S01E07: Long Lost Lawrence

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

When Margaret is disappointed that no one but Todd can attend her family Thanksgiving dinner, Todd tries to convince his brother to come home; Margaret's family inadvertently helps her crack a case involving an injured bank teller and robbery.

He does exist!

[AnimeMania]

Matthew Wilkas (Lawrence Wright)
Clayton James (Chuck Grant)
P. Lynn Johnson (Elizabeth Grant)
Serge Houde (Edmund Grant)
Thomas Cadrot (Chet Venables)
Artemis Litsiadis (Clem)
Kimmy Shields (Chloe Brown)
Craig March (Dan Brown)
Frances Flanagan (Yvonne Brown)
John C. Macdonald (Clancy Brown)
Lossen Chambers (Governor)

Next 2 Weeks will be REPEATS (maybe longer).

I didn't really like this one, the main story was vague, the parents forced the kids to rob a bank, you would think that the kids would just leave, how long are they going to stay under the parent's thumb. What are the kids going to do now that their parents are gone.

[Maverick]

My take from the episode was no one in that family is likeable and they probably shouldn't have any interaction with each other. 

[Brian Cronin]

I legit don't think a TV show has ever had a "Make a big deal about how we never see Character X and then finally reveal Character X" be a bigger dud than this. Matthew Wilkas is not a bad actor, but he's also not close to a guy you bring in after not showing him for multiple episodes. It's like if Godot finally showed up in Waiting for Godot, and he was Shadoe Stevens.

.

[Brian Cronin]

Also, holy shit, Todd, you have to be REMOTELY likeable, dude! You gotta know your mom's fucking birthday! It is very much not normal that you don't know your mom's birthday! 

[MissL]

For being such a mystery the third sibling was very underwhelming.  And I know it happens alot because….Tv show…but man those 3 in no way look like siblings. 
And I still think lawyer ex girlfriend is bland too. They are pushing that romance HARD (“the one that got away”) and every episode I’m like meh. 
Still watching though. Skyler and MGH save the show.

[shapeshifter]

4 minutes ago, MissL said:

For being such a mystery the third sibling was very underwhelming.  And I know it happens alot because….Tv show…but man those 3 in no way look like siblings. 
And I still think lawyer ex girlfriend is bland too. They are pushing that romance HARD (“the one that got away”) and every episode I’m like meh. 
Still watching though. Skyler and MGH save the show.

Agree with all of the above, although Long Lost Lawrence did sort of look like what the adult child of Skylar Astin (Todd) and Madeline Wise (Todd's sister) would look like; and he looks like he could be the son of MGH. Maybe that's how they cast him? Something like: Find a 30-40 something guy who looks like he could be related to these three.

Anyhoo, it's a light dramedy with some good actors.

[Gregg247]

I had a sneaking suspicion, early on, that the entire Wright family was going to end up together on Thanksgiving.  I must be some kind of psychic!  (Or, I simply watch a LOT of TV.) lol

I'm glad we finally got to meet the oldest brother; the longer you keep him off-screen, the "wackier" he's going to have to be to justify the mystery.  Fortunately, the robotic big brother was just wacky enough.  I really enjoyed the scenes with the 3 siblings together.  These were well written, and by someone who obviously has a sibling or two themselves! 

"Who's the favorite?" among siblings is a tricky issue.  My sister and I went through that, but at least we were only 2 kids with 2 parents, so we both could claim a "win" with one parent or the other.  With 3 kids, somebody's got to be left out.  The older brother was a bit of a jerk, but it sounds like he was the "leftover" in the Wright family, so I can cut him some slack.  Also, we was shipped off to military boarding school for some reason?  Yikes.  I'll bet there's some juicy backstory to that!

The case of the week was pretty good.  I didn't know where they were going with it but I'm glad the 2 extremely weird kids turned out to be the "good guys" in the end.  I hope they have a bit of a follow-up with those 2; maybe a comment in passing that lets us know that Todd and/or mom are making sure they're able to transition into "real life" after who knows how many years as virtual prisoners.

