S06.E11: Saturday in the Park

[CdrJanny]

On 4/7/2022 at 5:30 PM, madmax said:

Your spouse/children should ALWAYS come before your siblings.  But the Pearsons don't quite get that.

Of course not!  They are Pearsons!

[KaveDweller]

22 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

Yes, after her gig as Kevin's assistant ended, Kate spent an episode or two as a professional singer despite not having had any training or experience in the field in at least 20 years.  She also auditioned to sing lead for a band and didn't get the gig and immediately decided that it was because of her weight and got snotty with the band's manager.  Then she heard the voice of the woman who did get the job and sang 1000x better than Kate, as even she realized.   After that, rather than get more training or experience, Kate gave up and went back to sitting at home waiting for something to happen.

I'm sure she never had a regular gig or salary as a singer, but Kate did probably earn a small amount of money during her ridiculous professional career.

I'm not sure it's fair to say Kate was just sitting around at home. She did finish school because she wanted to have better prospects. And during that time where she wasn't working she went through a high risk pregnancy and having a special needs baby. Plenty of women take time off when they have a baby, it is not unreasonable that Kate would want to be a stay at home mom for awhile.

And she actually had two pregnancies, one where she miscarried. I don't remember the timing on that though.

[Ohmo]

On 4/9/2022 at 1:16 PM, Rootbeer said:

I am trying to figure out what Phillip, who breaks up with women because they bore him, is going to find so fascinating about Kate.  She's not particularly witty or fun nor does she have a lot of facets to her personality.  Dorothy Parker she is not.

Can I go further than that?  I do not know why Philip has the job he has.  He seems either bored or irritated with children as a rule.  On top of that, he's working with blind students.

I anticipate some hokey contrived backstory is going to suddenly appear as to why he chose this job, but he seems to genuinely dislike children.  What I thought was sarcasm hasn't switched to something else, so it comes across as his genuine state.

[Crs97]

Philip is a prince in disguise; he is supposed to take over as king of Aldovia, but needs to prove himself responsible first.  He just needs the love of a good woman to show him the way.  Wait, wrong channel.

[CdrJanny]

On 4/8/2022 at 7:39 AM, Ohiopirate02 said:

Military families are not a good comparison though.  They have a whole network of families moving from base to base. They have their own difficulties which are different than what Kate will go through.   And she would have difficulties moving to SF for Toby's job.  I didn't realize wanting to acknowledging them would inspire this kind of debate and whataboutism.

Based on my own personal experience of 22 years in the Navy, 5 as a married mother and 12 as a single mother (all while working full-time as an officer), military families are an excellent comparison.  There is no guarantee that you will know anyone at the base you are transferring to, not every mother is a SAHM, plus you may have to deal with your spouse's deployment or unaccompanied overseas tour.  

[Ohmo]

11 hours ago, nilyank said:

I also think that Toby went to all those work party events for his career but alsp because it gave someplace where he could make social connections rather than staying in his lonely apartment or making new friends,

And also so that he doesn't revert back to old habits, such as sitting in one's apartment eating.

Others have said the same thing.  Toby has been able to make fundamental changes to his weight that have improved his quality of life. With Chrissy's weight being what it is IRL, it's difficult to know how to write Kate.  She could be fine with her weight the way it is as a personal choice of living her life as is.  However, with this revelation that Kate misses the old Toby, that doesn't seem to be the case for the character.  She seems to resent Toby more than be accepting of his change in weight.

I think where the show missed the mark is that when the weight-loss storyliine didn't go forward, they should have mirrored whatever Chrissy's RL situation is for Kate.  I don't know what Chrissy's feelings are about her weight, and I don't think the audience needs to know, but it's always struck me as odd that Kate always seems angry toward Toby for changing, yet Chrissy doesn't seem to project that in public.  Who knows what she feels in private, but it''s odd to have Kate as a character feel this way when the audience knows the character isn't likely to have a change in weight because it's not going to be something that's going to happen for the actress.  In this case, Kate should be what Chrissy also is.

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, Ohmo said:

 

I anticipate some hokey contrived backstory is going to suddenly appear as to why he chose this job, but he seems to genuinely dislike children.  What I thought was sarcasm hasn't switched to something else, so it comes across as his genuine state.

