S03.E05: Num Nums

[AnimeMania]

With Shannon at Rick’s, Tricia joins Sam and her friends for Thanksgiving. As her chosen family celebrates firsts and moments of growth, details about Brad’s past are revealed, and Sam gains a better appreciation of the depths of true love.

Premiere Date: November 24, 2024   HBO   10:30pm

[Blakeston]

Crap, only one episode left? Last week Google lied to me and said there would be 10 this season. Wow, I really thought there would be more...plot this season.

That was cold for Tricia's daughter (who I forgot existed) to even acknowledge her mother on Thanksgiving. It seems like these characters get snubbed a lot.

I was expecting Sam to get into an accident when she was backing out of the driveway - especially because Tricia didn't have her seatbelt on.

 

[EtheltoTillie]

So much heartbreak on this episode. This is the best show on TV now. 

[peeayebee]

I too had forgotten Tricia had a child. We did see her in, like, season 1, right? Did they seem to have a good relationship?

So I think I cried twice, maybe three times this ep. First was Brad talking about his marriage and realizing who he was. Man, I am just constantly in awe of him. Such a sweet, easygoing guy. I might have said the exact same thing after last week's ep. He's a beautiful character.

Susan, on the other hand... Read the room. Her saying, "Brad doesn't mind," just inflames me. 

Sam crying after apparently being turned down by Iceland was another moment when I teared up. I knew that Iceland didn't mean it as she took it, so it was great to see him at her house. I think they're cute together.

Then Joel crying at the table. OMGosh. I wonder what will happen here. Will he continue to hide his pain from Brad? 

I loved seeing Joel's piano back, and it was also sweet seeing Joel load the dishwasher while Brad watched -- vetoing putting the baking dish in. Good call.

[Harvey]

Sam did quite well with saying Grace, I was surprised it was so cheerful.

It was not clear to me why was Brad crying. Was it about the kids? Because it feels like he would get over the "pain" of not having them if Sam did not bring it up all the time.

The last scene with Sam and Iceland was really sweet. The moment she realized Iceland was open to more with her she just lit up. It was nice to see.

[AnimeMania]

11 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Crap, only one episode left?

The season is 7 episodes.

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, Harvey said:

It was not clear to me why was Brad crying. Was it about the kids? Because it feels like he would get over the "pain" of not having them if Sam did not bring it up all the time.

I think Joel was crying thinking of the kids he wouldn't have. You may be right about Sam bringing up the pain, but apparently it's something that he's talked passionately about before, so Sam is concerned he's giving up something so important to him.

[cpcathy]

So we had a bunch of seasons of Entourage and only three of this show? HBO does some insane things, they think their viewers are ALL straight males? I remembered that this is a Duprats brothers show, which is why I enjoy it. I loved their previous HBO dramedy Togetherness which only got two seasons.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

I think Joel was crying thinking of the kids he wouldn't have. You may be right about Sam bringing up the pain, but apparently it's something that he's talked passionately about before, so Sam is concerned he's giving up something so important to him.

That's what I thought too.  Sam really was almost as intrusive/tone deaf as Susan. 

[Blakeston]

2 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

The season is 7 episodes.

Oh, good. The preview for the next episode said, "Only one left," but I guess they meant only one episode left before the finale.

I'd really like Joel to tell Sam, "I'm a gay man in Kansas who's pushing 50, and I've finally found love. Do you want me to turn my partner away, just on the off chance that I can find a younger man who loves me, and wants kids, and that we'll be given a child to adopt? In Kansas?"

It feels like Sam still isn't comfortable with Joel having a partner, and is taking passive-aggressive jabs at Joel because of it.

[Juneau Gal]

Fred is the one who has been disappointing me this season. We have come to know him as a very perceptive, empathetic person. He can read the room and people. That has gone out the window since Susan. 
Again, I guess it fits with this season’s look at couples navigating through relationships; Tricia being divorced and no longer a couple, Joel and Brad combining households, Fred and Susan as newlyweds, now Irma and Tiffany (is that the right name?) just starting out as a couple, and Sam so wanting to be part of a couple and jealous of/not understanding her coupled friends. 

[sistermagpie]

This episode was really sweet! Perfect mixture of happiness and sadness and how they can exist at the same time.

I'm even on board for Sam and Iceland now. But she'll have to learn his name.

3 hours ago, Harvey said:

It was not clear to me why was Brad crying. Was it about the kids? Because it feels like he would get over the "pain" of not having them if Sam did not bring it up all the time.

 

30 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

That's what I thought too.  Sam really was almost as intrusive/tone deaf as Susan. 

 

14 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

I'd really like Joel to tell Sam, "I'm a gay man in Kansas who's pushing 50, and I've finally found love. Do you want me to turn my partner away, just on the off chance that I can find a younger man who loves me, and wants kids, and that we'll be given a child to adopt? In Kansas?"

