S04.E07: Lowkey Trippin'

[Sheenieb]

Quote

Also, I wonder how traditional Andrew's job is and what he did to get a level of success?  I sense Andrew's career path aligns more with Issa than with Molly. 

Andrew works for Live Nation, right? I don't recall if his job title was specified, but I think his career aligns with Molly, while Nathan and Issa's paths merge. Nathan is a barber, and I'm not saying that it doesn't pay, but there's definitely a hustle aspect to it. You have to stand out. Andrew's job seems steadier. Besides, knowing how Molly gets down and lives, I doubt she'd date someone who didn't have steady employment. I'm not mad at her for that.

Ragging on Nathan in front of Andrew was terrible, but if someone ghosted my best friend, they'd be on my shit list, too. I get that Nathan was going through some shit, but to play Issa like that wasn't cool. If I were Issa, I'd be nervous to pursue anything with him because I wouldn't know if he would run off again. I hope they just remain friends and that's it.

As for how she spoke to her assistant, it was definitely harsh, and while it wouldn't have been my tone, Molly's pissiness didn't bother me per se. Not only was she not informed of the meeting when her assistant was told in advance, but now she might miss her flight because of it.

I thought it was odd that she had a meeting on the day of her vacation, though. Girl, you really didn't just take the day off? Unless she was working a half day because they had a late flight.

I'm so glad that Molly is going back to therapy. I hope it isn't too late and Andrew is waiting for the other shoe to drop so he can break up with her. She gave him enough ammo.

Edited May 28, 2020 by Sheenieb

[talktoomuch]

That scene where Molly is in the Ethiopian restaurant waiting for her food, sees Issa getting out of the car and says to herself, "Here we go," I read it differently than many of you do.

I thought she was waiting for Issa to come in because she saw Issa was coming in. Not to be petty and wait for Issa to grovel. I thought the "here we go" was a recognition of the fact that this encounter - whatever it may be - was not going to be easy. Not only did they have Molly's blowup between them, but it had been months since they had had anything like a real conversation without simmering resentments and unspoken feelings beneath it.

I'm not really sure what Molly should have done instead of wait for Issa to come in. When Molly looked up the first time, Issa was just getting out of the car and not looking at her. She couldn't wave or beckon to her at that point. Then Molly looked down at her phone and by the time she looked back up, Issa was leaving. It was clear that Issa was deliberately avoiding her. 

Of course, Molly should have called Issa. Then and before then. The one time Molly started to offer an olive branch - at the beginning of Issa's block party - she took so long to get to her words that Issa got pulled away. 

Of course, Molly's later rude ass comment about Issa running from her like a job was out of hurt. Molly has been shown to express hurt as anger. Every time. Look how angry she was at her father and how long it took her to offer him an olive branch. And she still never said the words.

I guess all I'm trying to say is I didn't read Molly's reaction in the restaurant as petty. Just bad timing and her already established reluctance to make the first move. I'm just glad she is finally remembering (with Andrew's gentle, subtle support) that she needs help and is trying to get it.

[retired watcher]

On 5/25/2020 at 7:11 PM, scrb said:

Organic cheese puffs sounded good.  Whiskey too.

Blanket?  You would probably be dressed for hot weather so maybe air con would bother you.

Rarely have needed it though for short flights unless you're able to sleep easily in the day.

They put the blanket to good use.

[heavysnaxx]

25 minutes ago, Sheenieb said:

Ragging on Nathan in front of Andrew was terrible, but if someone ghosted my best friend, they'd be on my shit list, too. I get that Nathan was going through some shit, but to play Issa like that wasn't cool. If I were Issa, I'd be nervous to pursue anything with him because I wouldn't know if he would run off again. I hope they just remain friends and that's it.

But Molly isn't respecting boundaries, Andrew's or Issa's. She doesn't have to like her boyfriend's friend and it's unkind to Andrew to use him as a dumpsite for trash-talking his friend.

