S01.E06: Zoey's Extraordinary Night Out

[shapeshifter]

18 hours ago, chaifan said:

Count me as one who hopes that fictional tv shows remain coronavirus free.  I don't need cv related plots shoehorned into shows.  I don't need Zoey walking down the street hearing everyone sing "It's the End of the World as We Know It".  Wait, actually, that would be fun

On this show hand washing might be shown or mentioned, but this is not a ripped-from-the-headlines show like L&O SVU where they’ll probably have some serial killer rapist carry around a vial of germs 🦠 as a weapon. 
 

10 hours ago, Suzysite said:

Absolutely!   I have personal experience with this type of illness in a family member and we had home health aides every morning and evening, a main floor bedroom and bathroom, hoyer lifts and equipment, etc.  There's no way we could physically lift and carry them around.   

Ditto and ditto. It’s a definite plot hole that hopefully they will now fill with at least a brief appearance of a home health aide and maybe even show them uninstalling one of those stair chair lifts to explain how his wife was supposedly getting him to bed previously.  
 

11 hours ago, Bulldog said:

21 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I also find it a little unrealistic that Max disassembled a queen bed, carried the frame, mattress, etc. downstairs by himself, and reassembled it in the space that is conveniently available for it , again by himself, all while wearing a suit.

I am shocked, shocked!, that they didn't use this as an excuse to show Max shirtless again

And sweaty.  

Edited March 18, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Bill1978]

11 hours ago, Bulldog said:

I am shocked, shocked!, that they didn't use this as an excuse to show Max shirtless again. 

If Max was called Bob Barnard and if this show was Insatiable they definitely would have had that moment.

[Notwisconsin]

this was in Today's Washington Post. I think it's relevant to the topic:https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/advice/carolyn-hax-when-the-one-that-got-away-is-in-constant-contact/2020/03/17/7e36ca8a-6180-11ea-b3fc-7841686c5c57_story.html?itid=mr_lifestyle_2

[tennisgurl]

I certainly never expected to get emotional hearing 500 Miles would get me all emotional and filled with the feels, but...

[bros402]

This episode was fun - I like that they commented on the wall of roses just seemingly bursting into flame immediately - because that was just quite the quick burn.

Put me in the camp of "how did Max bring all of that stuff down so quickly"

Also, I thought that the friend was Mitch's brother, but I guess he was a friend?

Lauren Graham is definitely one of the weaker members of the cast voice & dance wise - but it is all very enjoyable, and exactly what we need in this time.

Also, Max was incredibly dumb for going back to the coffee shop the day after he broke up - and who doesn't appreciate some Bon Jovi?

[MoreCoffeePlease]

I loved the "Say My Name" song and dance number. My daughter dances but isn't really into this show, so I always show her my favorite songs afterwards.

[memememe76]

Was Skylar Astin always so hot? I did not know! 

[PortaBella]

I was a Gilmore Girls fan and it saddens me to see how Lauren Graham has aged. Her quirky nature worked well in GG but here it falls short. When she breaks into a big song and dance number, I’m always taken aback. I need to work my way into her performances. 
 

I wish Peter Gallagher would not stretch his eyes so wide open. It doesn’t look real and I find it unnecessary. He can communicate his inability to communicate without that. He’s got the skills. I thought they were going to reveal his friend and his wife being involved in a long painful attraction/relationship to/with one another. 
 

Simon has the sparkliest, most beautiful, expression-filled eyes and his sexy dance moves have me replaying the scene 10 times! 

Edited March 20, 2020 by PortaBella
Corrected spelling

[Chewy101]

On 3/17/2020 at 2:44 PM, Clanstarling said:

  On 3/17/2020 at 12:47 PM, Chanandler Bong said:

I typically find Lauren Graham to be exceptionally charming and an excellent actress, but this role is NOT doing it for me. For some reason, it’s just not landing, but I can’t put my finger on why. The writing? Her delivery? Whatever it is, it bums me out.

Perhaps it's the three chins. All of that botox is melting. It's very distracting to see someone so young destroy her face.

[Clanstarling]

8 hours ago, Chewy101 said:

Perhaps it's the three chins. All of that botox is melting. It's very distracting to see someone so young destroy her face.

I just think that's the way she's aging. She's not that young - she just turned 53.  Not everyone has great bone structure,  which is what keeps people looking good as they age. I think she looks her age, and in her 50's isn't as cute as she was 20 years ago when Gilmore Girls started, and 10 years ago when Parenthood started.

[Chewy101]

7 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I just think that's the way she's aging. She's not that young - she just turned 53.  Not everyone has great bone structure,  which is what keeps people looking good as they age. I think she looks her age, and in her 50's isn't as cute as she was 20 years ago when Gilmore Girls started, and 10 years ago when Parenthood started.

