S01.E08: Fun

[AnimeMania]

A twist of fate forces Anne and Ginny to confront their complicated feelings about one another. Jack and Kate's standoff comes to a head.

Premiere Date: May 1, 2025      Netflix     

[txhorns79]

I had liked the movie this series was based on, so I gave this series a chance.  It was enjoyable.  I liked that unlike the movie Anne was given a real personality and didn't mostly vanish after she got dumped.  I was surprised by the decision to kill off Nick, and I thought the problems of the couples were resolved a little too easily, but I did like it. 

[SeanBug]

I really enjoyed this.  The scene in the "Fall" episode of the men getting ice,  when Jack complains and Kate says "I can't wait to see the 30 for 30 episode about this", I was dying. If that doesn't strike a chord with every woman over 30, I don't know what will. 

I loved how they portray the balancing act of feeling young as you age. The realization that you may not always like your life partner, but the thought of losing them makes you remember that you would be lost without them. 

I knew Ginny was going to say she was pregnant.  I wondered if that was added to be able to do a second season. 

It was sweet to see Alan Alda playing Ann's father.  I had seen the movie but forgot he wrote and directed it. 

 

[SeanBug]

On 5/2/2025 at 10:31 PM, txhorns79 said:

I had liked the movie this series was based on, so I gave this series a chance.  It was enjoyable.  I liked that unlike the movie Anne was given a real personality and didn't mostly vanish after she got dumped.  I was surprised by the decision to kill off Nick, and I thought the problems of the couples were resolved a little too easily, but I did like it. 

Agree the Anne character in the movie was unbearable, so you could see why Nick left her.  This Anne was not that bad, she was just a 50-ish woman who enjoyed what she enjoyed. And at least she knows who Kenny Loggins is.  

I couldn't understand why Ginny's young friends were angry that Nick brought champagne on the NYE trip. He didn't tie them up and force them to drink it.   How could anyone be friends with that bunch?  I laughed at the mushroom coffee bit. I just saw "The Last of Us" coffee with cordyceps mushrooms at a grocery store. Sure, let me have some of that stuff that turns people into flesh eating zombie creatures. 

I do have to say the whole funeral thing was ridiculous. Why did Kate care so much about something that Anne was going to pay for?  No funeral home would pull a a stunt like that.  At least I hope not. 

[General Days]

On 5/4/2025 at 10:37 AM, SeanBug said:

I couldn't understand why Ginny's young friends were angry that Nick brought champagne on the NYE trip. He didn't tie them up and force them to drink it. 

 

We didn't see the friends get angry, right? We saw Ginny get angry (about that, as well as about him not giving her friends a chance, in her eyes, anyhow).

Ginny called out Nick on that, because she had previously told him that some of them are sober. Often, when someone says it like that (e.g. "Bob is sober," as opposed to, "Bob doesn't really drink"), they mean Bob used to drink, had a problem, and got sober. I think that's why she was upset. 

Still, if Ginny didn't want Nick to bring alcohol for them, since it was a New Year's getaway, she should have specified it was an alcohol-free celebration, because some people are sober. There are plenty of people in recovery who do not mind others drinking. It was on Ginny to make her expectations clear to Nic.

I suspect some measure of her angst over that particular thing might have been due to her pregnancy. If she didn't drink, he might ask her why. Maybe she wasn't ready to tell him yet. 

 

On 5/4/2025 at 10:37 AM, SeanBug said:

I do have to say the whole funeral thing was ridiculous. Why did Kate care so much about something that Anne was going to pay for?  No funeral home would pull a a stunt like that.  At least I hope not. 

 

I think they were trying to give Jack a "win," but that fell flat for me. He could have better explained what the funeral home owner had told him. Instead, he just said things about the expenses being typical, so Kate thought the funeral director just steamrolled him.

[AheadofStraight]

On 5/4/2025 at 10:30 AM, SeanBug said:

I knew Ginny was going to say she was pregnant.  I wondered if that was added to be able to do a second season. 

I just finished watching the movie and she was pregnant in the movie too.

Overall, really enjoyed this. I watched the movie for the first time after and liked the show a lot more than the movie, likely since the characters could be fleshed out with the additional time. Plus I adore Tina so I was biased already. (I kept waiting for Nick to die in the movie, haha!) 

[SeanBug]

1 hour ago, AheadofStraight said:

I just finished watching the movie and she was pregnant in the movie too.

Overall, really enjoyed this. I watched the movie for the first time after and liked the show a lot more than the movie, likely since the characters could be fleshed out with the additional time. Plus I adore Tina so I was biased already. (I kept waiting for Nick to die in the movie, haha!) 

The Anne character in the series was given a better story line, instead of her just being a schlub who disappeared eventually. 

I wonder if Nick died because they knew Carell might not be available, or it gives Ginny and Anne a chance to become better acquainted. 

