S05.E01: The Last Dance

[txhorns79]

Quote

The family of friends gathers once again to celebrate the life of a loved one who dies unexpectedly. Meanwhile, Katherine shows Maggie the secret to registering for baby gifts, and Rome supports his father through a difficult transition. 

Aired 2/8/23.

[Brian Cronin]

It's crazy how this show has all of these great actors, so the shitty writing really is covered up a lot.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Wow, they manage to get rid of 3 characters in just one episode.👏🏻 

They don’t have to kill Javier. His death is really out of nowhere, just a plot device for Gary, Sophie and Rome too. It would be nicer and more heartwarming to see Javier meeting his grandson for the first time.

For me, the highlight of this episode is when Gary recalling some fond memories about his dad, his voice starts to tremble and then he sobs uncontrollably. Ohh man, I cannot take it! 😭 One of the show’s EP, David Marshall Grant plays Gene. 

The story about Walter’s memory loss is not something that I look forward to. Every time Rome cries, I cry. 😣

The show really doesn’t know what to do with Sophie huh. Why would she wanna work at a food truck? What about her music?

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by SnazzyDaisy

[Brian Cronin]

Nash has two family members who have survived breast cancer for over a decade, and yet for some reason, he doesn't seem to know anything about it. It's weird. 

He gets it right about how there's always concern about the scan, but A. there's "concern about the scan" when you're Stage 1 or Stage 2 and there's "concern about the scan" when you're Stage 3 and there's "concern about the scan" when you're Stage 4. For some reason, he seems to lump them all in when they're VERY different. 

Secondly, the doctors are always terrible. {Guy comes in with Stage 4 cancer, wants to know if his cancer has spread or if he is responding to the treatment] "Okay, let me look at your file." No, dude, you have the fucking answers before he gets there. And "I am....really happy with how your body is responding to the treatment." No one takes a fucking pause at that spot. This is all on top of the fact that you don't go into a doctor's office to get results of scans like this, you get that shit online and/or the doctor calls you. No one makes people fucking wait until they visit the doctor anymore for results of scans that can literally determine whether you will live or die. It's all such phony nonsense.  

Thirdly, the idea that Gary hasn't explained the concept of Stage 4 to Eddie and the others is moronic. Find another way to work in the fact that Gary's cancer will never be "cured." Put the work in, writers.

[cinsays]

I sort of love-hated this show in prior seasons and was glad it was coming back to wrap things.  But I am not enjoying any of this episode at all.  I don't remember why the gal was in prison and I don't know why she is moving away if she loves what's his name.  I didn't care about the shopping for expensive stuff for the baby, partly because I can't buy Maggie as a mom.  I thought having Gary shoplift was stupid and what if he was caught and there were consequences. 

[Rebky]

I can't believe that Gary stole something just because some kid said he had to. I would have just bought a candy bar and acted like I stole it - safer that way. 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Rebky
It's too early to type yall!!

[historylover820]

I will be in the minority and say I mostly liked this episode. Maybe I missed the show.

But, I will say that I HATE--and AMLT is not the first show to do this, but it's the latest--I HATE, HATE the funeral fakeout. "A beloved character dies." I get Gary's dad is beloved to the characters, but to the audience? No. Good actor, though. And they were telegraphing so hard that it was Gary's funeral, when nope! And Danny delivered the eulogy. Why????? I understand why Gary's dad was important to Danny, but would Gary's father have even remembered the conversation?

And, yeah, I'm not going to be all that comfortable with seeing Rome's father fall into dementia. Because both of my grandmothers had dementia, and I'm terrified I'll get it. But, I did like seeing Rome interact with his father.

(Yeah, Gary's shoplifting--I was thinking that I would have written it that Gary actually bought something small and then acted like he stole it.)

I understand Sophie maybe wanting to explore something new, even if it's working on a food truck. She's kind of lost. And Gina said that she'd be able to get off for her music.

[Brian Cronin]

45 minutes ago, Rebky said:

I can't believe that Gary stole something just because some kid said he had to. I would have just bought a candy bar and acted like I stole it - safer that way. 

