Season 1 Talk

[sinkwriter]

 

Plus, there was just an episode where he was doing the most about his birthday. So I don't understand what his problem was with bow wanting to impress her friends. He's always whining about something.

 

True, but up until his younger colleague made him feel like his ideas were "old," his plans were in keeping with stuff that he would enjoy and that he thought would be fun. It was Dre being himself. With this party, Bow was going over the top and behaving very much unlike herself, all to impress her friends, and it sounded like she had done it many times over the years because Dre was frustrated with her doing it again. So I don't think his not wanting her to have such a ridiculous party or for her to behave like herself was out of order.

 

The rest, though... how he got so worked up about her past relationships and expected apologies and embarrassed her in front of her friends, that was way out of line.

[ribboninthesky1]

True, but up until his younger colleague made him feel like his ideas were "old," his plans were in keeping with stuff that he would enjoy and that he thought would be fun. It was Dre being himself. With this party, Bow was going over the top and behaving very much unlike herself, all to impress her friends, and it sounded like she had done it many times over the years because Dre was frustrated with her doing it again. So I don't think his not wanting her to have such a ridiculous party or for her to behave like herself was out of order.

 

I don't see much difference - both of them got caught up in trying to impress other people.  It's a human thing to do.  Yet, Bow wasn't shown complaining about his party or having so many damn people she likely didn't even know in their house because Dre was trying to prove something.  Plus, after the shit she has had to tolerate with his mother, and Dre literally having a tantrum over her parents' visit, to the extent he plopped down on the floor in front of the door and didn't want to let them in, I think being a bit more supportive of Bow is the least he can do.  Making nice for a few hours is not the end of the world - it's not like these are people they see all the time. 

 

Mind you, I didn't like Bow's "friends", either.  They were as bad as Dre in putting Bow on blast, but at least she doesn't have to live with them. 

 

ETA: 

Also, I didn't think Bow was all that ridiculous.  If the most absurd she gets is using SAT words, and wanting her friends to be impressed with her wardrobe, that's not really over the top to me.  Tracee played it that way, but in the grand scheme, it's not the big of a deal. To me, Dre's problem was that he just didn't like her friends for his own reasons, which is fair.  But yeah, suck it up for a few hours and go back to business. After the vow renewal episode, I suspect Bow might just dial down the vocabulary for Dre's sake, and it may be closer to who she is than he thinks. 

Edited April 10, 2015 by ribboninthesky1

[Happytobehere]

Loved this episode. But I agree with the majority who say Dre and his nonsense are working my nerves. I see all of the kids' worst character traits in him.

On to the reason for my post. Afterbuzz TV does,a podcast of Blackish and this week they have the actors who play Diane and Jack. If you thought you loved the characters, wait till you get a load of the actors: http://site.afterbuzztv.com/shows/black-ish-s1-the-real-world-e20-afterbuzz-tv-aftershow/

[mtlchick]

Diane and Charles is the feud I never thought I needed on TV and now I enjoy it way too much.  

[pookat]

Also, I love the fact that Josh did not know how to use chopsticks!  On tv everyone just effortlessly uses them while eating Chinese.  But Josh was struggling.  Much more realistic.  A nice little sight gag that was just allowed to happen with no special attention or commentary.

That was one of my favorite moments in a sea of gems last night! I also loved Charlie wrapping up some hummus in a cloth napkin.

(Though I have wonder where he's spending his nights what with his car being repossessed and being kicked out of his home)

I love Diane. It's great how they've made her Charlie's slightly sociopathic nemesis with him being the only one who seems to see the potential for evil.

Diane, Charlie and Josh are always my go-to's for perfect comedic moments.

[TrininisaScorp]

The Diane-Charles dynamic is one of my favorite things about this show.  Deon Cole's pure fear and uneasiness acting kills me every time.

 

Dre has annoyed me a bit since the first time we met this momma.  Anthony Anderson brings the funny, but isn't as endearing as the other actors on the show (IMO).

 

I think I've said this in every episode I post in, but it remains true:  I LOVE Diane and Jack.  They are so cute and funny. "Probably.  I'm a hot mess."

[biakbiak]

If he has to watch his wife behave unlike herself, going over the top trying too hard to impress her former college buddies, and if she expects him to play it up too, that doesn't make him an asshole in my book.

