S06.E05: The Scale Of Affection Is Fluid

[formerlyfreedom]

Max looks for common ground with his new friend; an unexpected connection leaves Amber smitten; Julia's love interest runs into Joel at the family barbecue.

 

 

[CheersEnthusiast]

Hm..I read "The scale of IN-fection is fluid".  I must have ebola on the mind.

 

I went, "Oooo gross!  Why would they name an episode that?" :)

Edited October 20, 2014 by CheersEnthusiast

[potatoradio]

 

 

Hm..I read "The scale of IN-fection is fluid".  I must have ebola on the mind.

I went, "Oooo gross!  Why would they name an episode that?" :)

 

Ha! I read it as "the scale of in-fliction is fluid," and I had pictures of rotting fish scales oozing pus.

 

So, even the titles are completely going to h*ll on this beleaguered show. "A Potpourri of Freaks" was also a title someone must have tapped into their iPhone as they were running to catch a bus or something...

 

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

They have had long/clunky/stupid episode titles since the beginning (Do Not Sleep with Your Autistic Nephew's Therapist) but they have definitely gotten progressively worse in the later seasons (All That's Left Is the Hugging). It feels like they're letting some high school intern pick random quotes from each episode for the titles.

[dustoffmom]

Oh good heaven, I am STILL watching this show and following it here!  Why?  Can someone tell me why?  It has become nearly unwatchable and yet I find myself watching each week.  This has to be the final season....I can not do another year of this crap!

[alexvillage]

We watch so we can celebrate when it ends. 

[econ07]

Same reason you look at a car wreck on the side of the road

[Spencer Hastings]

We saw Nora AND the dog in this episode.  Take a drink!

[TVAddict]

So now Drew is the only one left who is remotely watchable.

[ShortyMac]

So Zeek just stayed at the bar all day without taking his medication? Real smart.

 

I did not miss Sarah/Hank/Ruby at all. 

 

I can't tell if this is all a big fake-out and Julia and Joel will get back together or if Julia is serious about moving on. She's sort of in the fun, fresh, "honeymoon" phase with Chris, so it will be interesting to see if it fizzles out or not. 

 

I don't really care about any of the other plots that went on.

[JasminePhyllisia]

Poor Nora, getting some actual Mommy time until Max bursts in. She gets sent out of the room immediately to "go get your book!" Or ball or whatever Kristina mumbled. While they were fretting about the pickup artist books she was probably playing with electrical outlets or crawling out the front door.

[izabella]

I like Drew when he's not with Natalie. 

 

Crosby is in self-destruct mode.  Is he really losing the business?

 

Crosby was sensitive to his dad probably not wanting him to see him falter on the treadmill.  It was nice of him to sneak back out so Zeke wouldn't know.

[possibilities]

I liked Max this episode! Kristina is still awful, but even Adam wasn't too bad.

 

Amber is just a total bimbo at this point. She's pregnant, and laments that thism eans her life is over and everything is changing? Hello? Did she think having a baby would make noi difference in her life? Has she even begun to think about ANYTHING? Like: what she will do about money? Childcare? ANYTHING?! Even Drew thinks it's just a few months of disruption? Sure thing, buddy! After she gives birth, she can go right back to drinking and toking (while she breastfeeds) and picking up dudes for some casual fun? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Even middle class two parent families find their social and sex lives disrupted by the presence of a newborn. It's hard to imagine how she could be this stupid, especially given how she herself was raised. Does she have no memories? Sigh.

 

I thought Crosby lying drunk in the backseat would get killed in a car accident on the way home. Seatbelts? Also, how dis Jasmine get there to pick them up? If Crosby had the van? Did she take her mom's car and leave it at the hospital? Maybe she took a cab? But if that's the case, why didn't Crosby and Zeek take a cab themselves? Mysteries!

 

I have nothing to say about Julia and Joel. I used to like their family the best, but now I find myself impatient with all of them except Victor, and Victor isn't getting any screentime, really.

[Mittengirl]

I had the same reaction to Drew telling Amber that she could have her pot and vodka back in a few months. Makes me wonder what Sarah was doing when they were kids.

So, so far the whole reason for the Snowflake Academy storyline is so Max can land a girlfriend? I don't get what Dylan sees in Max, unless she is just trying to bug Kristina, which I would love, btw.

At the end when Adam was trying to get Max to list his best points, Kristina said that Max is funny - that is the second time she has referred to him that way, yet I don't ever recall him saying anything remotely humorous. Are we supposed to agree with Kristina on that fact or are we supposed to be confused?

Also, over the music they were playing at the end of that scene Kristina says that Max is "warmhearted", or something to that effect, which baffled me because Max has never shown any concern for anyone other than himself. When Amber was in the ER after her car accident I believe Max flat out said he didn't care if she died, he wanted his pancakes. He showed no emotion whatsoever upon seeing his mother almost passed out on the bathroom floor. He didn't care at all when Haddie came home from college. When are we supposed to have seen any evidence of him giving a damn about anyone but himself?