I'm going to just assume that that is exactly what he did. 

6 minutes ago, historylover820 said:

But, I will say that I HATE--and AMLT is not the first show to do this, but it's the latest--I HATE, HATE the funeral fakeout.

Oh, obviously that's fucked up, too, but that's just kind of blatantly fucked up, ya know? I don't think anyone would really argue that it was anything BUT fucked up, so I was sort of moving past it. 😄

[nexxie]

What a bummer!

More cancer? No thanks.

Gary’s dad dead before seeing his grandson? Big nope.

Dementia or Alzheimer’s - plus breakup? Nope, plus nope.

Katherine as greedy shopping coach? Nope.

Guilty lady already out of jail? Nope.

Stealing, for either Danny or his meathead “uncle?” Nope.

Absentee - and now neglectful - mom? Nope.

 

Not interested in this grim vision plus shitty writing.
A million little cuts to a show that once had potential.

[Winston Wolfe]

54 minutes ago, nexxie said:

Not interested in this grim vision plus shitty writing.
A million little cuts to a show that once had potential.

This may be a UO, but I thought this episode really wasn't all that bad as AMLT goes. Sadly, the characters were all consistent - Gary stealing the candy bar is EXACTLY what we'd expect him to do. Maggie was Maggie, just preggo.  Too late to fix these folks now.

I'm basically tuning in to see the three or four characters I actually like/care about - Rome, Gina, Eddie (mostly) and Sophie (they really don't know what to do with her, and the actor/character really deserves better).

But I agree, this show could have been SO much more than it has been. Maybe it will finish strong, but I kind of doubt it.

[Cosmocrush]

3 hours ago, cinsays said:

I sort of love-hated this show in prior seasons and was glad it was coming back to wrap things.  But I am not enjoying any of this episode at all.  I don't remember why the gal was in prison and I don't know why she is moving away if she loves what's his name.  I didn't care about the shopping for expensive stuff for the baby, partly because I can't buy Maggie as a mom.  I thought having Gary shoplift was stupid and what if he was caught and there were consequences. 

Same!  Seemed like a chore to finish.   Stage 4 lung cancer, dementia, etc.  is really just too many dark turns for me.  And "suddenly" killing off Gary's Dad so they could have a big misdirection funeral scene was lame as well. 

[txhorns79]

3 hours ago, cinsays said:

I don't remember why the gal was in prison and I don't know why she is moving away if she loves what's his name. 

She killed her ex-husband, no?  They were fighting, I think he tried to grab at her and she pushed him.  He then fell down the stairs.  She then tried to leave the house, and he called out to her.  However, she left him to die.  If you think about it, six or so months in prison is a pretty light sentence.    

 

1 hour ago, Winston Wolfe said:

Sophie (they really don't know what to do with her, and the actor/character really deserves better).

This.  They very clearly have no idea what to do with Sophie.  She is just kind of there, hanging out with her long absent mother's 30 and 40-something year old friends.

And how old is Rome's dad supposed to be?  When Flo said she was 58, that was surprising, since I think he must be in his mid-70s (given he's supposed to be a Vietnam War vet).  

[Sandman]

My headcanon is now that Gary bought the dang candy bar and pretended to be in a hurry to get out of there for Danny’s sake. Because, as the show just finished telling us, Gary is a thirty-eight-year-old man! Theft is not cute or character-building! Especially given the non-shoplifting story Gary tells later, this just didn’t work for me. 

I can’t believe I fell for the funeral fake out, even for an instant. It felt cheap, even though this show, as mentioned upthread, is not the first to pull it.

I liked David Marshall Grant as Gene, but I didn’t believe he was old enough (DMG is 67) to have been involved with someone who served in Viet Nam. I thought the scene in Gene’s house was pretty well handled, though, especially by James Roday Rodriguez.

The show is certainly getting rid of non-core cast with ruthless efficiency, isn’t it? Goodbye, Erin Karpluk; sorry they crapped all over your character and then dumped you like hot criminal garbage! 

