S04.E13: Fresh Start

[Whimsy]

Quote

Maggie’s radio show is a proven success, yet she faces an uphill battle when her beliefs do not align with the station owner’s. Old wounds are reopened when Rome visits his old prep school and Katherine helps Eddie navigate the next step in his relationship with Anna.

Original airdate 3/23/22

[ams1001]

"She's letting me stay for spring break so I can get Milo back." 🙄 (Guess that answers the question of whether Delilah even knew he flew to Boston, at least.)

I'm really starting to hate the word "Milo."

I also hated Danny's hair.

I hope the caller's family doesn't listen to Maggie's show. "Single mom of two kids working days and going to night school to become a nurse and family helps with kids..." It's enough details to make anyone who knows her at least suspect it's her (then add in, "hmm...that voice sounds familiar, too").

I was pleasantly surprised at the minimal Theo. I was afraid we were going to get the whole therapy session.

How do people on TV who abruptly leave after years at a job always only have one half-full box of stuff to take home? I would probably need at least two trips to take all the crap from my cubicle to my car.

I like Eddie and Kathryn getting along as friends.

Sometimes I think Rome's kind of a jerk... "sure I'll screen my movie for you and then I'll tell the whole school what an asshole your dean is. It'll be great!"

Edited March 24, 2022 by ams1001

[historylover820]

So, about the only scene I really liked was Katherine and Eddie's conversation. I like that they're good as friends.

But I didn't really like anything else.

So, we've been having rain off and on all week, and my picture and sound started going in and out at the end. And I may not have caught everything....

Was that the old history teacher who just removed the "whites only" sign now the principal of that prep school Rome attended? Regardless of whether he is or isn't, how is Rome making a speech at the screening of his documentary in any way going to make anything right? Is he expecting a public apology? Or did I just misread everything because my antenna decided it couldn't pick up the feed anymore?

And is Maggie wanting a baby at the end? I didn't hear anything, but I caught that part of the trailer.

Also, can anyone explain to me why Maggie's show is live? Why is it not taped and screened? Maggie can give advice to the caller, and it not air, right? Because it's been edited? For those of you more in the know, isn't it common for a talk show like this to be recorded and aired later? I'm genuinely asking because I don't know. I mean, my the classic rock station I listen to in the mornings, the DJs' segments are taped. The reason I know this is I will hear the exact same bits, done exactly the same way, later on in the morning. I also know that not every call they get for their segments, whether it's the dad joke of the day, or call ins about a topic the DJs are discussing for a few minutes, get on the morning show. And this is just a classic rock station, not a talk show.

And you would think a program like Maggie's, it wouldn't be live. Callers would be screened, maybe a disclosure signed or something. I don't know--I'm probably reaching and don't understand it at all.

Also, a radio station owner giving the highest rated host that kind of new car? What????? I'd refuse it. Taxes would be murder. But, for a talk radio show? I know radio station owners are probably pretty rich, but I don't see anyone doing that. Plus, unless this radio station is syndicated or part of NPR, would a talk radio station owner be able to really do that for any employee? This talk radio station can't be the number one radio station, across all radio stations (classic rock, modern rock, hip hop, country, etc) in Boston. I refuse to believe that this radio station is so popular.

Anyway, not interested in what's going on with Rome's school that we've never heard of before last week's episode or Gina's new food van at all.

Edited March 24, 2022 by historylover820
Thought of something

[KaveDweller]

Maggie gets her boss fired and the boss thinks she's the greatest. Of course. I actually thought Maggie gave good advice and was totally right with her comments at the end that a person's own choices are no one else's business. It sucks that the boss got fired over that.

I think Eddie and Katherine have better chemistry than either of them have with their new love interests. But I guess seeing them as friends is better than nothing.

When Eddie showed up at Anna's I thought another man was going to be there.

I get that the kids/teachers at Rome's school were terrible, but maybe don't agree to screen your documentary if you just want to shame the dean. Also, this guy we've never heard about is actually the inspiration for the documentary that he made almost two seasons ago?

Poor Danny. But Milo deserved to hear Gary say he was untrustworthy, since he did cheat on his boyfriend. Also, someone should tell Danny that there are probably other gay teenage boys in a city as big as Paris. He should not stay with Milo just because he's the only gay kid he knows. Can't he use whatever social media app is cool these days?

1 minute ago, historylover820 said:

And is Maggie wanting a baby at the end? I didn't hear anything, but I caught that part of the trailer.

Also, can anyone explain to me why Maggie's show is live? Why is it not taped and screened? Maggie can give advice to the caller, and it not air, right? Because it's been edited? For those of you more in the know, isn't it common for a talk show like this to be recorded and aired later? I'm genuinely asking because I don't know. I mean, my the classic rock station I listen to in the mornings, the DJs' segments are taped. The reason I know this is I will hear the exact same bits, done exactly the same way, later on in the morning. I also know that not every call they get for their segments, whether it's the dad joke of the day, or call ins about a topic the DJs are discussing for a few minutes, get on the morning show. And this is just a classic rock station, not a talk show.

And you would think a program like Maggie's, it wouldn't be live. Callers would be screened, maybe a disclosure signed or something. I don't know--I'm probably reaching and don't understand it at all.

Anyway, not interested in what's going on with Rome's school that we've never heard of before last week's episode or Gina's new food van at all.

Yes, Maggie went to her doctor to ask if she would be able to have a baby.

I think most shows on talk radio are live, or at least close to live and on a few second delay. I used to work for an advertising station that bought lots of ads on radio, and everything we bought time on was live shows.  Our clients didn't want anything else. Most of the music stations I listen to are mostly live too, although I know they have some taped segments to give the DJs breaks. They like it live for the user engagement aspect, so people can be listening and calling in real time. 

However, real radio stations have screeners so not every caller would get on the air. Maggie's show has had terrible screeners since day 1. They let a stalker call in and tell everyone how Maggie's a terrible doctor, they let people call in to make fun of her when she first started, and now they let someone on to talk about a controversial topic that the station owner is strongly against.

