  I want to watch a show where there is actually something to watch!

 

[Pj3422]

5 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Also, the stories are just not interesting.  There is nothing really happening.  The stories with her kids annoy me because her kids are insufferable, and the stories with her friends are just her hanging out with her friends.  I want to watch a show where there is actually something to watch!

 

Agreed, but I’ll let this one slide because we got Randy Rainbow AND Elizabeth Ashley!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I love weddings (even fictional ones) and I love episodes without bratty Max and Frankie so I knew I would love this episode.

Bonus: New Orleans!

This is the most I've enjoyed an entire episode this season and I think it was the combination of Sam just having a good time (instead of stressing about stuff/fixing things/dealing with her family) and a complete lack of her two older kids being spoiled drama queens.

Edited April 4, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[sistermagpie]

53 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I love weddings (even fictional ones) and I love episodes without bratty Max and Frankie so I knew I would love this episode.

Bonus: New Orleans!

This is the most I've enjoyed an entire episode this season and I think it was the combination of Sam just having a good time (instead of stressing about stuff/fixing things/dealing with her family) and a complete lack of her two older kids being spoiled drama queens.

Agreed. This was one of those eps, to me, that shows how Sam herself is a very likeable person. I always like the way she interacts with just anybody just meets in the world. I believe she's the kind of person who could have a suspiciously magical day in New Orleans.

[BC4ME]

Far and away my favorite episode of the season. I was about to stop watching and it takes a lot for me to do that with a show I've invested in like I have this one. I love slice of life things but this season was getting to be too much, or too little I should say. 

I loved everything about this ep but especially the scene of the groom singing Tom Waits' Martha. It's one of my all time favorite songs.

[pasdetrois]

So many shows get New Orleans and southern accents wrong. This episode was so-so in that regard.

I assume the restaurant was Commander's Palace, where there is a dress code. The maitre d's accent was bad. He was going for old-time southern aristocrat, like one would hear in Alabama or Mississippi, for example. (Think the late Shelby Foote in PBS' "The Civil War.")

I share everyone's frustration with Sam's daughters. But I think it's realistic. I see the same entitlement and bad manners among the privileged in the DC area and NYC and, yes, New Orleans. In my opinion the parents get annoyed and roll their eyes, but actually are kind of pleased and smug about it.

What I like most about this show is seeing Sam's struggles with aging and scenes from her career. They are relatable.

Edited April 5, 2020 by pasdetrois

[TVbitch]

Liked the music and the supporting characters and enjoyed a break from the daughters. But I find it hard to believe a 50-year old woman (even one as theoretically cool and sassy and sexy as Sam is) can drink like a teenager from morning till night, eat a couple pounds of crawfish, dance in the streets and clubs, and still go home and throw down with that dude. I would be like, don't touch me, I need to take some Pepto and pass out!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

The plane fire was near the end of season 3 episode 1 if you want to see where Sam met the others.

[Door County Cherry]

I tend to really like the episodes with Sam away from LA and this was no exception.  

And while it may be a "tourist" depiction of NOLA, that's pretty much what Sam was--a tourist. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

The plane fire was near the end of season 3 episode 1 if you want to see where Sam met the others.

I loved that she has stayed in touch with them. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

18 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Liked the music and the supporting characters and enjoyed a break from the daughters. But I find it hard to believe a 50-year old woman (even one as theoretically cool and sassy and sexy as Sam is) can drink like a teenager from morning till night, eat a couple pounds of crawfish, dance in the streets and clubs, and still go home and throw down with that dude. I would be like, don't touch me, I need to take some Pepto and pass out!

Must have been the potion!

[possibilities]

I was surprised Sam drank that potion. Or even that she asked for one in the first place. Also, I was not happy with the guy hiding from his partner how he knew Sam and then the two of them heading out together later.

But I liked the wedding, and I don't like weddings.

 

[luna1122]

On ‎04‎/‎04‎/‎2020 at 6:33 PM, pasdetrois said:

 

I assume the restaurant was Commander's Palace, where there is a dress code. The maitre d's accent was bad. He was going for old-time southern aristocrat, like one would hear in Alabama or Mississippi, for example. (Think the late Shelby Foote in PBS' "The Civil War.")

