S03.E04: Call Me Donor Four-Five-Seven

[Door County Cherry]

Quote

Kat decides that she would like to pursue motherhood and her friends jump at the chance to help her find a donor. Meanwhile, Max and Carter go check out a competitive bar that just opened, owned by Zac (guest star Kevin Sussman).

[Madding crowd]

This episode seemed kind of crude. I really can’t imagine Kat acting the way she did at the kickboxing gym. She is awkward but not aggressive. Both she and Max seem to change personality traits depending on the storyline.

[Yeah No]

Yeah, I agree.  She was way over the top even for her character.  It almost felt like she was trying to imitate wacky Miranda from the British series this is based on but bombing at it.

I don't know why they're going ahead with this plotline about her having a baby.  It just feels like this show keeps trying to find itself by pulling stuff out of thin air.  Plus I am tired of the single woman having a baby plotline on sitcoms.  Can't they find something else for her to do, like concentrate on finding the guy first before having the baby?

It was nice to see Kevin Sussman from BBT, though.  Maybe he'll end up being her new love interest and she'll drop the baby idea for now.  That would be interesting.

[possibilities]

There were cats, though.

[Chewy101]

So, Kat can’t afford the lease increase on her coffee shop, then somehow travels the world with no funds… And now she wants to have a baby? Did I miss an episode where she won some money or something?

I love you Mayim, but this is crap. 

[greekmom]

2 hours ago, Chewy101 said:

So, Kat can’t afford the lease increase on her coffee shop, then somehow travels the world with no funds… And now she wants to have a baby? Did I miss an episode where she won some money or something?

I love you Mayim, but this is crap. 

Thank you.

I also feel that they are running out of storylines when the start bringing in the "i want a baby" storyline.  

Isn't Kat dating Max? Wouldn't it be awkward if she has a baby with some sperm donor? 

Nice to see Kevin Sussman and Parker Young.

[luna1122again]

3 hours ago, greekmom said:

Thank you.

I also feel that they are running out of storylines when the start bringing in the "i want a baby" storyline.  

Isn't Kat dating Max? Wouldn't it be awkward if she has a baby with some sperm donor? 

Nice to see Kevin Sussman and Parker Young.

Kat and Max aren't dating. I'm surprised she hasn't asked him to be her donor, tho. 

Is that it for Parker Young? A one time guest spot? Cause I can't imagine what else he'd do on the show now, except file a restraining order against Kat for being batshit. Mayim was funny in those scenes but Kat was seriously acting insane. 

I hate the baby rabies storyline, but fun to see Stuart/Kevin Sussman. If we have to do this, I'm okay with him being the baby daddy ("Don't say that" tm Randi)

A lot of the convo was kind of crude, but Phil was hilarious.

"I'm 6'3 on Grindr."

"Aren't they disappointed when they meet you in person?"

"Not once I open my mouth." 

"You ARE very charming."

"Yeah, that's what I meant." 

Baha. 

[HyeChaps]

I wouldn’t want to be friends with this loud, gross Kat. 

[ctlady]

1 hour ago, luna1122again said:

I'm 6'3 on Grindr."

"Aren't they disappointed when they meet you in person?"

"Not once I open my mouth." 

"You ARE very charming."

"Yeah, that's what I meant."

No wonder there was a 'view discretion warning' at the beginning of the episode.  The jokes and language were so beyond crude that I turned it off right after Carter and Max visited that gaming cafe (yeah - Kevin Sussman! - the only bright spot).  I don't know what's up with the writers or if they're trying to make the show more edgy with suggestive gross humor, but they need to stop - just like they need to tone it down with Shelia's insults of her daughter. 

12 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Can't they find something else for her to do, like concentrate on finding the guy first before having the baby?

Thank you!

I know times have changed, but jumping up, clapping and congratulating a single woman who wants to get artificially inseminated just proves it.  IMO, Kat needs some counseling to deal with some issues - mainly her non-chalantly waiving off her mother's barrage of insults.  Does she want to have a baby to prove she can do better - or will she carry over the same toxic behavior?  And I also believe she has a big immaturity problem.  Taking in stray cats is one thing.  Making a decision to bear and nurture a human being until they're 18 or beyond is quite another.  She needs to take a breath

Call Me Old Fashioned, but I may have to cross this show off my list

[PinkRibbons]

Yeah, this whole episode was pretty pure cringe.