[Brian Cronin]

The only way to make that absurd car commercial/scene with Maggie and her boss better would be if her boss had a huge Target bag filled with gifts for Maggie, as well. 

[Frisky Wig]

I’m still watching the episode. Did Danny say that there aren’t any gay kids in Paris because a quick google search says the city has a thriving LGBTQ community with multiple ‘gayborhoods.’ 

[Leeds]

3 hours ago, historylover820 said:

 

Also, a radio station owner giving the highest rated host that kind of new car? What????? I'd refuse it. Taxes would be murder. But, for a talk radio show? I know radio station owners are probably pretty rich, but I don't see anyone doing that. Plus, unless this radio station is syndicated or part of NPR, would a talk radio station owner be able to really do that for any employee? This talk radio station can't be the number one radio station, across all radio stations (classic rock, modern rock, hip hop, country, etc) in Boston. I refuse to believe that this radio station is so popular.

Anyway, not interested in what's going on with Rome's school that we've never heard of before last week's episode or Gina's new food van at all.

That car story was totally ridiculous, though ridiculous and unrealistic is pretty much par for the course with Maggie.

How are Gina and her friend going to cater big formal events from a food van?  You can't short order cook for a couple of hundred guests at a fancy gala.   What if they require cake?  And where are they going to store all the food and drink?  Another stupid plot line.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Of course Maggie is so amazing and can do no wrong, a godsend to all humankind on earth! 🙄 And her getting a new car from the big boss is the best joke of this episode! 🤦🏻‍♀️

I like Danny but he really needs a new hairstyle and frequent showers to get rid of all the greasiness. Forget that snowflake Milo, you can do better Danny.

Hey Gary, maybe it’s time to start focusing on your career instead of Delilah’s kids since your GF is thinking about having a baby.

Love seeing the improved dynamic between Eddie and Katherine, they do have great chemistry together. Am glad that Eddie is now happy with Anna, let them be, don’t ruin this!

Don’t care about Gina, her dad and their food truck business.

If Rome really want to get better and feel better, he needs to learn to let things go and focus on happier thoughts. This prep school arc is so lame and a several steps back in his character development.

[circumvent]

Haven't watched it yet but about radio shows: some are live, some are not. Maggie's show is another mystery because the writers don't seem to know what they wrote a few episodes ago. In one episode her assistant said something like "we have a bunch of pre-taped shows to air". Another time Maggie decided to "go live" implying that she usually is not live - or maybe she is at a certain time, but not at that time she decided to change the whole radio schedule to say something so important. Obviously, what happens to Maggie is something the world should stop and listen. But when the mother of her former patient called, she was live.

In any case, if a show is live, it is always live, unless the host tells its audience that it will not be for a period of time, that they have special shows taped. If it is taped, there are no questions and answers because the listeners wouldn't be able to know what the host is talking about.

 

[nexxie]

Best parts: Katherine and Eddie laughing together. Maggie’s boss and fellow employee leaving together (do they have names?).

Worst parts: The rest.

[marceline]

When Maggie said "I'm willing to accept whatever consequences come from what I'm about to say." I thought, "You may be willing to but you won't be the one to face them." These codependent freaks tear through other people's lives and convince themselves they are heroes. 

[Trillian]

How is Maggie so clueless that she didn’t know her station has demographics and that she must play to them?  And what kind of professional radio station - one that is so successful that Mr Owner can buy the talent a car - didn’t communicate that and make sure  that “her” screeners kept out callers tallying about verboten topics?   When I saw boss lady sitting in the control booth (with no screeners), I thought for sure she was going to cut the call herself. 
 

9 hours ago, ams1001 said:

How do people on TV who abruptly leave after years at a job always only have one half-full box of stuff to take home? I would probably need at least two trips to take all the crap from my cubicle to my car.

And most of that one box was a cactus!  I left a job I was at for only 6 months with more personal stuff than she did. If nothing else, what woman doesn’t have a pile of shoes at the office (I miss my shoes, which have sitting lonely in my office wardrobe for 2 years now. When this cruel pandemic is over, the reunion with my shoes will be glorious - if they still fit). 

[ams1001]

6 hours ago, Leeds said:

How are Gina and her friend going to cater big formal events from a food van?  You can't short order cook for a couple of hundred guests at a fancy gala.   What if they require cake?  And where are they going to store all the food and drink?  Another stupid plot line.

Thank you! I was thinking "how is a food truck supposed to work for fancy catering?" I mean, it'd probably be useful for transporting things that are already cooked in a proper kitchen, and maybe finishing them just before serving if the venue doesn't have the facilities for that, but cooking everything right there? Uh...

If she wants to do a food truck, have her do a food truck.

Speaking of Gina's friend, where is she? Weren't they doing this together as a partnership? Or was it supposed to just be Gina's company and Whatshername would be her employee? If the former, did she agree to have Gina's dad come on board? Why is she not there to discuss signing documents and brainstorming names?

1 hour ago, Trillian said:

And most of that one box was a cactus!  I left a job I was at for only 6 months with more personal stuff than she did. If nothing else, what woman doesn’t have a pile of shoes at the office (I miss my shoes, which have sitting lonely in my office wardrobe for 2 years now. When this cruel pandemic is over, the reunion with my shoes will be glorious - if they still fit). 

lol...I don't have shoes there but my friend used to have a few pairs under her desk. I have so many random little toys and tchotchkes. Some I brought in, some came from the company, some were gifts from work friends (who no longer work there but are still friends) and since they gave them to me there I just kept them in my cubicle.

Of course the traffic/weather(?) guy was such a huge asshole to his ex all this time because he still loves her! What is this, second grade? Did he pull her hair, too? And of course they had that conversation in front of Maggie so she will know it all works out! Because who needs a job when you have love?

