S06.E03: Four Fathers

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

Jack, Randall, Kevin and Toby struggle to connect with their children.

 

[mtlchick]

First the Crock Pot that “killed” Jack. And now the Big Green Egg breaks up Toby and Kate. Man the product placement on this show sometimes isn’t worth it for the collateral damage.

 

[LexieLily]

If they want us to get on board with Kate and Toby divorcing and Kate marrying Phillip Mean Jerk in five years they need to come up with a better reason than the road to divorce starting because Toby bought the smoker toddler Jack burned his scalp on.

Randall missed the 'first twelve years of Deja's life"? Deja was definitely older than twelve/thirteen when she first stayed with Randall and Beth. I thought she was older than Tess. 

Why does Haley Damon look like a toddler while Nicky and Frannie Pearson are presumably only just now walking? They were born the same day.

Deja's answer of "Well, that's going to be a problem" when Randall said she wasn't allowed to visit Malik in Boston anymore terrified me that she's pregnant.

 

 

Edited January 19, 2022 by LexieLily

[Spartan Girl]

Never put your texts on speaker.

Well, the writers are fucking liars. All that talk about Toby and Kate’s split being amicable and drama free, but this episode basically told us it’s going to be a big blowup over Jack getting into an accident with the cooker? Ugh. Not looking forward to that. First the crockpot house fire, now this!

LOL at Randall and Beth going on the warpath over Deja.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Spartan Girl

[BuckeyeLou]

And the Men all learn they should listen to their wives/significant others. 

[chitowngirl]

Kevin-buy a place and take the kids on the weekend!!

[Clawdette]

Beth telling Randall that making Deja return to virtual learning would be punishing them for the win!

[tennisgurl]

Meanwhile, Annie has presumably jumped on a Greyhound and gone all the way to Chicago and back again without her parents even noticing she was gone. 

[BuckeyeLou]

The new young "Manny" played by the actor who was a 'bad guy" on "Days of our Lives"!

[CrystalBlue]

2 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

If they want us to get on board with Kate and Toby divorcing and Kate marrying Phillip Mean Jerk in five years they aren't doing a great job they really need to come up with a better reason than the road to divorce starting because Toby bought the smoker toddler Jack burned his scalp on.

Randall missed the 'first twelve years of Deja's life"? Deja was definitely older than twelve/thirteen when she first stayed with Randall and Beth. I thought she was older than Tess. 

 

 

Deja is older than Tess.  She displaced Tess's older daughter, oldest sibling status when Deja was adopted.  I haven't even watched this episode yet, as I'm on the West Coast.  I'm already on the lookout (spoiler for me) for the Big Green Egg ruining Kate and Toby's marriage!

[buttersister]

Beth: Drink the wine. I’m taking Deja to get birth control.

World: Beth ftw!

[mariah23]

3 minutes ago, BuckeyeLou said:

The new young "Manny" played by the actor who was a 'bad guy" on "Days of our Lives"!

Charlie!!  I knew he looked familiar!

[Kremit]

6 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

If they want us to get on board with Kate and Toby divorcing and Kate marrying Phillip Mean Jerk in five years they aren't doing a great job they really need to come up with a better reason than the road to divorce starting because Toby bought the smoker toddler Jack burned his scalp on.

Randall missed the 'first twelve years of Deja's life"? Deja was definitely older than twelve/thirteen when she first stayed with Randall and Beth. I thought she was older than Tess. 

Why does Haley Damon look like a toddler while Nicky and Frannie Pearson are presumably only just now walking? They were born the same day.

 

 

Deja is older than Tess.  Tess is 13 now.  I only know this because in the Halloween episode when she was born, it was dated Halloween 2008.  I have a son born November 2008 and I was shocked at that because I thought Tess was older.  She’s way more mature than the kids I know of the same age.  She and Deja have always been written older than their age in my opinion.

[KaveDweller]

7 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

If they want us to get on board with Kate and Toby divorcing and Kate marrying Phillip Mean Jerk in five years they need to come up with a better reason than the road to divorce starting because Toby bought the smoker toddler Jack burned his scalp on.

Randall missed the 'first twelve years of Deja's life"? Deja was definitely older than twelve/thirteen when she first stayed with Randall and Beth. I thought she was older than Tess. 

Why does Haley Damon look like a toddler while Nicky and Frannie Pearson are presumably only just now walking? They were born the same day.

 

 

I think Deja was 12-13 when she first came to stay with the Pearsons. I remember they made a big deal of whether she would be ready to start high school on time. That was season 2, so her being 16 (a junior) 4 seasons later fits.

