Pivoting - General Discussion

[CrystalBlue]

The only way to enjoy this show is to not take it seriously and realize you are watching what could be called the Land of Absurdia, or Absurbialand.  As to recognizable actors, I only know of Eliza Coupe from Happy Endings, another comedy.

As has been already pointed out, the ridiculousness of an ER physician and surgeon quitting her job to work as a cashier in a grocery store is bad enough, but on the spot with no prior thought (or notice to the employer) over a half-eaten bagle or breakfast burrito or whatever it was?  Absurd!  Of course they're keeping with the times of gay marriage--and divorce--for Maggie Q to be a lesbian with an ex-wife.  "All inclusive" with the reveal of the dead friend being black.  Oh no, I hope that Sarah isn't next on the mortality list!  (Reference to the LGBTQ-people-in-TV-and-movies-always-dying trope.)  The merry widower milking the grief goodies for all it's worth is a nice touch.

Jodie contemplating an affair has got to be cliche and I'm more worried about the shady trainer who makes his student/client work out in jeans and boots rather than proper workout attire.  Then there's self-absorbed Amy, who isn't going to win a Mother of the Year award just yet.  The talking fig a la acid trip from taking cannibis gummies was another absurd scene.  Where can I get some of those?

[arc]

That roller rink ep was a little too obviously trying hard. A lot of things feel just a little too forced. The kid being obsessed with animals is fine and rings true to life, but the various ways it plays out and how Amy first tries to suppress Luke's nerdiness and then defends it all just comes off just a bit contrived.

I have no idea why Jodie is working out late at night. Did I miss something? It just goes straight from them leaving the rink to the trio splitting up, and Jodie's in an empty parking lot waiting to meet Matt.

The show seems constructed to give the trio a lot of off-work time for shenanigans. Jodie's a housewife, Sarah's a grocery bagger, and Amy has a very early morning day job. But that just makes me think Amy would be crashing by 8 pm, rather than having time to hang out with her friends all day after work.

12 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

The only way to enjoy this show is to not take it seriously and realize you are watching what could be called the Land of Absurdia, or Absurbialand.

Yeah, there's always some kind of suspension of disbelief for these kinds of sitcoms, but I don't think this show is hitting the sweet spot yet. Part of it is because the show explicitly calls out how Jodie's dissatisfied with her disappointing, mundane life, and that works against suspending disbelief when they do sitcom hijinks.

Or take how ep 4 leaned into how Amy was obsessed with high school style coolness and how that made her nominally incompatible with Jodie. All fine, but it kind of ignores that Sarah is herself a high achieving super nerd too, or at least was in previous episodes. <shrug> Eh, it's early days. Sitcoms can change a lot as the writers tune a character to fit an actor better. But right now the rough edges stick out.

[ottoDbusdriver]

After watching Episode 4 I'm starting to hope that the showrunners pivot to some better writers.  

So, did Sarah "pivot" after Colleen's death to ditch her job and ditch her marriage -- or was her marriage already in the toilet before the first episode ?  It's not really clear.  Because that seems a little extreme.

Jodie needs to get past trying to make 'find her joy' a thing.  Because it's not working.

Amy is just a terrible parent and spouse.  How is she not already divorced ?
 

[juno]

Eliza Coupe had really good chemistry with Tommy Dewey on the show Casual. I think they are trying to keep that going. So far this relationship is the only one that is good on the show.

While I understand Maggie Q's circumstances and believe that there is some space for humor in her situation. I really don't like Ginny Goodwin and am not enjoying her plotline.

Fingers crossed, this has some potential.

[arc]

10 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

So, did Sarah "pivot" after Colleen's death to ditch her job and ditch her marriage -- or was her marriage already in the toilet before the first episode ?  It's not really clear.  Because that seems a little extreme.

Feels like she was already divorced. Her ex learned through the grapevine that she quit her job and became a grocery bagger*.

* btw, these days only the most upscale supermarkets have a cashier and a separate bagger.

[cardigirl]

21 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

The only way to enjoy this show is to not take it seriously and realize you are watching what could be called the Land of Absurdia, or Absurbialand.  As to recognizable actors, I only know of Eliza Coupe from Happy Endings, another comedy.