I love Tina. No bullshit, no filter, just tells it like it is. 

[roughing it]

I really liked this series and laughed out loud a number of times.  While I liked how they fleshed out Anne's character and storyline (how the divorce impacted her and her daughter) I was not too keen on the casting of Anne.  I thought she seemed at least 10 years older than all of the rest of them.  That may or may not be true, but that's how I felt.  I think they should have found someone who looked of similar age and was a little more frumpy (kind of like Anne in the movie).

[SoMuchTV]

7 hours ago, roughing it said:

I really liked this series and laughed out loud a number of times.  While I liked how they fleshed out Anne's character and storyline (how the divorce impacted her and her daughter) I was not too keen on the casting of Anne.  I thought she seemed at least 10 years older than all of the rest of them.  That may or may not be true, but that's how I felt.  I think they should have found someone who looked of similar age and was a little more frumpy (kind of like Anne in the movie).

FWIW, I IMDb’d the actors, and most of the original friend group were born in 1969 or 1970. Except Steve Carrell, who’s about 8 years older, and Marco Calvani (Claude) who’s about 10 years younger. I don’t know the Anne actor from other roles so I don’t know if she was just styled to look older (and/or Carrell to look younger) or if that’s just the roll of the genetic dice. 

[AheadofStraight]

She's one of those, "Hey it's that guy/gal/person!"with appearances all over the place but I remember her the most from Reno 911, where she was a pretty crazy character! 😂

[BlackberryJam]

I enjoyed it overall. I had seen the movie back in the day and really enjoyed it. 

I liked that the series gave Anne more of a personality. I thought Kerri Kenney-Silver (55) looked on point to be married to Steve Carell (62). No botox, natural wrinkling, easy to manage hair. She looked amazing in that white dress in the first episode.

I thought Will Forte was the acting weak link. Tina and Colman have great on screen chemistry. Will and Tina don’t show that same connection. It could just be that Colman is a chemistry magnet. 

I was a little disappointed we didn’t see Lila and Anne grieving more together and Lila wasn’t involved in the funeral planning but Kate was? WTF?

ETA: Also I thought I’d clocked Chloe Troast as the Marriott desk person. 

 

Edited May 10 by BlackberryJam

[A.Ham]

On 5/4/2025 at 10:37 AM, SeanBug said:

I do have to say the whole funeral thing was ridiculous. Why did Kate care so much about something that Anne was going to pay for?  No funeral home would pull a a stunt like that.  At least I hope not. 

Right. And the price I heard quoted that she made a big deal about was like $2,500.00 if I recall correctly.  Being cheap for a funeral of your best friend for 25 years is not a good look. I suppose you could blame it on grief. My mother's funeral (yes, it included burial, which adds a lot more) was 12K. If we cremated her I think we were quoted a little over 6K. 

[Night Cheese]

I unintentionally watched all of this yesterday. It wasn't the best show, but i thought it was better than a lot of other shows about a longtime friends group of a certain age that we catch up with at certain points in their lives as they face life's challenges.

Nick dying was a complete shock. I was wondering about halfway through if the show was going to end with him getting back together with Anne or if everyone would come around to accept and even become fond of Ginny. I guess the latter kinda happened. The pregnancy was predictable once Nick died. 

I loved the Alan Alda cameo. When Kate hugged him and said I love you, it was obvious that was more so Tina than Kate, and that was perfectly fine. I'm here for all the odes to the great ones before they leave us. 

[SoMuchTV]

On 5/4/2025 at 10:37 AM, SeanBug said:

I do have to say the whole funeral thing was ridiculous. Why did Kate care so much about something that Anne was going to pay for?  No funeral home would pull a a stunt like that.  At least I hope not. 

 

4 hours ago, A.Ham said:

Right. And the price I heard quoted that she made a big deal about was like $2,500.00 if I recall correctly.  Being cheap for a funeral of your best friend for 25 years is not a good look. I suppose you could blame it on grief. My mother's funeral (yes, it included burial, which adds a lot more) was 12K. If we cremated her I think we were quoted a little over 6K. 

I can see a way where it’s fair to give Kate a pass on this. In her view, Anne had been given a quote on the funeral expenses, and now they were trying to nickel and dime her friend with basically the pin striping and the rust coating. So she wants to make sure Anne isn’t taken advantage of. So I can see a way that the funeral director is more at fault than Kate. If those up charges were so important, they should have been included in the original quote. 

[ljenkins782]

On 5/5/2025 at 6:33 PM, General Days said:

I think they were trying to give Jack a "win," but that fell flat for me. He could have better explained what the funeral home owner had told him. Instead, he just said things about the expenses being typical, so Kate thought the funeral director just steamrolled him.

Yeah, I think it’s a valid point to make that sometimes the Kates of the world can overstep and push too far, but the way Jack described his conversation with the funeral director, it absolutely sounded like he got bamboozled by a sales pitch. 
 

