S03.E13: Walden Pond, a Staycation and the Axis Powers

[Pallas]

Dan feels helpless when Louise refuses to let him put himself at risk for her. Meanwhile, when Jackie learns the competing restaurants are posting negative reviews about The Lunch Box, she recruits Neville to help her confront them.

[MrsEVH]

After the show I saw an advertisement for a new show starring Katey Sagal next month. I have to wonder if she will end up leaving the show. I really hope they don't kill her off.

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, MrsEVH said:

After the show I saw an advertisement for a new show starring Katey Sagal next month. I have to wonder if she will end up leaving the show. I really hope they don't kill her off.

My mom was wondering about that, too. I like to think they'll find some way to work around her schedule for the other show, though, so she can still pop up on occasion at the very least. I hope so. I felt for Dan with his fear over something happening to her. Louise was right to not let him in her place, but I totally understand his desire to want to help her anyway. Very true to form for him. 

I also liked the talk between Dan and Becky later on, and them talking about those photos at the end. "How ironic. He's standing next to Old Faithful." 

[ESS]

1 hour ago, MrsEVH said:

After the show I saw an advertisement for a new show starring Katey Sagal next month. I have to wonder if she will end up leaving the show. I really hope they don't kill her off.

No she's not gonna be killed off. Louise isn't going anywhere, Rebel Katey's new show is on the same network as The Conners, she's doing both shows at the same time and the writers of The Conners are working around her schedule for Rebel.

That said. This was a great episode. I loved all of the Dan & Louise scenes! they are still adorable and I was so sad/worried when Louise said she tested positive for Covid. Jackie & Neville are great together as well. 

Edited March 25, 2021 by ESS

[hoodooznoodooz]

Why do they want us to think that no one could overhear Dan’s speakerphone conversation with Louise?

[UYI]

I guess it was inevitable that someone on this show was going to get COVID. I do wonder, depending on what happens with Katey's new show (which has been appearing in promos for awhile now, it seems), if that they would consider killing Louise off--obviously, if it doesn't, then she will be just fine. I hope not, if only because this family DEFINITELY doesn't need anymore tragedy--if Rebel becomes a hit, either have Louise leave town (maybe to go back on tour once it's safer to do so again), or just show up more sporadically unless Katey gets too busy. 

At least Louise was smart enough to tell Dan not to come in. It's nice when someone on this show actually gets to use common sense! 

Edited March 25, 2021 by UYI

[ESS]

3 hours ago, UYI said:

I guess it was inevitable that someone on this show was going to get COVID. I do wonder, depending on what happens with Katey's new show (which has been appearing in promos for awhile now, it seems), if that they would consider killing Louise off--obviously, if it doesn't, then she will be just fine. I hope not, if only because this family DEFINITELY doesn't need anymore tragedy--if Rebel becomes a hit, either have Louise leave town (maybe to go back on tour once it's safer to do so again), or just show up more sporadically unless Katey gets too busy. 

At least Louise was smart enough to tell Dan not to come in. It's nice when someone on this show actually gets to use common sense! 

I'm pretty sure even if Rebel is a hit that they won't kill off Louise because Katey begged the writers not to have a new girlfriend for Dan so she'll be just fine either way. She obviously loves Dan & Louise together if she didn't I don't think she would have fought so hard for the character to stay on the show in the first place. 

Edited March 25, 2021 by ESS

[OLynn33]

Literally the least likely way I could ever catch Covid would be being at a pool, falling asleep by that pool, and waking up surrounded by 20 something year olds.

Edited March 25, 2021 by OLynn33

[nelroy78]

31 minutes ago, OLynn33 said:

Literally the least likely way I could ever catch Covid would be being at a pool, falling asleep by that pool, and waking up surrounded by 20 something year olds.

