S02.E08: She's a Bad Mama Jama

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Alicia's mom, Grandma Shireen, stays with the Johnsons after her surgery but taking care of grandma becomes a full-time job; Denise tests each of the kids to see who is best fit to take care of her when gets old one day.

Original air date: 3/30/21

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This week's musical reference:

 

[hula-la]

Tika Sumpter has the most beautiful skin. Not a pore in sight. As someone who doesn’t have children, I am very aware that I don’t have anyone to take care of me when I’m older. I was just joking the other day that I need to keep my nieces on my good side so they’ll drive me to the doctor when I’m old. I think the younger one will—I’m worried the older one will leave me on the side of the road. 

[Aileen]

3 minutes ago, hula-la said:

Tika Sumpter has the most beautiful skin. Not a pore in sight. As someone who doesn’t have children, I am very aware that I don’t have anyone to take care of me when I’m older. I was just joking the other day that I need to keep my nieces on my good side so they’ll drive me to the doctor when I’m old. I think the younger one will—I’m worried the older one will leave me on the side of the road. 

She has got to be one of the most beautiful women alive. She’s distractingly gorgeous.

This episode had a lot of laugh out loud moments and the two flashbacks to black-ish were great. It made me sad, though, to hear Paul talk about “40 years from now,” knowing his fate from Black-ish.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 hours ago, hula-la said:

Tika Sumpter has the most beautiful skin. Not a pore in sight.

I was marveling at her gorgeous skin during this episode too. It's almost unreal.

[DearEvette]

I 100% agree about Tika Sumpter.  She is so gorgeous and yes her skin is unreal  in its perfection.

I have to say that this episode just did not land for me.  It felt mean spirited instead of funny.  Also I just have this thing... about toxic relatives. 

I did love the fast forward to Black-ish.  But that reminded me about Ruby (who I can't stand) and what is the deal with difficult mothers in this franchise? 

[tennisgurl]

Some good laughs this week, but I really felt bad for Alicia. Not only do her mom and sister gang up on her, she tries so hard to please her mom and she still treats her poorly. I am glad that at least she told her mom that she needs to stop being so rude and her mom said she would try. They didn't do the sitcom thing where someone is a huge jerk all episode and someone finally tells them off then they have some sob story about why they were so rude and the person who tells them off has to feel bad. 

The flashforwards to Black-ish were fun, but they also made me sad knowing that Paul has since passed by then.

Edited March 31, 2021 by tennisgurl

[Pusha G]

Does this season take place in 1987?

If so, that Morgan Freeman/Driving Miss Daisy joke Alicia's mom said to Paul was a HUGE anachronism.  

[AnimeMania]

They should have moved that tiny TV to the nightstand by the bed. Problem solved!

I am surprised that Harrison and Grandma didn't have any interaction.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Black Grandma is plain awful IMO. I'll never understand that sense of entitlement to abuse your children emotionally. (Or physically for that matter, but for many what she was doing to Alicia isn't considered abuse because at least she wasn't hitting her. 😐)

Is it me or does Bow's hair get bigger every episode? I don't recall that look being a thing in the 80s, outside of Diana Ross and Chaka Khan anyway.

Marry rich and divorce richer. That's our Santi!

Aunt Denise and Grandpa Harrison need to get together. Problem solved. 😏

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 3/31/2021 at 2:11 PM, AnimeMania said:

They should have moved that tiny TV to the nightstand by the bed. Problem solved!

Ha, I'm imagining a trail of extension cords all the way across the room so that the tv could be on the bed. But realistically, grandma was clearly the kind of person who would complain about anything and everything. If they had put the tv on the bed so that she could change the channel herself, she would have complained that the tv was too close or that the extension cord was a fire hazard or something.

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Ha, I'm imagining a trail of extension cords all the way across the room so that the tv could be on the bed. But realistically, grandma was clearly the kind of person who would complain about anything and everything. If they had put the tv on the bed so that she could change the channel herself, she would have complained that the tv was too close or that the extension cord was a fire hazard or something.

LOL.  That whole change-the-channel thing didn't seem to make sense.  The 80s/90s were probably the golden age of the remote control.  You had one remote that would do everything you needed.  Now, I could understand that you would have to come home to change the channel for someone!  "You need the cable remote to do this, but you need the TV remote to do that.  And this one for Netflix, but this other one for on-demand.  No not that one.  Maybe it's under the couch."  I stayed with my son & DIL for a few days to help with a newborn, and I figured I would watch a little quiet TV while I was trying to soothe him so mom & dad could sleep a bit.  By the time I figured out which remote controlled the closed captions, he was back to sleep anyway.

[LBS]

On 3/30/2021 at 11:43 PM, hula-la said:

As someone who doesn’t have children, I am very aware that I don’t have anyone to take care of me when I’m older.

I never thought of that until this episode and now I’m eyeing by 9 nieces and nephews a lot closer.  😂. I loved when Santa Monica threw the tea on the Cabbage Patch doll.  It was a fun throwback/flash forward to when she is on her ‘Housewives’ show on Black-ish.  

[txhorns79]

8 hours ago, LBS said:

I never thought of that until this episode and now I’m eyeing by 9 nieces and nephews a lot closer.

If it makes you feel better, any parent who thinks having a child guarantees a future caretaker for them often is sorely disappointed.  And the reality is there are also a lot of steps between someone being totally independent and someone needing to be in a skilled nursing facility.  

I didn't love the episode.  I thought Black Grandma was too over the top, and the problems with her morphed from realistic to ridiculous.

[hula-la]

10 hours ago, LBS said:

I never thought of that until this episode and now I’m eyeing by 9 nieces and nephews a lot closer.  😂. I loved when Santa Monica threw the tea on the Cabbage Patch doll.  It was a fun throwback/flash forward to when she is on her ‘Housewives’ show on Black-ish.  

At least you have a few to choose from. I have 2–have to stay in both of their good books! I saw this article on Twitter. I have to be in the right frame of mind to read, but know is important that I do. https://www.rewire.org/plan-your-future-dont-plan-on-having-kids/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=twitter_article_share

[mtlchick]

On 3/31/2021 at 3:08 PM, Pusha G said:

Does this season take place in 1987?

If so, that Morgan Freeman/Driving Miss Daisy joke Alicia's mom said to Paul was a HUGE anachronism.  

I know that was an easy way to get the joke in, but I rolled my eyes at such a noticeable mistake. 

I didn't mind it, but her mom was making Alicia's life hell when she had a job to go to.  

[chediavolo]

On 4/3/2021 at 10:57 AM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Black Grandma is plain awful IMO. I'll never understand that sense of entitlement to abuse your children emotionally. (Or physically for that matter, but for many what she was doing to Alicia isn't considered abuse because at least she wasn't hitting her. 😐)

Is it me or does Bow's hair get bigger every episode? I don't recall that look being a thing in the 80s, outside of Diana Ross and Chaka Khan anyway.

Marry rich and divorce richer. That's our Santi!

Aunt Denise and Grandpa Harrison need to get together. Problem solved. 😏

Just finishing up the series. So sad to see it end. Bows hair is out of control. It has  a life of its own & distracts me from the show.  I lived through the era of natural hair, afro   …a decade before this. They were mostly controlled, well taken care of. This thing on her head is awful. Looks like a sheep. It’s one thing to accept your natural hair but this is going too far.  My own hair is unruly but I don’t just give up. I would hate to be a student sitting behind her. Or at a movie theater or anywhere you need to see.