[Clanstarling]

4 hours ago, Rebky said:

I can't believe that Gary stole something just because some kid said he had to. I would have just bought a candy bar and acted like I stole it - safer that way. 

I wouldn't even have given in. To consider theft as a rite of passage is just weird to me. I'm not particularly rigid about "law and order" but encouraging it just seems wrong.

3 hours ago, historylover820 said:

I And, yeah, I'm not going to be all that comfortable with seeing Rome's father fall into dementia. Because both of my grandmothers had dementia, and I'm terrified I'll get it. But, I did like seeing Rome interact with his father.

Me too. I stopped watching Grey's Anatomy because of a dementia story line (my father was going through it at the time). In this case, my father was a lot like Rome's, so I am definitely not looking forward to it.

20 minutes ago, Sandman said:

Theft is not cute or character-building! Especially given the non-shoplifting story Gary tells later, this just didn’t work for me. ....

I liked David Marshall Grant as Gene, but I didn’t believe he was old enough (DMG is 67) to have been involved with someone who served in Viet Nam. I thought the scene in Gene’s house was pretty well handled, though, especially by James Roday Rodriguez.

Agreed.

I'm his age, and I might have been old enough if the Vietnam story took place in my teens (old enough to have a boyfriend, but too young to be out of high school). But that didn't really seem like the era in Vietnam they were going through. I did think the scene was really good, and it's easy to forget James is a good actor when most of his roles are him being pretty silly.

I guess what's her name isn't coming back, and I wondered if maybe Maggie and Gary had bought the house, since it was up for sale (wasn't it?) many moons ago.

I didn't hate the storylines. It's pretty much par for course, and I've liked the show even when it frustrates me.

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Clanstarling

[cardigirl]

7 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

 

For me, the highlight of this episode is when Gary recalling some fond memories about his dad, his voice starts to tremble and then he sobs uncontrollably. Ohh man, I cannot take it! 😭 One of the show’s EP, David Marshall Grant plays Gene. 

That scene was so well done. It made me realize what this show could have been, because James Roday Rodrigues killed it in that scene. It's just too bad the writing is so off or the storylines are so ... problematic. 

I've enjoyed the series mainly for JRR, and for the Boston area references. When Sophie talked about walking "all the way" to the Newton Center (or Centre) CVS to buy deodorant, I knew exactly where that was.  

I will watch til the end. Hope they don't kill off Gary.

 

[Brian Cronin]

Yeah, it is only fair to note that Roday Rodriguez killed all of his scenes, and the old guy was great. 

I would like to say I love the out of nowhere trashing of Delilah (she sucks, but come on, never bought her daughter deodorant? That doesn't make any sense, but I love people shitting on her), but you can't get me to forget how much you clearly loved Delilah early on,  Nash, until you wrote her so poorly that you suddenly got on board with all of the hate!

Like, seriously, remember how characters would rave about her parenting and now she inexplicably has never bought her daughter deodorant since she was 11?! It's so stupid that I sort of love it. It's so unabashedly pandering to fan hatred of Delilah.

Edited February 9, 2023 by Brian Cronin

[Sandman]

2 minutes ago, Brian Cronin said:

Like, seriously, remember how characters would rave about her parenting and how she inexplicably has never bought her daughter deodorant since she was 11?! It's so stupid that I sort of love it. It's so unabashedly pandering to fan hatred of Delilah.

This never even occurred to me, and now I’m kind of gobsmacked. Not that I don’t believe it’s at least possible, but now I can’t un-think it. It does seem completely out nowhere that Delilah and Jon were (retroactively) fighting so much that Sophie had to shift for herself this way. 

[Brian Cronin]

Also, I loved, "I know how hard it is for you to be away from Charlie, I couldn't ask you to move away from Theo, too."

"Oh, right, my daughter. Yep, I sure miss her. She comes to my mind a lot. Good ol' Chloe."

"Charlie."

"Right, like I said, I miss my daughter, Chelsea, who I've had more than five scenes with ever."

"Charlie."

"Just go to your sister's already and let me go back to ignoring my daughter in peace."