And Dan sure is one to be talking...he tries to hide it from the family that Louise tested positive, and tried to go over and take care of Louise, yet gets all over Darlene for falling asleep at the pool on the one day 25 kids decide to show up without a mask, and Ben blows up at her too. I mean I get his point but he hasn’t been perfect either, he wasn’t exactly supportive of her promotion, he was just bitter that his life wasn’t better.

[Bastet]

Rebel went into production some time ago, and has been a go for a lesser but still substantial time; all along, the producers of this show have said they'll work around her primary shooting schedule rather than writing Louise out.  So - Louise will be fine, and we'll still see her occasionally on this show (which is all I care to see; she's fine, but I don't miss her when she's not there).

I forgot there was a new episode tonight, so I missed almost the entire first half.  Maybe I missed stuff that makes me less annoyed, but:

Dan is an idiot trying to take care of a COVID patient who is doing just fine on her own when he'll come back home to breathe on umpteen people, but it's typical of his personality.

Piss on Dan raking Darlene over the coals; this whole fucking family has repeatedly been irresponsible in terms of COVID exposure, so "you and I are never talking again" if she happened to be the one among the idiots who got Louise sick had me damn near throwing my drink at the TV (but, of course, I wouldn't waste a drink).

Seriously:  "My girlfriend has COVID, and my daughter may have given it to her"?  Yeah, as could any one of you, because you are all idiots; it's lucky you're not all sick.  I know losing Roseanne affects Dan's mindset, but this was some crap.

Neville cannot go away soon enough for me; I have not forgotten/will not forget he's one of those guys who won't accept a woman's clearly stated lack of interest.  But he's the victim, afraid of what she'll say or do?  This is more crap.

Again, I'll watch the whole thing online tomorrow to fill in the big gap, but I rather hate everyone tonight.

[chocolatine]

Am I really supposed to believe that both Darlene and Ben, who are supposed to be writers, and Becky, who was a straight-A student before dropping out and getting married, have never read Walden? I would have thought that especially Darlene during her teenage "dark" phase would have found it relatable.

[chocolatine]

25 minutes ago, RocknRollZombie said:

For all we knew the traits they once had Darlene and Becky had in school or interest don’t exist in the connerverse now. We already know how the show is with the layout of the of history  of the characters I wouldn’t be surprised. 

I know, it just always bugs me when TV characters who start out as intelligent are dumbed down over time. I also hate the trope that poor people aren't supposed to be educated or well-read.

[Melina22]

7 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Am I really supposed to believe that both Darlene and Ben, who are supposed to be writers, and Becky, who was a straight-A student before dropping out and getting married, have never read Walden

I can just barely believe that none of them have read the book, but not one of them has heard of Thoreau? Come on. 

[t7686]

The writing on this show is terrible. Becky was a straight A student and very smart, Darlene is suppose to be too. One of them would have read Walden or at the very least not be acting like reading of any kind is the worst thing ever 🙄I hate all of them lol. I do think Neville is good to Jackie though. Where’s DJ?

[TattleTeeny]

Maybe Becky drank away her Thoreau memories; it was quite boring, that book, haha!

Also, they dumbed Mark down way back when too. He didn’t start out like Joey Tribbiani!

[peacheslatour]

9 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I know, it just always bugs me when TV characters who start out as intelligent are dumbed down over time. I also hate the trope that poor people aren't supposed to be educated or well-read.

It's like the time that Roseanne didn't know that Gone With The Wind was a book. She wanted to be a writer and supposedly read all the time. Is there a girl in the entire US who didn't read GWTW at some point in their school years? Especially bookworm type girls. It was so out of character.

[MrsEVH]

14 hours ago, ESS said:

No she's not gonna be killed off. Louise isn't going anywhere, Rebel Katey's new show is on the same network as The Conners, she's doing both shows at the same time and the writers of The Conners are working around her schedule for Rebel.

Glad to hear that.

I didn't buy the girls discussing what a Covid test costs. Covid testing doesn't cost anything; they're free! At least where I am (WI) they are.