As has been already pointed out, the ridiculousness of an ER physician and surgeon quitting her job to work as a cashier in a grocery store is bad enough, but on the spot with no prior thought (or notice to the employer) over a half-eaten bagle or breakfast burrito or whatever it was?  Absurd!  Of course they're keeping with the times of gay marriage--and divorce--for Maggie Q to be a lesbian with an ex-wife.  "All inclusive" with the reveal of the dead friend being black.  Oh no, I hope that Sarah isn't next on the mortality list!  (Reference to the LGBTQ-people-in-TV-and-movies-always-dying trope.)  The merry widower milking the grief goodies for all it's worth is a nice touch.

Jodie contemplating an affair has got to be cliche and I'm more worried about the shady trainer who makes his student/client work out in jeans and boots rather than proper workout attire.  Then there's self-absorbed Amy, who isn't going to win a Mother of the Year award just yet.  The talking fig a la acid trip from taking cannibis gummies was another absurd scene.  Where can I get some of those?

Actually, I thought they showed pictures of the family and she was white with blonde hair. 

 

[Bort]

1 hour ago, arc said:

btw, these days only the most upscale supermarkets have a cashier and a separate bagger.

Grocery stores where I live have separate baggers and checkers. Maybe not so much when it’s not busy, but I rarely see it when it’s not busy.

[SilverLake0315]

I want to like this show. I really do. I love Eliza Coupe. But… it’s just not working for me. 

[Tachi Rocinante]

On 1/29/2022 at 1:18 AM, arc said:

I have no idea why Jodie is working out late at night. Did I miss something? It just goes straight from them leaving the rink to the trio splitting up, and Jodie's in an empty parking lot waiting to meet Matt.

I just assumed it was really early the next morning. 

[possibilities]

I didn't think she'd been working out. I thought that she left the roller rink and decided to fo gind Matt because she was upset about her husband. Note that she didn't have her car. Why else would Matt be surprised to see her, or be offering her a ride?

[TheGreenKnight]

I was so glad when Goodwin's character and her trainer finally established something, because I was getting tired of them constantly making her character wonder if he's interested, nearly reveal her feelings, walk it back, etc.

The show's not perfect, but I have a feeling it'll grow. It has potential anyway. Now if it'll last long enough to grow, who knows. Sarah and Henry are my favorite characters as of now. Henry's actor in the bedroom scene from...I believe it was episode 2? Yum!

[Jillybean]

I keep watching this hoping it'll somehow get better. It hasn't. And it still isn't funny, but in last night's episode when Ginnifer Goodwin did the 90210 fist pump and accidentally threw her sandwich across the room, I actually laughed out loud. At least there was one funny moment.

[CrystalBlue]

This show is going nowhere fast.  

[chediavolo]

On 1/29/2022 at 5:37 PM, arc said:

Feels like she was already divorced. Her ex learned through the grapevine that she quit her job and became a grocery bagger*.

* btw, these days only the most upscale supermarkets have a cashier and a separate bagger.

Not true at all. Maybe half true? All the chain supermarkets I’ve been to in the last 30 years have a separate cashier & bagger. When there is a bagger that is.  They do get called off a lot. Seems the cashiers these days get all friggin huffy when you start bagging your own stuff to get a head start. More than once I’ve gotten a snarky comment & one actually told me something  like now that I’ve started I can finish. Next time a bitch at the grocery store gives me attitude I will talk to the manager. 

[arc]

it makes no sense that Amy would send Gloria home just to have some rando neighbor watch her kids. No sense at all. C'mon show, I want to suspend disbelief, but we have to work together. The show started with the premise that Amy works hard at her early morning job and then decompresses for a long time in the afternoon so Gloria has been there the whole time. This is still just a few weeks into her life change of trying to be a more involved mom to her kids. Just have Gloria stay one afternoon here and there! These are not real problems.

I guess Jodie sides with Brenda over Kelly, but honestly she is 100% an Andrea. Uh, not Jodie's daughter Andrea, the 90210 character. On-drey-a.

