Season 1 Talk

[dirtypop90]

Every line this episode was gold. The show is getting funnier and bolder. 

 

"Who's momma?" -Zoey "Me! I'm momma...." - Bow (Tracee really is spectacular) 

 

"Christmas isn't about getting everything we want....or anything we want...it's about MOM"  - Junior

 

"Black folks can't be racists!" - Ruby  "I got robbed by a damn Mexican!" -Dre

[peeayebee]

I loved when Bow tried to do her version of Ruby's putting the kids in the oven, saying she was going to chop them up and shove them in the oven. She really did look and sound like a witch.

[PRgal]

I loved when Bow tried to do her version of Ruby's putting the kids in the oven, saying she was going to chop them up and shove them in the oven. She really did look and sound like a witch.

 

Ha!  And my husband thinks Bow/Tracee Ellis Ross has "crazy eyes." 

[Cattitude]

Loved this episode. Bow and Ruby messin' up the kitchen was a thing of beauty.

Charlie is so spot on b/c they use him properly in small doses. I lost it over his F-bomb over the microphone to children.

 

I soooo want to see Bow's parents. It really would be hilarious.

[kia112]

I loved when Bow tried to do her version of Ruby's putting the kids in the oven, saying she was going to chop them up and shove them in the oven. She really did look and sound like a witch.

 

Jack's yelp of terror is what really sealed the deal for me.

[gesundheit]

I soooo want to see Bow's parents. It really would be hilarious.

My fantasy casting list for them is a mile long. I cannot wait.

[WildFlower87]

I LOVED this episode! Hilarious and the singing scenes were fun. This show gets better and better each episode.

[sinkwriter]

Man... they finally fulfilled my dream and had Jenifer Lewis sing on the show, but they had to autotune it? Come ON!!!

[SimoneS]

I finally got to watch this episode. Absolutely hilarious. I love how Ana Ortiz's character stuck it to Dre. He so deserved it even though he was a great Santa Clause. Charlie and his co-workers continue to crack me the hell up. As did Ruby going on about the order of accomplishments for different ethnic groups. 

 

Bow discovering that Ruby used catering for her famous Christmas dinner and their faking their hard work in the kitchen made me roll. I love how realistic it is that they continue to be competitive and never completely resolve the tension between them.

 

Those kids are so damn adorable. I just love them.

[BoogieBurns]

The throwaway line about Bow "co-hosting an event for Hillary Clinton" was my favorite part of the night. Back in 2007, my family each got a shirt as a Christmas gift. Everyone in the family got a Barack Obama shirt, except little ol' me with my Hillary shirt. 

 

My family still makes fun of me to this day for being the odd one out. But, now I have Rainbow on my side!

[mojito]

 

My family still makes fun of me to this day for being the odd one out. But, now I have Rainbow on my side!

And Hillary. Don't forget her. Maybe Bill, too.

[jhlipton]

More Ruby-Bow drama? I wish they'd space this out a little. The overbearing mother-in-law is too much of a tired sitcom cliche, even for this show that otherwise seems fresh and enjoyable. I'm going to lose interest fast if this devolves into Everybody Loves Dre.

I didn't mind it, because it shows that the feelings don't go very deep. Bow and Mama can bond over common things (Idris Elba as the next Bond is something that a lot of people have been talking about.)

 

 

Wait, we were supposed to be siding with the kids?  I thought Zoey, Junior, Jack, and Diane were acting like such ungrateful little shits toward Bow tonight.  Your mom just wanted to change things up a bit, you brats!  Go with it!

Bow likes to cook things her family finds weird or distasteful (like quinoa). If Mama's dinner was actually made by caterers, I can see why the kids would prefer it.

[FormerMod-a1]

But this time Bow said she was going to cook "normal" - turkey, potatoes, etc.  Although I do agree with the idea of adding a few of her ideas and traditions and not doing a complete overhaul all at once.

[PRgal]

I didn't mind it, because it shows that the feelings don't go very deep. Bow and Mama can bond over common things (Idris Elba as the next Bond is something that a lot of people have been talking about.)

 

 

Bow likes to cook things her family finds weird or distasteful (like quinoa). If Mama's dinner was actually made by caterers, I can see why the kids would prefer it.

 

In other words, Bow cooks like me (I even make quinoa stuffing for Thanksgiving (we don't always eat turkey at Christmas - at least not traditionally.  Christmas is my mom's birthday and we used to go out for those multicourse Chinese banquets)))!  Also, not sure if the kids find Bow's food weird.  It's just Dre and his family.

[sinkwriter]

 

Also, not sure if the kids find Bow's food weird.  It's just Dre and his family.

 

I don't remember what episode, but I have a vague memory of them making faces at something she was making, something extra-healthy that no one wanted. *GRIN* So I think it's the kids and Dre and his family. Poor Bow.

