S02.E18: Call Me Shellfish

[Door County Cherry]

Quote

While Kat struggles with keeping her anxiety under control, she comes up with a plan to save the café. Meanwhile, Max finally gets his big break and Carter struggles with his jealousy.

Airs May 5th

[mojito]

Well, I suppose that's that for this show. 

[Door County Cherry]

Phil said two things I wondered about in this episode.

Are you going to fire Randi?

I forgot to post this last week but why did Kat fire Phil, the baker, instead of Randi the coffee person?  Surely Phil is more valuable to the business.  Or was he more expensive?

So what, she keeps all that fundraiser money?

Like yeah. There's nothing I dislike more than a crowd funding that doesn't get used.  (OK, I hate it more when people give money to awful people via those sites but I digress.) 

If Carter is so jealous that he wants Max to hack into her phone, then Randi should be dumping him. That's not good behavior.

And that ending was kind of lame.  It's like they wanted to do a big cliffhanger making us wonder what happened (I wouldn't have  cared but the cliffhanger flash forward is a well-worn trope) but then pulled back on it. 

 

 

[possibilities]

Kat said she fired Phil because she was cutting costs by buying mass produced cupcakes instead of having him bake his with premium/much more expensive ingredients.

[So unbelievable]

How do these people do it?  Do the writers think we are stupid?  I know it's Hollywood and just a show, but I like a little reality in them. 

Never, I mean never, has myself or any friends/family I know,  lost a job/business and then flown to Paris to figure out what to do?  If only!  Did she use that crowd funding money towards the shop so Randi and Phil could run it?  Or barely leave them enough to scrape by while she flew off?  

[luna1122]

So Kat never really wanted a cat cafe? How do randi and Phil expect to pay to keep it open? If the show comes back, will kat go back to being a professor or something? 

I'm very much assuming that she contributed that 4 grand to another agency to help the cats she was apparently just dumping back into the system or whatever. She better not have used that to go to Paris.

My biggest takeaway: Ted Wass is almost 70 and he could still get it. He's aged very well 

[Madding crowd]

It seemed like a series finale with all of the camera people coming on etc. I don’t like it that they are implying Kat didn’t want the cat cafe. I thought that was her dream? Not sure where the show could go if the cafe was gone.

[sugarbaker design]

9 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

Not sure where the show could go if the cafe was gone.

Kat could open a joke shop in Surrey!

[appositival]

Are "Kat's Imagination Fake Out" scenes going to become a regular bit? I'm not objecting, but they will have to step-up their games if they don't want the fakery to be obvious.

I expect that Randi will not hesitate to throw Nick to his freshly repainted curb, and once he is in jail she can buy the shop for back taxes. Kat will be making the coffee when she comes back.

I did like this better than last week because it was much less depressing (which is not my usual standard for comedies).

Kat: "Aw, it's all the people who love me. And my mother."

[realdancemom]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who wondered how she needed the money to keep the cat cafe but then is able to spend three months in Paris. 

[tennisgurl]

Is the show over now? What will Kat do now that she doesn't have the cat café? Just hang around while Phil and Randi run it? Seeing the entire crew made it look like the show is planning on ending, but they seemed to be giving us some kind of lame cliffhanger with Kat in Paris. I don't know what happened in the last half of this season, but it really went down the drain. Its disappointing, the first half was a really big improvement on the last, but as soon as Nick was introduced it was like Kat became a totally different character and the show went off the rails. I have no idea if there will be another season, but if there is, I hope they get their shit together. And add more cats. 

I really hope she gave that money she got from crowd funding to Phil and Randi to keep the café going or donated it to an animal shelter, I will be pissed if we find out she used it to go to Paris. But if she's so broke she was about to lose the café, how else could she afford going to Paris? That goes way beyond just trying to do what's best for you. I don't like that they seem to be saying that the Kat café was just a symptom of her grief over her dad and its not what she really wants, I thought the whole point was that it really was what she wanted and his death inspired her to follow her dreams? What is this show without cats? 

I wish I lived in a TV universe where, when I'm feeling stressed and need to reevaluate my life, I can just jet off to Paris. I usually have to settle for extra ice cream. 