 

My main issue is that we have seen him behave like an ass time and time again and we have seen her put up with it and his friends, coworkers, and parents but he never has had to make any attempt for her. Hell even the episode wasn't about Dre being put in the weird places that she is put with his mother but his parents having to deal with them.

[needschocolate]

There are a lot of sitcom plots that get recycled - not getting that vasectomy, trying to impress old friends, etc.  It is not always a bad thing, if the show does a different spin on the concept.  

 

The Charles & Diane feud is something I have never seen before.  I love it.  

[Pop Tart]

 

 

The rest, though... how he got so worked up about her past relationships and expected apologies and embarrassed her in front of her friends, that was way out of line.

 

I agree. When the kids (who needed a villain for their reality show) were filming the "I Never" drinking game and Dre was being such an ass, Zoey said "now we have our villain", I was sure the next words out of her mouth were going to be "It's dad". That totally fit with how he was behaving. Instead she decided it was mom who was the villain? It did not compute for me because Dre was the one who was sooo upset that his star wife was really a dud because she'd been dumped so many times in college. And it wasn't about her, it was about him and what it said about him that his wife was a loser. 

[shura]

Speaking of villains, would Zoe really know who Omarosa is? Wasn't Omarosa ten years ago, when Zoe was what, four? And for sure Jack and Diane wouldn't understand Zoe's reference, would they? 

[Eolivet]

Lastly, the kids reminded me that I am old enough to be their parent and thus we come from a different generation.  Yes, I watched the Real Word (early seasons).  Yes, I remember having to watch the show that night or risk never seeing it again until the summer.  Yes, I remember setting up the VCR to record a show while I watched another show on a different TV.  Yup, TV viewing has definitely changed over the years, though oddly, I am back in the old-school TV watching stage.

 

That's one of the things that didn't quite work for me -- this was 1994, not 1984. I remember setting my VCR to record programs for every week at a certain time, just like I set my DVR. I wish they'd emphasized more the "Every time you wanted to record something, you had to buy a big clunky tape" or "Every time you wanted to watch something, you had to wait for it to rewind, and sometimes it rewound too far and you had to fast-forward!" as opposed to "If you missed it, it was gone forever!" We have more options to catch up on shows these days, but if you forget to set your DVR or the show isn't available online/OnDemand, it still can be gone forever. Especially since the networks never air reruns anymore!

 

Otherwise, a slightly uncomfortable episode. A little too much "cringe humor" (a.k.a. point and laugh at the stupid person, a.k.a. Bow) for my taste.

[mojito]

Junior refers to the "early" days of television, days that came some 40 years after the actual "early" days of television. It is funny to see how quickly technology has changed and how quickly we adapt.

 

 

It's great how they've made her Charlie's slightly sociopathic nemesis with him being the only one who seems to see the potential for evil.

I like your interpretation. Mine is less dark. I see Diane as being so perceptive that she's got Charlie all figured out and Charlie feeling uncomfortable knowing that she has him figured out. He's a great character, with his shady, offbeat, weird past. I don't want them to ever explain him or his relationship with Diane. Just keep things as they are. And keep Jack naive and always happy.

 

I thought this was a weak episode in which Dre comes off as a jerk. Again.

[needschocolate]

I agree. When the kids (who needed a villain for their reality show) were filming the "I Never" drinking game and Dre was being such an ass, Zoey said "now we have our villain", I was sure the next words out of her mouth were going to be "It's dad". That totally fit with how he was behaving. Instead she decided it was mom who was the villain? It did not compute for me because Dre was the one who was sooo upset that his star wife was really a dud because she'd been dumped so many times in college. And it wasn't about her, it was about him and what it said about him that his wife was a loser. 

 

I am not sure that kids would really pay attention to what was said, they just saw that everyone seemed against Bow, so Bow must the villain. 

[Dee]

Dre somersaulting across the bed to get away from Bow, only for her to mimic him and get stuck like an overturned tortoise is where I lost it.

[Athena]

I found Dre annoying during the game too. There was no reason why Bow had to explain things to him that night, but there have been other incidents of him acting like a jerk. I still like their chemistry a lot though.

 

 

As for the episode, I didn't really like Bow being the butt of every joke.  I also didn't get Fat Shawn chiding Dre about Bow being around her ex but seemed okay with her husband (Bland Lance is her husband, right?) being around his ex.  That triangle confused me a bit.