[greekmom]

11 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Am I really supposed to believe that both Darlene and Ben, who are supposed to be writers, and Becky, who was a straight-A student before dropping out and getting married, have never read Walden? I would have thought that especially Darlene during her teenage "dark" phase would have found it relatable.

Exactly.

I am having all sorts of issues with these guys lately.

Mark is suppose to do an assignment but expects his mom to read the book as well? I mean wouldn't it be more prudent to have Mark read the book and get some online assistance from his teacher and/or google?  What was Darlene suppose to do? Write his paper?

Harris at this point is being DJ'd.  And where was DJ?? We are seeing less and less of him.

Darlene needing time away - ok especially with a house full of people is understandable.  The fact that she's doing in secret is not understandable.

Becky and Darlene being both dumbed down is just dumb.

Dan saying he will never talk to Darlene if Louise dies.  Really?? Whatever happened to blood being thicker than water? This is your daughter for god's sake and Louise is your girlfriend.  Also, as careful as people are, it does happen that they may catch the virus (and the Connors are far from careful!)

At this point, I really don't care about Jackie's storyline.

[sharwoods]

When I needed to get a COVID-19 test last December, it was almost impossible to find a location.  At CITY MD the line for COVID tests started outside at 6am and the wait was so long that many people stayed in the queue for most of the day.  I finally found a pharmacy in northern NJ where I could get a test with results in 10 minutes, but it demanded money upfront and it was up to me to get reimbursed by my insurance company.  The cost was $128 and my insurance only reimbursed me $45.   I was suffering so much from COVID-type symptoms that I had to know right away.   However,my son lives in Philadelphia and was able to obtain a nasal swab test in February 2021 with one day's notice and was not charged.  I think the facility went through his medical insurance because they also did a COVID blood test since he had one positive and one negative nasal swab test the same day.  There can be false negatives, which was the case with my son.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I guess it was inevitable that someone on this show was going to get COVID.

Especially with their ass backwards usage of masks. Honestly, this might not be the best vehicle for doing a COVID story. I've been willing to look the other way because I know working the masks into a sitcom is tough, but when someone actually gets the virus it just reminds me of how irresponsible they all look. 

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Dan saying he will never talk to Darlene if Louise dies.  Really?? Whatever happened to blood being thicker than water? This is your daughter for god's sake and Louise is your girlfriend.  Also, as careful as people are, it does happen that they may catch the virus (and the Connors are far from careful!)

It's just like when Jackie slapped Darlene. If that happened to me it would be a cold day in hell before I or anyone in my immediate family spoke to her ever again.

[hoodooznoodooz]

In order to lounge by the pool, would Darlene each visit need to pay for one night at the hotel? Yet they have to use year-old condiment packets to come up with some kind of dinner?

[MaryHedwig]

9 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

In order to lounge by the pool, would Darlene each visit need to pay for one night at the hotel? Yet they have to use year-old condiment packets to come up with some kind of dinner?

I was assuming she was sneaking in and not paying at all. 

[tribeca]

When someone from my family had Covid I had to quarantine for 14 days.  My test was free but I had to use vacation or sick time.  Even though my test came back negative work would not allow me back until I quarantined for 14 days.  Same thing when a coworker tested positive.  I have used more sick time this past year then ever before.  
    Ben was a jerk but he wasn’t wrong Darlene lies to him a lot.  

Harris use to be an A student.  What does she do now ?  

[TattleTeeny]

I loved when Ben yelled at Neville, then apologized.

[iMonrey]

1 hour ago, MaryHedwig said:

In order to lounge by the pool, would Darlene each visit need to pay for one night at the hotel? Yet they have to use year-old condiment packets to come up with some kind of dinner?

I'm pretty sure hotel pools are closed in Illinois anyway. This was a stretch either way - where in Lanford is there a nearby hotel with a pool that is still in operation?

Again - they play fast and loose with the realities of the pandemic. So much so I think it is probably a bad idea to have any of the characters contract the virus, especially if it turns out to be a major plot point.