If Kevin is so upset about missing time with his kids, and Madison is stressed from all the work of taking care of them, why don't they do joint custody? Wouldn't that be the logical solution, especially when they live in the same town?

[DoubleUTeeEff]

Baby Jack is adorable. "Go get your hair done."

Deja's got moxy with "That's going to be a problem." At least she's not going to lie any more though. And after all the talk about birth control last episode, I thought we were going to find out that Malik and Deja already had it sorted. But instead, Beth is the voice of reason. Yikes, I can't believe Malik hasn't learned his lesson.

Anyone but me think that Kevin should remember being "traumatized?" That should teach him not to wander off! Seems like a normal lesson for a kid.

I'm laughing at all the smoker/crock pot comments because I was totally thinking the same! These people have bad luck with kitchen appliances, if a smoker can be described that way. Crazy that Baby Jack still has it. I hope he washed his hands before handling those steaks. He was really man handling them.

7 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Kevin-buy a place and take the kids on the weekend!!

Right?!? He should just get partial custody! WTF? Maybe they are still breast feeding?

Kevin calls Cassidy! Is she back in the mix now or still just a friend?

[ams1001]

Has The Manny never heard of...dish towels? burp cloths? a sponge? It is actually kinda creepy that a guy's first instinct would be to just rip off his shirt to clean up a baby mess.

Babe.

Little Jack repeating after Daddy was adorable.

Of course Randall already knows the bad teacher-joke punchline. (But I did, too.)

Last week Boston was five hours away, this week it's six. (Google says seven-plus and all the schedules that came up on the first page leave around 2 in the morning.)

"How was the movie?" "Half of it was great.."

When Jack got the phone call I guessed that his mom died..

[greekmom]

Was the blond in the future the same girl Jack Damon met at the restaurant? She didn't look the same. Maybe it was the hat and shades.

I was so sure that it would have been Sophie on the other end of Kevin's call.

Great episode overall.  Looks like next week's is a filler.

[Aileen]

A 25 year old was born before Y2K, Kevin. Because math.

Next week looks awful.

[Madding crowd]

I thought this was kind of a boring episode. I’m kind of tired of Jack and Rebecca moments and sometimes they talk in a kind of fantasy way that seems different from real life, not sure I can explain what I mean. Kevin’s situation is probably what a lot of newly separated parents feel and there really is no answer for those feelings. I thought Toby suddenly talking about the smoker seemed shoehorned in so we could see grown up Jack with the scar.

[Crs97]

What a muddled mess.  Now we’re stuck with a very special episode with Jack’s family, like we have ever cared about them.  And Cassidy’s back?  Hmm.
 

So Kate was mad that they were going to have to be late, then mad Toby made sure she was on time?  I hope future Toby is happily remarried to a woman less exhausting.

Love how Kate is saying how awesome the babysitter is when she apparently never had to do anything.  It was ridiculous that she bailed because Jack was cranky.

[chitowngirl]

I wonder if Deja’s “that’s going to be a problem” means they (unrealistically) got married?

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

Kevin calls Cassidy! Is she back in the mix now or still just a friend?

I don't know but I'm just glad they didn't have him hook up with his 16-years-younger costar who plays his teenage step-daughter.

5 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Was the blond in the future the same girl Jack Damon met at the restaurant? She didn't look the same. Maybe it was the hat and shades.

I was wondering the same thing... the actress who played his wife previously is Auden Thornton; she only has three episodes listed on IMDB and this isn't one of them.

2 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

Love how Kate is saying how awesome the babysitter is when she apparently never had to do anything.  It was ridiculous that she bailed because Jack was cranky.

Sounds like she was more of a mother's helper. I guess Kate only left her alone with them when they were asleep?

 

[tennisgurl]

I guess I should applaud the shows restraint in not playing Cats in the Cradle, the most obvious song for an episode like this, even though you know they really wanted to. 

[Shermie]

Isn’t the Big Green Egg a pretty pricey bbq for a couple that’s living paycheque to paycheque? Toby is working at the only job he can find, but he can spring for a bbq that’s five times the price of a regular one? Unless he gets a cheap knockoff, hence the explosion or whatever happens with it.

I liked this ep, seeing parenting struggles for the guys. Loved Beth’s comment that making Deja go back to online school was really punishing all of them. Sing it, Beth.

[Evie]

The Big Green Egg breaks up Kate and Toby. They are already pretty distant so Jack burning himself is probably the last straw, but still, really show?

I liked the scene with Kevin and Toby. I really disliked Toby when the show started but now I just want him to find someone nice and be happy in the future. I just don't want him to be alone and miserable but maybe he ends up being a triangle with Jack and Haley while Kevin gets his square. 

