S06.E01: 1992 / S06.E02: Rise

[CheshireCat]

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Gia visits the Codys with a job opportunity; J schemes finances; Deran learns new renters are disrupting the neighbourhood; Craig struggles with sobriety and co-parenting Nick under Renn's monitored visitation

Air date: Jun 19, 2022

[CheshireCat]

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J holds a family meeting, on the hunt for a new attorney; Pope refuses to sell his vacant lot; Deran embraces his clout; Craig's sobriety is challenged; in 1992, Smurf and Andrew meet with a lawyer; Julia struggles to be heard in the family.

Air date: Jun 19, 2022

[chick binewski]

3 hours ago, WatcherUatl10 said:

It'll be interesting to see how it happens, because it seems at some point Andrew and/or Baz would have chosen staying with Smurf over leaving with Julia, and it's likely Smurf lied to them about stuff just as she lied to Julia in this episode. Which makes me wonder if J doesn't hold a grudge still toward his uncles over what happened back then. 

I think we saw everything the Smurf/Julia relationship was about during the pilot episode when Smurf snatches the gold top after Julia overdosed (some eagle-eyed posters pointed out Smurf wears the gold top during this episode). But I'm also interested how the final separation between Julia and the boys happens. 

J is all about his grudge, imo. He likes being a criminal, but he's plotting against all of them.

Also, square bologna? Does that even exist?

[iMonrey]

Still not a fan of the flashback gimmick, but it does seem like Leila George is doing a better job channeling Ellen Barkin this season. Also, good job casting teen Andrew (not so much with teen Baz.) They pretty much had free rein with teen Julia since we never really saw her in present day past the opening moments of the pilot when she was dead. All I remember about her was that she had dark hair.

Nice fake-out with the Gia arson. 

I'm hoping we finally learn why they call Andrew Pope. 

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Also, square bologna? Does that even exist?

I've never seen it!

That scene is funny because we see how meticulous Pope is being making that sandwich, everything is squared up, and then J comes along and puts potato chips on it. Pope has this horrified look on his face like J is defiling the sandwich.

Edited June 20, 2022 by iMonrey

[Laurie4H]

7 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Also, good job casting teen Andrew (not so much with teen Baz.)

Teen Baz doesn’t look anything like adult Baz but he is a good actor.  He was in a movie called Embattled (with Stephen Dorff) that he was really good in.  

Smurf was jealous of Julia therefore pretty much ruined her   

So they burned down Gia’s store?  I can’t remember what she did to them in the past.  

Edited June 20, 2022 by Laurie4H

[Dowel Jones]

I think Gia had them steal something last season and then didn't cut them in on the take. That could be a false memory as last season was ages ago.  Along those lines, I think it was a mistake to burn Gia's place.  If she has some rough edged clients who are now out of serious money, she can just point them toward the Codys and things won't end well for them.  Of course, in this show, everyone else is basically incompetent and the Codys can run roughshod over the city without any consequences.

[Dowel Jones]

$18,000 for a skate ramp and a shed.  I actually feel a bit for Pope.  He's broken, completely and irretrievably, and, worse yet, he knows it and he knows he can't do anything about it.

"Don't take their wallets.  Going back to the DMV is the real crime."  Heh.

What was J thinking, actually listing Pope's lot for sale without permission?  He's lucky he wasn't chasing his teeth down the driveway after Pope found out.

[iMonrey]

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So they burned down Gia’s store?  I can’t remember what she did to them in the past.  

Gia fenced goods for Smurf. J tried to get her to fence their stuff after Smurf died and she turned him down, said she only worked for Smurf. This episode she showed up hat in hand, wanting them to take out a rival fence. So during the whole caper I thought that was what they were doing until that final shot revealed they were destroying Gia's warehouse instead. 

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Of course, in this show, everyone else is basically incompetent and the Codys can run roughshod over the city without any consequences.

I don't that's true since Smurf died and I think the past two seasons have shown them basically self destructing. I'm not sure what's going on with Deran, he's hard to read. But I think bashing that influencer over the head is going to come back and bite him in the ass. 

[iMonrey]

Now that I've taken a second look, they did a pretty good job casting someone as teen Julia who looks like she could be J's mother. They have similar facial features and eyes. I don't know if that's by accident or not though. Maybe I'm just reading into it. Baz looks nothing like Scott Speedman but maybe they figured they had some artistic license with that character since he's no longer around in the present day.

This episode felt like a lot of wheel spinning, both literally and figuratively. I was expecting some follow up to the big heist they pulled at the end of last season but nothing seems to have blown back on them. It was nice to see Pope happy at the end there even if it's temporary. 

[Kristi800]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

This episode felt like a lot of wheel spinning, both literally and figuratively. I was expecting some follow up to the big heist they pulled at the end of last season but nothing seems to have blown back on them. It was nice to see Pope happy at the end there even if it's temporary. 

Totally agree about any blowback from that dumb heist and now with that lawyer apprentice or legal expediter's husband at the base, will they plan another heist there? 

No wonder Julia got even more hooked on drugs just to deal with Smurf's crap. Doesn't know she can go back to school and isn't a moron, but challenges Smurf way too much for Smurf to be able to push her around and do what she wants with a creepy kiss 😝!

