S01.E03: Vacation

[CrystalBlue]

3 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I put this series in the "will they, won't they" category.   More often then not from the series I have watched, they eventually will.

 I have never seen Miranda.  Is there a reason why Call Me Kat can't deviate in terms of storytelling from the original? 

I will say the cats on set are really well behaved.  I don't recall seeing any litter boxes.

If Kat and Max eventually do, I doubt it will be that convincing to me.  I've not detected any screen chemistry between the two actors, and this is before I found out on this very forum that Cheyenne is an openly gay actor.  Never heard of or seen him before.

I think CmK can invent their own stories and not just copy each of Miranda's storylines.  Miranda had a 3-season run of a total of 20 episodes.  If CmK lasted over that, they'd have to invent new storylines for continuing episode adventures.  But I don't think this show is gonna last that long.

Unruly cats just wouldn't do!  These are seasoned professionals, mind you.  They might have litter boxes hidden in the furniture but I doubt the cats are on set long enough, and if they drop of bomb during filming, the director will yell, "Cut!" and they'll re-shoot.  😃

[Callietwo]

I don't mind a lot of what people are saying they don't like- the 4th wall, the waving, the lack of cats on set.  But I do feel Mayim is just trying too hard here and I wish she'd just relax.  I am wondering if she's struggling to make sure she doesn't fall into Amy Farrah Fowler territory and is over compensating since she played that character for so long?  She's a bit shouty in this one.  If they can just tone shit down and the actors start feeling more comfortable with their characters, this could be fun.  

[Guest]

5 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I put this series in the "will they, won't they" category.   More often then not from the series I have watched, they eventually will.

I really would be interested in specific shows because I would like to check them out. In my experience the plain Jane who gets the hot guy usually perpetuates the Hollywood ugly trope. I suppose this show also fits that trope. 

5 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I have never seen Miranda.  Is there a reason why Call Me Kat can't deviate in terms of storytelling from the original? 

They absolutely can if they want to but there would be no reason to adapt Miranda if you wanted to completely change that aspect. Maybe they will be flexible enough to diverge if it’s obvious it’s not working but I would be very surprised if they do. 

[Aulty]

11 hours ago, Callietwo said:

I am wondering if she's struggling to make sure she doesn't fall into Amy Farrah Fowler territory and is over compensating since she played that character for so long? 

I feel that after the first couple of years of playing Amy, especially when the character started loosening up a bit, she notacibly drifted into playing herself. And now she is basically playing herself on this show (she's said so herself). The difference are the scripts.

[mammaM]

On 1/18/2021 at 11:15 PM, SmithW6079 said:

 

Swoozie Kurtz has gone too far with plastic surgery, but I did think her face looked like it has "settled" somewhat from the first two episodes. However, there's no way I believe that petite woman ever gave birth to big-boned Kat. 

SK is the reason I tuned in originally, I think she's hysterical. I wonder if she over-botoxed because I saw her not too long ago on a talk show and she didn't look that "stretched" . 

As for her character being Mayam's mother, two things:

1) Shows do that all the time

2) Genes are weird wacky things. I know a PE teavher, 5'11" , 200lbs of solid muscle. Her mother is tiny, I mean if she hits 5' and 100lbs it's a miracle😂

[Callietwo]

14 minutes ago, mammaM said:

However, there's no way I believe that petite woman ever gave birth to big-boned Kat. 

 

14 minutes ago, mammaM said:

Genes are weird wacky things. I know a PE teavher, 5'11" , 200lbs of solid muscle. Her mother is tiny, I mean if she hits 5' and 100lbs it's a miracle😂

YES!  My mom is a tiny little 4' 10" woman who at her heaviest was about 115 lbs.  Not one of her 5 daughters takes after her!  We're all in the 5'4 to 5'7" inch range and we are all what you would consider "Large Boned".  I am so wide shoulder to shoulder & hip to hp that I actually look sickly when I am hovering around 135lbs.  Mom wears clothing from the children's department now that she's down to 67 lbs (which is actually up from the 61 she was last March. TINY little bird of a thing, my poor mum.  

All that to say that Swoozie and Mayim look very representative of my own family.  

