S03.E08: Ice Chips

[chitowngirl]

Synopsis: Sugar finds support in an unexpected place.
Drops on Hulu June 27, 2024.

Edited June 26 by chitowngirl

[Ms Lark]

OK, call the midwife. Halfway through I had to mute and use closed captioning. Then FFed through the last quarter. Filler, bottle ep. Did nothing  for me, even with Jamie Lee Curtis!

[BC4ME]

I just read the only reply so far and I feel stupid for feeling this way but I thought it was the most beautiful episodes of TV I've ever seen. After having been absolutely terrorized during the Christmas episode over the Jamie Lee Curtis character, this was believably amazing. Maybe it just spoke to me because my mother was kinda crazy like that. Yet, she did love us and although it never happened like that for me, I can imagine that it could've. When push came to shove, she had it in her to show up for me and really be the mom I needed. The mom I wanted. My mom is dead now and there are no more chances for such a thing to happen similar to what I just saw, so I really needed this episode. It helped me.

Along with the normal emotions of having a baby, I thought it was a beautiful, moving and believable episode. Wow, this show has some complex characters. 

Edited June 29 by BC4ME

[Irlandesa]

15 minutes ago, BC4ME said:

I just read the only reply so far and I feel stupid for feeling this way but I thought it was the most beautiful episode of TV I've ever seen.

I liked it a lot too.  Because I felt it had a very specific purpose and completed that purpose.  I thought this was a better episode for JLC than Fishes.  She got to show Donna's off-kilterness and love for her daughter.  I think we also saw some more background to them.  I also liked that it was a quick, easy birth. 

[Domestic Assassin]

I still have two episodes to go, but this was my favorite episode of the season so far.

[Jordan61]

9 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

OK, call the midwife. Halfway through I had to mute and use closed captioning. Then FFed through the last quarter. Filler, bottle ep. Did nothing  for me, even with Jamie Lee Curtis!

I agree. I spent the whole episode expecting to find out that Donna never called Pete. Which wasn't the case, thankfully.

[possibilities]

I also thought she might not have called Pete. So glad that wasn't the case.

I don't understand how Natalie could plan to have a natural birth but not know anything about breathing. Don't people take classes to prepare?

I thought it was interesting that the Faks showed up at the end. Maybe they were the only ones the restaurant could spare, but they also seemeed to have a real relationship with Donna. maybe as the mom of the neighbor kids she was more fun and less scary from their point of view. Or, who knows what their own parents were like....

I hope someone picked up Nat's car and got the c-folds to the restaurant.

[peeayebee]

1 minute ago, possibilities said:

I don't understand how Natalie could plan to have a natural birth but not know anything about breathing. Don't people take classes to prepare?

I thought that was weird, too. And even if you've never taken a class or given birth, you've certainly heard about the breathing technique. I guess maybe it was just the way Donna was saying, "Hee. Hee." It WAS kinda annoying.

The moment Nat was talking about her birth plan, I knew that would fly out the window.

Quote

I thought it was interesting that the Faks showed up at the end.

It was so sweet how they touched each other lovingly. Even with all the craziness in that family, there's a lot of love, too.

I liked this ep. Donna is a hard person to be around, but she was there for her daughter and really did help. I loved seeing the love betw them, the way they gazed at each other. 

I wondered when Nat said she made herself sick for Donna what exactly that meant. Do we know?

[SnapHappy]

Not impressed.  Another episode that had about 10 minutes total of relevant content and so much repetitive filler I had to keep fast-forwarding through. 

You're in labor and just get in your car & into heavy mid-day traffic?  Seriously?

So did anybody ever tell the L&D nurse that Nat wanted that epidural & the Pitocin?  Cause we never saw that, but there was SO MUCH CLOSEUP FACE of Jamie L-K. 

She took up so much of my screen so much of the time I was getting claustrophobic. 

And no doctor is going to get crash info on another infant right in front of a laboring patient.  Bad medical research there.  A nurse would have pulled him in the hall.

I know, we didn't see everything that happened, It just felt disjointed. 

I'm feeling really critical of some of these episodes. 

ETA: I ADORE the fuck out of Jamie Lee.  I really do, always have.  She's an amazing actress.  This role is just so cringe-worthy, but she's knocking it out of the park!

Edited June 29 by SnapHappy

[BC4ME]

9 minutes ago, SnapHappy said:

but there was SO MUCH CLOSEUP FACE of Jamie L-K. 

Hey, that made me feel so much better about my own face seeing that!

[Irlandesa]

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

I don't understand how Natalie could plan to have a natural birth but not know anything about breathing. Don't people take classes to prepare?

I think it was more of a reaction to being in a lot of pain and her mother being overbearing than it was not knowing.  I suspect she did have classes and knew about breathing but the circumstances made her petulant.  