Edited May 6, 2022 by tennisgurl

[cinsays]

I guess I am in the minority because I really liked this episode, well, I have really liked them all actually, but I could have totally done without Nick.

I do agree her going to live in Paris if the shop is failing financially seems like an unlikely thing and maybe should have been explained better, don't know what the writers were thinking with that. Would have been better if she'd decided to go stay on the farm with old aunt Betty in Wisconsin or something.

I'm thinking that they showed the crew at the end because it is iffy whether the show will be renewed or not, so this was a just-in-case move to honor them. 

 

[Ms Lark]

Call Me Phil.  Leslie takes over the cat cafe and that's the new show. Mayim/Kat/NotMiranda stays in France and gets written out.

You know dang well that fundraiser money went toward her trip.

[Yeah No]

Man, this show just can't seem to find itself.  It looked like it was finally getting there for a while, too.  But every scripted show I watch is doing the same these days so it must be some kind of phenomenon.  Are the writers throwing the dice for plots?  None of this is making any sense.  I can't imagine they would put this stuff out there because they think it's great.

I agree with the suspicion that the ending was a "just in case" the show isn't renewed for a Season 3, but if it is I couldn't be for ratings because they really aren't that bad.

[possibilities]

Maybe Mayim wanted out of her contract. If that's why they did this, I will handwave it. But her sudden lack of interest in the cat cafe was really a huuuuuge retcon, and also made me unhappy just on principle. I don't think Phil or Randi have shown great interest in cats, either. And frankly the writers have been moving away from the cat concept all season. It makes me sad.

[CrystalBlue]

There they go again with a Kat and Max kiss, but this time it's another fantasy and in Paris, where Kat has moved.  How can Kat move to Paris for an at least three-month stay when she can't afford to pay the rent for the cat cafe?  Phil lost his job because Kat let him go, so is he now still hanging around the cafe bringing in his baked goods and living on unemployment?  How is Randi going to afford to keep paying the rent to Nick with she and Phil running the place when she needs a roommate for herself to be able to have an apartment?  Where did the fund-raising money go:  to pay three month's rent plus pay at least Randi to run the cafe?

I guess we have to wait for the Cancelled or Renewed Decision when it comes in.

[TheGreenKnight]

Kat did say she wanted a "break" from from the cafe. I think she'll end up going back to it after she's had a breather. It makes sense she would need one after everything that happened with Oscar and then Nick buying the place right after.

Leslie Jordan remains the best part of this show. I hope it gets another season. How many episodes does a show need to be syndicated?

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, possibilities said:

Maybe Mayim wanted out of her contract. If that's why they did this, I will handwave it. But her sudden lack of interest in the cat cafe was really a huuuuuge retcon, and also made me unhappy just on principle. I don't think Phil or Randi have shown great interest in cats, either. And frankly the writers have been moving away from the cat concept all season. It makes me sad.

I hear you.  I get it that the writers and/or producers are trying to make the show better because it really needs that, but doing that by blowing it up every few episodes and then throwing in a last minute 180 degree turn at the end of the season is not the way to do it.   They just need writers that can work within the given format of the show.  The concept of a show set in a cat café could be hilarious.  If the concept itself is what they think the problem is, trying to give it an extreme makeover after two seasons is only going to wreck it up even more.

1 hour ago, TheGreenKnight said:

Kat did say she wanted a "break" from from the cafe. I think she'll end up going back to it after she's had a breather. It makes sense she would need one after everything that happened with Oscar and then Nick buying the place right after.

It does, but if that's what they're going for, the way they handled it was very clunky at best.

[Neiman]

On 5/6/2022 at 1:48 AM, possibilities said:

Kat said she fired Phil because she was cutting costs by buying mass produced cupcakes instead of having him bake his with premium/much more expensive ingredients.

Yeah, plus she didn’t say, but there’s the fact that Randy basically runs the place every time Kat goes on another whim.

[Neiman]

I cringe most of the time they have Carter speak. I wish Randi would find someone else. 

