S05.E06: Birth Mother

[Quof]

35 minutes ago, JayDub1987 said:

I'm too committed to stop watching all together,

I bailed on "Hostages" with one episode left.  It was very liberating. 

[Trillian]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

   I think this episode would have been stronger if Laurel had written a letter for Randall instead of having Hai tell it

It might not only have been stronger (I hate the whole storyline, so I’m not sure anything could redeem it for me) but it would have made more sense. Only on tv can a person who was not involved in events recount them second-hand in perfect chronological order with perfect recall of names and dates.  I couldn’t tell my own husband’s life story with as much detail as Hai did Laurel’s.   Can’t you just picture Hai sitting there while Laurel went over and over the story until Hai committed it to memory like some Homeric bard?

[A.Ham]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

and the wife who had to go lie down because her husband went to the bank on Sunday (I was sure that was going to turn out to be a cover story for him having an affair).

My thoughts exactly.

[JayDub1987]

26 minutes ago, Quof said:

I bailed on "Hostages" with one episode left.  It was very liberating. 

Haha, I commit to shows and generally ride it out. Once I make it through 3 seasons, I'm probably not going anywhere. But that crap last night certainly tested my limits.

[SunnyBeBe]

I'm usually a complainer about this show, but I kind of liked last night's episode.  For me when Randall screamed out in the lake, it took me to a scene from a Disney movie.  I was brought to tears by Randall coming full circle, so to speak.  

The biggest thing for me was just handing Randall the keys to the lake house.  That should have been explained a little more. In most states you can't just convey real property verbally.  It has to be done in writing.  And, I hope that Laurel had already conveyed the property by deed, Will or trust to Hai, because, if not, it's not his to give to Randall.  If Laurel didn't have a will nor placed the property in a trust, then the property passes by intestate succession and only those who actually are legally her heirs would inherit.  Randall may have been biological, but, I don't think that cuts it for inheritance person, though, I'm not licensed in LA.  

[Liamsmom617]

12 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Well, at least now when asked if I have a least favourite episode of This Is Us, I'll have an easy answer. Frankly, I'd like that hour of my life back. 

Are the writers actually trying to make me dislike Randall? When he so snidley interrupted Hai (Jai?) with his snotty "Notebook" comment, and demanded answers, I wanted to slap him. 

I wish I could have felt something with that whole soap opera in the lake at the end,  but no. 

I always enjoy seeing Chi McBride.  That's the only good thing I have to say about this one. 

Cookies to those who predicted Madison going into early labor.

  Amen to this entire post. I adore Sterling K. Brown and give him all props for his acting. But the writing on this one? Ye gods! That scene w/his birth mother in the water? Really!?!?

   Madison going into early labor was entirely predictable, and the trope of Kevin being in a wreck trying to get to her is beneath this show (or so I thought). 

   Last week's episode was nearly flawless (IMO). This week...not so much.

 

[Aloeonatable]

10 hours ago, chocolatine said:

ETA: The drive from Vancouver to LA is 1300 miles and takes two full days (unless Kevin does something reckless like not stopping to sleep, and even then it would take nearly 24 hours). Last episode Kevin told Madison that they can use private jets to travel with the twins for his work - why didn't he charter one when she went into labor? Vancouver is "Hollywood North" with numerous TV and film productions going on, so there must be plenty of jets available on short notice. He could have been back in LA within a few hours.

He probably didn't want to fly because of the virus exposure. I'm sure he could have been tested as soon as he got to LA, but he didn't want to take a chance.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

21 minutes ago, JayDub1987 said:

Haha, I commit to shows and generally ride it out. Once I make it through 3 seasons, I'm probably not going anywhere. But that crap last night certainly tested my limits.

I'm usually the same way, but I ended up quitting Bones, Castle, Desperate Housewives, and Once Upon a Time without any regrets. I didn't even go back to watch the series finales of any of them (I was really proud of myself for not caving in to see how they ultimately ended).

