S05.E17: The Contra Hearings and the Midnight Gambler

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, ljenkins782 said:

a scratch off for people who are too lazy to actually scratch.

This is funny!

[TattleTeeny]

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Mark really is a Conner going the lazy, quick route instead of properly working and researching scholarships.

He learned to adequately play an instrument in a relatively short time. Maybe quick, but probably not lazy.

[Browncoat]

5 hours ago, Shermie said:

I never understood Mark’s choice of instrument. Yes, I know the theory was that the contrabassoon was so obscure that there would only be one, so he’d be a shoe-in (how’d that work out?), but that also limits the number of scholarships out there for that particular instrument. Why not choose something broader like the violin so that there are more opportunities?

I wouldn't recommend violin.  Everyone and their brother plays violin.  One of my college roommates switched from violin to viola so she'd have a better chance at getting in (and getting a better chair in) the orchestra.  The best she could do with violin was second, but she was first for viola.

[ams1001]

4 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I wouldn't recommend violin.  Everyone and their brother plays violin.  One of my college roommates switched from violin to viola so she'd have a better chance at getting in (and getting a better chair in) the orchestra.  The best she could do with violin was second, but she was first for viola.

I think violin was #1 on that list of hardest orchestra instruments..

[emmyG]

Violin's hard but a ton of people start playing the violin at a very young age. At least when I grew up violin and piano were the two popular things to start your kids on before they even hit grade school. Most of them don't keep at it but I would expect even a small school to have multiple violin players available.

[Mstk3000]

On 3/9/2023 at 6:02 PM, One Tough Cookie said:

I imagine that David gave up parental rights in lieu of child support.

I don’t think that’s how it works, since the right to child support belongs to the child, not the custodial parent.  

[Winston Wolfe]

On 3/8/2023 at 8:32 PM, Annber03 said:

Aw, poor Mark. I think his teacher was right in her explanation, but I also agree with her that Mark's smart enough that he can find another means to achieve his dream

Probably an UO here - particularly in light of my dislike for all things Whoopi and a personal bias based on 35 years spent working in education and social services. Teachers are in unique positions to move their students to better places in life. It's not their job to decide who wants something "more." Mark is looking to break the Connor Cycle of Failure and Dysfunction, and the Whoopi character blocked that. IMO, her holding Mark back had more to do with her animosity towards Jackie than him.

Plus, Whoopi plays the same "omniscient," cranky curmudgeon in every damn part I've ever seen her in. I've never seen any "talent" with her, only Ego.

[wendyg]

My feeling is that if the other kid is passionate about the instrument but Mark has been able to match his technical proficiency in just a year and a half of practice the other kid doesn't have a shot at a professional career, at least not on that instrument. Maybe in some other area of music - composition, conducting, teaching, etc.

But yeah, it's a stupid plot no matter how you look at it.

[chediavolo]

On 3/9/2023 at 11:23 AM, UYI said:

Whoopi hasn't been quite as active in her acting career since she's been on The View, so it's always nice to see her in this lane again. She looks fantastic, too--given that she had sepsis a few years ago which almost killed her, it's even more impressive. 

And she was right about Mark. The dinner where the family was trying to impress her so he could get on track for that scholarship was incredibly stupid, but the conversation over why she was passing him over was necessary and if that means the contrabassoon stuff is over now, I'll take it!

Finally, I'm so happy that this gambling story with Becky was dealt with now and not as an ongoing arc. Having Dan realizing what she was doing and where it could lead was smart, and I haven't used that word too much to describe this show!

You're assuming Lanford actually HAS a Starbucks. :P

(I kid--it may be absurd for this town to have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, but even many towns without a Target still have a Starbucks these days, so I'll allow it.) 

😊The hillbilly  hole I’ve lived in for 30 years just got a Starbucks. No Target. Nothing good. Just a Walmart, of course🤢. 

[Shermie]

On 3/10/2023 at 1:53 PM, Browncoat said:

On 3/10/2023 at 8:00 AM, Shermie said:

I never understood Mark’s choice of instrument. Yes, I know the theory was that the contrabassoon was so obscure that there would only be one, so he’d be a shoe-in (how’d that work out?), but that also limits the number of scholarships out there for that particular instrument. Why not choose something broader like the violin so that there are more opportunities?

I wouldn't recommend violin.  Everyone and their brother plays violin.  One of my college roommates switched from violin to viola so she'd have a better chance at getting in (and getting a better chair in) the orchestra.  The best she could do with violin was second, but she was first for viola.

I didn’t literally mean he should have chosen the violin; it was an example I tossed out as something more likely to have better odds. Although if he learned the violin, he could parlay that into fiddle-playing, which could help make some extra coin playing in bar bands and whatnot. 

17 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

Whoopi plays the same "omniscient," cranky curmudgeon in every damn part I've ever seen her in. I've never seen any "talent" with her, only Ego.