 

I don't think Shaun likes Bow. She was there to rub it in Bow's face and knows Lance dumped Bow. She was doing her own gloating about her weight loss "Food looks great... wish I could eat it! (fake laugh)" and basically the whole game she was egging Bow on.

 

Also, I love the fact that Josh did not know how to use chopsticks!  On tv everyone just effortlessly uses them while eating Chinese.  But Josh was struggling.  Much more realistic.  A nice little sight gag that was just allowed to happen with no special attention or commentary.

 

Yes. I also liked that there at the edge of the frame of one of the buffet scenes, Josh was unsure or making faces at the food he was eating. Such a nice side guy. His smarminess has really grown on me and now I find it really amusing.

 

Charlie too! I think they've used Charlie just right and he's been consistently funny.

[SmithW6079]

When the kids (who needed a villain for their reality show) were filming the "I Never" drinking game and Dre was being such an ass, Zoey said "now we have our villain", I was sure the next words out of her mouth were going to be "It's dad". That totally fit with how he was behaving.

That's what I thought too.

Instead she decided it was mom who was the villain? It did not compute for me because Dre was the one who was sooo upset that his star wife was really a dud because she'd been dumped so many times in college. And it wasn't about her, it was about him and what it said about him that his wife was a loser.

The only thing I can think of is that Bow as the "villain" gives more drama. Dre was a dick, but he wasn't having a breakdown.

Regarding the Spanx -- women really put themselves in those full-body girdles? How do you breathe?

[Black Knight]

Earlier in the episode, Zoey defined a Real World villain as someone who's a drama queen (and I've watched enough seasons of RW to understand why she would define it that way), so it made sense to me that she declared Bow the villain after she had that freakout.

 

I don't think Dre went into that game deliberately intending to humiliate Bow. He just wanted to find out how many times she'd been dumped, and I doubt he expected the number to be so high. He figured he'd only have to do it a couple of times to reach the number. Yes, he should have stopped after two times at most because of the way everyone else was reacting, but I think he just got tunnel vision and was focused on finding out the number, not on reactions.

 

I didn't feel Bow was asking Dre to be anything other than himself, really - she mentioned him having dead face last time, so I took her point to be that he should be the engaged version of himself, not someone who was just checked out all night. And she's right there, if you're in a relationship with someone and they're having their friends or family over, you should never just sit there like a lump, because it brings the entire thing down.

 

Re: the Charles/Diane feud, I wonder if it was thought of before the show started and the characters were given their names for that reason. I know "Diane" isn't the same as "Diana" (I also have one of those first names that can end in -e or -a, and most people act like they're interchangeable but they're not), but maybe they didn't want to be too on the nose.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Black Knight

[meep.meep]

I'm pretty sure the twins got their names from the song.

Everyone else calls him Charlie - only from Diane (aka the girl twin) does he get addressed by his full name.

[BoogieBurns]

I also have one of those first names that can end in -e or -a, and most people act like they're interchangeable but they're not

 

Me too! We are not a monolith!

[RedHawk]

I wish they'd emphasized more the "Every time you wanted to record something, you had to buy a big clunky tape" or "Every time you wanted to watch something, you had to wait for it to rewind, and sometimes it rewound too far and you had to fast-forward!" as opposed to "If you missed it, it was gone forever!"

 

 

I thought about that, too, and then figured maybe it was part of the joke. Junior is way too young to remember the time before there were VCRs even but he's heard about it and so conflates it with his own youth and TV watching. By the time he was old enough to watch TV, Dre and Bow would have had a Tivo or DVR. 

[mansonlamps]

 

The kids were funny with their reality show. I busted out laughing when Junior talked about the Real Word being back in the day when you had to watch shows and the commercial live and you could not pause them. They really are from another generation technology-wise.

If I was going to vote for the "best" first time children of a new generation were from another generation than their parents, I would go with indoor plumbing vs. outhouse. I mean cell phones and DVRs are great vs. landlines and VCRs, but hello? Ten degrees out, having to bundle up and head outside to do your business in a hole in the ground vs. sauntering to the bathroom in the middle of the night? No contest!

