Season 1 Talk

[SmithW6079]

I personally think that [homophobia] is used too often out of proper context. No one here was afraid of a gay person.

 

Well, the dictionary definition of homophobia is: "irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals," so Ruby's behaviors and reaction to the news certainly fits.

 

Bow may rock the boat, but Dre continually turns it over. It was not his place to out his sister to their mother; that bothered me.

 

Loved Jack turning the tables on Diane. She deserved to have her gifts cast aside, considering she stole every one of his ideas.

 

I really hope Raven-Symoné isn't going to be pigeon-holed now into lesbian roles. 

 

I like how the show neatly balances the work and home environments. I think they do it really well compared to other sitcoms, with well-fleshed-out characters in both cases. When they're at work, I enjoy those scenes, and when at home, likewise. Neither makes me feel as though I need to  fast-forward to get to the other.

 

I didn't understand Bow's joke, but I liked that she couldn't remember who she did it with. 

[SimoneS]

I'm a bit confused about the moral of the story for what Dre did at the table. I almost did that IRL, but was warned never to out someone, even if everyone knows already and even if you end with a somewhat happily ever after resolution.

 

I think that it was made obvious that Dre was dead wrong to out Rhonda just like that, but the showrunners went much further than other shows typically do and had Dre stand by Rhonda by threatening to banish Ruby from his family's lives when she acted like a homophobic lunatic. I am okay with the relatively "happy" ending because Ruby was coerced into to changing her attitude, instead of her having a "light bulb"  moment.

 

I liked this ep, but the thing that really made me crack a loud laugh was Bow's impression of Ruby.  She NAILED it.  LOL.

 

How could I forget to mention this? Tracey Ellis Ross absolutely nailed it. Kudos to her.

 

I really hope Raven-Symoné isn't going to be pigeon-holed now into lesbian roles. 

 

Her character on Empire was heterosexual so hopefully, it does not happen.

Edited May 7, 2015 by SimoneS

[SmithW6079]

I liked this ep, but the thing that really made me crack a loud laugh was Bow's impression of Ruby.  She NAILED it.  LOL.

 

To mess with Dre, she should go into "Ruby" voice when they're about to get intimate.

[nicepebbles]

Junior is not useless! I just had to put that out there. Lol.

 

I can't believe Charlie has a job. I about died with the powerpoint with drawings made with crayons. Seriously? I always wondered what he did because I don't remember what they said when he was first introduced. I definitely didn't think he was an ad exec. He needs to be demoted.

 

Diane loving Sarah Palin? Hated it. I'm not a fan of her character (there I said it) and the SP thing just pushed her further down on my list.

 

MR as the white exec who makes Dre question his blackness is probably the most perfect of casting.

[nicepebbles]

Every episode I find another reason to not like Zoey. Telling Bow to go away? Oh, hell naw! Had that been me, she wouldn't be on the doorstep waiting for somebody to come pick her up. I know it's TV, they can still find another way to show Zoey as a typical teen without having her disrespect Bow like she does. Worse? Dre signs off on it.

 

Between allowing herself to be disrespected, throwing Dre under the bus, and calling Uber to pick up her child, I lost a bit of respect for Bow. She could've told Zoey how to handle Dre to get to go to the dance without stating how much she disagrees with the rules, they are not her rules, etc. I don't now anything about Uber except you can get car service like a cab from regular folks. Unless I know the person picking my child up, I'm not calling Uber and having some rando pick my child up. I would've called her father. She was already going to be late.

 

Junior once again proves why he's my favorite.

[Whitley Trillbert]

Ok so I literally had to pause the dvr for about a good 5 minutes from laughing so hard at little Jheri curl Dre getting that banana knocked out of his hand by Ruby. That was without a doubt one of the best gags on television this season .

 

I felt like this episode was airing so much of my family and friends dirty laundry, but I thought it handled the subject as well as it could for a sitcom.

 

OMG Jack !!!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to reach through the screen and hug himself after that lol.

 

The scene with Dre and Raven with all the black cliche sayings known to man was too real lol. 

[DearEvette]

Oh, forgot to mention....  I loved Diane's hand-to-the-chest pearl-clutching gesture she made after Jack revealed how he played her.  She's done it before and it feels like an incongruously old lady gesture that this little girl is doing.  But it completely fits her.  A nice little piece of physical comedy that speaks volumes in that moment.