I felt like they dropped all these little nuggets of possibilities in Laurel's story that went nowhere. I can't figure out if it's because they're going to revisit the story of her family later so they're saving the reveals about her dad having an affair and her aunt being her bio mom or if it was just bad writing.

 

[ams1001]

10 hours ago, BoogieBurns said:

Mostly because Sterling has such a deep brown skin tone, it's weird that both of his parents were only darker skinned in their youth, but lightened up by age 40. 

Randall's the opposite...little Randall and 8-10yo Randall have lighter skin (and rounder faces) than teen and adult Randall.

5 hours ago, debraran said:

I was tired but I didn't think Kevin's car looked like that car on fire and I hate being manipulated like that. Even if it is, he's fine, since they jump ahead, we know he is good looking and healthy.

Maybe he came upon someone else's crashed car, saved them from the burning vehicle, and dropped his wallet in the process. (I wasn't paying that much attention to the actual car so I didn't notice it wasn't the same type as what he was driving.)

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

So Laurel got her aunt's cottage by the lake. What about the huge house that her parents lived in? Who owns that now?

Maybe she inherited both properties and sold her parents' house because it has bad memories (I can't see her choosing to live in that house after everything if she had an alternative) and kept her aunt's house because it's where she felt loved and understood.

1 hour ago, Madding crowd said:

I know Hai didn’t live there but did Randall know that? How were the taxes and utilities kept up? Was Hai intending to keep a fully furnished house with no one living there? Doesn’t make sense to me along with Laurel not talking to Hai for thirty years and Laurel and Mae making enough money by selling vegetables at the exact same market for forty years . Too much of a fantasy this time around and I can’t help but think there is a reason the writers chose a Vietnamese man as Laurel’s boyfriend.

She put the money from the sale of her parents' property in a trust to pay for the upkeep of her aunt's house until her long-lost son was accidentally found by the love of her life through a random viral video so he could rightfully inherit the property. Somewhere in the house is a lockbox with all the relevant paperwork. As plausible as anything on this show, right?

[Ohiopirate02]

I love how we are all talking about how unrealistic it is for Kevin to drive straight thru from Vancouver to LA in a show where a person can drive from northern New Jersey to Philadelphia in under 2 hours and the size of Pennsylvania is also fluid.  I have no doubt that the writers will have Kevin be able to drive 1300 miles in under 5 hours because reasons.  Laurel couldn't afford a bus ticket to Chicago from New Orleans but could afford Pittsburgh.  Geography is meaningless on this show.

[tennisgurl]

I guess I should applaud the shows restraint in not showing that Laurel's brother served in the same unit as Jack and Nicky or that Hai ran into them at some point or he is connected to the kid that Nicky accidently blew up, because there are more Vietnam backstories on this show than in an eighties action movie, so good on them I guess. I was a bit surprised that Randall didn't make more connections between his brio mom and his family, like how both Laurel and Rebecca had rich disapproving families that they chaffed under until they left them behind for more artsy pursuits (it ended better for Rebecca) or that Jack and uncle Nicky went to Vietnam like his newly discovered uncle who died, Laurel getting with a man she knew years ago after they reconnected the way Rebecca got with Miguel years after they lost touch and Jack had died, and of course, his bio mom dying of cancer not too long before Rebecca was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. At least this apparently gave Randall some closure, he has enough mom baggage with the mom he actually knows. 

Its seems really weird and needlessly melodramatic that Laurel and Hai apparently went all those years while she was hiding out with her aunt and her vegetables just waving at each other from across the farmers market. They couldn't say hi, just make some chit chat? Men who are married can never even make small talk with an ex who they see every day? Did they think that they would be consumed with such passion if they said hi that Hai would immediately leave his wife and kids to be with her or they would start their affair again?    

Edited January 13, 2021 by tennisgurl

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Its seems really weird and needlessly melodramatic that Laurel and Hai apparently went all those years while she was hiding out with her aunt and her vegetables just waving at each other from across the farmers market. They couldn't say hi, just make some chit chat? Men who are married can never even make small talk with an ex who they see every day? Did they think that they would be consumed with such passion if they said hi that Hai would immediately leave his wife and kids to be with her or they would start their affair again?    