That Gilmore Girls revival showed some major plastic surgery. It's a shame. It reminds me of Courtney Cox, who has admitted herself that she destroyed her face with botox.

[Clanstarling]

2 minutes ago, Chewy101 said:

That Gilmore Girls revival showed some major plastic surgery. It's a shame. It reminds me of Courtney Cox, who has admitted herself that she destroyed her face with botox.

I didn't notice it myself, when I watched the revival. I usually do, but it is possible I missed it. She just reminds me of the women I've known who were similarly cute in high school, and who look similar now. Skin sags, people get double (or triple) chins. It happens at a different pace for everyone.

[LisaM]

On 3/17/2020 at 7:24 PM, Suzysite said:

Absolutely!   I have personal experience with this type of illness in a family member and we had home health aides every morning and evening, a main floor bedroom and bathroom, hoyer lifts and equipment, etc.  There's no way we could physically lift and carry them around.   

I second this from personal experience. Also - why was Mitch's bed still upstairs? That would have been one of the first things to change after diagnosis. 

[Chewy101]

3 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I didn't notice it myself, when I watched the revival. I usually do, but it is possible I missed it. She just reminds me of the women I've known who were similarly cute in high school, and who look similar now. Skin sags, people get double (or triple) chins. It happens at a different pace for everyone.

She was crazy swollen and could barely form an expression then. And it appears she never got better. I have no problem with aging- I think it's generally beautiful, actually. But the fight to stop aging can be a disaster.

Anyway, I like her singing. Because these are average people's inner thoughts, they don't have to be some Broadway talent. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

5 hours ago, LisaM said:

I second this from personal experience. Also - why was Mitch's bed still upstairs? That would have been one of the first things to change after diagnosis. 

Maybe there isn't a full bathroom downstairs, so he has to bathe upstairs.

 

[formerlyfreedom]

Please stick to the show. Discussion on the actors on the show is not for the episode topic. Thank you.

[bros402]

17 hours ago, LisaM said:

I second this from personal experience. Also - why was Mitch's bed still upstairs? That would have been one of the first things to change after diagnosis. 

I didn't get that either - it's not like Steenburgen's character was in denial, or was adjusting slowly to it, or didn't have the money for it - they should've had someone in weeks (if not months) ago to asses the situation and make recommendations. That's what home health care is for. If he were ambulatory and he had only gotten to this recently, sure - but from how they have said it, he went from mild symptoms, to six (?) months later, where he is having difficulty swallowing.

[Chewy101]

11 hours ago, bros402 said:

On 3/20/2020 at 8:23 AM, LisaM said:

I second this from personal experience. Also - why was Mitch's bed still upstairs? That would have been one of the first things to change after diagnosis. 

I didn't get that either - it's not like Steenburgen's character was in denial, or was adjusting slowly to it, or didn't have the money for it - they should've had someone in weeks (if not months) ago to asses the situation and make recommendations. That's what home health care is for. If he were ambulatory and he had only gotten to this recently, sure - but from how they have said it, he went from mild symptoms, to six (?) months later, where he is having difficulty swallowing.

And if Paul couldn't get him up the stairs (admittedly it was new for him so possibly more awkward), how did tiny little mom get him up there every night, and back down every morning? Until this episode, I thought they had a downstairs bedroom. I just assumed, I guess, because he was always on the couch or in his chair and not in a bed. 

[shapeshifter]

23 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

On 3/20/2020 at 8:23 AM, LisaM said:

I second this from personal experience. Also - why was Mitch's bed still upstairs? That would have been one of the first things to change after diagnosis. 

Maybe there isn't a full bathroom downstairs, so he has to bathe upstairs.

28 minutes ago, Chewy101 said:

I just assumed, I guess, because he was always on the couch or in his chair and not in a bed. 

Yes, my mother has gone through stages towards complete immobility, and I just cannot believe he was going upstairs without a chair lift. Did they show enough of the stairs to rule out there being a chair lift? 

 

[Chewy101]

1 minute ago, shapeshifter said:

yes, my mother has gone through stages towards complete immobility, and I just cannot believe he was going upstairs without a chair lift. Did they show enough of the stairs to rule out there being a chair lift? 

Yes, they showed the stairs and nothing. I guess they are trying to limit the amount of "reality" one has to see so viewers aren't turned off. The show is very touching but it is still supposed to be light hearted. 

[bros402]

12 hours ago, Chewy101 said:

And if Paul couldn't get him up the stairs (admittedly it was new for him so possibly more awkward), how did tiny little mom get him up there every night, and back down every morning? Until this episode, I thought they had a downstairs bedroom. I just assumed, I guess, because he was always on the couch or in his chair and not in a bed. 

Maybe Mary Steenburgen's character is preternaturally strong for a landscape architect?