"I waited too long to start dating after my divorce. Maybe I should've done it while I was married, like Diana did." -- and like Jodie is doing right now!!! Does Sarah really not have a problem with this? I guess the show has extremely stacked the deck on how much everyone thinks Dan sucks, but still. 

And now I am 100% thrown by how these 90210 superfans don't even pronounce Andrea's name right!!!!!

Also, like I said earlier, it feels very inorganic that Sarah and Amy team up as cool girls against Jodie's nerd persona when Sarah has huge nerd tendencies of her own.

I would have assumed most vibrators are made specifically not to get stuck. Every single plot in this episode has been so half-baked.

The Tansy thing with Sarah was just a C-plot but even so it feels underwritten. Like she, and Gloria, and Matt, and Dan are all talking props for the main characters. 

It feels like a Chekov's gun that Matt is in Jodie's phone as "Matt (Trainer)" but then again this show is so sloppily written that they might have just done it that way without intending to foreshadow anything.

[dmc]

I like this show.  I think these women are terrible people but I think that's the point.

Also I have seen way too many horror films to have a graveside picnic...

[proserpina65]

On 1/26/2022 at 5:40 PM, Pepper the Cat said:

Except they weren’t on their friends grave. They were on the neighbours. The grave of their friend, or rather the grave they thought was their friend did not have grass on it yet.

I know that.  I was addressing the original commenter's objection to the general idea of having a picnic on a loved one's grave, not the specific scene in the show.

On 1/29/2022 at 7:12 PM, kariyaki said:

Grocery stores where I live have separate baggers and checkers. Maybe not so much when it’s not busy, but I rarely see it when it’s not busy.

The stores in my area haven't had separate baggers in decades.  Except very occasionally when one teenager is talking to his/her friend and puts my stuff in bags while doing it.

[proserpina65]

On 2/5/2022 at 7:12 AM, chediavolo said:

Not true at all. Maybe half true? All the chain supermarkets I’ve been to in the last 30 years have a separate cashier & bagger. When there is a bagger that is.  They do get called off a lot. Seems the cashiers these days get all friggin huffy when you start bagging your own stuff to get a head start. More than once I’ve gotten a snarky comment & one actually told me something  like now that I’ve started I can finish. Next time a bitch at the grocery store gives me attitude I will talk to the manager. 

You guys shop at very different grocery stores than I do.

[dmc]

5 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

You guys shop at very different grocery stores than I do.

Our grocery stores not only don’t have baggers but only usually have one or two lines open with an actual staff member checking people out.  Everything else is self checkout.  Honestly I haven’t seen baggers in years. Literally YEARS. 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by dmc

[chediavolo]

1 hour ago, dmc said:

Our grocery stores not only don’t have baggers but only usually have one or two lines open with an actual staff member checking people out.  Everything else is self checkout.  Honestly I haven’t seen baggers in years. Literally YEARS. 

 

 

Same about the cashiers, only one or two. I refuse self checkout. Takes away jobs & I’ll be damned if I have to ring up my own groceries. Seems you always need assistance anyway. 

[dmc]

1 hour ago, chediavolo said:

Same about the cashiers, only one or two. I refuse self checkout. Takes away jobs & I’ll be damned if I have to ring up my own groceries. Seems you always need assistance anyway. 

Sometimes I get items that make self checkout a hassle. In Virginia even if you buy a lighter for candles, you have to be carded and they card for cold medicine too.  The line that has the one checker is always insane because some people refuse self checkout, so you have people buying two months worth of groceries.  They have virtually forced you to do self checkout here unless you want to wait all day.  And the store I go the most, now lets you check out via app as you go through the store...so even when you go to self checkout...all you do it pay there and NO cash, they got rid of all cash in self checkout at all.  Cash has to go that one cashier that hates life and they still don't give this person a bagger.  

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by dmc

[twoods]

The worst is when they try to force you to self checkout at Costco. They are just standing around with their scanner and pretend you don’t exist so I’m trying to lug heavy stuff onto the scanner and since they don’t let you you put it back in the cart and have to weigh it, it all gets stacked up on the other side. Then cough and cold medicine they check ID- it is a terrible experience.