Molly had already inserted herself into Issa's and Nathan's relationship, blocking Issa from deciding how/if she wanted to proceed with Nathan. That was a serious breach of trust and it's clear Molly still doesn't get how wrong that was. It looks like Issa's negotiating a friendly, work-related thing with Nathan. Molly should be taking her cue from Issa about Issa's relationship.

 

[heavysnaxx]

3 hours ago, talktoomuch said:

I thought she was waiting for Issa to come in because she saw Issa was coming in. Not to be petty and wait for Issa to grovel. I thought the "here we go" was a recognition of the fact that this encounter - whatever it may be - was not going to be easy. Not only did they have Molly's blowup between them, but it had been months since they had had anything like a real conversation without simmering resentments and unspoken feelings beneath it.

I'm not really sure what Molly should have done instead of wait for Issa to come in. When Molly looked up the first time, Issa was just getting out of the car and not looking at her. She couldn't wave or beckon to her at that point. Then Molly looked down at her phone and by the time she looked back up, Issa was leaving. It was clear that Issa was deliberately avoiding her. 

FWIW, I rewatched the scene. But YMMV!

Molly saw Issa walking up. At that moment, she very deliberately turned away and struck a pose of feigned absorption in her phone. As I mentioned upthread, at least Issa's self-aware enough to know she's avoiding Molly. Molly, not so much.

We see Issa pause for several beats at the door. What Molly should have done was pretty much the minimum: Look at her friend and meet her eyes when they were both in the same place. A hey-I-see-you-nod. That's too much? She was too caught off guard? Use that phone and call her when you see her leave.

It seemed really obvious that Molly expected Issa to come to her, and that she felt entitled to withhold any kind of friendly encouragement in the moment. Like a nod to Issa at the door. That selfishness is what seems petty to me.

[RealReality]

4 hours ago, Sheenieb said:

Andrew works for Live Nation, right? I don't recall if his job title was specified, but I think his career aligns with Molly, while Nathan and Issa's paths merge. Nathan is a barber, and I'm not saying that it doesn't pay, but there's definitely a hustle aspect to it. You have to stand out. Andrew's job seems steadier. Besides, knowing how Molly gets down and lives, I doubt she'd date someone who didn't have steady employment. I'm not mad at her for that.

Ragging on Nathan in front of Andrew was terrible, but if someone ghosted my best friend, they'd be on my shit list, too. I get that Nathan was going through some shit, but to play Issa like that wasn't cool. If I were Issa, I'd be nervous to pursue anything with him because I wouldn't know if he would run off again. I hope they just remain friends and that's it.

As for how she spoke to her assistant, it was definitely harsh, and while it wouldn't have been my tone, Molly's pissiness didn't bother me per se. Not only was she not informed of the meeting when her assistant was told in advance, but now she might miss her flight because of it.

I thought it was odd thought that she had a meeting on the day of her vacation, though. Girl, you really didn't just take the day off? Unless she was working a half day because they had a late flight.

I'm so glad that Molly is going back to therapy. I hope it isn't too late and Andrew is waiting for the other shoe to drop so he can break up with her. She gave him enough ammo.

I have to wonder if Molly would have taken the same tone with a white assistant?  

I visited my brother in Savannah once and I found it interesting how much more deferential the black hotel staff was to white guests.  They were by no means rude to me in the slightest.  They just seemed to really go the extra mile when it was a white person.  

I had kinda wondered, if, given the history, if certain black people somehow felt socialized to give great deference to white people over other minorities.  

I just wonder if Molly would have issued forth like that if the assistant had been white and the firm been like the one she left. 

[Irlandesa]

5 hours ago, Sheenieb said:

Ragging on Nathan in front of Andrew was terrible, but if someone ghosted my best friend, they'd be on my shit list, too. I get that Nathan was going through some shit, but to play Issa like that wasn't cool. If I were Issa, I'd be nervous to pursue anything with him because I wouldn't know if he would run off again. I hope they just remain friends and that's it.

But as someone so astutely pointed out earlier in the thread, she wasn't dragging Nathan for Issa's sake, she was using Nathan as a way to drag Issa yet again.  Molly's theme seems to be about Issa's "poor choices" even though she has no idea what the status of Issa and Nathan's relationship is other than the fact that they were friendly enough that he was willing to go to Andrew to help Issa out.