I know a fair amount of teachers.  All of them love their jobs and their students, but sarcasm, pessimism, an overall biting demeanor can be coping mechanisms.  Teachers deal with a lot of beaucratic redtape and bullshit.  Teacher burnout is a real thing.  We have seen Philip when he is working but not "on."  His demeanor in the classroom will be much different.  He also would not continue in education if he didn't love his students.  

[Ohmo]

30 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

He also would not continue in education if he didn't love his students.  

MMV, but I taught in a variety of classrooms for seven years and also know a lot of teachers.  I'd say that's a generalization to assume that all teachers stay in the profession because they love their students.  For many, that is true, but I have heard of others staying (and leaving) for a variety of reasons.

This may sound exceptionally cynical, but one of those reasons may be seniority.  Teachers who have amassed a great deal of time in one school sometimes find it difficult to leave, even when they should leave the profession.

Maybe Philip is a great teacher, but from what I've seen onscreen he seems like a burned out teacher to me.  I also know what it's like to be "on" in front of your class and "off" outside of work.  Again, to me, Philip seems like he should consider making a professional transition.

[izabella]

14 hours ago, Irate Panda said:

If I were Toby, I’d also want to move to get away from Kate’s first “husband”, Kevin.  I really don’t see how Kate’s and Toby’s marriage is supposed to work because Kate rarely seems to understand how her codependency with Kevin is an issue.

Their co-dependence has been clear and present from the very first episode.  I always expected they would address it during the series, with a potential growth arc.  But Toby is the only character who has called them out for it, at least that I can recall.  Kevin and Kate don't see the need to change anything about their relationship.

[CdrJanny]

On 4/9/2022 at 7:49 AM, izabella said:

And for sure, no one wants the ghost of long-dead Daddy Jack haunting their marriage as the measuring stick for "great husband."

Yeah, but long-dead Daddy Jack's ashes make a spectacular buddy with whom to watch Steelers' games!

[CdrJanny]

22 hours ago, izabella said:

What are these skills she has?  Where did they come from?   Being an average singer does not make for a skilled music teacher.  Has Kate herself ever taken a single music lesson in her life?  Does she play an instrument of any kind?  I am mystified why she thinks she can teach music. 

Because she's a Pearson.  She can do anything her heart desires.

[himela]

3 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Kate should be what Chrissy also is.

We always assume that they can't show that Kate lost weight because Chrissy didn't lose weight but they could always use another actress, they do that all the time with younger and older people of the main actors like with younger Nicky, younger William, young woman Beth etc. Why not make a finale with a woman who is kinda thinner than Kate if this is how they want the story to go?

[bros402]

On 4/9/2022 at 1:16 PM, Rootbeer said:

I am trying to figure out what Phillip, who breaks up with women because they bore him, is going to find so fascinating about Kate.  She's not particularly witty or fun nor does she have a lot of facets to her personality.  Dorothy Parker she is not.

The Pearson narcissism that is passed on by nature and nuture - along with the Pearson Spouse text group (which I have to imagine is amazing) will draw PMJ in. It'll turn out he's a psychologist doing a study on the Pearson clan, the urge dates back to his great-grandfather, who was rescued by Jack's great-great grandfather who gave him a speech that was so amazing it altered his DNA and made it so his family had to seek all Pearsons to study their amazingness until one of them cracked the code or had a kid with a Pearson. Philip is his family's sacrifice to the Pearsons to end the curse amazing gift bestowed upon them so they have the privilege of knowing the Pearsons.

Edited April 11, 2022 by bros402

[kili]

Quote

Does she play an instrument of any kind? 

Piano. 

Earlier this season, in the episode "Heart and Soul" we learn that one thing Rebecca and Kate have always connected with is the piano. Rebecca first taught Kate to play and by the end of the episode starts to teach Jack. 

Back in season 4, Randall has a mystery present for Kate and by the end, we learn he has paid to ship his mother's old piano to her (the one that Miguel bought, not the one that burnt up in the fire - there was a limit to what Jack could carry out of that house).

The garage studio from "Clouds" last year also featured Kate playing keyboard (and later playing with young Jack).

Edited April 11, 2022 by kili

[Johnny Dollar]

I don’t care if Kate sings like Adele, it doesn’t mean she can automatically teach music or voice. I consider myself to be good at math, but I would have no clue how to actually teach it. There’s a reason why colleges have specific programs for education. Her only qualification is being a Pearson.

