S05.E16: The Adirondacks

[TV Diva Queen]

when Rebecca told Kevin to "build her that house"  I don't think she expected Kevin to strap on a tool belt and start chopping down the timber.  I believe she meant for him to bankroll it.  Miguel isn't going to "build" it either.  

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, TV Diva Queen said:

when Rebecca told Kevin to "build her that house"  I don't think she expected Kevin to strap on a tool belt and start chopping down the timber.  I believe she meant for him to bankroll it.  Miguel isn't going to "build" it either.  

I can see Kevin paying the bills while Miguel helps deal with the construction side. Plus I assume they will need an architect to draw up blueprints; Jack's drawing was just the outside of the house, right? Kevin doesn't need to move while it's being built (besides, we all know they can just zip across the country at the drop of a hat).

[Jax7917]

Did anyone else think that while Rebecca was sitting with her kids , instead of building the house she was gonna say “ I would like to renew my vows with Miguel.” It wouldn’t be a failed wedding in a tv show if someone else didn’t take their place at the alter . 

[General Days]

13 minutes ago, TV Diva Queen said:

when Rebecca told Kevin to "build her that house"  I don't think she expected Kevin to strap on a tool belt and start chopping down the timber.  I believe she meant for him to bankroll it.  Miguel isn't going to "build" it either.  

 

Right? Last night, when Kevin asked Miguel if they were fixing the arch (or whatever it was) correctly, Miguel even said something like, "I don't know. I've paid people for the past [however many] years to do things like this for me."

[FnkyChkn34]

23 minutes ago, TV Diva Queen said:

when Rebecca told Kevin to "build her that house"  I don't think she expected Kevin to strap on a tool belt and start chopping down the timber.  I believe she meant for him to bankroll it.  Miguel isn't going to "build" it either.  

Exactly, he'll just be the project manager and the check signer.  He can't do more than that - he needs to maintain/resurrect his movie career to keep paying for everything his family asks from him (whether he's offered or not, they still ask a lot).  

[BrownBear2012]

16 hours ago, greekmom said:

So the job only has Toby in San Fran 3 days a week? If he's pulling in same or more than what he is making at his last job it's not actually a bad gig.  He can stay in the city for those 3 days a week and then go back home for the rest of the week. That's still 4 days a week at home and with Kate and the kids.
It's nice how Malek got into all these Ivy League schools but how the hell is he going to pay for Harvard. I know there are scholarships but still... it's not like it will be a full ride.
At least Rebecca acknowledged the fact that she did wrong by Randall and she never talked to him about being adopted or his birth parents.
I was worried that Kevin was going to take a drink due to the wedding stress. I do feel bad for Madison but I do think these two crazy kids can make a go of it if Madison didn't put so much stock in the in love aspect. People get married for even less than what they have.

So we got a future scene. Randall is a rising star. Nicky's wife wanted stockings. It's 5 years in the future. Madison is still with them. And Kate is getting married to that British guy? What the fuck?  
 

This finale was trying too hard. They piled on so much it was ridiculous. They could have cut out the whole argument between Milo and Mandy about the taping over of Dynasty with a Pirates game and the silly wedding redo put together by three small children. 

Malek getting into three ivy leagues seemed a little over the top. Someone in his position as a teen father from a middle class family would probably apply to Penn which is a local ivy league or Princeton which isn't that faraway. Getting into five would be huge by any measure...it just seems like an over the top decision by the writers.

Kevin/Madison storyline seemed inevitable...he'still pining for his first love Sophie. 

Randall is Rebecca's favorite and she just blurts it out? Wow...

 

[ams1001]

5 minutes ago, BrownBear2012 said:

Randall is Rebecca's favorite and she just blurts it out? Wow...

Maybe her dementia is starting to affect her filter...sometimes people say things they never would before, as their minds start to go.

[Boo Boo]

I definitely was WTF asking your richest son to build you a house?  Or did Kevin offer that before?

[cameron]

57 minutes ago, TV Diva Queen said:

when Rebecca told Kevin to "build her that house"  I don't think she expected Kevin to strap on a tool belt and start chopping down the timber.  I believe she meant for him to bankroll it.  Miguel isn't going to "build" it either.  

No, she mean't for Kevin to bankroll it so she can always put Jack first in her heart as oppose to her current husband.

[Empress1]

4 minutes ago, BrownBear2012 said:

Malek getting into three ivy leagues seemed a little over the top. Someone in his position as a teen father from a middle class family would probably apply to Penn which is a local ivy league or Princeton which isn't that faraway. Getting into five would be huge by any measure...it just seems like an over the top decision by the writers.

I don't think he got into three Ivies (and even if he did, I wouldn't be surprised - I got into three Ivies and I know others who did too. This kid got into all 8!). I think Beth said he'd applied to the four best colleges in and around Philly, ostensibly to stay near his parents and daughter. Penn is the only Ivy in Philly; the other three would probably be in the suburbs (Swarthmore, Haverford, maybe Villanova). I think he got into two Ivies (Harvard, Penn) and three other non-Ivy-but-still-good schools.

If he decides to go to Harvard, the tricky thing will be figuring out what to do with his daughter - I doubt you can have a baby in the dorms. At my alma mater, someone in my major had a toddler our senior year (when I met her). She took her last final sophomore year when she was pregnant, gave birth over the summer, and came back junior year and graduated on time. She had a lot of help though. She was from the city where our school was and the baby's father wasn't a student, so she moved in with him and had his and her family's help with their kid. Malik would either have to live off campus with the baby (which might fuck up his financial aid) and find child care for her, or he could leave the baby with his parents while he goes to school. In his shoes I think I'd go to Penn and be a commuter student.

