S02.E06: Overnight Sensation

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Wade wants to invite Shannon to spend the night, but first he needs to figure out how to discuss it with Natalie and Grace; Ben becomes jealous of the attention Michelle is giving to her school work and study group.

Original air date: 1/28/21

[juno]

Why do they have to make this show so sappy? There is this "heartfelt" Hallmark moment in every episode and it is so cringy. Make the show funny and have some fun. This is why I miss Life in Pieces.

[UsernameFatigue]

It was ridiculous to think that there would be numerous discussions, including with the girls, leading up to Shannon spending the night, but she would not pack night clothes to wear. A nightgown and robe for the morning, or even sweats if she did not want to make the girls uncomfortable with a robe, etc. And why would Shannon and Wade not think that one of the girls might be in the kitchen, and let Wade go down to make the coffee? Dumb. 

[possibilities]

I thought this episode was so funny, though. I like that everyone is basically good natured, even the teens. He asks them to accept the pancakes, so they do, even though "I just ate a whole bag of marshmallows." It's such a throwaway, but A WHOLE BAG OF MARSHMALLOWS. But he's too nervous to even snap into dad mode and notice.

After Shannon's gone, they all admit it was awkward and triggered their mom stuff, and they decide how to fix that. It's like a healthy dynamic is so foreign, it looks fake. But seriously, I am happy not to see more angst and aggressive petulance and people who don't get along.

I also like that Delia is all "They're old enough to know what's what" about Wade's kids. I don't get the parenting style that tries to keep kids ignorant or weirded out instead of informed and realistic.

Meanwhile... "The kids never come in when they hear the vacuum because they're afraid of getting given chores" and "You were right, but I accept your apology." 

I also love the widow group. 

 

[Harvey]

The beginning sequence with Wade and Shannon in her kitchen was shot so well. It was spectacular 😮

Delia trying to suck up to Shannon was hilarious 😄 . I loved it when she offered to get her muffins.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

"I just ate a whole bag of marshmallows." It's such a throwaway, but A WHOLE BAG OF MARSHMALLOWS.

I loved that she did it in such an  age appropriate way too. When Shannon came downstairs, she was pouring cereal straight out of the box into her hand, eating the marshmallow pieces, and dumping the cereal onto the counter. 

[DavidWeis1]

I want to like this show. I lost my wife and I know how difficult it is to reenter the mainstream, but I am sorry — this episode was lame. And juvenile. Like someone above said, dealing with the daughters should have been a no-brainer, and the woman (sorry don't remember name) should have known better than to sneak into the kitchen with what she was wearing. It's almost gotten to the point where the teenagers are smarter than the adults. And that's not a good look on any actor. Another bigger issue: Where are we going with all this????

Edited January 30, 2021 by DavidWeis1
Spelling still counts.

[ProudMary]

I thought this episode was disappointing. Truthfully, I'm finding this season to be a disappointment. I've given it several episodes, but I just don't like Shannon as a character. I don't see any characteristics that would have Wade find her appealing and I don't really see any chemistry between them. Last season, Wade had loads of chemistry with Anna and she was a delight. I wish the writers had gone in the direction of that relationship. 

Also, the writing for both Delia and Forrest has been awful. Yes, they're both quirky, but this season, they're being written to the point of caricature.  

And  please writers, no more Noah-less episodes! That kid's the best thing about the show.  I love Ben and Michelle. If it weren't for those two and their family, I'm pretty sure I'd be out.

[juno]

1 hour ago, ProudMary said:

Wade had loads of chemistry with Anna and she was a delight. I wish the writers had gone in the direction of that relationship. 

I also thought he had great chemistry with Caroline (Betsy Brandt). I think this season is a disappointment because like you said he has very little chemistry with Shannon, but they took the entire theme of the show and changed it.

What started as a unique show about a Unicorn type person attracting lots of women and recovering from the death of his wife, to an average show about 3 couples and their normal lives where this Unicorn suddenly doesn't attract women anymore.

[paigow]

50 minutes ago, juno said:

I also thought he had great chemistry with Caroline (Betsy Brandt).