I also don't buy for one second that Max has romantic feelings for Dylan. I think he just thinks she's cool for saying all of her snarky little quips. He just doesn't know the difference. Adam and Kristina really need to get that kid into some kind of social skills classes, ASAP. Before he becomes an obsessed stalker. During their "scale of affection" talk, did they mention that sometimes the other person is at "1" and there is nothing you can do to change that?

[Everleigh]

I live in New York and the first half of the episode was cut off on my DVR because of a breaking news press conference on the city's first ebola case, so I actually took the time to track down the episode online to watch it, and I probably should have just waited for it to come on demand because while not awful, it was just kind of boring and not worth the trouble.

 

I'm tired of listening to the Braverman men complain about having too many people who love and worry about them. First it was Zeek last episode and now Crosby's upset because his wife doesn't want him to die and his son wants to spend time with him? Oh, the horror! I just wish someone would come in and tell them both to shut up and appreciate the fact that they have families who love them.

 

Amber was ridiculous this episode. I understand with her wanting to date and being a little upset when the realization strikes that her life is going to change drastically, but if you're that broken up over having to give up alcohol and drugs, maybe you shouldn't be having a baby. And Drew's little pep talk about being able to pick all her bad habits back up once she pops the kid out was ridiculous too. Now I seriously wonder what they saw growing up to make them think that's acceptable behavior for a parent. Also, her giving her little brother condoms was just plain creepy. Sometimes Amber and Drew's relationship seems a little too close to me.

 

Max was actually pretty tolerable this episode and I found myself rooting for him and Dylan. 

 

I understand Joel's upset about Julia moving on and bringing the new guy around his kids, even though she never wanted them to meet and tried to stop it from happening, but him basically calling her a whore for moving on by saying she's sleeping with a different guy every week was out of line and out of character. I hope we get a resolution to this storyline soon because it seems to be dragging on forever. I no longer care if it ends in reconciliation or divorce, I just want it to end at this point. 

 

At the end when Adam was trying to get Max to list his best points, Kristina said that Max is funny - that is the second time she has referred to him that way, yet I don't ever recall him saying anything remotely humorous. Are we supposed to agree with Kristina on that fact or are we supposed to be confused?
Also, over the music they were playing at the end of that scene Kristina says that Max is "warmhearted", or something to that effect, which baffled me because Max has never shown any concern for anyone other than himself. When Amber was in the ER after her car accident I believe Max flat out said he didn't care if she died, he wanted his pancakes. He showed no emotion whatsoever upon seeing his mother almost passed out on the bathroom floor. He didn't care at all when Haddie came home from college. When are we supposed to have seen any evidence of him giving a damn about anyone but himself?
 

 

The "warmhearted" (I actually heard "big-hearted") comment from Kristina gave me pause too. Most of the other qualities she listed were fine and at least somewhat true... he is smart, he is honest, etc., but what was the point of just flat out lying with the heart comment? Max isn't a caring or bighearted person. He has never been shown as being concerned with anyone's well being but his own, so Kristina was just flat out wrong to list that as one of his good qualities. Maybe they didn't intend for anyone to pick up on what was being said under the music but it jumped out at me because it's so far from the truth.

 

As for the funny thing, I agree that Max is not funny at all, but Kristina and Adam do seem to find him funny. Whenever he says something rude or obnoxious, they laugh it off like it's cute or something so I actually understood why she'd think he's funny. 

Edited October 24, 2014 by Everleigh

[ShadowFacts]

I'm just glad that Amber's guy actually acted like many guys would, and not that she acquired another boyfriend instantly.  I hope he doesn't pop back up in a few episodes because he just can't stop thinking about how great Amber is.  I didn't think that Drew actually meant she could start partying again in a few months, only that he was trying to put a good face on things.  Between their mother and father, they witnessed plenty of drinking and drug use and Amber has been shown to overindulge.  Drew we've only seen doing so with Amber's encouragement, and he gave her good counsel about telling the guy the truth, so I think he still has a good head on his shoulders.  Throwing him the condoms was tacky, I agree.  Unloading her other goods on an underage kid in a dorm was pretty stupid, too.

 

My take on Dylan and Max is that she isn't into him, she only upped her rating from 2 to 2.5 after thinking a minute along the lines of poor kid, he's got a crush on me.  I think Kristina is right about this.  She doesn't want to see him heartbroken and alone, and that's why she didn't want Adam backtracking on how ratings happen, and why she was listing off traits that Max doesn't really have.  Building him up before the letdown kind of thing.  He is not warmhearted as Mittengirl and Everleigh said, he was quite the dick to his young former friend in a wheelchair.  I don't even know how much he will care if Dylan shuts him down.

