S02.E02: ... thrown a rager

[paulvdb]

Quote

 

Devi plans to throw the ultimate party, but her knotty dating life may turn it into a different kind of blowout. Nalini has an eye-opening trip to India.

 

 

[peachmangosteen]

I legit screamed when Paxton got run over lol.

[DanaMB]

 

I’m so glad the guys found out she was dating both of them. I was afraid it would drag on. 

[twoods]

And I like that both of them were rightfully pissed and left. Ben’s face gutted me.

[SeanC]

The paternal grandmother's introduction was very sweet (though if she had children living in America this long, I'm a bit surprised it took this long for somebody to suggest bringing her over).

[Evie]

I'm glad Devi dating both ended quickly. I loved Fabiola's slideshow explaining why she would never get caught.

I did not expect Paxton to get hit by a car, and I watch k-dramas where the truck of doom is extremely common lol. 

Poor Ben. I didn't realize how much I rooted for him until I saw his face when Devi ran after Paxton.

Nalini and the paternal grandmother were sweet.

[twoods]

It’s nice that Nalini has a good relationship with her mother in law, considering the usual Indian trope is an overbearing MIL. I liked that she was more supportive than Nalini’s own parents. 
 

I agree that the car thing was very sudden and I screamed. Crazy show.

[possibilities]

I like grandma! 

[Angeleyes]

The Eric character that thought he was flirting by stealing girls’ hats cracked me up. Also, the guy who said they pre-gamed for the party by having his mom take them to Chuck E. Cheese. 

I think Devi should have just told the guys that she didn’t want to start any full on relationships right now since she would be moving soon, but that she would be casually dating them both. I know, too much to hope for on a TV show. 
 

I was surprised that her mom reacted as well as she did about the party. I’m also surprised that a teenager getting hurt in front of her house didn’t get back to her sooner. 

[peachmangosteen]

11 hours ago, Angeleyes said:

Also, the guy who said they pre-gamed for the party by having his mom take them to Chuck E. Cheese. 

Wasn't that Eric?

[Aulty]

Its amusing that Eric, in season 1, was the disgusting fat boy and now he is just a weird, chubby, lovable nerd. Was he with the robotics team in s1?

[TrininisaScorp]

Trent holding a sommelier lesson at the "wine station" (a rolling cart with wine on it) KILLED me. The entire exchange about red blends and cracking open a shiraz. It was such a good, random as hell, yet very funny, aside.

I love Nicey Nash in this role.  You can tell she likes Devi, but serves a bit as the audience in her pure exasperation at Devi's bullshit.  The slideshow was great (I love Fab...she's the best).  I am glad the playa piece moved along quickly.  Devi was playing a dangerous game.  I was wide-eyed when the boys were in her room with the pro/con list.  They tricked me!  I thought that would be the reveal. 

Jaren makes Ben work...the look of pure heartbreak when Devi went after Paxton tells you how much Ben genuinely cared about their relationship. 

I was shocked at the car hitting Paxton too!  OMG!

[Enginerd]

The red Solo cups at the Fancy Wine Station were hilarious.

[possibilities]

Flipping the expectations and putting Ben in the flip cup game and Paxton in the wine room (while not drinking) surprised me, but somehow didn't annoy me, either. I am giving this show a lot of passes on writerly shenanigans.

[Snapdragon]

28 minutes ago, TrininisaScorp said:

I was wide-eyed when the boys were in her room with the pro/con list.  They tricked me!  I thought that would be the reveal. 

 

I think this show does a good job of showing that the majority of the bad things that happen to Davi are things she brings on herself, either through her anger or other foolish actions.  If she had kept her cool, Ben and Paxton wouldn't have found out she was two-timing them at the party but because she had to show up the popular girl, her whole little scheme blew up in her face.  

[Angeleyes]

4 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Wasn't that Eric?

I’ll have to go back and check, but I was thinking it was one of the other guys in the nerd group. I can’t remember for sure. 

[peachmangosteen]

They don’t show it, you can only hear it, but it sounds like Eric to me and since his mom was the one that dropped them off at the party it seems like he must have been the one to say it. 