I agree. I'm friends with several of me exes and it's not an issue at all. I've met their spouses and they have met mine. Just because you dated a million years ago doesn't mean you must not be seen speaking in public again!

[Quof]

6 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I guess I should applaud the shows restraint in not showing that Laurel's brother served in the same unit as Jack and Nicky or that Hai ran into them at some point or he is connected to the kid that Nicky accidently blew up, because there are more Vietnam backstories on this show than in an eighties action movie, so good on them I guess.

Oh, they're not done yet.

[txhorns79]

6 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Did they think that they would be consumed with such passion if they said hi that Hai would immediately leave his wife and kids to be with her or they would start their affair again?    

The vegetables Laurel was selling were extremely sensuous.  Anything more than a wave would have basically made things into a vegetable version of Chocolat.

[ECM1231]

I also was left wondering whether or not Aunt May was Laurel's bio mom. It was never explained why Papa DuBois was estranged from his own sister. I realize that their family was upper class and May having an out of wedllock baby from her affair would have been taboo back then. However, May was sent away by her parents to have the baby. Why would this concern her brother? Plus, May seemed to be living a modest life and her brother was well-off. He couldn't help sis out? I just think it was so cruel of him to forbid his daughter to see her loving aunt.

 

Or was it really his daughter? Maybe Papa DuBois and the Mrs. were raising their niece as their own. Hmmm

Edited January 13, 2021 by ECM1231

[Ohiopirate02]

4 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

The vegetables Laurel was selling were extremely sensuous.  Anything more than a wave would have basically made things into a vegetable version of Chocolat.

Vegetables are sensual, people are sensuous.  Or at least according to Mrs. Dean Wormer.

[Ohiopirate02]

Just now, ECM1231 said:

I also was left wondering whether or not Aunt May was Laurel's bio mom. It was never explained why Papa DuBois was estranged from his own sister. I realize that their family was upper class and May having an out of wedllock baby from her affair would have been taboo back then. However, May was sent away by her parents to have the baby. Why would this concern her brother? Plus, May seemed to be living a modest life and her brother was well-off. He couldn't help sis out? I just think it was so cruel of him to forbade his daughter to see her loving aunt.

 

Or was it really his daughter? Maybe Papa DuBois and the Mrs. were raising their niece as their own. Hmmm

I could actually see a family like the DuBois wanting to keep Laurel away from Mae in the 60s.  They are a wealthy black family in the South, respectability and appearances are everything.  Mae had an affair with a married man and had a child.  Things neither DuBois would want for Laurel.  They would want Laurel to have supervised contact with Mae.  As others have said, Mae's garden was not large enough to support Mae.  Most likely, Papa DuBois was financing Mae.  

[3 is enough]

While I was not opposed to finding out what happened to Randall's birth mother, the story had more holes in it than Swiss cheese.  I am wondering if the pandemic plus Mandy Moore's real life pregnancy left the writers scrambling to find material for previously unplanned episodes.

While I feel that Sterling K Brown is a very talented actor, I am getting a bit tired with the show's obvious focus on Randall.  Maybe I am mistaken but I feel that there have been more episodes focusing solely on Randall than on Kate or Kevin.  

And I'm still waiting for the Rebecca-Miguel story.

Edited January 13, 2021 by 3 is enough

[Aloeonatable]

This wasn't a favorite episode for me, but I think for Randall's development it was necessary. We've known from the first season that Randall was very interested in finding out about his bio parents. Do you think he would have been less interested had he been adopted by a black family?

I have a dear friend who was adopted and after her adopted parents died, she spent a lot of time researching her bio parents. She found out about them both and has connected with some cousins. She did this for two reasons, health history (she had breast cancer) and a genuine desire to find out why she was put up for adoption (her bio-mom was in her 30s and her bio-dad in his teens and not married.)

[Blakeston]

Sorry, writers, but you could not convince me to like Laurel.