[Racj82]

On 6/28/2024 at 3:38 PM, BC4ME said:

I just read the only reply so far and I feel stupid for feeling this way but I thought it was the most beautiful episodes of TV I've ever seen. After having been absolutely terrorized during the Christmas episode over the Jamie Lee Curtis character, this was believably amazing. Maybe it just spoke to me because my mother was kinda crazy like that. Yet, she did love us and although it never happened like that for me, I can imagine that it could've. When push came to shove, she had it in her to show up for me and really be the mom I needed. The mom I wanted. My mom is dead now and there are no more chances for such a thing to happen similar to what I just saw, so I really needed this episode. It helped me.

Along with the normal emotions of having a baby, I thought it was a beautiful, moving and believable episode. Wow, this show has some complex characters. 

Dont feel stupid. You were right on.

Tremendous performances from both actresses.

 I'm also just personally tired of the term filler at this point.

Not everything is about plot plot plot.

With the shows I love, I love the characters first and foremost. You nail the characters and the show can take me almost anywhere.

There is also much weight holding Nat down with her mom. Exploring them two alone deserved attention on their own.

[Jordan61]

20 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I thought that was weird, too. And even if you've never taken a class or given birth, you've certainly heard about the breathing technique. I guess maybe it was just the way Donna was saying, "Hee. Hee." It WAS kinda annoying.

 

Especially when she just ran up to Nat in the parking lot and started doing it right away, when Nat is not even having contractions and is just trying to get into the hospital!

[LaDuchesse]

I thought this was the best episode so far. I think you just have to accept these episodes are character studies with no interest in moving the plot forward. Which can be annoying when they aren’t as good as this one. Prompted me to apologize to my mom, who is amazing and kind and supportive and calm and nothing like DeeDee, for being kind of mean to her this weekend because I am mad and sad right now about something that has nothing to do with her. 

[Crazydoxielady]

Loved this episode. I cried thru most of it. I’m cool with an episode exploring characters deeply and leaving the restaurant for a few. Donna’s redemption deserved that space. Her chaos will always reign supreme but she was able to mother in a way that was beyond beautiful and necessary. 

[chaifan]

I wish they could have added 10 minutes to this episode, but split it between Tina's backstory and Natalie giving birth.  I'm sure they could have tied those two things together somehow and woven the two together.   While both were great episodes, when we only get 10 episodes per season I feel like the main point of this show - the restaurant - is really getting shorted.  If/when we ever get back to 22+ episode seasons of shows, then yeah, give me 2 episodes that aren't plot driven.  But with 10?  Sorry, no, I'd like to see more of the main plots.

 

 

 

[possibilities]

I'm genuinely not sure what a restaurant plot would look like. More serving? More screaming in the kitchen? Watching the Faks goof up more orders?

[SnapHappy]

11 hours ago, possibilities said:

I'm genuinely not sure what a restaurant plot would look like. More serving? More screaming in the kitchen? Watching the Faks goof up more orders?

Agreed.  And they really need to pull back on the stooges.  We know they have a few flashes of ability, but they aren't chefs, owners, kitchen staff or actual family.  There's a LOT of plots and relevant storylines the writers could explore that DON'T have the Faks involved. 

Enough already. 

Edited July 2 by SnapHappy

[Haleth]

I don’t mind stepping away from the restaurant occasionally. All the yelling, all the chaos, wash, rinse, repeat. A quieter, more intimate episode (between contractions) was a nice respite. And JLC continues to be phenomenal. 

[arachne]

They love the tight close-ups on this show. Jamie Lee Curtis is old now. We! Get! It!

I'm glad Nat had the baby before season's end, that's done with. I never had a baby myself, and this episode only reinforced my life choice.

[BC4ME]

On 7/2/2024 at 10:13 AM, SnapHappy said:

Agreed.  And they really need to pull back on the stooges.  We know they have a few flashes of ability, but they aren't chefs, owners, kitchen staff or actual family.  There's a LOT of plots and relevant storylines the writers could explore that DON'T have the Faks involved. 

The funniest part is Matty Matheson (Neil Faks), actually is a chef and restaurant owner IRL. 

But I agree, I did not enjoy their parts this season. Especially the stupid, rapid-fire back and forths.

[tennisgurl]

You know that when Jamie Lee shows up, its going to be an emotional rollercoaster. This feels like a great sort of sequel episode to Fishes, seeing more sides to Donna and this family. Donna was utterly terrifying in Fishes but here you can see that she does love her kids, even if her ways of showing it aren't always great. I thought it was a lovely episode and was exactly what Sugar needed after feeling so run down this season. She so badly wanted her mother to really be a mom to her in Fishes, especially after feeling like she has spent so much time putting everyone else first, and here she finally got it. 