7 hours ago, Aulty said:

I feel that after the first couple of years of playing Amy, especially when the character started loosening up a bit, she notacibly drifted into playing herself. And now she is basically playing herself on this show (she's said so herself). The difference are the scripts.

There was definitely a marketed difference between early AFF and later years AFF but a lot of us put that down to the influence of her "BFF" increased socialization with other women (Penny & Bernie) on the show.  It's interesting to hear that she feels she was and now is more or less just playing herself.  

The difference could also be the direction she's getting but it needs to settle the heck down or this show will go down in flames pretty quick.  

[Aulty]

9 minutes ago, Callietwo said:

7 hours ago, Aulty said:

I feel that after the first couple of years of playing Amy, especially when the character started loosening up a bit, she notacibly drifted into playing herself. And now she is basically playing herself on this show (she's said so herself). The difference are the scripts.

It's interesting to hear that she feels she was and now is more or less just playing herself. 

Just to clarify, she said that she is playing herself on Call Me Kat - I don't know if she ever said that about playing Amy. Its just how I perceived it and thats more or less why I am disappointed with her acting on this show.

[Quof]

On 1/19/2021 at 12:15 AM, SmithW6079 said:

there's no way I believe that petite woman ever gave birth to big-boned Kat.

Well, she birthed Melissa McCarthy.

[Cherpumple]

19 hours ago, Dani said:

I really would be interested in specific shows because I would like to check them out. In my experience the plain Jane who gets the hot guy usually perpetuates the Hollywood ugly trope. I suppose this show also fits that trope.

If you're looking for recommendations, my favorite show with the plain Jane/hot guy dynamic (and I agree, they're rarer than the reverse pairing) is another British show called My Mad Fat Diary. It aired about eight years ago, but takes place in the mid-90s. It's definitely more of a drama than comedy, and deals with heavier topics like self-harm, eating disorders, drug use, etc. It's a semi-autobiographical story about a teenaged girl (Rae) who goes home after spending a few months in a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt, and tries to make new friends and put her life back together. I feel mean for saying this, but I wouldn't classify her as "Hollywood ugly." She gets paired up with her hot friend Finn, and I think they do a good job of making it realistic by building a solid friendship first. Even more realistic is the fact that Rae sometimes feels insecure about their relationship and wonders why he chose her over her pretty friend Chloe (played by Jodie Comer of Killing Eve). This probably sounds really grim, but it's not. I think all the episodes are available on YouTube if you're interested (it's only 16 episodes).

[possibilities]

I thought the show was trying to sell the idea of a middle aged woman who is single and  happy with her life. I liked that concept. I don't want it to be one of those "she finally got the dude!" shows. It's disappointing to hear that Miranda was that way, and thus it's probably what we'll get here. If I had known that, I would not have watched even a single episode.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

I don't want it to be one of those "she finally got the dude!" shows. It's disappointing to hear that Miranda was that way, and thus it's probably what we'll get here. If I had known that, I would not have watched even a single episode.

I would say that Miranda was more complex than that. She was happy being single but she also wasn’t single entirely because of her own choice in a world telling her she needed a man and she needed to settle. It wasn’t a she finally got the dude show but more she finally accepted and valued herself show. The dream guy was important to the story but it was still very much her story. 

I think that the Kat’s attitude towards relationships has been pretty accurate to Miranda so far. 

Edited January 23, 2021 by Guest

[love2lovebadtv]

On 1/15/2021 at 8:51 AM, Seelouis said:

Yeah. I’m out. That was painful. Swoosie Kurtz looks like death. And I’m not thrilled with the depiction of Puerto Rico as a place where you will be kidnapped for your organs. 

I would expect that from the mom's character if her daughter went anywhere alone - LA, NYC, Europe, Australia, etc.  She is the type who worries about a woman being alone and in her monologue, she specifically said that's why she wanted a boy. It didn't feel like an attack on Puerto Rico.  

On 1/15/2021 at 1:08 PM, tennisgurl said:

This was disappointing after the improved second episode. I will probably keep watching a bit longer because I don't have a lot of traditional sitcoms on my docket right now and because the cats are really cute, but I hope it improves after this one because this was painfully lame. 

Why is everyone acting like Puerto Rico is so scary? It isn't leaving leaving the United States. Was that the joke, because Kat's mom is super paranoid, or does the show actually think its the kind of place where everyone gets their organs stolen? Also, I am pretty sure men are statistically more likely to get murdered than women, so maybe Kat's mom should have been praying for a girl not to be as worried about? 