The only real laugh I got out of this one was when Dan was yelling at Darlene that she's the "responsible one" and Becky said "That's hurtful, but I agree." Also, Nat Faxon really does have a "cute little marionette face." Whatever that means.

[I Want My MBTV]

16 hours ago, UYI said:

At least Louise was smart enough to tell Dan not to come in. It's nice when someone on this show actually gets to use common sense! 

She's not a Conner!  Though Ben isn't either and he lost any sense he may have had.

 

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Especially with their ass backwards usage of masks. Honestly, this might not be the best vehicle for doing a COVID story. I've been willing to look the other way because I know working the masks into a sitcom is tough, but when someone actually gets the virus it just reminds me of how irresponsible they all look. 

Exactly! When Dan said he was going to go take care of Louise he said "I'll be careful, stay masked, ......" then as soon as he gets to her door - mask off!    Dan is not healthy and has no health insurance and has no savings. You'd really think he'd be more careful.  When they were all at the Lunch Box they weren't eating yet only Jackie had on a mask and then there were customers (well one) that they were exposed to and exposing him to. 

I don't understand why they were all at the Lunch Box anyway. If you're trying to do school work or work work why would you think that would be a good time to do it?    What does Darlene spend her work day doing that she has to spend all this time out of work catching up on her work?

For a comedy this show has sure gotten depressing. 

 

[mythoughtis]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I'm pretty sure hotel pools are closed in Illinois anyway. This was a stretch either way - where in Lanford is there a nearby hotel with a pool that is still in operation?

You would be correct.   We are on the  ‘let’s all be safe’ end of the spectrum here in terms of policy.   You can’t get a hot breakfast or even a cold one at hotels that used to offer self serve breakfast.    It’s a ridiculous plot line.   
They could have just blamed the grocery store or Jackie’s diner.  What happened to Louise’s restaurant by the way?  If Jackie is open so should the Mexican place be.  They weren’t just a bar. 

Edited March 25, 2021 by mythoughtis

[Snow Apple]

Sure, let's blame Darlene for Covid. Forget you all going mask-less at the hardware store, restaurant, and whenever a random person knocks on the door.

The very next scene shows Jackie wearing her mask under her nose and then took it right off when confronting the other mask-less restaurant owner. But yup, blame Darlene because she was the only one who admitted to bad mask habits.

They dug themselves into a hole by writing in Covid and now they can't drop it because it's still going on in the real word. The show is dreary enough without Covid affecting everything. Even Halloween was depressing.

And I groaned when Dan insisted on taking care of Louise even though I saw that coming a mile away. I'm really losing respect for Dan and his stubbornness in this reboot. He still think and act like he's in his 30's and 40's.

Edited March 25, 2021 by Snow Apple

[peacheslatour]

Quote

And I groaned when Dan insisted on taking care of Louise even though I saw that coming a mile away. I'm really losing respect for Dan and his stubbornness in this reboot. He still think and act like he's in his 30's and 40's.

That's pretty standard operating procedure for most men.

[rmontro]

It really bugged me that everybody got so sanctimonious with Darlene over going to the pool to deal with a mental health problem, thus possibly being exposed to Covid (she wasn't).  These people are not exactly fully isolating themselves, and we've seen they don't know how to use masks.  How many people do you suppose Jackie sees every day at the restaurant?  Or that Becky and Darlene see at the factory?  Or that Ben and Dan see at the hardware store?  Yet they jump all over Darlene for falling asleep at the pool while trying to relax?  That was absolutely ridiculous.

 

8 hours ago, greekmom said:

Mark is suppose to do an assignment but expects his mom to read the book as well? I mean wouldn't it be more prudent to have Mark read the book and get some online assistance from his teacher and/or google?  What was Darlene suppose to do? Write his paper?

I didn't get that at all.  I thought it was established that Mark was a bright kid.  Why does he need his mother to do his homework for him?