[TivoFan]

7 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

Secondly, the doctors are always terrible. {Guy comes in with Stage 4 cancer, wants to know if his cancer has spread or if he is responding to the treatment] "Okay, let me look at your file." No, dude, you have the fucking answers before he gets there. And "I am....really happy with how your body is responding to the treatment." No one takes a fucking pause at that spot. This is all on top of the fact that you don't go into a doctor's office to get results of scans like this, you get that shit online and/or the doctor calls you. No one makes people fucking wait until they visit the doctor anymore for results of scans that can literally determine whether you will live or die. It's all such phony nonsense.  

Thirdly, the idea that Gary hasn't explained the concept of Stage 4 to Eddie and the others is moronic. Find another way to work in the fact that Gary's cancer will never be "cured." Put the work in, writers.

I disagree with your criticism of the doctor’s scene. Except for the “Let me look at your file” part, my experience with oncologists has been very similar. (I have Stage 4 cancer.) Even though I can read raw scan results online, my oncologist reviews and explains scan results in person, never over the phone. And Gary’s breast cancer wasn’t Stage 4 until it had spread to his lung (which was new information just learned at this appointment) so he would not have explained Stage 4 to his friends what it means. 

[Brian Cronin]

15 minutes ago, TivoFan said:

I disagree with your criticism of the doctor’s scene. Except for the “Let me look at your file” part, my experience with oncologists has been very similar. (I have Stage 4 cancer.) Even though I can read raw scan results online, my oncologist reviews and explains scan results in person, never over the phone. And Gary’s breast cancer wasn’t Stage 4 until it had spread to his lung (which was new information just learned at this appointment) so he would not have explained Stage 4 to his friends what it means. 

He was Stage 4 at the end of last season. He's been getting treatment for 7 months. 

I'll certainly defer on the in-person discussion once you hit Stage 4, but you'd still get your scan results online, correct? So you wouldn't be going into a meeting blind. 

Oh, and, of course, sorry that you're dealing with that shit. That fucking sucks. 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Brian Cronin

[TivoFan]

I have an ongoing problem with the lack of morals among these characters: Gary not returning the elderly woman’s dog (As a dog lover, that REALLY bugged me), his involvement in the Peter retribution, and now Danny insisting that Gary shoplift (and Gary — supposedly — going along with it). 
 

While maybe not immoral, I think Maggie registering for expensive baby gifts she fully plans to return is unfair to friends who purchase gifts they think she wants.  Seems out of character for Katherine to encourage this.
 

The writers want us to like and root for these characters, but sometimes it’s hard to respect them. YMMV

[Notabug]

9 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

Nash has two family members who have survived breast cancer for over a decade, and yet for some reason, he doesn't seem to know anything about it. It's weird. 

He gets it right about how there's always concern about the scan, but A. there's "concern about the scan" when you're Stage 1 or Stage 2 and there's "concern about the scan" when you're Stage 3 and there's "concern about the scan" when you're Stage 4. For some reason, he seems to lump them all in when they're VERY different. 

Secondly, the doctors are always terrible. {Guy comes in with Stage 4 cancer, wants to know if his cancer has spread or if he is responding to the treatment] "Okay, let me look at your file." No, dude, you have the fucking answers before he gets there. And "I am....really happy with how your body is responding to the treatment." No one takes a fucking pause at that spot. This is all on top of the fact that you don't go into a doctor's office to get results of scans like this, you get that shit online and/or the doctor calls you. No one makes people fucking wait until they visit the doctor anymore for results of scans that can literally determine whether you will live or die. It's all such phony nonsense.  

Thirdly, the idea that Gary hasn't explained the concept of Stage 4 to Eddie and the others is moronic. Find another way to work in the fact that Gary's cancer will never be "cured." Put the work in, writers.

That was one of many dumb scenes in this episode.  None of these people behave in the ways that real people would in the same circumstances in real life.  