Yeah, drunk Rebecca, it was so cute how your kids stuck up for each other when they locked the babysitter in the bathroom! It would’ve been even cuter if one of those little scamps started a fire and everyone died in a panic because the one responsible person in the house was trapped in the bathroom.

[Ohmo]

7 hours ago, himela said:

We always assume that they can't show that Kate lost weight because Chrissy didn't lose weight but they could always use another actress, they do that all the time with younger and older people of the main actors like with younger Nicky, younger William, young woman Beth etc. Why not make a finale with a woman who is kinda thinner than Kate if this is how they want the story to go?

I don't see them doing that because it would be a flash forward, which they don't seem to want to do, for whatever reason.  Not just with Kate, but most notably with Rebecca and Miguel.  The show has spent years putting Mandy and Jon in prosthetic make-up instead of hiring older actors to play the parts. 

That's why I said the show should have shifted storyline course.  The show clearly wants the specific adult actors that it has, so if that was the case, the storyline for Kate needed to take RL Chrissy into account.

[himela]

4 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

The show has spent years putting Mandy and Jon in prosthetic make-up instead of hiring older actors to play the parts. 

You are right but I think they have regretted it now. It would be so much easier to just have older actors to play older Rebecca and Miguel. We would have been used to them by now, just like we are ok with seeing young Kevin, Kate, Randal, Beth etc. It's not like they are doing a good job with old Rebecca. When I see her she just makes me laugh. It's like a kid putting cotton on their hair and trying to be old. But if it was an older actress playing Rebecca I'm sure it would also help us feel it more.

[MissLucas]

8 hours ago, himela said:

We always assume that they can't show that Kate lost weight because Chrissy didn't lose weight but they could always use another actress, they do that all the time with younger and older people of the main actors like with younger Nicky, younger William, young woman Beth etc. Why not make a finale with a woman who is kinda thinner than Kate if this is how they want the story to go?

I don't think the internet would survive that.

IIRC Kate can also play the guitar. I think we saw teenage Kate playing when she wanted to enter some song contest.

Ironically the show did address Kate and Kevin's codependency - in the pilot when Kevn fired her as his PA. It looked as if they were ready to make a new start. Now they have spent months living together without there actually being the need to do so🤷‍♂️

One factor in Toby's history of weight loss hasn't been mentioned in a while: his depression. Physical activity is considered a key factor in therapy. Which makes Kate's resentment even worse - but I guess she has forgotten about her husband's depression since the writers seem to have done so.

[peeayebee]

51 minutes ago, himela said:

You are right but I think they have regretted it now. It would be so much easier to just have older actors to play older Rebecca and Miguel. We would have been used to them by now, just like we are ok with seeing young Kevin, Kate, Randal, Beth etc. It's not like they are doing a good job with old Rebecca. When I see her she just makes me laugh. It's like a kid putting cotton on their hair and trying to be old. But if it was an older actress playing Rebecca I'm sure it would also help us feel it more.

I think Mandy Moore is fine as older Rebecca. I don't have a problem with the makeup and prosthetics. Now Miguel, on the other hand, ooof. His aging makeup looks like it's from a high school production.

[kili]

Quote

I don’t care if Kate sings like Adele, it doesn’t mean she can automatically teach music or voice. I consider myself to be good at math, but I would have no clue how to actually teach it. There’s a reason why colleges have specific programs for education. 

Ironically, college/university professors don't go to teaching school. Get a PhD and do some decent research and you too could teach the next generation how to do differential equations. Some profs are actually good at teaching. Some are not.

One of the local universities had a scandal when one of their profs in the education department was such a bad teacher, students asked to switch teachers and she publicly doxed them in revenge. Then all the details about her horrible teaching style came out and it was pretty impressive how bad she was.

The show tells us Kate is good at teaching/connecting with students, so I guess it's true. Just like how Jack was a natural at home design without going to architect school and Randall is a natural at everything. Kevin appears to be the only Pearson who required a decade of acting classes and lesser roles before becoming a jokey success in his chosen field as "The Nanny".

Edited April 11, 2022 by kili

[cameron]

23 minutes ago, kili said:

Ironically, college/university professors don't go to teaching school. Get a PhD and do some decent research and you too could teach the next generation how to do differential equations. Some profs are actually good at teaching. Some are not.