It feels like Sam still isn't comfortable with Joel having a partner, and is taking passive-aggressive jabs at Joel because of it.

I don't think Sam's to blame at all for Joel crying. He really does have pain from giving up his dream ot having kids. Brad's being forced to talk about his at dinner would already have put it on his mind before Sam told him she understood why Joel was accepting not having them. Joel had even joking said that Brad's kids were supposed to fill the hole for him, and here's Brad suffering his whole life from being distant from them.

In fact, I think if Sam had anything to do with it, it was because she wasn't undermining his decision, but saying she understood why that was the way it was going to be, and that made it all the more real for Joel himself. He feels the pain every time Brad drinks out of the "two daddies" mug that Brad finds adorable. That's got to feel more passive-aggressive than anything Sam says directly. Joel even admitted he was hoping for a chance to get rid of it when Brad wasn't looking.

I really am holding out for something to happen with Susan, though I'm not sure it will. This is a show where people just live with things not being perfect. But for me it wasn't even just her pushy "Brad doesn't mind talking about it!" when he obviously did, but her whole "Love is love!" declaration, followed by touching Fred's hand, like she's proud of how open-minded she is compared to Brad's awful wife.

[peeayebee]

9 minutes ago, Juneau Gal said:

Fred is the one who has been disappointing me this season. We have come to know him as a very perceptive, empathetic person. He can read the room and people. That has gone out the window since Susan. 

I disagree. He looked uncomfortable as Susan talked. He's still perceptive and empathetic. It's just that Susan is a controlling person. It looks like Fred is afraid to stand up to her.

6 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

He feels the pain every time Brad drinks out of the "two daddies" mug that Brad finds adorable.

I didn't even think of that! I thought Joel didn't like the mug because the church ladies seemed to be trying too hard to be accepting of the gays. I like your insight.

[Grumpbump]

Sam and Trish singing "Never Been To Me". Loved it.

Joel kills me.  I have been there....spending time with family and enjoying the camaraderie of it all.  But when we separate, all of these feelings suddenly emerge.  Fear because it could be the last time, loss because we all aren't going home together, happiness because these people love me, good or bad.  Just a huge mix of emotions and I swear I have done the whole shaking my head at myself for crying? Like what. is. wrong. with. me.  Lol.  

 

What did Rosey Grier sing on Free To Be? "It's alright to cry.  Crying gets the sad out of you"

[ItCouldBeWorse]

12 hours ago, Harvey said:

It was not clear to me why was Brad Joel crying. Was it about the kids? Because it feels like he would get over the "pain" of not having them if Sam did not bring it up all the time.

 

9 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I'd really like Joel to tell Sam, "I'm a gay man in Kansas who's pushing 50, and I've finally found love. Do you want me to turn my partner away, just on the off chance that I can find a younger man who loves me, and wants kids, and that we'll be given a child to adopt? In Kansas?"

Exactly.  If he really wanted to have kids, he couldn't just wait for a miracle.  Whether he pursued surrogacy or adoption, he would have needed a steady income.  Or to have looked for a partner with one who also wanted kids.  He never took any steps to achieve that goal.

 

[sistermagpie]

9 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I didn't even think of that! I thought Joel didn't like the mug because the church ladies seemed to be trying too hard to be accepting of the gays. I like your insight.

To be honest, I didn't even think of it myself until I was writing that! I do think that was his original objection to it. It's just a much more regular reminder of the idea than Sam would be.

 

9 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

 

Exactly.  If he really wanted to have kids, he couldn't just wait for a miracle.  Whether he pursued surrogacy or adoption, he would have needed a steady income.  Or to have looked for a partner with one who also wanted kids.  He never took any steps to achieve that goal.

 

I think that's the way a lot of people are about kids, though. If they hadn't found themselves in the right relationship they'd never have had them.  It's just even more difficult for Joel given his situation. It's not like he was on track to have kids and then Brad ruined it, but settling down with Brad potentially means letting go of the dream for good.

And I don't think we even know if he's ever brought it up to Brad.

[Dminches]

18 hours ago, cpcathy said:

So we had a bunch of seasons of Entourage and only three of this show? HBO does some insane things, they think their viewers are ALL straight males? I remembered that this is a Duprats brothers show, which is why I enjoy it. I loved their previous HBO dramedy Togetherness which only got two seasons.

There are only 3 seasons because the Duplass team only wanted to do 3 seasons.  HBO would have happily kept it going.

7 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

 

Exactly.  If he really wanted to have kids, he couldn't just wait for a miracle.  Whether he pursued surrogacy or adoption, he would have needed a steady income.  Or to have looked for a partner with one who also wanted kids.  He never took any steps to achieve that goal.