And I think Andrew tried to point that out subtly when he pointed out that she didn't know what was going on with Nathan when he ghosted Issa.  I'm not saying I felt that his reason for absolutely no contact whatsoever in any way worked for me but it is certainly far different than chasing after another woman during the time he was MIA and then sniffing back around Issa when that didn't work out.

 

[Sheenieb]

Quote

But as someone so astutely pointed out earlier in the thread, she wasn't dragging Nathan for Issa's sake, she was using Nathan as a way to drag Issa yet again. 

Oh, for sure. I know she wasn't calling Nathan out out of loyalty to Issa. I'm just saying that I get the wariness because of what he pulled. 

 

11 hours ago, RealReality said:

I have to wonder if Molly would have taken the same tone with a white assistant?  

I visited my brother in Savannah once and I found it interesting how much more deferential the black hotel staff was to white guests.  They were by no means rude to me in the slightest.  They just seemed to really go the extra mile when it was a white person.  

I had kinda wondered, if, given the history, if certain black people somehow felt socialized to give great deference to white people over other minorities. 

I want to say she probably wouldn't have, but then again, she pulled no punches with the non-black resort employee, so maybe she's equal opportunity. 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Sheenieb

[lasu]

If the incident with her assistant was isolated, I wouldn't have much of an issue with it.  Was she a bit on the harsh side?  Yes.  But making sure meetings are on a calendar and the principal is aware of it is insanely basic.  I was an EA for probably 15 years, and this would be considered a huge mistake.  This was compounded by the fact that the meeting was before a flight, and I'm certain the assistant knew that.  When I was in this role, first of all, I would have pushed HARD at anyone I could that it was my boss's vacation day and done everything I could to get it scheduled to a different day or at least via call.  But at the very, very, very least I would have let her know the second I did that she now had a meeting on what she thought was a vacation day.  Seriously, this is such a stupid mistake for an assistant, I'm surprised they didn't make it something more subtle, because Molly's dressing down wasn't completely out of line.  Not completely.

THAT SAID, we also saw an earlier scene where Molly's assistant tried to tell her something about her weekend or something similar, and Molly muttered under her breath about how she didn't care.  That told me a lot more about Molly's opinions about their roles than her reaction to not knowing about the meeting, and it doesn't raise my opinion of her.  When I was an assistant, it wasn't unusual to deal with people who viewed me as "just a secretary."  But I only dealt with that from my actual bosses when I first started out and was assigned to people who were getting an assistant for the first time.  They were the WORST to work for.  Once I worked my way up to senior VPs and finally a CEO, they always treated me with insane respect and were never shy about being grateful for the value I brought. Molly has a LONG way to go.

[luckyroll3]

I didn't have a problem with Molly checking the assistant for what was a major mistake; my issue was with the tone of condescension and disrespect.  She could have gotten across the same message without it.  It's actually one of my pet peeves when folks talk down to staff with perceived lower status.  

[DearEvette]

You know, I am glad they revisited the Nathan ghosting Issa thing in this.  I was never really happy with how that was handled.

You could tell in the scene where Nathan was trying to explain to Issa that it really difficult for him to talk about.  All she heard was 'I was sad'  and she was rather dismissive.  But to someone who is struggling with a mental illness or who may not be on the right meds it can be supremely difficult to open to anyone.  There can be a lot of shame attached to it, especially among men in the AA community. Add to the reluctance to seek therapy so there is a lack of vocabulary or acceptance on how to speak about it.

So I will give Molly a teensie amount of credit here, because her reaction to Nathan's ghosting Issa once she learned about his reason for it was more understanding that judgemental.