Edited March 24, 2022 by ams1001

[historylover820]

Yeah, a food van would work for transporting food from a restaurant. Like here in KC, we see a lot of these types of food vans for BBQ, but that's cooked at a restaurant and delivered. Food vans are more conducive for outdoor venues, like concerts, parades, the next rally after the Chiefs win the next Super Bowl, My apartment complex has ordered a sno-cone truck for us. I can't see anything other than those examples.

The box of personal stuff--

I left a job of 9 years in 2017. I spent the two weeks after giving my notice and my last day transporting personal things back to my apartment. When I was let go from a temp job after three months, I think I had enough personal things around to fill a little box, as in what is always depicted these movies or shows.

My best friend got fired from a job after about a year and after HR fired her, they escorted her outside where she found her personal stuff already boxed up in three boxes and on the curb. And this was after working around a year, year and a half, at this company.

Writers have never spent much time in an office setting, obviously.  

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, historylover820 said:

Yeah, a food van would work for transporting food from a restaurant. Like here in KC, we see a lot of these types of food vans for BBQ, but that's cooked at a restaurant and delivered. Food vans are more conducive for outdoor venues, like concerts, parades, the next rally after the Chiefs win the next Super Bowl, My apartment complex has ordered a sno-cone truck for us. I can't see anything other than those examples.

My condo complex got us an ice cream truck one day last summer (I think it was in part to make up in some small way for the fact that they were finally supposed to reopen the pool but then couldn't because they couldn't get enough lifeguards). Everyone was able to choose one free treat (though it obviously was paid for from our fees so we were ultimately paying for it anyway...but I'm sure it was much less than a summer of running the pool). My workplace's cafeteria has been closed the last two years but they have brought in food trucks a few times as a treat (though it always seems to be on days when I work from home...). 

1 hour ago, historylover820 said:

My best friend got fired from a job after about a year and after HR fired her, they escorted her outside where she found her personal stuff already boxed up in three boxes and on the curb. And this was after working around a year, year and a half, at this company.

My old boss got fired several years ago (after a suspension while they decided what to do) and they let him come in after most people were gone for the day to clean out his office. I'd be afraid if HR packed up my things they would leave stuff out since some of my stuff is also things that my company sells (or has in the past, including some of the gifts from my friends) so they might not be able to identify what technically belongs to the company and what doesn't. When I (voluntarily) left a job after a year, I had time to bring stuff home a little each day, but I've been in my current building for almost 16 years; If I were to leave with no notice for some reason, I'd definitely need some help. Hell, I contemplated asking to move cubicles recently and my main reason for not doing it is that I don't want to move all my crap again, and it's not even ten feet away.

  

11 hours ago, historylover820 said:

Was that the old history teacher who just removed the "whites only" sign now the principal of that prep school Rome attended? Regardless of whether he is or isn't, how is Rome making a speech at the screening of his documentary in any way going to make anything right? Is he expecting a public apology? Or did I just misread everything because my antenna decided it couldn't pick up the feed anymore?

He's now the Dean (of what? I'm not sure. I never encountered deans until college and they were Dean of SomeSpecificArea (Dean of Students, Dean of Faculty, or the different academic departments), not the whole school, so I'm still not clear on what exactly his job would be here if he's the only Dean. I also went to public school until college so I don't know much about how private prep schools actually work aside from what I see on TV where they often seem to be like mini-colleges, but I never assume TV shows are overly accurate, either). Rome's former fellow only-Black-student is now the Vice Principal.

I get the feeling the only thing he expects is to get some self-righteous satisfaction from airing his 25+-year-old grievances (not sure how old he's supposed to be; the actor is 53 but I'm pretty sure the character is younger than that). Not that there is any excuse, even in the olden days of (I'm guessing) the 1990s, for letting students get away with something like that, but he seems to be assuming nothing has changed and trying to make a big scandal out of something that happened decades ago is somehow productive now. He'd do better to try to educate, which is what screening his movie for them is supposed to be about, right? (It would probably also bring heat down on the VP for inviting him if he did make his speech about the Dean, which seems like it wouldn't exactly help his cause.)

Edited March 24, 2022 by ams1001

[Lovecat]

12 hours ago, ams1001 said:

How do people on TV who abruptly leave after years at a job always only have one half-full box of stuff to take home? I would probably need at least two trips to take all the crap from my cubicle to my car.

Sometimes I think Rome's kind of a jerk... "sure I'll screen my movie for you and then I'll tell the whole school what an asshole your dean is. It'll be great!"

And there's always a plant!  God, when I left my last office job (18 years ago?!??), it took me weeks to haul all of my crap home--not just tchotchkes and pictures and stuff, but office supplies (mine, that I bought...mostly), books, personal files and references... I had hoarded a lot of crap over the 9 years I had been there.  I think I just emptied the last of those boxes within the last 2 years.

Oh, Rome.  Last week someone here was wondering why Rome didn't think that Tyrell going to Yale would be a good thing, since he would add to the diversity of the student body.  When his former classmate said something about his time at Stanford showing him how one person could make a ripple that started a wave of change (or something like that), I thought Rome was going to have an Ah-ha moment...and then he went the other way with his revenge plan.  Ohboy.

11 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Poor Danny. But Milo deserved to hear Gary say he was untrustworthy, since he did cheat on his boyfriend. Also, someone should tell Danny that there are probably other gay teenage boys in a city as big as Paris. He should not stay with Milo just because he's the only gay kid he knows. Can't he use whatever social media app is cool these days?

Yes, Maggie went to her doctor to ask if she would be able to have a baby.

Yeah, I find it hard to believe that in 2022 Danny only knows 1 out gay kid (2, I guess, counting the other dude Milo was kissing) in Boston and none in Paris.  I mean, it's not 1987 (my graduation year) anymore!  When I was in high school no one was out.  We spent about an hour at our 10th reunion (1997, for the math challenged) talking about everyone who had come out since we graduated.  There was a lot of "Oh yeah, I can see that" and "No surprise there"...obviously there were gay kids in 1987, but we just didn't talk about it.  I went to a small college, and I literally knew all 3 out gay guys on campus.  I graduated in 1991, and I think it was the following year that the Gay-Straight Alliance was started.  It's 2022, Danny--find your peeps!  They're everywhere!!

