S01.E11: Zoey's Extraordinary Mother

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Zoey has to figure out a clever way to help her mother with an impossible decision. Max unexpectedly bonds with Leif. Mo hits a rough-patch with Eddie.

Airing Sunday, April 26, 2020.

 

[Roaster]

Bernadette Peters with red hair = At first I thought she was supposed to be Zoey looking at herself in the future.

[ams1001]

Well, I guess now I know what happens on five...

 

[phalange]

I’m glad Zoey and Max made up and are back to being friends, even though they probably still need to talk some more. And Max’s performance of Bye Bye Bye juxtaposed with Leif’s sad karaoke performance for Joan was hilarious. 

Ok, I definitely didn’t expect Ava to fire Max. Leif did the leaking but Max has to pay for it? By Ava’s logic, if Max is at fault for Leif’s actions, then isn’t she at fault too since she’s the one who brought Max to the 6th floor? 

I’m glad Maggie now has a friend who she can talk to, because Zoey is right. Even though she and David can help plan their dad’s funeral, they can’t help her with the pain of losing a spouse. I hope we get more Bernadette Peters in future episodes. 

I don’t really get Mo breaking up with Eddie. He’ll be back from the cruise job eventually, it’s not forever. 

Next week is gonna be sad. Time to break out the kleenex. 

[possibilities]

I genuinely don't understand what Max's problem is. Do people really act that shitty, past that age of 14? It just seems like he really never gave a shit about Zoey, and he still doesn't. It's gross. I don't know how we are supposed to regain any respect for him.

Joan got a lot more likable, though.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

All this talk about Mitch having a terrible view of an ugly fountain or a noisy highway (although the latter could make for a noisy funeral) - does Maggie think Mitch's ghost is going to be hanging around the cemetery? (I know, it's more complicated then that.) At least Bernadette Peter's dead husband has a great view of the funeral parlor!

Edited April 27, 2020 by ItCouldBeWorse

[roctavia]

These episodes are so sad!! I love the family stuff, but it makes me cry every week. It is different to see a show dealing with death like this, so openly and long term.  And then the work stuff is jut a whole different world. 

I like the direction they took with Joan and trying to work together with 4 and 6, but Max getting fired really caught me by surprise. Though maybe that will make things with him and Zoey easier- no work connection at all and will make their transition into friendship better. Max was definitely being an ass, but I thought it seemed like her mentioning the cemetery reminded him that she has a lot more going on than just work place drama. 

I don't want to watch next week... too sad, I can't handle it... I hope we get another season, but I don't know where they will go without her dad.

I'm sad Mo wasn't trusting in Eddie enough to think they could handle long distance... but I get the concept of Mo dumping him first before he could be hurt, even if it's foolish. Mo's song was beautiful.

[Guest]

I thought this was the best episode by far. It helped that most of the focus was Zoey’s family grieving rather that trying to force her into work or romance drama. Finally Zoey’s work acknowledges what she is going through with her father. 

All the cemetery stuff was well written and extremely relatable. Plus Bernadette Peters makes everything better.

One thing that really surprises me about the show is how they can write a character so badly and then suddenly turn it around completely in a single episode. This week it was Joan’s turn. From the moment they showed her working on the project she felt like a different character. 

That is the main reason I am withholding judgement on Max. He’s been complete ass but most of that feels like really bad writing.

It’d be nice if everyone could be well written from day one but at least we are getting well develop characters eventually. 

I noticed Mandy Moore and Paul Fieg but were there any other producer cameos?

[Clanstarling]

9 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

All this talk about Mitch having a terrible view of an ugly fountain or a noisy highway (although the latter could make for a noisy funeral) - does Maggie think Mitch's ghost is going to be hanging around the cemetery? (I know, it's more complicated then that.) At least Bernadette Peter's dead husband has a great view of the funeral parlor!

And yet, you do worry. We were ridiculously happy that the grave my mother was assigned at the Veteran's Cemetery was in a lovely spot. Grief isn't logical.  If grief were logical, we'd know that the dead don't need comfy cushions in a coffin, or fancy mahogany or any of the other pricey accompaniments that make up a modern funeral.