[RealReality]

1 hour ago, lasu said:

If the incident with her assistant was isolated, I wouldn't have much of an issue with it.  Was she a bit on the harsh side?  Yes.  But making sure meetings are on a calendar and the principal is aware of it is insanely basic.  I was an EA for probably 15 years, and this would be considered a huge mistake.  This was compounded by the fact that the meeting was before a flight, and I'm certain the assistant knew that.  When I was in this role, first of all, I would have pushed HARD at anyone I could that it was my boss's vacation day and done everything I could to get it scheduled to a different day or at least via call.  But at the very, very, very least I would have let her know the second I did that she now had a meeting on what she thought was a vacation day.  Seriously, this is such a stupid mistake for an assistant, I'm surprised they didn't make it something more subtle, because Molly's dressing down wasn't completely out of line.  Not completely.

THAT SAID, we also saw an earlier scene where Molly's assistant tried to tell her something about her weekend or something similar, and Molly muttered under her breath about how she didn't care.  That told me a lot more about Molly's opinions about their roles than her reaction to not knowing about the meeting, and it doesn't raise my opinion of her.  When I was an assistant, it wasn't unusual to deal with people who viewed me as "just a secretary."  But I only dealt with that from my actual bosses when I first started out and was assigned to people who were getting an assistant for the first time.  They were the WORST to work for.  Once I worked my way up to senior VPs and finally a CEO, they always treated me with insane respect and were never shy about being grateful for the value I brought. Molly has a LONG way to go.

Do you think that the assistant was just working for Molly?  I ask because if she did, than it does make her error worse, as Molly is the only person she is looking out for and she missed something so big. 

But, I got the impression that perhaps she worked for a number of attorneys and her job included helping on cases.  

I've only tangentially dealt with this sort of thing.  But from what I remember, there are still a TON of administrative duties leading up to a trial.  You need to make multiple copies of copious documents.  You have to collate and tabulate each set correctly.  There is something called a "trial book" that at least some firms have for the case that is like a one stop shop for everything in the case that you may need to reference in an instant and it makes life easier if someone has to pick up another attorneys duties or has to do something else on the case.  There is paperwork constantly coming in and going out and things added at the last minute that have to be correctly added to like every single copy of the paperwork.  

This is only to say that while the excuse may be unforgivable if the assistant was just working for Molly, it seems more understandable if she really was working for other attorneys and was in the middle of a big case/trial.  

[lasu]

10 minutes ago, RealReality said:

This is only to say that while the excuse may be unforgivable if the assistant was just working for Molly, it seems more understandable if she really was working for other attorneys and was in the middle of a big case/trial.  

I don't think it's unforgivable either way.  I'd definitely think that Molly's assistant is shared, and while that does make the mistake more understandable, it's still a really big mistake.  One and done, no big deal - people make mistakes.  Certainly in my career as an EA I made some doozies, but you move on.  I don't think the assistant should be fired over it or anything, but it really was a big mistake.  My point in pointing this out was more that I'm surprised they didn't find something a little more ambiguous, because I'm sure the show wanted us to feel Molly's reaction was really out of line, and I only found it slightly out of line and only truly problematic when coupled with her earlier scene of being annoyed the assistant tried to be friendly with her.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The Wine Down

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Behind the Scenes: Jay Ellis Directs

 

Edited May 29, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[BrooklynRat]

A whole episode of just Molly—ugh! Love the actress; don’t love the character or her story line. 

[talktoomuch]

Mabel Moment: I just started back working out since I packed on this COVID-19 lbs. And today was my 4th day running. When I was finished, I was so proud of myself and I was like, "Day 4!" 👍🏾 And then I thought of Mabel and cracked myself up in the middle of a Chicago sidewalk.

Speaking of Regine: I've been watching Living Single reruns on Hulu and a thought occurred. Does Max = Toni Childs = Molly? There is a decided through-line on multiple levels. Hmmm...

[Empress1]

3 hours ago, talktoomuch said:

Mabel Moment: I just started back working out since I packed on this COVID-19 lbs. And today was my 4th day running. When I was finished, I was so proud of myself and I was like, "Day 4!" 👍🏾 And then I thought of Mabel and cracked myself up in the middle of a Chicago sidewalk.

Speaking of Regine: I've been watching Living Single reruns on Hulu and a thought occurred. Does Max = Toni Childs = Molly? There is a decided through-line on multiple levels. Hmmm...