This show is still decent but I wish they didn’t make Amy so terrible. Why does her husband stay with her?

[ottoDbusdriver]

This show is really starting to try my patience -- because it's just not funny.  

And with the 3 leads being more and more unlikable with every episode the dial is quickly turning to hate-watch.

[CrystalBlue]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

This show is really starting to try my patience -- because it's just not funny.  

And with the 3 leads being more and more unlikable with every episode the dial is quickly turning to hate-watch.

This show has entered trainwreck territory for me.  I'm trying to find some socially redeeming value in it all.  Is this another show "about nothing" I wonder?  At least Jodie seems to be reconsidering her starting an affair with that shady trainer.

Edited February 12, 2022 by CrystalBlue

[JAYJAY1979]

After seeing the teacher,or whoever the shirtless dude's job title is, I now understand why my friends have opted to home school their kids.  Condescending and devoid of critical thinking skills. 

With that said, Amy seems unhappy and mean.  I get a 'let me speak to your manager vibe' from her.  And I get a sense she resents being a mom and it's starting to seep out now that she's in grief over her friends death.

[arc]

My current theory is this is written with a multicam show's brain but shot like a single cam. They don't hold for laughter, but the plot contrivances are really sitcom-zany in a way that feels dated. The teacher doing hot yoga is just painfully unfunny because it doesn't flow out of the plot or characterizations that preceded it. Sarah having a mini-crisis that could be fixed by running a mile under six minutes.

[dmc]

On 2/11/2022 at 9:39 PM, twoods said:

The worst is when they try to force you to self checkout at Costco. They are just standing around with their scanner and pretend you don’t exist so I’m trying to lug heavy stuff onto the scanner and since they don’t let you you put it back in the cart and have to weigh it, it all gets stacked up on the other side. Then cough and cold medicine they check ID- it is a terrible experience.

This show is still decent but I wish they didn’t make Amy so terrible. Why does her husband stay with her?

Stores have got to the point where they don’t want to give you any customer service whatsoever. 
 

I’ve experienced the Costco debacle.  I actually got stuck in Costco for a couple of hours during the pandemic when they lost power.  No one wanted to give up their coveted meat to get out of line.  
 

I feel like I know people like Amy and they’re always married.  I actually have a theory on this.  I think the other person tolerates them because the person isn’t afraid to be a jerk. All the jerk points fall on them and they get to be the nice guy while experiencing the perks of being with someone who will legit say anything 

[CrystalBlue]

I think Amy is getting crazy eyes.

[seacliffsal]

I really don't like the Jodie wants to have an affair plot as I believe this was the first time we saw her husband and other than farting in his sleep, he just didn't come across as that bad.  I agree with an above poster who thought the point was that all three really weren't nice people.  Oh, and having sex in the restroom at the workplace (Maggie Q's character) is just yuck and no.  She doesn't even seem to take that job seriously in any way-even when she shows up on time, she finds a reason to leave early.

I so want to like this show, but it just seems "jumpy" and trying too hard to be edgy (masturbation, affairs, sex at work, hallucinations, etc.).

[arc]

3 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

I think Amy is getting crazy eyes.

Eliza Coupe was so good at those in Happy Endings.

[scruff]

This   show  is    AWFUL.     It  is  so    SAD    that a  Supposed   prime time  "comedy"    is  actually   in  Fact    just   another   show  and  writing  Team   that   promotes,   encourages,  excuses,  justifies,  rationalizes,  glorifies  and  Romanticizes   INFIDELITY.

It is  another   example  of  just  about ALL that is  wrong  in Today's    Society.   

How  sad,   lazy,  unoriginal  and  Cliche.   

[arc]

I just can't vibe with this sitcom's episode premises. Amy and Coleen's old number? Come on. At this point I think the show knows Amy's being terrible but it's still comes off as mostly on her side. Like, who drives right onto a soccer field???

If Tansy has a rough time finding alone time because she has seven roommates, why don't Sarah and Tansy just have dates at Sarah's house? Doesn't she still have most of that doctor money? Maybe the issue is that she wants to keep it casual, but then it seems like the only reason that didn't work is because she and Tansy couldn't have a real conversation.