[TVForever]

I actually enjoyed the episode. It was fun watching the entire family get pulled into solving the case. It's not a perfect show, but I do find myself enjoying most of every episode.

[headhoncho]

this is the first episode that I can say that I enjoyed  - the only reason I stuck with it so long is because there was nothing else on after Ghosts that interested me so I just left that channel on

[AnimeMania]

Not sure if all the kids have the same father since Margaret said she was married a few times.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Not sure if all the kids have the same father since Margaret said she was married a few times.

She was married twice - first husband is the father of her children. 

The three siblings seem to have a somewhat dysfunctional dynamic, which speaks to the fact that Margaret was not a very good mother. They didn't even mention their father so either he died when they were very young or he just wasn't much of a presence in their life.

I sometimes feel like the show is misnamed. Margaret feels more like the main character than Todd.

[nilyank]

20 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

sometimes feel like the show is misnamed. Margaret feels more like the main character than Todd.

I thought she was the “me” in So Help Me  Todd.

[Sarah 103]

4 hours ago, MissL said:

For being such a mystery the third sibling was very underwhelming.  And I know it happens alot because….Tv show…but man those 3 in no way look like siblings. 

Siblings in real life do not always look similar. I have an older sibling, and we look almost nothing alike, but if you saw us with our parents, we would look like a biological family/related. 

59 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

She was married twice - first husband is the father of her children. 

The three siblings seem to have a somewhat dysfunctional dynamic, which speaks to the fact that Margaret was not a very good mother. They didn't even mention their father so either he died when they were very young or he just wasn't much of a presence in their life.

I think their father died when Todd was a teenager, because they've mentioned Margaret as a single mother/widow working and trying to attend law school at the same time while Todd was in high school.  

I'm surprised we saw Lawerence. I thought he was going to be like Marris, Vera, or any number of characters we hear about but never see. 

I loved the conversations with the three siblings. It was an interesting dynamic to see play out and something I wouldn't mind seeing more of every now and then. 

[eel21788]

15 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

  you would think that the kids would just leave, how long are they going to stay under the parent's thumb.

This isn't all that unrealistic. Look at the Turpins and the Duggars.

[Brian Cronin]

A big problem with the show is the awful supporting cast. The sister literally has two personality traits - annoyed/put-upon all the time and doctor, and I think "doctor" is even a stretch as a personality trait.

[AnimeMania]

27 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

15 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

  you would think that the kids would just leave, how long are they going to stay under the parent's thumb.

This isn't all that unrealistic. Look at the Turpins and the Duggars.

But the kids had just stolen several thousand dollars, if there ever was a time to escape from some bad parents, that would be it.

[Daff]

5 hours ago, Gregg247 said:

the entire Wright family was going to end up together on Thanksgiving

Guilt thrown in whatever direction is a powerful motivator. 

[chediavolo]

I want to know what happened to the kids of the abusive parents!. Are they both over 18 were they just thrown out on the street on their own did they go to social services?  did they have a relative they were staying with? what were they doing on Thanksgiving ? I expected them to show up at the Wrights. 

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, chediavolo said:

I want to know what happened to the kids of the abusive parents!. Are they both over 18 were they just thrown out on the street on their own did they go to social services?  did they have a relative they were staying with? what were they doing on Thanksgiving ? I expected them to show up at the Wrights. 

I think they are both over 18. They had checking accounts in thier name which means they now have access to some money, and the daughter was able to hold down a job before the bank robbery. 

[theredhead77]

19 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I didn't really like this one, the main story was vague, the parents forced the kids to rob a bank, you would think that the kids would just leave, how long are they going to stay under the parent's thumb. What are the kids going to do now that their parents are gone.

4 hours ago, eel21788 said:

This isn't all that unrealistic. Look at the Turpins and the Duggars.

3 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

But the kids had just stolen several thousand dollars, if there ever was a time to escape from some bad parents, that would be it.