:P

[dcalley]

On 3/15/2020 at 10:47 PM, springbarb said:

Also, that idea of Lief's is TERRIBLE. Taking pictures of people you see and pinging that against social media? Nope nope nope.

Do a google news search for Clearview AI for a horrifying real-life version.

[aradia22]

Autumn's song made me realize how I miss that opposition between how someone behaves and how they're really feeling. We've been getting a lot of songs that are more traditional musical theater songs that just articulate character feelings that we already know. Also, this episode she was giving me Olive Snook energy.

Mo's outfit coming out of the coffee shop was SO CUTE.

I didn't realize that Skylar was that cut. He even has that weird V.

Sure, early Kesha fits Joan's basic white girl vibe. I would have also accepted Pink's Get the Party Started. And I fully expect Rachel Platten's Fight Song at some point.

The idea that Joan's original plan for a girl's night out was sitting at the bar destroying their livers is incredibly depressing. She didn't even flirt or talk to anyone but Zoey. Sure, there's an issue of hiring actors and wasting screentime but if they'd wanted to suggest it, they could have just written in some additional dialogue.

LOVE the idea of Mo's sheer corset over the top of a blouse.

Why is TV obsessed with showing skinny people who love to eat? I know they regularly break into song but the most unbelievable thing about this show is Zoey shoveling food into her mouth at the engagement party and that scene in a previous episode where Zoey and Simon talked about oreos.

I did not expect to love Jessica and the I Do crew so much. I usually find that Destiny's Child/Beyonce covers don't live up to the real thing but this worked. I think it was because there was more to it than the vocals. The acting and choreography did the heavy lifting. The camera was moving around a little too much and too quickly but other than that, it was almost a decently shot musical number.

At first I thought Jessica was overreacting a little because Zoey's speech make it seem more like she had a crush on Simon and not like it was a reciprocated interest. But then I realized that she'd revealed that Simon went to her in the middle of the night for grief advice. Instead of talking to his fiance.

Eddie is gorgeous but I have trouble believing he would be so immediately attracted to Mo. I am assuming that Eddie is gay and I don't think most gay men are immediately attracted to a man who presents as a woman.

Were those roses covered in accelerant? That rose wall went up in flames shockingly quickly.

That giant place is Jessica and Simon's house? I thought they rented a venue. What kind of money do they make?

For some reason, from the first scene where we saw Paul, I thought he would be hitting on Zoey's mom. I was surprised he was there to set up Zoey's dad falling instead.

I really needed I'm Gonna Be to cut the tension of those two back to back dramatic moments. Skylar just seems like a perfect fit for this character and what the writers are going for with this show. 

They were selling Max HARD this episode as a perfect love interest for Zoey. Have they explained why she isn't into him? 

Quote

I hate triangles...and love squares, as it is with Jessica/Simon/Zoey/Max. It'll be annoying if we see Zoey jump back and forth so whatever they plan to do, I hope they solve that mess soon. 

I really hope this is just where the show is starting and not a problem that's baked in. Like I'm totally fine with this show starting with Zoey having a crush on a coworker and thinking Max is just her friend and then growing to realize that what she has with her coworker is unhealthy and built around their mutual grief (and his attractiveness) and she doesn't want to break up his relationship. I also think Simon needs to realize he should see a therapist and he's taking advantage of Zoey's attraction and friendship a little because he needs a way to process his grief. I don't believe Simon is really that into Zoey but he's building up their relationship because she's the only person he accesses those feelings with. I think the show could go either way with Zoey and Max between an OTP or deciding they're better as friends. The problem is when the problem is baked into the show like on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend which refused to cut Josh Chan or Greg out of the story even when it would have made SO MUCH SENSE.

Quote

Also, that idea of Lief's is TERRIBLE. Taking pictures of people you see and pinging that against social media? Nope nope nope.

I feel like the way they sold it, it came across as a very particular problem that most people don't have. And that's not even getting into the accuracy of facial recognition software, the privacy concerns, etc. It's bad enough if you just use it the way you're supposed to with your friends and acquaintances. What if, for example, you see a random stranger. With a name, you can look that person up and with that (and maybe a bit more info) you can easily become stalk that person. Those websites that allow you to search to find someone's address, phone number, relatives, etc. are terrifying and don't require any access to someone's private social media accounts.

Quote

His name is John Ralston. He's a Canadian actor. 

To me, he's the dad from Life With Derek and the bad dad from Degrassi.

Quote

I was totally on Autumn's side. They just broke up YESTERDAY and he showed up at her place of work the next day, which is gall in itself, but he just acted like nothing happened. Dick move, Max. She can't be expected to get a new job just because you dumped her, so the least you could do is not show up 24 hours later and give her not only the oblivious hiiiiiiiiiii but then babble on for 30 seconds about how many drink choices are on the menu.