Edited December 18, 2014 by sinkwriter

[nicepebbles]

If Bow had been making weird food since the kids were born, which is highly likely, STFU Dre and kids. You been eating it forever so what's the deal with the bitchin' unless she's a terrible cook? That's means it's not the food but how it's made. My kids have been eating quinoa and such since in the womb and they eat it up. Also, if you're not cooking you have no room to complain. Get in the kitchen and make it happen if you want something else or you think you can do better than mom.

Bow should let Ruby have Christmas Eve. I agree it was about the praise. The kids can avoid such drastic action by mom by being grateful and letting mom know they appreciate her on the regular.

My first thought when it was revealed that Ruby hired a Mexican caterer was, "What Mexicans know about sweet potato pie?" Lol. I'm surprised Ruby used that service considering her comments earlier. I loved the bit of realism with her saying it's so much work. I was surprised she had to be told to give Bow credit. I would've blown up her spot so big after the lettuce credit.

Pops where you at?

Ruby saying no white man is taking credit for Christmas was funny and probably true in a lot of households with black parents of a certain generation.

Charlie crazy!

If the HR woman was smarter about the situation, she would've saved the day by bringing out presents and taking credit. Plus, the kids wouldn't have been disappointed.

Lastly, because it's too true, Idris Elba should be the next James Bond.

Edited December 18, 2014 by nicepebbles

[sinkwriter]

 

If the HR woman was smarter about the situation, she would've saved the day by bringing out presents and taking credit. Plus, the kids wouldn't have been disappointed.

 

I was actually expecting her to come out in some fancy sexy Mrs. Claus outfit that would make all the kids love her and forget about Dre (especially if she brings out the presents). To have the kids like her better than Dre's Santa would have been her revenge.

 

To have her instead wreck the event for the kids just to spite Dre made me mad at her.

[BoogieBurns]

Ruby saying no white man is taking credit for Christmas was funny and probably true in a lot of households with black parents of a certain generation

 

My parents always made sure we were clear that they bought the presents. I think Ruby took a direct quote from my real life on the Santa Claus situation. We thought White Santa just came by for cookies. Yes, we called him White Santa and he loved chocolate chip cookies. 

Edited December 20, 2014 by BoogieBurns

[mtlchick]

 

Idris Elba should so be black James Bond!

 

 

According to the latest rounds of emails leaked in the wake of the Sony scandal, Amy Pascal did write that Idris should be the next Bond once Daniel Craig calls it a day.  I immediately thought of this thread.  

[Nanrad]

I don't know if it's a plot hole/continuity or whatever, but don't they have cameras in the house? So, couldn't Dre just have checked the cameras?

[dusang]

Maybe Bow took those down after Dre ruined her prank.

[OnceSane]

Dre thinks Rainbow is questioning his machismo after another man dismisses him in front of her. But when Pops swoops in to help his son save face, Ruby is attracted to this show of manliness and the couple reignite their love affair. Meanwhile, things get awkward when Jr. is selected to play "Romeo" to his sister Zoey's "Juliet" in their school play.

[DollEyes]

  Like the rest of the season so far, the Black-ish Christmas episode was funny, deep and sweet. The funny involved Christmas traditions at work and at home. On the work front, was the annual Christmas charity party for orphans and its Santa Claus, who was always played by White men in general and by one in particular, whose love of meat was his downfall and Dre's opportunity to replace him and be the first Black Santa, because he wanted to be an example to his kids and honor, as he put it, "The first White man [he] ever loved." But Angelica, the new HR exec, had other plans, as in being the first female and Latina Santa, to Dre's horror. Dre's Power Point presentation to Stevens using Presidents as a metaphor was impressive, but Dre did make a small mistake. As great as Dennis Haysbert was on 24, he wasn't the first fictional Black president-there was Morgan Freeman in Deep Impact before him and James Earl Jones in The Man before them, but I digress. The Christmas party was a disaster and it was Dre's fault.  Charlie's introducing Dre as "Santa 'bleeping' Claus" didn't help, but it was ultimately Dre's selfishness and resentment of Angelica that ruined it. Since Dre chose to sabotage Angelica IMO she had every right not to tell him the rule that whoever plays Santa buys the toys, therefore Dre's breaking the orphans' hearts was all on him. However, once Dre stopped acting like the Grinch Who Stole Santa, he got his priorities straight and realized that the most important parts of Christmas are giving, sharing and most of all, love.

