S01.E05: CH(3)COOH

[Pop Tart]

Quote

Elizabeth butts heads with her new boss as she works to make Supper at Six her own. Mad meets a new friend while working on her family tree.

Air date: 11.03.23

 

[aghst]

The book must elaborate on how that first show struck a chord and built a large audience of entirely women.

Elizabeth didn’t talk down to the viewers but she seemed like a strictly professional instructor.  That may be a refreshing departure from the way women were used to being talked to but does it lead to such avid fans?

One of the women in the focus group said Elizabeth was “capable” and the other one agreed.

The waitress at the diner referred to the show about soufflés and rising to the occasion and referring to Elizabeth explaining fear and neurotransmitters.

Maybe some women were inspired, gained some confidence in the workplace.

Again, maybe the book does a better job of showing how Elizabeth got such a loyal following.

In the montage Elizabeth cracks a smile as she holds up a plate that looks like a crown over her head but otherwise, her demeanor seems too flat to connect so intensely with viewers.

Mad seems at first like a mini Elizabeth or her mother’s daughter.  But as she delves into the family tree project, she sees that Elizabeth isn’t telling her everything about her family.  She also doesn’t seem to be too impressed with her mother’s TV show.  And as she spends more time with Harriet’s family, especially at the church, she may question more of the things Elizabeth has been telling her.

So ironically while her fans may like Elizabeth’s dictums, her daughter may be starting to question some of her ideas.

Pretty heady stuff for a seven year old.

[CarpeFelis]

Phil is an idiot (and a product of his time). He treats the show as if men are the target audience, but how many men in the early ‘60s would even watch a show titled Supper at Six?

I think it would have been funny if Elizabeth had insisted on changing it to Supper at Six Thirty and had Six Thirty taste testing the recipes!

Spoiler

Yeah, I know that didn’t happen in the book.

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by CarpeFelis

[shapeshifter]

I would have taken the offer to be second author in hopes of solving the mysteries of life and curing cancer. But likely she would not have really been given second author, and, ultimately, Supper At Six might have the greater positive impact on society. So, good choice, Elizabeth.

 

6 hours ago, CarpeFelis said:

Phil is an idiot (and a product of his time).

Totally. But when (failing) Network owner/idiot Phil realized the phones were ringing off their hooks with positive audience responses, the camera zoomed in on Rainn Wilson's face to show a look of barely perceptible chagrin — perhaps realizing he almost fired his rising star and/or induced her to quit. 
Apparently, Phil is more driven by money than ego, which is a tiny bit better.
The show hasn't touched on it, but all of the adults in this time period would have been personally impacted by The Great Depression.

 

 

8 hours ago, aghst said:

Pretty heady stuff for a seven year old.

Mad's dialog is a bit of a stretch for me.
But I used to call my daughters "Bunny" too, so I'll try to overlook Mad's stilted speeches.

Although not entirely accurate, I f’loved Elizabeth's definition of “a reference” in reply to Linda's son as: "A reference is when someone you no longer wish to work with holds the fate of your next job."
The young actor who plays Linda's son expertly conveyed sensitivity to Elizabeth being disheartened by the requirement of "references" in order to be considered for a job as a chemist.

 

8 hours ago, aghst said:

…The waitress at the diner referred to the show about soufflés and rising to the occasion and referring to Elizabeth explaining fear and neurotransmitters.…
…In the montage Elizabeth cracks a smile as she holds up a plate that looks like a crown over her head but otherwise, her demeanor seems too flat to connect so intensely with viewers.…

Since we don't see entire episodes, these👆2 examples of how Elizabeth connected with her audience represent, perhaps, at least 2 instances per episode when Elizabeth is engaging.
Plus, she has her "tag line" (no doubt inspired by the woman with the 2 boys who were acting out) of:
"Children, go set the table. Your mother needs a few minutes to herself."

[AstridM]

9 hours ago, CarpeFelis said:

Phil is an idiot (and a product of his time). He treats the show as if men are the target audience, but how many men in the early ‘60s would even watch a show titled Supper at Six?

I think it would have been funny if Elizabeth had insisted on changing it to Supper at Six Thirty and had Six Thirty taste testing the recipes!

  Hide contents

Yeah, I know that didn’t happen in the book.

 

Looks like the show airs at 5:30 PM, so lots of men may well be home and watching with their wives. 

[shapeshifter]

4 minutes ago, AstridM said:

Looks like the show airs at 5:30 PM, so lots of men may well be home and watching with their wives. 

With their drinks in hand.

[txhorns79]

On 11/3/2023 at 2:48 AM, CarpeFelis said:

Phil is an idiot (and a product of his time). He treats the show as if men are the target audience, but how many men in the early ‘60s would even watch a show titled Supper at Six?