56 minutes ago, TV Diva Queen said:

when Rebecca told Kevin to "build her that house"  I don't think she expected Kevin to strap on a tool belt and start chopping down the timber.  I believe she meant for him to bankroll it.  Miguel isn't going to "build" it either.  

This was my assumption. "Pay for the house I want to be built," is what she was asking. Whatever other role he takes in this project, his main role is going to be financier. I don't think Kevin is particularly handy, and even if he is, there are leagues between "I can swing a sledgehammer [remember that hot scene when he was working on the building Randall bought? And the women in the building were literally sipping tea and watching delightedly, which is exactly what I would have been doing?]" and "I can build a house."

[cameron]

14 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Maybe her dementia is starting to affect her filter...sometimes people say things they never would before, as their minds start to go.

And then she asks her Kevin to build her Jack's dream house.  Poor on her part.

[Mrs Shibbles]

I am starting to really dislike most of the characters on this show.  

I'm glad Madison spoke up for herself. 

Kate and Toby were being ridiculous.  Well, mostly Kate.  If Toby had brought it up at a better time, maybe?  

They already had a biological child that they wanted badly, spending loads of money from who knows where, risking her life and the baby's life to have.  THEN, they adopted another child together, spending more magical money on top of the time and energy they already had to devote to their special needs child.  Then, months later they are fighting (at her brother's wedding!!) over who has to take care of the kids while the other one pursues their dream? 

I do not like how they handled the Tess with the bridesmaids dress situation.  She would have tried on the dress already, and really wouldn't the right time for that be when Madison is picking out the dresses?  I could understand if she wasn't comfortable wearing a DRESS, and was too scared to bring it up earlier, but it ended up being another dress?!

Some of these things characters and plots are turning out so ridiculous, that I wonder if the ending will turn out to be a dream or imaginary like St. Elsewhere or Dallas or Roseanne.

Edited May 26, 2021 by Mrs Shibbles
left out Madison's name

[cameron]

34 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Exactly, he'll just be the project manager and the check signer.  He can't do more than that - he needs to maintain/resurrect his movie career to keep paying for everything his family asks from him (whether he's offered or not, they still ask a lot).  

I vote for check signer.  Still has to work in order to support these people.

[debraran]

Just now, Mrs Shibbles said:

I am starting to really dislike most of the characters on this show.  

I'm glad   spoke up for herself. 

Kate and Toby were being ridiculous.  Well, mostly Kate.  If Toby had brought it up at a better time, maybe?  

They already had a biological child that they wanted badly, spending loads of money from who knows where, risking her life and the baby's life to have.  THEN, they adopted another child together, spending more magical money on top of the time and energy they already had to devote to their special needs child.  Then, months later they are fighting (at her brother's wedding!!) over who has to take care of the kids while the other one pursues their dream? 

I do not like how they handled the Tess with the bridesmaids dress situation.  She would have tried on the dress already, and really wouldn't the right time for that be when Madison is picking out the dresses?  I could almost understand if she wasn't comfortable wearing a DRESS, but it ended up being another dress?!

Some of these things characters and plots are turning out so ridiculous, that I wonder if the ending will turn out to be a dream like St. Elsewhere or Dallas or Roseanne.

Why no mention of unemployment or stimulus payments? Why just her salary?

The Tess thing was over the top. It’s not your wedding. Glad it was called off.  Please do not go down this path again.  Done to the point of nausea. 

[BoogieBurns]

6 hours ago, Boo Boo said:

Not to mention, have we seen non-binary Tess wearing non-binary clothing?  

And I guess I'm also confused non-binary.  Pardon my ignorance, but doesn't non-binary mean that you identify with both genders and therefore you wouldn't eschew either femininity or masculinity? 

There's no way to dress non-binary. Whatever a non-binary person wears is "dressing non binary." Just like there isn't a way to dress "cis straight."

Hope that helps. 

[MBayGal]

5 hours ago, Blakeston said:

 

It's really amazing to me how little insight the show has given us into Tess.

There haven't been a lot of queer Black teenage girls on television, let alone queer Black teenage girls in interracial relationships with non-binary people. There's so much potential material there - like for example, does Tess still identify as a lesbian, even though she's dating someone who isn't female?

 

How would there be time for a "what it's like to be a queer black teen dating a nonbinary person" plot when Every Single Episode needs to include more cutesy scenes of young jack and rebecca, along with the big 3's endless relationship problems and rebecca's dementia progressing?   

[Boo Boo]

2 minutes ago, BoogieBurns said:

There's no way to dress non-binary. Whatever a non-binary person wears is "dressing non binary." Just like there isn't a way to dress "cis straight."

Hope that helps. 

Yeah, I have no idea what I'm talking about here clearly! 

 

[BoogieBurns]

12 minutes ago, Boo Boo said:

Yeah, I have no idea what I'm talking about here clearly!

There's so much to learn! It's really hard to absorb it all. I'm lucky enough to have nonbinary and queer (Gen Z) friends who take the time to explain these things to me.