 

The restaurant was Arnaud's. I'd think they just might use the real maître d from there, as they used some other real life New Orleans denizens, but I have no idea.

On ‎04‎/‎04‎/‎2020 at 11:00 PM, TVbitch said:

Liked the music and the supporting characters and enjoyed a break from the daughters. But I find it hard to believe a 50-year old woman (even one as theoretically cool and sassy and sexy as Sam is) can drink like a teenager from morning till night, eat a couple pounds of crawfish, dance in the streets and clubs, and still go home and throw down with that dude. I would be like, don't touch me, I need to take some Pepto and pass out!

It's New Orleans. It seriously instills some kind of magick mojo in even those of us over 50, at least for a  day or two.

I don't like that guy. I remember his smarmy face from a previous episode or season but not really much else. He left his girlfriend or wife at the hotel to go trawling for Sam? Gross. I don't like her being okay with it, either. But apparently, in New Orleans, most men are hot for Sam.

 

 

 

[pasdetrois]

I looked up the maitre d' - he's an actor from the midwest. 😁

My relatives are medical professionals down there (EMT, nurse, PA) and they are working around the clock.

Edited April 6, 2020 by pasdetrois

[Alexander Pope]

On 3/22/2020 at 1:55 PM, Lone Wolf said:

Again with the spitting on the fingers.  Is that a real thing or a show thing?

I'm glad they finally addressed Sam's hand issue.  IIRC, she was wearing a more elaborate contraption in other seasons and we never knew what the problem was.

Good on Duke for handling the owl situation while everyone else was fumfering.

Good on the show for taking the power away from the c-word.

Good on "Jozay" (Phyllis) for having no problem with Frankie's proposed cultural appropriation.

 

It's a Jewish thing, to ward off bad luck.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

4.5 clips

Sam & Frankie's talk

Phil's famous daughter

 

Edited April 8, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

4.6 clips

Wedding Song

Sam Buys A Potion

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E7: High Man. Bye Man

Quote

Sam goes to the weed store and visits her brother; Frankie and Sam eat ice cream.

Promo:

Original air date: 4/9/20

Edited April 9, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Lone Wolf]

In no particular order....

I like Kevin Pollak.  I found his podcast by accident and listened because Larry David was the guest and for the last several months I've been intermittently working my way through all 10 years worth of them.  When Marion told Sam "Get out of my face" as she was leaving, that was an inside joke as KP says the same thing when he signs off.  And Marion's son was right - I think most of KP's impressions are of people whose careers peaked in the '90's.

Phil's gonna Phil.  She wasn't wrong about the Stilton, but that isn't the point. When she asked what she should do with her spit out mouthful (very classy, BTW), I had an answer for her.

At first I thought poor Sam was going to have her buzz killed, but everything went okay for her. For once.

I've enjoyed the last 2 episodes quite a bit.

 

 

  

Edited April 10, 2020 by Lone Wolf

[scrb]

Good family time?

The youngest graduates elementary school.

Then Sam’s brother has a housewarming with his bitch of a wife.

Then Sam gets high and the daughters rally around her helps her come down and they have some quality time?  You know they eat a lot of ice cream and watch movies together.

She should have gotten the message from the New Orleans realtor by now.  If she moved there, maybe the older ones won’t want to move away from their friends.

No it wouldn’t be them growing up or anything.  Sam would pay their rent and other expenses in LA.

 

Some parents look forward to the kids all leaving the nest so they can live for themselves finally.  I don’t think Sam will have that option.  Or actually she probably doesn’t want all (any?) of them to leave.  

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by scrb

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was distracted by how much makeup Duke was wearing in the first scene, especially knowing that she just finished elementary school. Thick black eyeliner, mascara, and darker than natural lip color lipstick is a lot on a kid.

I guess I'm a horrible kid because I definitely did not tell my mom when I had sex for the first time.

I don't think that Sam would give up her LA house because it has so much of herself, her life, and her family in it. And if she keeps that house but buys one in New Orleans, she will either have to rent out the LA house or let Max stay there to keep an eye on it.

[pasdetrois]

Sam may buy a NOLA house and visit it while keeping her primary residence in LA. She wouldn't take the kids out of their schools and friend circles, and she has to be in LA to work steadily. I think the only question is whether she'd buy a place big enough to hold her family, or just a small place for herself. My relative's NOLA home has a little guest house in the back where she stays when she visits, and she has tenants in the main house.