I feel like this is a glaring weakness of the show.  Sexism is very real, but even in the 50s and 60s, there is some subtlety to it.  In the world of this show, no one seems subtle about anything.  And I'm in complete agree with you that I don't understand the station owner's position on Elizabeth's show at all.  It's a late afternoon cooking show.  The audience is going to be primarily women.  

I'm also kind of meh on Mad.  She's a little too precocious. 

On 11/3/2023 at 9:26 AM, shapeshifter said:

Although not entirely accurate, I f’loved Elizabeth's definition of “a reference” in reply to Linda's son as: "A reference is when someone you no longer wish to work with holds the fate of your next job."

It surprised me that the lab would wait until the final round of interviews to get references.  You'd think they would want those up front to eliminate questionable candidates. 

[CarpeFelis]

On 11/3/2023 at 6:26 AM, shapeshifter said:

Apparently, Phil is more driven by money than ego, which is a tiny bit better.

Mad's dialog is a bit of a stretch for me.
But I used to call my daughters "Bunny" too, so I'll try to overlook Mad's stilted speeches.

Phil is an idiot when it comes to women, but no fool about the bottom line for sure.

Mad’s way of speaking makes sense to me when you consider who’s been raising her. I cannot even imagine Elizabeth ever talking baby talk with her and probably insisted on proper grammar as soon as Mad could understand it. She’s undoubtedly been speaking to Mad as if she were a fellow adult all along.

On 11/3/2023 at 9:01 AM, AstridM said:

Looks like the show airs at 5:30 PM, so lots of men may well be home and watching with their wives. 

I can’t imagine a man of that time not commandeering the TV. Let his wife make him watch a cooking show? The horror!

1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

I'm also kind of meh on Mad.  She's a little too precocious. 

I think the show is going a little overboard on it, but Mad is evidently the genius child of two genius parents.

Edited November 5, 2023 by CarpeFelis

[txhorns79]

21 minutes ago, CarpeFelis said:

I think the show is going a little overboard on it, but Mad is evidently the genius child of two genius parents.

I get that, but even Doogie Howser still behaved and spoke like a teenager at times.

[AstridM]

10 hours ago, CarpeFelis said:

Phil is an idiot when it comes to women, but no fool about the bottom line for sure.

Mad’s way of speaking makes sense to me when you consider who’s been raising her. I cannot even imagine Elizabeth ever talking baby talk with her and probably insisted on proper grammar as soon as Mad could understand it. She’s undoubtedly been speaking to Mad as if she were a fellow adult all along.

I can’t imagine a man of that time not commandeering the TV. Let his wife make him watch a cooking show? The horror!

I think the show is going a little overboard on it, but Mad is evidently the genius child of two genius parents.

Remember, Julia Child’s show during the same time period aired in the evenings and was watched by lots of women. And lots of men. 

[A.Ham]

5 hours ago, AstridM said:

Remember, Julia Child’s show during the same time period aired in the evenings and was watched by lots of women. And lots of men. 

Ah, this reminds me of an obscure West Wing reference:

Toby Ziegler: We're gonna see to all those things. In the meantime, at a time when the public is rightly concerned about the impact of sex and violence on TV, this administration is gonna protect the MUPPETS! We're gonna protect Wall Street Week, we're gonna protect Live from Lincoln Center, and by God, we are going to protect Julia Child!

[Guest]

6 hours ago, AstridM said:

Remember, Julia Child’s show during the same time period aired in the evenings and was watched by lots of women. And lots of men. 

This is a few years before Julia Child’s show premiered in 1963. It probably would have been better if this was set approaching the mid-60’s with the backdrop of second wave feminism.

Instead it feels like that want Elizabeth’s success to be well ahead of the time and it edges it too much into wish fulfillment territory for my taste. 

[txhorns79]

9 hours ago, AstridM said:

Remember, Julia Child’s show during the same time period aired in the evenings and was watched by lots of women. And lots of men. 

Julia Child came into her cooking show on the heels of a best-selling cookbook.  She was someone people knew, and she had a personality and presence that worked well with television.  She also was on public television, which doesn't have the same pressures as for-profit.  My only point being that she's an entirely different animal than Elizabeth. 

[shapeshifter]

5 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

Julia Child came into her cooking show on the heels of a best-selling cookbook.  She was someone people knew, and she had a personality and presence that worked well with television.  She also was on public television, which doesn't have the same pressures as for-profit.  My only point being that she's an entirely different animal than Elizabeth. 

And neither Julia Child nor fictional Elizabeth would have arrived at their shows in a vacuum
— just like scientific inventions or musical styles or art movements are reflections of changes that came in the previous generations and the zeitgeist of their times.

[Haleth]

Elizabeth's huge popularity with women was an outcome of her not speaking down to them.  She touched their desire to be treated as people capable of understanding science and not just as mothers and wives.  Farfetched?  Maybe.  Probably.  Regardless, it's fun to see Elizabeth win.

Mad is toned waaaay down for the show.