[jester]

Joel JUST fixed all the broken crap at your Snowflake school so you could open on time and have your big dream and I'm pretty sure you didn't pay him squat so FU Adam on being all psyched to bring the new guy in. I get being a supportive big brother and all, but it's not your place to push the pace on any relationship of your family members especially when their kids are there. Kids that age take things at face value most of the time, so if they are told this is "mommy's friend from work", that is what they will believe. IF he then comes back and is the guy filling Dad's shoes (so to speak) it can backlash ugly. Julia seemed concerned about this, yet Adam having to be Mr.Emotional Center of the family butts in again. I have been pulling hard for Joel and Julia to reconcile. Joel has long been my favorite character on the show and last season and this one they have made him a total opposite of what they showed him to be in previous seasons. People change I get that, but it's been way to drastic to be believable. Now I just don't care what happens to them. (Although if Julia gets a hot new guy Joel better score someone amazing in the end, just to even things out)

 

So basically Drew is now the big brother? I liked all his advice to Amber really, because it made sense from someone his age, being that he would be fairly clueless about how this will affect things in reality. The fact that Amber so easily jumped on hospital ridden Ryan, got pregnant, and then decided HE didn't have his shit together enough to be involved is laugh out loud ludicrous. I love Mae Whitman but this whole storyline feels like it's just there because they wanted to make her into her mother and she's a really good cryer so they wanted more ways to use that.

 

Sometimes Amber and Drew's relationship seems a little too close to me.

I think the fact Mae Whitman and Miles Heizer are roommates perpetuates some of this. They are obviously very close in real life and I think that leaks in at times making their sibling relationship more friend relationship than normal. It's jarring to me sometimes given how in earlier seasons they were not super close.

 

I so wish they would give Max Burkholder something more to do than just be an unfeeling robot. That's not how Autism or Aspergers really works. The last moment of realness we saw from Max was his reaction to the kids peeing in his canteen, which in the car ride home was heart breaking and powerful. They've thrown out all of that and made a rich character one note and annoying.

 

Crosby and Zeke- "Shut up, I don't care." (I put that in quotes because I was litteraly yelling that at my tv through their whole woe is me, people love me idiocy.

[kathybgd]

I shed a little tear when Zeke told Crosby it goes by so fast. It DOES!! I don't like Drew, don't like his acting, don't like his character or his girl. Amber's ridiculous! Max, or rather the person that plays Max, has TOTALLY cranked UP the asbergers (I don't know how it's spelled) persona to where he's coming off as a robot. I could be wrong about the illness but I don't know. This show!

Funny. I commented before I read jester's and everything said by jester is what I was trying to say. Thank you. I'm not good as a lot of you putting down exactly how I want it to sound . You guys are GOOD at it!

[panthergirl13]

 

Amber is just a total bimbo at this point. She's pregnant, and laments that this means her life is over and everything is changing? Hello? Did she think having a baby would make no difference in her life? Has she even begun to think about ANYTHING? Like: what she will do about money? Childcare? ANYTHING?! Even Drew thinks it's just a few months of disruption? Sure thing, buddy! After she gives birth, she can go right back to drinking and toking (while she breastfeeds) and picking up dudes for some casual fun? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Even middle class two parent families find their social and sex lives disrupted by the presence of a newborn. It's hard to imagine how she could be this stupid, especially given how she herself was raised. Does she have no memories? Sigh.

 

I thought Crosby lying drunk in the backseat would get killed in a car accident on the way home. Seatbelts? Also, how dis Jasmine get there to pick them up? If Crosby had the van? Did she take her mom's car and leave it at the hospital? Maybe she took a cab? But if that's the case, why didn't Crosby and Zeek take a cab themselves? Mysteries!.

My sentiments exactly on all of this.

 

It was also really weird how they jumped from daylight to nighttime at the beginning when usually they are showing what's happening with different characters...at the same general time? Or at least that's what I thought? What a mess.

 

It's a shame, because for several seasons this was really a great show. The writing and character development were both very good, and both have zoomed downhill. ("Remember when you took Adam and I camping?" Are they purposely trying to make Crosby sound like an idiot or did they hire a 4th grader to write this scene?)

[EdnasEdibles]

At the end when Adam was trying to get Max to list his best points, Kristina said that Max is funny - that is the second time she has referred to him that way, yet I don't ever recall him saying anything remotely humorous. Are we supposed to agree with Kristina on that fact or are we supposed to be confused?

Also, over the music they were playing at the end of that scene Kristina says that Max is "warmhearted", or something to that effect, which baffled me because Max has never shown any concern for anyone other than himself. When Amber was in the ER after her car accident I believe Max flat out said he didn't care if she died, he wanted his pancakes. He showed no emotion whatsoever upon seeing his mother almost passed out on the bathroom floor. He didn't care at all when Haddie came home from college. When are we supposed to have seen any evidence of him giving a damn about anyone but himself?

 

 

Yes, I think Adam even said something like "Witty" and I was like "Huh?" - Max is a lot of things: smart, tenacious, observant, analytical, creative . . . but he's not funny.  And he's not warm-hearted. I remember his poor cancer-ridden mother barfing into a toilet while he demanded lunch or something.  So yeah, let's not go crazy with some made-up compliments. 