[greekmom]

16 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I'm pretty sure hotel pools are closed in Illinois anyway. This was a stretch either way - where in Lanford is there a nearby hotel with a pool that is still in operation?

I know pre covid there were a few hotels in my area (I live in Ontario) that did offer use of their pool for a few hours for a fee. 

I also did visit a hotel in August 2020 with my sister on Niagara on the lake (we had major covid fatigue) and the pool was open. Never used it.  

[UYI]

19 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

They dug themselves into a hole by writing in Covid and now they can't drop it because it's still going on in the real word. The show is dreary enough without Covid affecting everything. Even Halloween was depressing.

 

I mean, if they HADN'T written it in, they would have opened themselves up to criticism that they were betraying their legacy by not acknowledging the real world when they had always done so in the past. I wish they would be more consistent and responsible about addressing it, but I actually think not writing it in would have been WAY worse, and God knows this show has already dealt with enough bad publicity back in 2018. 

(ETA: And yes, I realize they are already bastardizing their legacy by seemingly not adhering to a consistent timeline of what happened and what hasn't happened, and almost everyone has acted out of character at least once at this point--but this is different, IMO. I will not REMOTELY pretend to be familiar with every scripted show currently on the air, but I imagine there are very few of them that would be criticized for not addressing the pandemic--this is one of the very few that wouldn't be able to, as far as I'm concerned. But it's definitely a double-edged sword, for sure--although, for what it's worth, I actually found the Halloween charming in its own way; it still worked for me--but mileage varies, obviously.)

Edited March 26, 2021 by UYI

[juliet73]

I'm hate watching this show at this point.  The Jackie/Neville plot was lame.  Dan jeopardizing his own health to "take care" of Louise was so stupid.  Yes, Louise tested positive, but she specifically said her only symptoms were loss of smell and being tired.  As for the Darlene situation, I don't blame her for needing a break.  However, why is everything piled on her?  The show does the same thing with Dan and money.  Dan is the only one that can pay the mortgage, etc  even though there are 4 other working adults that live there.  Back to Darlene, no one else can help Mark with his homework? According to the show, I guess not, but he can't use Google?  Besides Darlene, there are 4 other capable adults living in the house.  Why can't one of them go grocery shopping? Also, if everyone is hanging out at the Lunch Box, why can't Darlene just work at home where she would be alone. 

[peacheslatour]

Quote

 Also, if everyone is hanging out at the Lunch Box, why can't Darlene just work at home where she would be alone. 

Mark is old enough to be home unsupervised, why isn't he there doing his homework, where he could be alone? And while he's at it, he could throw in a couple loads of laundry.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I know pre covid there were a few hotels in my area (I live in Ontario) that did offer use of their pool for a few hours for a fee. 

Lanford has always been portrayed as a downtrodden, blue collar, low income area, and the pandemic certainly hasn't helped matters. Where in that vicinity is there supposed to be some luxury hotel with an indoor swimming pool? That's what they made it sound like, anyway. Or else was this supposed to be some low-level Motel 6 with an outdoor pool? How is that relaxing?

Quote

Same the only reason I watch is hate watch, I don’t recognize the conners as the Conner family anymore.

I still get a few laughs out of the show here and there, but I understand the criticism. The writing has been very lazy and not at all in the same spirit as the original show. And it goes without saying, at this point, how much contradiction there has been between the two iterations. 

[bobalina]

21 hours ago, rmontro said:

 

I didn't get that at all.  I thought it was established that Mark was a bright kid.  Why does he need his mother to do his homework for him?

Maybe discussion is way always they did homework. Or it may be Marks way of getting his moms attention since she seems to always be at work  or with Ben or propping up her barely functioning family

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Lanford has always been portrayed as a downtrodden, blue collar, low income area, and the pandemic certainly hasn't helped matters. Where in that vicinity is there supposed to be some luxury hotel with an indoor swimming pool? That's what they made it sound like, anyway. Or else was this supposed to be some low-level Motel 6 with an outdoor pool? How is that relaxing?