Little Jack is so cute.

Kevin really needs to get his own place and share custody with Madison. Even if the twins are too young for overnights or are still breastfeeding, he could take them for the day. 

Edited January 19, 2022 by Evie

[Bumblebee84047]

1 hour ago, KaveDweller said:

 

If Kevin is so upset about missing time with his kids, and Madison is stressed from all the work of taking care of them, why don't they do joint custody? Wouldn't that be the logical solution, especially when they live in the same town?

Of course that would be the logical solution, but the Pearsons tend to thrive on angsty drama.

[Bumblebee84047]

1 hour ago, Aileen said:

Next week looks awful.

Except for Camryn Manheim.  YAY!

[Veronica]

1 hour ago, mtlchick said:

First the Crock Pot that “killed” Jack. And now the Big Green Egg breaks up Toby and Kate. Man the product placement on this show sometimes isn’t worth it for the collateral damage.

 

I’m hoping this makes the price of the Big Green Egg to drop. 

[tennisgurl]

So Toby and Kate end up breaking up over the Big Green Egg? Its the crock pot all over again, home appliances destroy lives, you saw it here first! No product placement has gone so poorly since Peloton decided to let Sex and the City use their product to off a major character. I thought this was a pretty good episode, if a bit on the boring side. Being a dad is hard, especially when you don't live in the same house and/or work a lot, in every subplot. I like the focus on fatherhood, but I wish we had learned a bit more that we didn't already know about all these guys. 

Father and Son was a great song to play this week, that song gives me such feels. Much better choice then the more on the nose Cats in the Cradle. 

So why cant Kevin just buy his own place and get partial custody? I'm sure Madison would be thrilled to have him take the babies sometimes, we know he can afford it, this should not be a big deal. I am glad he called Cassidy instead of his hot co-star, I like them as friends but I would be open to them starting something romantically. She keeps him grounded, can understand some of his issues, and doesn't have the whole history that he and Sophie have. 

As much as I like the actor, I am not feeling Kate's thing with her boss. He can be nice at times to Kate, but he generally seems like a dick. I know Toby can rub people the wrong way, but I did feel sorry for him this week. He was trying so hard, and we know that big gestures is Toby's love language, but everything he did ended up just rubbing Kate the wrong way. Of course, it really is clearly more then just sleep schedules, long distance is clearly not working. I hope that, even after the divorce, he gets a happy ending. 

Beth saying that Deja doing school from home would be "punishment for all of us" was absolutely the line of the night. Randall and Beth were certainly WAY more cool about their teenage daughter lying to them about going to another state to sleep with her boyfriend then my parents would have been! And then Deja with that attitude at the end, I thought she was about to tell us she was married or pregnant now, and even after she got basically a slap on the wrist and a trip to buy birth control. I did find the conversation between Randall and Deja a bit weird, I might be confusing the timelines but I didn't think that Deja had been with them for that long, I thought she was older then twelve when she arrived? It felt like this was originally a Tess or an Annie plot, which would have better fit the "I need to realize my little girls growing up" speech, but of course they gave it to Deja, who is both the show and Randall's favorite daughter. Plus, Tess only gets plots about her sexuality or being annoyed with Beth, and Annie doesn't get plots. 

Edited January 19, 2022 by tennisgurl

[LoveLeigh]

1 hour ago, Madding crowd said:

I thought this was kind of a boring episode. 

This final season is fairly boring so far. 

[Chewy101]

8 minutes ago, BoogieBurns said:

Anyone else have a taste for smoked meat? Oh, and the reason his hands were all over the meat is because he is BLIND and wanted to be sure the meat was on the grill. Guessing he washes his hands far more often than those of us who can see.

Agreed. He is only cooking for someone who is already familiar with his germs, lol. 

I play poker regularly with people who constantly snack and lick their fingers, then handle the cards and chips, and I often wonder what plague I might catch if I win the hand and collect all the chips.

[Gemma Violet]

1 hour ago, Evie said:

 I really disliked Toby when the show started but now I just want him to find someone nice and be happy in the future.

Me, too!  I couldn't stand Toby in the beginning, but now he's one of my favorite characters.  I guess part of it is I feel sorry for him that he's had to put up with Kate all this time.

[shoovenbooty]

How would Adult Little Jack even know the Big Green Egg blew up his parents' marriage? How would that conversation even go?

Little Jack: Mommy, why did you and Daddy get divorced?