Yup. At first it did seem a little over the top when Autumn seemed to cool with the breakup but hearing that just a day had passed, Max was definitely the one at fault. Even if Autumn ultimately agrees it was for the best or if she'd just been trying to save face in the moment, he shouldn't have come to the coffee shop the next day and, if he did, he should have just ordered the usual and moved on without trying to engage. He put her in a tough position because she works in the service industry. It was weird that she struck out at Mo though and apparently not Zoey. 

Quote

I really love this show but Zoey needs to start growing more. She’s has this ability to hear people’s emotions but she really not very empathic on her own. 

I like that Zoey isn't that empathetic without her powers. I do wonder where they're going with all of this. Is the universe trying to teach her to help others and be a better person? Or is she simply the conduit and the important part is that people get helped? Shows with this kind of premise have gone both ways. 

[dubbel zout]

4 hours ago, aradia22 said:

He even has that weird V.

That's called Apollo's belt, aka the Adonis belt/iliac furrow.

4 hours ago, aradia22 said:

That giant place is Jessica and Simon's house? I thought they rented a venue. What kind of money do they make?

I don't know if we've been told what Jessica does, but Simon is a marketing exec in tech. He's very well paid, no doubt. Also, this is TV. Everyone lives beyond their means.

4 hours ago, aradia22 said:

They were selling Max HARD this episode as a perfect love interest for Zoey. Have they explained why she isn't into him? 

She is into him, but she's afraid if they get together and then break up she'll lose him as a friend.

[Clanstarling]

5 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Autumn's song made me realize how I miss that opposition between how someone behaves and how they're really feeling.

Thanks for articulating that. I love that as well, but never really put it into words.

5 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Eddie is gorgeous but I have trouble believing he would be so immediately attracted to Mo. I am assuming that Eddie is gay and I don't think most gay men are immediately attracted to a man who presents as a woman.

There's a lot of fluidity in terms of gender attraction in the LGBTQA community. And plenty of couples who are considered gay or lesbian whose partners present as the opposite gender. So I had no trouble with it, knowing a few couples like that myself.

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

That's called Apollo's belt, aka the Adonis belt/iliac furrow.

I'm not fond of it myself, but then I'm not really into body builders. Although it's not quite the same, it reminds me of Ken dolls, which were creepy.

[aradia22]

Quote

Also, this is TV. Everyone lives beyond their means.

I feel like I have a poor grasp of who everyone is because so far we've only seen huge beautiful living spaces. Like, obviously Joan is much wealthier than everyone else. But Zoey doesn't know what Louboutins are and Mo needs to work as the building manager/repair person for reduced rent despite living in pretty nice, big apartments? Confusing.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, aradia22 said:

I feel like I have a poor grasp of who everyone is because so far we've only seen huge beautiful living spaces. Like, obviously Joan is much wealthier than everyone else. But Zoey doesn't know what Louboutins are and Mo needs to work as the building manager/repair person for reduced rent despite living in pretty nice, big apartments? Confusing.

I'm used to the ridiculously huge living spaces on TV, but at least for this show there's a reason (dance numbers).

[Dowel Jones]

6 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Also, this is TV. Everyone lives beyond their means.

Just as there is always parking in front of your destination.

[Clanstarling]

37 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

Just as there is always parking in front of your destination.

And you can get cross-town, or cross-state in a flash.

[dubbel zout]

2 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Just as there is always parking in front of your destination.

Years ago I watched something that explained this! They don't want to waste time showing people trying to park unless it's some sort of plot point or joke, so that's why there's always a spot in front. 

[possibilities]

And it's hard to shoot in small rooms.

But it's still funny.

My issue is people who answer the door without checking who is on the other side first. And people who show up at each others' doors instead of calling ahead.

TV contrivances, because it's more practical for the format. But ridiculously unrealistic.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Zoey Caught Feelings for Simon and His Fiancée Knows

Max Sings "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

Lauren Graham as Joan Sings Ke$ha's "TiK ToK"

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Trini]

I knew it was coming, but not a fan of them doing a love square. But Max just got bumped up in the standings anyway with '500 Miles'.

Edited May 11, 2020 by Trini

[Babalu]

On 3/17/2020 at 5:36 AM, AllyB said:

Anyone else find it hard to get current events out of their head no matter what they are doing/watching? The scene with Maggie and Mitch at the end sent my anxiety through the roof as Mitch would clearly be in an extremely high risk category due to the pandemic we're living through in real life. 

Yes, it is often jarring to me, too, that people shake hands (like Zoey and Jessica did this episode) and are crowded together. But I’m just watching it now, and an even bigger shock are the show’s beautiful shots of San Francisco skyline compared with photos from the past few days. Heartbreaking.

[bettername2come]

I got goosebumps at Max's rendition of 500 Miles.