Also, Tess gets to self identify her sexuality while dating Alex. So she can be a lesbian, she can be queer, she can be both. I don't recall Tess using the word "lesbian" but I zone in and out. Queer is the term most often used for people who are open to dating any gender (including nb). 

Edited May 26, 2021 by BoogieBurns

[Boo Boo]

1 minute ago, BoogieBurns said:

There's so much to learn! It's really hard to absorb it all. I'm lucky enough to have nonbinary and queer (Gen Z) friends who take the time to explain these things to me.

There is so much!  I appreciate you taking the time!

[ljenkins782]

17 hours ago, CleoCaesar said:

Huh. Well I didn’t see that coming.

I absolutely loathed the British guy on Modern Family. Having him be on the next season is going to grate.

“They’re just standing there. Like Children of the Corn or something.”

Tess’s brattiness really shouldn’t have been indulged to that degree. Altering a bridesmaid’s dress ten minutes before the ceremony, seriously?

Kevin and Madison...meh. I liked that they're clearly friendly in the flashforward, regardless of whether they are a couple.

Agreed on all points. I detested his Modern Family character and this one hasn't endeared him to me either, so not happy that he's going to be part of next season. I'd rather she end up with the neighbor guy.

And the Tess scene really infuriated me. Is gender identity now going to be an acceptable excuse for all manner of rudeness? Because:

Quote

I get Tess wanting to be seen as herself, but it is a bridesmaid dress. They are notoriously hated and people wear them to please the bride. It's a few hours. And it wasn't like her problem was wearing a dress or looking feminine, so it just seemed bratty. Also, Beth should have gotten the okay from Madison, not Kevin.

this is true. There's a reason there are age-old jokes about bridesmaids' dresses being the tool of the bride to make sure she looks best. It's part of the wedding that the bride selects and the bridesmaids agree to ahead of time. You don't just go changing it because you decide ON THE DAY that you just don't feel like yourself.

I get the point they were attempting to make, but it was out of place. Make that point with Tess' outfit for a school dance or something where it's her outfit to do with what she wants. 

Also, it was still a dress when it was done, right? So what exactly was accomplished? Besides the would-be ruining of the photos (had the wedding actually happened)....

Quote

If Kevin is giving a speech, is he best man? Why would Kevin be that dude's best man?

I'm guessing he's going to be the officiant, but even if he was best man, it would track for this show where no one has any outside friends.

I enjoyed the flashbacks to Rebecca's freakout about Dynasty but the kids were terrible. Seems like a new crop of actors to replace the others who are too old now? Not an upgrade.

And deciding that their parents needed to get married again, right then, was too precious even for this show. Kids that small wouldn't process information that way. Mandy Moore looked gorgeous in those flashbacks though.

[MissLucas]

Okay I might be a dinosaur but I can't let this go: If you did not want someone to delete a tape you'd simply remove the little latch on the front-side. The only way to tape over then was to cover it with a bit of sticky tape - which would have been a major jerk move. (I did check - the latch was still there).

SO THIS WAS ON YOU REBECCA!

*off to chase some kids from my lawn*

[cameron]

7 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

Okay I might be a dinosaur but I can't let this go: If you did not want someone to delete a tape you'd simply remove the little latch on the front-side. The only way to tape over then was to cover it with a bit of sticky tape - which would have been a major jerk move. (I did check - the latch was still there).

SO THIS WAS ON YOU REBECCA!

*off to chase some kids from my lawn*

Forgot all about that trick.

[CarpeFelis]

Man, I felt so bad for Madison! First her mother leaves her — with nothing but a pair of earrings, then her father shreds her self-esteem even further with his comment about settling for whoever’s willing to ask you to prom (and I’m sure he made many more such comments to her over the years), and finally Kevin cannot bring himself to say he loves HER, specifically, not just “this family we’re building”. That really had to hurt. Good on her for calling it off.

Completely sick of the Jack flashbacks.

And a big WTF re Rebecca making Kevin’s wedding day All. About. Randall. Good grief!

And wow, that ending was a big surprise.

[CarpeFelis]

16 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

There's a reason there are age-old jokes about bridesmaids' dresses being the tool of the bride to make sure she looks best.

The worst example of this I’ve ever seen: the bride spent months working out before the wedding. At one point I heard she’d had to change her routine because she was getting too muscular (guess she wanted to look like a model). She had the big poofy dress with a super-fitted bodice—and made all the bridesmaids wear a godawful BOXY top over the bodices of their dresses. It made them all look terrible next to her.

[gameshowjunkie]

17 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

And has a wife!  Who needs stockings!

It seemed like the wedding coordinator got the girls' sizes and purchased the dresses without their input at all (I know, seems unlikely that they would fit so well-more likely the dresses would have been purchased in PA and brought to the wedding) and this was the first time Tess saw it.

I just realized that Tess would have seen (and tried on/had altered) her bridesmaid dress in California in the time between the bachelorette party and the wedding.

So, never mind Deja, what's Malik going to do about his baby?  Sometimes you have to make sacrifices when you have a child.

It would almost definitely be a full ride, with extra money for books and incidentals.  Right now, Harvard is free if your family makes less than $65,000, and "for families who earn between $65,000 and $150,000, the expected contribution is between zero and ten percent of your annual income." https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/why-harvard/affordability#:~:text=If your family's income is,less than a public university.  The school would also take into account the expenses his parents have for his daughter, but even if Malik's parents made $80,000 per year and he had to borrow $8,000 per year to attend (which I doubt he would) it would probably be an excellent investment.