This is so pointless but it’s little things like this that get stuck in my head lol.

[shapeshifter]

OMG! Paxton's shoulder was injured = no swimming this year = no Stanford! 
😟😱😞😭😥😨😭

 

I want Grandma Nirmala to live with me!

 

 

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Flipping the expectations and putting Ben in the flip cup game and Paxton in the wine room (while not drinking) surprised me, but somehow didn't annoy me, either. I am giving this show a lot of passes on writerly shenanigans.

The flip worked so much better than the tropes would have. Other writers, take note!

 

 

[possibilities]

I adore Grandma. I do wonder how many bedrooms the house has, but I guess that's the kind of thing TV pretends is not an issue when they want more people moving in.

[Snapdragon]

18 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I adore Grandma. I do wonder how many bedrooms the house has, but I guess that's the kind of thing TV pretends is not an issue when they want more people moving in.

That house looks to me like it would have 3-4 bedrooms, so I would assume that there are enough bedrooms for Davi, her cousin, her mom and her grandma or that two people are room sharing.  Or there could be some sort of converted basement/attic situation going on.

[SoMuchTV]

Ughh, every time a show does that two-dates-at-the-same-party plot, I get a stomach ache.  Guys - just plan two different parties, and invite one boyfriend to each!  But at least now things can move on...

I did appreciate the touch of showing Devi putting in/taking out her retainer.  I think they did that with a different character last season.  Maybe Ben in his lonely bedroom?  They do get a lot of the teenager bits right.

[festivus]

I really hate the oh no I have to hide this guy from the other guy trope. I'm glad it's over already. I was more interested in Fabiola's problem. What to do when you don't get the references your girlfriend's friends are using and what if you actually dont like them that much?

I probably shouldn't find Trent as funny as I do, but I love the actor. He makes it work.

[Paloma]

I'm glad the triangle shenanigans are over, but one thing that really bothered me was Paxton's annoyance/anger when Devi admitted she was dating both of them. What right did he have to be angry or feel that they were exclusive, when the only "date" they had was a game-playing pizza night with his friends? Unlike Ben, he didn't ask her to be his girlfriend or even make his intentions clear about wanting a relationship rather than just "hanging out" (or if she had stayed after his friends left on the "date" they could have "hooked up"--how generous of him). Ben definitely has the right to be angry about being deceived since she said she would be his girlfriend (which implies exclusive). Not that I was team Ben before this--last season I did think both Ben and Paxton were good choices for dating in different ways, but Paxton's behavior in the first two episodes of this season downgraded my opinion of him. Of course, my perspective comes from being much older and not the target audience for this show.

[zenithwit]

3 hours ago, Paloma said:

I'm glad the triangle shenanigans are over, but one thing that really bothered me was Paxton's annoyance/anger when Devi admitted she was dating both of them. What right did he have to be angry or feel that they were exclusive, when the only "date" they had was a game-playing pizza night with his friends? Unlike Ben, he didn't ask her to be his girlfriend or even make his intentions clear about wanting a relationship rather than just "hanging out" (or if she had stayed after his friends left on the "date" they could have "hooked up"--how generous of him). Ben definitely has the right to be angry about being deceived since she said she would be his girlfriend (which implies exclusive). Not that I was team Ben before this--last season I did think both Ben and Paxton were good choices for dating in different ways, but Paxton's behavior in the first two episodes of this season downgraded my opinion of him. Of course, my perspective comes from being much older and not the target audience for this show.

To be fair, after the group hang they did have that kiss in the park and had at least a week of holding hands (and kissing?) in school. While that's not necessarily exclusive, that definitely implies a romantic relationship.

Also, Paxton is clearly used to girls falling all over him and probably hasn't had to do much to impress them before.  It wouldn't surprise me if Devi is the first one to challenge his dating methods and reject him.

[tennisgurl]

I might have legit shrieked when Paxton got hit by that car. Did not see that one coming at all, kudos for surprising me, show. 