The one scene that felt off in this episode was when the nurse and doctor were just casually chatting about a woman having a difficult birth nearby, yeah great bedside manner there guys. Would it have killed them to just talk in the hallway out of earshot of the woman in labor? 

[Avabelle]

I’m due my first baby in three weeks so this episode was… terrifying. 

[BC4ME]

On 7/3/2024 at 5:46 PM, Avabelle said:

I’m due my first baby in three weeks so this episode was… terrifying. 

Good luck to you!

[peeayebee]

Hee... heee... heeeee.

[ichbin]

On 7/2/2024 at 10:13 AM, SnapHappy said:

There's a LOT of plots and relevant storylines the writers could explore that DON'T have the Faks involved. 

 

I suppose they keep them in to justify this being listed as a comedy?

[SnapHappy]

On 7/3/2024 at 4:46 PM, Avabelle said:

I’m due my first baby in three weeks so this episode was… terrifying. 

One word:

Epidural

[Cheezwiz]

On 7/3/2024 at 8:00 AM, arachne said:

I never had a baby myself, and this episode only reinforced my life choice.

Ditto on that!

I actually really enjoyed the episode - Natalie is a character I really like, and it was interesting seeing her trying to interact with her unhinged Mom while she was in so much pain with labour. And I adore JLC, so that was a bonus as well.

I was especially struck by the moment when Natalie looked up at her Mom and said straight out "you scared all of us", and Donna seemed to understand and feel remorseful. I wonder how many kids grew up feeling that way with a difficult (not necessarily abusive) overbearing parent.

[possibilities]

Natalie was fine, though, and so was the baby, a far as we know. Surely it's not the first time anyone has sad childbirth is painful?

[thuganomics85]

Well, this episode certainly won't quell the arguments about if this show really should be competing in comedy categories, but damn, if I didn't find it to be some beautiful television.  Might just edge out Napkins as my favorite episode the season (unless the final two end up unseating it.)

Certainly helped that it was tour de force performance from both Abby Elliott and especially Jamie Lee Curtis.  Both of them perfectly conveyed how intense and dysfunctional the relationship between Nat and Donna is and all of the conflicting emotions over it.  But at the end of the day, you do get a sense that they do love one another.  Donna in particular is a flawed person who clearly did a number on her children, but I think she is sincere about how much Nat and her sons mean to her.  I don't know if she can ever fix the damage she has caused, but I hope this family has some form of peace with one another by the end of all of this.

Love that no one actually had an "away message" on their phone, outside of Richie's 'brief "Yo!"  Yeah, that seems accurate in this day and age.  Definitely more a thing of the past.

Agree with the mentions above that the only real issue I had was the doctor talking about another baby crashing right in front of Nat.  Really should be something to say out of earshot, buddy...

Looking forward to seeing Curtis hopefully get an Emmy to go alongside her recent Oscar!

[buttersister]

I was terrified Donna hadn’t called Pete, so maybe that’s why I teared up when he showed up and Donna went to the waiting room. Willingly. Fak boys being there for Donna almost made me forgive them for all their stumble-bumbling. 

Beautifully written mother-daughter story. JLC is not a subtle actress; but a powerful one.

Edited July 8 by buttersister

[EastCoast4Life]

On 7/3/2024 at 3:06 PM, tennisgurl said:

The one scene that felt off in this episode was when the nurse and doctor were just casually chatting about a woman having a difficult birth nearby, yeah great bedside manner there guys.

It's also a HIPAA violation, so.... not realistic at all. 

[possibilities]

Is it a HIPAA violation if they don't say which patient they are talking about?

[pasdetrois]

Quote

Hey, that made me feel so much better about my own face seeing that!

She looked oddly like a Dr. Seuss character.

Quote

I wondered when Nat said she made herself sick for Donna what exactly that meant. Do we know?

I assume she's talking about the adult child of an alcoholic syndrome. A big part of that can be codependency and a desperate urge to please people and be the peacemaker or adult. Yet never feel you are getting there no matter how hard you try. Anxiety-inducing.

Edited July 16 by pasdetrois

[Ilovepie]

Loved this episode! Loved it! So needed after Fishes. Watching Natalie in that episode was one of the saddest parts of a very tough watch. So many good things in this one though - I loved JLC telling her about how all the kids were born to distract her. And Natalie telling her mom how her mom's behavior damaged her. Both of them killed it. Donna's sorrow and remorse over understanding what she did to the kids brought tears to my eyes. Admitting she is trying to change but it's hard. It felt so raw and honest from both of them. And the rest of it great - the ice chips! Nat insisting on a natural birth and then "maybe the pitocin? And an epidural?" after a few contractions. Ha! Get the epidural girl!!!!!

My only quibble was when she was driving and calling everyone. For the love of God Natalie - stop driving and call 911!!!!!!!

I am glad Pete got there in time. And even the Faks coming and hanging with "Ms. B" in the lobby - more evidence of how tight this group is despite the dysfunction. My favorite episode this season.