I do like that Sarah has an understandable reaction to Jodie cheating, but I feel like it doesn't fit her rather more laissez-faire attitude about it in previous episodes.

That Marine did call Devon. I thought she said she just got her phone for her 16th birthday and that age difference seems a little sketchy.

(also, real talk, don't kids these days give out their Snapchat or IG or something instead of making actual calls? Or at least he would have texted, not called? I have very little insight into Zoomer culture and customs.)

[chediavolo]

The widower Husband is never shown feeling any kind of sadness over his wife’s death. Why was the former dr, now grocery cashier🙄, at his house going through her Friends boxed up stuff in his closet? 
I doubt this gets a second season it is pretty bad. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

1 hour ago, chediavolo said:

I doubt this gets a second season it is pretty bad. 

And it's getting worse with every episode.

[cardigirl]

I enjoy this show. I'm surprised at the general feeling of it not being good. I think the timing and repartee are pretty good between the three leads and between Eliza Coupe's character and her husband.  Not sure how "real life" it's supposed to be. 

And I laughed out loud when Jodie's trainer warned her she was about to burn a lot of calories, so be sure to hydrate afterward.  Was she committing adultery? Why yes she was, with a very cute, much younger boy, and it has the potential for a lot of comedy. Jodie clearly has not been getting a lot of attention at home. 

As far as Colleen's husband showing grief, he did cry at the party because he was sad she wasn't there. The other husband teared up too. I like their bond. I think they've done a good job of showing the group's grief over losing Colleen. One quit her job, one is having an affair, and one is trying to be a better mother.  Emphasis on trying. 

I'll keep watching.  

 

[dmc]

On 2/13/2022 at 9:49 PM, seacliffsal said:

I really don't like the Jodie wants to have an affair plot as I believe this was the first time we saw her husband and other than farting in his sleep, he just didn't come across as that bad.  I agree with an above poster who thought the point was that all three really weren't nice people.  Oh, and having sex in the restroom at the workplace (Maggie Q's character) is just yuck and no.  She doesn't even seem to take that job seriously in any way-even when she shows up on time, she finds a reason to leave early.

I so want to like this show, but it just seems "jumpy" and trying too hard to be edgy (masturbation, affairs, sex at work, hallucinations, etc.).

None of these people are decent.  I feel like that’s the troupe…they are crappy people 

But I feel like it’s pretty obvious what’s wrong with Jodie’s husband.  He pretty much dismisses her unless he needs something.  

If she wants out, no need for an affair though…she can divorce him or try counseling or a separation. Like many options for a relationship not working are available to you.

Also if you want to enjoy porn with your spouse, I feel like the way he went about it was weird.  

 

Edited February 19, 2022 by dmc

[JAYJAY1979]

On 2/18/2022 at 2:12 AM, arc said:

I just can't vibe with this sitcom's episode premises. Amy and Coleen's old number? Come on. At this point I think the show knows Amy's being terrible but it's still comes off as mostly on her side. Like, who drives right onto a soccer field???

If Tansy has a rough time finding alone time because she has seven roommates, why don't Sarah and Tansy just have dates at Sarah's house? Doesn't she still have most of that doctor money? Maybe the issue is that she wants to keep it casual, but then it seems like the only reason that didn't work is because she and Tansy couldn't have a real conversation.

I do like that Sarah has an understandable reaction to Jodie cheating, but I feel like it doesn't fit her rather more laissez-faire attitude about it in previous episodes.

That Marine did call Devon. I thought she said she just got her phone for her 16th birthday and that age difference seems a little sketchy.

(also, real talk, don't kids these days give out their Snapchat or IG or something instead of making actual calls? Or at least he would have texted, not called? I have very little insight into Zoomer culture and customs.)

I think Sarah, like Amy, assumed that Jodie was just all talk, no action since Jodie tended to be more passive.

I think when Jodie finally did sleep with the personal trainer, both Amy and Sarah realized it was real..not a fantasy.  Hence why Sarah now has a reaction to Jodie's affair.