Also surprising is that the guys found out that Devi was dating both of them and that Nalini has already decided that she wants to stay in the US, I really thought that we would have to wait until later in the season for the boys to catch Devi in her sitcom style double date hijinks and for Nalini to realize she wants to stay where she is, I am pleasantly surprised that the show is moving quickly. I am especially glad that Devi has already been busted, she really is so often the cause of her own problems. Not only has she now probably lost both of her love interests because she didnt want to choose between them or be honest, but if she had just not announced that she was dating Paxton to show up a popular girl, she would have probably gotten away with it. For this party anyway. 

Ouch, Ben's face when Devi ran after Paxton. That hurt to see, he looked just crushed. 

Edited July 19, 2021 by tennisgurl

[GHScorpiosRule]

7 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Ben's face when Devi ran after Paxton. That hurt to see, he looked just crushed. 

I'm so mean, but I didn't give any figs. I can't stand the character.

And yep, Show did subvert the typical trope of mean and unfeeling mother-in-law with Nirmala; but they also lost me with the extreme pendulum swing with Nalini's parents caring more about their social lives than Nalini. Unless that was their relationship from the beginning? And if it was, why would Nalini think about going back to her parents for support if they were always like this?

[shapeshifter]

34 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

they also lost me with the extreme pendulum swing with Nalini's parents caring more about their social lives than Nalini. Unless that was their relationship from the beginning? And if it was, why would Nalini think about going back to her parents for support if they were always like this?

Been there, experienced that after my divorce with 3 kids. So if it rang true to me, likely to others too?

[GHScorpiosRule]

6 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Been there, experienced that after my divorce with 3 kids. So if it rang true to me, likely to others too?

I can only speak based on my experience (I'm South Asian descent), but usually the family support is there. And like I said--if Nalini's relationship was always this way where her parents' social lives took precedence over the lives of their children, why would she think she would get that support after being widowed? That makes no sense. Other than Plot! I've seen both sides of this in my own family.

[Paloma]

6 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

if Nalini's relationship was always this way where her parents' social lives took precedence over the lives of their children, why would she think she would get that support after being widowed? That makes no sense.

The only way this could make sense is if Nalini's judgment and/or memory of how her parents treated her was clouded by her unhappiness about losing her husband and being left to raise a "difficult" child on her own. Of course, Devi is not difficult when compared with the bad behavior of many teenagers (though she certainly has her moments), but since we see things mostly from Devi's perspective of dealing with a controlling and overprotective mother, we may not fully realize Nalini's deep grief and how lost and even helpless she feels without Mohan. I can say from experience that trying to control everything in your life and your child's life is often a way of dealing with anxiety and fear.

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, Paloma said:

The only way this could make sense is if Nalini's judgment and/or memory of how her parents treated her was clouded by her unhappiness about losing her husband and being left to raise a "difficult" child on her own. Of course, Devi is not difficult when compared with the bad behavior of many teenagers (though she certainly has her moments), but since we see things mostly from Devi's perspective of dealing with a controlling and overprotective mother, we may not fully realize Nalini's deep grief and how lost and even helpless she feels without Mohan. I can say from experience that trying to control everything in your life and your child's life is often a way of dealing with anxiety and fear.

Shortly after my divorce I visited my parents 2500 miles away in Hawaii. My mom was managing several dress shops, and I asked if she could get me a job in one so we might move near them. The response was similar to what we saw from Nalini's family.
Nalini's family tried to make the situation work by setting her up with the old sleeping guy; likewise, my dad tried to set me up with a guy who was gay.

My parents could boast about their wonderful grandchildren on the mainland, but if I was living there in a lower class neighborhood they would be ashamed, and my father didn't want me and my 3 kids filling up his 3 bedroom house either. 
No doubt Nalini's family liked boasting about their successful dermatologist daughter and their Princeton-bound granddaughter. If they moved to India, that story would collapse.

Or, as narrator John McEnroe said: "The support system she was uprooting her life for was, in fact, not in India, but in her imagination."

Likewise, my parents were supportive from afar, but not in the way I imagined. 
 