One of the local universities had a scandal when one of their profs in the education department was such a bad teacher, students asked to switch teachers and she publicly doxed them in revenge. Then all the details about her horrible teaching style came out and it was pretty impressive how bad she was.

The show tells us Kate is good at teaching/connecting with students, so I guess it's true. Just like how Jack was a natural at home design without going to architect school and Randall is a natural at everything. Kevin appears to be the only Pearson who required a decade of acting classes and lesser roles before becoming a jokey success in his chosen field as "The Nanny".

Not sure that we have ever seen Jack being a natural at home design.  The only reason that he had the job was that Miquel went to bat for him and gave the owner an ultimatum.  Typical Pearson slide through.

[ErinV]

On 4/6/2022 at 7:16 AM, Haleth said:

This was so hard to watch, even though we knew Jack would be fine.

I am so annoyed with Kate.  Tobey was spot on when he asked her if she even wanted him in LA.  Or does his absence give her an opportunity to constantly berate him?  (Call your own damn plumber, Kate.)  Did she even answer him when he asked if she wanted him there?  He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, for Pete's sake!  He's trying! 

Who the hell teaches a toddler how to open the door?  That is insane.

Kevin and Randall need to mind their own business.

OMG I didn't catch on with the Hawaiian shirt -good point!!  Poor Toby

[chocolatine]

14 hours ago, Ohmo said:

I think where the show missed the mark is that when the weight-loss storyliine didn't go forward, they should have mirrored whatever Chrissy's RL situation is for Kate.  I don't know what Chrissy's feelings are about her weight, and I don't think the audience needs to know, but it's always struck me as odd that Kate always seems angry toward Toby for changing, yet Chrissy doesn't seem to project that in public.  Who knows what she feels in private, but it''s odd to have Kate as a character feel this way when the audience knows the character isn't likely to have a change in weight because it's not going to be something that's going to happen for the actress.  In this case, Kate should be what Chrissy also is.

The way that Kate is written, her character doesn't make sense at Chrissy's weight. She's supposed to have been making healthier food choices since getting together with Toby, and now she's also supposed to be a hands-on mother to a toddler and a baby, which is physically very demanding. With the lifestyle changes that Kate has made since the show started she should have lost a considerable amount of weight, but Chrissy obviously didn't make the same changes. (And we also know that Kate's weight is not due to a medical condition, because teenage Kate was at a relatively normal weight.)

2 hours ago, kili said:

Ironically, college/university professors don't go to teaching school. Get a PhD and do some decent research and you too could teach the next generation how to do differential equations. Some profs are actually good at teaching. Some are not.

That's not even close to Kate's situation. College students are adults who are supposed to already know how to learn (and since you bring up differential equation, those can be learned from books without any teaching whatsoever as long as one knows calculus). Kate is teaching young children who are blind and can't learn in a conventional way. She needs formal training both for conventional and special education. And no, having a decent singing voice and good rapport with the children is not a substitute for training.

[RedbirdNelly]

On 4/6/2022 at 2:48 AM, Dowel Jones said:

Channeling Calvin and Hobbes, and poor suffering Suzie....

Jack associates the entire collapse of Toby and Kate's marriage with the Big Green Egg because in all the panic and the trip to the hospital, no one thought to take the meat out.  So, several hours later...

I, too, thought of Calvin and Hobbes.

I think the show is pro Kate but you can see both parties getting some blame. I also got some of her freak out with the leaky ceiling. I'm much more quick to freak out when something breaks and people are over. It amps up the stress. 

The door knob thing reminded me of my oldest, who for whatever reason would not touch door knobs for a long time. We opted to roll with it and enjoyed not needing to add safety locks or anything throughout our house. If a door was closed, that was a baby-proof barrier. In contrast, I had friends who had to add extra locks at the top of their front door, otherwise toddler would head out on his own. 

 

[ams1001]

Okay, I tend to follow an episode thread until it dies down, which for this show is often once the next episode airs...which thank goodness is tomorrow because every time I come back to it I get that damn song stuck in my head again.

 

[Mrs Shibbles]

On 4/6/2022 at 9:29 PM, PepSinger said:

 

I wish my future husband would have a well-paying job doing what he loves and offer to buy us a fantastic multi-million dollar home in q great city. Kate is the only human being on the planet who would be pissed about someone offering to buy them and their children a home with an in-law suite. The horror! 

