S04.E08: Winter Break

[chitowngirl]

Melissa hosts the Schemmenti family Christmas Eve dinner and goes to great lengths to make sure everything is perfect; Janine and Gregory get an unexpected guest.
 

Airs December 4, 2024

[DanaK]

Note that this will be at the special time of 8:30pm ET and is the Fall Finale

[Crashcourse]

I figured the old bastard wasn't dead.

[Galileo908]

Not surprised that Melissa leaves for work without Jacob all the time.

We finally got to met the rest of Melissa's family! Talia Shire, Adrian herself, playing Melissa's mom! And she was using The Hands! Loved it. And loved that Caleb can't say anything lukewarm about Rocky around the family. That food DID look amazing, especially the cannoli.

"Melissa's house kills men!" Melissa's family was hilariously awful. That was a pure Italian Christmas Eve dinner if I ever saw one. Loved that Gerald took home so many to-go plates.

Loling at Uncle Racist. And Barbara's prayer for him to meet his maker came true. But thank god it was Caleb didn't know how to check a pulse. 

So we got resolution on Gregory meeting Ava's dad. Of course Ava doesn't have a good relationship with him and of course Gregory respected that. And of course keeping that fact from Janine was gonna bring in some tension. Died at Ava's gift of matching Head Ass mugs.

Loved Mr. Johnson Claus. Of course The North Pole was a strip club.

"Melissa's house kills men!" One of the many lines of the night.

[PupCal]

I dunno Ava's dad seemed pretty proud of her at the barbershop?

"If Uncle Archie had died, this woulda been one of the best Schemmenti family dinners ever." Awwww, Melissa!

Edited December 5 by PupCal

[txhorns79]

27 minutes ago, PupCal said:

I dunno Ava's dad seemed pretty proud of her at the barbershop?

I think Janine's mom expressed pride in her daughter when we met her, but it didn't mean she was a good parent.

Does anyone on this show have a good relationship with their parent or parents?  Maybe Barbara?   

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I figured the old bastard wasn't dead.

They actually had me going with that one for a time :p. I loved how everyone realized he was still alive, LOL. And I loved the poor confused guy who responded to the death call. 

I don't blame Melissa one bit for being stressed about trying to make her family get-together perfect, if these are the people she had to prepare for. But at least this time she had Jacob and Barbara there to be a buffer of sorts, so there's that. 

2 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Not surprised that Melissa leaves for work without Jacob all the time.

That made me laugh :D. Especially since Jacob got all confused and forgot that school was closed :p. 

Aw, Ava and her dad. I appreciate Gregory doing his part to respect her wish not to make a big thing about it, and I understand why she didn't want to tell Janine about it, 'cause she is right, Janine would've totally tried to do a reconciliation thing. I am glad that the tension the secret caused for Gregory and Janine was short-lived, though, and that everyone got to have a good holiday in the end. I also loved how Gregory and Janine worked out a compromise on their choice of Christmas movie :D. 

55 minutes ago, PupCal said:

I dunno Ava's dad seemed pretty proud of her at the barbershop?

Maybe she feels he's proud of her for the wrong things, or deep down worries about whether or not she's deserving of his pride, or something? 

Nice to get to meet more of the group's families this episode, chaotic though many of them were. Certainly explains a lot about why these people are they way they are, for better and worse. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 12/4/2024 at 9:02 PM, Crashcourse said:

I figured the old bastard wasn't dead.

Me too. But the 1.5 hour response time to the medical alert alarm was scary.

On 12/4/2024 at 9:04 PM, Galileo908 said:

Of course The North Pole was a strip club.

As soon as he said he was going to see Vixen and Dancer (when he was at Janine's house, not when he was dropping bills outside the club), I figured that's where was headed.

With regard to both "reveals," I don't like to brag, but I've seen TV before. Maybe too much TV?  I just couldn't feel Jacob's panic when I was pretty sure the uncle wasn't dead. I didn't particularly care about Mr. Johnson's final destination, but it also didn't seem like he would be so careless as to scatter all that cash outside the club.

I did laugh at the silly product placement with regard to Amazon and the actual Amazon box that Janine tried to give to Ava. So now I know Amazon has pajamas for people whose feet are an unusual size for their body!  Is there anyone watching this show who is now more likely to shop for holiday gifts on Amazon than they otherwise would have?  (I guess it's better than an additional ad interrupting the show, though.)

I thought that Melissa's sister looked like she had Bell's Palsy before she said she did. That can't be easy to maintain for an extended period of time (unless the actress actually had it), and was an unusual joke. 

Janine and Gregory were cute together.

Edited December 6 by ItCouldBeWorse

[ItCouldBeWorse]

38 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

Does anyone on this show have a good relationship with their parent or parents?  Maybe Barbara?   

Remember first season when Barbara's daughter felt that way about Barbara? 