 

I wanted to choke Adam at the BBQ. I have a few friends who are divorced with kids.  They mostly wait a super long time to introduce their kids to their new significant other.  Kids get attached very easily and it's almost cruel to introduce them to someone who might not be around for a while.  For Adam to just invite the guy in without listening to Julia or checking with her - for the guy to accept without them having a conversation about meeting her kids and how they are going to describe their relationship to the kids is insane.  And yes, I do kind of feel like the ex-spouse should be given a heads up that this is happening.  "Hey, even though we're not officially divorced, I'm introducing the kids to the guy I am dating - I dated him before you and I work with him."

 

I don't even know what to say about Amber but it's clear that she has no idea what it really will mean to be a parent.  She lives in a shitty apartment that frightens a grown man. And she just now realized that she can't date, drink, do pot, etc.  Has she given any thought to daycare? Does she even have decent health coverage with her job at the rapidly declining Luncheonette? Even with health insurance, a baby costs about $2,000 to have.  

[izabella]

And yes, I do kind of feel like the ex-spouse should be given a heads up that this is happening.  "Hey, even though we're not officially divorced, I'm introducing the kids to the guy I am dating - I dated him before you and I work with him."

 

Joel and Julia haven't even decided to divorce, so it's in especially bad taste to confuse the kids by introducing new love interest.

I don't even know what to say about Amber but it's clear that she has no idea what it really will mean to be a parent.  She lives in a shitty apartment that frightens a grown man. And she just now realized that she can't date, drink, do pot, etc.  Has she given any thought to daycare?

 

That apartment is probably full of lead paint.  I'm also cringing to imagine a kid crawling around the floor of that apartment.  On the plus side, no one would ever notice if the kid drew on the walls or stained anything with spilled juice.

 

As for daycare, first Amber would actually have to go to work, which doesn't seem to happen anymore.

[EdnasEdibles]

Joel and Julia haven't even decided to divorce, so it's in especially bad taste to confuse the kids by introducing new love interest.

 

 

And just last week they were dealing with Sydney being a giant bullying bitchlet because she's not dealing well with change.  It kills me that they are like "Oh instead of getting therapy for poor Sydney, let's instead introduce her to mom's new boyfriend even though mom & dad aren't divorced yet."

[callmebetty]

What job does Amber have to go to? It seems like Oliver and his band were their last clients.

I mean Crosby is hanging out with his dad and Adam is a cooking instructor at Snowflake Academy.

I wish they would resolve the Julia and Joel situation. But still even though he acted like a jerk last season, I would still be all over Joel. There is no way he would be single for long.

I actually found Max tolerable this episode. I like that he got the levels that people like each other.

And yes Amber the life that you knew is over. Now you get to start making a new one especially if you're going to keep the baby.

I liked her date and thought he was cute, so I'm glad he got out of the Braverman orbit before it was too late and he had to deal with Sarah and talkingovereachothertogetyourpointmadeandOMGwhatnothatsnotwhatimwant....

Not looking forward to more Ruby angst next week and who is Amber talking to in the preview? Is that Ruby?

[CheersEnthusiast]

Good moments: Zeke and Crosby at the bar talking about the bear, Crosby respecting Zeke's privacy on the treadmill, Drew supporting Amber, Christina being bothered by the pick-up books, the awkward bases conversation with Max.

 

And a question which has been nagging me for some time--I've never thought that Jasmine even LIKES Crosby and yet somehow they're married?  She has ZERO respect for him and often treats him with contempt.  I don't believe--as the writers seem to want us to believe--that she cares for him at all or that she's "worried" about him.  I just don't buy it that they're married at all or if married once upon a time not quickly divorced. 

 

Perhaps the marriage is just about ongoing punishment for Max's tutor?

Edited October 24, 2014 by CheersEnthusiast

[kathybgd]

Also, Sydney's bullying storyline was huge , at least to me along with her anger issue 's because of the changes in the household, and now it all seems like it's all wrapped up since they went knocking on the bullied door in one episode. Now this so called angry and bullying Sydney is a happy little girl telling her dad all about the 'friend ' of mommy's. So damn inconsistent!

[taragel]

How Sydney did not throw a complete tantrum over being introduced to Chris....I have no idea. The girl's old enough and smart enough to know what's up when "Mom's work friend" suddenly comes around, especially since Mom's never had any friends before. That rung really false to me. 

 

And I'm still not happy with the fact that Joel isn't TALKING about anything regarding his marriage and really hasn't for a season and a half. I don't remember him being so emotionally closed off in seasons 1-3 when the job stresses and Julia neuroses were a lot more intense, so why suddenly is he so repressed? Bah.

 

It's a good thing Dax Sheppard is actually such a good actor, because man, Crosby is not garnering any sympathy from me. Zeke's line about it going so fast was pretty priceless, though. I had the feels. I was surprised that they let both Jasmine AND Zeke express their concern about him in such an ominous foreboding way though. Guys having a midlife crisis, but...other than potentially having another motorcycle crash, what do they actually think he's gonna do? If that's the writers' way of foreshadowing some doom coming to someone other than Zeke...it seems odd they'd tip their hand to that extent.