 

Edited July 20, 2021 by shapeshifter

[possibilities]

Since Mohan's mother knew enough to ask if Nalini was really getting the support she wanted from her own parents, I'm thinking it's always been that way, but having been away so long, "absence made the heart grow fonder".

I know from my own experience that I tried to gloss over deficiencies in my relationship with my own mother, as soon as I got out of her house. I thought that once I was an adult, things would be easier, but actually it was all pretty much the same, I just eventually realized I could stop engaging in the dynamic and seek what I was looking for elsewhere... which is why I believed Nalini's story so easily. Except I admit I didn't see Mohan's mother being where she would get what she needed-- especially since she had started off talking about how much she was dreading seeing her. 

Maybe Devi's tendency to misjudge people is something she got from her mother! And they are both outgrowing it....

[Eri]

3 hours ago, Paloma said:

The only way this could make sense is if Nalini's judgment and/or memory of how her parents treated her was clouded by her unhappiness about losing her husband and being left to raise a "difficult" child on her own. Of course, Devi is not difficult when compared with the bad behavior of many teenagers (though she certainly has her moments), but since we see things mostly from Devi's perspective of dealing with a controlling and overprotective mother, we may not fully realize Nalini's deep grief and how lost and even helpless she feels without Mohan. I can say from experience that trying to control everything in your life and your child's life is often a way of dealing with anxiety and fear.

You're right - in the season 1 finale, Nalini had admitted to Devi's therapist that she was tough on her because she was afraid. What she didn't anticipate was Devi thinking her own mother didn't like her. There were small hints that she might have had post partum after Devi was born also. Based on the flashbacks, it would appear Mohan was the peacekeeper and safety net between the two so they became lost after he was gone. It's sad that Nalini's parents wouldn't have tried to show more support since it's likely they arranged her marriage in the first place. Nevertheless, I'm glad the mother-in-law was willing to move in to help out, but also wish Nalini would be open to therapy. It would be interesting to see more scenes with her and Devi's therapist to get her perspective on how she's been handling her own grief.

 

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Maybe Devi's tendency to misjudge people is something she got from her mother! And they are both outgrowing it....

I wholeheartedly suspect that Devi's temperament comes from Nalini lol

[possibilities]

I also want to defend people who have a lot of houseplants! To have them all be thriving and lush is quite an accomplishment! I don't like how Nalini was looking for ways to criticize.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

I also want to defend people who have a lot of houseplants! To have them all be thriving and lush is quite an accomplishment! I don't like how Nalini was looking for ways to criticize.

Did you catch that throwaway line that came later about how Mohan used to criticize Nirmala for hiding her money in her plants? 🪴   
LOL, I thought: Hmmm…Nirmala must have some income. 🪴🪴🪴   
But also: Wow. I wonder if putting a dollar bill in my plant’s soil would help perk it up?

So back to Nalini’s comment about not remembering Nirmala having so many plants: Probably Nalini also knew that the plants reflected Nirmala bank account amount. 

[Aulty]

5 hours ago, Eri said:

 There were small hints that she might have had post partum after Devi was born also.

iirc there was also a flashback that hinted about her having a miscarriage (Mohan said something to the tune of 'we have one perfect daughter already')

[Aulty]

Can we also acknowledge what a shitty GF Eleanor is in this episode?  She is so invested in Devi's drama, she doesn't realise how shitty she treats that poor lad.

Edited July 21, 2021 by Aulty

[love2lovebadtv]

 

 

On 7/16/2021 at 1:51 PM, Snapdragon said:

I think this show does a good job of showing that the majority of the bad things that happen to Davi are things she brings on herself, either through her anger or other foolish actions.  If she had kept her cool, Ben and Paxton wouldn't have found out she was two-timing them at the party but because she had to show up the popular girl, her whole little scheme blew up in her face.  

She brings A LOT of things on herself lol. I also think she could have dated both boys to get to know them but she opted to turn both relationships into something major.

