S02.E16: The Lost Boy

[dcalley]

 

Adam gets lost in the stadium while attending a Phillies game with Murray; Barry and Erica strand Beverly on the side of the road after an argument.

 

I liked "it's not real; don't feel" as a way to deal with Bev. I wonder if they'll bring it back after it backfired and Bev kind of knows about the strategy (though not the rhyme).

 

Murray was going to go to the game alone but was able to get another ticket when it turned out he had to take Adam with him? And then Pops was hanging out at their house all day, so Adam could have stayed home after all. That kind of bugged me, I'll be honest.

 

The last paragraph of this MLB article is sweet:

 

"Some of my best memories were going to watch those Phillies games. This was a way that [my father] could connect with us. There was an awesome activity going on, we didn't have to talk that much and we could cheer and be on the same team. And even though I didn't really know all of the players and my dad would have to tell me what was going on, it was still some of my fondest memories of him. So it always holds a big place in my heart."

 

[shoregirl]

I am a diehard Phillies fan so him going to the 700 level because he thought it would be cleaner made me laugh so hard. the 700 level could be a scary place (particularly with Eagles games bit also the Phils). I love that the Phillies sent the Phanatic for them to use.

[Snickerdoodle]

I liked "it's not real; don't feel" as a way to deal with Bev. I wonder if they'll bring it back after it backfired and Bev kind of knows about the strategy (though not the rhyme).

 

Murray was going to go to the game alone but was able to get another ticket when it turned out he had to take Adam with him? And then Pops was hanging out at their house all day, so Adam could have stayed home after all. That kind of bugged me, I'll be honest.

 

The last paragraph of this MLB article is sweet:

I might employ "It's not real, don't feel" with some of the drama queens I work with!

 

I'm the same age as the real Adam and I will tell you that it was very easy to get tickets in the mid to late 80s for Phillies games.  This is when my dad started to take my brother and me to games and we would walk up the day of the game and buy tickets...the Phillies were so bad!  It's not surprising to me that Murray was able to get another ticket right away. 

 

@shoregirl - I busted out laughing when Adam said he thought the 700 level would be cleaner! 

 

I also loved the Phanatic's cameo.  How can you not like the Phanatic?

[biakbiak]

Murray was going to go to the game alone

He wasn't going alone he said he was going with Vic, so I assume they were his tickets and Vic got screwed out of going to the game when he had to take Adam. Pops wasn't at the house when he left so I liked that they didn't just assume he didn't have plans to come and look after the baby.

The bathroom scene was golden, particularly the line reading about the stall.

Edited March 27, 2015 by biakbiak

[Donny Ketchum]

I don't know why the grandfather would give Barry and Erica the lesson on how to deal with Beverly, only to come down hard on them once they finally put it into action.

[ElleBee]

I also loved the Phanatic's cameo.  How can you not like the Phanatic?

 

I agree--I'm a die-hard SF Giants fan but I love the Phanatic.

 

I really liked the memory of how it was getting lost back in the day. It's probably hard for kids to imagine today, not only because of cellphones but because most parents now wouldn't feel comfortable sending their kid off to the bathroom alone in a huge stadium. "Go back to the last place we saw each other" or "if all else fails, meet at the car" that my generation had banged into our heads isn't even necessary anymore. Odd to think about... 

[dcalley]

I'm the same age as the real Adam and I will tell you that it was very easy to get tickets in the mid to late 80s for Phillies games.  This is when my dad started to take my brother and me to games and we would walk up the day of the game and buy tickets...the Phillies were so bad!  It's not surprising to me that Murray was able to get another ticket right away.

 

He wasn't going alone he said he was going with Vic, so I assume they were his tickets and Vic got screwed out of going to the game when he had to take Adam.

Thank you both!

[niklj]

That was such a sweet episode. I loved the reunion between Adam and his dad, especially when his little voice broke :')

 

I find this show does a good job with balancing multiple plots--every character was utilized to their fullest potential. I love how enthused Barry was with the bedazzling.

[ElderPrice]

Barry cracks me up. First he wants to recreate a boy band video (to mess with Erica!) and now he wants to bedazzle everything (to mess with Mom!)

[jww]

Beverly was not stranded on some gravel county road were she would  have been in danger of being run over by a logging truck or mistaken for a deer and shot.  It was on a pleasant suburban street with sidewalks that was 10 minutes from home.   If she had been anything but a  prosperous looking white women the  cop would have given her a jaywalking  citation for being in the street.

[readster]

Barry cracks me up. First he wants to recreate a boy band video (to mess with Erica!) and now he wants to bedazzle everything (to mess with Mom!)

I loved his bedazzled items. They looked awesome! 

[tennisgurl]

I actually thought Barry`s bedazzled stuff looked pretty cool! 