It would have been more believable if it had been the Y or something.

[Cherpumple]

3 hours ago, juliet73 said:

Dan jeopardizing his own health to "take care" of Louise was so stupid.

Yeah, I didn't get that. It's great if he wants to drop off groceries and meds, call to check in, or even do some laundry for her, but the man wears a cpap and had a heart attack. Don't go in that apartment!!! It was even stupider that Neville didn't seem to care about his own sister.

[UYI]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Lanford has always been portrayed as a downtrodden, blue collar, low income area

See, I would argue it varies depending on the episode. There have been times when it's been portrayed as a town with a "richer" side (relatively speaking, I guess) and a "poorer" side, too. The actual size of the town also seems to vary depending on the episode. I mean, it's something I can overlook--almost EVERY show that isn't set in a real life town or city has done that at one point or another--but yeah, they definitely seem to gone back and forth on that going back to the earliest days of Roseanne, even if it mostly settles on lower working class town more often than not.

(Then again, Fulton County--the county it was said to be in in the first season of Roseanne when they had a tornado--is supposed to be close to Peoria, whereas as time gone on it definitely was/is supposed to closer-ish to Chicago--so I dunno.)

[MrsEVH]

On 3/25/2021 at 3:36 PM, mythoughtis said:

You would be correct.   We are on the  ‘let’s all be safe’ end of the spectrum here in terms of policy.   You can’t get a hot breakfast or even a cold one at hotels that used to offer self serve breakfast.    It’s a ridiculous plot line.   

In July 2020 we stayed at a casino in northern WI and the pool was closed. In that area Covid wasn't as bad as in southeastern WI where I live. 

[juliet73]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Lanford has always been portrayed as a downtrodden, blue collar, low income area, and the pandemic certainly hasn't helped matters. Where in that vicinity is there supposed to be some luxury hotel with an indoor swimming pool? That's what they made it sound like, anyway. Or else was this supposed to be some low-level Motel 6 with an outdoor pool? How is that relaxing?

Plenty of motels (Best Westerns, Motel 6, Days Inn, etc) in the Midwest have indoor pools. 

[geauxaway]

$1400 x 7 (Dan, Becky, BevRo, Darlene, Harris, Mark, Ben) = $9800. They should be planning another Disney trip by now.  Or, ya know.  Paying up on their mortgage and bills.    If they gonna play the bad side of COVID they better also play the benefit.  Which by now they’ve gotten 3 stimmy payments.

1 hour ago, juliet73 said:

Plenty of motels (Best Westerns, Motel 6, Days Inn, etc) in the Midwest have indoor pools. 

Ew.  Who would want to go in any of those indoor pools?

[love2lovebadtv]

On 2/18/2021 at 11:30 PM, juno said:

 

 

On 3/25/2021 at 11:48 AM, MrsEVH said:

Glad to hear that.

I didn't buy the girls discussing what a Covid test costs. Covid testing doesn't cost anything; they're free! At least where I am (WI) they are.

It seemed like they were looking for rapid results, which aren't free in the areas I'm familiar with. I guess it's because they all live together without a ton of space to quarantine for 2 weeks. So they wanted quick results. 

On 3/25/2021 at 12:32 PM, iMonrey said:

Especially with their ass backwards usage of masks. Honestly, this might not be the best vehicle for doing a COVID story. I've been willing to look the other way because I know working the masks into a sitcom is tough, but when someone actually gets the virus it just reminds me of how irresponsible they all look. 

The mask thing is so stupid. Why bother with the covid plot at all? Or if you're going to wear masks and take them off, why not have people distance themselves? People on the show take off their masks as they get closer to someone. I don't watch a lot of current shows so I haven't seen any others that acknowledge covid. I'm curious how they handle it.