You're right, in real life, these scans are being done regularly, usually every few months, in order to decide whether to continue the same chemo or switch.  Gary has had cancer scans before, over several years, in fact.  His girlfriend has also had scans.  At no time would any oncologist say 'your body is responding to the treatment' without giving some stats.  People want to know how big the tumor was then. how big is it now, how much change is considered a success?  A real oncologist would say, 'Great news!  I'm very happy to see that your tumor is half the size it was on your last scan.  And now, our plan is to do X,Y,Z'.  Because the doctor is correct, Gary is not curable, but he has the potential to live for years as long as the right combo of meds is used. He knows that, the doc knows that and he also knows that Gary wants specific answers about his particular tumor and his future treatment.

No one brings half a dozen bystanders to their doctor visit nor do those people proceed to monopolize the precious time the doctor has to review the plan with his patient and his partner by behaving like idiots.  I would've been inclined to call security.  Also, do none of these people have real jobs?  Rome is teaching high school but drops on in and spends several hours with Gary while he's getting chemo?  Doesn't Gina have lunch trucks that need to be out and about to earn money during the day?  Isn't Catherine's law office open?  And, yes, when a patient is coming to the doctor to discuss results, the doctor reviews the chart and has the information right there before going to see the patient.

Delilah didn't come to Javier's funeral because of Charlie?  Whuh?  How about she didn't come because she lives on another continent and it would be a lot to expect even if she was close to Javier, which there is no indication that she was?  I do hope the fact that it looks like both Danny and Sophie are in Boston to stay is an indication that Delilah is being written off.  Don't care about the baby either way.

Glad for the near complete absence of Theo this episode.  Maybe TPTB read here and figured out he was not popular and decided to write him out.  Or recast the role with a better actor who does not play the role as if Theo is 5 years younger than he actually is.

Edited February 9, 2023 by Notabug

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, TivoFan said:

While maybe not immoral, I think Maggie registering for expensive baby gifts she fully plans to return is unfair to friends who purchase gifts they think she wants.  Seems out of character for Katherine to encourage this.

Yeah, I'm going with immoral here - since it's basically an encouragement to steal from your friends/family. A bigger theft than that candybar. I really hated Grace's attitude, and it didn't really feel like her.

[marceline]

Welcome back, Codependent Weirdos!

Some nice stuff....

• Danny - actor and character - is growing into a fine young man.
• I'm glad to see Eddie and Anna got a decent ending. I'm sorry to see her go.
• I don't care about Maggie and Gary. I just don't. I burned out on them ages ago. 

The best part of this episode for me was the plotline with Rome, his father, and Florence. When Florence said that she just couldn't do this again my heart broke for her. The actress knocked that scene out of the park.

 

 

[One Imaginary Girl]

OK, I think we all know that baby's going to be named Jon.

[Brian Cronin]

2 hours ago, One Imaginary Girl said:

OK, I think we all know that baby's going to be named Jon.

There was a good Nash interview recently where the interviewer was, like, "So will the baby be named Javier?" which makes PERFECT sense, of course, and he sort of pooh-poohed it, which means that you're almost certainly correct. 

[txhorns79]

8 hours ago, Notabug said:

Also, do none of these people have real jobs?

LOL.  No.  They have the kind of tv job where you rarely work, and can drop everything at a moment's notice to show up for a friend's crisis du jour.  

[Diana Berry]

David Marshall Grant brought back Thirtysomething vibes ( aging myself).  I’ve seen his name on the credits of this show- doesn’t he direct it?

[CrystalBlue]

Well I lost my bet with myself that it wasn't Delilah's funeral day gathering!  Show had the perfect opportunity to finally get rid of her and instead they kill off a peripheral character and monkey around with a It's GARY Who Died fake out!!

I'm sad to see Javier go.  I guess the writers couldn't come up with a small continuing story for him, like, say, meet his grandchild?!  Liked the actor and character.

This made me cry right along with Gary (JRR killing the scene like a pro) and I said out loud, "I know how you feel, Gary."