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Of course the traffic/weather(?) guy was such a huge asshole to his ex all this time because he still loves her! What is this, second grade? Did he pull her hair, too? And of course they had that conversation in front of Maggie so she will know it all works out! Because who needs a job when you have love?

That little message got a big BOOOOOO!!!! here in the 'cat house.

[ams1001]

41 minutes ago, Lovecat said:

Yeah, I find it hard to believe that in 2022 Danny only knows 1 out gay kid (2, I guess, counting the other dude Milo was kissing) in Boston and none in Paris.  I mean, it's not 1987 (my graduation year) anymore!  When I was in high school no one was out.  We spent about an hour at our 10th reunion (1997, for the math challenged) talking about everyone who had come out since we graduated.  There was a lot of "Oh yeah, I can see that" and "No surprise there"...obviously there were gay kids in 1987, but we just didn't talk about it.  I went to a small college, and I literally knew all 3 out gay guys on campus.  I graduated in 1991, and I think it was the following year that the Gay-Straight Alliance was started.  It's 2022, Danny--find your peeps!  They're everywhere!!

I graduated college in 1997. I don't think I really knew anyone who was out, but there was one small dorm (about 15 rooms in the building and they were all singles) that was known sort of jokingly as the Lesbian dorm (I have no idea how accurately that described the girls who lived there, and it was torn down a year or two after I started school). The year after I graduated I went back to see a couple friends graduate, and I was sitting on the grass with one of my friends and she turned to me and said (in a serious tone), "I have to tell you something." The something was that one of the friends who was graduating was gay. I was not the least bit surprised (even though he'd had a girlfriend for a couple years). Also one of my hallmates (who I'm still friends with on facebook), who married and had kids with her college boyfriend, later divorced and is now married to a woman. I wasn't in touch with her when that happened but when we reconnected and I learned that...I wasn't exactly like "oh, that's no surprise" but I also wasn't shocked or anything.

There's no way that there aren't gay kids his age for Danny to connect with in a city like Paris. Has he even made friends there or is he just pining for Milo when he's not in class? (I thought it was interesting that he referred to Paris as "home"; I would think given how angry he is with his mom for moving him there he wouldn't think of it that way.)

Edited March 24, 2022 by ams1001

[circumvent]

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I'm still not clear on what exactly his job would be here if he's the only Dean

He is probably Dean of a million little things...

[chitowngirl]

So it is decided that Danny can stay through Spring Break with Gary. Did ANYONE ask Gary if that was OK? And Maggie gets a “free” car from work. That she now has to pay insurance and upkeep for.

[ams1001]

10 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

So it is decided that Danny can stay through Spring Break with Gary. Did ANYONE ask Gary if that was OK? And Maggie gets a “free” car from work. That she now has to pay insurance and upkeep for.

And park in the city..? (which would only jack up her insurance rate even more, especially if she has to park it on the street...or else she finds a space in a parking garage which probably costs hundreds a month in a place like Boston); and if I correctly identified the logo, it was a Lexus. So not just "a car" but a luxury car. Even higher insurance rates.

[historylover820]

Why is it TV shows think getting a new car is a great prize? Heck, the few times I'm able to watch The Price is Right, I cringe at a new car as a prize. Because, taxes, insurance, upkeep will kill you. And, yeah, if you live in a city, ams1001, you are absolutely correct--parking spaces will eat money. And what if your old car is still good? What if you weren't ready for a new car? Because that's a major expense for most people!

If I were Maggie, I would have refused the new car.

And also, yeah, the first Deans I encountered was when I was in college. Of course, I went to public schools all my life, so I know nothing about elite private schools. It's possible that a principal is called a dean.

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, historylover820 said:

Why is it TV shows think getting a new car is a great prize? Heck, the few times I'm able to watch The Price is Right, I cringe at a new car as a prize. Because, taxes, insurance, upkeep will kill you. And, yeah, if you live in a city, ams1001, you are absolutely correct--parking spaces will eat money. And what if your old car is still good? What if you weren't ready for a new car? Because that's a major expense for most people!

If you win a big prize like that but you really can't use it for whatever reason, can you opt for a cash equivalent instead? I'd hate to win something I can't use and that would cost me money while I have it and then have to go through the hassle of unloading it.

Or what if it's just a car you would never want? I've seen game shows give out lots of cars I wouldn't want to drive. They gave her an SUV, right? I drive a Hyundai Elantra and I would never in a million years want something bigger (I'm on my fourth one in 20 years; before that I had a Chevy Prism which was roughly the same size). I don't even like driving my dad's Sonata and that's only the next size class up. If you want to surprise your employees with a bonus, just give them the cash. If they want to buy a car with it, they can. 

Edited March 24, 2022 by ams1001

[Frisky Wig]

I somehow missed that Maggie got a car. From the station owner, right? So, Maggie is so great at her job that she got a new car but also so awful at her job that they’re firing her boss!? WHAT!? 
 

Also, this is the second time Maggie said something “controversial” on the air, her boss got mad, told her to knock it off, Maggie gets back on their air and explains “it’s time to get personal, I experienced what the caller was talking about” cut to her boss behind the glass looking SO sympathetic and finally realizing that it’s ok that Maggie told caller XYZ! Show writers, don’t do this a third time! 
 

Really liked the conversation between Katherine and Eddie! 
 

Also, the weather guy, who’s been a complete ass this entire story arc, asks boss lady on a date and says he’s been pretending to hate her and she agrees to go!? What on Earth!? I would’ve taken the cactus out of the box and hit him on the head with it! 

Edited March 24, 2022 by Frisky Wig

[ams1001]

43 minutes ago, Frisky Wig said:

Also, the weather guy, who’s been a complete ass this entire story arc, asks boss lady on a date and says he’s been pretending to hate her and she agrees to go!? What on Earth!? I would’ve taken the cactus out of the box and hit him on the head with it! 