 

Just a few episodes ago she was pouting over Toby not giving her a “grand gesture”that she expected for her birthday.  now, Toby looking at houses/ getting pre approved is unacceptable.  He didn’t put in an offer.  Toby can never win.

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Mrs Shibbles

[ProudMary]

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Okay, I tend to follow an episode thread until it dies down, which for this show is often once the next episode airs...which thank goodness is tomorrow because every time I come back to it I get that damn song stuck in my head again.

 

The Kate threads definitely have "legs" here in the TIU forum. She's a polarizing character and seems to generate the most conversation. The earworm for this particular episode is an added benefit, or curse, depending on one's musical taste. 😄

[mostlylurking]

7 hours ago, himela said:

You are right but I think they have regretted it now. It would be so much easier to just have older actors to play older Rebecca and Miguel.

I’m so glad they stuck with Mandy Moore.  I think she’s fantastic, at every age.  I think she is styled just fine for someone in their 70’s. I also love the character of Miguel, so I overlook the pancake makeup.  
 

3 hours ago, chocolatine said:

The way that Kate is written, her character doesn't make sense at Chrissy's weight. She's supposed to have been making healthier food choices since getting together with Toby, and now she's also supposed to be a hands-on mother to a toddler and a baby, which is physically very demanding. With the lifestyle changes that Kate has made since the show started she should have lost a considerable amount of weight, but Chrissy obviously didn't make the same changes. (And we also know that Kate's weight is not due to a medical condition, because teenage Kate was at a relatively normal weight.)

I still maintain that we are not supposed to think Kate is as heavy as Chrissy.  Kind of like when an actress is pregnant and they don’t write it in, we are just supposed to overlook the huge belly because she’s acting.  I’ll be honest it’s difficult to do but I do think that is what we are supposed to think.

Also, I kind of forgot that Kate has a very rich twin brother who is more than happy to help his family financially, going as far as to say the money he makes isn’t just his, but ”ours”, meaning the whole family.  Kevin also seems like he truly means that and won’t hold it over her head, unlike Randall who does things out of obligation and then resents it later.  So that might also be a reason why she thinks her life won’t change very much if she and Toby break up.

[Rootbeer]

1 minute ago, mostlylurking said:

Also, I kind of forgot that Kate has a very rich twin brother who is more than happy to help his family financially, going as far as to say the money he makes isn’t just his, but ”ours”, meaning the whole family.  Kevin also seems like he truly means that and won’t hold it over her head, unlike Randall who does things out of obligation and then resents it later.  So that might also be a reason why she thinks her life won’t change very much if she and Toby break up.

Yes, Kate undoubtedly feels that Kevin will pay her bills if she cannot.  He's done it before, she has no reason to think he won't do it forever.

[kili]

Quote

College students are adults who are supposed to already know how to learn (and since you bring up differential equation, those can be learned from books without any teaching whatsoever as long as one knows calculus).

Pet Peeve: If college professors can be replaced by a book, they should be replaced by a book and the course fees adjusted accordingly (and I used differential equations as an example because we did have to learn from the book our prof was so bad and then he raged at us for being mean when we filled out our course evaluations - all he ever did were the examples from the book and if you asked a question - he told us to read the book. Useless). 

Quote

Kate is teaching young children who are blind and can't learn in a conventional way. She needs formal training both for conventional and special education. And no, having a decent singing voice and good rapport with the children is not a substitute for training.

And some people are natural teachers and some teachers who have gone through all the school couldn't teach a duck to swim. 

Kate's a natural teacher. It happens.

Just like some profs can actually teach. This year, one of my relatives ended up with a useless prof so he ended up auditing another class with a great teacher. When the university went in-class starting in Feb, his assigned class was empty, but people were sitting on the steps in the class with the good teacher.  The good teacher was totally confused as to how his class was so over-subscribed and concerned how they could write exams. The auditors just went back to their usual class to sit exams.  

I totally find it believable that somebody could be a natural teacher because I've seen it in action.  Is it a little suspicious that the Pearsons (except for Kevin) are naturals at everything? Totally.

[Boo Boo]

18 hours ago, himela said:

We always assume that they can't show that Kate lost weight because Chrissy didn't lose weight but they could always use another actress, they do that all the time with younger and older people of the main actors like with younger Nicky, younger William, young woman Beth etc. Why not make a finale with a woman who is kinda thinner than Kate if this is how they want the story to go?