I also unintentionally binged this yesterday, it was better than I was expecting. Colman Domingo was the standout for me with Will Forte the weak link. There was no visible chemistry between him and Tina, which made the more emotional scenes fall a little flat. His character reminded me a bit of Phill on Modern Fanily, an actor like Ty Burrell could have really sold that role.

i agree with the poster upthread that the actress playing Anne appeared older than the rest, but I think that’s just how that actress’s face looks. That scene with the surf instructor was screamingly awkward but also refreshingly realistic. Too many shows and movies use the highly unlikely scenario of the recent dumpee taking a solo vacation and meeting some impossibly attractive and mysteriously single/available stranger and falling in love. This show’s version was far more true to real life. 
 

I’ve seen the movie but it was awhile ago, I don’t remember an analogous scene to the NYE parties, but I appreciated the way they portrayed Nick not fitting into Ginny’s life. That’s not a view you see often, but I also think it’s less likely for a person with a large social circle to become involved in those May/December relationships, I feel like it’s more isolated women who are willing to completely assimilate into their older partner’s life.

i would ordinarily find a character like Claude annoying, but the actor was so joyful that he became endearing.

[BlackberryJam]

6 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

Yeah, I think it’s a valid point to make that sometimes the Kates of the world can overstep and push too far, but the way Jack described his conversation with the funeral director, it absolutely sounded like he got bamboozled by a sales pitch. 

Yes, and maybe this is where Forte falls flat for me. He was unable to articulate all this to Kate in a manner that didn’t make him sound like a complete idiot. 

6 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

Colman Domingo was the standout for me with Will Forte the weak link. There was no visible chemistry between him and Tina, which made the more emotional scenes fall a little flat.

[snip]

i would ordinarily find a character like Claude annoying, but the actor was so joyful that he became endearing.

Colman is just fantastic and he seemed to ooooze chemistry every time he was on screen. I’m wondering if my issues with Forte were exacerbated by how good Colman and Marco Calvani were. I feel like Steve Carell would have done better in the Jack role, but I can’t see Forte playing Nick either. 

I also enjoyed how Nick couldn’t slot himself into Ginny’s life. 

[wenhiku]

3 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

I’m wondering if my issues with Forte were exacerbated by how good Colman and Marco Calvani were. I feel like Steve Carell would have done better in the Jack role, but I can’t see Forte playing Nick either. 

I think the issue for me with Will Forte is that he voices a dimwitted character on the show The Great North.  He has a voice of a cartoon character and I just could not NOT hear that.  I totally agree about Colman and Calvani.

6 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

7 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

it absolutely sounded like he got bamboozled by a sales pitch. 

Yes, and maybe this is where Forte falls flat for me. He was unable to articulate all this to Kate in a manner that didn’t make him sound like a complete idiot. 

I took that as an intentional decision on the part of the director/casting.  If Forte had sounded convincing, there would not have been a follow up scene for Fey.  He acted it just the way that was needed for the plotline.

[BlackberryJam]

@wenhikuExactly. So he sounded like an idiot for reasons of PLOT. He just did a great job of sounding like an idiot. I wouldn’t have trusted him either. Especially if he has a history of being a doormat.

I see Forte as Randy from How I Met Your Mother. So…I can’t see him bagging a hottie like Tina Fey.

 

[stormy weather]

I haven't seen the movie but I enjoyed the show. My only two pet peeves were why is Claude called Claude if he's Italian and also the pregnancy thing. You could see it coming from a thousand miles and I'm really tired of this trope. Every time a woman throws up or refuses a drink in a show/movie the reason ALWAYS is that she's pregnant. Apparently no woman can ever get a stomach bug in the entertainment industry. Also, it adds nothing to the story as it was he last sentence of the show and we never got to see anyone's reaction to the news (especially Lila's).

[AheadofStraight]

15 hours ago, wenhiku said:

I think the issue for me with Will Forte is that he voices a dimwitted character on the show The Great North.  He has a voice of a cartoon character and I just could not NOT hear that.  I totally agree about Colman and Calvani.

That's the only character he ever plays! I'm literally re-watching Last Man on Earth right now and he is such a buffoon, it is weird to see him in a more serious role. I saw him getting accolades for a meaty role in the movie Nebraska but I've never seen it. 

[wenhiku]

53 minutes ago, AheadofStraight said:

That's the only character he ever plays!

Now that you mention it, you are right.  I remember his character in How I Met Your Mother, but I really have not seen him in things other than Saturday Night Live.

[ljenkins782]

On 5/12/2025 at 7:13 PM, wenhiku said:

I think the issue for me with Will Forte is that he voices a dimwitted character on the show The Great North.  He has a voice of a cartoon character and I just could not NOT hear that.  I totally agree about Colman and Calvani.