Well, she wasn't really any better to him, so maybe it was for the same reason. Sounds like they deserve each other.

[Whimsy]

7 hours ago, ams1001 said:

My condo complex got us an ice cream truck one day last summer (I think it was in part to make up in some small way for the fact that they were finally supposed to reopen the pool but then couldn't because they couldn't get enough lifeguards). Everyone was able to choose one free treat (though it obviously was paid for from our fees so we were ultimately paying for it anyway...but I'm sure it was much less than a summer of running the pool). My workplace's cafeteria has been closed the last two years but they have brought in food trucks a few times as a treat (though it always seems to be on days when I work from home...). 

My old boss got fired several years ago (after a suspension while they decided what to do) and they let him come in after most people were gone for the day to clean out his office. I'd be afraid if HR packed up my things they would leave stuff out since some of my stuff is also things that my company sells (or has in the past, including some of the gifts from my friends) so they might not be able to identify what technically belongs to the company and what doesn't. When I (voluntarily) left a job after a year, I had time to bring stuff home a little each day, but I've been in my current building for almost 16 years; If I were to leave with no notice for some reason, I'd definitely need some help. Hell, I contemplated asking to move cubicles recently and my main reason for not doing it is that I don't want to move all my crap again, and it's not even ten feet away.

  

He's now the Dean (of what? I'm not sure. I never encountered deans until college and they were Dean of SomeSpecificArea (Dean of Students, Dean of Faculty, or the different academic departments), not the whole school, so I'm still not clear on what exactly his job would be here if he's the only Dean. I also went to public school until college so I don't know much about how private prep schools actually work aside from what I see on TV where they often seem to be like mini-colleges, but I never assume TV shows are overly accurate, either). Rome's former fellow only-Black-student is now the Vice Principal.

I get the feeling the only thing he expects is to get some self-righteous satisfaction from airing his 25+-year-old grievances (not sure how old he's supposed to be; the actor is 53 but I'm pretty sure the character is younger than that). Not that there is any excuse, even in the olden days of (I'm guessing) the 1990s, for letting students get away with something like that, but he seems to be assuming nothing has changed and trying to make a big scandal out of something that happened decades ago is somehow productive now. He'd do better to try to educate, which is what screening his movie for them is supposed to be about, right? (It would probably also bring heat down on the VP for inviting him if he did make his speech about the Dean, which seems like it wouldn't exactly help his cause.)

My daughters both went to a vocational high school and there was a Dean of Students AND a principal. I never understood that. I work for a medical school and we have our Dean and then all kinds of Associate and Assistant Deans. 

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

And park in the city..? (which would only jack up her insurance rate even more, especially if she has to park it on the street...or else she finds a space in a parking garage which probably costs hundreds a month in a place like Boston); and if I correctly identified the logo, it was a Lexus. So not just "a car" but a luxury car. Even higher insurance rates.

I wouldn’t want to drive and park in Boston daily. Both my daughters worked in Boston (one still does). The BPD hand out tickets left and right. 
 

The way the weather guy said Worcester made me laugh. He was still one of the closest to correctly pronouncing it for a non-Massachusetts resident I’ve heard in awhile though. 
 

If Danny doesn’t know any gay guys in Paris, then that’s on him because that means he’s not even trying to socialize and meet people.

So, Maggie just broke up with Cam and has been back with Gary for a very short while but they’re already living together and she now wants a baby?  Why do they always rush things?

[ams1001]

8 minutes ago, Whimsy said:

So, Maggie just broke up with Cam and has been back with Gary for a very short while but they’re already living together and she now wants a baby?  Why do they always rush things?

I don't think she's discussed this with Gary, either.

Though I don't think it's unreasonable to look into the possibilities if it's something she wants to potentially do, given her health history, and she really doesn't need Gary's input to do that. If it turns out he doesn't want a kid, and she knows she can only expect to have X number of years to do it, it might make her rethink the relationship. (Not that I want them to break up again, just because I'm over them and their drama. Clearly they're setting up some sort of clash between them over the issue, with Gary questioning his ability to parent near-adult kids who aren't even his.)

[KaveDweller]

18 hours ago, Frisky Wig said:

I’m still watching the episode. Did Danny say that there aren’t any gay kids in Paris because a quick google search says the city has a thriving LGBTQ community with multiple ‘gayborhoods.’ 

He said he didn't know any gay kids in Paris.  I am not sure if he has met anyone at all, although it does sound like he's in school.

13 hours ago, circumvent said:

Haven't watched it yet but about radio shows: some are live, some are not. Maggie's show is another mystery because the writers don't seem to know what they wrote a few episodes ago. In one episode her assistant said something like "we have a bunch of pre-taped shows to air". Another time Maggie decided to "go live" implying that she usually is not live - or maybe she is at a certain time, but not at that time she decided to change the whole radio schedule to say something so important. Obviously, what happens to Maggie is something the world should stop and listen. But when the mother of her former patient called, she was live.

I think the time she said she wanted to "go live" was during the period they had been playing taped shows because of the stalker. Maggie wanted to stop with the tapes and say her thing even though she'd been ordered off the air.

2 hours ago, Frisky Wig said:

I somehow missed that Maggie got a car. From the station owner, right? So, Maggie is so great at her job that she got a new car but also so awful at her job that they’re firing her boss!? WHAT!? 

He gave her the car before she started talking about abortions.  The owner was probably super pissed that a day later she started doing things he didn't like.

Aren't most stations these days owned by by corporate conglomerates? 

[izabella]

Did they really give Maggie the car?  Or is it leased by the company, and she gets to drive it while they pay the lease?

[marceline]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

I don't think she's discussed this with Gary, either.