(Don't want to get into my personal stuff but I have lost my Dad recently And It Is Hard.  Plus today is my Mom's birthday and she passed away in 2008 and I was soon thereafter diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer and am very lucky to still be here.  You'd think this show would make me cry more than it actually does! 😅)

Shouldn't Gary be setting a good example for Danny instead of kowtowing to some teen prank?

Anna sure got out of prison fast.  Time off for good behavior and prison overcrowding for being responsible for the death of your ex-husband?  OK then.  Why get rid of her by moving away?

AMLT is back and I'm grateful for this forum to review and snark about the show.

Katherine and Maggie greedily baby registry shopping.  Tacky!

4 hours ago, marceline said:

Welcome back, Codependent Weirdos!

Some nice stuff....

• Danny - actor and character - is growing into a fine young man.
• I'm glad to see Eddie and Anna got a decent ending. I'm sorry to see her go.
• I don't care about Maggie and Gary. I just don't. I burned out on them ages ago. 

The best part of this episode for me was the plotline with Rome, his father, and Florence. When Florence said that she just couldn't do this again my heart broke for her. The actress knocked that scene out of the park.

 

 

She did but I was upset Florence is going to dump him the day he brought her birthday flowers.

[Brian Cronin]

1 hour ago, Diana Berry said:

David Marshall Grant brought back Thirtysomething vibes ( aging myself).  I’ve seen his name on the credits of this show- doesn’t he direct it?

He's a producer on the show. 

33 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

Anna sure got out of prison fast.  Time off for good behavior and prison overcrowding for being responsible for the death of your ex-husband?  OK then.  Why get rid of her by moving away?

I'll give nash this much, he noted in the aforementioned interview that they all loved Erin Karpluk so much that they wanted to give her a proper goodbye, plus it allows Eddie to have a relationship end for once where he didn't do anything wrong.

[Frisky Wig]

I can’t imagine registering for gifts you don’t want just so you can return them and buy things you DO want. Who wants to return gifts and shop again when you’re extremely pregnant or have a newborn at home? 

[circumvent]

2 hours ago, Frisky Wig said:

I can’t imagine registering for gifts you don’t want just so you can return them and buy things you DO want. Who wants to return gifts and shop again when you’re extremely pregnant or have a newborn at home? 

People with a special talent for grift. That's what they are: grifters. They choose the expensive ones that are mostly useless, then exchange for more of useful stuff.

The scenes between Gina and Sophie, and between Maggie and Katherine were forced, unnatural. I don't know why but the acting was terrible. Danny and Gary have good chemistry but the whole shoplifting stuff was so pointless to the story. It could be part of the memories segment without the actual shoplifting. 

I liked Eddie in this episode. Still absurd that Anna is out of prison but since this show is about people who are pretty well off even though they never work, or only work when they want want, I guess anyone around them gets all the privileges that only exist in the minds of the clueless. I also like that Eddie seems completely at ease with his life as a disabled person. Not making it a big deal is a good thing.

AND NO THEO! YAY!

 

[shelley1234]

On 2/9/2023 at 6:32 AM, cinsays said:

I thought having Gary shoplift was stupid and what if he was caught and there were consequences. 

It was stupid but cause Gary is an adult and shouldn't be normalizing shoplifting to a child he basically raised.  

But even if he was caught, nothing would happen, esp in Boston.  The worst is security guard would take the candy bar back and trespass him from the store.  

[Kip Hackman]

10 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

I'll give nash this much, he noted in the aforementioned interview that they all loved Erin Karpluk so much that they wanted to give her a proper goodbye, plus it allows Eddie to have a relationship end for once where he didn't do anything wrong.

Thanks for posting this, because I was wondering what the hell the point was of bringing her back for one episode.

 

[circumvent]

I am going to call it: they will kill Gary at the end of the show. It will be a teary, yet feel good ending. 

How many episodes until the end. It is close, isn't it?

[Brian Cronin]

6 minutes ago, circumvent said:

I am going to call it: they will kill Gary at the end of the show. It will be a teary, yet feel good ending. 

Sucker bet! I'd be SHOCKED if Gary makes it out of this season alive. 