 

Man, as soon as Adam got lost, my first thought was "hope he has his phone on him....oh wait". I kind of came of age when cell phones came of age (I got my first  cell phone at 15, and they had already been a big thing for a few years). I swear, I must say "how did society function without these?" at least 5 times a day whenever I go to a big event with people. When I was a kid, I was terrified of getting separated from my parents or my group. I would have never have gone off on my own at 11 (maybe at 14 though). I loved how that story ended.  

 

Oh the classic Mom guilt. The worst kind of guilt. I seriously need to get my Mom to watch this show. She wont, because her sisters (and me and my sister) joke about how she`s a Catholic, more quiet version of Beverley. I tell Mom I love Bev, but I guess it hits too close to home.

 

I really love this show. It gives me such happy feelings.  

[kashmore]

Beverly was not stranded on some gravel county road were she would  have been in danger of being run over by a logging truck or mistaken for a deer and shot.  It was on a pleasant suburban street with sidewalks that was 10 minutes from home.   If she had been anything but a  prosperous looking white women the  cop would have given her a jaywalking  citation for being in the street.

 

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Beverly had flagged him down and given him a long, sob story about how far she'd already walked after being "abandoned" by her mean, ungrateful kids.  

[Lawgiver]

I died when Beverly pulled out the tomato at the movie theater. 

[maplebrew]

I completely understand Beverly insisting someone eat the "beautiful tomato" before it turns. A perfect tomato really is a gift from mother nature. 

[KYBlonde]

I did not like this episode as it show cased the mom as being beyond manipulative.  I detest people who guilt others in order to get their way.  My mom would NEVER do that, neither would I, my sisters or any grown woman that I know. Where is the satisfaction in forcing someone to do something?  I don't get it.

[Kromm]

I did not like this episode as it show cased the mom as being beyond manipulative.  I detest people who guilt others in order to get their way.  My mom would NEVER do that, neither would I, my sisters or any grown woman that I know. Where is the satisfaction in forcing someone to do something?  I don't get it.

Hmm.  Are you and your mom neither Jewish or Italian?  Or come to think of it, most Hispanic and many African-American mothers I've known too.  Obviously it won't be universal, even in those groups, but... it ain't rare either.

[KYBlonde]

No we are not.  Manipulation is not ok no matter what your race.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

My favorite part of this episode is when Murray was telling Beverly that he was going to the Phillies game, and she said, "Did you put it on the calendar?"  This is a direct quote from my daily life, so I was rolling! 

 

If I lost my child at a stadium, I would be a hysterical wreck.  When we went to Disneyworld, I put special temporary tattoos on my little ones that had my phone number on it.

[Kromm]

One really subtle bit of meta-commentary snuck into the episode and nobody's commented on it.

 

To me the whole "he's 12, no 15!" joke was dual purpose. Both to show that Murray is kind of a doofus who tunes his kids out, but ALSO as a riff on the "1980-something" ongoing joke/vagueness about when any specific episode is set.

 

There's a clear narrative progression on the show with stuff like Lainey's changing relationship with Barry, for example, but at the same time they also play that 1980-something joke, and the generally unstuck in time cultural references, to the hilt.  This was just another more subtle way to hit that up, so I enjoyed it.

[niklj]

Haha, good catch! I didn't even notice that.

 

I caught myself telling someone "It's not real, don't feel" recently. Kinda legitimate advice!

[Enjay]

My favorite part of this episode is when Murray was telling Beverly that he was going to the Phillies game, and she said, "Did you put it on the calendar?"  This is a direct quote from my daily life, so I was rolling! 

 

 

My husband's response would have been the same as Murray's:  You have a desk?

[Donny Ketchum]

I did not like this episode as it show cased the mom as being beyond manipulative.  I detest people who guilt others in order to get their way.  My mom would NEVER do that, neither would I, my sisters or any grown woman that I know. Where is the satisfaction in forcing someone to do something?  I don't get it.

 

Hmm.  Are you and your mom neither Jewish or Italian?  Or come to think of it, most Hispanic and many African-American mothers I've known too.  Obviously it won't be universal, even in those groups, but... it ain't rare either.

Unfortunately, my mother is African-American (as am I), and she did that plenty of times to me growing up, and she still does in my adulthood.  I felt for Barry and Erica in those scenes.

[Dawn16]

 

 

I really liked the memory of how it was getting lost back in the day. It's probably hard for kids to imagine today, not only because of cellphones but because most parents now wouldn't feel comfortable sending their kid off to the bathroom alone in a huge stadium. "Go back to the last place we saw each other" or "if all else fails, meet at the car" that my generation had banged into our heads isn't even necessary anymore. Odd to think about... 

I have sent my then-11ish son alone to the bathroom in a big stadium without a phone, and he made it back just fine. He thought Adam panicking was hilarious -- did he not keep his ticket and check where his seat was? -- not to mention his problem with going in a trough.   I love watching this show with my kids, not just for the 80-something references but because it reminds them that (1) I'm not a smother mother, and (2) thank God I'm not, even if it means I would never blame the teacher for my kid's failing grade.  Personally, I thought they were right to leave her on the side of the road.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Dawn16