[attica]

I didn't understand Bow's joke

 

Erykah Badu is a singer/actress whose style... isn't to everyone's taste. So Bow's joke was a play on her name.

[UsernameFatigue]

My favourite part of the whole episode was that Rhonda and her girlfriend's cat is named Kitty Lang. I absolutely love shows that have lines like that which can be easily missed due to so much content, but that are hysterically funny. At least it was to me.

Edited May 8, 2015 by UsernameFatigue

[teebax]

I forgot to mention my favorite part of the episode. When Dre was explaining to Bow that his mother was probably going to be gone forever and Bow couldn't stop smiling and dancing. That was a fantastic scene.

[marceline]

I liked this ep, but the thing that really made me crack a loud laugh was Bow's impression of Ruby.  She NAILED it.  LOL.

 

I was pissed because I've been working on my Jenifer Lewis impression for years and she blew mine right out of the water.

[Taylorh2]

Just watched the episode on DVR. I liked Jack and Diane as usual, but so tired of the "black people are soooo homophobic because....Jesus" crap. It's bad enough coming from white liberals, but watching Dre and his "black people be like..." commentary was beyond. Also, the crack about Bow being out of touch due to her light skin when she and Raven are basically the same complexion was dumb too.

I thought the samething about Raven and Bow having the same complexion.

[marceline]

I thought the samething about Raven and Bow having the same complexion.

 

Me too. I was really surprised that they didn't go in on that as a joke.

[SmithW6079]

Erykah Badu is a singer/actress whose style... isn't to everyone's taste. So Bow's joke was a play on her name.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Turtle]

I really enjoyed the whole episode, but I nearly died at the way Ruby was looking at Bow after Bow said she bought the sandwich meat. Priceless.

[mojito]

 

I personally think that word is used too often out of proper context. No one here was afraid of a gay person.

 

Your definition is narrower than Merriam Webster's definition.

 

Homophobia

[peeayebee]

I really enjoyed the whole episode, but I nearly died at the way Ruby was looking at Bow after Bow said she bought the sandwich meat. Priceless.

OMG, that was hilarious! Jenifer Lewis is so damn good. The banana fb was so funny, as was the scene where Dre throws the banana away when Ruby comes in. Oh and "Black Jesus!" cracks me up.

 

Also, how great is TER for going all the way with her so-unfunny-it's-funny "Erica Ba-DON'T!"?

Loved that too. I could relate to her not knowing who she had shared the laugh with. 

[Writing Wrongs]

 

I really enjoyed the whole episode, but I nearly died at the way Ruby was looking at Bow after Bow said she bought the sandwich meat. Priceless.

If you watch Anthony Anderson's face, you can tell he's trying not to laugh. I bet Jennifer Lewis dragged it out longer than scripted.

[needschocolate]

I think Pops reaction would have mix of "so what" and a dig at Dre, but still being a bit offensive - such as, "Yeah, I have known she was gay since she was 12.  She was the son I always wanted."

[sinkwriter]

 

I really enjoyed the whole episode, but I nearly died at the way Ruby was looking at Bow after Bow said she bought the sandwich meat. Priceless.

 

That was my favorite line of the entire episode, when Dre said, "But she bought the meat." Add to that the look Ruby kept giving the both of them afterward, going back and forth and back and forth at Dre and Bow as if she didn't know whether to put the sandwich down or take it and she couldn't trust either of them. SO funny. 

 

That, and the look on Diane's face like "Huh. I hadn't expected you to know how to play dirty; I can't believe you got one over on me," when Jack smiled at her as Bow hugged him. Classic. (And Jack better watch his back now. Diane's going to remember that. LOL.)

 

OMG, that was hilarious! Jenifer Lewis is so damn good. The banana fb was so funny, as was the scene where Dre throws the banana away when Ruby comes in. Oh and "Black Jesus!" cracks me up.

 

I don't know how they keep their faces straight when she's going on with her melodramatic antics. I heart Jenifer Lewis.

[buckboard]

Enjoyed this episode, but I've got to say, I wish they would tone down Ruby's attitude towards Bow. 