7 minutes ago, circumvent said:

How many episodes until the end. It is close, isn't it?

12 episodes left.

[Clanstarling]

13 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

LOL.  No.  They have the kind of tv job where you rarely work, and can drop everything at a moment's notice to show up for a friend's crisis du jour.  

As we say in our house "eez fantasy show"

12 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

Well I lost my bet with myself that it wasn't Delilah's funeral day gathering!  Show had the perfect opportunity to finally get rid of her and instead they kill off a peripheral character and monkey around with a It's GARY Who Died fake out!!

Ah, but then they'd have to bring back Charile the ...toddler? kindergartner? Two small children on the show would mean they'd have to actually do some parenting.

9 hours ago, Frisky Wig said:

I can’t imagine registering for gifts you don’t want just so you can return them and buy things you DO want. Who wants to return gifts and shop again when you’re extremely pregnant or have a newborn at home? 

Greedy people, who haven't had a kid yet and don't know how hard that would be.

[circumvent]

33 minutes ago, Brian Cronin said:

12 episodes left.

Thanks. I thought it was going to be even less than that, like 7 or 8

 

[ams1001]

It'd be funny if they do a baby shower episode and all the gifts are the practical things actual parents know they will need, and none of the ridiculously expensive gadgets and contraptions, leaving her disappointed at having nothing to return. 

I always go with books and a few smaller items from the registry. When I have gotten something a little more expensive it's been a joint gift with my mom. But then I don't have a job where I can afford a nice place in a major city while seemingly doing little to no work all day.

Edited February 10, 2023 by ams1001

[One Imaginary Girl]

16 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

There was a good Nash interview recently where the interviewer was, like, "So will the baby be named Javier?" which makes PERFECT sense, of course, and he sort of pooh-poohed it, which means that you're almost certainly correct. 

It's because everything is about this group.  Holy moly.  Would anyone want a crowd, even if they're close, present at a medical appointment that could bring bad news?  I'd just share afterward.

[tennisgurl]

Welcome back to the constantly dramatic co-dependent weirdo power hour! We're in the endgame now so of course we need to get a few more dramatic turns and Very Special Episode topics crammed in there before we sign out. We get more cancer, we get Gary's dad dying offscreen, we have Rome's dad getting dementia, we get the seeds for an inevitable confrontation between Katherine and some homophobic Karen at Theo's school, I swear these people cant even go to Target without being run over by a car in the parking lot being driven by an undiagnosed schizophrenic who's fleeing an abusive relationship complete with their blind child and a dog with three legs. 

Tallulah or Maverick? No offense to anyone who has those names, but Gary and Maggie should not be allowed to name kids, you know every name is going to be either a stupid comedy bit or something sappy as shit. I will put money on that baby being called Jon. Honestly, what kind of grown ass man shoplifts because a kid dared him to? I guess a guy having a kid with a woman who registers for expensive baby presents just so she can sell them later. What is even the fuck, just ask people for stuff you want! Why make your friends think they are giving you something nice for you baby when you plan on just selling it later after she's milked you for more money? These people SUCK.

I feel bad for Eddie being alone again among the couples, but I am glad that Anna is gone. Too much weird traumatic history between them for this to work. 

I feel bad that they killed off Gary's dad just for the sake of a cheap fake out. He wasn't a major character but its a crappy reason to kill off a supporting character, especially on top of everything else. This would be the most depressing show on television if it wasn't so often ridiculous. 

Is it really considered a normal thing to steal things when your a kid? Is that what the cool kids were doing when I was digging for dinosaur bones in my backyard with my friends as a kid? Danny is normally one of the shows voices of reason, so I choose to blame that on his parents and the whole codependent crew. I love how the show has fully just leaned into Delilah being the worst after failing to get the audience to like her. We used to get endless speeches about what an amazing mother, wife, and person she was and now she was apparently such a crappy mom that she couldn't even get her daughter a stick of deodorant and is such an uncaring friend that she couldn't even show up for one of her supposed best friends dads funeral, a friend that also has cancer and is about to have a baby. 