Many people don't realize that although the Ivy League schools don't have merit scholarships, for people of limited or even middle class means, some of them are  less expensive than state universities.   Here is Princeton's average aid:  https://admission.princeton.edu/cost-aid/how-princetons-aid-program-works and U Penn is similar. The trick, of course, it to obtain admission. 

My son is starting Stanford in the fall, and I was pleasantly surprised to be getting any aid. If you make under 150K you pay room and board only, but over that there's some formula. The FAFSA told us we could afford over 100K a year for our son's college costs, but Stanford and the ivies use a different methodology. Which is nice because I would like to be able to, you know, pay my mortgage and eat.

 

On the dress thing, in these days of covid a lot of stuff is done virtually. I know a seamstress who requests detailed measurements from people and does alterations based on that. So it's possible this was the first time they saw the dresses, which I personally thought were cute. Tessa needed to suck it up for the day. It had nothing to do with her sexual orientation. If she were transgender that would be a different story.

[qtpye]

5 hours ago, Jax7917 said:

Yes yes and yes !
 

Rebecca Is always the perfect mother and always trying to say the perfect things not to make her grown kids angry . 

Randall always needs an apology from everyone and for them to “ do better “ , even though he has a  pretty awesome family . No one ever understands him enough . 
 

Beth always kisses her kids butts rather than tell them they’re acting spoiled and entitled and it’s not all about you . Looking at you , Tess 👀. 
 

Kevin always needs to be the knight in shining armor and starts every episode doing or saying the wrong thing which never even seems so wrong to me .. only to end the episode with a speech saying the perfect words to whoever it is at the moment that wants to hear them . 
 

Jack is king of trying to be perfect at all times and it’s so annoying . No parent says or does the perfect thing alllll the time .. but he broke the mold . 🙄 

I love the show . It’s well written and gets a tear out of me most episodes . But realistic it’s not . I’m waiting for a sibling to say “ shut the hell up “ and not apologize for it with a monologue . Or for Jack and Rebecca to mess up and just be like , “ well shit happens , get over it .” 
it’s just all too robotic and takes the human out of these characters . 

Thank you so much. I wish I could like this 100 times. The characters are not real but into their own corners of perfection which is often lazy writing.

I was very angry at Jack here. It was not because that he taped over her show because accidents happen and yes she should have done the thing with the latch.

What annoyed me is his refusal to apologize because her show is so stupid. My husband is very into Pittsburgh sports, so I get the passion, but the fact that he never thinks his "sports" are frivolous shows sexism in the way that typical men's interests are admired and female interests are put down. I know Dynasty was just a cheesy soap but it was all Rebecca had after taking care of 3 toddlers by herself for a whole week.

As someone stated before if you did not watch a show during airtime or tape a show, then you had no way of ever seeing it unless your friend also taped it. 

He called her show stupid and he refused to apologize. Jack is great for grand gestures but he really never takes into account what she wants on the small day-to-day stuff or ever put her needs first.

I remember when she was in the hospital and he took the Big 3 to her hospital room because God forbid she want one night to recover and be away from her children.

So who becomes the bad guy in this...Rebecca because she dares to express that she is angry at Jack and taking care of 3 small children might actually be tiring. 

 

5 hours ago, TV Diva Queen said:

mine at 19 and 21 - home a week from college and I pretty much am reading for them to go back.  The older one has a year lease at a townhouse complex (at school) with a built in pool and I'm like "go.....go swim in your pool and play with your school friends, I'm over you being home"  LOL (I'm greek and italian and that is my love language to them....I'd die for them, but dang, they can be trying at time0

 

5 hours ago, JayDub1987 said:

Yes! I'd lay down my life for my kids, but when you've got an 11 month old screaming and a 9 year old really likes being the center of attention, it can get stressful. Toby didn't say anything that we haven't all thought.

When I was 20 (and still living at home) my dad looked at me one day and said, "So, when do you plan on moving out?" lol

 

5 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I once heard a reporter who was writing a book on his attempt to parent solo while his wife took a few weeks away to finish her book.  He said he started the process  thinking how hard could this be? and ended it asking himself when I love these children so much and would die for them, why is my happiest moment seeing their backs as they walk away from me into school each morning?.  Still makes me chuckle.

Yes, the show really preaches that as a parent you must be sunny cheerful, and thanking God for your family every minute or you are a monster. If every child had a mental breakdown just because "mommy and daddy were angry" then there is no point of ever having a family, because yes a healthy couple does argue some of the time.

Also, just because you do not want to be a stay-at-home parent (like Toby) does not mean you hate your kids.

I know Kate is the best teacher's aid on the planet and she has already risen way past people who are far more experienced and educated in the field, but the truth is they can not afford to live in expensive LA on just her salary. They need Toby to go back to work and this is the only offer he has received in a long time.

Other people have pointed out that you can have two full-time working parents (though I too thought Kate's job was part-time) and have kids (this is a reality for most people).

Kevin could provide her with a nanny that has training with a special needs child like baby Jack (who is so adorable) and the second baby (also pretty cute). If Toby feels funny about excepting Kevin's money, he can pay him back when he has secured a couple of paychecks. 

I do think that Toby should have discussed how he hated being a stay-at-home dad with Kate, way before he sprung all this on her. He should have also been honest that he was not getting any offers in LA and would probably have to start applying to other places. This was very bad communication on his part.