She reminds me of the mother on Everyone Loves Raymond.  She never has a good word to say about her daughter-in-law and her son lets her get away with it.  After a while, it's no longer funny.  What was funny was Bow's happy dance when it looked as if Ruby was permanently gone and Bow's imitation of her MIL.

[Dee]

I don't have much of a problem with Bow and Ruby's relationship. After the intervention at the end of Oedipal Triangle, and their Christmas dinner partnership in Black Santa/White Christmas, most of the enmity in their relationship has ended.

 

Ruby makes fun of Bow's cooking, and occasionally her methods of parenting; but she isn't undermining Bow as she had before, i.e., cooking dinner for the family or pressing Diane's hair without permission, which proved she didn't respect Bow as a wife or a mother.

 

Pops treats Rainbow the same as Ruby, including questioning her parenting methods and being hostile to her parents, yet Bow only seems to have an issue with Ruby; when, more often than not, it's Pops, who unrepentantly causes much of the drama in the Johnson household.

[sinkwriter]

They really pulled out the stereotypes for Dre's sister and her fiancé. Beer drinkers, tomboys, car mechanic, NBA sports fanatics. I don't think that was necessary. Made me eyeroll a bit.

 

Then again, this show does like to go all out if they're going to go over the top.

[LJonEarth]

They really pulled out the stereotypes for Dre's sister and her fiancé. Beer drinkers, tomboys, car mechanic, NBA sports fanatics. I don't think that was necessary. Made me eyeroll a bit.

 

Then again, this show does like to go all out if they're going to go over the top.

 

I get what you mean, but in 2015, most of the women I know gay or straight are beer and liqueur drinking sports fans who can build things or change fuse.

[sinkwriter]

I think it was just that it was ALL of those things lumped together. For me, the women I know (gay or straight), they may fit one or two of those things, but not every single one. It just felt a little clichéd to me. Not that women can't be those things or enjoy those things, but it just reminded me of all the shows that make fun of gay women as if they're one step away from being a man or working at Home Depot. It's tiresome to me. Women are individuals.  :)

[Mabinogia]

They really pulled out the stereotypes for Dre's sister and her fiancé. Beer drinkers, tomboys, car mechanic, NBA sports fanatics. I don't think that was necessary. Made me eyeroll a bit.

 

 

I think they did that to make Junior and to some extent Ruby's not realizing she was gay even more OTT. They were going for the "how could you not know" idea so they felt they had to hit all the stereotypes. They may have gone too broad for some but I think that's all they were doing was going for the obvious joke.

[needschocolate]

I think for this plot, they had to throw in all the lesbian stereotypes so that it would so "obvious" that Ruby and to know they were gay but refused to admit it - and so Junior would seem so clueless.  

 

I know a lot of women who do not get along with this mothers-in-law - the mil is always putting them down or undermining them.  My problem with Bow and Ruby is that it has been done before.  Sure, most of the characters have been done before - cranky grandpa, nerdy kid, self-absorbed teenage daughter, weird co-worker, etc...but this show has made these standard characters  refreshing. They aren't predictable.  But the Bow and Ruby' relationship doesn't seem as fresh.  Maybe it is because not every show with kids has a nerd, not every grandpa is grumpy, not every co-worker is weird, but I can't think of a sitcom with a mil and dil where they didn't have an antagonistic relationship.

[RedHawk]

Loved Jack turning the tables on Diane. She deserved to have her gifts cast aside, considering she stole every one of his ideas.

 

 

She didn't steal his ideas, she stole his actual gifts!

[mojito]

Kind of funny about Zoey. Doesn't it seem that celebrities love being seen wearing glasses? And not frameless Sara Palin-type glasses; ones with thick frames.

[formerlyfreedom]

Jack and Diane look for clues about their roots for their class assignment, a history of the Johnson family. But when they can't find anything out about the family's past, Pops comes to the rescue with the colorful story of how "Pops' Pops' Pops'" great-great grandfather, Drex Johnson, bet the future of the Johnson family against a ruthless gangster, Elroy Savoy, during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance

[LadyintheLoop]

Surprised Zoey didn't start with contacts.

 

Shouldn't all that "publican" talk have reminded Ruby of the Bible? 

[TiffanyNichelle]

Next season, less Ruby please. But I did love the running gag of both Bow and Ruby not getting that Dre said Republican.