 

Count me in as another who missed neither Hank nor Sarah (and next week's Ruby problems can take several seats, too.)

[politichick]

Don't you think they probably introduced Not-Joel to the kids as Julia's colleague and old college friend? Still, it was obnoxious of Adam to insist that he join the party. Sometimes he's as clueless as Max.

[jester]

I wish they would resolve the Julia and Joel situation. But still even though he acted like a jerk last season, I would still be all over Joel. There is no way he would be single for long.

 

I said the exact same thing. Which my wife thought was odd.

[CheersEnthusiast]

Don't you think they probably introduced Not-Joel to the kids as Julia's colleague and old college friend? Still, it was obnoxious of Adam to insist that he join the party. Sometimes he's as clueless as Max.

 

I like it because I think it gave us a glimpse into younger Adam.  A younger Adam that enjoyed teasing his sister when given the opportunity.

[Cattitude]

I'm glad Joel was angry at Julia but acted pretty decent considering. Now that Sydney and Victor have met college guy as a "work friend" you don't think when later they find out he's mommy's boyfriend that is going to cause all kinds of hell. Way to be underhanded with your kids.

At this point Julia seems happy with college guy and Joel is rightly upset at her double speak, so I just want him to serve her with divorce papers and meet a nice person to date. I'm tired of Joel being "loney guy who screwed up his family" b/c THAT is not at all what happened. sheesh!

 

I like Amber but how many different "types" of guys are goint to be THE ONE for her. Seems like every time she gets interested in a guy he is totally different from the last. That seems weird to me b/c most people have a type they are attracted to.

Love Amber and Drew's close relationship that really speaks to being raised in chaos. I thought her bring the stuff to Drew was more symbolic and Drew calmed her overreaction down very well.

 

Love Crosby and Zeek. I thought their bonding was great and men just sometimes need to do things to feel in control. Jasmine while well meaning is handling Crosby the totally wrong way. We don't always make the right choices in life but trying to control too much just pushes certain people farther into bad decision territory.

 

Could care less about all things Adam, Kristina and Max. Nora and her secret parent the dog were cute though.

[marceline]

I don't think it's fair to blame Julia for Chris showing up at the barbecue. She tried to do everything right. This situation was solely the fault of obnoxious Adam who never listens to anybody else. Gah, he's so thoughtless. He has kids. He should understand that bringing a new guy in would be sending mixed signals. I feel for Joel but at the end of the day he did this to himself. He walked away from his marriage and his family. I don't fault him for needing a break when Julia was being such a basket case but needing a break and walking away from your kids are two different things. He took a gamble and he lost. Sorry Joel but the Bravermans aren't your family anymore. 

 

Amber's upset at the new guy's leaving just made me want to shake her.  She's still clearly in her first trimester so simple math says that she was with someone within the last three months. Someone who meant enough to her that she's having his baby. Why does she think that a new guy would want to step into this fairly fresh drama and follow in the footsteps of whoever knocked her up? And why is she acting like she hadn't considered that booze and pot were no longer options.

 

Zeek works my reserve nerves but his conversation with Camille put me firmly on his side. She was talking to him like he was a teenager breaking curfew then she moved into the lame attempt at emotional blackmail, "Well it's just your health after all." Yes Camille, it's his health. Which is why he went to physical therapy and why he's not drinking and why he let Crosby drive him to his appointment. She should be thrilled that he felt well enough to spend the afternoon with Crosby especially since a week ago or however long it was, Zeek wouldn't even walk to the fridge. STFU and CTFD.

 

I wonder where they are going with Crosby. I think Jasmine played this wrong by locking down his motorcycle. She knows how immature Crosby is. Why would she think that her behavior would have a positive result? In what world has Crosby ever reacted well to being told "no?"

[Primetimer]

And some dude, but whatever. BASSET.

Read the story

[Cattitude]

I don't think it's fair to blame Julia for Chris showing up at the barbecue. She tried to do everything right. This situation was solely the fault of obnoxious Adam who never listens to anybody else. Gah, he's so thoughtless.

 

I don't blame Julia for College guy being and staying at the party, but I do blame her for lying to her kids about "who" he really is. I think after that party she should have outed her relationship with him to her kids. Wasn't the way she planned or the speed, but she will do far more damage to HER relationship with her children later when the truth comes out and they feel lied to by her. Just b/c the timing wasn't in her control doesn't mean she handled it right. Her children are old enough to handle this information. Julia seems to be trying to hold on and let go at the same time and it will do far more damage than help.