The scene hit home for me, until the music, because my brother and I were the ones who handled getting my mother's urn and arranging the funeral shortly before she died. I nearly broke down over the choice of urn (also outrageously overpriced) which led the funeral home guy to get the urn of last resort - a perfectly decent metal cube for a reasonable price. Anyway, I can't imagine how difficult it is to arrange everything else. (you can buy caskets online, btw, much cheaper...just saying).

Anyway, the song in that scene threw me out of the emotions I was feeling. I understand why they used it but for me it just didn't suit.

I loved having Bernadette come on to help Mary.

Generally speaking, I didn't really like any of the music in this episode.

[chaifan]

7 hours ago, Dani said:

One thing that really surprises me about the show is how they can write a character so badly and then suddenly turn it around completely in a single episode. This week it was Joan’s turn. From the moment they showed her working on the project she felt like a different character. 

I totally agree.  Loved the bit about the cashmere "hoodie" costing more than the value of their stock options.  I liked that Joan acknowledged what Zoey was going through, and I thought the conversation about her working at Google while her mother was dying was really poignant.  This really was Joan's best episode as a character, even though I still didn't like the duet with Ava.

I loved that they gave Leif a cheesy song to sing "in real life" to, and loved the mash up with Bye Bye Bye. 

Oh, I wish they would make Bernadette a recurring character! 

Funeral planning - to take this out of the show for a minute...  first, don't plan someone's funeral within earshot of them, unless you're including them in the discussion.  Second, there is no logic to planning, wanting graves in a certain place, etc.  Third, for those who want to be cremated, you can still do so and have the urn interred in the gravesite with your spouse/family.  It doesn't have to be an either/or. 

[sigmaforce86]

Another great episode, the appearance of Bernadette Peters completely surprised me but in a good way.  I loved how they used her with Maggie.   I keep getting my hopes up for Mitch but they're keeping his disease progression realistic so I doubt there are any last minute miracles coming our way.  

I love the show and completely pay attention to it but lately I've found myself watching the background extra's with a bit of fascination.  If anyone has behind the scenes info I'm wondering when there are two things going on what song is playing during filming, or are multiple songs playing at once.    I just find it so interesting for example how Max was doing an upbeat Bye, Bye, Bye but everyone at the bar was either going on with their conversation or reacting to Leif's love song.  That's really mostly good acting to not look or bounce your head or indicate you hear the song at all.   But I think it's even more impressive when they do things like Eddie's dance tryouts - Mo is singing one song that only Zoey hears and the dancers are moving to a completely different beat from the song they're hearing in the studio.  I feel like that's some sort of next level patting your head while rubbing your stomach thing and as someone with no dance ability at all I find it really impressive.

Last thought - Despite little character bumps that a lot of first seasons can have as the writers find their way with the characters I am enjoying this show way more than I thought I would and I am definitely not ready for this season to end at all.  

Edited April 27, 2020 by sigmaforce86

[Clanstarling]

10 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I totally agree.  Loved the bit about the cashmere "hoodie" costing more than the value of their stock options.  I liked that Joan acknowledged what Zoey was going through, and I thought the conversation about her working at Google while her mother was dying was really poignant.  This really was Joan's best episode as a character, even though I still didn't like the duet with Ava.

I loved that they gave Leif a cheesy song to sing "in real life" to, and loved the mash up with Bye Bye Bye. 

Oh, I wish they would make Bernadette a recurring character! 

Funeral planning - to take this out of the show for a minute...  first, don't plan someone's funeral within earshot of them, unless you're including them in the discussion.  Second, there is no logic to planning, wanting graves in a certain place, etc.  Third, for those who want to be cremated, you can still do so and have the urn interred in the gravesite with your spouse/family.  It doesn't have to be an either/or. 

I'd forgotten Bye Bye Bye, I did enjoy that song.

As for burying urns, that's what we did with my parents (they called it inurnment and also the ashes were cremains - words I hate). Zoey's sister in law specifically said she didn't want to be underground, so some people just aren't into that. The graveyard my parents are in now have a wall with (cubbyholes?).