I'd rather they not.

There are so few roled for an actress of her size that it would make me sad for her to have them cast a thin actress.  I'd rather they video filter her if that was possible to make her appear thinner.

When I watched the episode this week, I felt sad.  I know Kate's character can be miseraable, but I really like Chrissy as an actress.  I'd love to see her in more things but I wonder if she will be able to get a role as, no pun intended, meaty as this one when this show is over.

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Boo Boo

[mostlylurking]

18 minutes ago, Boo Boo said:

I really like Chrissy as an actress.  I'd love to see her in more things but I wonder if she will be able to get a role as, no pun intended, meaty as this one when this show is over.

I agree. I’ve seen her in interviews and she seems like such a nice person.

[chocolatine]

24 minutes ago, Boo Boo said:

There are so few role for an actress of her size that it would make me sad for her to have them cast a thin actress.  I'd rather they video filter her if that was possible to make her appear thinner.

There's no video filter to make someone appear thinner. You can make someone appear younger by blurring adjacent pixels and thus smoothing out facial lines, but you can't change someone's proportions in a moving image and make it look real.

1 hour ago, kili said:

Kate's a natural teacher. It happens.

It doesn't matter whether she's "a natural," she still needs her certifications. Most people wouldn't get care from someone who's "a natural" at medicine but doesn't have an MD or a medical license.

[Boo Boo]

19 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

There's no video filter to make someone appear thinner. You can make someone appear younger by blurring adjacent pixels and thus smoothing out facial lines, but you can't change someone's proportions in a moving image and make it look real.

It doesn't matter whether she's "a natural," she still needs her certifications. Most people wouldn't get care from someone who's "a natural" at medicine but doesn't have an MD or a medical license.

Yeah, I was thinking it would be impossible to do especially of her size.

[kili]

Quote

There's no video filter to make someone appear thinner. 

There maybe no filter, but they can do it with CGI. That's what they did to get "skinny Steve" in "Captain America", "starving Tony Stark" in "Endgame and tortured Peeta in "The Hunger Games". It's not healthy to yo-yo people's weight so they don't ask actors to do unhealthy weight loss anymore for roles. Some method actors still do it, though.

Quote

Most people wouldn't get care from someone who's "a natural" at medicine but doesn't have an MD or a medical license.

2020-2022 has taught me that a not insignificant number of people might go to them for advice.

Edited April 11, 2022 by kili

[Johnny Dollar]

I would imagine that the tuition to Jack’s school is not cheap. If I had a child there, I expect that they would only employ certified teachers who went to college to learn how to teach special needs children and not a “natural teacher”.

I for one wouldn’t be surprised if they used CGI trickery to shrink future Kate. There’s no reason why they haven’t shown her in flashforwards and we know that she didn’t die. 

[chocolatine]

23 minutes ago, Johnny Dollar said:

I for one wouldn’t be surprised if they used CGI trickery to shrink future Kate. There’s no reason why they haven’t shown her in flashforwards and we know that she didn’t die. 

We know that she's alive in the wedding flash-forward, but we haven't seen her (or heard her mentioned by name) in Rebecca's death bed flash-forward.

[statsgirl]

 

11 hours ago, kili said:

Ironically, college/university professors don't go to teaching school. Get a PhD and do some decent research and you too could teach the next generation how to do differential equations. Some profs are actually good at teaching. Some are not.

It's true that many universities hire tenure-track positions based more on publication record than teaching, especially the prestigious ones. (Part timers on the other hand are at the mercy of student evaluations.) But most graduate students work as teaching assistants for money as they go through their degrees (some programs require it to graduate) and the good schools run classes in how to be a TA (e.g. how to do lesson plans, don't mark with a red pen because it's intimidating).

When my daughter was in grade 2, her teacher was just out of teacher's college and overwhelmed by the size of the class so I offered to take half the class and teach them drama a couple of afternoons a week. Confident with about 8 TAships under my belt, I found myself totally out of my depth with 7 and 8 year olds. If Kate is a natural, good on her.

Back to your on-going discussion.

[KaveDweller]

3 hours ago, chocolatine said:

It doesn't matter whether she's "a natural," she still needs her certifications. Most people wouldn't get care from someone who's "a natural" at medicine but doesn't have an MD or a medical license.