[hatchetgirl]

On 7/3/2024 at 11:30 AM, BC4ME said:

The funniest part is Matty Matheson (Neil Faks), actually is a chef and restaurant owner IRL. 

And an Exec Producer for this season.  

 

On 7/3/2024 at 2:46 PM, Avabelle said:

I’m due my first baby in three weeks so this episode was… terrifying. 

You are going to be ok and it will go smoothly!  :)  Don't be afraid (lol - i know - easy to say), but you got this!!!   

[BC4ME]

20 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

She looked oddly like a Dr. Seuss character.

Now there you go making me feel worse again lol. But you're right, actually. Those were some extreme close ups.

[MaryHedwig]

5 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

I am glad Pete got there in time. And even the Faks coming and hanging with "Ms. B" in the lobby - more evidence of how tight this group is despite the dysfunction. My favorite episode this season.

Yes, but it does make be wonder how dysfunctional the Fak family, and Ritchie's family, must what been for them be get nurturance from Donna.

[Ilovepie]

15 hours ago, MaryHedwig said:

Yes, but it does make be wonder how dysfunctional the Fak family, and Ritchie's family, must what been for them be get nurturance from Donna.

Exactly why I said despite the dysfunction. I don't think any of these people are healthy.

[meep.meep]

On 6/29/2024 at 3:00 PM, peeayebee said:

 

I liked this ep. Donna is a hard person to be around, but she was there for her daughter and really did help. I loved seeing the love betw them, the way they gazed at each other. 

I wondered when Nat said she made herself sick for Donna what exactly that meant. Do we know?

I think it meant that by being around Donna's craziness that Nat had developed anxiety - she'd been listing her symptoms just before that.

I loved that last shot of JLC walking away and she's walking the same way that Nat was when she walked into the hospital.

[possibilities]

I guess the exec producer gets to be in as many scenes as they want, because nobody will tell him his character is annoying and nobody believes he would actually be allowed in the dining room with customers, the way he acts.

[lucindabelle]

I was riveted every moment to this episode. 
I live with my elderly mother; she came in at the end and then began talking about her childbirth with me and my two brothers. I’d heard some of it before but still.

as for JLC she continues to break my heart. Btw her face IRL doesn’t look as bad as that. This is makeup (darkening creases), lighting and Acting

 

 

[Night Cheese]

I remember thinking while watching how much of a good sport JLC was to strip down and look like a 60/70-something year old woman in those scenes. I thought she looked every bit her age. It didn't occur to me they'd put her in specific makeup and lightning to make her look that way.

[peeayebee]

I dunno. Maybe they did use makeup to make her look older and more "worn," but in the photo posted above, I'm sure she's wearing coverage makeup, so... ? Anyway, any time an actress at least seems bare-faced on screen, I'm impressed. 

[lucindabelle]

It’s subtle but to put slight dark in the creases is a very very old theatre trick like you do it for high school plays. (I’m a theatre teacher with pHD) certain lighting angles will make it look worse too.

I don’t think real JLC has those smokers lip lines for example. 

similarly I’m pretty sure she’s padded and real JLC does not have those hips.

Edited July 20 by lucindabelle

[CrystalBlue]

However Jamie Lee Curtis is keeping up her appearance in real life is working well because she looks great, real and natural.

Whoever is doing JLC's makeup on this show should win an award.

[Puffaroo]

Well, that was tedious.

[lucindabelle]

On 7/19/2024 at 9:31 PM, CrystalBlue said:

However Jamie Lee Curtis is keeping up her appearance in real life is working well because she looks great, real and natural.

Whoever is doing JLC's makeup on this show should win an award.

Yes I agree. It’s one of those Emmy and Oscar categories that the public and half of the voters know next to nothing about (I’m a theater voter lol so I know).

it also helps remind us of how rough this character has been to herself. Since Nat is I think 36? If my math is right? Donna shouldn’t be maybe 66?  JLC is the right age for the role but they’ve aged her so she looks even older. Which “tracks” with what we know about her character. 

[EastCoast4Life]

There are very few actresses that haven't had massive work. JLC is one of the ones who hasn't, which is why she is perfect for this role. I really like her in this, because she's not the perfect mom, she's flawed in many ways.

[heatherchandler]

On 6/29/2024 at 4:53 PM, possibilities said:

 

I don't understand how Natalie could plan to have a natural birth but not know anything about breathing. Don't people take classes to prepare?

 

I hope someone picked up Nat's car and got the c-folds to the restaurant.

I’ve had 2 kids (in Chicago) and I never took a class, a class was never offered or advertised.. none of my friends took classes either.  I know about Lamaze breathing from tv but I thought it was debunked?

I was worried about her Porsche and the stupid c-folds that were needed at the restaurant.