[alexvillage]

First, a shallow point: the wardrobe people need to find new shoes for Amber. She wears the same boots everywhere, all the time
I am afraid they will bring back the new guy and he will be this millionaire CEO of a tech start up that is very understanding and will take care of everything Amber. He might even make sure she can smoke pot and drink her vodka while pregnant and after the baby is born because the poor girl needs some comfort after her life has been messed up by the wrong decisions she was "forced" to make.
And "the father is not in the picture" is not only a big lie, it is disrespectful with Ryan. She decided that he won't be. Tell the whole story

Max showed some growing up, finally. I can totally buy him going after books that say "date" on the title looking for good dating advice. That's initiative.
On the other hand, Kristina. My eyes were rolling all the way to the back of my head: "it is about relationships and I know about these things". Of course! She ran for Mayor (lost), she "built" a school (still a mess) but she knows everything about everything, and she is the only one who knows about relationships. Isn;t it clear?

Jasmine was neglected for a while just to reemerge as a true Braverman, making decisions for another adult, undermining and disrespecting Crosby. Yikes

As for Amber giving Drew the condoms, I don't see anything of notice there (other than her self-pity). She gave them to her as she said "because nobody is hover going to sleep with me again" or something like that. Give away what you don't need. De-clutter.

[DancingD]

I think Amber's new guy will be back. The app she suggested will be a hit, and he will come bearing money. And then they will live happily ever after.

I like Julia's new guy, but I think I'm supposed to. Joel was my favorite TV husband until they assassinated his character, and it hasn't gotten any better. He doesn't even seem to be great with his kids anymore.

Sigh. Maybe Haddie will come back and make everything better.

[izabella]

I don't think it's fair to blame Julia for Chris showing up at the barbecue. She tried to do everything right. This situation was solely the fault of obnoxious Adam who never listens to anybody else. Gah, he's so thoughtless. He has kids. He should understand that bringing a new guy in would be sending mixed signals.

 

Julia couldn't stop Adam from being dense and obnoxious.  But she 100% absolutely could have told Chris directly, "I'm sorry, but I don't think Sydney and Victor are ready to meet you - they're going through a rough time adjusting to this separation.  Another time." 

[potatoradio]

Didn't realize why I liked this ep. better than most until I saw the previews for next week and realized no Sarah/Hank = much more tolerable show. Sorry to see them back next week. And I know Mark is scheduled to make an appearance, so time spared from tiresome Sarah love triangles is limited. It was a nice break, though.

 

Crosby's the youngest, right? If so, I get the impression that he's reacting to Zeek's health problems by running/escaping/being an idiot so that maybe the universe will turn its attention to him instead of his dad. I can actually relate to that, being the youngest in my family -- I felt the same urges to act out when my parents started to fall ill. I even mentally understood that it was childish and stupid, but it is what it is. Finally, something in one of these characters I can relate to and care about.

 

Hmmm....why do I have a very bad feeling that Tech Geek will return on his white horse, tell Amber that she's just too special for him to forget about and that he's actually a gazillionaire OB-GYN/tech guru/king of Spain all rolled into one and he's all set to take care of her forever and then....da da DUM...Angry Ryan! Fistfights! Broken bottles! Ugly cries! Hospital sex! More ugly cries!

 

I'm also predicting the newest Braverman will be born in Snowflake Academy, with everyone present.

 

Oh, and Amber, one more thing - you may want to lock your door now. I know, you're hip and cool and think it's awesome to leave your door unlocked because, well, locked doors are so....pedestrian...but maybe if giving up drinking/smoking for 9 months throws you into too much of a self-pity tizzy, locking your door could be a first step to being a big girl?

Edited October 24, 2014 by potatoradio

[marceline]

 

Hmmm....why do I have a very bad feeling that Tech Geek will return on his white horse, tell Amber that she's just too special for him to forget about and that he's actually a gazillionaire OB-GYN/tech guru/king of Spain all rolled into one and he's all set to take care of her forever and then....da da DUM...Angry Ryan!

 

Isn't that pretty much what Sarah did with that doctor who helped get her the photography job? He was a great guy who believed in her and could string together a coherent sentence so of course she had to ditch him and hook up with Hank.

[alexvillage]

The Academy was supposed to be for kids who have trouble adapting to mainstream classrooms, developmentally disabled kids, exceptional ("geniuses") kids, the ones deemed "with problematic behaviors", and double exceptional kids, am I right? 

Shouldn't they throw here and there a few teachers and maybe some paras? Because there are a lot of kids wondering around all the time.

And the academy is not accessible. At least it does not seem to be. Shame on you Kristina! 

[ShadowFacts]

I noticed that about the staircase the kids were going up and down and on a wide shot was obvious that it led to nowhere. Are we supposed to not notice that there don't seem to be other adults/teachers, or do they have mostly self-paced individual computer modules or what? Besides the culinary arts taught by Adam of course.

[Crs97]

On the other hand, Kristina. My eyes were rolling all the way to the back of my head: "it is about relationships and I know about these things". Of course! She ran for Mayor (lost), she "built" a school (still a mess) but she knows everything about everything, and she is the only one who knows about relationships. Isn;t it clear?

