S02.E01: On a Dead Guy's Bench

[jewel21]

Quote

Bob enlists Tunde’s help to buy an engagement ring, but his plans to propose to Abishola are upended by her belief that a traditional marriage is more trouble than it’s worth.

Airdate: 11/16/2020

[jewel21]

While it is nice to have the show back, I thought this episode was just okay. 

I still think Abishola and Bob and moving really quickly. Have they even been on more than 5 dates? And they're already engaged? I don't know, I'm not really feeling it. 

[topanga]

3 hours ago, jewel21 said:

While it is nice to have the show back, I thought this episode was just okay. 

I still think Abishola and Bob and moving really quickly. Have they even been on more than 5 dates? And they're already engaged? I don't know, I'm not really feeling it. 

I though I’d missed an episode. Have they, uh... hooked up yet? Not that having sex is a requirement for falling in love or getting married. I don’t remember the showing them being emotionally intimate, let alone physically. Their relationship always seemed to be in its early stages. 

[possibilities]

It's like we all missed an entire season of the show. I'm used to shows rushing things, but they completely skipped EVERYTHING!

[floridamom]

An engagement ring? Did I miss a whole year of this show? This program is moving way too quickly. The viewers haven't seen this show in months; we need to see a real relationship between two grown up-already married-experienced people move cautiously towards another relationship....not another engagement. We hardly know them and they hardly know each other. I hope they slow it down and allow us to be courted towards an engagement between Bob and Abishola. The audience should want to see it too to be believable.

[shapeshifter]

I was distracted by the concept of a guy who could afford to spend $8+K on a ring haggling to get an $11K ring for $8K and thereby robbing the small jewelry store owner of his livelihood/commission
—and this scenario was supposed to be an elaborate setup for a joke punchline (“now it’s a used ring”).

 

[Harvey]

3 hours ago, topanga said:

I though I’d missed an episode. Have they, uh... hooked up yet? Not that having sex is a requirement for falling in love or getting married. I don’t remember the showing them being emotionally intimate, let alone physically. Their relationship always seemed to be in its early stages. 

Abishola made it clear last season that she is not willing to engage in pre-marital sex. Of course, it is interesting that in this episode she did not want to get married at all. It implies that she wants Bob for the emotional support, rather than full-on sharing everything kind of love.

[Browncoat]

And yet, at the end of the episode, she did want to marry Bob.

[Harvey]

Abishola's proposal to Bob was so sweet ❤️

And Christina's meltdown about being alone was hilarious 😄 I thought it was a good episode.  I don't quite how are they going to pull off going to Nigeria though. Will COVID become a thing in this show and it will prevent them from flying there? Abishola's ex husband will be sure to bring some drama.

[FrankOFoley]

Loved the episode. Happy the show is back. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I need some light distraction these days. (My hair stylist just called to cancel my appointment for next week because her husband has Covid. Her salon is in her house. Not that it’s that big of a deal to miss a haircut but I would like some stability in life right.)

Edited November 17, 2020 by FrankOFoley

[bad things are bad]

5 hours ago, Harvey said:

Abishola's ex husband will be sure to bring some drama.

I think that is going to be a big source of trouble, trying to get a divorce from the ex. I don't think Nigeria is a haven of women's rights

[Kiddvideo]

I enjoyed it, especially the colleagues (both Bob's and Abishola's) and Tunde. They're usually good for a few laughs every week. I'll admit the fact that it's not the NFL, WWE or reality TV has a lot to do with my viewership.

[tennisgurl]

Tunde is my favorite character so I was happy to see so much of him this week. He could lower a price at the 99 cents store. 

Bob and Abishola's engagement was sweet, but I feel like they are moving way too fast. It feels like they have only been dating for a few months at the most, getting engaged seems like too much too soon, especially considering Abishola not only has a son but will also have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get married to Bob. The shows whole premise is their relationship, you don't have to rush through all of the parts at the beginning, especially if you want the show to keep going for awhile. 