22 minutes ago, CarpeFelis said:

Man, I felt so bad for Madison! First her mother leaves her — with nothing but a pair of earrings, then her father shreds her self-esteem even further with his comment about settling for whoever’s willing to ask you to prom (and I’m sure he made many more such comments to her over the years), and finally Kevin cannot bring himself to say he loves HER, specifically, not just “this family we’re building”. That really had to hurt. Good on her for calling it off.

Completely sick of the Jack flashbacks.

And a big WTF re Rebecca making Kevin’s wedding day All. About. Randall. Good grief!

And wow, that ending was a big surprise.

I know right. The Big Three can not take if their parents aren't lovey-dovey every second of the day and often act like entitled jerks, despite their almost picture-perfect childhood.

Madison has a horrible family and childhood and she seems like the sweetest person. I know she had an eating disorder but she seems to be working thru it now. I really hope she finds someone to love her and treat her with respect.

Edited May 26, 2021 by qtpye

[gonzosgirrl]

40 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

Okay I might be a dinosaur but I can't let this go: If you did not want someone to delete a tape you'd simply remove the little latch on the front-side. The only way to tape over then was to cover it with a bit of sticky tape - which would have been a major jerk move. (I did check - the latch was still there).

SO THIS WAS ON YOU REBECCA!

*off to chase some kids from my lawn*

That would've guaranteed it, but so should've a giant sticker with the words DO NOT TAPE OVER on it, if the person doing the taping gave even the slightest glance at it. Plus she said it was only a week - I can't believe two people like Jack and Rebecca wouldn't know what the other's favourite show is, and Jack would've known she didn't get to see it.

[mansonlamps]

1 hour ago, debraran said:

Why no mention of unemployment or stimulus payments? Why just her salary?

The Tess thing was over the top. It’s not your wedding. Glad it was called off.  Please do not go down this path again.  Done to the point of nausea. 

They would probably get unemployment,  but stimulus money seems unlikely since Toby was supposed to be pretty successful in the tech world.   And health insurance alone for their family would be astronomical.

[debraran]

18 minutes ago, qtpye said:

Thank you so much. I wish I could like this 100 times. The characters are not real but into their own corners of perfection which is often lazy writing.

I was very angry at Jack here. It was not because that he taped over her show because accidents happen and yes she should have done the thing with the latch.

What annoyed me is his refusal to apologize because her show is so stupid. My husband is very into Pittsburgh sports, so I get the passion, but the fact that he never thinks his "sports" are frivolous shows sexism in the way that typical men's interests are admired and female interests are put down. I know Dynasty was just a cheesy soap but it was all Rebecca had after taking care of 3 toddlers by herself for a whole week.

As someone stated before if you did not watch a show during airtime or tape a show, then you had no way of ever seeing it unless your friend also taped it. 

He called her show stupid and he refused to apologize. Jack is great for grand gestures but he really never takes into account what she wants on the small day-to-day stuff or ever put her needs first.

I remember when she was in the hospital and he took the Big 3 to her hospital room because God forbid she want one night to recover and be away from her children.

So who becomes the bad guy in this...Rebecca because she dares to express that she is angry at Jack and taking care of 3 small children might actually be tiring. 

 

 

 

Yes, the show really preaches that as a parent you must be sunny cheerful, and thanking God for your family every minute or you are a monster. If every child had a mental breakdown just because "mommy and daddy were angry" then there is no point of ever having a family, because yes a healthy couple does argue some of the time.

Also, just because you do not want to be a stay-at-home parent (like Toby) does not mean you hate your kids.

I know Kate is the best teacher's aid on the planet and she has already risen way past people who are far more experienced and educated in the field, but the truth is they can not afford to live in expensive LA on just her salary. They need Toby to go back to work and this is the only offer he has received in a long time.

Other people have pointed out that you can have two full-time working parents (though I too thought Kate's job was part-time) and have kids (this is a reality for most people).

Kevin could provide her with a nanny that has training with a special needs child like baby Jack (who is so adorable) and the second baby (also pretty cute). If Toby feels funny about excepting Kevin's money, he can pay him back when he has secured a couple of paychecks. 

I do think that Toby should have discussed how he hated being a stay-at-home dad with Kate, way before he sprung all this on her. He should have also been honest that he was not getting any offers in LA and would probably have to start applying to other places. This was very bad communication on his part.

I know right. The Big Three can not take if their parents aren't lovey-dovey every second of the day and often act like entitled jerks, despite their almost picture-perfect childhood.

Madison has a horrible family and childhood and she seems like the sweetest person. I know she had an eating disorder but she seems to be working thru it now. I really hope she finds someone to love her and treat her with respect.

I'm sorry to Jack fans, but Jack never really treats Rebecca with respect the way Miguel does. He does big flowery shows of affection at times, is romantic to have sex or get her in the mood but he makes most decisions. HE decides what is good to watch on TV? She's with 3 babies all day and wants something to watch that takes her out of the house in her mind. He was dense and not cool. No way kids that age would ask parents to get married again. I knew they'd be filler but really?

I hope Madison finds a nice non actor type of guy but I can't see 4 of them raising the kids if Kevin goes with Sophie or someone else. Maybe but IDK. Unless something happened to her, one big happy family isn't TIU.

If a FB post was correct that they jump 5 years next season, how does that work? Do you guys think they keep showing flashbacks after the first show at 45? Makeup people on the set must love Dan. ; ) 40, 45, 50...

