S08.E03: Checks and Balances

[Whimsy]

Quote

A sister and a brother are desperate to keep their furniture business open and keep the legacy of their father alive

Original air date 8/24/21

[seacliffsal]

Overall, I enjoyed this episode.  I really like the idea of a Murphy bed for a small room and I thought he did nice designs.  It did seem like the brother did way more work than the sister.  I found it especially interesting how the brother/sister and Marcus openly talked about how the brother was trying to defraud his creditors by not having actual ownership in the business although they admitted he had unofficial half-ownership.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I shook my head at the brother and sister admitting on national TV that they stiffed the brother's creditors, and hiding the ownership.   I love the man who has 10% ownership in the business.    I love the Murphy beds, especially the shorter sideways ones.    I am totally sick of barn doors though, and a lot of people get kits and build their own barn doors, and save a lot.  I don't see the barn door side of the business being profitable in the future.      

[I Want My MBTV]

So far (IMHO) this was the best episode of the season.  There wasn't too much relationship drama and was more focused on the actual business. All three owners seemed pleasant enough as well though the the 10% owner and the non-owner kid were my favorite.   I did wonder (like others) about the the brother's former debt and being on a show being shown given money.  Speaking of money how many times did Marcus say "this is the last check I'm writing" only to write another one 5 minutes later.  I also wondered about the division of responsibilities - where was the sister? Did she have another job?  Out trying to get sales?  I did like the designs now that I've been WFH for what seems like forever from a one bedroom apartment I coveted that one that you could hide the work space behind.  I was a little annoyed when Marcus said of the kids room "if this was a girl's room..." there was nothing about that room that I read as gender specific.   

There was a strange thing I noticed during the "re-opening" and that was that no one else was acknowledged.  When Marcus first walks in you very clearly hear a woman say "nice to meet you" and it's like she's invisible.  A few minutes later you see a woman trip (same woman?) and again no acknowledgement.   I was wondering if that was their mother since they only mentioned their father.  I did think it was strange either way that Marcus didn't talk to anyone else there asking what they thought unless I blanked and missed that.

The only thing I didn't like this episode was the MTV videos every 5-10 minutes.  Between that, the paint splatter shirt last week and the Givenchy shirt this week I think someone may be having a mid-life crisis.

 

[sskrill]

I liked this episode - it was like the early series - normal people with less than great business acumen.

I think when they were talking about the brothers debt, they were saying that was going to be included - or did I misunderstand that?  I thought Marcus was saying he wanted it cleared out so the brother could own his share properly, no?

The showroom was great - that was a smart move to help people understand the options.  And it would be easy to do a 360* of those on the website.

Finally a decent episode with decent people.

 

[HelloOutThere]

The Givenchy shirt was beyond the pale!!! Marcus is approaching need for a critical fashion intervention!

Agree that this was the best episode of the season so far. More back to basics. But honestly, the music interludes feel EXACTLY like “The Hills.” And this ain’t “The Hills”! But whatever, I can live with it. I’m in LA and it’s always interesting to see which places get shown. I wonder what these glam montages will look like when Marcus visits a crappy business park in Podunk?

Finally, agree that barn doors are a sunsetting trend. When Motel 6 rooms have barn doors, they’ve jumped the shark. I do think we will see more Murphy beds and companies like this will help. I just refurbed an office / closet / glam room and kicking myself for not thinking of something like the desk / bed they showed. No need to take up space in a small room with a bed all the time, but still able to sleep guests comfortably. 🤔 Maybe I’ll have to visit the showroom and refurb the refurb…

Edited August 27, 2021 by HelloOutThere

[seacliffsal]

I never liked the barn doors when they were first trendy (looking at you Fixer Upper).  Not being able to really shut/lock the bathroom door or any other door?  And the wall space one needs to accommodate them is not readily available for everyone.  No thanks.

[LuvMyShows]

The remodel of the showroom was one of the most major transformations of any that Marcus has done.  If that really was his vision alone, then good for him.  The only thing I didn't like was that the lack of clear demarcation between rooms made it look a little jumbled.

On 8/25/2021 at 7:54 PM, I Want My MBTV said:

Between that, the paint splatter shirt last week and the Givenchy shirt this week I think someone may be having a mid-life crisis.

I just don't understand it, because neither the paint splatter shirt nor the Givenchy shirt are trendy or attractive, so why on earth is he wearing them?

On 8/26/2021 at 9:09 PM, sskrill said:

I think when they were talking about the brothers debt, they were saying that was going to be included - or did I misunderstand that?  I thought Marcus was saying he wanted it cleared out so the brother could own his share properly, no?

That's what I thought originally, but when the totals needed for each check were mentioned, the purposes didn't seem to be repayment of the brother's debt.

[Moose135]

12 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

I just don't understand it, because neither the paint splatter shirt nor the Givenchy shirt are trendy or attractive, so why on earth is he wearing them?

Because he is Marcus! and he doesn't follow trends, he makes them! 😉

[Back Atcha]

On 8/27/2021 at 3:51 PM, seacliffsal said:

Not being able to really shut/lock the bathroom door or any other door? 

There are innumerable methods to lock barn doors...from the inside or outside.  Even AMAZON carries the locks and hints.