On 7/16/2021 at 5:09 PM, Snapdragon said:

That house looks to me like it would have 3-4 bedrooms, so I would assume that there are enough bedrooms for Davi, her cousin, her mom and her grandma or that two people are room sharing.  Or there could be some sort of converted basement/attic situation going on.

Yea, I'm not really worried about that. The house has at least 3 bedrooms. I have lived in some smaller spaces with family and you just make it work - especially in a nice house like that where rooms can be repurposed. 

On 7/18/2021 at 12:11 PM, zenithwit said:

To be fair, after the group hang they did have that kiss in the park and had at least a week of holding hands (and kissing?) in school. While that's not necessarily exclusive, that definitely implies a romantic relationship.

Also, Paxton is clearly used to girls falling all over him and probably hasn't had to do much to impress them before.  It wouldn't surprise me if Devi is the first one to challenge his dating methods and reject him.

I think Devi is probably the first to challenge Paxton's idea of dating. He seemed genuinely unaware that your friends don't attend your dates lol. 

On 7/19/2021 at 8:49 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

I'm so mean, but I didn't give any figs. I can't stand the character.

And yep, Show did subvert the typical trope of mean and unfeeling mother-in-law with Nirmala; but they also lost me with the extreme pendulum swing with Nalini's parents caring more about their social lives than Nalini. Unless that was their relationship from the beginning? And if it was, why would Nalini think about going back to her parents for support if they were always like this?

I kinda liked this part. Nalini experienced a major loss/change in her life and assumed her parents would be the same as when she left home. But her parents were used to not having to worry about her and they had their own life. Actually, some of what Nalini and Devi consider to be Indian culture is actually Nalini's personal experience in India a couple of decades ago - with her specific family. Up until a year ago, she was a successful, happily married doctor with only one child and a wonderful husband. Her parents became invested in other activities. 

On 7/19/2021 at 9:34 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

I can only speak based on my experience (I'm South Asian descent), but usually the family support is there. And like I said--if Nalini's relationship was always this way where her parents' social lives took precedence over the lives of their children, why would she think she would get that support after being widowed? That makes no sense. Other than Plot! I've seen both sides of this in my own family.

I don't think Nalini has needed her parents' support until she became widowed. This happens a lot in many different cultures. People are living longer and there is a whole world that exists for seniors and not-quite-seniors. Also, it seems like Nalini's mother-in-law lived alone whereas her parents were still alive and together so it makes sense their lifestyles/activities would be different. I don't know if Mohan was an only child, but that would further explain how his mom is so available. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by love2lovebadtv

[Eri]

 

6 minutes ago, love2lovebadtv said:

I don't know if Mohan was an only child, but that would further explain how his mom is so available. 

I recall the grandmother mentioned that she had 2 sons who moved to California but perhaps Mohan was her favorite. I often wondered if the other son was that uncle who came to visit from Season 1.

[twoods]

Rewatching season one she thought that the move to India would also help Devi, because she kept disobeying Nalini and going to parties, kissing boys, etc. She probably figured going to India would discipline Devi a little, especially if her parents helped out.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Just now, Eri said:

 

I recall the grandmother mentioned that she had 2 sons who moved to California but perhaps Mohan was her favorite. I often wondered if the other son was that uncle who came to visit from Season 1.

No. That was a relative from  Nalini’s side of the family-uncle, perhaps? 

[Irlandesa]

2 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

No. That was a relative from  Nalini’s side of the family-uncle, perhaps? 

No.  It was from Mohan's because the grandma was talking about how lonely she was and they mentioned some relatives and why she wouldn't feel comfortable moving to be next to them. 

Quote

I don't think Nalini has needed her parents' support until she became widowed.

Right.  I can believe the support she wanted wasn't there because her parents had a life in India since the kids moved away.  It was a little weird that they had plans for the day she arrived. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Irlandesa

[love2lovebadtv]

1 minute ago, twoods said:

Rewatching season one she thought that the move to India would also help Devi, because she kept disobeying Nalini and going to parties, kissing boys, etc. She probably figured going to India would discipline Devi a little, especially if her parents helped out.

I think that was Nalini's intention but so much has changed. 