[chaifan]

52 minutes ago, sigmaforce86 said:

 But I think it's even more impressive when they do things like Eddie's dance tryouts - Mo is singing one song that only Zoey hears and the dancers are moving to a completely different beat from the song they're hearing in the studio.  I feel like that's some sort of next level patting your head while rubbing your stomach thing and as someone with no dance ability at all I find it really impressive.

I love this! 

Was I the only one thinking that Mo would end up trying out and getting cast for the cruise?  I was waiting for one of the judge-type people (what do you call them?) to make some comment about how if you're going to interrupt their try-out you better have something to offer, and then have Mo belt something out. 

Also, did anyone other than me just cringe when Eddie mentioned being on a cruise for 8 months?  Boy, how times have changed... 

Edited April 27, 2020 by chaifan
oops, had "Max" instead of "Eddie" in the last sentence.

[Lady Calypso]

This was a good episode, in many ways. I still have my complaints about Max, and Max/Zoey, but I'll save that until the end.

First off, the positives! Bernadette Peters as Deb! AKA, maybe Maggie's new friend? I actively LOVED her role with helping Maggie with her grief. Even though Mitch is still alive now, his time is running out and I love the scene in the coffee shop with Deb talking to Maggie about death. It's so realistic for Maggie to want to avoid it for as long as possible and trying to distract herself in various ways (planning the funeral but also not wanting to make any decisions, for example). 

The opening number in the funeral home was...I don't know how to explain it. It made me uncomfortable, but I think that was the point? It was a heartwarming opening for such a somber occasion. I don't think there was a way to NOT make it slightly uncomfortable to be hearing them sing about death. 

Mo/Eddie break up, but Zoey lets Mo know that she knows that he doesn't want to actually break up. So I guess we'll see if that gets resolved or if Mo will let Eddie go and try to move on. 

Joan/Leif get some closure! Leif passing code to Tobin for Joan was not exactly what I expected, but they seem to really show Leif as someone who did care for Joan. And I love how Joan apologized for her role in their relationship (there WAS a little abuse of power, even if it was unintentional) and growth on both ends. Joan was the most likeable in this episode for me. From her joining the team (and showing that, hey, she actually has experience with coding!) to her talking to Zoey in the bar, I really wish they had shown more of this Joan earlier. Maybe I would have enjoyed her more if they had. 

Also, I only slightly cringed at the Get Together duet. This was slightly more in Lauren Graham's wheelhouse than ANY of the other songs she's had to sing. 

Now...for the real issue of the issue, which continues to be Max/Zoey. Max is still acting like an asshole and Zoey is still trying to pretend that they're ok and trying to joke around with him. The issue is on both ends...but, at this point, it's more on Max. I think Zoey has needed to apologize to an extent, at least with what she said to Max during their big fight, but Max's attitude is just plain awful. And, in the end, neither technically apologized to each other. Zoey just reminded Max that she has a lot going on (because, apparently, Max forgot about Zoey's DYING FATHER and it took her mentioning the cemetery stuff for him to actually snap out of his shitty attitude) without saying "Hey, I'm sorry for what I said to you during our fight". But Max also gave ZERO apologies for treating Zoey like absolute crap (blatantly ignoring her and glaring at her while she's trying to talk to him is rude) so I highly doubt their issues are over. They actively need to be talking this out, because they have an issue in their relationship and it's not just going to go away.

That being said...the dual songs with Leif/Max was actually really funny to watch. And, yes, the highlight was also seeing nobody in the bar react to Max's song. It was actually a fun scene to watch. 

Max being fired? I predicted Joan somehow would be fired for all of this with Ava using her, but Max being fired was only a slight surprise. I wish we heard about the fourth floor vs six floor rivalry a lot earlier, because it would have been fun to explore from the beginning.

54 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

Generally speaking, I didn't really like any of the music in this episode.

Yeah, I don't think any of them are going to get stuck in my head...except for maybe Bye, Bye, Bye and maybe Feeling Good. But I think this episode wasn't about the music this time, even though there was quite a bit of singing. It really felt more about the characters than anything else, which is a good thing. 