 

I also thought Joel was crying because he really missed Sam. They used to spend all this time together and now it comes and goes. When Joel was in the car with Brad on their drive to the church function he said he wanted to spend more time with his friends. He misses Sam big time.

[pasdetrois]

Perhaps Joel was expressing all the memories and regrets that the holidays bring on. He had to hold it together during the party as host and to support Brad, and once he was outdoors with his bestie Sam it was safe to cry a little. Just like he did after cleaning up the kitchen. He's in his feelings because his life is changing and he's aging.

I think Sam bringing up children is a plot device to nudge Joel's storyline along.

Has he ever mentioned parents or siblings? I don''t think so. He may have no family of origin around.

He is my favorite character because of how he's written and how the actor portrays him.

Being away from loved children is horrible, whether they've gone to college, to the military or a job, or due to divorce. It's a normal part of life, but one grieves all the same. Brad has suffered a lot, but he's very rational and deliberative about expressing it. It's a relief that his character doesn't punch walls, have drunken crying jags, endlessly bring it up (e.g., Trish and her ex), and all of those TV tropes.

Anther simple but remarkable episode.

.

[marceline]

7 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

Perhaps Joel was expressing all the memories and regrets that the holidays bring on. He had to hold it together during the party as host and to support Brad, and once he was outdoors with his bestie Sam it was safe to cry a little. Just like he did after cleaning up the kitchen. He's in his feelings because his life is changing and he's aging.

Honestly it looked like even Joel wasn't sure why he was crying.

[nameless slob]

On 11/25/2024 at 1:45 AM, Blakeston said:

I was expecting Sam to get into an accident when she was backing out of the driveway - especially because Tricia didn't have her seatbelt on.

I thought something like that too, also when Joe was on the kitchen alone and Brad had gone upstairs. I thought a tragedy was gonna strike.

But I think that is what bad tv writing did with my mind, I can't even savour a delicate and/or natural moment in a storyline or with a character, a moment that lasts a proper amount of time for us to savour its delicacy, and to mirror real life, without thinking some asshole writer is gonna trow us a curveball and fuck it up.

Luckly they don't do that here.

[nameless slob]

12 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

Anther simple but remarkable episode.

That is this show to me, always. It gives me soooo much in its simplicity! I love it.

[chaifan]

18 hours ago, nameless slob said:

But I think that is what bad tv writing did with my mind, I can't even savour a delicate and/or natural moment in a storyline or with a character, a moment that lasts a proper amount of time for us to savour its delicacy, and to mirror real life, without thinking some asshole writer is gonna trow us a curveball and fuck it up.

LOL.  Same here.  Almost every time I see two characters riding in a car, I'm sure that someone will T-bone them in an intersection.  It's such a trope, and as you said, bad TV writing.  We've all been conditioned to it.

 

[sistermagpie]

4 minutes ago, chaifan said:

LOL.  Same here.  Almost every time I see two characters riding in a car, I'm sure that someone will T-bone them in an intersection.  It's such a trope, and as you said, bad TV writing.  We've all been conditioned to it.

 

Especially when they don't keep their eyes on the road!!

[heatherchandler]

On 11/26/2024 at 6:04 AM, pasdetrois said:

 

Anther simple but remarkable episode.

.

Maybe a liiiitle too simple?  I like the simple/simply lived life theme but it’s a bit slow and kind of un-interesting to me.

[AheadofStraight]

On 11/26/2024 at 6:42 AM, Dminches said:

There are only 3 seasons because the Duplass team only wanted to do 3 seasons.  HBO would have happily kept it going.

It seems like the team wanted to continue but HBO cancelled it. From a Vulture article:

There weren’t any teary, meaningful good-byes on set, though, because when production wrapped in March, the creators, cast, and crew didn’t yet know that season three would be their last. HBO announced in August it would not pick up Somebody Somewhere for a fourth season, so Everett, Hiller, and Garrrison are battling all five stages of grief as they cope with the end of the series. “I’m not even acknowledging that it’s a finale of any kind,” Garrison says. (That’s stage one: denial.)

[Dminches]

10 hours ago, AheadofStraight said:

It seems like the team wanted to continue but HBO cancelled it. From a Vulture article:

There weren’t any teary, meaningful good-byes on set, though, because when production wrapped in March, the creators, cast, and crew didn’t yet know that season three would be their last. HBO announced in August it would not pick up Somebody Somewhere for a fourth season, so Everett, Hiller, and Garrrison are battling all five stages of grief as they cope with the end of the series. “I’m not even acknowledging that it’s a finale of any kind,” Garrison says. (That’s stage one: denial.)

I read that after I posted. Previously I read that the writers only wanted 3 seasons. I guess in the end HBO cancelled.