My good friend is from India and moved to England and then to the US 20+ years ago. She describes things much differently from my daughter's friend, who came to the US 2 years ago. 

[truthaboutluv]

Like others, I was very pleasantly surprised to see the show not drag out Devi's two timing and get to the reveal so quickly. The Paxton accident at the end was sort of funny but I feel like this too is becoming a bit of an overused trope in teen shows/movies. Most relate it to Mean Girls. But for us early '00s teens, we know that Felicity did it first and did it much better. 

[dubbel zout]

On 7/15/2021 at 3:52 PM, SeanC said:

The paternal grandmother's introduction was very sweet (though if she had children living in America this long, I'm a bit surprised it took this long for somebody to suggest bringing her over).

But in some ways I'm not surprised, since she said her life (such as it is) was in India.

On 7/16/2021 at 1:19 PM, TrininisaScorp said:

Trent holding a sommelier lesson at the "wine station" (a rolling cart with wine on it) KILLED me. The entire exchange about red blends and cracking open a shiraz. It was such a good, random as hell, yet very funny, aside.

I loved how that was played totally straight and everyone took it as totally normal. They use Trent so well. 

On 7/24/2021 at 9:48 PM, Eri said:

I often wondered if the other son was that uncle who came to visit from Season 1.

I think he was too old to be Mohan's brother; I thought that uncle was one of Nalini's uncles, so a great-uncle to Devi. 

The robotics team being eager to flirt cracked me up: "I'm going to ask a girl about her interests!" Hee.

I love how the show gives us stereotypical teen-show situations, and even leans into them, but they never end quite the way you expect. That's a Mindy Kaling trademark.

[PepSinger]

On 7/29/2021 at 12:50 AM, truthaboutluv said:

Like others, I was very pleasantly surprised to see the show not drag out Devi's two timing and get to the reveal so quickly. The Paxton accident at the end was sort of funny but I feel like this too is becoming a bit of an overused trope in teen shows/movies. Most relate it to Mean Girls. But for us early '00s teens, we know that Felicity did it first and did it much better. 

Todd Mulcahy!

[Enginerd]

I think Nalini knew her parents were kind of self-absorbed and not terribly doting, but probably that didn't matter much to her all these years that she didn't really need their help, and it wasn't something she had to personally experience much since she wasn't around them. She probably figured they'd be excited to see her since she's been away so long (I don't think we know how long it's been since she visited, but it seems like they haven't seen each other at least since Mohan's death, if they even bothered to visit after that). She probably also thought they'd step up when she had actually asked them for help and arranged a specific visit. How hard would it be to look more happy that she's there and spend a couple days with her and help look at real estate, after all, when she'd arranged this trip just for that purpose and they knew it? Why wouldn't they have more interest in having their daughter and granddaughter around?

Expecting to be warmly welcomed home and then getting such an indifferent reception from the parents you rarely see would be disheartening, even if you know they mostly care about their social life. Like, why aren't YOU an important part of their social life, even for a day or two? Why are you, their child, the one who seems to matter the least to them?

Nalini's parents remind me of a former friend of mine. I eventually kind of just stopped ever seeing her because when we discussed getting together, I thought we had made a definite plan and she apparently thought it was a back-up idea in case nothing better came up. Even when she showed up, she wasn't really present. She just seemed to really not care that I had made any effort or gone somewhere based on our agreeing that it was what we were going to do.

[Enginerd]

Given what we saw of Nalini's parents here, the way she responded to Ben after he started crying in her office makes a lot more sense. It seemed a little uncharacteristically sensitive of her at the time. I think she saw a lot of herself and her own childhood in him.

[Kc23]

I was yelling at Devi when she chose 2 guys. As a middle school guy, this is a very well known feeling. I was en fuego!!

[Scarlett45]

On 7/15/2021 at 2:52 PM, SeanC said:

The paternal grandmother's introduction was very sweet (though if she had children living in America this long, I'm a bit surprised it took this long for somebody to suggest bringing her over).

Her husband may have recently died (and she wanted a change of scenery) or she may have been very involved with caring for other relatives in India.