[dubbel zout]

2 hours ago, chaifan said:

I liked that Joan acknowledged what Zoey was going through, and I thought the conversation about her working at Google while her mother was dying was really poignant. 

I really liked this, too. Joan has been underwritten as sort of a boundaries-busting hard nose, and it's nice to see she does have empathy that's genuine.

(Tangent: When Jacqueline Onassis was working as a book editor, one of her assistants had to choose between a basically unmissable family/personal event and a basically unmissable work event, and Jackie told the assistant, "Life comes first." If anyone would know that, she would.)

2 hours ago, chaifan said:

Also, did anyone other than me just cringe when Max mentioned being on a cruise for 8 months?  Boy, how times have changed... 

That makes me cringe in any time. Norovirus, anyone? Cruises are not my thing ever.

I loved seeing Paul Feig as the funeral home salesman. I wonder if he wore his own clothes—he's famous for always wearing an immaculately tailored suit on set.

Since Leif was Max's direct report, it made sense to me Max got fired, but Leif should have been shown the door as well, as the one who actually committed the crime. (Can it be corporate espionage if it's internal? Never mind.)

[ahpny]

Max gets fired because Lief came to him, and Ava accepted Lief? This makes no sense. The thief (Lief) and recipient of "stolen goods" (Tobin) go free, but Max takes the fall? Why?

[dubbel zout]

It bothered me that Mitch is now basically unresponsive and sleeping all the time, and they have him propped up in a chair. Let the man be comfortable! 

(I get it from a blocking point of view, but then the script should have been tweaked a bit.)

[ams1001]

14 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

It bothered me that Mitch is now basically unresponsive and sleeping all the time, and they have him propped up in a chair. Let the man be comfortable! 

I always thought it was odd that they have him sitting upright in the middle of the couch all the time.

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

The graveyard my parents are in now have a wall with (cubbyholes?).

A mausoleum? I have four family members in a cemetery a few towns away, and they are all in the mausoleum buildings. There are spaces for single caskets, or larger spaces for couples/family plots, and also smaller spaces for urns. The cemetery has two buildings now, one with a space for a "graveside" service (it's ~200 years old; I don't know how much actual ground space is available anymore, unless their grounds are larger than you can see from the road and main buildings).

[buckboard]

I'll be sad to see Zoey's dad pass away, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's the last we'll see of him.  I'm thinking like on "This is Us," when we see lots of appearances by characters who have died.  Zoey and her family can have dreams about her dad, talk about their remembrances of events and lots more.  We may see more of him in the future than we have this season.  (IF the show is renewed.)

[Clanstarling]

I'm no expert, but I think Mitch is upright because of his swallowing issues. Gravity assists with other things like saliva, etc.

[dubbel zout]

He has a hospital bed; it's adjustable. 

[rejnel]

If you're like me, you ended Sunday evening with Bernadette Peters singing Sondheim acapella in her apartment--star-studded tribute to the composer can be seen at 

--and then started this morning with more Bernadette! Not bad consolation just now.

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

He has a hospital bed; it's adjustable. 

True enough, but maybe he doesn't want to be away from the center of activity when he does happen to be awake.

[tennisgurl]

Yeah, that tear filled post break up heart break karaoke towards the person your missing sure does feel different on the other side of the microphone, huh Lorelei? 

[Dowel Jones]

That's all I have.

[Empress1]

5 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

As for burying urns, that's what we did with my parents (they called it inurnment and also the ashes were cremains - words I hate).

My grandparents' urns are buried too, in the same plot on top of each other.

5 hours ago, chaifan said:

I liked that Joan acknowledged what Zoey was going through, and I thought the conversation about her working at Google while her mother was dying was really poignant.

Totally agree. Really, at the end of the day, when people leave jobs, we are forgotten the vast majority of the time. As much as people love jobs, jobs don't love us back - people do. Zoey attending to her family's needs, as well as her own, is way more important than anything her employer is doing. It just is.

I thought Mo breaking up with Eddie was silly and I thought it was unnecessarily cold. It seemed like he was doing that thing where he acts like an asshole so it (theoretically) hurts the person less, but it's just a dick move. (See also: acting like an asshole so the other person dumps you and lets you off the hook.) He didn't have to go to the nuclear option so quickly.