 

However I wanted to punch him every time he said "Uncle Tom". I had a cousin call me that once as a kid because I wasn't just like him or I didn't know some damn rap song. Still hurtful.

 

I didn't like the Diane/nickname subplot but at least she was going after Zoe instead of Jack?

[Eolivet]

"Dick Cheney: Hero Pimp!" I laughed for a good five minutes.

 

Zoey's Urkel impression was hilarious. I like when the actress is allowed to expand her range beyond "disinterested teen above it all."

 

Perfect use of Ruby...just enough. "It's His way or the highway...to hell!"

[whatsatool]

Like to hear that cold open again. Good ep. Will watch for this one in reruns.

[funkopop]

It was great seeing Jackie.. I mean Bumper Robinson.  He's looking very good!

[attica]

Ruby calling out to Black Jesus in despair of Junior's R-ness was an obvious gag. I was waiting for it and was delighted when it arrived.

 

"Dick Cheney: Hero Pimp" is going down in history.

[Driad]

The way I learned it, from Reconstruction to the early 1900s, most black folks considered themselves Republicans because of Lincoln etc., although many were not actually allowed to vote (see "Solid South").  With the New Deal in the 1930s and expanded voting rights in the 1960s, the consensus shifted to Democrats.  I would have thought some of the characters had heard about this from older relatives.

[DearEvette]

"No free lunch for you."  LOL

 

Also, Bow & Ruby simply not hearing the word 'Republican'  -- Banana Republic? Crazy good return policy!  Notary Public?  A Noble Profession!  A member of the Irish Republican Army? So what you gotta take out some fish & choip shops!"  or Ruby moaning "Black Jesus!  Black Jesus!'  &  hugging Bow.

 

I actually thought this was an interesting look at the whole 'black aren't Republicans' thing especially since there are ideological reasons that could be argued either way, but a lot of people get too emotional to actually articulate them.  'Let him talk?  Can he talk? Can my man talk?'  ha!

 

All things considered, I thought this was a funny but not too fraught way to dip into the topic.

[shura]

My favorite part was Dre's conversaion with his coworkers. Dre's boss was fantastic with his "I think it's great that Junior is joining us. He is just the kind of man the party needs. You're sure he is not gay though, right?" So many things said without being spelled out.

[CurbUrEnthusiasm]

 

Every episode I find another reason to not like Zoey. Telling Bow to go away? Oh, hell naw! Had that been me, she wouldn't be on the doorstep waiting for somebody to come pick her up. I know it's TV, they can still find another way to show Zoey as a typical teen without having her disrespect Bow like she does. Worse? Dre signs off on it.

LOL! I clutched my pearls during that scene! I couldn't dare think about speaking to my mom like that at her age (or now and I'm a mostly grown ass woman). Zoey is definitely my absolute least favorite Johnson kid but I guess she is indeed a realistic portrayal of teens these days (which is why Sue Heck is the only teenage character on TV I can stomach). 

 

However, the actress is absolutely beautiful and seems like the total opposite of her character in real life. I hope we get to see more dimension/depth to Zoey as time goes on. 

 

Nonetheless, I'm still very impressed by the casting for the kids on this show - they're all promising, charming little actors.

[DrivingSideways]

I'm so scared that because Blackish is so amazing this season, that next season it won't be able to scale the same heights!  This episode had me rolling.  HOWEVER... as a child of a long Republican family line (don't throw things at me), I was a little disappointed that they made the Republican parents such a stereotype.  My mom worked her ass off in her career and I think that actually helped solidify her Republican-ness... the stay at home mom's judgment at Bow was disappointing.  But the show took many shots at the blind loyalty Dre had to the Democrat party, so fair is fair.

Great episode, great cast, great writing, I love you, show!

[SmithW6079]

Well, I'll give them this: they made everyone -- Right and Left -- assholes. Otherwise, I thought this was a terrible episode. Dre, once again, wins the d-bag award. He's the kind of Democrat that makes me embarrassed -- can't refute points on logic, so he resorts to emotion and shouting.

 

While his blind loyalty and assumptions that all black people should be Democrats were excruciating to watch, it was his treatment of Diane that bothered me the most. No doubt he thought it was funny, but calling her "Gurkel" was cruel. Urkel was the most unappealing character from "Family Matters," and to tell your little girl -- on the first day she got her glasses -- that she looks like an annoying nerd is a dick move.

