S02.E12: The Last Thanksgiving

[chitowngirl]

Season finale. Jimmy takes Paul’s advice about Alice. Liz finally finds her purpose. Gaby hosts Thanksgiving dinner.

[SoMuchTV]

Now available early (12/23 evening)

[Domestic Assassin]

This show isn't perfect, but I loved this finale. Harrison Ford better get an Emmy nomination this year - that monologue was so, so good! And I loved the conversation with Jimmy and Alice in the kitchen. 😭

[SoMuchTV]

Oh I did not think they would go so close to the brink of being that dark. And no I’m not tearing up about any of these people! Why would you think that?!

[aghst]

I guess Louis will be brought into this happy, loving circle next season.

Jimmy is a doctor — they have medical degrees to practice therapy? — so despite the tragedy, he would reach out to prevent harm that Louis seemed to be contemplating.

But it’s not as believable that Alice would not only be so forgiving but wanting to forge a relationship with Louis?  They’re trying to show how wise beyond her years she is.

Just not credible.

As far as Louis, he chose to be alone right?  However wracked his conscience was, he sent his girlfriend or fiancée away — my recollection was that she was ready to stand by him, support him through his emotional devastation.

He thought he’d be so miserable and mistreat her so he broke up with her.  Yet he’s now trying to be this happy barista guy, wanting to be with his coworkers socially and friendly with Alice, wanting Jimmy to forgive him?

So why wouldn’t he reach out to his girlfriend, instead messages a 17 year old teen daughter of the woman he killed?

Seems like the writers are straining to show how these characters go through struggles so that the snappy, happy dialogue is deserving.  Despite trying so hard to be smart and colorful, they want us to know these are serious people, who’ve gone through “real” and heavy things in their lives.

[AheadofStraight]

Louis confuses me. He dumped the finance because she reminded him of the accident. But Alice doesn't?!?! If anything, she should be an even worse reminder. 

Otherwise, I loved the episode and got teary a couple of times. I am absolutely loving Harrison Ford on this show. I just watched his episode of Conan Needs A Friend on YouTube (wanted to see the visuals instead of just the regular podcast) and he is basically Paul in real life lol!

[Dminches]

20 hours ago, aghst said:

But it’s not as believable that Alice would not only be so forgiving but wanting to forge a relationship with Louis?  They’re trying to show how wise beyond her years she is.

Just not credible.

 

This has nothing to do with Alice being wise. She is a teenager and teenagers don't think and process things like adults. At that age they still think everything can be great (about others). To me, it is not surprising that she would be able to look past her own grief and open up to someone who killed her mother. Likewise, I completely understand Jimmy's reluctance to get involved. Adults and kids don't see things the same way.

 

[grawlix]

On 12/24/2024 at 7:45 AM, AheadofStraight said:

Louis confuses me. He dumped the finance because she reminded him of the accident. But Alice doesn't?!?! If anything, she should be an even worse reminder.

My thought is that Louis believed he didn't deserve any happiness in his life.  He felt that he needed to be miserable and breaking up with Sarah allowed him to wallow in his regret.  Saying that Sarah reminded him of the accident was his excuse to break up with her but I don't think he was being truthful.

Alice was not part of his former life so her presence allows him to stop wallowing and start on moving on.

I expect Sarah to return to Louis' life sometime next season.

[Good Queen Jane]

Jimmy et al are psychologists, not psychiatrists. No medical degrees. 
 

Tia’s death happened two years ago. Immediately afterwards Louis was consumed with guilt and self loathing. As stated above, he didn’t think he deserved happiness so he broke up with his fiancée. He then served his prison sentence of 10 months and started to rebuild his life. He started to believe he could be happy again with friends and then his past actions came up again and destroyed that. Dashed hope can become despair so quickly. I’m glad for both Louis and Jimmy that Jimmy could reach out to him in time. 
 

Next season should be really interesting.

[aghst]

Didn't Jimmy or one of the others prescribe meds to some of the patients in the first season?

Yeah Jimmy doesn't look like the type who'd have applied himself to get through medical school.

In any event, I can see Louis reaching out to someone but a 17-year old teen, regardless of how he came to know her, doesn't seem to be at top of list of people he should lean on.

Hell he'd have gotten more help from some stranger at a crisis hotline than a teen.  Jimmy kind of works because Louis was seeking validation from him, to put this tragic accident behind him.  Jimmy ws the last one whose forgiveness he was seeking.

But messaging Alice?  Still don't buy it.  He knew  Brian too, so Brian before Alice but they're both towards the bottom of the list.

Edited 5 hours ago by aghst

[Blakeston]

I think I might have missed something this season. Louis and Alice were friends, then Jimmy saw them together and told Louis, "I don't want you interacting with my daughter or my friends."

So Louis told Alice that they couldn't hang out, and Alice figured out that Jimmy was behind it, so she told off Jimmy.

Then...Louis and Alice are friends again, and Alice is demanding that Jimmy reach out to Louis personally?

Maybe I missed a scene in the middle of all this, where Jimmy tells Louis, "I changed my mind, it's fine for you to hang out with my daughter, but I don't want to be around you myself." Or a scene where Louis tells Alice, "I don't care what your father thinks anymore, so let's hang out."

Also, how did Louis's co-worker's family/friends figure out that Louis killed someone? Did the co-worker google him, and then tell everyone, "Hey, the guy I invited over for Thanksgiving is guilty of vehicular homicide? If so, it was a dick move. That really should have been explained better.

Other thoughts:

I kind of hate that Alice's emotional blackmail basically saved the day.

The physical attractiveness of Wendie Malick and Damon Wayans Jr. was commented on so much this season that if I were either of those actors, I would wonder if someone on the writing staff was stalking me.

I suspect that they're setting up the groundwork for Summer to move in next season. I hope so - she's easily one of the funniest parts of the show.

 

[twoods]

What a great ending to this season. From Jimmy and Alice’s conversation to Paul thanking everyone, and then the train station Jimmy and Louis. I hope they both can forgive themselves and heal together next year. 

Liz is going to be even more obnoxious next year when she’s the pseudo nanny, isn’t she?