I actually felt bad for Leif, which surprised me. I was like, damn, you are really going through it!

Bernadette Peters as Maggie's friend is an excellent addition, both musically and as character development for Maggie. I'm here for it. 

[bonniejmac]

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

5 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

The graveyard my parents are in now have a wall with (cubbyholes?).

A mausoleum? I have four family members in a cemetery a few towns away, and they are all in the mausoleum buildings. There are spaces for single caskets, or larger spaces for couples/family plots, and also smaller spaces for urns.

Columbarium. Like a mausoleum but only has small compartments for urns, no spaces big enough for a whole casket. My grandmother and her second husband are in one. (Her first husband, my grandfather, was scattered in a river, per his wishes.)

[meatball77]

I love Joan's character.  It's nice to have a strong, supportive female boss that's also human with flaws.  She's like the boss on The Bold Type but not so perfect.

[tennisgurl]

Well if there is any silver lining in all of this sad funeral planning, its that Zoey got to see a Bernadette Peters performance! For real though, everything with Zoey and her family is so good, and so heartbreaking. All of those details and practical parts of losing someone are such a pain in the middle of so many strong emotions, I think they really nailed that feeling of being overwhelmed by details when your in the middle of your world falling apart. I hope that De shows up again, both because Bernadette Peters is always welcome on my screen, and because Maggie really needs a friend who has dealt with what she is dealing with now. I guess its inevitable that Mitch will be dying...I am dragging out my extra strength tissues for next week. 

How sad is it that, at this point, the best friends Zoey has at work are her boss and Tobin? At least now it looks like she and Max made up, and thank God maybe I can go back to liking Max again. His feelings are hurt and I get that, but come on, Zoeys dad is dying! Your her friend, at least try and be not a dick to her! I think they still need to talk, but hopefully this is a step in the right direction at least. But now Max got fired, which I admit that I didn't see coming at all. So Leif gets to keep his job, despite the corporate espionage, but Max gets fired just for bringing him onto a different team? 

This was probably Joan's best showing so far, her helping out on the floor with her million dollar hoodie (its worth more than all of your stock options) was fun, and I thought she was really great with Zoey, and her story about missing her moms last moments to make a Google presentation was really affecting to me. Work is important and all, especially when its a job you love, but a job is a job at the end of the day, and Zoey wont want to look back at her last days with her dad and remember budget meeting instead spending the time with him that she could have. There will be more jobs and presentations and projects, but Zoey only gets to say goodbye to her dad once. 

Also Mo dumps Eddie because of...reasons? That seemed like a pretty silly reason to break up with someone you really like, especially in that way. Pretty song though. 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I thought Mo breaking up with Eddie was silly and I thought it was unnecessarily cold. It seemed like he was doing that thing where he acts like an asshole so it (theoretically) hurts the person less, but it's just a dick move. (See also: acting like an asshole so the other person dumps you and lets you off the hook.) He didn't have to go to the nuclear option so quickly.

I thought he was doing the “I’ll hurt them before they hurt me.” The thing where you run at the first sign of a problem rather than taking a chance at being hurt. Being cold made sense to me because that usually involves convincing your self the other person is a jerk and you are just doing the smart thing. 

Edited April 28, 2020 by Guest

[Darian]

I loved the pep talk they gave Maggie about resisting the high pressure sales techniques in the car. I've been terminal and in bad shape for so long that we joke that I'm immortal or a zombie, so I've made my arrangements. But I've lost enough family members to know how they push you to overspend, playing on your grief and love, and I wanted to make sure my husband doesn't fall for it. After the house across the street sold for just under a million dollars and the new owners moved in with lots of expensive toys, living a lavish lifestyle, I learned they own a local funeral home. I begrudge them nothing, but I also used them to do what the kids did to Maggie last night. I told him, "When they make you feel like you're being cheap or not honoring my memory, just think, 'They just want another jet ski.'"  

I'm currently sad for most of the characters. Zoey and her family, Max, Mo, Eddie, even Leif. But I love this show. 

