S02.E03: SLS

[formerlyfreedom]

As Mary Jo’s behavior worsens, Sam and Tricia grapple with the difficult decision of escalating her care. Then, as Tricia pitches her services for Fred and Susan’s wedding, Joel has a crisis of faith, and Sam struggles to get back in touch with her instrument.

Airing Sunday, May7, 2023.

[peeayebee]

That voice teacher is such a lovely person. I wonder if the actress really does teach singing.

I love the song "That's All." Heck, that would be a wonderful song for Sam to sing at Fred and Susan's wedding. (It's Susan, right?)

I wondered if Sam and Joel were watching a real show/movie or if it was just made up. The observations they were making were vague enough that I suppose it could be anything, but still I was curious if any of it sounded familiar to anyone here.

And why did they dab vaseline under their noses? 

Loved when Fred leaned out of his office and called out, "Hold my calls!" and then to Joel, "I love saying that. I don't have a secretary." :D

Shouldn't the nursing facility have called Sam or Tricia about their mom's behavior? Seems strange that it became so bad without anyone notifying the family.

Sam made a comment to Joel about him having a boner, and then when the guy sat next to Joel looked at his lap with the bag of wood, Joel said, "What's with the wood?" I know Joel was serious, but that seemed like a joke.

 

[Corgi-ears]

It was a lovely subtle touch to have Joel, while walking with Sam in the final scene, pause to pick up a stick. Some kid with perfect attendance is going to get a nice plaque, and two other guys are going to get lucky. 

[athousandclowns]

7 hours ago, peeayebee said:

That voice teacher is such a lovely person. I wonder if the actress really does teach singing.

I love the song "That's All." Heck, that would be a wonderful song for Sam to sing at Fred and Susan's wedding. (It's Susan, right?)

I wondered if Sam and Joel were watching a real show/movie or if it was just made up. The observations they were making were vague enough that I suppose it could be anything, but still I was curious if any of it sounded familiar to anyone here.

And why did they dab vaseline under their noses? 

Loved when Fred leaned out of his office and called out, "Hold my calls!" and then to Joel, "I love saying that. I don't have a secretary." :D

Shouldn't the nursing facility have called Sam or Tricia about their mom's behavior? Seems strange that it became so bad without anyone notifying the family.

Sam made a comment to Joel about him having a boner, and then when the guy sat next to Joel looked at his lap with the bag of wood, Joel said, "What's with the wood?" I know Joel was serious, but that seemed like a joke.

 

I haven’t seen it yet,  but perhaps vapor rub under the nose to block nasty smells 
 

[peeayebee]

That's what I thought, but then I couldn't figure out what the smell would be. They were sitting on the couch eating popcorn. Maybe they're such close friends that they anticipate farting?

[lasu]

Y'all, I'm going to share what I suspect is going to be a very unpopular opinion...

I love this show!  I really do.  And I think Bridget Everett has a great voice, and I thought she sounded the best she has so far singing for her voice teacher.  She has a really, really good singing voice.

But...it's not the voice of an angel.  The way everyone talks about her and her singing, I was expecting her to sound like Adele.  Even in this episode, I thought her singing was so good, and then cut to her teacher, who was moved to tears and I'm just like...?  I dunno, I enjoy the show so much, but I get stuck on this point because everyone makes SUCH a big deal out of her singing.

[pasdetrois]

I agree with you lasu.

This episode was so lovely and real, and then we had another round of body functions. What the hell?

19 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Shouldn't the nursing facility have called Sam or Tricia about their mom's behavior? Seems strange that it became so bad without anyone notifying the family.

In my and others' experience, they call the family almost immediately and pressure you to find another facility. There's a lot of shifting around of residents who are "difficult." My friend got a call THE FIRST NIGHT of her husband's residence in a dementia facility. He was agitated and afraid because he did not know where he was. He didn't act violent; he just couldn't settle down.