Statistically, maybe that's true. But Kat's mom's feelings weren't based on statistics. She's the type to worry more about a single daughter traveling alone. It's not everyone's opinion but it's not uncommon, and it's believable for her character.  

On 1/15/2021 at 1:17 PM, cinsays said:

Well, guess i am in the minority because i am enjoying the show, maybe i just am glad to see something besides current events. Not caring one way or the other about the waving at the end, but i wouldn't miss it.

I'm enjoying it, too. I kinda like the waving at the end. A little tired of the Miranda comparisons. I tuned in for Mayim Bialik, especially when I heard the pandemic doesn't exist in the show. 

On 1/15/2021 at 7:08 PM, CrystalBlue said:

Ugh.  That was one cringe after another.  Any chemistry between Kat and Max is all in Kat's mind.  Who wrote the beginning dialogue, a 12-year-old?  (Plays on the abbreviations like ER and PR.)  Mayim isn't a convincing drunk and the delivery of her lines is shouty.  Wasting a free trip because of her paranoid coat hanger of a mother was pathetic.  It's time to drop Tara as a friend too.  Unlikable and a PITA.  Why would Kat want to get in bed with her?  Why am I still watching this mess?

All I recall is one closeup of a real cat.

I wonder why they keep acting like Tara is a friend. She feels like more of a rival.

On 1/17/2021 at 5:11 AM, Cherpumple said:

I'm in the mood for light fluffy shows right now, and I like the cast, so I'll stick with this one for a while. I thought this episode was fun, if not hilarious, and I enjoyed Kat's comments at the bourbon tasting. The one scene that stood out to me in bad way was Kat's mom giving a heartfelt speech to herself about how much she loved Kat and couldn't imagine life without her. It was oddly serious, and didn't seem to fit with the tone of the rest of the episode.

Light, fluffy shows are literally all I want right now. 

On 1/17/2021 at 1:51 PM, geauxaway said:

That’s where I am at with it, too.  And I’m watching Miranda simultaneously.  Which, I have seen Miranda many years ago and thought it was horrible, but this time around I am enjoying it.  I wonder if Call me Kat is going to do short seasons like Miranda was?  They are only 6 episodes, which is standard for British TV.

I also don’t think they were implying that Puerto Rico was some horrible dangerous place, I think the mom was more about her single daughter traveling anywhere alone.  I have to admit, that didn’t offend me at all as I didn’t take it as a slam on PR.  I think the mom would have felt the same if she was going out in the city alone, even. 

I didn't take it as a slam on Puerto Rico either. I imagine Kat's mother would have felt the same if Kat were traveling to the Upper East Side of Manhattan alone.

On 1/22/2021 at 9:39 AM, mammaM said:

SK is the reason I tuned in originally, I think she's hysterical. I wonder if she over-botoxed because I saw her not too long ago on a talk show and she didn't look that "stretched" . 

As for her character being Mayam's mother, two things:

1) Shows do that all the time

2) Genes are weird wacky things. I know a PE teacher, 5'11" , 200lbs of solid muscle. Her mother is tiny, I mean if she hits 5' and 100lbs it's a miracle😂

Yes, genes are so weird and we haven't seen Kat's dad or any other family members.

But neither Kat nor her mom strikes me as a Louisville native, so I'm wondering why they chose that location. 

[TOWTooMuchTV]

On 1/15/2021 at 12:06 PM, Johann said:

It wasn't great, but something makes me want to continue watching.  Maybe I'm just being contrary.  Maybe I think they could get back to whatever made episode 2 fun.

I might be the only person that kind of likes the waving at the end.

At the end, when they got locked on the roof, I thought, do not go there.  Happy they just glossed over it.  Also, getting caught going home... Sitcom staples.  Although, not getting caught by her mother, but then, by her co-workers was a little different and I liked that they went back to the party with Kat.

Why would she make that her password on a shared device?

So, this episode was mostly a miss (but I liked the whiskey conference), but I'm not out yet.

 

I agree with every single thing you said here, but especially the waving! I think it's such a fun and different way to end the show, and I like that they include everyone that appeared in that episode