She chose not to get any kind of medical attention for her son after he was born, just because she didn't want to get a dirty look from a doctor. And then after her arrest, she refused to suck it up and deal with her father - resulting in her being out of commission for five years, even though she knew William and Randall were out there. Also, the "she couldn't do anything because she was in prison" excuse doesn't hold, considering that she made no effort to contact William or Randall after she was released.

"She was punishing herself" isn't a very good excuse, either. She didn't just punish herself. She allowed William to think she was dead all those years, and she ignored her son's existence. It would be one thing if she knew that Randall had been adopted by loving parents, but she had no clue if he was living in an orphanage or on the street or what have you. She was a deadbeat mother who ran from everything, despite knowing fully well that her family had money that could transform her child's life if he was living in poverty.

[Good Queen Jane]

Randall now owns the homes of both of his birth parents. He bought William's apartment building and now is given Laurel's lake house. He ought to go after his maternal grandparents' house too. He could be a real estate tycoon!

Edited January 19, 2021 by Good Queen Jane

[gonzosgirrl]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Maybe he came upon someone else's crashed car, saved them from the burning vehicle, and dropped his wallet in the process. (I wasn't paying that much attention to the actual car so I didn't notice it wasn't the same type as what he was driving.)

And those victims? Laurel's aged parents who had wandered off from the home. Boom!

[kili]

Quote

I guess I should applaud the shows restraint in not showing that Laurel's brother served in the same unit as Jack and Nicky or that Hai ran into them at some point or he is connected to the kid that Nicky accidently blew up, because there are more Vietnam backstories on this show than in an eighties action movie, so good on them I guess.

After Laurel's miraculous resurrection, the authors should have no problem making all that happen.

Let's see: Laurel's brother was Jack's squadmate, Robinson. Robinson is the character that lost his leg and Kevin later visited. Sure, he has a different name, but that is easily fixed. Either Robinson is his squad nickname or he registered under a different name. Why? Because Papa Dubois was determined he should go to business school which he hated (he dreamed of doing something artistic....sculpting?) and he decided to go into the army so that he could pay for sculpting college. But, he was injured! And due to a clerical error was reported as dead to Lauren's family. For months, he languished in a VA hospital becoming increasingly bitter that none of his family sent him mail or visited him while he got substandard care. His family thought him dead, but he thought they had disowned him. He never returned to New Orleans or contacted his family. Randall can find him and tell him all about what really happened. We can all cry as we realize how much Robinson missed and how he could have helped his little sister. Bonus: We will realize that it was his biological Uncle who taught Jack the "breathing" exercise that gave Randall so much comfort!

Meanwhile, Lanh isn't dead either! Nope. He too jumped from the boat. Everybody thought he was dead, but he was just knocked out. They found him later in the day in some shallow water hidden amongst the reeds. Nicky still thinks he is dead because he was bustled out of town before Lanh was found. His family was relocated to South Vietnam and became refugees who settled in New Orleans. Americans are terrible with foreign names and spelling, so an idiot immigration person mistook Lanh's greeting as his name and spelled it Hai. Hai grew quickly into the hot guy that he was (don't count the years! It's like geography on this show) that Lauren met while scream swimming. A hint to all of this is how Hai taught his granddaughter to be a patient fisher person - he had learned that fast fishing with dynamite is likely not to end well. Randall will discover all this and save Nicky who can now finally forgive himself for killing a child because he did not.

Edited January 13, 2021 by kili

[Jodithgrace]

Another thing that has always bothered me: Laurel managed to keep herself clean for her entire pregnancy, but then the post pregnancy pain was so bad that she lapsed. Big time. Okay, I've only given birth to two children, and it was a long time ago, I admit. But I just don't recall anything except stitches itching that would make me think, "Man, I wish I had me some heroin." I mean, really? She kept herself clean for the baby, and then when she actually has the baby to care for, she just gives up? They have just never sold me on this storyline. 