7 hours ago, Chewy101 said:

So, Kat can’t afford the lease increase on her coffee shop, then somehow travels the world with no funds… And now she wants to have a baby? Did I miss an episode where she won some money or something?

My theory is that, judging by Sheila's lifestyle, Kat has some family money. Not at all weird for a 2nd or 3rd gen American Jewish person (not to generalize, but yeah. Since I'm first gen I'm always a little awed by generational wealth, but that's the dream!), but I can see either Sheila not letting her access the funds for the cafe and/or Kat being determined to make the business work on her own. In any case, funding attempts at a baby? Again, not to generalize, but IME Jewish families will spend every cent we have on that. I know an Orthodox Jewish woman who never got married (presumably a virgin) but her Rabbi gave her explicit permission to get artificially inseminated on the grounds that marriage or not, it's good to bring a new person into the world.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Cringe worthy was my thought exactly and I was actually embarrassed for Mayim. 

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, ctlady said:

Thank you!

I know times have changed, but jumping up, clapping and congratulating a single woman who wants to get artificially inseminated just proves it.  IMO, Kat needs some counseling to deal with some issues - mainly her non-chalantly waiving off her mother's barrage of insults.  Does she want to have a baby to prove she can do better - or will she carry over the same toxic behavior?  And I also believe she has a big immaturity problem.  Taking in stray cats is one thing.  Making a decision to bear and nurture a human being until they're 18 or beyond is quite another.  She needs to take a breath

Call Me Old Fashioned, but I may have to cross this show off my list

Perhaps if she wasn't just going off half cocked and spinning her wheels and seemed really serious and ready to have a child maybe I'd feel just a tad better about it.  I can't help but feel like the show making her so OTT obnoxious in this episode was intentional to make us grimace at the idea of her having a baby and then tune in to see what she does.  They'll probably make her cool down about having a baby and then move on to something else.  I think the show is just reaching to find things to fill up the episodes and make her look "quirky" but not all of them are going to stick.  Its lack of direction is reflected in Kat's lack of direction.  I just wish they'd pick one and stick with it.  Preferably not with a baby in the picture, at least not until she has shown some personal growth and has a solid, committed relationship with someone.  I still think the show plans to put her and Max together as eventual endgame, but not before putting us through all this lame will she-won't she stuff.

[Yeah No]

23 hours ago, ctlady said:

Thank you!

I know times have changed, but jumping up, clapping and congratulating a single woman who wants to get artificially inseminated just proves it.  IMO, Kat needs some counseling to deal with some issues - mainly her non-chalantly waiving off her mother's barrage of insults.  Does she want to have a baby to prove she can do better - or will she carry over the same toxic behavior?  And I also believe she has a big immaturity problem.  Taking in stray cats is one thing.  Making a decision to bear and nurture a human being until they're 18 or beyond is quite another.  She needs to take a breath

Call Me Old Fashioned, but I may have to cross this show off my list

Yup, maybe if Kat's desire to have a child seemed to be coming from a healthy place I wouldn't be as against it, although I'm pretty much with you on this subject in general.  No offense to single women who have kids, though.  Sometimes it's complicated and can also be unintended, I get that.  But the way Kat is approaching it is just all kinds of dysfunctional, like she (and the show) are searching for some sort of meaning in life and grasping at things to find it.

30+ years ago when I was studying family relationships and dynamics in grad. school the prevailing wisdom in psychology was that children do better in two parent households and I believe there was some evidence to back that up.  I'm not sure when all that changed but if believing that makes me "old fashioned" then I'd rather be old fashioned.  I won't cross the show off my list, though.

[ctlady]

9 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I'm not sure when all that changed but if believing that makes me "old fashioned" then I'd rather be old fashioned.  I won't cross the show off my list, thoug

I’m more crossing it off due to the gross, suggestive humor. This was a nice, fun comedy with little references to the muck going on in todays world. It’s hard to find safe tv for entertainment escape without it being infused with cringy, disgusting dialogue for shock and cool value. Some shows on basic cable in the 8-9 slots now drop the F word every now and then for no reason. I just do t need to hear that potty dialogue especially in an 8pm comedy

[Yeah No]

31 minutes ago, ctlady said:

I’m more crossing it off due to the gross, suggestive humor. This was a nice, fun comedy with little references to the muck going on in todays world. It’s hard to find safe tv for entertainment escape without it being infused with cringy, disgusting dialogue for shock and cool value. Some shows on basic cable in the 8-9 slots now drop the F word every now and then for no reason. I just do t need to hear that potty dialogue especially in an 8pm comedy

Oh I get it, I'm not loving that either, although I didn't even know about those other shows.  BBT used to come close to that at times but this makes that look positively tasteful by comparison.