[Cherpumple]

During Jackie's storyline I kept getting distracted thinking about what a mess the Lunchbox menu must be. They specialize in stew, but now they serve lasagna, schnitzel, and sushi? Yikes. I love sushi, but would never order it from a place that randomly added it to their menu a week ago. I get what she's doing, but honestly, I don't think those competitors have anything to worry about. There's no way she's doing those dishes justice.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Plenty of motels (Best Westerns, Motel 6, Days Inn, etc) in the Midwest have indoor pools. 

I'm probably beating a dead horse, but the whole premise here is that Darlene needed to get away and relax. Sitting next to a deserted pool at a roadside motel doesn't sound like a day spa break to me. I think what the writers had in mind was that she was at some really nice, posh hotel with a pool and again I would ask, where in Lanford is there one of those?

This was a really stupid plot point anyway. As already noted, these people play fast and loose with the masks and the distancing, so any one of them could very easily contract the virus at any given moment. Inventing some improbable, special situation for Darlene to have "made a mistake" was completely unnecessary. I think it speaks to how unaware the writers are of how badly these characters are coming across with respect to COVID safety measures.

Edited March 27, 2021 by iMonrey

[UYI]

14 hours ago, geauxaway said:

 

Ew.  Who would want to go in any of those indoor pools?

Maybe I'm weird, but I've loved indoor pools since I was a kid, lol. As someone who isn't always fond of hot weather, it's a good thing for someone like me (although obviously quality can vary).

14 hours ago, love2lovebadtv said:

 

The mask thing is so stupid. Why bother with the covid plot at all? 

I said this above already, but:

On 3/26/2021 at 10:46 AM, UYI said:

I mean, if they HADN'T written it in, they would have opened themselves up to criticism that they were betraying their legacy by not acknowledging the real world when they had always done so in the past. I wish they would be more consistent and responsible about addressing it, but I actually think not writing it in would have been WAY worse, and God knows this show has already dealt with enough bad publicity back in 2018. 

(ETA: And yes, I realize they are already bastardizing their legacy by seemingly not adhering to a consistent timeline of what happened and what hasn't happened, and almost everyone has acted out of character at least once at this point--but this is different, IMO. I will not REMOTELY pretend to be familiar with every scripted show currently on the air, but I imagine there are very few of them that would be criticized for not addressing the pandemic--this is one of the very few that wouldn't be able to, as far as I'm concerned. But it's definitely a double-edged sword, for sure--although, for what it's worth, I actually found the Halloween charming in its own way; it still worked for me--but mileage varies, obviously.)

So yeah, while the mask thing is frustrating, this is one show that basically had no choice but to acknowledge the existence of COVID, even if every other sitcom on the air ignores it (and based on my limited knowledge, it looks like most of them are). 

55 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I think what the writers had in mind was that she was at some really nice, posh hotel with a pool and again I would ask, where in Lanford is there one of those?

 

Maybe she went to a nearby town? Or, like I posted above:

17 hours ago, UYI said:

See, I would argue it varies depending on the episode. There have been times when it's been portrayed as a town with a "richer" side (relatively speaking, I guess) and a "poorer" side, too. The actual size of the town also seems to vary depending on the episode. 

Maybe they were using that image of Lanford in that case? Or maybe not. I dunno, the TV trivia queen in me just remembered this--it's truly a blessing and a curse to have a such a good memory sometimes, lol. 

[tessaray]

If Lanford has a casino,  there is probably a decent-ish hotel close by.  At least most of the ones I'm familiar with one state over do.

[peacheslatour]

28 minutes ago, tessaray said:

If Lanford has a casino,  there is probably a decent-ish hotel close by.  At least most of the ones I'm familiar with one state over do.

I was just thinking that. Didn't Crystal and/or Darlene used to work a a casino?

[UYI]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

I was just thinking that. Didn't Crystal and/or Darlene used to work a a casino?

Yes they did--which proves that Crystal was in their lives the whole time AND THEY SAW LITTLE ED GROW UP, DAMN IT.

*ahem*

But yes, I can fanwank that maybe Darlene asked someone there she used to work with if she could use the casino pool here and there for a few hours.