I took that as an intentional decision on the part of the director/casting.  If Forte had sounded convincing, there would not have been a follow up scene for Fey.  He acted it just the way that was needed for the plotline.

It’s the plot line that I had a problem with,  the twist of Jack being right about the charges just seemed unrealistic. And if a funeral home would really take such pleasure in ruining the final farewell of someone, they don’t deserve to be in business. That part just seemed unrealistic and tacky.

I’ve really never seen Will Forte in anything but SNL and the characters were always kind of buffoon ish, so he didn’t work for me here. Agreed with poster upthread who said Steve Carell would have been better in the Jack role, but I would have gone another way for Nick and left Will Forte out of this one.

[Blakeston]

Re: Nick and the champagne, I think it's understandable if people in recovery want a sober New Year's Eve celebration. That night is so culturally tied to drinking that I imagine it would be very tempting to fall off the wagon. The big question is whether Ginny actually explained the situation, or if she just said, "So-and-so and so-and-so are sober" and left it at that.

Re: the funeral, I think Kate screwed up badly. It sounds like she just went in looking for anywhere she could knock some money off the bill, without concerning herself with what impact it would have on the funeral. If they say they're going to put you in a smaller room, you need to find out how big that room is. If they want to give you the cheapest urn, you need to see what it looks like.

And really, why would money be an issue? Nick was the king of hedge funds! A $2,500 urn shouldn't be the slightest issue for his estate.

That said, I really liked this. One thing I really appreciated was that everyone was a fairly good person who made mistakes.

- Nick was a serial cheater, and it was incredibly dumb for him to expect his friends to go on vacation with Ginny right away, and to bring her to parents' weekend. 

- Anne's surprise vow renewal was emotional blackmail, considering that she knew Nick was at least thinking of leaving her. And she should have allowed Ginny to have some part in the funeral. And frankly, Nick was justified in leaving. He wanted to get as much as he could from life, and she clearly didn't.

- Ginny seemed oblivious to the reality that the people in Nick's life might resent her. In all likelihood she and Nick were already screwing before he left Anne, and even if they weren't, she had to know how it would look. Also, she had to be completely oblivious to choose nothing but risque photos for his funeral slideshow.

- Kate was mean a lot of the time, and wasn't as capable as she thought she was. She wanted to run on the cracking ice! Seriously?

- Jack was a child in many respects, and he kissed Anne.

- Danny was childish in his own right regarding his health. He also took Claude for granted, lied to him, and didn't see him as an equal partner. 

- Claude was probably the least flawed of any of them. But I think he would be difficult to be in a relationship wiith. In his very warm, caring way, he was pretty controlling. And he could definitely be ridiculous.

But in spite of all of their flaws, I think they were all good people, and I cared about what happened to them. IMO, the only person who didn't show any redeeming qualities was Lila, who behaved like she was twelve. 

 

[LeDucDiableBleu]

The actor who plays Claude has the best puppy dog eyes and puppy looks I've ever seen. He really looks like my toy poodle sometimes (in a good way!) which is just totally adorable. I could see how it would be terribly exhausting to be in a relationship with him though. When he was singing at the wedding and realized it was the wrong song and he was duped again, it was so funny how he switched between the joyful looks to the audience and daggers at Danny.

I was upset at the funeral. If it were my best friend or Dad's funeral I would be upset that Kate wanted to cheap out on it. These are people who take at least four adults-only vacations a year, who ski and have lake houses. There was no need to worry about the funeral being too expensive.

Another cartoony role that Will Forte played was on a Disney kids show called Lab Rats. He played the voice of the ever-present AI butler who was always pranking the kids and being evil. He brought so much life to that show and was completely hilarious. He truly has a gift of playing that kind of character.

[Bruinsfan]

On 5/13/2025 at 8:17 PM, Blakeston said:

Also, she had to be completely oblivious to choose nothing but risque photos for his funeral slideshow.

I have a sneaking suspicion those were the only kind of photos she had of Nick and herself. They didn't seem like a cute-photos-with-dogs-at-the-park-or-getting-ice-cream-at-the-pier kind of couple.

Edited May 16 by Bruinsfan

[Milburn Stone]

Colman Domingo was a discovery for me. I know I'm late to the party and he's done great work in movies, but they're movies I've never seen. I only knew the name. 

I wouldn't have cast Carell as Jack because that would mean he didn't play Nick and he was better as Nick than any other actor I can imagine. He took a character who was a complete cliché on the page--the "husband having mid-life crisis who leaves his wife for a young hottie"--and made me understand him from the very first episode. I felt his torment. Then, I felt his joy. Then I felt his alienation. Then I felt his goodness. 

 

[roughing it]

The weak link in this series is Will Forte.  I didn't feel his character and thought he didn't have chemistry with any of his costars.