Though I don't think it's unreasonable to look into the possibilities if it's something she wants to potentially do, given her health history, and she really doesn't need Gary's input to do that. If it turns out he doesn't want a kid, and she knows she can only expect to have X number of years to do it, it might make her rethink the relationship. (Not that I want them to break up again, just because I'm over them and their drama. Clearly they're setting up some sort of clash between them over the issue, with Gary questioning his ability to parent near-adult kids who aren't even his.)

I think Maggie's wondering if she could have a baby is something way bigger than Gary. I think it was more a culmination of a lot of stuff:

• Maggie is a breast cancer survivor. She's not new to what that means for her chances for motherhood.
• She got pregnant and had an abortion. An abortion that Gary helped her through
• She just had the 30th birthday she never thought she'd see. Which led her back to playing Wendy to his Peter Pan.
• Her last conversation with Sophie

Maggie looking at her options for motherhood could be an interesting story and one that could connect to the other women on the show. Rome and Regina tried to adopt and that led to them fostering Tyrell. Katherine's journey. I loved her conversation with Eddie in this ep. Maybe bring back Delilah, Florence a.k.a. Rome's father's girlfriend, and Regina's mom. That would up the bonkers factor.

[Frisky Wig]

2 hours ago, Whimsy said:

So, Maggie just broke up with Cam and has been back with Gary for a very short while but they’re already living together and she now wants a baby?  Why do they always rush things?

Talking about her abortion and hearing that the lady on her show had 2 children clearly got the ball rolling in her head. I saw the doctors appointment not as “I want kids ASAP” but as her finding out if she can have kids, period, so she can decide in the future. Though, from the previews it seems like she’ll have to decide sooner than she’d like. 

[ams1001]

4 minutes ago, marceline said:

• Her last conversation with Sophie

I don't even remember what they talked about...

 

[historylover820]

Yeah, I don't mind Maggie having a conversation with her doctor about the prospect of having children. Again, my antenna was losing the signal, and I may have missed her say that she wants kids within the next year so she'd better start with Gary now, but if she's just discussing the prospect of having kids with her medical history, I'm cool with that.  Although the preview made it sound definitely like she'd better start trying to get pregnant now.

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, historylover820 said:

Yeah, I don't mind Maggie having a conversation with her doctor about the prospect of having children. Again, my antenna was losing the signal, and I may have missed her say that she wants kids within the next year so she'd better start with Gary now, but if she's just discussing the prospect of having kids with her medical history, I'm cool with that.  Although the preview made it sound definitely like she'd better start trying to get pregnant now.

No, she was basically just asking if it was even a possibility (or really, I guess, if it would be too dangerous; clearly she is able to get pregnant), and he told her she has a fertility window of maybe another (I think) ten years or so. So it's not like, do it right now, but she should probably do it within the next few years. Of course it's this show, so she'll of course want to do it ASAP.

[KaveDweller]

1 minute ago, ams1001 said:

No, she was basically just asking if it was even a possibility (or really, I guess, if it would be too dangerous; clearly she is able to get pregnant), and he told her she has a fertility window of maybe another (I think) ten years or so. So it's not like, do it right now, but she should probably do it within the next few years. Of course it's this show, so she'll of course want to do it ASAP.

Maggie just turned 30, so 10 years is probably her fertility window even if she hadn't had cancer and was totally healthy. I know people get pregnant after 40, but it is considered high-risk. I've never had cancer and when I turned 35 my doctor told me if I wanted kids (I didn't) to freeze my eggs because my chances of getting pregnant were about to drastically drop. So Maggie's doctor will probably tell her she had a lot less time and has to get pregnant right away. That's more dramatic anyway.

 

[bybrandy]

The age of cancer patients has gotten younger over the past 20 years or so and so the amount of post cancer fertility questions has gone way up and the research is catching up.  It is absolutely fair for Maggie to be asking where she stands no matter if she's planning to have a baby sooner or later.  I don't really want to ride the baby train with Maggie and Gary but with everything she's been through the last couple of weeks it absolutely makes sense that she's checking in and seeing where she's at.   

The car thing only makes sense if the owner owns a bunch of stations all over or if he also owns a Lexus dealership and can somehow needs the car as a write-off.   

Danny said he didn't know any openly gay teens in Paris.  Obviously there are some but he also isn't completely fluent in French and quite frankly is probably mostly parenting Charlie so I buy he hasn't had a lot of time to get to know a bunch of other French teens.   If he did he'd surely know more.

I don't know of any openly gay at my high school but some who have since come out.  In college I met more openly gay people both people who had been out in high school and were out to their families and people who were not out to their families and hadn't been out in high school.  

Obviously Rome's plan is a terrible one.  Even Tyrell knows it is a terrible one.  So obviously I hope he gets talked out of it but I went to a swank posh private school like that and we did have Deans.   Their official position was dean if they were head of their portion of the school there was a dean of the lower school, the middle school, and the upper school and a dean who ruled them all.  I think the heads of departments were chairs... but honestly they might have been deans as well.  

And there was one black student in each grade.  My graduating class was unusually small and we had no black students.  There were two in the graduating class ahead of mine and mysteriously one of those kids was held back going into 11th grade.  Genuinely at the time I wondered if he was held back to avoid the optics of graduating an all white class.  I mean obviously that's crazy.  Why would his family agree to that?  But it was my theory at the time.  I never knew him to struggle academically.   

  

 

[Lethallyfab]

PLEASE let Maggie’s fertility question be hypothetical and not “I need to have babies with Gary now.”  

Also, was that a fricking LEXUS?!  A Lexus is a gift to, like, the cast of Friends at the show’s peak or Howard Stern.  But Maggie is the bestest radio personality in the history of ever, so, of course, she deserves one.

Hey, Danny, I know there may be a cultural barrier, but have you heard of this fun new thing called “The Internet?”  I’m not saying that he has to be on French Grindr (‘Le Grindr’?) but there have to be at least a couple “ex-pats in Paris” groups out there or even queer-focused groups that he could, and as a presumably tech-savvy youth, would join.  It sucks to go move to an entirely different country but I know the Internet has made me feel a lot less isolated after moving to the Midwest.