In my mind, Joel's personal theme song is "Someday My Prince Will Come." I want his prince to find him.

Despite the outdoor peeing, one of my favorite episodes.

Edited May 9, 2023 by pasdetrois

[sistermagpie]

2 hours ago, lasu said:

But...it's not the voice of an angel.  The way everyone talks about her and her singing, I was expecting her to sound like Adele.  Even in this episode, I thought her singing was so good, and then cut to her teacher, who was moved to tears and I'm just like...?  I dunno, I enjoy the show so much, but I get stuck on this point because everyone makes SUCH a big deal out of her singing.

I don't think it's supposed to be that her voice is that great a la Susan Boyle in BGT. It's more that she can put over a song with emotion. 

One of the things I loved in this ep was how voice lessons are such therapy for Sam, not just in terms of the teacher saying things to her, but that she's such a closed off person, but when she sings she's vulnerable. Like the say, you're always yourself when you sing, even if you're playing a character.

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, pasdetrois said:

In my and others' experience, they call the family almost immediately and pressure you to find another facility. There's a lot of shifting around of residents who are "difficult." My friend got a call THE FIRST NIGHT of her husband's residence in a dementia facility. He was agitated and afraid because he did not know where he was. He didn't act violent; he just couldn't settle down.

You just reminded me: My mom had Alzheimer's. She reached the point where she had to be in a facility. My sister and I found a lovely, small place. I can't remember how long she was there when one night our dad called my sister and said, "Your mother is home." Mom had gotten out of the facility and walked MILES back home. My sister naturally was livid. There had been incidents where my mother had gone around the facility knocking on the doors of other residents. The staff never notified my sister about this, but I guess they thought they could handle it. Or ignore it. (BTW, we found another facility that wasn't as "pretty" as the first one, but was much better.)

[nb360]

I knew that "sushi" would be bad news.

Love the Joel and sushi guy's storyline, so far.

[chediavolo]

On 5/9/2023 at 8:38 AM, peeayebee said:

That's what I thought, but then I couldn't figure out what the smell would be. They were sitting on the couch eating popcorn. Maybe they're such close friends that they anticipate farting?

I thought it was Vicks to, but didn’t know why they would be doing it. Also, you shouldn’t put Vicks inside your nose and I noticed that they were. 

On 5/9/2023 at 1:00 PM, peeayebee said:

You just reminded me: My mom had Alzheimer's. She reached the point where she had to be in a facility. My sister and I found a lovely, small place. I can't remember how long she was there when one night our dad called my sister and said, "Your mother is home." Mom had gotten out of the facility and walked MILES back home. My sister naturally was livid. There had been incidents where my mother had gone around the facility knocking on the doors of other residents. The staff never notified my sister about this, but I guess they thought they could handle it. Or ignore it. (BTW, we found another facility that wasn't as "pretty" as the first one, but was much better.)

So sorry.  Nursing homes of any sort are notoriously shitty for the most part. I hope I die before I ever have to go to one. 

[Pop Tart]

On 5/9/2023 at 9:25 AM, lasu said:

But...it's not the voice of an angel.  The way everyone talks about her and her singing, I was expecting her to sound like Adele.  Even in this episode, I thought her singing was so good, and then cut to her teacher, who was moved to tears and I'm just like...?  I dunno, I enjoy the show so much, but I get stuck on this point because everyone makes SUCH a big deal out of her singing.

I think people hear it differently when it's someone they know. If I hear a friend or family member who has a lovely singing voice or even can just stay in tune, I'm awed at their ability. I might be like "oh my gosh, you sing like an angel" (not really, as I'd never say that, but you get the gist). You can see it when someone tries out for a reality singing show. Their family and friends are just like in tears at the singing, but the judges, and even viewers like me, can hear the off notes, or that while the voice is nice, it's not Adele. 

If I heard someone I knew sing like Sam/Bridget does? I'd be wowed for sure. 