Kate: Well, you know the Big Green Egg? Daddy wasn't paying enough attention to you while he was smoking some meat, and you got too close and burned your head. Yeah, I was there too and probably should have been watching you better, seeing as how Daddy was busy cooking and handling raw meat and had his back to you while he was cooking, but I was preoccupied thinking of things to criticize your dad about...and, well, accidents happen but it was definitely Daddy's fault, and now you have a small scar on your head hidden underneath your hair and you should let our divorce and the smell of cooking meat haunt you forever.

🤦🏻‍♀️

[chocolatine]

Father and Son is such a cheesy song, but I can't stop singing along when it's on. It was a good choice for a show that likes '70s emo music.

Beth and Randall, after getting themselves so worked up, totally wussed out on giving Deja any consequences. Her "that's going to be a problem" probably means that she's planning to graduate HS early and move to Boston for college, but it sounded very bratty, like she knows she has Randall wrapped around her finger and he'll let her do anything she wants.

When Kevin went to the bar I first though he'd fall off the wagon, and then thought that he'd hook up with the 25-year-old squeaky-voiced costar. Glad neither of those things happened. He needs to stop feeling sorry for himself though. Even if he and Madison had stayed together and gotten married, he still would have missed Frannie's first steps because he was at work. Unless parents are with their kids 24/7, they'll inevitably miss some of the "firsts."

The Green Egg "blowing up" Kate and Toby's marriage is a red herring. Household accidents happen all the time, and adult Jack only has the tiny scar, so it couldn't have been that bad. The writers first decided that their marriage is doomed, and then wrote in the smoker as a symbol.

Edited January 19, 2022 by chocolatine

[Blakeston]

Once the Manny rehearsal was over, and the actors started talking, I figured that Kevin's 25-year-old costar would speak in a completely different voice - revealing that she was only using that little girl voice because she was playing a teenager.

I was very disappointed to be wrong.

 

[Artsda]

The most shocking thing to me was the 3 popcorns and 3 boxes of Raisenettes totaling up to $8. 

Randall wanting to put her back into virtual school from home and Beth saying it would be "punishment for all of us" made me laugh out loud.  Especially considering I live in an area still virtually schooling.

Deja's attitude at the end was uncalled for considering all Randall has done for her.

Big Green Egg will either have stock go up or down for ruining Toby and Kate's marriage by burning Jack.

I really loved the square/triangle conversation with Toby and Kevin. Made me really not get how they go from that to divorced. I prefer Toby at this point. 

That was Days of Our Live's Charlie as the new Manny. 

Edited January 19, 2022 by Artsda

[chocolatine]

1 minute ago, Artsda said:

The most shocking thing to me was the 3 popcorns and 3 boxes of Raisenettes totaling up to $8. 

It was 1986.

[Gemma Violet]

1 minute ago, Artsda said:

The most shocking thing to me was the 3 popcorns and 3 boxes of Raisenettes totaling up to $8. 

Lol, it gets even worse the older you get.  I'm 65 and when I was in elementary school, a candy bar was 5 cents and a coke out of the machine was 10 cents.  I remember how upset we were at recess one day when we learned that the candy was going up to 10 cents and the cokes were going up to 15 cents.  (Of course, this was when every school campus had snack machines.)  Also, around that time, I remember my mom buying watermelons (the big ones) at 4 for a dollar.

I have to say I've never heard of a Big Green Egg.  I've seen smokers like that, but I didn't know there was a brand called Big Green Egg.  

I agree with those who say Kevin should just buy a home close to Madison.  It would give him some time alone with the kids and she'd get a break now and then.  

[bros402]

tbh you think if Toby wanted to get into smoking he'd get a dedicated smoker like a Masterbuilt, instead of a grill that doubles as a smoker.

If only Toby had gotten a Masterbuilt! It wouldn't had destroyed his marriage!

[txhorns79]

7 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

It was 1986.

I thought it was 1987.  Aside from Lady and the Tramp, which had a re-release in 1986, it looked like most of the movie posters up at the theater were for movies released in winter and spring '87.

3 minutes ago, Gemma Violet said:

I agree with those who say Kevin should just buy a home close to Madison.  It would give him some time alone with the kids and she'd get a break now and then.  

I feel like Madison and Kevin desperately need a custody agreement of some kind.  There's no reason Madison needs to be the primary caregiver at all times.  Surely Kevin can handle some overnights with the twins, while Madison gets some time off.     

 

20 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

Her "that's going to be a problem" probably means that she's planning to graduate HS early and move to Boston for college, but it sounded very bratty, like she knows she has Randall wrapped around her finger and he'll let her do anything she wants.