[himela]

I don't understand what this storyline had to give to the show. We spent 5 episodes leading to that and one whole episode wasted. For what?

Now that I think about it, I don't think this show has any interesting story to tell anymore. Most of the things that are going to happen we predict or we know. We didn't know about Laurel being alive but did anyone really care?

Rebecca's dementia will get really bad in time. Kate and Jackson will have an adopted daughter. Kevin will have his twins, but I guess he will break up with Madisson. Randall will find another drama to create long speeches around. Maybe we will get a story from Deja and her boyfriend. What else is there to happen? What else will happen in 2 seasons to keep us interested?

[balmz]

25 minutes ago, kili said:

After Laurel's miraculous resurrection, the authors should have no problem making all that happen.

Let's see: Laurel's brother was Jack's squadmate, Robinson. Robinson is the character that lost his leg and Kevin later visited. Sure, he has a different name, but that is easily fixed. Either Robinson is his squad nickname or he registered under a different name. Why? Because Papa Dubois was determined he should go to business school which he hated (he dreamed of doing something artistic....sculpting?) and he decided to go into the army so that he could pay for sculpting college. But, he was injured! And due to a clerical error was reported as dead to Lauren's family. For months, he languished in a VA hospital becoming increasingly bitter that none of his family sent him mail or visited him while he got substandard care. His family thought him dead, but he thought they had disowned him. He never returned to New Orleans or contacted his family. Randall can find him and tell him all about what really happened. We can all cry as we realize how much Robinson missed and how he could have helped his little sister. Bonus: We will realize that it was his biological Uncle who taught Jack the "breathing" exercise that gave Randall so much comfort!

Meanwhile, Lanh isn't dead either! Nope. He too jumped from the boat. Everybody thought he was dead, but he was just knocked out. They found him later in the day in some shallow water hidden amongst the reeds. Nicky still thinks he is dead because he was bustled out of town before Lanh was found. His family was relocated to South Vietnam and became refugees who settled in New Orleans. Americans are terrible with foreign names and spelling, so an idiot immigration person mistook Lanh's greeting as his name and spelled it Hai. Hai grew quickly into the hot guy that he was (don't count the years! It's like geography on this show) that Lauren met while scream swimming. A hint to all of this is how Hai taught his granddaughter to be a patient fisher person - he had learned that fast fishing with dynamite is likely not to end well. Randall will discover all this and save Nicky who can now finally forgive himself for killing a child because he did not.

wow feels very true to how the show is right now and like it really could have happened

[bybrandy]

6 minutes ago, Jodithgrace said:

but then the post pregnancy pain was so bad that she lapsed. Big time.

I mean in general, yes.  But given she had William and no other intervention there could have been something causing pain.  I was sure it was ging to be revealed that Randall was a twin with the way she was carrying on, but there could be other (rare) complications.  Extreme pain post partum is one of those call 911 or go directly to the emergency room situations.   

 

[Tango64]

Remember that show "This is Us," about the Pearson family? I used to love that show.

But I don't at all enjoy this new spinoff, "This is Randall's Genealogy."

An entire hour about a whole new group of people, with a sappy story full of contrivances and plot holes. If felt like watching the pilot episode of a new drama series set in the bayou. I would not be returning for the second episode.

[Eureka]

1 hour ago, 3 is enough said:

And I'm still waiting for the Rebecca-Miguel story.

Me too. My guess is that will be next year when Rebecca has no short-term memory left but can still remember the past, which is common in people with dementia.

[madmax]

2 hours ago, Liamsmom617 said:

   Madison going into early labor was entirely predictable, and the trope of Kevin being in a wreck trying to get to her is beneath this show (or so I thought). 

There are no tropes that are beneath this show.

1 hour ago, 3 is enough said:

While I was not opposed to finding out what happened to Randall's birth mother, the story had more holes in it than Swiss cheese.  I am wondering if the pandemic plus Mandy Moore's real life pregnancy left the writers scrambling to find material for previously unplanned episodes.

