S02.E07: College/Pohantoon

[DanaK]

Quote

When Al struggles with the college class he is taking, Riley takes it upon himself to speak to his professor. Also, Art's confidence is shaken when he learns Lois (Rachel Bay Jones) used to be married to a professional football star, on the CBS Original series UNITED STATES OF AL, Thursday, Nov. 18 (8:31-9:01 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+

 

[Annber03]

"Don't put him out of business, I own half of it." 

Ha :D. Awwwww, it's nice to see Lois again. I really like her and Art together, and I like the way she was able to reassure him and ease some of his insecurities about her ex-husband. 

As for Al, oof at failing his test, but honestly, it seems that's more a matter of him trying to understand some of the terminology involved and whatnot more than anything. That, and the teacher being...a lot :p. Even if Al didn't have that cultural "do not argue with the teacher" mindset to deal with, I could see where he'd still be at a bit of a loss at how to talk to him about any problems he's having.

But yeah, the funny aspect of him trying to be therapist to Riley aside, I can see where he'd learn to do quite well in this class over time. He's already shown he knows how to try and handle disputes between people, he likes to help those who need it and offer advice, so if he can figure out how to transfer those skills to his study of psychology, I think he could make it work in the long run :). And judging from Riley's interaction with Vanessa at the end, his attempt to help him did prove beneficial in some ways, so...

I also wonder if Riley will ever look into going back to school at some point. Could prove beneficial for him in a lot of ways, too. 

Liked Hazel trying to help Al with his online school information and whatnot, too, it's fun to see them connecting a bit over their shared struggles with school. I love that Al was going to consider "Toyota Corolla" for a password...and that Hazel knew that besides :p. 

[Sarah 103]

Overall, I enjoyed the episode. I wished that Riley had said, "I already have a therapist, I don't need another, but I do need a friend." 

Lois and Art are a cute couple. She knew just what to say to give him the confidence boost he needed to stay in and feel comfortable with the relationship. I also think she meant every word she said.  

[greekmom]

My dislike for Lois is deep since the actress is now on the Good Doctor.

Loved seeing John R Bowie again as a teacher/professor.  Would have been funny if he reprised his Barry role but I guess US of Al isn't a Chuck Lorre production. 

[DanaK]

I found this to be an enjoyable episode all around

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, greekmom said:

My dislike for Lois is deep since the actress is now on the Good Doctor.

Ha, it is funny to see how different her character is here compared to her character on that show, yes :p. The staff on "Good Doctor" would probably be thrilled to have someone like Lois in charge instead of Salen. 

Given Lois mentioned kids when talking to Art about her ex, depending on how their relationship plays out going forward, I wonder if we'll ever meet said kids at some point. Or even the ex himself. That could be interesting. 

[tennisgurl]

Loved seeing John R Bowie as the professor, I hope that we see him again. I can totally see Al doing great in a psych class, just he needs a bit of time to adjust to American college culture and the technology bits. Its nice that Riley wanted to help him but he is very much a "fixer" who likes to feel like he can run in and fix everyone's problems, even when they aren't really problems he can or should fix. And Riley thought that just seeing a therapist was rough, now he has to live with one. "You took one class which you failed."

The cultural differences between how people look at teachers is always interesting to me. 

Its nice seeing Lois again and its to the actresses credit that I don't want to throttle her right away after being so annoyed with her as Salen over on The Good Doctor. She and Art were sweet together, she did a really good job helping him deal with his insecurities. It was also nice how much Lizzie was trying to help him, even as she teased him. "Are you planning on starting a museum? A militia?" 

[Driad]

Al wrote something with his left hand.  Some cultures discourage or punish left-handed people.  Is it realistic that an adult from Afghanistan could be left-handed?
 

[theredhead77]

8 minutes ago, Driad said:

Is it realistic that an adult from Afghanistan could be left-handed?
 

Given the number of left-handed people on earth (about 10%), yes, it is 100% realistic that an adult from Afghanistan could be left-handed. Being forced to write with your right hand doesn't make you right-handed.

I enjoyed this episode, especially Lois bringing up that the only reason Art is single is because his wife died. It is great perspective. She made a choice to leave Donahue while Art had no choice in losing his partner. I also loved Riley going back to Vanessa and righting his wrong about the lawn mowing. It was odd hearing John R Bowie without Kripke's speech impediment. I didn't realize that was part of the character, and not the actor. I also noticied that he is pretty handsome, when not playing a prick.

Edited November 19, 2021 by theredhead77

[possibilities]

11 hours ago, greekmom said:

My dislike for Lois is deep since the actress is now on the Good Doctor.

 

I"m  having the same problem. I liked her before. But this time I hated her. Is she playing her the same way as she used to? She really seemed to me to be acting like Salen from TGD, but maybe it was just my brain not being able to adjust.

[greekmom]

7 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Given the number of left-handed people on earth (about 10%), yes, it is 100% realistic that an adult from Afghanistan could be left-handed. Being forced to write with your right hand doesn't make you right-handed.

I enjoyed this episode, especially Lois bringing up that the only reason Art is single is because his wife died. It is great perspective. She made a choice to leave Donahue while Art had no choice in losing his partner. I also loved Riley going back to Vanessa and righting his wrong about the lawn mowing. It was odd hearing John R Bowie without Kripke's speech impediment. I didn't realize that was part of the character, and not the actor. I also noticied that he is pretty handsome, when not playing a prick.

John R Bowie was also in a show called Speechless. Loved him in that. 

[Misslindsey]

16 hours ago, greekmom said:

My dislike for Lois is deep since the actress is now on the Good Doctor.

Hee! I love Rachel Bay Jones mainly because I saw her a handful of times in Dear Evan Hanson. I might think the same if I still watched TGD. I gave up on it a season or so ago. 

[SmithW6079]

On 11/19/2021 at 7:48 AM, greekmom said:

Loved seeing John R Bowie again as a teacher/professor.  Would have been funny if he reprised his Barry role but I guess US of Al isn't a Chuck Lorre production. 

The show is a Chuck Lorre production. 

Kripke was a scientist at Caltech in California. This show takes place in Ohio.