S05.E08: Encourage, Discourage

[Harvey]

Quote

Katie and Tami make fast friends with J.D., a luxury hotel manager whose promise of access to complimentary hotel rooms around the world sounds incredibly enticing. However, Katie’s travel fantasy comes to a screeching halt when she learns J.D. is an aspiring first-time father who’s counting on her for parenting guidance.

 

[Bobbin]

Interesting. One character played by a different actress, one actress playing a different character. Sort of. Taylor actually gets Plato. Taylor-Trip is reaching a Penny-Zach crossroad.

I see Jake Choi moved up a time slot, stepping neatly from one show to another and filling the gay character void on AH, still a "single parent."

The bond between Greg and Cooper grows stronger. Are the Ottos that broke, or was Oliver exaggerating? Or is Katie just uncommonly frugal? Was Cooper channeling John Belushi's Samurai Delicatessen?

I liked the reality of Katie's coming to a "mature understanding" with Taylor about her staying with Trip. LOL

Enough of the little brat, though, please. Mom does know tricks to rein her in. Use them.

[joanne3482]

8 hours ago, Bobbin said:

The bond between Greg and Cooper grows stronger. Are the Ottos that broke, or was Oliver exaggerating? Or is Katie just uncommonly frugal?

It's possibly a little of both. Although basically every TV show fudges all over the place about money, I know when I worked in HR at a university, humanities professors are the lowest paid on the totem pole so he definitely isn't paid as much as a business school or science professor would be. I feel like I recall him just getting tenure in a recent season/episode so if he was an adjunct in Oliver's early years it is probable they were financially struggling. Adjuncts are the lowest paid and don't have the same job security since they are basically temps. BUT I can also see not spending money on things like bicycles for older kids because they will rarely ride it so just having the one or two adult sized bicycles makes sense to me. (I got my teenager a bicycle she specifically asked for her birthday. That was 3 years ago. She's ridden it maybe 15 to 20 times in all that time.)  

I don't know why but I thought Jake Choi's character was lying or exaggerating about his life and ability to get things so I was pleasantly surprised that didn't seem to be the case. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'm really glad they replaced Katie's BFFs.  I'm a big fan of Ali Wong outside of this show but the video calls really took me out of the show.  I love Jake Choi.  I want to love HRP but her eyes are pretty distracting to me.

I like the professor character that has a crush on Taylor, but it's also kind of creepy and unethical that he's so invested in her. Also creepy that the daughter is repeating the mother's pattern.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[iMonrey]

So Tripp IS still on the show. But not for long, maybe. Funny how Taylor suddenly got smarter just by going to college. I don't think it works that way. She used to be as dumb as Tripp. 

Cooper with flat hair was hilarious. And I knew it was going to turn out he didn't know how to ride a bike. The ending was surprisingly sweet. 

[Keywestclubkid]

Katie always wanted a gay friend just like my best friends wedding ... was Angela not gay?

[agilethrust17]

Give me all the Cooper scenes! I loved it all and he's someone that makes you smile all the time. Mentioning of his hair is common, I thought it was funny as well. 

Is this gonna be the end of Taylor/Trip? And will Andre be her new BF? Or will it turn around like the past breakups and they actually stay together a little longer. That picture scene in Season 4 still needs him in the future.

Nothing to see with Anna-Kat lmao, Katie and 2nd, 2nd breakfast crew is boring asf, no one cares about them.

Greg needs to remain himself, he and Cooper are the wholesome characters of this show and doesn't need to prove anything about his "masculinity" 

Oliver actually not being a dick for this episode and not talking about Harvard? Shook and loved his support for Cooper. 

 

[Harvey]

I loved the opening scene, when Greg mentioned having a cold one and watching the game in peace. Katy's assumption about sports and beer was fair, but I love how they took it into a completely different direction and it made sense for Greg's character 😄 . And the way they laughed about it together was so cute.  These moments that demonstrate them working well together as a couple are so precious ❤️ .

[iMonrey]

Quote

Katie always wanted a gay friend just like my best friends wedding ... was Angela not gay?

I assume she meant a gay male bestie. And Angela may have preferred the term lesbian to gay. That's fairly common.

[Keywestclubkid]

19 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I assume she meant a gay male bestie. And Angela may have preferred the term lesbian to gay. That's fairly common.