 

In the past few episodes, Diane was been shown increasingly devious and underhanded, which is a disturbing trend, so while on the one hand it was good to see her get comeuppance again, I did feel sorry for her for the nickname.

 

I did love the running gag of both Bow and Ruby not getting that Dre said Republican.

 

I thought it was moronic. They're both intelligent women, and it was not believable that they wouldn't understand what he meant, or that he wouldn't have clarified it with "the Republican Party." Also, I thought they were going to go for Junior learning these ideas from Ruby, who repeated the same things. Somehow Junior is wrong because it's "Republican" but Ruby is right because she's a "Democrat"? I am seriously sick of Ruby.

[ExplainItAgain]

"I introduced him to a liberal friend of mine whose "ideas" are bigger than Hillary's." Hahahaha. 

 

I thought this was one of the stronger episodes in the last few.

[attica]

It was not believable that they wouldn't understand what he meant,

 

I disagree; that's a phenomenon well documented. It's even happened to me! In my own family, we don't talk about money. Just don't. Not done. At lunch one day, an acquaintance asked what my dad earned at his job (not out of being nosy, just out of interest in a weird career), and although he repeated it twice, I kept hearing 'what did he learn?' Which made no sense, but since talking about wages was so out of my experience, I couldn't hear it. My brain kept substituting other like-sounding words for the Unspeakable Subject. 

 

Of course, I kept waiting for Dre to substitute "he's a Right Wingnut!", but that would have killed the bit. And the bit was good.

[funkopop]

I disagree; that's a phenomenon well documented. It's even happened to me! In my own family, we don't talk about money. Just don't. Not done. At lunch one day, an acquaintance asked what my dad earned at his job (not out of being nosy, just out of interest in a weird career), and although he repeated it twice, I kept hearing 'what did he learn?' Which made no sense, but since talking about wages was so out of my experience, I couldn't hear it. My brain kept substituting other like-sounding words for the Unspeakable Subject. 

 

Of course, I kept waiting for Dre to substitute "he's a Right Wingnut!", but that would have killed the bit. And the bit was good.

 

I thought it was funny that what their brain substituted for Republican got more and more obscure. 

Edited May 14, 2015 by funkopop

[DearEvette]

Dre, once again, wins the d-bag award. He's the kind of Democrat that makes me embarrassed -- can't refute points on logic, so he resorts to emotion and shouting.

 

I think that is the point, though.  A lot of  people simply can't discuss politics rationally hence in the end, everything devolves into just feelings which leads to shouting.  And it doesn't help that the current political climate has allowed identity politics to really take on so much importance a lot of people simply can't distinguish (or even define) the difference political theories or ideologies between the different parties except how it gets translated to a micro-personal issue.

 

This is why I have a hard and fast rule to never, ever, ever, ever talk politics (or religion) with extended family or at work.  After one horrid Thanksgiving where a distant family member on the husband's side crowed he'd never vote Democrat because all they want to do is 'take away our guns and let gays marry' while at the same time bitching about how his wife (a teacher) has 'to jump through all these hoops' because of 'The Feds telling her how she needs to teach her classes.'  I kept my mouth shut becasue even though I could have factually refuted his arguments (and pointed out his own political contradictions), I was too busy being incoherent with rage because beyond just the political stuff that he was just a raging asshat and I couldn't even begin to be rational.   So I am sure I would have sounded liked Bow & Dre.  LOL.

Edited May 14, 2015 by DearEvette

[funkopop]

Yeah, the humor was that it devolved into shouting but also that they were just shouting variations of "Let him/me talk" and "We are letting you talk".  

[Driad]

Reminded me of one place I worked. A raving Christian and a raving atheist kept shouting at each other. The rest of us noticed that they were sometimes saying the same thing, but they couldn't hear it.

[Athena]

I love seaweed!

 

Good episode especially for the kids.

[Donny Ketchum]

Someone needed to tell Dre (and probably Charlie) that on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (second time I'm referencing that show on this show's forum, by the way), Will and the Bankses were a Republican family.  Hell, Carlton even spent part of a summer at a Young Republicans' camp!  So black Republicans aren't necessarily out of the question.  Just uncommon.

 

I'm from a black Democrat family, though, FWIW.