[txhorns79]

29 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Remember first season when Barbara's daughter felt that way about Barbara?

True, but she's fairly young, and it seemed like typical mother/daughter disagreements than anything serious.  We later saw her at Barbara's Mother's Day lunch and there didn't seem to be an issue.   

[kathyk2]

What happened to Ava's mom? We saw her in Step Class. I felt so bad for Melissa she put so much effort into cooking dinner for her family. I was surprised Gregory's dad wasn't invited for Christmas Eve.  I felt sorry for Ava her dad may not have been part of her life as a child.

[Galileo908]

50 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I thought that Melissa's sister looked like she had Bell's Palsy before she said she did. That can't be easy to maintain for an extended period of time (unless the actress actually had it), and was an unusual joke. 

Her actress actually has Bell's Palsy, so it was real cool that they just casually incorporated it into the episode.

[possibilities]

I do wish Gregory had asked Ava to be nicer to Janine, though. Who shows up and vetos the movie like that? Especially to insist on horror when clearly the other people don't want that.

Ava is rude. 

 

[kathyk2]

15 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I do wish Gregory had asked Ava to be nicer to Janine, though. Who shows up and vetos the movie like that? Especially to insist on horror when clearly the other people don't want that.

Ava is rude. 

 

I thought Gregory was trying to be nice to Ava and Janine and it didn't work out. I think this show is losing its warmth. I taped both shows and I liked them but I didn't love them enough to keep them on the DVR.

[BAForever]

Teacher here. All of the teachers showing up at school to take stuff was funny. Janine and the big toilet paper was a hoot. Teachers do have a saying- teaching is the only profession where people take things from their home for their job. That's truth. ☹️

[txhorns79]

8 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

I think this show is losing its warmth.

Yes.  Sometimes the jokes just feel mean spirited.  I don't expect Ava to do a 180 and suddenly be best friends with Janine or anything, but the show really shouldn't let the character have it both ways.  It's four seasons in, and Ava is almost openly hostile to Janine, even when she shows up on Janine's doorstep seeking camaraderie.   

[Boofish]

The joke on the ringworm episode about Jacob washing his legs

All the adults passing by getting down to the Run DMC Christmas song

Gerald and those to go plates

I love how this show subtly inserts jokes about black culture and the some of the hilariously ridiculous universal things we do and believe.

[Snapdragon]

12 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

 

Does anyone on this show have a good relationship with their parent or parents?  Maybe Barbara?   

I feel that this is a trend on shows right now.  Like, Hollywood hired a bunch of writers with family issues and they're all working them out via their scripts.

[tennisgurl]

I loved seeing Melissa's family, especially her mother, Adrian herself! No wonder no one is allowed to say anything even lukewarm about Rocky. That was a really fun episode, I love a chaotic Italian Christmas, even if, tragically, Uncle Archie lives to be a bigot for another day. I also liked seeing more of Caleb, he was so excited about Melissa's cooking, which did indeed look amazing. 

Awww Gregory and Janine's matching Christmas PJs! I also continue to adore Janine's apartment, and she had it decorated for Christmas so nicely. Its interesting learning more about Ava's family, I am guessing we will see more of her dad considering they hired Keith David to play him. Doesn't her ill grandma live nearby? I also love Janine's Christmas movie playlist, I just watched Muppet Christmas Carol last night! 

Loved Gerald taking several plates of food home. And the call back to Jacob being very distracted when he went to a CPR class. He met that cute guy when he was trying to learn CPR!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 12/5/2024 at 2:59 PM, tennisgurl said:

Doesn't her ill grandma live nearby?

Ava said she had already visited her in her nursing home, and proudly recounted her grandmother's annoying shenanigans while visiting.

 

 

Edited December 8 by ItCouldBeWorse

[peeayebee]

18 hours ago, Annber03 said:

They actually had me going with that one for a time :p.

After I watched 'Winter Snow' I accidentally clicked on this episode thread, so I was spoiled about that. I think I would have believed he was dead because Jacob said he wasn't breathing. Because of sleep apnea, right?

When Barbara and her husband came in, and Uncle Archie made the comment about progressive dinners, I thought that maybe he was referring to progressive dinners where you go from house to house in your neighborhood. But obviously he was just being a racist. And then a homophobe.

Quote

I don't blame Melissa one bit for being stressed about trying to make her family get-together perfect, if these are the people she had to prepare for.

Yeah, as we saw and heard how awful her family is, I felt more accepting about how she was in the previous ep preparing all the food and being so crazy about the upcoming dinner.

 

18 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I did laugh at the silly product placement with regard to Amazon and the actual Amazon box that Janine tried to give to Ava.

The blatant product placement is annoying.

But all in all I guess I liked this one. Jacob saying at the beginning, "I forgot we had no school today," cracked me up. I also liked Janine talking about "firsts" with couples, esp "first time farting in front of each other." When my husband-to-be and I were seeing each other, he traveled a lot. He truthfully said that when he comes to town, I don't poop. 