[topanga]

 

I don't think Dre went into that game deliberately intending to humiliate Bow. He just wanted to find out how many times she'd been dumped, and I doubt he expected the number to be so high. He figured he'd only have to do it a couple of times to reach the number. Yes, he should have stopped after two times at most because of the way everyone else was reacting, but I think he just got tunnel vision and was focused on finding out the number, not on reactions.

And see, I think the opposite. If it were just about Dre being concerned about the number of times Bow had been dumped, he would have pulled her aside to talk, as he did earlier in the episode. This drinking game seemed all about shaming Bow in front of her friends, and that's when an otherwise-funny episode almost had me in tears.

 

TER plays Bow with such great comedic timing and is so game for anything that the scene managed to be funny at times. But the situation was really, really cruel. All would have been forgiven if Dre had apologized to her at the end. But as another poster pointed out, she ended up apologizing to him for working hard in college and not being focused on relationships. Dre didn't even say, "Way, to go, Bow. My awesome surgeon wife saved Charlie's life."  Or "forget your college friends. At their best, their lives can't hold a candle to one of your bad days."  Dre really doesn't care about anyone but himself, does he?

 

 

Yes, I remember having to watch the show that night or risk never seeing it again until the summer.  Yes, I remember setting up the VCR to record a show while I watched another show on a different TV.  Yup, TV viewing has definitely changed over the years, though oddly, I am back in the old-school TV watching stage.

 

When the kids were talking about not having a DVR and having to watch commercials, my own kids turned to me and said, "Is that true?"  Ah, youth.

[luckyroll3]

Re: the Charles/Diane feud, I wonder if it was thought of before the show started and the characters were given their names for that reason. I know "Diane" isn't the same as "Diana" (I also have one of those first names that can end in -e or -a, and most people act like they're interchangeable but they're not), but maybe they didn't want to be too on the nose.

Funny enough, Diana Ross actually went by Diane for her entire life until she met Berry Gordy.  She was named "Diane", but they made an error on her birth certificate and wrote "Diana", but everyone still called her by the former.  But Berry Gordy thought Diana was sexier or something like that.      

 

Yes, I remember having to watch the show that night or risk never seeing it again until the summer.  Yes, I remember setting up the VCR to record a show while I watched another show on a different TV.  Yup, TV viewing has definitely changed over the years, though oddly, I am back in the old-school TV watching stage.

 

Man, at 11 I figured out how to rig my TV and VCR so that I could record something, while watching something else live.  I couldn't even imagine back then being able to record 4 things at once!

 

When the kids were talking about not having a DVR and having to watch commercials, my own kids turned to me and said, "Is that true?"  Ah, youth.

These kids don't know how easy they have it!

[Former Nun]

When the kids were talking about not having a DVR and having to watch commercials, my own kids turned to me and said, "Is that true?"

 

 

I hope you answered appropriately: Google it!

Regarding the Spanx -- women really put themselves in those full-body girdles? How do you breathe?

 

 

I'm too old and fat to care anymore...but when I was a young woman (nowhere near fat*), we wore merry widows (corsets) and panty girdles...to "define" our shapes and to hold up our nylons.   *Nor did anyone predict I'd BE fat!

[BoogieBurns]

People really do wear Spanx like that. Surely the joke was that she was wearing the full suit of armor under a comfy flowy dress. 

 

How do you breathe?

 

Shallow. 

[Taylorh2]

The only reason why you wouldn't be able to breathe in a Spanx  is if you're trying to squeeze a lot of fat into one that is too small.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Dre lack self confidence after an executive questions his street cred.

[formerlyfreedom]

When super cool — and white – exec Jay Sloane challenges Dre over his street cred and picks inept Charlie for a big urban market account, Dre finds himself questioning his “blackness.” Pops gets a letter from the IRS and fears the worst.

[albaniantv]

Everytime I check in on this show, it's more fun and better written than the previous ep. I love all the actors and hope the show carves out its spot. My favorite exchanges are between the youngest daughter and the father's friend who is so scared of her --hilarious. 

[topanga]

Did we ever hear the surname of her parents? I've been hoping her maiden name was something like Rainbow O'Shaughnessey or Rainbow Grabowski.

Ranbow O-Shag-Hennesy? Hilarious. (Any Key and Peele fans out there?)