She wanted a prop basically not a person (which does fit into her character)... I love this show that was just a bad line .. they seem to be trying to erase Angela like she never existed .. she had a gay best friend ... I mean it’s not a big deal just a little annoying

Edited February 4, 2021 by Keywestclubkid

[Kiddvideo]

No way Oliver doesn't know about using mother-of-pearl with caviar if Cooper has a delivery of the week. That's the kind of snobby detail Oliver would think made him Harvard material.

How very patronizing of Katy and Tami to warn JD about parenthood.

Greg and Cooper, separately and together, were the best parts of the show again.

ETA: I googled how much Royal Ossetra caviar cost, and now I'm getting retargeted with ads on other sites selling me caviar. 🙄 Turns out, while it's caviar and $$$, it's not the highest cost out there. Petrossian sells 5 types of ossetra ranging from $82-406 for 30g. Royal Ossetra is 2nd lowest at $123.

Edited February 5, 2021 by Kiddvideo
.

[UnoAgain]

So American Housewife just swapped out its black and yellow cables for new ones??... Like its nothing and Katie always wanted a GBF... Um.. Not sure where my head is with all this... Feels.. I dunno... Still love Cooper.. And Tripp is still a beautiful idiot.. 

[Keywestclubkid]

4 hours ago, UnoAgain said:

So American Housewife just swapped out its black and yellow cables for new ones??... Like its nothing and Katie always wanted a GBF...

that's exactly what they did and its kinda off putting...its like they thought the characters didn't matter and they could just switch them and it wouldn't be a big deal ... if the writers were a little better maybe they could have pulled it off without it seeming like a smack in the face to Angela and Doris like you could just pull them out and put someone in just switch out the race between the two and the sex of one of them and poof no big deal.. again she had a gay best friend ..ugh the more i think of it the more it annoys me

Edited February 5, 2021 by Keywestclubkid

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, UnoAgain said:

So American Housewife just swapped out its black and yellow cables for new ones??... Like its nothing and Katie always wanted a GBF... Um.. Not sure where my head is with all this... Feels.. I dunno... Still love Cooper.. And Tripp is still a beautiful idiot.. 

Yeah, I agree.  Too many shameless changes and force-fits with token-ish characters.  It's kind of off putting.  It's amazing that this show isn't worse given all of the musical chairs with the actors going on.  I was almost accepting Angela's departure but now Doris too?  Not loving that AT ALL.  And I'm still not over Ana Kat.

Tripp didn't seem quite so dumb this week.  And his house is beautiful too.

I thought it was realistic for Taylor to suddenly realize that she's limiting herself with Tripp upon entering college.  That may have been one reason why she seems smarter now.  I can remember breaking up with my HS boyfriend after a similar new-world opening freshman year in college experience, although thankfully it wasn't over him being as dumb as a box of rocks, LOL.

[ams1001]

51 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I was almost accepting Angela's departure but now Doris too?

Ali Wong was still in the opening credits (for whatever that's worth).

 

[UnoAgain]

Tripp was right about the hot pockets tho... He had one of those high times revelations.. I'm sure if someone had tapes of me and a few of my friends at Duke during undergrad some of those same ponderings would have been asked.. 

[Court]

So happy to see Jake Choi here. I love him 

[SnarkySheep]

On 2/4/2021 at 1:31 AM, Bobbin said:

I liked the reality of Katie's coming to a "mature understanding" with Taylor about her staying with Trip. LOL

Enough of the little brat, though, please. Mom does know tricks to rein her in. Use them.

The thing about Taylor's character is that the writers clearly want to indicate she's maturing, as seen with her intellectual growth through her college classes; yet at 18/19 she still behaves like an underage teen bratting around Mom and her cruel rules. At this point Katie could very well say, if you don't like the rules here, feel free to move out. As it is, Taylor has the privilege of focusing 100% on her classes, not on any sort of work, which few others get. Besides, it seems as though the writers are moving Anna-Kat into "typical teenage girl" subplots, so really, having Taylor stuck in that zone with her is a bit redundant.

[Yeah No]

On 2/5/2021 at 12:39 PM, ams1001 said:

Ali Wong was still in the opening credits (for whatever that's worth).