40 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I think they are both over 18. They had checking accounts in thier name which means they now have access to some money, and the daughter was able to hold down a job before the bank robbery. 

They were under a Conservatorship (like Brittany Spears) created before they were 18. The show mentioned it in passing but these adult "kids" had no control over their money. If they left or "ran away" the police would return them and it's highly possible those adult "kids" would end up in an adult residential facility. Similar to the type of "school" Paris Hilton was sent to but for adults. Those adult "kids" had no rights and would have been SOL if they just left their abusive household. Being forced to rob the bank and the parents seeking out Margaret was the best thing that ever happened to them. They would have had no way to know of the process to go through to report Conservatorship abuse and get actual help. This abuse is a very real issue and I am happy to learn the law (SB 578) referenced to help people in a Conservatorship is real and will take effect next year.

[redpencil]

I really enjoyed this episode, but was very distracted each time they used "stadium" to refer to the Blazers arena. Nobody I know of calls a basketball facility a "stadium". It's an arena, or in a specific location, they'd call it by whatever it's actual name is.

In any case, I was a little underwhelmed by Lawrence at first, but thought it worked by the end, and liked everyone getting pulled into the case.

[tinderbox]

I really enjoyed this episode.  👍

[MerBearHou]

I am enjoying this series so much and this episode was super.  Loved how the family worked together, though separately, and everyone contributed something to the resolution.  Plus the way the siblings talk to each other and over each other is well done.  Of course, the last table scene warmed my heart.  Lawrence, the robot … Skylar / Todd made me laugh in those scenes.  I’m glad SHMT has been renewed.  Marcia Gay Harden is A+.

[Brian Cronin]

4 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I’m glad SHMT has been renewed.

It hasn't been renewed yet, just picked up for a full season order. Some articles confused "picked up for a full season" with renewed. So there is some misinformation out there. 

[Daff]

Did anyone mention Mom’s loosening up on all her fussiness at home? I thought that was a giant step forward and will probably result in her family wanting to spend more time with her. 

[MerBearHou]

5 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

It hasn't been renewed yet, just picked up for a full season order. Some articles confused "picked up for a full season" with renewed. So there is some misinformation out there. 

Oh darn, thanks for the clarification.  Hope it gets a 2nd season.

[Brian Cronin]

2 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Oh darn, thanks for the clarification.  Hope it gets a 2nd season.

That it got such a quick full season pickup IS a good sign for it to be ultimately renewed. But it is behind those other two new shows and CBS' schedule is awfully packed (it is what led Magnum pi to be canceled), so we'll still have to cross fingers until it is official!

[TVForever]

As much as I enjoyed this episode, I did have one big problem with it. I get that Margaret would want her family together at Thanksgiving (don't we all!),  but I wish the show had acknowledged somehow that maybe she was being unreasonable. After all, they have dinner together often. Also, Allison is married, to a man whose parents would also like their family to be together at Thanksgiving. In fact, I wish Show hadn't added the unnecessary tragedy of the dead son/brother. It's like they needed an excuse to have their son and his wife for the holiday, and they don't. Allison and husband (I don't even know his name) can just choose to spend a holiday with his parents, because they're his family too. Full stop.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, TVForever said:

As much as I enjoyed this episode, I did have one big problem with it. I get that Margaret would want her family together at Thanksgiving (don't we all!),  but I wish the show had acknowledged somehow that maybe she was being unreasonable. After all, they have dinner together often. Also, Allison is married, to a man whose parents would also like their family to be together at Thanksgiving. In fact, I wish Show hadn't added the unnecessary tragedy of the dead son/brother. It's like they needed an excuse to have their son and his wife for the holiday, and they don't. Allison and husband (I don't even know his name) can just choose to spend a holiday with his parents, because they're his family too. Full stop.