I too was startled by how much makeup the little one was wearing. And I want the middle one's curls.

Quote

I guess I'm a horrible kid because I definitely did not tell my mom when I had sex for the first time.

My mom would have killed me. In my day we did everything we could to keep the parents in the dark.

These most recent episodes have indeed been lighter.

Have Sam's  grunts, barks and other random odd sounds become more pronounced?

[Ottis]

It rains in LA way more than I thought it did. 

Also, the youngest looked like she had performed at the graduation in some way, given her costume. Then again maybe that’s just how she rolls. 

Edited April 11, 2020 by Ottis

[Lone Wolf]

10 hours ago, scrb said:

Some parents look forward to the kids all leaving the nest so they can live for themselves finally.  I don’t think Sam will have that option.  Or actually she probably doesn’t want all (any?) of them to leave.  

 

That's my take.  She has issues.  Identity, dependency, guilt...plus it doesn't help that Frankie's always mentioning Sam being single and getting old and needing someone to take car of her.

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I was distracted by how much makeup Duke was wearing in the first scene, especially knowing that she just finished elementary school. Thick black eyeliner, mascara, and darker than natural lip color lipstick is a lot on a kid.

 

I noticed that, but chalked it up to it being a special occasion and indulgent Sam allowing it, or possibly encouraging it.  It seemed to be better applied than a kid that age could do - Sam might have even helped.

2 hours ago, Ottis said:

It rains in LA way more than I thought it did. 

 

It pours, man, it pours....

[sistermagpie]

2 hours ago, Ottis said:

Also, the youngest looked like she had performed at the graduation in some way, given her costume. Then again maybe that’s just how she rolls. 

Yeah, I thought that was stage make-up.

2 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

My mom would have killed me. In my day we did everything we could to keep the parents in the dark.

Frankie's whole thing seems to be to demand attention from her mom while also saying she doesn't want attention. Like here, there wasn't any particular reason for her to tell her mother that she'd had sex--I'd wager most kids don't. (Never crossed my mind to do that!) She did it because she wanted to, even while saying it through a pillow because it was allegedly so hard for her to have to share it.

Kept thinking Sam should have just sent an Uber for Duke. It seems very strange to call someone with Max's job to leave work to pick up her sister from a slumber party. The host mother was the only person not even considering putting herself out!

[BC4ME]

10 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

Have Sam's  grunts, barks and other random odd sounds become more pronounced?

To me they seem like they have. Everything she does seems more pronounced IMO. To the point of being distracting.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

17 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

The host mother was the only person not even considering putting herself out!

I couldn't believe that other mom refused to drive Duke home because "I don't like to drive in the rain." Regardless of Sam's white lie, "my car is broken" trumps "I don't like to drive in the rain." And as someone who lived in southern California for many years, it does in fact rain so I guess this mom thinks she's just not going to leave her house for the entire month of January? Hope Duke's friend likes walking to school in the rain.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

4.7 clips

Mom Got High By Accident

Years of Sam's Life

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S04.E08: Father's Day

Quote

Sam has a flashback and a wolf pack.

Promo:

Original air date: 4/16/20

[pasdetrois]

Very 70s consciousness-raising vibe. I can't stand whiny pity parties. But it's great to see real women in real bodies on TV.

Edited April 18, 2020 by pasdetrois

[Liamsmom617]

  I loved/hated this episode. Yeah, the wolf-pack thing was a bit much for me, but hell, this is L.A. As usual w/this show, some of it was SO relatable that it's like Sam and I are the same person...when my now-ex and I first decided to split, we too were gonna try to do it all online, stay best friends, etc. His Mom didn't get involved (in fact, she and I are still close) and I am not wealthy, but I have steady employment w/benefits and he....didn't (and still doesn't), so he wanted me to wait to file until he had finished school (spoiler alert: It was probably his 3rd major and 2nd go-round w/college, and he was already almost 40) so he could stay on my health insurance.  We're presently getting along and in "friends" mode, but that's pretty labile...at times we can barely be civil. It goes back and forth...