 

 

Did Pops and Alicia know each other before they were in-laws? It seems like that was implied during their kitchen talk.

I'm not sure, but he sure seemed to know a lot about her. Their scene in the kitchen was my favorite of the episode. Great performances by two wonderful actors. I loved it when they talked about the crystal she uses for deodorant, and Pops goes, "It doesn't work!" I can only imagine how she smelled.

 

And Zoey does kinda look like Rick Fox. I wonder if he could make a guest appearance on the show. That would be something.

 

 

 

 

,,,

[nicepebbles]

I know it's a sitcome so I can't complain about sitcomy elements like finding out there weren't married only to find out Jr didn't read the fine print. This show can do better than that.  The fact that Bow and Dre had that funny convo about being a "baby daddy" and her a "single mom with 4 kids" cracked me up. I liked this episode over all. Bow and Dre kill it every time, making their relationship very believable.  I wish though Bow had called Dre out on his attitude toward her mother when his mother can't stand Bow. It shouldn't have gotten away with talking about her mother when Bow has to put up with his mother. Loved Bow's wedding dress!

 

I got my parents into this show.  The hubby and I rewatched the entire season to catch them up. Hilarious the second time around.

[formerlyfreedom]

When teenager Zoey goes through a mini-rebellion phase by pushing boundaries and acting out, Dre wants to lay down the law, while Bow insists on a softer approach like her mom did with her.

[mtlchick]

I need Pops to be more scared of the IRS more often.  I was giggled snorting the entire time especially when he forgot his "attache on the squash court."

Edited April 23, 2015 by mtlchick

[Mozelle]

Oh my word! Black-ish was all about snatching all of the breath from my body tonight.

 

First off, perfect casting of Michael Rappaport; absolutely perfect. Secondly, Dre was all the way right about code switching. I live my life code switching (but I love it, so...). Next, this is not Cornel West's week; it just isn't. I died a thousand deaths at Dre calling White Jay the "white Cornel West" because I have to believe that this episode was filmed before the whole Dyson break up letter to West. Then for Jack to call Vanilla Ice the Godfather of Hip-Hop. I was inconsolable!

 

There were so many moments and they're flying out of my head right now, which is just as well. Oh! There was Bow referencing an Empire watch marathon (because she'd never seen Roots. What did her parents do for that not to happen?!).

 

I have to say that I think that the show does extremely well when it doesn't shy away from material like what was in this episode.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Mozelle

[BoogieBurns]

(because she'd never seen Roots. What did her parents do for that not to happen?!).

 

I just assumed she was living in a Teepee or something during the original airing of the mini-series.

 

This episode was killing me. The cold open was so funny that it took me 20 minutes to stop myself from rewinding and re-watching. Obama's code switch looked JUST like the Key and Peele sketch. I wonder if they read our Social and Race Issues thread. 

 

Confession: I am not a vegan, and I spent this weekend trying out vegan mac and cheese recipes. This show may have cameras in my kitchen, I cook exactly like Bow.

[Donny Ketchum]

Glad to see that Michael Rappaport finally landed on his feet after The War at Home went under.  But man, has he seriously aged since then!

 

How does Charlie still have his job?  This episode really exposed how freaking incompetent he is at it!

 

Yeah, Jack and Diane learned the hard way.  Don't ask Junior or Zoey for help in anything.  Junior will nerd it up, and Zoey will make it too much about the surface charm.

 

Dre and Bow were a delight, as always.  Though I'm sad that Bow never watched Roots before this point in her life. Truthfully, I haven't, either, nor do I intend to.  Nor do I intend to have anything to do with her vegan cooking.  Still, Dre's panic over every "white" thing the family did was hilarious!

 

And of course, Pops.  We need more Laurence Fishburne.  Seriously.

[Racj82]

Glad to see that Michael Rappaport finally landed on his feet after The War at Home went under.  But man, has he seriously aged since then!

 

How does Charlie still have his job?  This episode really exposed how freaking incompetent he is at it!

 

Yeah, Jack and Diane learned the hard way.  Don't ask Junior or Zoey for help in anything.  Junior will nerd it up, and Zoey will make it too much about the surface charm.

 

Dre and Bow were a delight, as always.  Though I'm sad that Bow never watched Roots before this point in her life. Truthfully, I haven't, either, nor do I intend to.  Nor do I intend to have anything to do with her vegan cooking.  Still, Dre's panic over every "white" thing the family did was hilarious!