Edited February 10, 2023 by tennisgurl

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, One Imaginary Girl said:

It's because everything is about this group.  Holy moly.  Would anyone want a crowd, even if they're close, present at a medical appointment that could bring bad news?  I'd just share afterward.

I'm waiting for some test results that could be nothing or could be bad...at this point no one else even knows I had the test. I'd be surprised if a doctor's office even allowed that many people in. I mean, around here you still have to wear masks at doctor's offices and most of the ones I've been to still have every other seat in the waiting rooms marked with "don't sit here" signs.

Edited February 10, 2023 by ams1001

[circumvent]

20 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Tallulah or Maverick? No offense to anyone who has those names, but Gary and Maggie should not be allowed to name kids

In the first Top Gun movie, when Tom Cruise's character says his "name" someone says something like: Did you parents hate you? It is pretty much the only thing I remember of that film, other than the homoerotic volleyball part.

22 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Is it really considered a normal thing to steal things when your a kid?

I didn't grow up in this country but I would say absolutely not. If I even thought about it I would be grounded for weeks. In this story, it is ridiculous. Like you said, Danny is the good kid, and it is completely out of character. Then again, do these people have any character? Katherine and Maggie are grifters, Sophie went from support group guide to completely lost, Gary is Gary, never really liked him, so whatever he is now it is still annoying. Rome and Eddie are the only ones with a semblance of consistency

[CrystalBlue]

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I'm waiting for some test results that could be nothing or could be bad...at this point no one else even knows I had the test. I'd be surprised if a doctor's office even allowed that many people in. I mean, around here you still have to wear masks at doctor's offices and most of the ones I've been to still have every other seat in the waiting rooms marked with "don't sit here" signs.

COVID doesn't exist in the AMLTverse, not in the bustling metropolis of Boston anyway.  Here in beautiful sunny Southern California we still have medical facilities masks being mandatory and no additional tagalong people in the waiting room unless they are absolutely essential like a caregiver, no kids accompanying adults, distanced seating in some places, but they've laid off the temperature testing upon entering a facility.

Common sense is a rarity in AMLT.

[CrystalBlue]

The show could have killed off Charlie along with Delilah to get around the Eddie and his motherless daughter.  A tragic accident along the River Seine perhaps in one of those Citreon cars.  Plenty of drama and angst in that.

Also, the show missed a dramatic exit for Javier.  He just died in his sleep!

[ams1001]

34 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

Also, the show missed a dramatic exit for Javier.  He just died in his sleep!

I was expecting him to get run over (maybe by one of Regina's food trucks?) when he went out to feed the parking meter.

[KaveDweller]

I agree with all the comments that Gary agreeing to steal was out of character. And I don't think all kids really steal as a kid. I certainly didn't.

Sophie is feeling lost because her friends are all in college and her band is going nowhere. Gee, maybe she shouldn't turned down her chance to actually go to the music school she worked so hard at. 

Katherine being the one to take Maggie to register for gifts she didn't want was weird. Of everyone on this show, she seems least likely to have that attitude. Now if Maggie was telling someone else to register for the most expensive things, that would make sense. But still be stupid. Because isn't the whole point of registering to tell people exactly what you want so you don't have to deal with returns?

I will be honest though. I may have almost teared up in that scene where Gary was telling the old guy about his dad. That was well acted.

[ams1001]

On a shallow note that I haven't seen mentioned...I hate Katherine's hair.

[Cosmocrush]

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

This would be the most depressing show on television if it wasn't so often ridiculous. 

I loved your entire post @tennisgurl,  but this line is why I might continue watching.  Once I accept this stupid show is just ridiculous and have a place like this to read all the snark it won't be so depressing.  One more show on my hate-watch list.  Heh. 

[TivoFan]

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I swear these people cant even go to Target without being run over by a car in the parking lot being driven by an undiagnosed schizophrenic who's fleeing an abusive relationship complete with their blind child and a dog with three legs. 

Priceless, tennisgurl! When Anna said goodbye to Eddie and started to pull out of the driveway, I totally expected her to be hit by a truck.