[Keywestclubkid]

There is no ring stop clapping...STOP CLAPPING!  Lol it was a fun episode I don’t feel like they are moving to quickly Abishola isn’t a woman that will just fool around.. so it’s believable they would not draw out a years and years worth of “dating” .. I’m looking forward to seeing how this plays out.. I missed this show 

[Keywestclubkid]

I would just like to point out that in the other show that Billy Gardell was in Mike and Molly (that went on for 6 seasons) they followed the same pattern they dated in season one got engaged at the end of that first season  and then in season two it followed the wedding planning and engagement and then they were Marred at the end of that season   ... a show that drags on and on the will they or wont they is tired and gets so old so fast and the previous show proves that just because they are engaged or marred doesn't mean the show should end .... the show is about their relationship and intermingling of their family's and culture not keeping them apart just to draw it out

Edited November 18, 2020 by Keywestclubkid

[chediavolo]

On 11/17/2020 at 5:32 AM, shapeshifter said:

I was distracted by the concept of a guy who could afford to spend $8+K on a ring haggling to get an $11K ring for $8K and thereby robbing the small jewelry store owner of his livelihood/commission
—and this scenario was supposed to be an elaborate setup for a joke punchline (“now it’s a used ring”).

 

Our one carat  rings going for $8000 now? Because you sure don’t get that when you try to sell them!!😡

[shapeshifter]

Just now, chediavolo said:

On 11/17/2020 at 4:32 AM, shapeshifter said:

I was distracted by the concept of a guy who could afford to spend $8+K on a ring haggling to get an $11K ring for $8K and thereby robbing the small jewelry store owner of his livelihood/commission
—and this scenario was supposed to be an elaborate setup for a joke punchline (“now it’s a used ring”).

Our one carat  rings going for $8000 now? Because you sure don’t get that when you try to sell them!!😡

Ah ha!
So if I had ever purchased (or even priced or sold) a diamond ring, I would have enjoyed Tunde and Bob getting one over on the rip-off jeweler. 
But having lived my long life without such disposable income (my perspective on money for jewelry), the diamond store comedy escaped me. 

[CrazyMoon]

The mark-up on fine jewelry should be embarrassing to those who sell it...Tunde knows this and exploited it brilliantly. Most people don't have that kind of self confidence. Score to Tunde.

Abishola is very slow to come around to a new idea. Her knee-jerk reaction will always be 'no'...(my mom had a similar outlook, she finally admitted that it was easier to change from no to yes than yes to no, infuriating to a teenager)

[possibilities]

I don't want a will they-won't they situation. I just want to see them date long enough to get to know each other. We've barely seen them do anything together at all.

[LaJefaza]

I'm not looking forward to the inevitable breakup/called off engagement/reunion arc that is pretty much guaranteed to come. I'm 100% sure Abishola will call it off and we'll have an episode or 5 of them pining after each other.

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, LaJefaza said:

I'm not looking forward to the inevitable breakup/called off engagement/reunion arc that is pretty much guaranteed to come. I'm 100% sure Abishola will call it off and we'll have an episode or 5 of them pining after each other.

Yeah, I am anticipating this too, because usually when shows rush to engagement like this it's followed by a breakup, then a slow, agonizing half season or more of them pining away separately and then at some distant point a reunion.  To me that all feels contrived and forced, not the natural way of things that had been developing before the engagement.

My preference would have been for them to continue along as they were last season, deepening the relationship and making an eventual engagement all the more meaningful.  The "will they/won't they" is more fun and interesting, IMO before marriage has been put on the table, because you just KNOW that if a show pushes them into engagement that they WILL eventually marry at some point, so it's kind of anti-climactic and annoying to see them on and off again after that happens.

[floridamom]

Regarding the timing of Mike & Molly's relationship....Molly was a willing participant in the relationship. She was glad that she found a good guy in Mike if I remember. Abishola has been hesitant to say the least. Bob had been pestering her and forcing the first 'date'. I still think this is unnatural to have an engagement. I would have enjoyed seeing their relationship build; not on sex before marriage, as are Abishola's beliefs, but a real, mature 'already married and hurt' adult one between them two. Mike learning about Abishola's culture and practices would have been interesting as a taking it slow couple. I don't know what the writers actually have in mind but so far, I'm not on board with it.

[AnimeMania]

3 hours ago, floridamom said:

Mike learning about Abishola's culture and practices would have been interesting as a taking it slow couple. I don't know what the writers actually have in mind but so far, I'm not on board with it.