[dubbel zout]

8 minutes ago, Darian said:

they push you to overspend, playing on your grief and love,

As someone whose family business for four generations was a funeral home, I feel duty-bound to say #NotAllFuneralDirectors. 

[shapeshifter]

My sister was her most horrible when she took over dealing with our father’s death, but one thing I do not have any misgivings about is her picking up his ashes in the least expensive, rectangular metal can for us to disperse in the ocean. 

But for families that are geographically close, a place of burial might be desirable—for a generation or two. 

After that, “eternal resting places” can serve as literal cultural touchstones and literal historical markers which might give some valuable perspective to future generations.  And environmentally they are certainly superior to a lot of other literal constructs. 

[Darian]

34 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

As someone whose family business for four generations was a funeral home, I feel duty-bound to say #NotAllFuneralDirectors. 

Gah, I wrote this in a hurry and I left out what I meant to say, which was that. I adore my funeral director, and trust her not to upsell my husband. My "they want a new jet ski" to my husband was before I found her, and based my experiences burying both parents and both sisters (at different times). I did not have good luck with funeral directors back then. I also saw good and bad when I was a hospice nurse. My grandmother lived over an Irish funeral home in Boston (I have stories) and the family that operated it were good people.  Sorry for being careless.   

[ItCouldBeWorse]

9 hours ago, chaifan said:

Third, for those who want to be cremated, you can still do so and have the urn interred in the gravesite with your spouse/family.  It doesn't have to be an either/or. 

That would be even more claustrophobic for those who think that their claustrophobia will survive their death!

9 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

As for burying urns, that's what we did with my parents (they called it inurnment and also the ashes were cremains - words I hate). Zoey's sister in law specifically said she didn't want to be underground, so some people just aren't into that.

Right.

9 hours ago, chaifan said:

Was I the only one thinking that Mo would end up trying out and getting cast for the cruise?  I was waiting for one of the judge-type people (what do you call them?) to make some comment about how if you're going to interrupt their try-out you better have something to offer, and then have Mo belt something out. 

I thought Mo would see how talented Eddie was and would decide that he couldn't deny him his opportunity to shine.

8 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

It bothered me that Mitch is now basically unresponsive and sleeping all the time, and they have him propped up in a chair. Let the man be comfortable! 

Agreed.  I also don't understand how Mitch is supposedly taking all those pills that were arrayed in bottles beside him when he can't even swallow a spoonful of soup.  They seemed to have decided not to give him supplemental nutrition or hydration ( I didn't see an IV set up), but I hope they are providing pain relief/morphine (perhaps why he is sleeping so much) so that he won't feel the lack of food and water.

[shapeshifter]

39 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

but I hope they are providing pain relief/morphine (perhaps why he is sleeping so much) so that he won't feel the lack of food and water.

Just in case anyone wants to know——  
(which I know because my elderly but still mentally competent mother has been in a state like Mitch’s for 2 years now) 
Methadone is now the drug of choice for end-of-life pain care rather than morphine, and, unlike morphine, methadone is actually an appetite stimulant, which can delay end of life, which makes me question its use in facilities like my mom’s that make money off of long term residents —including those who would rather die (as my mother endlessly expressed after my father’s death up until she lost her ability to speak). Also, methadone increases sleep more than morphine —as my NYC daughter explains, the junkies nodding off in the doorways are on methadone, not heroin.  Before my mom was on methadone she was always calling the aides for help.  
So, realistically, Mitch would be on methadone now. 
But, also realistically, Mitch would be in a hospital bed now on the main floor now like the first, bossy-like-my-sister home health aid set up —perhaps in addition to having the stair chair lift for night. 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by shapeshifter

[marieYOTZ]

I am a long time Bernadette Peters fan, and her character’s not-speech to Maggie about what you gain from loss brought to mind her sudden loss of her husband back in 2005 or so, and I just cried. She was certainly a welcome addition to the show, I was so glad for Maggie to have a sounding board. 
 

[Sakura12]

I just binged this show over the weekend because clips kept popping up on my YouTube recommendations. And I was like fine I'll watch the show.