Thanks for that, maybe she intends to come back.  She may be extra cautious about the pandemic.  Too bad they couldn't switch second breakfast to an outdoor setting, maybe she might have done that.  Sunny Anderson of the Food Network has been filming her segments on "The Kitchen" on their outdoor patio while the others are on the set for that reason so it wouldn't surprise me if that's why Ali is not there.

[readster]

11 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Thanks for that, maybe she intends to come back.  She may be extra cautious about the pandemic.  Too bad they couldn't switch second breakfast to an outdoor setting, maybe she might have done that.  Sunny Anderson of the Food Network has been filming her segments on "The Kitchen" on their outdoor patio while the others are on the set for that reason so it wouldn't surprise me if that's why Ali is not there.

I mentioned last episode, Ali does have a condition that does not mix well if she caught COVID, so that's why her filming as been on video calls.

[iMonrey]

Quote

The thing about Taylor's character is that the writers clearly want to indicate she's maturing, as seen with her intellectual growth through her college classes; yet at 18/19 she still behaves like an underage teen bratting around Mom and her cruel rules.

The other thing about Taylor is that for the most part she has been portrayed as being as dumb as Tripp. Suddenly she's smarter because she's had college classes? I don't think it works that way. 

[readster]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

The other thing about Taylor is that for the most part she has been portrayed as being as dumb as Tripp. Suddenly she's smarter because she's had college classes? I don't think it works that way. 

I agree and also her attitude has changed to you know realize that being in college and being out of high school. The world is a bigger place, while Tripp keeps doing his: "Dude, I've never been this far from my house before." They need more organic reasons why Taylor is starting to act like this. Not just the fact she "got" into college thanks to her dad and realizes, she actually "likes school". 

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

The other thing about Taylor is that for the most part she has been portrayed as being as dumb as Tripp. Suddenly she's smarter because she's had college classes? I don't think it works that way. 

Maybe the message is supposed to be that hanging out with Tripp was bringing out the worst in her and dumbing her down, but now that she's having her mind challenged at school she's using her brain more.  She never seemed that dumb before Tripp so it seems to me like she's now returning to her former level of intelligence with the right influences, and perhaps even excelling beyond it.

[Harvey]

15 hours ago, readster said:

I agree and also her attitude has changed to you know realize that being in college and being out of high school. The world is a bigger place, while Tripp keeps doing his: "Dude, I've never been this far from my house before." They need more organic reasons why Taylor is starting to act like this. Not just the fact she "got" into college thanks to her dad and realizes, she actually "likes school". 

Maybe now that she is studying something she is actually interested in? (psychology). That might be an explanation...

Edited February 9, 2021 by Harvey

[SnarkySheep]

On 2/8/2021 at 6:51 PM, Yeah No said:

Maybe the message is supposed to be that hanging out with Tripp was bringing out the worst in her and dumbing her down, but now that she's having her mind challenged at school she's using her brain more. 

The thing about her suddenly growing because of her college courses might be more believable if, y'know, her dad weren't a college professor. Greg often talks about various subjects, has taken the family on historical/intellectual day trips, etc. and Taylor never engaged. Now, suddenly, she is?

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, SnarkySheep said:

The thing about her suddenly growing because of her college courses might be more believable if, y'know, her dad weren't a college professor. Greg often talks about various subjects, has taken the family on historical/intellectual day trips, etc. and Taylor never engaged. Now, suddenly, she is?

I think they chose Greg's area of specialty to be something his daughter wouldn't likely be too interested in for a reason.  She's getting engaged by different subjects.  My Dad's area was WWII, and I was never that interested in that when I was her age.  What got me interested was Philosophy.  Not his subject.  I only got interested in WWII in the last decade of my Dad's life, much to his surprise and delight as I was finally willing and able to talk to him about it.

[Neiman]

Awww Cooper was never taught to ride a bike. Just when I was getting fed up with his snobby self, he reveals a new facet to his personality.

 I’m curious what this show would be like if they sent Taylor off to college. She’s my least favorite character. She’s a talented singer, but I’ve found her character annoying since season one.

Not sure about Katie’s new 2nd breakfast club, but it’s sort of nice to see new faces. Angela was always talking about her relationships and Doris was crazy psycho. I like the actresses, but was disappointed with the repetitive lines the writers kept giving them.