 

And of course, Pops.  We need more Laurence Fishburne.  Seriously.

You should check out his documentary on a Tribe Called Quest. It is great. He's been just fine since that Married with Children rip off.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Junior can bring up the rear in a doo-rag.

Wesley Snipes-ian understanding of American tax law.

This episode was just laughs from beginning to end.

[Irlandesa]

I can't remember the last time a sitcom was so packed with laugh out loud jokes.  It reminds me of some of my favorite sitcom tropes (or farce tropes)  where everyone decides to deceive someone else and has it blow up in their face.  Sure, it can be cliche but when done well, it can also be classic. 

 

I can't decide what my favorite part of it is but perhaps it's the fact that Pops adopted a British accent while trying to bribe Rappaport's character.  (Who is going to be on Louie tomorrow night if you're interested.)

[SimoneS]

Hilarious episode. Dre nailed the code switching. Charlie continues to crack me up. He is so hapless. Bow just does her own thing which I love. Jack and Diane should know by now that Junior and Zoe are useless. I love the ongoing theme of Junior's nerdiness. 

[funkopop]

She's been going through this rebellious teen phase for the past 21 episodes.  It'll be interesting to see what she does to break the camel's back.

[luckyroll3]

I was laughing so hard during this entire episode.

 

The kids: Zoe making good grades just for appearances.  "I feel 'career' is to strong of a word here."  The godfather of hip hop and Sara Palin as the heroes.

 

The adults: Mac and Tease.  "Is that O.J.?!?....I'm going to finish watching 'Empires'!"  Everything with pops' storyline.  Charlie's presentation using crayon drawings!

[MelsW]

The whole exchange at the table got me: borrowing a dog from the kennel to have it bark outside; Jack and Diane (Vanilla Ice and Sarah Palin); Zoe going to a Jason Mraz concert where Philip Philips is the opening act; Junior in that wizard get-up; Bow's Mac n Tease with KALEord greens...and finally, Pops with his sad small stacks of bills in his attache case that he left on the squash court. Loved all of it.

Edited April 23, 2015 by MelsW

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Junior in that wizard get-up

Wizzledore!

[luckyroll3]

That just reminded me of Dre chasing Bow with the water spray  bottle to help bring her curls back!

[emma675]

I'm going to have to go back and rewatch this episode because I have a feeling I missed a lot due to cracking up every time Pops was on screen. I have missed that man!

[SmithW6079]

I thought the episode was amusing, but they seem to be falling into the habit of Dre's masculinity/blackness/whatever is threatened so he acts like a d-bag to his family to prove he is/is not whatever he thinks he's accused of being.

Also, white guys acting gangsta/urban/whatever is embarrassing bullshit.

Charlie was a star, especially the graphics in his presentation. Bow was a close second. I don't find Pops particularly funny (although I liked the IRS story line), so I don't miss him when he's not there.

[BoogieBurns]

Zoe going to a Jason Mraz concert where Philip Philips is the opening act

 

I think I heard her say Phillip Phillips would be beatboxing as the opening act! 

[Racj82]

I thought the episode was amusing, but they seem to be falling into the habit of Dre's masculinity/blackness/whatever is threatened so he acts like a d-bag to his family to prove he is/is not whatever he thinks he's accused of being.

Also, white guys acting gangsta/urban/whatever is embarrassing bullshit.

Charlie was a star, especially the graphics in his presentation. Bow was a close second. I don't find Pops particularly funny (although I liked the IRS story line), so I don't miss him when he's not there.

Except Rappaport doesn't "act" this way. It's who he is. It's how he was raised. They got an actor that actually fits the character instead of getting someone to act "down".

[DearEvette]

Lots of great lines in this episode.  But for some reason Pops saying "I say good day, sir" just seemed to crack me up especially.

 

Yeah, Michael Rappaport getting his Bronx on sounds so natural for him.  So much better fit for him than that horrible country-hick-mafia-corn-pone accent he  put on when he was on Justified last season. Such an awful performance all around.

 

WHo knew when he was fist introduced that Charlie would be such a breakout character?  I really enjoy him as a supporting character.

 

But... I still can't bring myself to enjoy Dre completely.