And I love it. I lost my dad when I was 22 so its bringing back memories but that's okay. I'm enjoying the family parts of this show. I thought Zoey would use her new power to communicate with her father more. But I guess shows gotta focus on shipping to matter. As for that Max has been acting like a real a-hole these past few episodes. He knows Zoey is dealing with losing her father that she's really close too. So I do see him as the "nice guy" and not a real friend. A real friend would push aside their hurt feelings to be there for a friend that is obviously grieving. Otherwise he was only being nice if he was going to get something in return. So even if she is singing love songs to him one minute then jumping Simon the next. She's confused and grieving and not going to act rational right now. 

She had to mention cemetery's to him to get him to remember that she's dealing with more then stupid workplace drama. Even Joan this week was a better friend then he's been. I was surprised she even knew about it. But her advice was right. Family is more important than work.  So Max is definitely not a shipping option for me. I don't even care about them being friends again since I don't see him as ever being her real friend. 

I'm glad Zoey found someone for her mom to speak too. Just like she has Simon her mom needed someone that could understand. As an Asian my family's believes that the body is just a vessel and not needed when you are gone so we cremate and spread the ashes where the person wants them spread. However we do bury the urn in a shared family plot at a cemetery so we can have a place to visit. 

 

 

[springbarb]

11 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Max being fired? I predicted Joan somehow would be fired for all of this with Ava using her, but Max being fired was only a slight surprise. I wish we heard about the fourth floor vs six floor rivalry a lot earlier, because it would have been fun to explore from the beginning.

I wonder if Max is going to go after Joan--he does know about Joan and Leif. It probably wouldn't be hard to spin this into getting her fired.

Which would suck, because it was a great episode for her. I loved the "Do you remember Google Pencil?" "A little?" "Exactly." exchange. Reaching out to Ava was a good plan, and seeing her hunker down to code with the rest of the group was great to see.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

32 minutes ago, springbarb said:

I wonder if Max is going to go after Joan--he does know about Joan and Leif. It probably wouldn't be hard to spin this into getting her fired.

Wouldn't it be more likely that he'd get rehired by Joan?

[shapeshifter]

58 minutes ago, Sakura12 said:

Even Joan this week was a better friend then he's been

Yeah, but Joan got a personality transplant/makeover this week.

[dubbel zout]

3 hours ago, Darian said:

Sorry for being careless.   

I wasn't singling you out, @Darian. There are a lot of hucksters everywhere who take advantage of people's weaknesses. Look at the number of people hoarding PPE and other supplies who've gotten caught. It's gross and unforgivable. But there are also a lot of people who do the right thing.

Jessica Mitford has a lot of answer for in the funeral business, that's for sure.

[springbarb]

54 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Wouldn't it be more likely that he'd get rehired by Joan?

I guess it depends on the policies at Sprqpoint (or however it's spelled) and whether Ava marked him as being eligible for rehire. If Joan figures out that Max knows about her and Leif, she might try, out of guilt. It's not like Max recruited Leif.

[jaigurudeva]

I'm not familiar with the new hip, Silicon valley-esque tech business model, but the whole idea of two separate but equal teams of a company competing to create the same product seems, well, counter-productive. You have two teams that could simultaneously be working on two different tasks instead writing redundant code for the same functions, at the same time, just to see who can do it faster and/or better? Sure, friendly competition can be motivating, but the stress and "race-to-the-finish" mindset could also make them sloppy. Cooperation and having the company's coders all coming together to brainstorm solutions and then properly delegating tasks would make the production (which is already on a very tight schedule per the eccentric CEO) run more like a relay race instead of a three-legged race. It's also weird that Max would get fired for something a subordinate did completely outside of his control or knowledge, especially when said subordinate didn't even get fired for said infraction. As far as I know, this isn't a case of "corporate espionage," because both teams work for the same company. It would still be a breech of their code of conduct and confidentiality agreements, though.