Yeah, I was honestly surprised Deja ended what otherwise was a pretty pleasant conversation with Randall by saying that.   I might offer her some kind of compromise where she can visit with Malik in Boston for a weekend every few months, so long as either Beth or Randall accompany her, and she does not sleep over with Malik.  Otherwise, she needs a reminder of who is the adult in that situation.

I will say that I was Team Kate in being annoyed that Toby got Jack off his schedule, amped him up with the football and caused him to miss a nap.

[Marley]

Really? Toby and Kate break up cause a smoker accident? God I hate this show now. What the fuck happened.

[chocolatine]

50 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I thought it was 1987.  Aside from Lady and the Tramp, which had a re-release in 1986, it looked like most of the movie posters up at the theater were for movies released in winter and spring '87.

I assumed it was '86 because this season's flashbacks started with the Challenger explosion, and the kid Big Three don't look like they've aged a whole year since then. But whether this episode's flashback takes place in '86 or '87, the point still stands that concession stand prices were much lower in the '80s than they are now. 

[Frisky Wig]

Deja’s a teenager and has been with Malik for quite some time. I’m surprised they haven’t had sex yet and thought Randall’s freak-out was over the top. But then again, I don’t have kids, so…

[Scout Finch]

Damn it! My DVR cut off just as Jack was about to tell Rebecca who called and what the phone call was about!

[LexieLily]

5 minutes ago, Scout Finch said:

Damn it! My DVR cut off just as Jack was about to tell Rebecca who called and what the phone call was about!

His (and Nicky's) mom died, I think.

Edited January 19, 2022 by LexieLily

[mtlchick]

1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

I thought it was 1987.  Aside from Lady and the Tramp, which had a re-release in 1986, it looked like most of the movie posters up at the theater were for movies released in winter and spring '87.

 

The credits showed that the audio from the movie was from An American Tail which came out in 1986. 

[kili]

Kevin has twins. His character has twins. Maybe he'll get them cast as his twins and get to spend lots of time with them. Of course, Kevin should know that kid actors often end up with problems, so that probably is a terrible idea.

"Well, that's going to be a problem" ? Well, that is a problem. Deja's parents are taking it remarkably well after she lied "straight to their faces" and took a six hour bus to go sleep with her boyfriend. Now is not the time to try to dictate to them. Beth is smart about the birth control because it is far better to be safe than sorry (and it appears that Deja and Malik aren't mature enough to take care of it themselves or learn from Malik's past mistakes). 

Toby just couldn't win, but he did give Kevin some excellent advice. Kevin needs to get a house and a custody agreement and work on his triangle family. Glad he called Cassidy instead of making yet another destructive decision. 

I was thinking that the movie theatre looked pretty authentic with it's brown tiles and hideous snack counter, but then little Kevin waltzed past his father like it was nothing. I've been in an 80s shoebox theatre and no human, no matter how small, is getting past a grown adult male's knees without some kind of bizarre dance because the seats had no leg room. 

Jack's first memory is of getting burned on the green egg and his parents marriage exploding? How old is he when this happened? Most little kids wouldn't realize that themselves getting injured wrecked their parents marriage. Of course, it didn't ruin their marriage - it was just the incident that was the tipping point that led to the exposure of all the problems.

Kate has been unhappy since she was 8. Even her dad had limited success overcoming her unhappiness. Toby didn't stand a chance.

 

 

[Marley]

It seemed like adult Jacks house was on a cliff. Would a blind guy buy a place like that? I understand he knows how to get around as he grew up blind but it seems dangerous.

I also don’t think I like future Jack or whoever that woman he’s with is. I’m not sure why either. Seemed like he was cooking those steaks too long too lol.

Kates coworker the British guy sucks. There’s no way I will ever buy them ending up together. The show just wanted shock value in the season finale last season and now they are forcing it to happen. It’s stupid and ruining a show that was pretty great the first few seasons. Just straight trash now.

[LoveLeigh]

9 minutes ago, Marley said:

I also don’t think I like future Jack or whoever that woman he’s with is. I’m not sure why either. 

In a previous episode, future Jack has a wife and baby. Is that the same actress that is in this episode? 

[Mrs Shibbles]

42 minutes ago, Marley said:

It seemed like adult Jacks house was on a cliff. Would a blind guy buy a place like that? I understand he knows how to get around as he grew up blind but it seems dangerous.I

He bought it for the view, obviously! 
 

I geeked out a little bit with Father and Son being used in the show, since Chris Sullivan was in Guardians of the Galaxy part 2, and I love the use of the song in that movie!

I thought Kate was going to have brought back Menchies yogurt for Toby, but nope, she just got some for herself.   Poor Toby.

Was the “rocket slide” That Rebecca was referring to something like this?   I totally remember those playgrounds!