Ava: Going with a Charlie Brown theme this year? Well, I think his tree had more branches, but at least you have your own Franklin.

Jacob: There is a dead guy in my bed.
Barbara: Jacob, please do not make this all about you.

Jacob trying to tell Melissa her uncle is dead: He's sleeping with a fish?

Loved Gregory's face as he's trying not to tell Janine Ava's secret.

Caleb was much more tolerable this ep. I noticed that each time he tasted one of Melissa's sauces, he described it in fire terms: fire, flames, fuego. Maybe they really were all very spicy.

I laughed when someone mentioned 'Nona' and Caleb said, "I don't know no Nona..."

Oh, and I don't think I've noticed before, but Melissa (or the actress) pronounces her long O's differently. Maybe it's a Philly accent, but at first I thought it was like how some Canadians speak.

I'm looking forward to seeing Ava and her dad together and finding out what's up.

Edited December 5 by peeayebee

[DearEvette]

I loved the chaos of this episode and meeting Melissa's big family.

Caleb grew on me here.  He was cute and fit right in. And his terrible pulse checking made me cackle.

Jacob was the best with all the physical comedy he did in this one.  I especially loved how he came out of nowhere an tackled Melissa's brother from going upstairs. And his maniacal laugh at Melissa insisting on everyone eating cannoli.

Awww, Janine and Gregory were cute.

[driver18]

On 12/5/2024 at 12:50 AM, kathyk2 said:

I thought Gregory was trying to be nice to Ava and Janine and it didn't work out. I think this show is losing its warmth. I taped both shows and I liked them but I didn't love them enough to keep them on the DVR.

Ava has had a clear arc throughout the show, and is rude to everyone. That's just Ava. It's her character. Barbara and Melissa have always had a mean girls kinda clique attitude going towards the younger teachers.

[MicheleinPhilly]

Janelle James and Lisa Ann Walter were both 🔥 in this episode.

As someone who will be attending a Schemmenti-type gathering on Christmas Eve, the chaos and tomfoolery really hit home. 

Given Ava's relationship with her dad, it wasn't surprising for me that she didn't want to watch Christmas movies as she likely doesn't have great memories of the holiday. I'm surprised that she even showed up at Janine's but ultimately, I'm happy that she did. 

I ❤️ this show so much.

[Ilovepie]

On 12/4/2024 at 8:18 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I did laugh at the silly product placement with regard to Amazon and the actual Amazon box that Janine tried to give to Ava.

Same - I wish I could just be cool and put a name tag right on the outside of the Amazon box. I have about 10 in my bedroom waiting to be wrapped right now 🤪

I wonder if Janine would actually try to "fix" Ava's relationship with her dad when she has her own complicated relationships with her mom and sister. I think she has grown a lot the last couple seasons and could be trusted with that information.

[roseslg]

Yeah family is complicated. I totally get Ava's dad bragging about her as if they had a good relationship. The backhanded compliments by Melissa's family... You can't choose your family.

[buttersister]

Having lived through The Bear’s Christmas family dinner, this chaos didn’t seem so bad. 

Although racist homophobic uncle can bite it.

[txhorns79]

15 hours ago, roseslg said:

You can't choose your family.

Thankfully you can.   Though I do understand that the show amps the dysfunction up to a 10 for the sake of being funny. 

[JeanJean]

Lots of funniness, but I think my favorite was when a Schementi broke  into "O Danny Boy."

With "Breathe, you bigot, breathe" coming in second.

Edited December 9 by JeanJean

[Bookish Jen]

2 hours ago, JeanJean said:

Lots of funniness, but I think my favorite was when a Schementi broke  into "O Danny Boy."

With "Breathe, you bigot, breathe" coming in second.

Was it Seamus? There were so many Schementis at Melissa's house, I couldn't keep track of them.

[JeanJean]

10 minutes ago, Bookish Jen said:

Was it Seamus? There were so many Schementis at Melissa's house, I couldn't keep track of them.

I think it was!

[Enigma X]

16 minutes ago, Bookish Jen said:

Was it Seamus? There were so many Schementis at Melissa's house, I couldn't keep track of them.

It was.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Caleb called Melissa, "Baby Girl." He is definitely Jacob's brother.

Caleb was doing an amazing job of carrying that tray of wine glasses. I wonder if the glasses were actually glued to the tray?

Janine and Greg in matching footie pajamas. No. Just no.

Schemmenti cannolis are to die for. Almost literally.

Gerald needs his dessert, dagnabbit!

Big Dog Fire Bro, aka Melissa's sorta boyfriend.

Mr. Johnson's "North Pole" strip club on Christmas Eve. I wonder if it's like those Spirit stores that only open right before Halloween and then close?