[Madding crowd]

Kat wanting to take a break is fine but going to Paris for months after letting one of your employees go doesn’t look good. I’m not sure I know whether Kat enjoys the cafe or not. She seems to spend a lot of her time at the bar next door. I like the actress who plays Randi but she doesn’t seem to enjoy being around cats so I’m not sure why she works there either. I wonder if the show would work better if Kat co-owned the bar with Carter or Max. 

[PinkRibbons]

The spinning the camera around to show the crew was done on the season 1 finale too, I don't think it has anything to do with the show's chances of cancellation or renewal.

[bunnyface]

On 5/6/2022 at 7:22 AM, luna1122 said:

My biggest takeaway: Ted Wass is almost 70 and he could still get it. He's aged very well 

I thought Kat's dad was very nice looking but I didn't get Ted Wass at all until I saw the credits.  Then I had to rewind and look at him again.  

I spent a good few minutes piecing together the doctor.  SNL...Pat...no...Julie...no....Julia...JULIA SWEENEY!!

[Yeah No]

1 minute ago, bunnyface said:

I spent a good few minutes piecing together the doctor.  SNL...Pat...no...Julie...no....Julia...JULIA SWEENEY!!

I KNEW that was her, LOL!  Thanks for confirming it!

[appositival]

6 hours ago, Neiman said:

I cringe most of the time they have Carter speak.

Yeah, they have cranked the manbaby dial to eleven on him. I did like it when he immediately admitted to being insecure about his relationship with Randi. Hopefully they will let hm mature a bit.

[Johannah]

I can't remember...     When Kat said that didn't happen at the end, did she specifically say the kiss or can we interpret it to mean the whole trip to France?  I'm hoping it's the latter, because I agree with you all about that.

And I'm hugely disappointed about her not wanting the cat cafe.  Any way we can interpret that differently?

[Yeah No]

37 minutes ago, Johann said:

And I'm hugely disappointed about her not wanting the cat cafe.  Any way we can interpret that differently?

I wish we could find a way to interpret that differently but it seems like just a confirmation of what we've already seen for ourselves, that Kat isn't really invested in cats or in owning a cat cafe.  It's still a huge let down for the fans.  How can they not be aware that a LOT of people watching the show love cats and will be unhappy about this?  Unless they're just leaving us on that cliffhanger but will hastily resolve it next season.  Still, it's just not being handled all that well.

[appositival]

20 hours ago, Johann said:

When Kat said that didn't happen at the end, did she specifically say the kiss or can we interpret it to mean the whole trip to France?

Kat said, "Okay, that part didn't happen, but I am in Paris, so who knows? Anything can happen. See you in a few months."

She might be in Paris, Tennessee. They also have an Eiffel Tower.

[chediavolo]

On 5/7/2022 at 1:44 PM, bunnyface said:

I thought Kat's dad was very nice looking but I didn't get Ted Wass at all until I saw the credits.  Then I had to rewind and look at him again.  

I spent a good few minutes piecing together the doctor.  SNL...Pat...no...Julie...no....Julia...JULIA SWEENEY!!

Omg. Wish I didn’t delete this already because I wasn’t looking very closely but I never in 1 million years thought that was Ted Wass. A good looking older man but now I have to go back and find it on demand

[CrystalBlue]

On 5/7/2022 at 8:47 AM, PinkRibbons said:

The spinning the camera around to show the crew was done on the season 1 finale too, I don't think it has anything to do with the show's chances of cancellation or renewal.

I was wondering about that and I vaguely remembered that, or thought I did, but was too lazy busy to actually watch the last season finale (at least the end), so thanks for that!

[CrystalBlue]

On 5/7/2022 at 2:31 AM, TheGreenKnight said:

Kat did say she wanted a "break" from from the cafe. I think she'll end up going back to it after she's had a breather. It makes sense she would need one after everything that happened with Oscar and then Nick buying the place right after.

Leslie Jordan remains the best part of this show. I hope it gets another season. How many episodes does a show need to be syndicated?

It makes sense in TV Land to get to take a break every time you break up with a boyfriend or have unpleasant landlord issues.  But in real life, life must go on and vacations are usually scheduled, not impromptu holidays abroad.  Again, how is Kat affording this Paris trip?

[CrystalBlue]

3 hours ago, appositival said:

Kat said, "Okay, that part didn't happen, but I am in Paris, so who knows? Anything can happen. See you in a few months."