[TVbitch]

I'm wondering what is going on with the gross-out kind of humor (the bush, the toilet humor, the vicks up the nose). Are they just showing us how familial Joel and Sam have gotten (which will make it all the more dramatic when Joel starts dating), or are they showing us that Sam is very closed off inside, but covers it with her increasingly "no boundaries" approach to bodily functions and personal care.  

[peeayebee]

3 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I'm wondering what is going on with the gross-out kind of humor (the bush, the toilet humor, the vicks up the nose). Are they just showing us how familial Joel and Sam have gotten (which will make it all the more dramatic when Joel starts dating), or are they showing us that Sam is very closed off inside, but covers it with her increasingly "no boundaries" approach to bodily functions and personal care.  

I think the bolded part. And, yes, I wonder how Sam will react when/if Joel starts seeing Brad (SLS).

[paramitch]

The singing teacher is so delicate and vulnerable -- I love her. She reminds me of one of my favorite singing teachers of years past. And I really liked her lesson -- you can't go wrong if you focus on breath control and the diaphragm, darn it!

And I love Joel's little incipient romance with Brad! It's so quiet and tentative. I love it exactly the way I loved the  adorable romance between Tig's Dad and the woman at the office on "One, Mississippi." I mean, they are just so sweet and shy together. I also like that Brad isn't a joke -- he is kind, thoughtful, and not a stupid man. And if anyone in the TV universe deserves joy and love, it's Joel. I just love him.

On 5/9/2023 at 7:25 AM, lasu said:

I love this show!  I really do.  And I think Bridget Everett has a great voice, and I thought she sounded the best she has so far singing for her voice teacher.  She has a really, really good singing voice.

But...it's not the voice of an angel.  The way everyone talks about her and her singing, I was expecting her to sound like Adele.  Even in this episode, I thought her singing was so good, and then cut to her teacher, who was moved to tears and I'm just like...?  I dunno, I enjoy the show so much, but I get stuck on this point because everyone makes SUCH a big deal out of her singing.

I'm a former singer (opera, musical theatre, then jazz for a decade or so), and I think Bridget has a solidly good voice -- and a great voice for someone in a tiny town. She also sings with so much heart and soul that it is very moving to watch her sing, as well (the song in last season's finale had me in tears).

In addition, to be fair to her, I can hear that she could probably kick major ass if she warmed up and sang in a studio. Thus far on the show, she's often singing in situations that are deliberately rough around the edges (and so is her voice as a result) -- she's often either singing off the cuff or a cappella, or shouting into a microphone over a crowd in bad acoustics, etc.

I think if you sat her down in a studio so she wasn't pushing so hard, I think she could definitely do some beautiful stuff, though.

On 5/9/2023 at 8:39 AM, pasdetrois said:

In my and others' experience, they call the family almost immediately and pressure you to find another facility. There's a lot of shifting around of residents who are "difficult." My friend got a call THE FIRST NIGHT of her husband's residence in a dementia facility. He was agitated and afraid because he did not know where he was. He didn't act violent; he just couldn't settle down.

The bodily-function stuff does get a little much for me -- I'm kind of a wimp about that stuff, although at least we didn't get pooping this time. But I sort of get it -- the show feels like it's deliberate about that -- it wants to be real and cinema verite.

Sadly, I know about the nursing home stuff all too well -- my mother had a benign brain tumor and eventually deteriorated enough to have to go into inpatient care. It took me months of calling and begging to get her into a good place -- and then I even got her into the most beautiful one in the city -- it was a wonderful, beautiful place filled with indoor gardens, live birds in cages (!), great and caring attendants, etc., but my Mom's brain situation meant that she was stubborn and sometimes childishly refused her physical therapy, and the residence insisted that if she refused therapy, she couldn't stay. I begged them, I begged Mom, I tried everything, but she was asked to leave, and I had to transfer her to another facility -- it wasn't horrible, and the care was genuinely okay, but it was much humbler. She passed away there.