[Brian Cronin]

4 hours ago, bybrandy said:

The age of cancer patients has gotten younger over the past 20 years or so and so the amount of post cancer fertility questions has gone way up and the research is catching up.  It is absolutely fair for Maggie to be asking where she stands no matter if she's planning to have a baby sooner or later.  I don't really want to ride the baby train with Maggie and Gary but with everything she's been through the last couple of weeks it absolutely makes sense that she's checking in and seeing where she's at.   

It's a TOTALLY reasonable question, but at the same time, you just KNOW that they're going to botch the story somehow. Like the doctor will say, "Yeah, sure, you had breast cancer and a cancer recurrence all before you were 30, but I don't see any possible issues with you getting pregnant right away, despite the fact that you'd obviously be on drugs for the next five-ten years that wouldn't go with pregnancy and that we wouldn't recommend you even taking a break from that medicine to get pregnant for at least three-five years, because, hey, who needs to be accurate about this stuff, it's not like anyone gets breast cancer, right?" 

[Brian Cronin]

Erin Karpluk is adorable and Cameron Esposito is excellent, as well. The show also seems to have basically gotten rid of the awful Stephanie Szostak, so it would be hilarious is they just casually kept introducing new characters until it was basically an all-new, all-different cast and awesome. :)

[circumvent]

Why did they make Eddie act like a puritan teenager who cannot say "sex" to his ex-wife or girlfriend? How many euphemisms can someone use to avoid saying one three letter word?

I thought that Jon owned the building where the restaurant was and left it to Gina and Delilah, and that Katherine rented the upstairs because it would help with expenses and was empty. But I guess changing the story wouldn't be a surprise in this show. Or maybe I don't remember the story.

The "only two gay kids in Boston and none in Paris" was heavy handed. Danny might not know more openly gay kids but why isn't he looking for community wherever he goes? Not that sexual orientation is such a "different" think anymore, especially in big urban areas, but that's how people who feel they need to be with more people that look more like themselves deal with it: they seek "their people".

The explanation Maggie's boss gave to her about the use of the "A-word" - another bullshit euphemism, since there were only two people in the room - was weak. Yes, most radio talk show audience are conservative but this is a simplistic explanation. The stations themselves are conservative because the right wing owns most of them. So every single show is a right wing propaganda machine. Maggie's show would not fit in their line up. She would more likely being in one of the few stations that allow a more secular approach and liberal (in the cultural sense) view of life. These shows are not necessarily a production of the station, but something they buy and run in their schedule.

Edited March 25, 2022 by circumvent

[Aileen]

I went to a catholic high school. We had deans. There was one for each grade level.

[Clanstarling]

On 3/23/2022 at 8:02 PM, ams1001 said:

How do people on TV who abruptly leave after years at a job always only have one half-full box of stuff to take home? I would probably need at least two trips to take all the crap from my cubicle to my car.

I just retired. I had been working at the same job, same office, for 15 years. All I needed was a backpack, and it wasn't anywhere near full. I had plenty of personal things, but they were all stuff I hung on the cork board plus a coffee cup and pencil holder.

On 3/24/2022 at 12:25 AM, Leeds said:

How are Gina and her friend going to cater big formal events from a food van?  You can't short order cook for a couple of hundred guests at a fancy gala.   What if they require cake?  And where are they going to store all the food and drink?  Another stupid plot line.

I'm not sure what the plan is, but they did cater from a food van at a movie set - which would be a fairly large crowd. Is that realistic? I have no idea.

15 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Well, she wasn't really any better to him, so maybe it was for the same reason. Sounds like they deserve each other.

As I recall, they had a previous relationship which was ruined because she became his boss. I think they showed undercurrents throughout their story that showed they still cared for each other even if they were outwardly bickering. Not healthy, but different strokes and all.

11 hours ago, bybrandy said:

Danny said he didn't know any openly gay teens in Paris.  Obviously there are some but he also isn't completely fluent in French and quite frankly is probably mostly parenting Charlie so I buy he hasn't had a lot of time to get to know a bunch of other French teens.   If he did he'd surely know more.

I buy it too.

I was a bit irritated that Rome didn't even notice that the kids at his old school were more diverse - probably thanks to his former school friend. He walks in expecting it to be exactly the way it was WAY back when, so that's the only thing he sees.

Even though Regina loved the food truck, I thought it was still the same thing - her dad trying to fix things for her. I thought she'd hate it, but I was wrong.

As usual, Gary was over the top in his advice to Danny, screwing things up again. When Maggie said how great he'd been, like a Dad, I snorted just a little bit.

As for Danny's hair, I really like it. The only time it looked greasy to me was when he'd just gotten out of the shower and it was wet. He's growing from cute boy to a handsome man.

Edited March 25, 2022 by Clanstarling

[tennisgurl]

Rome's idea to get back at his old teacher is so bad that even Tyrell, who has always been down for the sticking it to the man, can tell its a bad idea. I am just not a fan of this story, Rome has so much going on already he really doesn't need to suddenly deal with some new never before mentioned trauma that he has never dealt with and his teenage revenge plan. Yeah, screw over his old buddy who vouched for him and wanted to use his film to help their school grow to show up one old guy, who Rome has apparently decided is responsible for all racism ever, very heroic. Between Rome's old friend and Maggie's boss, this episode really continues the theme that no one outside of the inner circle should ever interact with these people ever, they will inevitably become collateral damage to their self righteous causes and personal drama. 

Danny needs to get out more if he doesn't know a single gay teenager in Paris. It doesn't sound like its going well for him, it sounds like he's regretting going there just to make his mom happy. Does Danny even speak French? Can he come back? 

Of course Maggie gets to take a stand for women's choice while also getting a fancy new car. That is so on brand I cant even be annoyed. Its like Regina's new food truck catering service, that's just not how this works. You know, I watch a lot of shows that take place in fantasy worlds, in alternate universes, in outer space, but those places make WAY more sense to me than the world of this show. 