While I feel that Sterling K Brown is a very talented actor, I am getting a bit tired with the show's obvious focus on Randall.  Maybe I am mistaken but I feel that there have been more episodes focusing solely on Randall than on Kate or Jack.  

I was thinking that a lot of these episodes were written prior-pandemic and had to shoehorn in explanations - "thanks for quarantining" - but didn't do a great job - "let's drive to San Diego/New Orleans/screw the pandemic and forget we're still supposed to social distance and not sit at a small kitchen table with non-family members."  But Mandy Moore's pregnancy probably has them scrambling for stories that don't really involve her.  And yes, I think Sterling K Brown is great, but I'm totally over the Randall Show.

 

The episode itself was meh.  I was definitely not paying attention like I usually do, so I missed the Notebook reference, tho I did catch the interruption.  And yes, Randall was a jerk.

Laurel didn't think anything of screaming in the lake at night?  Waking neighbors?  Freaking out people?  OK.

Nice that Randall did want to call Kevin right away (if two weeks later is right away).

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I can’t help but think there is a reason the writers chose a Vietnamese man as Laurel’s boyfriend.

To show how progressive and enlightened she was to date a man from another race? They made William bisexual for the same reason.

2 hours ago, Aloeonatable said:

He probably didn't want to fly because of the virus exposure. I'm sure he could have been tested as soon as he got to LA, but he didn't want to take a chance.

The exposure on a private jet would be negligible if he's the only passenger and the plane is disinfected before each flight. He could have sat in the back, worn a mask for the entire flight, and forgone the champagne service, avoiding any close contact with the crew.

[buttersister]

So was Randall naked with his ghost mom supposed to symbolize his birth/rebirth? 

I did something I've never done with this show before: I changed the channel for 10 minutes because I was bored (missing the Notebook and interruption). Granted, there was big drama on Rachel's show, too, and this was recording, but still. 

Moment with the biggest payoff for me: Beth, seeing her husband appear "lighter." There's a character who deserves a break.

 

[gonzosgirrl]

7 minutes ago, buttersister said:

Moment with the biggest payoff for me: Beth, seeing her husband appear "lighter." There's a character who deserves a break.

Ain't that the truth! The less-Big Three need another night out.

[Arcadiasw]

Maybe I missed it and correct me if I am wrong but if Laurel stayed with her aunt and avoided her parents for the rest of their lives, why couldn't she elope and stay with Hai and his family? Her need to leave seemed too contrived.

[MBayGal]

2 hours ago, kili said:

After Laurel's miraculous resurrection, the authors should have no problem making all that happen.

Let's see: Laurel's brother was Jack's squadmate, Robinson. Robinson is the character that lost his leg and Kevin later visited. Sure, he has a different name, but that is easily fixed. Either Robinson is his squad nickname or he registered under a different name. Why? Because Papa Dubois was determined he should go to business school which he hated (he dreamed of doing something artistic....sculpting?) and he decided to go into the army so that he could pay for sculpting college. But, he was injured! And due to a clerical error was reported as dead to Lauren's family. For months, he languished in a VA hospital becoming increasingly bitter that none of his family sent him mail or visited him while he got substandard care. His family thought him dead, but he thought they had disowned him. He never returned to New Orleans or contacted his family. Randall can find him and tell him all about what really happened. We can all cry as we realize how much Robinson missed and how he could have helped his little sister. Bonus: We will realize that it was his biological Uncle who taught Jack the "breathing" exercise that gave Randall so much comfort!

Meanwhile, Lanh isn't dead either! Nope. He too jumped from the boat. Everybody thought he was dead, but he was just knocked out. They found him later in the day in some shallow water hidden amongst the reeds. Nicky still thinks he is dead because he was bustled out of town before Lanh was found. His family was relocated to South Vietnam and became refugees who settled in New Orleans. Americans are terrible with foreign names and spelling, so an idiot immigration person mistook Lanh's greeting as his name and spelled it Hai. Hai grew quickly into the hot guy that he was (don't count the years! It's like geography on this show) that Lauren met while scream swimming. A hint to all of this is how Hai taught his granddaughter to be a patient fisher person - he had learned that fast fishing with dynamite is likely not to end well. Randall will discover all this and save Nicky who can now finally forgive himself for killing a child because he did not.