I would argue that all of these normally perfectly reasonable Thanksgiving arrangements should be set aside because this was Margaret's first Thanksgiving alone after her husband abandoned her, except Todd was there to be with her. Margaret seems a bit needy for someone who has bootstrapped herself up as a working widowed mother of 3 kids.

BTW: There's a dead son brother in the family? I thought only her first husband was dead. No?

[eel21788]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

BTW: There's a dead son brother in the family? I thought only her first husband was dead. No?

It is Allison's husband's brother who died as a teenager. That is why Allison wanted to be with her husband's family at their cabin on Mt Hood. They were celebrating the deceased's (I think he was named Robert/Bobby) 40th birthday. 

Edited November 13, 2022 by eel21788

[eel21788]

13 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

It hasn't been renewed yet, just picked up for a full season order. 

Any word as to whether they will move production to Portland as Scott Prendergast (creator/producer/writer) was hoping?

[eel21788]

On 11/11/2022 at 6:42 PM, redpencil said:

I really enjoyed this episode, but was very distracted each time they used "stadium" to refer to the Blazers arena.

Back when I lived in Portland (which was close to 1 million years ago), the Trailblazers played their home games at the Memorial Coliseum. It definitely wouldn't have been called the "stadium." I don't know how that one slipped past the producer because most of the Portland landmark references have been very accurate (which is the superficial reason I have been using as an excuse to continue watching this show).

[TVForever]

16 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I would argue that all of these normally perfectly reasonable Thanksgiving arrangements should be set aside because this was Margaret's first Thanksgiving alone after her husband abandoned her, except Todd was there to be with her. Margaret seems a bit needy for someone who has bootstrapped herself up as a working widowed mother of 3 kids.

BTW: There's a dead son brother in the family? I thought only her first husband was dead. No?

Maybe her first Thanksgiving without the husband, but they have dinner as a full family  (Lawrence excluded) fairly often, and regularly. Meanwhile, her son-in-law's parents hadn't been together with their son and Allison for quite some time. Margaret has to learn to share. Allison and Lawrence's family expanded when they got married.

14 hours ago, eel21788 said:

It is Allison's husband's brother who died as a teenager. That is why Allison wanted to be with her husband's family at their cabin on Mt Hood. They were celebrating the deceased's (I think he was named Robert/Bobby) 40th birthday. 

And that was what bugged me. Why did the tragic event have to be thrown in? To make visiting husband's family more of a chore than a happy time? To give Allison an excuse to want to escape? Watching them sitting around reminiscing and tearing up over the dead son was such a contrast to the "fun" time they could be having with Margaret. Maybe a personal bias, but I just found it off-putting.

[shapeshifter]

On 11/11/2022 at 8:42 PM, redpencil said:

I really enjoyed this episode, but was very distracted each time they used "stadium" to refer to the Blazers arena. Nobody I know of calls a basketball facility a "stadium". It's an arena, or in a specific location, they'd call it by whatever it's actual name is.

In any case, I was a little underwhelmed by Lawrence at first, but thought it worked by the end, and liked everyone getting pulled into the case.

14 hours ago, eel21788 said:

Back when I lived in Portland (which was close to 1 million years ago), the Trailblazers played their home games at the Memorial Coliseum. It definitely wouldn't have been called the "stadium." I don't know how that one slipped past the producer because most of the Portland landmark references have been very accurate (which is the superficial reason I have been using as an excuse to continue watching this show).

From my Portlandian daughter who is a sports fan and who has attended events at venues all over the country:

Quote

Yep, it's a basketball arena. Portland also has a soccer stadium, and the area around that is even referred to it as such. There's a Fred Meyer (like Target, if you recall, but it's a full grocery store) nearby and it's usually called the "Stadium Fred Meyer." The soccer stadium and basketball/concert arena are on opposite sides of the river, so it really is a very different thing here.

[Grrarrggh]

11 hours ago, TVForever said:

And that was what bugged me. Why did the tragic event have to be thrown in? To make visiting husband's family more of a chore than a happy time? To give Allison an excuse to want to escape? Watching them sitting around reminiscing and tearing up over the dead son was such a contrast to the "fun" time they could be having with Margaret. Maybe a personal bias, but I just found it off-putting.