 

 

That exchange made me cry because I knew exactly what she meant and I am dealing with that at my house now.  Her "I know" wasn't about being a relationship expert.  It was about once being a teenage girl and knowing how they think and not wanting to say out loud why she thinks Max will get his heart broken.  Is she over-reacting a little?  Probably.  People on the spectrum certainly have relationships and get married.  But she is worried, and rightly so given his behavior, that this will end in disaster, and she doesn't want Max's heart broken.  And she doesn't want to feel/seem like a bad mom for thinking this way about her son, which is why she kept dancing around the issue with her "just trust me; I know" comments.

[alexvillage]

Crs97, I hear you but it is Kristina, and she knows *everything*. So, what you say fits. But I still think she said that because she always believes she knows more than everybody else

 

And yes, Autistic people get married, sometimes the spouses are also Autistic, sometimes they are not; they have children, sometimes Autistic too, sometimes not; become grandparents and are also, sometimes, adoptive parents. 

[CheersEnthusiast]

I like Julia's new guy, but I think I'm supposed to. Joel was my favorite TV husband until they assassinated his character, and it hasn't gotten any better. He doesn't even seem to be great with his kids anymore.

 

I agree.  Joel is a great guy.  What I don't understand is his decision making in regard to Julia and this whole deal has never made ANY sense.  There is some basic reality that every author must adhere to.  The writer of this series must do the same.

 

It will be the strength of Joel that will be his undoing.  He will have kept something from Julia through this strength--that had he shared it she would have forgiven him, perhaps in time but she would have done it--his solitary pride will be his undoing.  He will be tortured beyond any just punishment.  He will see his children brought up amid smiles and joy...by another man.  He will lose the woman he loved and who loved him, cruelly joined with another....

 

Just a guess anyway, but it actually works with the character and his motivations.  The trouble is we've been given nothing legitimate to explain the character and his choice.  Joel just would NOT do this given the available information.  There is something that's happened offstage--some information we haven't been provided that will make all of this intolerably tragic.     

Edited October 25, 2014 by CheersEnthusiast

[txhorns79]

So just to make clear, Amber locks up her place with a bike lock everyday?  That was what she was unlocking, wasn't it? 

 

I'm also kind of glad the guy ran.  To me, it would be pretty surprising if Amber was to find a guy close to her age who didn't run from that situation.  At best, Amber's baggage would be overwhelming.     
 

 

But she is worried, and rightly so given his behavior, that this will end in disaster, and she doesn't want Max's heart broken.  And she doesn't want to feel/seem like a bad mom for thinking this way about her son, which is why she kept dancing around the issue with her "just trust me; I know" comments.

 

I got what she was saying.  I was also thinking that she and Adam can blame themselves for that.  Here's a hint:  If your kid thinks it is totally normal to go into the garbage to try and learn about someone else, then you have done a lousy job of teaching him how to interact with other people.  Max is just awful, and it has little to do with autism.  I kind of rolled my eyes that Dylan rewarded Max's generally creepy behavior by bumping up her feelings for him to a 2.5.     

 

I was disappointed in the Julia/Joel storyline.  It was too cliche.  I wish Joel didn't immediately become threatened and have to go and throw a fit in Julia's office.  He had an entirely legitimate point and he ruined it. 

 

I will say I thought Crosby and Zeek's storyline was good.  I feel a lot for Crosby.  His brother seems to have little interest in their shared business, and I can't imagine how awful it would feel to see something you have tried to build start to fall apart. 

[CheersEnthusiast]

I kind of rolled my eyes that Dylan rewarded Max's generally creepy behavior by bumping up her feelings for him to a 2.5.     

 

I will say I thought Crosby and Zeek's storyline was good.  I feel a lot for Crosby.  His brother seems to have little interest in their shared business, and I can't imagine how awful it would feel to see something you have tried to build start to fall apart. 

 

First off, I found Max's declaration of intent endearingly true, especially given his already honest character and on the other side our cynical age which no longer believes in such things.

 

Second, I feel a lot for Crosby too.  The dream of the luncheonette was really--at the base--his, completely his the only thing that Adam provided was business expertise and Adam's need to get out of the shoe business.  Crushed dreams are always difficult to deal with.    

Edited October 25, 2014 by CheersEnthusiast

[auntiemel]

I feel like whichever writer is spearheading this Max/Dylan storyline was *heavily* inspired by The Rosie Project!

[Everleigh]

I didn't think Dylan upped her level of affection for Max because she felt bad for him, I thought she did it because she found his honesty about hoping to raise her number refreshing/charming, and genuinely decided she liked him a tad bit more in that moment. I actually thought that scene was kind of sweet. 

 

So just to make clear, Amber locks up her place with a bike lock everyday?  That was what she was unlocking, wasn't it? 

 

I noticed that too and thought it was crazy. That's supposed to keep her and her belongings safe? And how does she lock it from inside? Does she have a second bike lock on the other side of the door? Since she's having a baby and all it might be time to graduate to an apartment with real doors now. 