I get that it's hard to think about funerary arrangements when you're also dealing with a terminally ill family member, but it's still shocking that both Mitch and his family pushed considering his arrangements so far that they couldn't even have his own input. I could understand if this were a sudden thing, but he's been ill for months. Maggie's rightfully freaking out, because trying to guess what someone else would want for their final send-off and resting place would certainly be overwhelming. If Mitch had his own input, this would've been way smoother sailing. They should've started this process when he could still communicate with his device, if not as soon as he got his terminal diagnosis. Heck, I'm not old, ill, or close to death, but my wishes have already been made clear with my family in the event of a fatal accident or something. It certainly made everything a little easier when my own father passed knowing his own final wishes, because it felt somewhat gratifying to fulfill them instead of (I imagine) unbearably stressful trying to guess what would make him happy and allow him to rest in peace. That's a lot of pressure. It remains a mystery why they've chosen to write this family of mostly mature adults as so ill-prepared and incompetent in dealing with both his illness and his eminent death.

I ended up liking Deb, even though that first impression of her singing "Feeling Good" while dancing on her husband's grave was not a good look. I get that they were trying to convey that she's coping well after his death or something, but it looked super callous before we got to know her. Again, I wish the writers paid attention to the full lyrics and its connotations instead of just the song title or chorus, not to mention the staging and choreography choices.

I'm surprised Mo handled his "break up" so badly, when he usually seems to have such an empathetic, mature grasp on things. I love it any time he gets a number, though, they're always amazing. I hope the show delves into said "issues" next week, and he mends things with Eddie. I agree with chaifan, I half-expected that Mo's "heart song" was actually being sung aloud (similar to Max's flash mob), and would also get cast for the cruise line (but maybe back out later for reasons in order to keep him on the show).

[snarktini]

6 hours ago, Dani said:

I thought he was doing the “I’ll hurt them before they hurt me.” The thing where you run at the first sign of a problem rather than taking a chance at being hurt. Being cold made sense to me because that usually involves convincing your self the other person is a jerk and you are just found the smart thing. 

That's the only thing that makes sense to me. Mo gave Eddie a key, which is a big step. Then Eddie is excited about being away for 8 months, leaving Mo behind. Mo isn't having it. So Mo burns it down. Because if that's not the motive, it doesn't make sense to break up before you know if it's even necessary. Eddie hadn't gotten the part yet. But Mo doesn't care -- Eddie's willingness to go is the break-up-worthy sin.

Bringing the stuff to end it AT the audition? That was beyond bitchy. It could have thrown Eddie off and tanked his chances. Mo made sure to burn it good.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, jaigurudeva said:

I'm surprised Mo handled his "break up" so badly, when he usually seems to have such an empathetic, mature grasp on things. I love it any time he gets a number, though, they're always amazing. I hope the show delves into said "issues" next week, and he mends things with Eddie. I agree with chaifan, I half-expected that Mo's "heart song" was actually being sung aloud (similar to Max's flash mob), and would also get cast for the cruise line (but maybe back out later for reasons in order to keep him on the show).

I thought that was very in character for Mo. He’s been the voice of reason for Zoey but has been less adapt at handling his own life. He wouldn’t have even talked to Eddie if Max hadn’t forced the introduction. 

[Cthulhudrew]

On 4/26/2020 at 7:30 PM, ams1001 said:

Well, I guess now I know what happens on five...

They really missed an opportunity for a "Hip to Be Square" musical number...

[Cthulhudrew]

17 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

The opening number in the funeral home was...I don't know how to explain it.

I fast forwarded through it. Not so much because it was uncomfortable, but because I just didn't like that particular arrangement of The Animals' "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place."

[possibilities]

Simon wasn't around when they were having the joint meeting for 4 and 6, was he? Or was it only the coders in attendance?

[shapeshifter]

33 minutes ago, Cthulhudrew said:

I fast forwarded through it. Not so much because it was uncomfortable, but because I just didn't like that particular arrangement of The Animals' "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place."

For me, it wasn't the arrangement of "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place" so much as the implied meaning (Zoey's mom wanted to get out of the funeral home and cemetery) that seemed almost sacrilegious to me, since I always associated it with either the Vietnam War (see wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Gotta_Get_out_of_This_Place#Impact ) or teens wanting to be adults and leave town, or some variation on either of those meanings. Usually I'm okay with a new twist on an old standard, but this didn't work for me. But maybe that was what they were going for (to make the viewer feel out of place like Zoey's mom did).