Eddie and Katherine's talk was by far the highlight of the episode, I really liked seeing them getting along, and even that just made me even sadder that the broke them up. They have so much more chemistry together than they do with their new love interests, what an absolute waste. 

Edited March 25, 2022 by tennisgurl

[ams1001]

21 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Does Danny even speak French? 

When he was arguing with Delilah on the phone, he said something like "you know I can't understand fast French" so I take that as he does speak it but not fluently. 

Which leads me to ask - So does D only speak French now? When did we ever see her speak French with the kids? Why would she be yelling at her mostly-English-speaking son in French?

24 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I watch a lot of shows that take place in fantasy worlds, in alternate universes, in outer space, but those places make WAY more sense to me than the world of this show. 

That's because those people probably take the time to create a complete world to set their stories in so they can make it internally consistent. These writers don't even seem to know how this world works.

[Kip Hackman]

On 3/23/2022 at 11:46 PM, historylover820 said:

And you would think a program like Maggie's, it wouldn't be live

 

[Winston Wolfe]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Between Rome's old friend and Maggie's boss, this episode really continues the theme that no one outside of the inner circle should ever interact with these people ever, they will inevitably become collateral damage to their self righteous causes and personal drama. 

I came here to say the same thing and literally couldn't have said it better. Maggie (Ms. Wrecking Ball) and Gary (Mr. Bull-in-a-China Shop) are the worst offenders of the bunch. If you're outside of the core circle and are dumb enough to get involved with either (or both of them) there's a 100% chance you're going to wind up getting steamrolled like a cartoon character. And even the poor kids (Danny and Sophie) end up getting torched by those two dweebs, who are clearly made for each other. Worst yet, there never seems to be any consequences for their actions. Never, ever.

[KaveDweller]

19 hours ago, Lethallyfab said:

Also, was that a fricking LEXUS?!  A Lexus is a gift to, like, the cast of Friends at the show’s peak or Howard Stern.  But Maggie is the bestest radio personality in the history of ever, so, of course, she deserves one.

Maybe Lexus advertises on the station or something, and the owner got it as a gift himself?

[Cosmocrush]

On 3/24/2022 at 5:59 PM, marceline said:

...Gary questioning his ability to parent near-adult kids who aren't even his.)

One of which just shows up at his door. Good thing he was at home.  WTH?

[Leeds]

13 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Maybe Lexus advertises on the station or something, and the owner got it as a gift himself?

Or maybe Lexus gave a big cheque to ABC?

[Lady Calypso]

Yeah, if Tyrell is looking at you like you're in the wrong when suggesting a couple of decades old revenge plan, then you probably are wrong. Sure, Rome has some unresolved trauma from what went on in that school, but I do think that it's causing him to react emotionally and not seeing that his old buddy may have took the job to try to make the school better. Similarly to how Rome has been using his documentary to talk about racism, his old buddy may be doing the same thing through running the school.

Danny is definitely acting like a teenager here. He thinks that just going to beg for his cheating boyfriend's forgiveness will stop the cheating once he returns to France. Unless he was planning to move back full time, he only solved the situation temporarily. Milo will simply just do it again once Danny goes back to France. 

I was fine with Gary being supportive of Danny not going back to his cheating boyfriend, but the way he was talking about a teenage boy disturbed me. What adult talks about a kid in such a manner? Even if the kid is a cheating jerk, calling him a douchebag and calling him names is just...really weird. 

At least Danny blamed his mom this time around. She needs more blame for being a terrible mother.

Oh look! A Lexus ad! Since the company clearly sponsors the show, I guess they had to shoehorn the car in somewhere. As for Maggie's plot, honestly, if they're wanting to censor what kind of topics she discusses because they don't fit with the station owner's views, then she should probably just walk out too and find another job. Sure, they didn't fire her because of her ratings, but they fired her boss for 'not controlling her', which means her next boss (most likely male) will try to control her and it still won't work, which means Maggie will either be fired anyway or get stuck in a shitty job with a shitty boss. 

That being said, I was ok with Maggie going to talk to her doctor about her chances of getting pregnant. I can only imagine how a cancer survivor feels about their chances of fertility and having a baby of their own, especially when having cancer so young. Of course, this show will make it seem like she needs to have a baby RIGHT THIS MINUTE, when she probably at least has a couple of years to really decide. Yes, her chances of fertility may be lower than others, but this show will frame it as "she needs to get pregnant in the next year or else!"

Eddie and Katherine's scene was actually really good. It's a shame they've made Eddie/Katherine doomed from the start, because the actors work so well together. But maybe co-parenting is going to be best for them.

So, Regina and her dad are starting a food truck catering business. But yeah, I also had the thought that her dad was trying to swoop in and solve her problems again, so I'd think she would be more hesitant. I also think he could take off again just as this business takes off.

 

[historylover820]

If Rome has unresolved issues with his old teacher, who, again, we've never heard of but apparently was the reason Rome made this documentary, how about confronting him one-on-one, talking to him, tell him how this memory makes him feel, instead of calling the old man out at an assembly screening the film? Because this old man probably doesn't even remember this incident. But suddenly, he's been living rent free in Rome's head for 30 years, and this incident has been controlling Rome. Probably will come down to this incident started Rome's depression. 

Yeah, when Tyrell, a headstrong, impulsive teenage boy goes "Dude, this is a bad plan!" this is a bad plan! This doesn't put anyone in a good light, not the old man, not Rome's friend, and definitely not Rome.

I keep coming back to the fact that we've never heard of this before. When Rome was comforting Theo about the incident last season and giving an example of his own father getting angry at discrimination, this was not the incident he picked (although I can't remember what example he gave). I'm sure Rome had a lot of these kinds of events in his life. Which is tragic. 

But it's going to come back that the old man will see the error of his ways, and Rome's friend will also probably confront the old man, who is his boss, over his racism. The minorities in school now will be inspired to call the old man out. But I think it'd be better to confront the old man one-on-one and letting the documentary speak for itself.