This is the reason I am watching, to see how they bridge the cultural differences and to learn a little about Nigeria. They haven't really discussed what is going to happen to Olu and Tunde without Abishola's financial support, how important it might be to get Abishola's father's permission to get married, or what impediments Abishola's husband might cause for the relationship. These are all more interesting than the relationship itself at the moment.

[Deskisamess]

Well, that was sure sped up. We've barely seen them together as a couple, and bam, an engagement ring? Did the scenes seem oddly quick to anyone else? 
 

So meh. There is so much material to explore...which it seems the writers are willing to ignore.

[Keywestclubkid]

On 11/19/2020 at 5:17 AM, floridamom said:

Regarding the timing of Mike & Molly's relationship....Molly was a willing participant in the relationship. She was glad that she found a good guy in Mike if I remember. Abishola has been hesitant to say the least.

It is shown as a culture thing... and her aunt pushing her for marriage .. she has been shown to be apprehensive about things yes but  .. and has she said she is in love with him ... they are moving at a normal pace for this kind of show.. this isnt a will they wont they kinda of show ... they are supposed to be a couple that's the whole premise of the show just like Mike and Molly

Edited November 20, 2020 by Keywestclubkid

[CrazyMoon]

I also think Abishola will try for an American divorce, where her ex will come to Detroit to cause some drama for Dele, Abishola & Bob. And I think it will be Tunde  & Dottie to the rescue. Dottie mentioned that Nigerian families live in a group so was alluding to Olu & Tunde moving into Bob's house...and she would remain in the downstairs bedroom.

[Yeah No]

On 11/20/2020 at 11:06 AM, Keywestclubkid said:

It is shown as a culture thing... and her aunt pushing her for marriage .. she has been shown to be apprehensive about things yes but  .. and has she said she is in love with him ... they are moving at a normal pace for this kind of show.. this isnt a will they wont they kinda of show ... they are supposed to be a couple that's the whole premise of the show just like Mike and Molly

Perhaps, but the show has yet to convince a significant portion of the audience that Abishola is really all that in love with him.  She seemed to go from over-reticence to a kind of lukewarm, seemingly out of nowhere being "in love".  Her affect is so flat it's almost like we don't really buy it without more evidence.  Given that they don't even have much of a physical relationship and what they do have of an emotional involvement feels a little too arms length, it just doesn't feel authentic somehow.

[Raja]

On 11/17/2020 at 2:32 AM, shapeshifter said:

I was distracted by the concept of a guy who could afford to spend $8+K on a ring haggling to get an $11K ring for $8K and thereby robbing the small jewelry store owner of his livelihood/commission
—and this scenario was supposed to be an elaborate setup for a joke punchline (“now it’s a used ring”).

 

They were playing up the cultural differences. As a general rule American's don't negotiate on price except for cars and houses. And even with cars there are major dealers and even a now dead division of General Motors, Saturn, whose selling point was don't feel ripped off because you lost the haggling game with us. Because we don't like to negotiate  you might say "haggling" itself is a negative term .

However in other places the stated price is just the start of the negotiation. It is not set in stone and the computer scanning program. In the end any gemstone and twisted piece of soft shiny piece of metal's only real value is what someone else is willing to pay for it.

 

They also seemed to suggesting that the wedding will eventually be in Nigeria with Abishola's extended family and friends so the Nigerian divorce may be needed instead of the easy Michigan divorce. I don't feel like researching to see if Nigeria is like the Philippines and would not accept Abishola divorcing here and thus leave herself open to a possible bigamy charge, which is rarely enforced by Filipino prosecutors, if she visited home. 

Edited November 22, 2020 by Raja

[DoYouLikeMutton]

On 11/16/2020 at 11:11 PM, jewel21 said:

While it is nice to have the show back, I thought this episode was just okay. 

I still think Abishola and Bob and moving really quickly. Have they even been on more than 5 dates? And they're already engaged? I don't know, I'm not really feeling it. 

I agree with you wholeheartedly.  And I just want to add, has there even been 5 dates???  There’s barely been any relationship time, mostly just Abishola dealing with Bob’s ornery mother.