[CrystalBlue]

Again, Phil was the MVP.  The appearance from other Mayim-related shows (Blossom, TBBT, Jeopardy!) of actors does nothing for me because I usually don't know them, so I couldn't care less about it being nice to see so-and-so again on my screen.

This episode really got into the gutter.  Cringe City.

I hate the whole sperm donor and/or surrogate storylines in any show.  Hate that they've made Kat baby crazy all of a sudden.

I would have to rewatch to see any cats; I missed them.  And I do not intend to rewatch this trainwreck, so oh well.

[possibilities]

4 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

I would have to rewatch to see any cats; I missed them. 

They were sitting in the background, grooming themselves. Honestly, it was the best part of the episode, in my opinion.

[cinsays]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

They were sitting in the background, grooming themselves. Honestly, it was the best part of the episode, in my opinion.

it's funny to me that i rarely even notice whether there are any cats at all unless they are a part of the story line

[Door County Cherry]

I actually found crude stalker Kat to be some of the funniest writing this show has done.  It's completely out-of-character for her so that's a negative but I have to admit that Randi trying to control her cracked me up. 

[chediavolo]

On 10/21/2022 at 9:34 AM, luna1122again said:

Kat and Max aren't dating. I'm surprised she hasn't asked him to be her donor, tho. 

Is that it for Parker Young? A one time guest spot? Cause I can't imagine what else he'd do on the show now, except file a restraining order against Kat for being batshit. Mayim was funny in those scenes but Kat was seriously acting insane. 

I hate the baby rabies storyline, but fun to see Stuart/Kevin Sussman. If we have to do this, I'm okay with him being the baby daddy ("Don't say that" tm Randi)

A lot of the convo was kind of crude, but Phil was hilarious.

"I'm 6'3 on Grindr."

"Aren't they disappointed when they meet you in person?"

"Not once I open my mouth." 

"You ARE very charming."

"Yeah, that's what I meant." 

Baha. 

I thought that convo was pretty crude and gross for prime time. I don’t want to think of Phil giving a blowjob on this type of sitcom. It just didn’t work. This show is going off the rails. Nasty, anorexic going blind, mother, seemingly bipolar daughter, shitty best friend, the two bar dudes are strange, little gay guy made me cringe, hardly any cats. I don’t know why I keep watching. Mayim can do so much better than this. She is reduced to portraying a loon. 

Edited October 24, 2022 by chediavolo

[ctlady]

1 hour ago, chediavolo said:

I thought that convo was pretty crude and gross for prime time. I don’t want to think of Phil giving a blowjob on this type of sitcom. It just didn’t work. This show is going off the rails. Nasty, anorexic going blind, mother, seemingly bipolar daughter, shitty best friend, the two bar dudes are strange, little gay guy made me cringe, hardly any cats. I don’t know why I keep watching. Mayim can do so much better than this. She is reduced to portraying a loon. 

I don't know if you can hear what i'm doing over here, but it's the sound of thunderous applause over this post.

[Madding crowd]

Just heard Leslie Jordan died in a car accident after having a medical emergency. So sad.

[Court]

2 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

Just heard Leslie Jordan died in a car accident after having a medical emergency. So sad.

OMG. What a loss. Every once in a while, celebrity deaths impact me and this one really does. 

[Door County Cherry]

Please take the news of Leslie's passing to the media thread.  

[TheGreenKnight]

Like others said, this one wasn't the show's best, but admittedly I was too distracted by Parker Young's hotness to complain too much. 😜

[Lethallyfab]

Are showrunners actually allergic to the concept of coming up with plotlines for women that don’t involve an eventual descent into baby craziness?  

That isn’t the show that ‘Call Me Kat’ initially was and I feel duped.

Just to name two alternative plotlines — why not show more of Kat & Randi’s relationship evolving now that they’re equal business partners?  How about further expanding on Kat’s mom needing more supervision now that she’s aging?  

[highway61]

Michael Scott, brilliant as always: "A year to adopt a kid? I don't even know if I'm going to want a kid in a year."

Think about it, Kat.