Kili, you gave me the best and longest laugh I have had in ages!!!  Keep your speculations coming!

[BrownBear2012]

17 hours ago, ams1001 said:

So Randall inherits a house out of his quest? Sure, why not? (Might wanna get some paperwork on that...)

When she went in the lake to scream did she really not see a guy fishing on a boat within easy swimming distance?

Something about young Hai when they first meet at the farmer's market reminded me of an Asian Heath Ledger.

OMG Randall shut up and let the guy tell the story.

"Sit. This isn't The Notebook." Ha!

Wow, a talking-to-the-passenger-while-driving scene where the driver looked at the road almost the whole time.

This episode was lovely but please no future hallucinations of Randall's mother.

Gee, who called Madison going into labor early? Everyone?

I thought, "please don't have him crash" and then they showed his crashed car on fire in the preview. Damn you, Show. (Of course we know he's alive and well in the future, so...)

This show is becoming very predictable. I was wondering why anyone would swim in a lake in southern Louisiana where there would surely be alligators...just a minor detail BTW. 

Frankly, I'm getting tired of watching Randall cry, have panic attacks and meltdowns. Maybe focus on his kids a little this season...something other than Randall and his tortured self.

[monakane]

2 hours ago, himela said:

I don't understand what this storyline had to give to the show. We spent 5 episodes leading to that and one whole episode wasted. For what?

Not totally wasted.  We got to see Randall's abs and behind.

[Jax7917]

1 minute ago, BrownBear2012 said:

This show is becoming very predictable. I was wondering why anyone would swim in a lake in southern Louisiana where there would surely be alligators...just a minor detail BTW. 

Frankly, I'm getting tired of watching Randall cry, have panic attacks and meltdowns. Maybe focus on his kids a little this season...something other than Randall and his tortured self.

I agree . Every episode for the last couple of seasons , Randall is mad , sad , anxious , feels betrayed etc . They need to break it up a bit and give him some lighter storylines . I don’t look forward to his scenes . 

[Ohiopirate02]

25 minutes ago, Arcadiasw said:

Maybe I missed it and correct me if I am wrong but if Laurel stayed with her aunt and avoided her parents for the rest of their lives, why couldn't she elope and stay with Hai and his family? Her need to leave seemed too contrived.

The show does nothing to indicate why Laurel had to leave Louisiana (I refuse to call it New Orleans even if the show insists).  Laurel had to run away for reasons.  Reasons that somehow the audience is supposed to understand without any hint.  I saw no reason why she should run away from her parents, they seemed reasonable enough.  Her dad wasn't an abusive drunk.  Laurel's black boyfriend looked alright if a bit boring.  

[PRgal]

33 minutes ago, Arcadiasw said:

Maybe I missed it and correct me if I am wrong but if Laurel stayed with her aunt and avoided her parents for the rest of their lives, why couldn't she elope and stay with Hai and his family? Her need to leave seemed too contrived.

Perhaps Hai's family didn't want him to marry a black girl (there's a lot of honouring/respecting elders in Confucian-influenced cultures like Vietnamese.  Even Canadian-born me has trouble sometimes.  And there's a lot of pressure to do this or that from the older generation (and you don't want to disappoint them))?  Language issues, maybe?  Hai wasn't as fluent with English back then.  

[txhorns79]

18 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I saw no reason why she should run away from her parents, they seemed reasonable enough.  Her dad wasn't an abusive drunk.  Laurel's black boyfriend looked alright if a bit boring.  

It did seem like her father was not leaving her much choice about being able to say "no" to the guy who wanted to marry her.  Though I would agree that she appeared to have options other than running away.   

 

1 hour ago, buttersister said:

So was Randall naked with his ghost mom supposed to symbolize his birth/rebirth? 