  Awful pang of recognition at the end when the girls were like, "Um, we're just having sister time...get out!" My sister and I were never that rude toward my Mom but we would definitely feel like it was a buzzkill when my Mom would try to join us. And once or twice now when my teen daughters (twins) are hanging out and I walk through the room, they stop talking and act like they can't wait for me to leave. (I'm lucky...much of the time they want to hang w/me in my room and talk...but sometimes they're in "sister time" mode and don't want me around. Totally age-appropriate and to be expected, but it can still sting.)

Edited April 17, 2020 by Liamsmom617

[heatherchandler]

On 4/6/2020 at 10:13 AM, luna1122 said:

 

I don't like that guy. I remember his smarmy face from a previous episode or season but not really much else. He left his girlfriend or wife at the hotel to go trawling for Sam? Gross. I don't like her being okay with it, either. But apparently, in New Orleans, most men are hot for Sam.

 

That was really gross, and shitty.

 

On 4/11/2020 at 7:34 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 

I guess I'm a horrible kid because I definitely did not tell my mom when I had sex for the first time.

 

GOD NO!  I didn't know anyone would even think to do that!

Who wrote this episode, Valerie Solanis?  I'm kidding, but it is really kind of heavy with the misandry.  I feel like with her friend who doesn't want to get divorced, even though the guy sounds like a jerk, Sam needs to stay out of it.  It's weird how she pressures everyone to divorce.

Was that one lady Judy Gold?  

I still don't know if I like this show or not.

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, Liamsmom617 said:

  Awful pang of recognition at the end when the girls were like, "Um, we're just having sister time...get out!" My sister and I were never that rude toward my Mom but we would definitely feel like it was a buzzkill when my Mom would try to join us. And once or twice now when my teen daughters (twins) are hanging out and I walk through the room, they stop talking and act like they can't wait for me to leave. (I'm lucky...much of the time they want to hang w/me in my room and talk...but sometimes they're in "sister time" mode and don't want me around. Totally age-appropriate and to be expected, but it can still sting.)

My favorite thing in that scene was how Frankie was taking Duke's side by saying that if she didn't want to play soccer she shouldn't have to, when I was thinking well, of course the reason Sam was mad about her quitting soccer was that it wasn't Duke's idea at all. It was that stupid, abusive teacher, the same woman who seems to focus so much on things that aren't dance (like buns and sports) that she doesn't have to ever teach anything useful about dance!

Interesting that Sam's ex's mother was so involved when he himself is a total deadbeat dad. Makes me wonder what his mother says about the girls.

[luna1122]

I'm all for female-empowery bonding and howling at the moon, but that kind of touchy feely weepy gathering would make me run screaming for the door. 

 

[xwordfanatik]

Yes, that was Judy Gold.  I love that lady.

The show seemed to get better with every episode this season, for me, anyway.  Was last night the final episode?

[scrb]

I'm glad women are criticizing the gathering of the older women who've been abandoned by their men.

So I'm not going to add more to it than that.

I guess the whole New Orleans trip is forgotten now?  No follow up to buying a home their, picking dicks out of her pussy?

[Lone Wolf]

53 minutes ago, xwordfanatik said:

 Was last night the final episode?

Last ep of this season airs 4/30/20; two more  after this one (don't be killing it off so soon, all my shows are over or about to be.  God forbid I should have to read a book 😱).

 

1 hour ago, luna1122 said:

I'm all for female-empowery bonding and howling at the moon, but that kind of touchy feely weepy gathering would make me run screaming for the door. 

 

This.

Edited April 17, 2020 by Lone Wolf

[Door County Cherry]

5 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I'm kidding, but it is really kind of heavy with the misandry. 

It was but I do think there were moments of recognition written into the episode.  For instance, when she decided to be a snot to the ex of one of her friends and he told her about some of the circumstances related to the marriage that she seemed unaware of (i.e. that she had been depressed for a few years, didn't want to get help and it sounded like she had checked out of being a romantic partner.)

And that Sam came off really bitter in the end compared to the notes written by the other women.  Her husband does seems like a a not great father/ex but I do think her experience is clouding her advice.  (Not that I blame her, necessarily. I have no bad experiences or exes and I still think "why do you want to be paired up so desperately?" when I hear some stories from women about their partners.) 

[possibilities]

I'm just glad the daughters aren't as horrible as they used to be.