 

  On the home front, the return of Ruby brought out the hyper-competitive worst in her and Bow. Bow's attempts to best Ruby's cooking lead to a turkey accident and a possible viral video courtesy of Zoe, whom I'm guessing wouldn't want one of her most embarrassing moments on YouTube, but I'm digressing again. Little did Bow know (at first, anyway) that Ruby's "perfect holiday dinner" was catered by Mexicans-who maybe according to Ruby "the backbone of the American workforce," but them also being cheap labor may have had something to do with it. If I were Bow and my MIL had trivialized my part in the Christmas dinner, I would have burned her "casa of lies" down. Maybe Bow wouldn't feel the need to compete with Ruby if Ruby didn't treat her like an outsider in her own family, whether it's dissing Bow's parents, taking over Bow's kitchen or directing the kids' Christmas party performance of "The Carol Of the Bells," although with the kids' original singing voices, they need all the Auto-Tune they could get.  Race also played a role in this episode. Dre and Ruby claimed that Blacks can't be racist out of one side of their mouths while spewing racist bullshit out of the other, some of it at Bow's and the Mexican peoples' expense. However, Ruby and Bow's agreeing that Idris Elba should be the next James Bond showed that they can have both common ground and good taste.

[formerlyfreedom]

On the way to the Johnson family's annual MLK holiday ski trip, Dre realizes his children may not know the significance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. so he decides to inundate them with Dr. King history facts. Once they arrive at the ski lodge, Dre finds a unique way to prepare Junior for a real world that includes intolerance.

 

[mtlchick]

Is it wrong I want an animated version of this show after tonight?

 

This episode was on fire.  Pops! Moms!  Charlie in a tank top! ((whistles.) The man can't have taffy and look at him!) 

 

"Seriously? This feels right to you?"  Will be my go to phrase.  

Edited January 8, 2015 by mtlchick

[Dancingjaneway]

Tonights show was so damn good! I have missed this show during the holiday hiatus. Loved all the fire cutaways and I really loved the reveal at the end. The kids on this show are perfect. 

[SimoneS]

The animation was so well done. I was struck by how much the drawings resembled the actors.

 

It was another funny episode. Dre's co-workers for once reading it right that he was in trouble with Bo. Pops and Ruby have such great chemistry whether are courting or fighting. Junior playing both Romeo and Juliet and Dre and Pops' reaction was hysterical. Diane telling Junior and then, Jack, really that seems right to you. Bwah!

[Donny Ketchum]

"Seriously?  This feels right to you?"

 

With that one line, Diane might've become my favorite of the kids, or even of the whole family.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Sometimes boats just catch on fire blow up.

 

ETA: Went back and watched this episode again and caught the misquote.

Edited January 9, 2015 by Joimiaroxeu

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Twice!

[Mozelle]

Wading into the shallow end, but that old school picture of Laurence Fishburn reminded me of how fine I remembered him being in a School Daze.

This episode hit on all cylinders. I was a bit afraid because I hadn't found the last two episodes super duper funny, but I really liked this episode. Of course 90s Bow was on her Poetic Justice steez. Loved it! Of course Dre had a high top fade.

Their different memories of what happened at the hot dog spot was hilarious, too.

Last but not least--Junior And Diane are the MVP children. I loved her line to him when they had their palms together. I loved that Junior played both Romeo and Juliet.

[Petunia13]

Tonights show was so damn good! I have missed this show during the holiday hiatus. Loved all the fire cutaways and I really loved the reveal at the end. The kids on this show are perfect.

I have to agree. The episode was really funny and the show is so well cast. I love the kids and the grandparents.

[Tiger]

I thought Junior playing Romeo AND Juliet was deeply stupid. But damn, Jenifer Lewis & Laurence Fishburne have IT!

The Ruby/Bow exchange, and I'm paraphrasing here, where Ruby said "your hair is so bouncy" and the Bow whispered to Dre "oh yeah, he's tapping that ass" had me laughing to the point of almost falling off the couch. And then the tag where Ruby told Bow to "go look in a mirror" was perfect.

I definitely don't want to see Ruby every week, but I want her to be heavily recurring.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Tiger

[tominboston]

The young actors on this show are as good as any I've ever seen, especially the kids who play Jack and Diane. Loved the animations, the grandparents, and everything else about this episode.

[peeayebee]

Hilarious ep from start to finish. So much fun seeing Ruby and Pops together. Loved each flashback with Ruby cackling as she lit stuff on fire or was carted away by police after blowing something up. 

 

Loved the scene of Dre in the bathroom imagining being tough, using the bathrobe as his opponent.

 

His memory was when he met Bo was great. 

 

Question: When he and Bo were at Larry's again, did he say, "Let me keep my eye on Oldboy over there."? I mean, was he referencing that film character? If so, that's awesome.

 

Oh, and the cartoons were great. I'm really impressed with how funny they were and how well they worked.

 

Love this show.

[Mozelle]

Hilarious ep from start to finish. So much fun seeing Ruby and Pops together. Loved each flashback with Ruby cackling as she lit stuff on fire or was carted away by police after blowing something up. 

