S01.E04: Grief

[AnimeMania]

When Riley discovers a closet filled with her late mother’s clothes, she insists Matt hasn’t processed her death and urges him to see a grief counselor. Meanwhile, Gabriel faces a crisis of confidence when he’s put in charge of the shop for a day.

Premiere Date: January 29, 2025    ABC      8pm 

FELIPE ESPARZA    

CHELSEA LONDON LLOYD

[iMonrey]

Matt's bed set looked like it was staged by Bed, Bath and Beyond. Are we to believe this curmudgeonly old widower has a bed set that pristine? Also, anyone notice his shirt looked like it was made out of the same material as his couch? When he sat down on it, he was basically camouflaged. 

Riley should not have pushed Matt into grief counseling. Everyone has a different way of dealing with grief, and there is no right way. And he barely raised his voice at Georgie. Quit acting like he beat the crap out of her.

The secondary story with the garage employees didn't really work. I don't really have any investment in them. Daryl Mitchell and Seann William Scott are wasted on this show. These secondary characters only work when they are interacting with Matt and Riley.

[seacliffsal]

The timeline of this show is all over the place.  Last week was the first day of school, this week, Carter has been in school long enough to join the robotics club AND build a functioning robot.  Also, Riley didn't seem to have a job to get to or worry about.

I agree with the above about how we all grieve differently.  At my father's funeral (I was 19) a woman from our church came up to me and told me how I should be acting.  She told me I needed to be crying, well, I had been crying for 5 days non-stop before the funeral.

[Marley]

I hate the kids on this show.

[lh25]

22 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

The timeline of this show is all over the place.  Last week was the first day of school, this week, Carter has been in school long enough to join the robotics club AND build a functioning robot.  Also, Riley didn't seem to have a job to get to or worry about.

I agree.  And it seem like the guy acting as boss had been doing so for a long time.  More than just one morning.

[Chit Chat]

On 1/30/2025 at 11:09 AM, iMonrey said:

Everyone has a different way of dealing with grief, and there is no right way. And he barely raised his voice at Georgie. Quit acting like he beat the crap out of her.

I agree.  I'm wondering if Matt was advised by the counselor to start throwing out his wife's clothing right away, or if he was just angry that she might've suggested he do that in the near future, so he went home and took out his anger on that particular task.  I find it surprising if a counselor would suggest a person do that if they're not ready.  Hopefully the young counselor will learn that getting rid of a deceased loved one's clothing & other personal items and closing out all of their accounts can feel like you're erasing that person.  Everyone moves at their own pace in this regard.

Georgie should've asked permission to go into her grandmother's closet.  I'm glad that Matt let her keep the jacket though.  

[DanaK]

That grief counselor was way too inexperienced to be dealing with the complex issue of family grief. Riley and Matt should have asked for someone more experienced or for the young counselor to be teamed by a more experienced one. I guess the counselors have to start somewhere but she was not doing a good job

[NJRadioGuy]

On 1/31/2025 at 4:07 PM, Marley said:

I hate the kids on this show.

Me too. They're ridiculous.

Also what's with the lighting? It's like there are no key lights on the actors' faces in tight shots. Maybe Tim has issues with bright light close up or something?