 

Crosby's the youngest, right? If so, I get the impression that he's reacting to Zeek's health problems by running/escaping/being an idiot so that maybe the universe will turn its attention to him instead of his dad. I can actually relate to that, being the youngest in my family -- I felt the same urges to act out when my parents started to fall ill. I even mentally understood that it was childish and stupid, but it is what it is. Finally, something in one of these characters I can relate to and care about.

 

I think Crosby's actually the third born and Julia's the youngest. But Crosby acts much more like the baby of the family than Julia does and we've seen Crosby exhibit some classic baby of the family behavior in the past, so maybe their roles have been sort of inverted because Julia's much more uptight and I'd bet she was the kind of kid who was never really a kid to begin with.  

Edited October 25, 2014 by Everleigh

[AlliMo]

I vehemently disagree that it's "underhanded" of Julia not to introduce Chris as her boyfriend instead of her friend. As someone who was a single parent themselves, both of the men whom I dated that ever met my son were men that he knew as my friends for some time before they were officially my "boyfriend." Julia didn't plan on them meeting him, and she's still working out where there relationship is going. It would have been irresponsible of her to introduce him as her "boyfriend."

Edited October 25, 2014 by AlliMo

[Lillybee]

Regarding how Amber will pay for her pregnancy and delivery.  If Amber has income under 31k a year, she qualifies for Medical pregnancy services. If her income is between 31k and 46k she will qualify for a program that only expects her to pay 5% of her income..

Luckily for her California wants healthy babies.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

For some reason, I found the Bravermans slightly less infurating this week. I mean, they were still annoying but not enough to get my blood boiling. So..yay?

 

Of course, I don't know how much that had to do with the absence of the Sarah/Hank/Ruby storyline so I guess we will find out next week which looks like ALL RUBY ALL THE TIME.

 

Adam was an ass this week, several times over. Christina asked him to help tone down Max's enthusiasm for Dylan and instead he purposely encouraged it, then tried to explain it by saying he needs to believe that this can happen for Max. Really? So this is all about Adam? Talk about self centered. I am all for teenagers having relationships because it helps them learn what works and what doesn't and hopefully prepares them for adult relationships, but I don't necessarily think that Max HAS to pursue his crush on Dylan in order to prove that he might one day be capable of having a girlfriend. He is barely a teenager so there is plenty of time for this. And hello, if they would get him another aide like Gaby, that might be a huge help too.

 

I was fine with Adam and Christina peeking through the door to see who Julia was talking to, but Adam was out of line insisting on having that guy come have a burger and stay to play basketball. It's a big deal for kids to meet a parent's boyfriend/girlfriend and the parent should decide when it's time to do that, not their nosy meddling sibling.

 

Zeek and Crosby can both STFU. Good job setting an example for your son there, Zeek. His behavior reminds me so much of my dad's. He had cancer, emphysema, a burst appendix, and several other health issues and he always acted like a child whenever my mom "made" him do what he was supposed to do (take his medication, take short walks, etc). If she hadn't made him do those things, he never would have done them on his own yet he resented her for insisting that he follow the doctor's orders. Sometimes he would refuse to take his medication just to be spiteful (like Zeek sitting in a bar refusing to go home to take his medication out of pure stubbornness) and my mom would tell me, "I don't know why he refuses because the only person it really hurts is him." But in the end, you know who really got hurt by my dad being a baby? My mother. She is the one who is still devastated by his death. Honestly, if you aren't going to give a shit about your own health, then just be upfront about it and say you aren't going to take your meds, go to physical therapy, listen to the doctor, or take care of yourself. I wish Zeek and my dad had for one second put themselves in their wives' positions and tried to imagine how they would feel if their wives had these health problems or how they would feel if their wives died. He acts like a five year old, refusing to do something just because he's supposed to do it. If he doesn't want Camille to nag him about taking his medication and call because she's worried about him, the solution is simple: act like an adult. Take your medication without being told to. If you wife thinks you will be home at a certain time and you decide to go to a bar with your son, just call her to let her know that you will be home later. It's not rocket science and it's not unreasonable.

 

I think it's fine if Amber wants to date, but she needs to be realistic. How many guys in their early to mid 20s want to date a chick who is pregnant? Maybe that's narrowminded or whatever, but it's still reality so don't act all shocked when it doesn't work out after a guy finds out you're pregnant on the first date. And yes, she can date after the baby is born but again, how many guys are interested in dating a single mom with a newborn? I'm not saying she has to be celibate forever, but she just needs to be realistic about her situation. She is pregnant. She is going to be pregnant for the next few months. Then she will be a mother with a tiny baby who will need her constant attention for the immediate future. There is nothing wrong with a guy who you just met not wanting to deal with that. If your primary concern is that you can't smoke, drink, or date for the next few months then maybe you should consider your decision to keep this baby.

 

Max was a full on stalker in the first scene. It's bad enough to watch someone like a creeper, but to retrieve her trash and inspect it? Ewwww. That is like Dateline special stalker creepy.

 

The best thing about this episode was Nora and Otis!