I'll never forget how much work it took me every time, just to get her into a good new place. So many of them are truly sad and terrible places. Yet many aren't. It's just hard to know which is which.

On 5/9/2023 at 10:00 AM, peeayebee said:

You just reminded me: My mom had Alzheimer's. She reached the point where she had to be in a facility. My sister and I found a lovely, small place. I can't remember how long she was there when one night our dad called my sister and said, "Your mother is home." Mom had gotten out of the facility and walked MILES back home. My sister naturally was livid. There had been incidents where my mother had gone around the facility knocking on the doors of other residents. The staff never notified my sister about this, but I guess they thought they could handle it. Or ignore it. (BTW, we found another facility that wasn't as "pretty" as the first one, but was much better.)

I'm so sorry for what you went through -- I went through my own frustrations with my Mom's residential facilities. She was profoundly disabled mentally and physically, and home care was no longer possible. But it was really hard to find good places (and well-rated places) where she would get good care.

On 5/11/2023 at 8:20 AM, TVbitch said:

I'm wondering what is going on with the gross-out kind of humor (the bush, the toilet humor, the vicks up the nose). Are they just showing us how familial Joel and Sam have gotten (which will make it all the more dramatic when Joel starts dating), or are they showing us that Sam is very closed off inside, but covers it with her increasingly "no boundaries" approach to bodily functions and personal care.  

I think the show is doing this on purpose -- it wants to get a little grungy, to show real people, real situations, unlovely and lovely alike. I like that aspect of the show, even if it's sometimes a little much for me.

[sistermagpie]

6 minutes ago, paramitch said:

And I love Joel's little incipient romance with Brad! It's so quiet and tentative. I love it exactly the way I loved the  adorable romance between Tig's Dad and the woman at the office on "One, Mississippi." I mean, they are just so sweet and shy together. I also like that Brad isn't a joke -- he is kind, thoughtful, and not a stupid man. And if anyone in the TV universe deserves joy and love, it's Joel. I just love him.

On 5/9/2023 at 10:25 AM, lasu said:

I love how Brad is so cheerful and rightfully unashamed that he sings because it's fun and knows he isn't very good. Singing isn't just meant for professionals to entertain people, as great as that is. It's also just fun and joyful for the singer! Brad's so incredibly healthy and so perfect for Joel. He's so gentle and encouraging and openly enthusiastic about things!

[peeayebee]

I so agree about Brad. I also really liked that our first impression of him was completely wrong. At the recital and the gathering afterwards, he just seemed like a joke, like someone people would rightly laugh at. But he's a lovely lovely person.

[LuvMyShows]

 

On 6/4/2023 at 3:26 PM, paramitch said:

I'm a former singer (opera, musical theatre, then jazz for a decade or so), and I think Bridget has a solidly good voice -- and a great voice for someone in a tiny town. She also sings with so much heart and soul that it is very moving to watch her sing, as well (the song in last season's finale had me in tears).

This is why I found it so uncharacteristic that they were laughing openly at Brad during the recital.  Sam, of all people, knows about what it takes to sing in front of people. And he was singing with a lot of passion, just like she does. I would have expected far more empathy. But as I said before, I think the writers maybe went a little overboard so they have it be a (supposedly) more humorous contrast to whatever they end up writing for Brad and Joel.

[Blakeston]

I didn't find the laughing at the recital to be unrealistic for Joel and Sam. Joel is the one who laughed out loud at the guy falling in front of him in season one, and Sam indicated that she would have been laughing along with him if she'd been there.

Joel also had no problem insulting his coworkers when Sam announced she was quitting that job. He was going on about what losers they are, and when he found out they could overhear him, he didn't care.

They also laugh at people together at the park. I think they're very much in their own little world when they're together, and part of what they enjoy is childish humor at the expense of others. 

[peeayebee]

I didn't think it was out of character either, but I didn't like it, particularly since there were people sitting around them at the recital who would hear them and not appreciate it.