She does need a certification, but there are alternate route certifications where people who did not get their degree in education can get certified while teaching. They can do it with online programs and often do not need to wait until they finish.

But it is much easier to get a teaching certification than a medical license. 

[peeayebee]

5 hours ago, Boo Boo said:

I know Kate's character can be miseraable, but I really like Chrissy as an actress.

I just looked at her IMDB page because I didn't think I'd seen her in anything else. One of the first things she was in was a show called All of Us. From All of Us to This Is Us.

[bros402]

6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

There's no video filter to make someone appear thinner. You can make someone appear younger by blurring adjacent pixels and thus smoothing out facial lines, but you can't change someone's proportions in a moving image and make it look real.

It doesn't matter whether she's "a natural," she still needs her certifications. Most people wouldn't get care from someone who's "a natural" at medicine but doesn't have an MD or a medical license.

In California, they do have fake doctors - Naturopaths are considered doctors in 15 states, including CA. They are even allowed to prescribe medications and perform procedures such as removing moles in CA.

[Johnny Dollar]

While we don’t see Kate in a flash forward, we do see future Toby ask if “she wants him there” when he’s called to the cabin. Since Rebecca would be on her literal deathbed and presumably wouldn’t recognize him anyway, I think it’s safe to assume he was asking whether Kate wants him there. 

[Rootbeer]

2 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

While we don’t see Kate in a flash forward, we do see future Toby ask if “she wants him there” when he’s called to the cabin. Since Rebecca would be on her literal deathbed and presumably wouldn’t recognize him anyway, I think it’s safe to assume he was asking whether Kate wants him there. 

Yep, because we know Beth wants Toblerone there.

[Jillybean]

I think having Kate die before Rebecca would be very realistic. I haven't ruled it out, myself, although I don't think the show will go there.

[MissLucas]

There's yet another she who could object to Toby's presence: Hailey. 

[Jillybean]

3 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

There's yet another she who could object to Toby's presence: Hailey. 

I had the same thought.

[GeorgiaRai]

I agree, it doesn't really make sense that Rebecca asked for Toby to be at her Last Hurrah. If it's Kate, then (1) yay - they have an amicable relationship at some point post divorce, but (2) why would Toby need Randall to reassure him?  Surely as co-parents, Toby has remained closer to Kate than Randall over the years; if he had any doubts, it seems he would've cleared them with Kate before making the trip. 

The scene (as we've seen it so far) makes me think that Randall is speaking for someone else - and I don't know why that'd be necessary if Kate is alive & well and wants Toby there, 

[Rootbeer]

2 minutes ago, GeorgiaRai said:

 

The scene (as we've seen it so far) makes me think that Randall is speaking for someone else - and I don't know why that'd be necessary if Kate is alive & well and wants Toby there, 

It also doesn't make sense that Randall is the one to call Toby and ask him to come if he's got a cordial relationship with Kate.  Even if they've been divorced for years, they're still raising kids together and they have to have regular contact to do that.  Randall lives thousands of miles away, it doesn't seem like he'd be the one to call Toby and tell him to come unless Kate is either not available or not on good terms with Toby.

[Tango64]

20 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

I still maintain that we are not supposed to think Kate is as heavy as Chrissy.  Kind of like when an actress is pregnant and they don’t write it in, we are just supposed to overlook the huge belly because she’s acting.  I’ll be honest it’s difficult to do but I do think that is what we are supposed to think.

Hmm, very interesting take I've never considered. Even if the producers don't really expect us to see it that way, I could see that being their justification internally and maybe encouraging Chrissy to think that way. "We don't need to address the size issue much because Chrissy is really playing a woman smaller than herself. The character is plus size but not to the point we need to make it a big concern for her, and Chrissy really pulls that off." 

Would be a way to rationalize themselves out of a lot of questions and potential discomfort for the actress. And maybe that would be okay.

[mostlylurking]

2 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

It also doesn't make sense that Randall is the one to call Toby and ask him to come if he's got a cordial relationship with Kate.

I think this is the strongest argument for Kate being deceased. When Toby asks if “she” wants him there he could be talking about Hailey. Then Randall says “she” needs him or he’s still family or something to that effect, which could be in reference to Hailey as well.