Wade is still the only dude in the Widows Group... Pretty much every woman there wants him...Does every other female in Raleigh have a life span of 100? 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I've never spent the night with a widower who has two kids and even I know that Shannon shouldn't have strolled down to the kitchen WITHOUT ANY PANTS. And once you find out that the apron you put on belonged to their mother, maybe just take it off (I personally wouldn't have put it on in the first place because it looked like a kid made it and when you're in a house with two kids, it's pretty safe to assume that means a kid actually made it). I mean, I've made pancakes countless times and never once worn an apron. It's not a super essential part of the process. The only moment where I really felt bad for Shannon was when she made that comment about not keeping the vanilla in the refrigerator because she couldn't have known beforehand. But the pantsless interlude and the apron were avoidable situations.

[madmax]

8 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

And once you find out that the apron you put on belonged to their mother, maybe just take it off (I personally wouldn't have put it on in the first place because it looked like a kid made it and when you're in a house with two kids, it's pretty safe to assume that means a kid actually made it). I mean, I've made pancakes countless times and never once worn an apron. It's not a super essential part of the process. The only moment where I really felt bad for Shannon was when she made that comment about not keeping the vanilla in the refrigerator because she couldn't have known beforehand. But the pantsless interlude and the apron were avoidable situations.

Yeah, the apron thing was pretty dumb.  I don't know of anyone who actually wears an apron to cook.  

[paigow]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I've never spent the night with a widower who has two kids and even I know that Shannon shouldn't have strolled down to the kitchen WITHOUT ANY PANTS.

If you are a house guest, regardless of whether sexy time with the host was part of the deal, being fully clothed in common areas is non-negotiable. 

[possibilities]

I think they were going for "forgetting they aren't the only people in the house" because they were acting like teenagers, not adults, the whole time-- sitcom role reversal where the kids acted like adults and the adults regressed to their youth. 

We never saw how Wade acted around Shannon's 8 year old but I a 100% certain he wore pants.

[topanga]

I seem to be in the minority, but I’m really enjoying this season. Shannon is beautiful but also awkward and quirky—I love her for Wade. And normal-seeming teen girls who aren’t riddled with angst and bad attitudes? Who writes this stuff?

The friend are still funny, especially Forrest. They seem to have a smaller role this season though. 

The living situation with the ex-husband remains weird. Wade is bound to snap soon. Wait, what happened to Shannon’s son? We never see him anymore. 

[possibilities]

I like it, too. It's one of the bright spots in the TV schedule, for me. 

[Kiddvideo]

On 1/29/2021 at 8:47 PM, ProudMary said:

I thought this episode was disappointing. Truthfully, I'm finding this season to be a disappointment. I've given it several episodes, but I just don't like Shannon as a character. I don't see any characteristics that would have Wade find her appealing and I don't really see any chemistry between them. Last season, Wade had loads of chemistry with Anna and she was a delight. I wish the writers had gone in the direction of that relationship.

I'd written a post about how I didn't care for Shannon, but I didn't submit it b/c I just didn't want to open that can of worms. Thank you! She started out great, but the more we get to know her the more I think she's too dramatic for Wade. Some of it's just the circumstances the writers have given her like being a chef who is never at her restaurant or the ex living in the garage. I'm trying to picture an ex who is ok covering with the kid so Mommy can have a dirty overnight. It was awkward enough when he interrupted the creme brulee to do laundry. It's nice Wade's out there and looking for something real, but I don't want it to be her. (Not that I think the show would couple him up long-term at the beginning of S2.)

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, Kiddvideo said:

I'd written a post about how I didn't care for Shannon, but I didn't submit it b/c I just didn't want to open that can of worms. Thank you! She started out great, but the more we get to know her the more I think she's too dramatic for Wade. Some of it's just the circumstances the writers have given her like being a chef who is never at her restaurant or the ex living in the garage. I'm trying to picture an ex who is ok covering with the kid so Mommy can have a dirty overnight. It was awkward enough when he interrupted the creme brulee to do laundry. It's nice Wade's out there and looking for something real, but I don't want it to be her. (Not that I think the show would couple him up long-term at the beginning of S2.)

That's exactly where I'm afraid the writers are going with this relationship. As I'd mentioned, I loved Anna from last season, but it made perfect sense that the writers wouldn't pair him off so early in the show's run. Yet, Wade meets Shannon and they seem to be doing just that. 😕

[Harvey]

On 1/31/2021 at 5:06 AM, Kiddvideo said:

I'd written a post about how I didn't care for Shannon, but I didn't submit it b/c I just didn't want to open that can of worms. Thank you! She started out great, but the more we get to know her the more I think she's too dramatic for Wade. Some of it's just the circumstances the writers have given her like being a chef who is never at her restaurant or the ex living in the garage. I'm trying to picture an ex who is ok covering with the kid so Mommy can have a dirty overnight. It was awkward enough when he interrupted the creme brulee to do laundry. It's nice Wade's out there and looking for something real, but I don't want it to be her. (Not that I think the show would couple him up long-term at the beginning of S2.)