I mean Kate is somewhat happy with Toby now and Sophie called Kevin about a problem (and we all know someone will call the other back) Miguel's backstory will still be there. Will Kevin stay in the same house with Madison?

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by debraran

[Tango64]

5 hours ago, Jax7917 said:

I love the show . It’s well written and gets a tear out of me most episodes . But realistic it’s not . I’m waiting for a sibling to say “ shut the hell up “ and not apologize for it with a monologue . Or for Jack and Rebecca to mess up and just be like , “ well shit happens , get over it .” 
it’s just all too robotic and takes the human out of these characters . 

I'm currently struggling with a half-brother who is like this. Every time we get together he wants to have maudlin talks about how we weren't so close for a while but he wants to know my family better, rehash every sad part of our childhood, and overshare private things about his very blended family.

On This Is Us, it would be a moving Pearson speech and I would sit there soaking it all in. But in real life, I'm like "Can we just watch the game and talk about something stupid?" It's just too much and makes me visit less often.

[MissLucas]

48 minutes ago, CarpeFelis said:

And a big WTF re Rebecca making Kevin’s wedding day All. About. Randall. Good grief!

Don't forget: I know what will make you feel better, build ME an expensive mountain cabin/chalet/villa thingy!

[geauxaway]

36 minutes ago, gameshowjunkie said:

It had nothing to do with her sexual orientation. If she were transgender that would be a different story.

Again, has she even ID’d herself to the entire extended family?  If not, they aren’t mind readers.  And heaven forbid if Beth had told them, not that it’s her story to tell anyway.   So yah, time to suck it up.  It won’t be the first or last time, either, my dear.

16 minutes ago, Tango64 said:

I'm currently struggling with a half-brother who is like this. Every time we get together he wants to have maudlin talks about how we weren't so close for a while but he wants to know my family better, rehash every sad part of our childhood, and overshare private things about his very blended family.

 

That sounds EXHAUSTING.

[Empress1]

2 minutes ago, geauxaway said:

Again, has she even ID’d herself to the entire extended family?  If not, they aren’t mind readers.

She’s out as gay to everyone. They showed her coming out to her parents and to Kate. There was a plot point about Rebecca finding out but I can’t remember exactly what it was, just that Tess was mad - maybe Rebecca was trying to get Tess to open up more? Kevin also mentioned that she came out to him via text. She may not have come out to Madison or Toby but I’m sure she knows they know, and the fact that she has a non-binary significant other doesn’t appear to be a secret - Beth was just telling Miguel and Rebecca about it this episode.

As far as the show has explained, she is a cisgender queer girl. As of now in show time, she identifies with the gender she was assigned at birth and has a romantic/sexual attraction to other girls and people who identify as non-binary. (I am fairly sure her significant other was assigned female at birth because I think Beth kept using she/her pronouns for them.) I think much is being made about the dress because she’s queer and sometimes we associate queer women with butch-ness, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with Tess. If she were a trans boy, having her wear a dress would be a much bigger issue, but she isn’t. She just didn’t like the dress, hence my being on Team Suck It Up.

[AriAu]

Quote

I absolutely loathed the British guy on Modern Family. Having him be on the next season is going to grate.

I ABSOLUTELY agree---annoying as hell...... but maybe it means less Madison......ok by me.

Quote

And a big WTF re Rebecca making Kevin’s wedding day All. About. Randall.

Yeah, like she couldnt find a more appropriate time to discuss her truly regrettable decision than at another child's wedding! But the acting was excellent, even if it should have been in another episode

Quote

Okay I might be a dinosaur but I can't let this go: If you did not want someone to delete a tape you'd simply remove the little latch on the front-side. 

LOL-great point, fellow dinosaur. And while you are right, and  most people knew that trick, I never actually did that even with the final episode of MASH

[PRgal]

33 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

That would've guaranteed it, but so should've a giant sticker with the words DO NOT TAPE OVER on it, if the person doing the taping gave even the slightest glance at it. Plus she said it was only a week - I can't believe two people like Jack and Rebecca wouldn't know what the other's favourite show is, and Jack would've known she didn't get to see it.

Jack started taping the game after the first part of the show.  Maybe he thought it was the end?  Still, the sticker said DO NOT TAPE.  Honestly, I would have hidden the tape.  Maybe even slept with it.

I wonder if Rebecca EVER got to see that episode.  

[MissLucas]

4 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I wonder if Rebecca EVER got to see that episode.  

Fun fact: I never watched this episode because I was so angry that they had killed Michael Praed. Still the best Robin Hood! 

 

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

(I am fairly sure her significant other was assigned female at birth because I think Beth kept using she/her pronouns for them.)

I assume so. The actor's (Presley Alexander) IMDB page bio describes them as "openly LGBT+ (non-binary, lesbian)" and uses the pronouns they/them. Seems the character and the actor identify the same way. (Though it also uses "Actress" for one of the category titles on the list of performance credits (the other being "Self").)

4 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

Fun fact: I never watched this episode because I was so angry that they had killed Michael Praed. Still the best Robin Hood! 

Spoilers! (Just kidding; I was only 5 when Dynasty premiered. And my mom was a Dallas person.)

[limecoke]

No one is comfortable in a bridesmaid dress. We all survived. Tess needed to be told that, Beth. Accommodating her hissy fit was ridiculous. 