Amy is unlikable but Eliza Coupe has good comic timing..shame she's wasted on this.

[Shermie]

On 2/18/2022 at 6:08 AM, chediavolo said:

The widower Husband is never shown feeling any kind of sadness over his wife’s death. Why was the former dr, now grocery cashier🙄, at his house going through her Friends boxed up stuff in his closet?

I’m assuming because it’s “girly” stuff, like clothes and whatnot, it makes sense that Colleen’s friends sort through it. Maybe they want to keep some of it? The show implies that the 4 women spent a lot of time together. As for the widower not showing grief? Colleen died of cancer, so the bigger grief was at the terminal diagnosis. I’ve seen that many times; the shock of the impending loss is the worst grief. By the time the person dies, they’ve suffered a while, so their death is a relief, even if it’s fairly quick and the person is young. It’s different when the person dies suddenly, like in an accident.

I really don’t like Jodie sleeping with the trainer. Cheating isn’t cool, Jodie, even if you think your husband is an ass. And maybe he is a buffoon, but honestly, I don’t think they’ve shown him being terrible enough for the viewer to root for Jodie cheating on him. It’s off-putting.

I do like the three women leads and the blond’s husband. I wish the writing was better because the actors seem to have the chops to pull it off.

As for grocery stores bagging, it obviously varies by region and store. Here, some stores do it and some don’t and you know that going in. I prefer to pack my own, since I pack them according to where they go in my house. It seems most people bring their own bags anyway, and know which bags are good for what (insulated bags for frozen, etc.) But I prefer self-checkout anyway, so much faster! Rarely have issues with it, and the odd time there’s a glitch, there’s a staffer right there. Even at Costco and Walmart. And around here, self-checkout isn’t taking any jobs; there are so many unfilled jobs that giving some to automation means the work is getting done. 

I still don’t understand quitting being a surgeon to work in a grocery store. Nothing against grocery store workers, but it seems like a waste of an education. 

[chediavolo]

I must have missed something. Why did Jodie think she had herpes ? What was the outcome of that? 
 Very disgusting to lay in a bed in a room with no lock, bare assed on peoples coats. 🤢

Edited February 20, 2022 by chediavolo

[arc]

5 hours ago, chediavolo said:

I must have missed something. Why did Jodie think she had herpes ? What was the outcome of that? 

She got a rash that turned out to be an allergic reaction to Matt’s combo body wash/shampoo/conditioner.

[chediavolo]

3 minutes ago, arc said:

She got a rash that turned out to be an allergic reaction to Matt’s combo body wash/shampoo/conditioner.

Ah. Thanks

[juno]

I think there is some elements in this to make a good show. There is some good chemistry with the leads and especially with Amy and Henry.

The plot lines are really bad though. A whole storyline based on a woman cheating on her husband, another on a woman ditching being a doctor to become a cashier (ignoring medical research, teaching etc) and another wanting to bond with her children.

The showrunners may need to get out of these storylines to find something else that is a bit more interesting because I already find these plots really boring. I also don't like Ginny Goodwin in this role. I just don't think she fits in.

[Charlemagne]

I love this show to pieces and I hope that it gets all the seasons.

[arc]

On 2/20/2022 at 10:23 AM, juno said:

The plot lines are really bad though. A whole storyline based on a woman cheating on her husband, another on a woman ditching being a doctor to become a cashier (ignoring medical research, teaching etc) and another wanting to bond with her children.

The show is quite flawed in premise or execution IMO, though I'm not 100% sure which it is. Most sitcoms take an inciting incident to set up the new normal and then run on that story engine as long as they can. Rachel Green ditches her wedding to come live in the city with her old HS friend. ALF crash lands in the Tanner's back yard. Balki Bartokomous comes to live with his Chicago cousin. Jack Donaghy takes over NBC, forces TGS to add Tracy Jordan.