[TooMuchRealityTV]

I actually liked the first flashback with Pope, Baz and Julia. I think that might be a first for me. In general I've thought they slowed the show down and took too much time away from the present day storylines. But if this season we get more details on young Julia/Pope/Baz it could be interesting. It seems like they are too young for us to see Smurf be finally done with Julia, or J's birth, but hopefully we'll see clues as to what happened.

Why is Craig banned from alone time with Nick? Last season Renn seemed like not the best parent either. She was selling dope out of the house she was living in with a baby. Why is she now getting the concerned parent edit?

Deran will regret going to that influencer's home. I doubt Deran wants someone making him a thing on social media.

Edited June 21, 2022 by TooMuchRealityTV

[TooMuchRealityTV]

If Pope wanted to skate he could have built a skate park. Seriously, one ramp? It was nice to see him happy though. I don't think we see him actually enjoying himself very often.

[topanga]

20 hours ago, WatcherUatl10 said:

Now that Julia and Andrew are teens (even though Smurfette is disturbingly still as young as ever...) and Baz is living with them the flashbacks are finally as interesting, if not moreso than the current storylines. Smurf played all three of them, but we know that eventually she figured that losing Julia was acceptable vs losing any of the boys. It'll be interesting to see how it happens, because it seems at some point Andrew and/or Baz would have chosen staying with Smurf over leaving with Julia, and it's likely Smurf lied to them about stuff just as she lied to Julia in this episode. Which makes me wonder if J doesn't hold a grudge still toward his uncles over what happened back then. The Gia situation being directly related to the flashbacks was a step in the right direction for the season. I'm glad the show's back,

Yes, the flashbacks are working well this season. Although they really make me hate Smurf even more. She was an absolutely terrible mother. And it seems like she never really liked Julia. Was it because Julia dared to challenge and disagree with her about Smurf's stealing and dishonest ways? Or did she see her as a rival? 

And Julia liked school, poor thing. At least we see where J got his intelligence.. 

I agree that there's some good acting from the actor playing teenage Andrew (and previously the child actor playing young Andrew)

12 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Gia fenced goods for Smurf. J tried to get her to fence their stuff after Smurf died and she turned him down, said she only worked for Smurf. This episode she showed up hat in hand, wanting them to take out a rival fence. So during the whole caper I thought that was what they were doing until that final shot revealed they were destroying Gia's warehouse instead. 

I don't that's true since Smurf died and I think the past two seasons have shown them basically self destructing. I'm not sure what's going on with Deran, he's hard to read. But I think bashing that influencer over the head is going to come back and bite him in the ass. 

So far they seem a bit more organized than they were previously. And I didn't see the Gia fake out coming. That was rutheless.

I just wonder why no one ever comes after the Codys. Are people in Oceanside really that afraid of them? 

[topanga]

5 hours ago, Kristi800 said:

Totally agree about any blowback from that dumb heist and now with that lawyer apprentice or legal expediter's husband at the base, will they plan another heist there? 

No wonder Julia got even more hooked on drugs just to deal with Smurf's crap. Doesn't know she can go back to school and isn't a moron, but challenges Smurf way too much for Smurf to be able to push her around and do what she wants with a creepy kiss 😝!

Some people just shouldn't have kids, and Smurf is one of those people. The fact that she doesn't even try to get Andrew any type of help (even if she doesn't want to take him to a psychiatrist, I imagine that he has a pediatrician). And poor Julia, with her mom telling her she was expelled rather than telling her that she's intelligent, and the school wants her to take advanced classes. Yeah, Julia could've checked on that herself, but she was only sixteen. I'm not going to fault her for not pursuing it. 

It sounds like Andrew hates Smurf almost as much as Julia does, yet he never challenged Smurf or refused to do her bidding. I wonder why? 

3 hours ago, TooMuchRealityTV said:

If Pope wanted to skate he could have built a skate park. Seriously, one ramp? It was nice to see him happy though. I don't think we see him actually enjoying himself very often.

Yeah, I think that's the only time I've ever heard Pope laugh.

I'm worried about the guy Craig met -- the mechanic with the motorcycle. At first I thought he'd be the friend and support that Craig needed, but now I'm convinced he's bad news. And since when does someone pull a job without their family members? I thought that was a big taboo. 

[sugarbaker design]

7 hours ago, topanga said:

Are the people in Oceanside really that afraid of them? 

I think so.  It seemed the young guy at the influencer's party on knew who Derran was.

[MaggieG]

38 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

I think so.  It seemed the young guy at the influencer's party on knew who Derran was.

Yeah he was quickly hustling everyone out of there when Deran showed up.

[MaggieG]

3 hours ago, topanga said:

Some people just shouldn't have kids, and Smurf is one of those people. The fact that she doesn't even try to get Andrew any type of help (even if she doesn't want to take him to a psychiatrist, I imagine that he has a pediatrician). And poor Julia, with her mom telling her she was expelled rather than telling her that she's intelligent, and the school wants her to take advanced classes. Yeah, Julia could've checked on that herself, but she was only sixteen. I'm not going to fault her for not pursuing it. 