[pennben]

ETA: Whoops, my "new" dinosaur info was actually included in the quote I was responding to.  Nevermind!!!!

Edited May 26, 2021 by pennben

[MBayGal]

7 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

That dress is not the type of woman Tess wants to present to the world, and I get that. 

She's what -- 12 or 13?  Not yet a woman.  And she was only being seen by her family, not the world. I had four teenagers, two girls, one if whom drove me half crazy as a teen.  I totally agree with those who say she was being a manipulative brat, and Beth should not be enabling her spoiled behavior.

[debraran]

10 hours ago, limecoke said:

No one is comfortable in a bridesmaid dress. We all survived. Tess needed to be told that, Beth. Accommodating her hissy fit was ridiculous. 

Madison wouldn't have cared but it would have registered a look by most brides. That was a bit much, everything was a bit too much like they kept trying to turn the knob up and then (for me) the ending was "ehh" It was only like that because although I don't hate Kate, I'm not as invested in her character. The fact she is getting married again in 5 years was surprising but not shocking. Anyone shocked haven't read much from the producer or seen the previews for the end show. I admit I was disappointed. I wanted it to be about Kevin or Nicky or Rebecca/Miguel

Edited May 27, 2021 by debraran

[Blakeston]

2 hours ago, BrownBear2012 said:

Malek getting into three ivy leagues seemed a little over the top. Someone in his position as a teen father from a middle class family would probably apply to Penn which is a local ivy league or Princeton which isn't that faraway. Getting into five would be huge by any measure...it just seems like an over the top decision by the writers.

Don't you understand? Simply having proximity to the magic that is Randall "Rising Star" Pearson makes every child an academic genius, no matter how difficult it might seem in their circumstances.

Malik is one of the best students in the country, despite raising a baby, and working at a garage, and cutting school to be with his girlfriend, and being so bad at multi-tasking that he didn't even notice that he was broadcasting Randall stripping down and dancing to all the world.

Deja had a horrific childhood where she scraped by to survive, but once she gets adopted by Randall she's a straight-A student right away, leaving everyone in her class in the dust.

And now Alex is valedictorian! Like most students who dedicate "screw you" videos to their teachers on social media, she has a single-minded focus on her grades.

I'm so sick of TV shows depicting any reasonably smart child character as having a 5.0 GPA and being Harvard-bound. Enough!

[Chanandler Bong]

I’m a little sad that Kevin and Madison didn’t go through with it, but glad to see they’re friendly in the future. The show did a good job conveying their lack of chemistry. I hope she still becomes an adopted member of the Pearson family, since she’s Kate’s bestie and mother of their grandchildren/niece & nephew. I’m predicting that the Adirondack chairs will still end up side by side at the new house, where the two co-parents, who care deeply for one another, can sit together and lovingly watch their children play.

Ugh, Tess. “This dress just doesn’t feel like me.” Well, it’s a bridesmaids dress, Tess — it’s not about you. If you plan to be a bridesmaid ever again, then buckle up for a lot of dresses that “just don’t feel like you.” I could totally understand altering a prom dress or something to be less conventional since that would be about Tess expressing her individuality and being true to herself, but altering a bridesmaids dress hours before the ceremony is just teaching her to be self-absorbed.

Good for Malik for getting in Harvard, but how the hell is he going to pay for it?? I wish he and Deja would just cut ties. If he has the opportunity to go to an Ivy League, he shouldn’t let a high school relationship hold him back, and Deja should be having fun, not worrying about a long distance relationship or her boyfriend getting back together with his baby mama. As usual, Annie is the low-key MVP.

So, Kate and Toby make the incredibly unwise decision to prioritize their careers over their family. Sad to see that they won’t make it. I wonder who cheats first.

[debraran]

6 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Don't you understand? Simply having proximity to the magic that is Randall "Rising Star" Pearson makes every child an academic genius, no matter how difficult it might seem in their circumstances.

Malik is one of the best students in the country, despite raising a baby, and working at a garage, and cutting school to be with his girlfriend, and being so bad at multi-tasking that he didn't even notice that he was broadcasting Randall stripping down and dancing to all the world.

Deja had a horrific childhood where she scraped by to survive, but once she gets adopted by Randall she's a straight-A student right away, leaving everyone in her class in the dust.

And now Alex is valedictorian! Like most students who dedicate "screw you" videos to their teachers on social media, she has a single-minded focus on her grades.

I'm so sick of TV shows depicting any reasonably smart child character as having a 5.0 GPA and being Harvard-bound. Enough!

Ivies and other top schools like smart students from disadvantaged backgrounds. I see teens all the time get into 4, 5 6 or more top schools. They have the grades, they are poor and many times from areas that don't breed the usual cutout student.

My daughter got into 4 Ivies and a top 10 school. She was smart, did tons of volunteer work since she was young, lived in a "poor" city and was first to go in her family to college. I find it believable. I don't think we ever knew his grades.

While at Yale, my daughter met many white and minority students who came from areas underrepresented and fit something the school wanted.  Malik is a TV character so I don't know what resume he has but it's not that far fetched. They also give great aid. Although I still had to pay more than I was comfortable with, she got much more money than at non Ivies but good schools. It is all income based, some of her friends paid nothing and others 10,000, some had work studies for books etc..