But here, the main characters are just rolling in grief. It's a bit of a tough thing to make a sitcom about to begin with, but also, Jodie can't forever be in the will-they-won't-they of cheating, and Amy's either gonna bond with her kids or give it up and hand the reins back to Gloria (spoiler: she's not gonna do the latter because who wants to root for a rich lady getting to outsource raising her kids). Sarah actually has the most sustainable character premise even if it is also the least believable of the three, and then honestly Amy's storylines could be working mom stuff too. But more generally, sitcoms start with the characters having pivoted. I can't think of many sitcoms where the main characters were in a prolonged state of present-tense pivoting.

OK, on to thoughts about tonight's episode. First off, isn't it a little late to be riffing on Gwyneth Paltrow's scented candle?

Amy's going-through-a-tunnel was great work. But yeah, this whole providing drugs to a teacher has next to no connection with the grief premise. But that is a good thing! The inciting incident of a good sitcom is not the premise. Too bad it's kind of an unfunny plot.

Dan walking in on Sarah was obvious the whole way through but it was reasonably well executed with the exception of the bathrobe hanging on the bathroom door that Sarah could easily have taken down and worn.

Not the main point here but if Jodie had Matt's wifi password, it wouldn't have mattered how poor the reception is in his basement bedroom.

Couldn't Sarah have just taken a rideshare or cab home?

A lot of stuff happened in this episode, but it either felt forced and unfunny (Sarah taking a long bath, the weird pointlessness of Higgins shaking down both Amy and Henry for pills) or it had comedic potential but had no life to it, like Jodie trying to cheat. And that plot didn't even have much of a resolution.

[CrystalBlue]

10 hours ago, arc said:

...it had comedic potential but had no life to it, like Jodie trying to cheat. And that plot didn't even have much of a resolution.

I noticed that Jodie's go-to cheating position is she always climbs on top of Shady Trainer Matt.  Ugh.

[ottoDbusdriver]

On 2/25/2022 at 5:08 AM, arc said:

A lot of stuff happened in this episode, but it either felt forced and unfunny (Sarah taking a long bath, the weird pointlessness of Higgins shaking down both Amy and Henry for pills) or it had comedic potential but had no life to it, like Jodie trying to cheat. And that plot didn't even have much of a resolution.

I think unfunny is the key word here. 

[mehtotheworld]

On 2/8/2022 at 6:08 PM, dmc said:

I like this show.  I think these women are terrible people but I think that's the point.

100% agreed here. Do I think I the show is firing on all cylinders or would I want to be anywhere near them in real life? No, but their awfulness still makes me laugh. I’m not looking for a morality play here. I think they strike a fine enough line between too awful to watch vs. awful but entertaining  

Eliza Coupe in particular is great at being an unrepentant, oblivious asshole. Maggie Q’s character full on sprinting to get her super important 6 minute mile while her friends are caught up in their own conversation cracked me up. I even like Ginnifer Goodwin cheating on her putz of a husband (the trainer is just enough of a hot doofus that it works for me).

No one is making good decisions but I’m here for it. 

[possibilities]

When the show started, they framed it as the women getting their lives together when their friend died, ebcause they realized life is short. Quit a job you hate and focus on your happiness after a painful divorce. SPend time with your kids and stop being totally self-absorbed. FIgure out you're unhappy in your marriage and decide to find your joy.

But then it turned out that spending time with the kids was more or less abandoned, joy turned out to be an affair with a guy who thinks of you as a mother figure, and working a minimum wage job and banging a co-worker you don't really like is somehow a pivot. 

I don't need them to be saints, but I honestly don't think I"ve ever met anyone this dysfunctional and un-self-aware. And yes, it's a sitcom, so it doesn't have to be realistic. But the original framing device doesn't seem to have anything to do with the actual show, other than that they keep mentioning Colleen.

[arc]

15 hours ago, possibilities said:

But the original framing device doesn't seem to have anything to do with the actual show, other than that they keep mentioning Colleen.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing! Some good to great sitcoms like Happy Endings and Cougar Town only hit their stride once they ditched their limiting original framework. Sometimes the hook is effectively just something to get a network to greenlight a show, esp for hangout sitcoms.

[Tachi Rocinante]

This show has no heart and no one learns or grows from their experiences/mistakes.

So, was Colleen despicable too? Or are we supposed to assume she was the moral glue that kept these miserable twats in line?