It sounds like Andrew hates Smurf almost as much as Julia does, yet he never challenged Smurf or refused to do her bidding. I wonder why? 

Yeah, I think that's the only time I've ever heard Pope laugh.

I'm worried about the guy Craig met -- the mechanic with the motorcycle. At first I thought he'd be the friend and support that Craig needed, but now I'm convinced he's bad news. And since when does someone pull a job without their family members? I thought that was a big taboo. 

My first thought was that he was an undercover cop and it seemed like Craig thought that too (see, Craig isn't all dumb!). I'm still thinking he is and he just pulled that robbery with Craig to earn his trust.

Does J sleep with every woman he encounters?

[Raja]

8 hours ago, topanga said:

So far they seem a bit more organized than they were previously. And I didn't see the Gia fake out coming. That was rutheless.

I just wonder why no one ever comes after the Codys. Are people in Oceanside really that afraid of them? 

I think the ruthlessness was the point, they knew Smurf would send Pope with his brothers backing him. With Smurf and heir apparent Baz gone we got left Pope who is a soldier not the General, most are not scared of J. yet

[iMonrey]

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Was it because Julia dared to challenge and disagree with her about Smurf's stealing and dishonest ways? Or did she see her as a rival? 

I had a different interpretation WatcherUatl10's above. It seemed like Smurf was into Bax, sexually, in that disturbing way her older self always was with her boys, kissing them on the lips, etc. We see her putting on the eye cream while Baz and Julia are cavorting in the pool then she comes out and sees them together. This seemed like a way to show she was starting to feel her age. And yeah, I think she was jealous of Julia and I think Baz understood his hold over her, asking if she wanted to join in.

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Why is Craig banned from alone time with Nick? Last season Renn seemed like not the best parent either. She was selling dope out of the house she was living in with a baby. Why is she now getting the concerned parent edit?

I don't remember this either, I'd have to go back and watch the previous season. All I remember is Craig wanting Renn to quit selling coke.

[iMonrey]

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I'm worried about the guy Craig met -- the mechanic with the motorcycle. At first I thought he'd be the friend and support that Craig needed, but now I'm convinced he's bad news. And since when does someone pull a job without their family members? I thought that was a big taboo. 

I'm not buying this either. Craig has pulled off numerous, complicated and elaborate heists with his family over the years. I don't think knocking over a diner would be any big thrill for him. 

[Artsda]

Is J sick, doctor call and now this family meeting of wanting everything split. Nobody really gave him the chance to speak.

[iMonrey]

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Is J sick, doctor call and now this family meeting of wanting everything split. Nobody really gave him the chance to speak.

I don't recall a doctor call, can you refresh my memory?

The trajectory with J is that he's been trying to prove he can be the new Smurf but his uncles aren't taking him seriously. That said, the show really hasn't known what to do with J for several seasons now. Part of the problem is that the show has been overly invested in the Young Smurf flashbacks for the past two seasons. The flashbacks are better now that the Cody boys are teens, but this still leaves the present day characters as more-or-less afterthoughts. 

[Raja]

11 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I don't recall a doctor call, can you refresh my memory?

The trajectory with J is that he's been trying to prove he can be the new Smurf but his uncles aren't taking him seriously. That said, the show really hasn't known what to do with J for several seasons now. Part of the problem is that the show has been overly invested in the Young Smurf flashbacks for the past two seasons. The flashbacks are better now that the Cody boys are teens, but this still leaves the present day characters as more-or-less afterthoughts. 

The feeling that I am getting is that the uncle's accept that J. has something that they don't. They just don't like it anymore than as grown men that they were depending upon Smurf 

[sugarbaker design]

It was nice to see a young Morgan Wilson meeting Smurf and Andrew for the first time.  Although Morgan's relationship with Smurf lasted a long time it sure didn't end well.

The episode's funniest moments were when J's miserable excuse for a mustache showed up!

[Joimiaroxeu]

Was it me or did the theme song seem a little different? It sounded a bit slower, and the words more distinct to me.

Deran's employee Tony is eyeballing things at the bar. Hmm.

Square bologna. Sacrilege!

Preschool for a kid who can't even walk yet and barely talks. Is that really a thing or was Craig just looking for another way to get Nick out of Renn's clutches?

It never occurred to me how a gym would be useful for money-laundering. Apparently it's easy to create dummy customers since most people with gym memberships don't use them after the first month or so. There would typically be a lot of inactive accounts anyway.

Why did Smurf lie to Julia about getting expelled? Other than to cock-block Baz momentarily, that is.

Edited June 28, 2022 by Joimiaroxeu

[Joimiaroxeu]

Re episode 2

Craig's cokehead "bro" looked like an Asian version of Joseph Gordon Levitt.

That motorcycle guy knew to target Craig for a possible job. Seems sus.

Yeah, there's nothing like a wool cap in 90° weather to make you sick to your stomach. 🙄

J moving on a married woman. Who was lowkey letting him know she was down for some adultery. And her husband's a soldier. What could possibly go wrong?

Yeah, a skateboard park with only one ramp? It's a money pit.