Edited May 26, 2021 by debraran

[PRgal]

34 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I assume so. The actor's (Presley Alexander) IMDB page bio describes them as "openly LGBT+ (non-binary, lesbian)" and uses the pronouns they/them. Seems the character and the actor identify the same way. (Though it also uses "Actress" for one of the category titles on the list of performance credits (the other being "Self").)

Spoilers! (Just kidding; I was only 5 when Dynasty premiered. And my mom was a Dallas person.)

I was 1 when the show premiered.  And 5 1/2 when the Pearson VHSgate incident happened.

[Empress1]

4 minutes ago, debraran said:

While at Yale, my daughter met many white and minority students who came from areas underrepresented and fit something the school wanted. 

My best friend’s husband is a white guy who went to Harvard. He’s from South Dakota. He’s very smart, good grades, all that, and he says openly that he knows South Dakota helped him get in. He’s a great guy but nothing stands out about him other than South Dakota. He had a middle-class upbringing, college-educated parents, good grades and scores but everybody who applies to those schools has good grades and scores. “Geographic diversity” is a category.

13 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Deja had a horrific childhood where she scraped by to survive, but once she gets adopted by Randall she's a straight-A student right away, leaving everyone in her class in the dust.

I can buy this because now Deja has the energy to focus on school rather than raising herself, parenting her mother, and dealing with the foster care system. And Beth and Randall have the resources to devote to her education and healing from her time in the system (she was in therapy at one point, which she would have had a harder time accessing under her birth mother’s care), while her birth mother did not. I think Deja has always been smart, she just had stuff pulling her in a million directions before. Now she doesn’t, so she can focus on school and “normal” teenage stuff. I think she’d thrive in any stable home, not just Randall & Beth’s.

[Blakeston]

16 minutes ago, debraran said:

Ivies and other top schools like smart students from disadvantaged backgrounds. I see teens all the time get into 4, 5 6 or more top schools. They have the grades, they are poor and many times from areas that don't breed the usual cutout student.

My daughter got into 4 Ivies and a top 10 school. She was smart, did tons of volunteer work since she was young, lived in a "poor" city and was first to go in her family to college. I find it believable. I don't think we ever knew his grades.

While at Yale, my daughter met many white and minority students who came from areas underrepresented and fit something the school wanted.  Malik is a TV character so I don't know what resume he has but it's not that far fetched. They also give great aid. Although I still had to pay more than I was comfortable with, she got much more money than at non Ivies but good schools. It is all income based, some of her friends paid nothing and others 10,000, some had work studies for books etc..

Is it possible that someone in Malik's situation could get into Harvard and Penn? Sure. Is it possible that someone in Deja's situation could be a spectacular student once she got into a stable home? Sure. Is it possible that Alex could be valedictorian? Sure.

But all of them being such great students is overkill. It would be much more interesting to see a student who's trying really hard, but can't manage to be a perfect student on top of dealing with everything else in their life.

[debraran]

6 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

My best friend’s husband is a white guy who went to Harvard. He’s from South Dakota. He’s very smart, good grades, all that, and he says openly that he knows South Dakota helped him get in. He’s a great guy but nothing stands out about him other than South Dakota. He had a middle-class upbringing, college-educated parents, good grades and scores but everybody who applies to those schools has good grades and scores. “Geographic diversity” is a category.

 

Yes, that is true. One of her friends was from a small city in Nebraska and another from a small town in the south, the Hillbilly Elegy type of area.. They try even if all students don't mix, to represent a wide student body and I do find she is much more aware of different backgrounds and religions and privilege than some of her peers. Yale had a student that was basically homeless for part of his life but worked hard and ended up doing very well after the first year.

Edited May 26, 2021 by debraran

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

Thank you so much. I wish I could like this 100 times. The characters are not real but into their own corners of perfection which is often lazy writing.

I was very angry at Jack here. It was not because that he taped over her show because accidents happen and yes she should have done the thing with the latch.

What annoyed me is his refusal to apologize because her show is so stupid. My husband is very into Pittsburgh sports, so I get the passion, but the fact that he never thinks his "sports" are frivolous shows sexism in the way that typical men's interests are admired and female interests are put down. I know Dynasty was just a cheesy soap but it was all Rebecca had after taking care of 3 toddlers by herself for a whole week.

As someone stated before if you did not watch a show during airtime or tape a show, then you had no way of ever seeing it unless your friend also taped it. 

He called her show stupid and he refused to apologize. Jack is great for grand gestures but he really never takes into account what she wants on the small day-to-day stuff or ever put her needs first.

I remember when she was in the hospital and he took the Big 3 to her hospital room because God forbid she want one night to recover and be away from her children.

So who becomes the bad guy in this...Rebecca because she dares to express that she is angry at Jack and taking care of 3 small children might actually be tiring. 

I have mentioned before how much of a Cleveland Browns fan my late father was.  He was also a fan of baseball,  but he would never, I repeat never, tape over Dallas or Days of Our Lives for a regular season game.  He knew better.  And this is a man who almost made my mother and little sister stay an extra night in the hospital so he could watch the Browns in the playoffs.   He also would never denigrate my mom's choice of TV show.  

[Ohmo]

20 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Kevin and Madison seem pretty friendly in the future. I wonder if he does fall in love with her over time and they're together?

That's the impression that I had, too.  She said "I told you this morning." They could have met about the kids, but they certainly seemed friendly.  The kids weren't shown, so it wasn't friendly for the sake of the kids.

We don't know how the entire story unfolds, but right now, I feel badly for Toby.