It had to be thrown in so that they could realise the bank robbers couldn't have been celebrating their wedding anniversary. 

[cardigirl]

On 11/11/2022 at 4:56 AM, Brian Cronin said:

Also, holy shit, Todd, you have to be REMOTELY likeable, dude! You gotta know your mom's fucking birthday! It is very much not normal that you don't know your mom's birthday! 

Neither brother knew her birthday, only the daughter did, which is why she kept saying she was closest to mom.

On 11/11/2022 at 3:35 PM, AnimeMania said:

But the kids had just stolen several thousand dollars, if there ever was a time to escape from some bad parents, that would be it.

I think it was implied that at least the daughter was on strong medication that probably helped keep her docile. If you've been mistreated all your life by someone who is supposed to love and protect you, it's hard to have the strength to pull yourself out of that situation. 

Count me in as someone who really enjoyed this episode. It was hilarious when Todd found out his sister and older brother were getting together without him. For someone as self-centered as Todd is, that had to be a huge revelation. The three of them sharing a room later that night was adorable. 😁

I imagine the Thanksgiving dinner, and which family will married spouses "should" spend their time with, was triggering for a lot of people. Holiday traditions are very hard to put aside. But I thought the show handled it well, and even Margaret, who was sad that she might be alone on Thanksgiving, was not insisting, she was wistful about it. Even so, she kept on trying to help someone who was in a far worse situation that she was, and in the end, the show rewarded her by having the family "together" for the most part.  LOVED IT!  Was it cliche? Possibly, but we're getting to know these characters and I for one am enjoying them.  I think the sister is excellent, and I'm interested to see if the brother appears more often now. 

Next episode will tell if they will continue to build character/context or go back to silly stories with no depth.

Edited November 14, 2022 by cardigirl

[eel21788]

4 hours ago, cardigirl said:

Next episode will tell if they will continue to build character/context or go back to silly stories with no depth.

Since it was given a mid-season extension to full season, they may end up doing what I call "the episode 14 revamp." A lot of show runners are told by the network, "We'll grant you the full season, but these are the things that need to change," and it takes the show in a different direction. A couple of examples I can think of are Two Broke Girls and Newhart. 

[MerBearHou]

5 hours ago, eel21788 said:

Since it was given a mid-season extension to full season, they may end up doing what I call "the episode 14 revamp." A lot of show runners are told by the network, "We'll grant you the full season, but these are the things that need to change," and it takes the show in a different direction. A couple of examples I can think of are Two Broke Girls and Newhart. 

I truly hope they don’t fiddle with the show too much, but I wouldn’t mind a *few* moments where Todd and Lyle aren’t so antagonistic. They don’t have to be all buddy-buddy, hug it out pals, but I’d like for them not to be so flat-out insulting to each other.  Maybe just a teeny, tiny sign every once in awhile acknowledging that the other actually is sharp and knows what they’re doing.  

I’m pretty sure only 2 of my 3 kids could quickly say what my birthday is — and of course, one is my daughter!  Agreed with the poster above that Margaret was more “wistful”, especially this first holiday season without her husband who disappeared on her.  Mark Moses has to show back up at some point, right??  

Edited November 15, 2022 by MerBearHou

[RedbirdNelly]

I liked the episode a lot. It was nice to see the entire family work together.

I thought Margaret was being a bit needy but the rest of the family should have clearly mentioned their plans to her in advance.

I got the "can't remember her birthday" thing. I'm one of 4; I called home once to wish my mom happy birthday. My dad mentioned my little sister called home as well--but not because she knew it was mom's birthday --she just happened to call on her birthday. I'm not sure either of my kids know my birthday-they just know the month. 

[Aliconehead]

I was hoping that Zachary Levi was going to be Lawrence. I have always thought they would be great brothers since they remind me of the other.