She might be in Paris, Tennessee. They also have an Eiffel Tower.

I hope the writers see this and seriously incorporate it into a S03 opening, where we find our Kat fourth-walling about "You thought I was in France? No, Paris, Tennessee.  It's only four hours away from Louiseville!"

[Johannah]

My faulty memory was allowing me to hope Kat hadn't really traveled and that she loved her cat cafe, but now that's all shot to hell.  

 

😞

[HyeChaps]

She may have been in Paris, but not necessarily for the whole three months.

[Toothbrush]

I hope we get a third series for my own selfish (shellfish)* reason. I want Mayim to be too busy to be able to host Jeopardy & Ken Jennings to get the gig permanently. 

Kat is the epitome of ‘crazy cat lady’, so I am not buying the retcon that she is not invested in the cafe. She has a whole cat wardrobe for goodness sake, including adorable pjs.

I’m hoping that if the show is renewed, Nick is gone & is no longer the landlord. A plot line could be Max buying the building with his music money and lowering Kat’s rent to where it was. But he goes broke doing so and still has to work at the Middle C. And let’s please keep Kat boyfriend-free at least for half the season, ok writers? 
 

Seeing the crew all masked up was a shock to my system. Wonder when this was filmed? I haven’t worn a mask or seen anyone wearing one in months here in New Orleans. 
 

*I’ve heard that joke with a crawfish instead of a shrimp. 

Edited May 9, 2022 by Toothbrush

[CrystalBlue]

2 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

She may have been in Paris, but not necessarily for the whole three months.

Well, if I was traveling to Paris "for a break" on my save-the-cat-cafe sourced crowdfund, I'd look into leaving the city and exploring other regions in France or going to London, Rome, maybe Munich too!

[Bruinsfan]

On 5/6/2022 at 8:54 AM, appositival said:

I expect that Randi will not hesitate to throw Nick to his freshly repainted curb, and once he is in jail she can buy the shop for back taxes. Kat will be making the coffee when she comes back.

I dearly hope this is the case. Randi doesn't strike me as the type to put up with any crap whatsoever from someone she doesn't like, and Nick would be expecting to smirk and get things his way with no consequences or real opposition as he appears to have done in all his dealings with Kat. The premise of the show doesn't really require that Kat own the cat cafe, she could just as easily work as the cat wrangler while Randi handles the management of the money-earning coffee shop part of the business.

[TheGreenKnight]

On 5/8/2022 at 8:30 PM, Toothbrush said:

A plot line could be Max buying the building with his music money and lowering Kat’s rent to where it was. But he goes broke doing so and still has to work at the Middle C. And let’s please keep Kat boyfriend-free at least for half the season, ok writers?

Now you've suggested this, I can see it happening. But I think it's more likely he Kat ownership of the building altogether.

[Yeah No]

On 5/8/2022 at 10:30 PM, Toothbrush said:

I’m hoping that if the show is renewed, Nick is gone & is no longer the landlord. A plot line could be Max buying the building with his music money and lowering Kat’s rent to where it was. But he goes broke doing so and still has to work at the Middle C. And let’s please keep Kat boyfriend-free at least for half the season, ok writers? 

Or maybe she could appeal to Nick to lower the rent and he becomes a human being and does it.  One could only hope.  At some point they're going to have to soften him and turn him into Max's rival for Kat's affections.

[JayDub1987]

On 5/8/2022 at 2:32 PM, appositival said:

Kat said, "Okay, that part didn't happen, but I am in Paris, so who knows? Anything can happen. See you in a few months."

She might be in Paris, Tennessee. They also have an Eiffel Tower.

There's also a Paris, Kentucky, but I don't think they have an Eiffel Tower. 

[Yeah No]

On 9/19/2022 at 6:11 PM, JayDub1987 said:

There's also a Paris, Kentucky, but I don't think they have an Eiffel Tower. 

They just got one last year:

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/74399

[JayDub1987]

10 hours ago, Yeah No said:

They just got one last year:

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/74399

How bout that? I live in Kentucky, but I haven't been in/through Paris in years. I didn't know they had added one.