Ha, I get you don’t like her, but I wonder if this is a chicken-or-egg thing. Does Whoopi get offered roles that are omniscient cranky curmudgeons, or does she get a role and then turn the character into an omniscient cranky curmudgeon? 

What’s Johnny Galecki doing these days that he couldn’t reprise his David character once in a while for plot purposes? I mean, it’s extra money and good exposure on a popular show, especially now that his Big Bang days are over. Is he waiting for a Christmas Vacation: Next Generation reboot with Juliette Lewis? Heh.

[Browncoat]

3 minutes ago, Shermie said:

I didn’t literally mean he should have chosen the violin; it was an example I tossed out as something more likely to have better odds.

A less popular instrument would have better odds, so he wasn't wrong in choosing one.  The more popular the instrument, the worse your odds of making a mark with it.

The exception that proves the Whoopi-as-omniscient-cranky-curmudgeon is her role in The Color Purple, and she was really good in that.

[emmyG]

12 minutes ago, Shermie said:

What’s Johnny Galecki doing these days that he couldn’t reprise his David character once in a while for plot purposes?

Being an extremely devoted father of exactly the sort we would have expected David to be :D Johnny's got a very young son and has completely stepped back from acting for a while. The only updates anyone ever sees from him lately are him going to concerts, museums, Disney, etc, with the kid.

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I mean, it’s extra money and good exposure on a popular show, especially now that his Big Bang days are over.

He made stupid money on Big Bang and absolutely doesn't need a paycheck. Like, ever. He'll come back to acting when he misses it too much to stay away, IMO.

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Is he waiting for a Christmas Vacation: Next Generation reboot with Juliette Lewis? Heh.

I swear I heard someone tried to pitch that as a tv series.

[Rocknrollzombie]

Johnny like someone already said is being a dad and besides that he has two shows that were green-lit and in development, esports comedy “The squad” and  90s internet startup comedy “AOK”

[Brn2bwild]

On 3/9/2023 at 4:22 PM, greekmom said:

i thought Mark had to drop out of the magnet school because he was buckling under pressure.

But I agree with posters above. Mark should be able to get scholarships. The contrabasson storyline sucks.

This feels like Becky's storyline from Roseanne all over again.  At this rate, Mark will elope with a boyfriend and run off at the end of the season.

[emmyG]

Has any sitcom ever done a gay elopement?

[Rocknrollzombie]

1 hour ago, Brn2bwild said:

This feels like Becky's storyline from Roseanne all over again.  At this rate, Mark will elope with a boyfriend and run off at the end of the season.

At least in og roseanne we saw Becky and og Mark’s relationship. 
 

if they do go that route with conners mark, it basically just bs history repeats itself and no depth whatsoever and no originality…

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

On 3/10/2023 at 1:53 PM, Browncoat said:

I wouldn't recommend violin.  Everyone and their brother plays violin.  One of my college roommates switched from violin to viola so she'd have a better chance at getting in (and getting a better chair in) the orchestra.  The best she could do with violin was second, but she was first for viola.

I had previous musical experience and I started playing french horn as a senior in HS.  My mother wanted me to play flute (which I could) but there were 16 other flute players (same thing with clarinet).  There were four french horn players including me and I rapidly worked up to first chair on some parts. 

I knew a guy that played contrabassoon in HS - he originally played bassoon and then switched to the contrabassoon if needed because not all orchestral pieces have contrabassoon parts.  In fact, the contrabassoon plays super low, like a tuba part. 

I'm still wondering how they could afford to even rent a contrabassoon.  Maybe cos they are always over eating Dan's food. 

BTW - fun fact - the "drum major" doesn't play the drums. It's the person who marches out front with the big staff that leads the band. (actually, our drum major was an oboe player lol) Maybe Whoopie was in the "drum corps" instead. Don't these writers look things up before writing their inaccurate scripts? 

Edited March 13, 2023 by ItsHelloPattiagain

[sara416]

I get so annoyed with the tv trope of "If I don't get a scholarship I can't go to college". You can. You take out student loans like the rest of us, and with the Conners situation being what it is, there's no way Mark doesn't qualify for a Pell grant. Student loans are not ideal, but they are there and almost everyone takes them. It would be great if the system didn't work that way but it does. And until it gets fixed, do some research on how to take out loans in a responsible way and apply for every scholarship you can get your hands on. 

[juliet73]

I'm not understanding the Mark not being able to go to college storyline.  As much as I'm against student loan debt, taking out a loan is an option.  Or why can't he just go to community college?  Becky is doing it, why can't he?  Supposedly, he works at Whole Foods; is he not saving money from his part time job to use towards college?  I used to like Mark, but he's become insufferable (along with his sister and his mom).  Obviously, he's not that smart (or the rest of the family) if they thought he could play a musical instrument for only one year and expect to get a scholarship.