 

Loved the scene of Dre in the bathroom imagining being tough, using the bathrobe as his opponent.

 

His memory was when he met Bo was great. 

 

Question: When he and Bo were at Larry's again, did he say, "Let me keep my eye on Oldboy over there."? I mean, was he referencing that film character? If so, that's awesome.

 

Oh, and the cartoons were great. I'm really impressed with how funny they were and how well they worked.

 

Love this show.

 

I don't know which character that is, but I thought Dre said "ol' boy," which is just slang for "that guy."

[proserpina65]

Lastly, because it's too true, Idris Elba should be the next James Bond.

 

I must confess that this is the first episode I've seen of Black-ish.  (I kinda meant to watch it before but it's on after Modern Family, which I loathe, and once I get up off the couch, I try to stay up.)  A friend had it on her dvr for me to see because of this specific scene - we'd had a conversation about this exact subject just a day or two before it aired.  So now I can thank Idris Elba for introducing me to a very clever, intelligent and funny show, one I'll make the attempt to watch on a regular basis because, damn, but it is FUNNY.  (Okay, I can also thank Mr. Elba for existing.)

[MelsW]

I lost it when Pickles the dog came racing after Dre...trying to give him kisses while Dre lay on the ground in the fetal position begging him to just finish him off. I loved this episode and it may be one of my favorite yet, second to The Nod.

[SimoneS]

Loved each flashback with Ruby cackling as she lit stuff on fire or was carted away by police after blowing something up. 

 

Ruby's maniacal laugh and body language as she wreck destruction on Pops made me roll. She is so totally unrepentant.

 

I cracked up when Dre said that he knew it was not coyotes that he heard last night. There are so many great lines that pass so quickly before I can recover, I am laughing over the next one.

[possibilities]

I hated this one. It's like they're celebrating all the things that prove them most repulsively dysfunctional. Setting things on fire? Gender role throwbacks? Not for me.

 

I like Junior: he understands that acting is not real life, and he isn't afraid to dive in and give it his all. Good for him!

[meep.meep]

PIckles just likes to give kisses, Dre!

[dusang]

He should just take them to see Selma.

[peeayebee]

I don't know which character that is, but I thought Dre said "ol' boy," which is just slang for "that guy."

Oldboy was the main character in a Korean movie of the same name, later remade in the US with Josh Brolin. The character Oldboy becomes a real badass as he seeks revenge. Anyway, as I said, I wasn't sure that's what Dre said or if it was just old (or ol') boy.

[Donny Ketchum]

I wonder whose version of their first meeting was correct, though?  Dre's or Bow's?

[pookat]

Bow to Dre: Babe, no yelling. We're not at a movie.

This show always hits the mark.

[mikem]

An interesting side note:   the actress Chyler Leigh, of Grey's Anatomy and Taxi Brooklyn, appeared in a movie at age 15, in which her love interest was played by her real-life older brother.  That must have been very strange for both of them.

 

I really liked the episode.  The Romeo and Juliet plotline was very funny, although none of it made any sense as far as putting up a show goes.  (And Juliet's death isn't the last thing that happens in Romeo and Juliet, although maybe the play was shortened for a younger audience.)  But I thought both Zoey and Junior's reaction to the dilemma were completely right for their characters.

[Rinaldo]

Actually Romeo and Juliet is often (usually?) shortened even for older audiences. It's a surprisingly long play, and the talk seems to go on for a long time after the action is over. I remember being surprised to see the curtain fall at the end of Franco Zeffirelli's stage production (for the Old Vic) on the bodies of R&J, with nobody else having shown up to take notice.

 

I didn't love the pyromaniac flashbacks in this episode, but I did love the handling of Bow's feelings -- I'd been worried on the basis of the advance plot description that it would work out in cartoon terms, but as usual the show was smarter than that: it even used cartoons as a setup and let the characters take off from that to be human. 

[needschocolate]

I have recently discovered this show and I love it.  I thought this was a great episode and I agree with so many other posters that the kids on this show are awesome actors (the adults are too, but greatness is hard to find in child actors).

 

I may be checking my hearing more than anything else with this question - Did they say that they went to "ballet" or "the play" when they watched the kids perform?  It sounded like ballet to me, but there was no dancing.    

[ribboninthesky1]

Wading into the shallow end, but that old school picture of Laurence Fishburn reminded me of how fine I remembered him being in a School Daze.

 

Girl! I went back to Boyz N Da Hood.  Yes, Furious Styles!

 

Tracee Ellis-Ross and Marsai Martin share the ability to convey so much with their facial expressions.  Her expression when Junior came into their living room, reciting lines, was funnier than what she actually said.

[xaxat]

Ruby blowing up the car was hilarious, but following it up with the boat (allegedly) made me laugh until my sides ached.