I could talk about Living Single all day. I don't see Max as Molly - Max was a man-eater by choice. She wasn't messing up with relationships, she was deliberately not having them (except for Kyle). And I don't think Max would have had an issue with helping Issa with the block party - she helped her friends a lot. I remember she lent Khadijah $2K for her magazine without thinking about it. It caused a fight but that's because Khadijah was tripping about owing her.

I think there's a closer correlation between Toni Childs and Molly, although Toni was more superficial than Molly - VERY hung up on status, moreso than Molly (though Molly wouldn't mess with anybody broke either).

[roseslg]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

I could talk about Living Single all day. I don't see Max as Molly - Max was a man-eater by choice. She wasn't messing up with relationships, she was deliberately not having them (except for Kyle). And I don't think Max would have had an issue with helping Issa with the block party - she helped her friends a lot. I remember she lent Khadijah $2K for her magazine without thinking about it. It caused a fight but that's because Khadijah was tripping about owing her.

I think there's a closer correlation between Toni Childs and Molly, although Toni was more superficial than Molly - VERY hung up on status, moreso than Molly (though Molly wouldn't mess with anybody broke either).

Do you mean Toni from Girlfriends? It's been so long! Still waiting on that movie!

[talktoomuch]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

I don't see Max as Molly - Max was a man-eater by choice. She wasn't messing up with relationships, she was deliberately not having them (except for Kyle). And I don't think Max would have had an issue with helping Issa with the block party - she helped her friends a lot. I remember she lent Khadijah $2K for her magazine without thinking about it.

I agree. I was thinking of Toni as a version of Max and Molly as a version of Toni. Max's one-that-got-away was even named Greg! (I had forgotten that.) All three are fashionable, independent, picky about men, and, of course, dark-skinned women.

Molly is career-focused like Max and selfish (and bad at relationships) like Toni. Issa is the heart of the group who holds them all together like Joan did for their group. And Molly is her college BFF like Toni was Joan's. I just watched the first episode of Living Single but I can't remember if Khadijah and Max were college friends.

I hope the show doesn't go the same route with Issa's and Molly's friendship as Girlfriends did with Joan's and Toni's. But Molly is as self-centered as Toni and both liked when they were in the better place than their BFF. 

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, roseslg said:

Do you mean Toni from Girlfriends? It's been so long! Still waiting on that movie!

Yes, Toni from Girlfriends.

1 hour ago, talktoomuch said:

I just watched the first episode of Living Single but I can't remember if Khadijah and Max were college friends.

They were. The group (the women, anyway) is all connected through Khadijah. Sinclair and Khadijah were cousins, Khadijah & Regine were friends since childhood, and Max and Khadijah were college friends. (Overton & Kyle were also childhood friends.)

[RealReality]

10 hours ago, talktoomuch said:

Mabel Moment: I just started back working out since I packed on this COVID-19 lbs. And today was my 4th day running. When I was finished, I was so proud of myself and I was like, "Day 4!" 👍🏾 And then I thought of Mabel and cracked myself up in the middle of a Chicago sidewalk.

Speaking of Regine: I've been watching Living Single reruns on Hulu and a thought occurred. Does Max = Toni Childs = Molly? There is a decided through-line on multiple levels. Hmmm...

I'm proud of you too.  My covid pounds are not cute!

[lidarose9]

Watching this way later, but have to comment. Molly clearly felt Issa did an end run around her talking directly to Andrew herself. So doing so left Molly out of the equation altogether, which is what Molly wanted, right? Molly didn't want to complicate her relationship by asking for a favor? OK. She got what she wanted.

If I'd been Andrew, I would have said: "OK, just so I'm clear. You don't approve of Issa being in touch with Nathan cuz of him ghosting her a while back? How do you know they haven't made peace about that? Or is it that you don't want Issa talking to me at all without you being involved? So you want advance approval on all my interactions that involve Issa? Or maybe you just didn't want Issa to get help with her block party. Which is it?" Yeah, I am not good at keeping my mouth shut either, but I have enough self awareness to know when I'm being a petty bitch.