I don't know why, but this line made me laugh so much.  Maybe it's just the absurdity of Randall swimming naked with his ghost mom.  I just am glad the show had enough sense not to have her be naked too, or have naked ghost William appear to join in on the fun.     

[ams1001]

58 minutes ago, monakane said:

Not totally wasted.  We got to see Randall's abs and behind.

I was looking down and I missed it. 😞 

[chitowngirl]

Do we know that Laurel’s parents are deceased? They could still be living.

I watched on Hulu and they don’t show previews so I have to ask-do we know that Kevin is driving to the hospital in LA? Could he and Madison both be in Vancouver-she was “home” and Kevin was working, she went into labor and is at the hospital in Vancouver and that’s where Kevin is racing to? 

[Arcadiasw]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

Perhaps Hai's family didn't want him to marry a black girl (there's a lot of honouring/respecting elders in Confucian-influenced cultures like Vietnamese.  Even Canadian-born me has trouble sometimes.  And there's a lot of pressure to do this or that from the older generation (and you don't want to disappoint them))?  Language issues, maybe?  Hai wasn't as fluent with English back then.  

Hai made it seem Laurel's father was the issue. Hai said the father wouldn't let them be together. Hai asked her to stay with him and if his parents didn't know Hai was sneaking Laurel in for sexy times they knew about her. 🤷‍♀️

[Arcadiasw]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

The show does nothing to indicate why Laurel had to leave Louisiana (I refuse to call it New Orleans even if the show insists).  Laurel had to run away for reasons.  Reasons that somehow the audience is supposed to understand without any hint.  I saw no reason why she should run away from her parents, they seemed reasonable enough.  Her dad wasn't an abusive drunk.  Laurel's black boyfriend looked alright if a bit boring.  

If she didn't have enough money to go to Chicago why leave? She could've stayed with her aunt or Hai until she had the money or say yes to the engagement but plot her escape until she had the money. It's not like she will get married the next day. 

35 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Do we know that Laurel’s parents are deceased? They could still be living.

If they are alive they have to be in their 90s or 100s.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

8 hours ago, kili said:

Wouldn't it have been the 70s? William was born in 1980.  

Plus, Vietnamese refugees started arriving in 1975. Hai specifically mentioned his family were refugees sponsored by a local church. 

That makes it even worse!!!!

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by Packerbrewerbadger

[Quof]

56 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Could he and Madison both be in Vancouver-she was “home

She wouldn't have been allowed into the country.   

[PRgal]

26 minutes ago, Arcadiasw said:

Hai made it seem Laurel's father was the issue. Hai said the father wouldn't let them be together. Hai asked her to stay with him and if his parents didn't know Hai was sneaking Laurel in for sexy times they knew about her. 🤷‍♀️

Hai also said that he had to support his parents.  Maybe it's just ingrained cultural influence from my roots (I'm of Chinese heritage, but it's my ancestral culture that influenced Hai's), but respect is really important.  Hai and Laurel might be able to shack up, but Hai would likely be expected to marry a Vietnamese woman.  And considering that Laurel's family was wealthy, well, Hai knew not to interfere.

 

[ams1001]

Madison didn't go with Kevin. They said he'd be gone for a month and would be home before he due date (as if anyone thought she'd make it that long). 

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Laurel's black boyfriend looked alright if a bit boring.  

There was absolutely no indication that he was boring. All we know about him is that he was working at the bank - doing well enough that Laurel's father was about to promote him to VP - and wanted to propose to Laurel. I hate the TV trope that people who work in quantitative fields and have their act together are automatically presumed to be boring.

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

I watched on Hulu and they don’t show previews so I have to ask-do we know that Kevin is driving to the hospital in LA? Could he and Madison both be in Vancouver-she was “home” and Kevin was working, she went into labor and is at the hospital in Vancouver and that’s where Kevin is racing to? 

Last episode Kevin left to go Vancouver and Madison stayed behind in LA. She most likely wouldn't be allowed into Canada even if she'd wanted to come, since she doesn't have a job there.