While I love Shannon, I am sure she is not the one Wade will end up with. The more we get to know her, the more we find out that she is kind of a mess. She doesn't gel well with Wade or the rest of the group. There were hints of this with her attitude towards consuming alcohol vs. everyone else's, and that lobster story that made the others think of her as a weirdo, plus the husband living situation. Wade keeps overlooking everything because they had that meet cute moment in last season's finale and he is infatuated with her. But I think (if the show doesn't get cancelled/ gets to tell it's story) he would realize that he makes too many compromises in the relationships and even though he may like her,  they are not a good fit, or some version of that. And then he would reenter the dating pool.

Edited February 1, 2021 by Harvey

[dshgr]

On 1/29/2021 at 8:47 PM, ProudMary said:

but I just don't like Shannon as a character

This is why I've not been very into the show this season.  Hope they split soon.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm fine with Wade having a relationship with Shannon because it shows that he's progressed beyond where he was emotionally in the previous season. Last year he wasn't ready to date but he kept trying, mostly because his friends were pushing him to. Every time he made a little bit of progress, he would freeze because he clearly wasn't healed enough from Michelle's death or emotionally ready to get involved with someone. This season, he's happily dating Shannon and dealing with what entails.

If the show kept Wade at the same emotional state as last season, it would get repetitive. By having him date Shannon, he's moving forward and the issues he's dealing with are not because he feels guilty about Michelle. He's definitely not ready to get married to Shannon, but he's past his initial grief and making progress. I doubt that the show will have Shannon be the endgame/future wife, especially not so soon, but she is a means to an end. Before he met her, no one was good enough to replace Michelle (not that anyone can ever truly replace another person). Shannon snapped him out of that.

And having him in a relationship (not just casually dating) brings his kids into the situation as well. Wade was worried about how they would react to Shannon sleeping over, which they were fine with. But he hadn't even considered that there were other things (like wearing Michelle's apron) that might be confusing/upsetting/weird for the girls, and I think that's because he hadn't realized the possibility of those situations yet either. It's one thing for them to be happy that he's got a girlfriend. It's another thing for them to see another woman wearing their dead mother's apron in the kitchen where she made them cookies and dinner. And that's the thing with grief - you can feel better and be happy again and then some little thing hits you right in the heart. You never know what will create those moments until they happen.

So for all those reasons, I like having Shannon around. Wade is finally able to be in a relationship with someone else but it's creating new scenarios for him as a character that are different from the ones we saw last year. Grief is a long process and we wouldn't have seen things like Wade and the girls reacting to Shannon in Michelle's apron if he were still just casually dating.

[paigow]

3 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

he would freeze because he clearly wasn't healed enough from Michelle's death

Michelle is alive- Jill is dead

[topanga]

2 hours ago, paigow said:

Michelle is alive- Jill is dead

Thank God! (about Michelle, not Jill). LOL

That reminds of Michelle's story line about her young college classmate flirting with her over Zoom. I thought that was adorable. Michelle still can pull guys' affections. I couldn't tell though if she really didn't recognize it as flirting, or if she was just denying it to Ben because she didn't want him to be right. 

[chitowngirl]

2 hours ago, topanga said:

I couldn't tell though if she really didn't recognize it as flirting, or if she was just denying it to Ben because she didn't want him to be right. 

Probably both! 😆

[MaggieG]

On 1/30/2021 at 10:50 AM, madmax said:

Yeah, the apron thing was pretty dumb.  I don't know of anyone who actually wears an apron to cook.  

✋ Come over the next time I make cookies while wearing the apron I got at Disney!

It did seem odd that Wade and Shannon had this sleepover planned yet she didn't bring a change of clothes. 

I liked Michelle and Ben turning their vacuum cleaner on at the end. 

Weird nitpick but I kind of hate the name Bert. Or is it Burt?

[auchic]

They did a really good job casting for Grace and Natalie, the girls look like they could actually be sisters. I loved them goofing off with the laundry.