Grandfathered - General Discussion

[Big Mother]

I've been watching this show on HULU and this episode is not available on Hulu. I wonder why.

[frenchtoast]

In an effort to prove that he doesn't always need validation from women, Jimmy spends an evening at a Korean spa with Ravi, Gerald and a few guys from the restaurant. Meanwhile, Sara, Vanessa and Annelise go out for a girls' night at the hottest new bar in Los Angeles.

[Bruinsfan]

Oh HELL no! How the hell has Jimmy not developed an instinctive aversion to barnacle women like Priya after more than a quarter century of playing the field?

Annelise should know to just turn her phone off when she's trying to score a date with someone. Jimmy thinks she works for him 24/7.

 

I don't necessarily think it's bad for a married person to flirt, but Not!Bobby crossed the line into power hitting on Sara—to an outside observer it would have looked like the evening was headed to one of their homes. Sara had every right to be outraged.

Edited February 5, 2016 by Bruinsfan

[BoogieBurns]

Not!Bobby crossed the line

 

I was calling him Not!Bobby Cobb in my head during the episode. He should have just used his Bobby Cobb voice. It's easier that way. 

[xander874]

I like this show. But I feel every episode is like a reset and any advancement Jimmy makes is forgotten in the next one. Not that I need him to be domesticated but I want a bit more balance between grandpa Jimmy and rascal Jimmy. He seems to be like Jekyl and Hyde.

On a shallow note I thought the chef guy who was with them at the spa and didn't have any real lines was cute. I'd like to see more of him.

[ae2]

I like this show. But I feel every episode is like a reset and any advancement Jimmy makes is forgotten in the next one. Not that I need him to be domesticated but I want a bit more balance between grandpa Jimmy and rascal Jimmy. He seems to be like Jekyl and Hyde.

On a shallow note I thought the chef guy who was with them at the spa and didn't have any real lines was cute. I'd like to see more of him.

 

A lot of commenters seem to share the sentiment about Jimmy's "growth", but it feels true to life to me. He's struggling to adapt to a completely new life. While you might have "revelations" about what's important, growth and change rarely happen overnight. 

 

Anyway, I think you're talking about White Victor. The kitchen staff are possibly the best part of this show.

[legaleagle53]

What always gets me are the final scenes of any episode where Jimmy and Sara are alone together after one of them has had a bad day.  Maybe it's just me, but I can't help feeling that this show is not-so-subtly setting them up to be the endgame, because it's pretty obvious to me, at least, that they still have feelings for each other after 25 years, and they're both starting to realize that they're not the same people they were 25 years ago and that maybe deep-down they ARE ready for each other.  I mean, that "marriage pact" couldn't have been a bigger anvil if it had tried.

[Jillybean]

This episode was dreadful, probably because there was so little Edie and she really didn't have any scenes with Jimmy, except for when he told her to be quiet at the restaurant.  It just wasn't funny.

 

What always gets me are the final scenes of any episode where Jimmy and Sara are alone together after one of them has had a bad day.  Maybe it's just me, but I can't help feeling that this show is not-so-subtly setting them up to be the endgame, because it's pretty obvious to me, at least, that they still have feelings for each other after 25 years, and they're both starting to realize that they're not the same people they were 25 years ago and that maybe deep-down they ARE ready for each other.  I mean, that "marriage pact" couldn't have been a bigger anvil if it had tried.

 

It's not just you - in multiple episodes it's been made quite clear that Jimmy still has feelings for Sara, though he may not be ready to admit it to himself.  

 

Gerald really is a boring, useless character.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Jillybean

[frenchtoast]

When Edie is bitten at school, Jimmy and Sara go to great lengths to find out who did it. Meanwhile, Ravi sets up a meeting for Gerald and Vanessa to meet a flashy tech investor named Kirk, but once they meet him, they are not so sure they’d like to do business with him.

[legaleagle53]

It's not just you - in multiple episodes it's been made quite clear that Jimmy still has feelings for Sara, though he may not be ready to admit it to himself.

 

Yeah, and it's equally clear that Sara still has feelings for Jimmy, as much as she'd like to deny it. 

 

I don't really have a problem with them as endgame (as old a trope as that is), because unlike Robin and Ted on How I Met Your Mother, the show is making it clear from the get-go that they're endgame, whereas one of the reasons the Robin/Ted endgame so angered viewers on HIMYM was that the show went out of its way for most of its run to deny that they were endgame and, in fact, to convince viewers that they couldn't possibly work as endgame.  This show doesn't insult my intelligence like that -- at least, not yet.  But I also hope that it doesn't do the Ross/Rachel bit either, with both of them clearly endgame but constantly playing the "they're crazy about each other/they can't stand to be in the same room with each other" shtick to the point that it gets annoying as hell to watch.

Edited February 9, 2016 by legaleagle53

[Bruinsfan]

Neither character makes me want to form a line of people to slap them silly Airplane-style like Ross did, so they're already one leg up in the game.

[MaryMitch]

Ok, this was odd. Once they determined that the little boy wasn't the biter, why didn't they apologize right then?  Secretly buying Disney World tickets? Who does THAT?

[legaleagle53]

Well, if there were any lingering doubts as to whether Jimmy and Sara are endgame, the "stakeout" (that both of them insisted was NOT a date, despite all evidence to the contrary) should have buried such doubts for all time.  I just wonder how much longer it's going to be until Jimmy and Sara both quit fighting the inevitable.

 

Oh, and Gerald and Vanessa?  Worst parents ever, despite what they claim.

Edited February 10, 2016 by legaleagle53

[iMonrey]

Maybe I'm just old but this obsession millennials seem to have with creating Apps drives me nuts. So does the idea that an App for co-parenting would be successful.

 

That said, Jimmy and Sara interrogating all the kids on the playground was pretty funny, especially Jimmy with the stick drawing. And the father pretending he got a phone call from Micky Mouse and telling his kid how disappointed he was in him. 

[meep.meep]

This show should never be taken as an object lesson in good parenting.

 

I'm not a millennial, but I was a divorced mother with two kids who spent umpteen frustrating hours trying to communicate about schedules and requirements and who had to go where and who was going to pick up whom.  An app would be very useful.  

[Unclejosh]

As a divorced father with a disabled son, I would welcome such an app.  I am frequently "forgotten" when it comes to requirements and appointments so the app would be useful to make sure everyone is on the same page. My ex isnt malicious, we get along great, but she is scatterbrained at times and I am simply left out of a lot of things which annoys me but what can you do?

[mansonlamps]

I think this show is horrible for the most part, yet I keep watching, go figure.  I do like the cook (Ravi?) and Jimmy himself, but that's about it.  I absolutely loathe Gerald and Vanessa's characters and I think Paget Brewster is completely unappealing and unfunny in this role.  The one throwaway line about Criminal Minds got a mild chuckle out of me.  Stamos is too good for this dreck.

[MMLEsq]

And the father pretending he got a phone call from Micky Mouse and telling his kid how disappointed he was in him. 

I answered a call one day at work and it was my sister pretending to her kids that she was calling Santa.  :-)

 

I thought the app was a great idea -- especially for parents that don't want to limit their direct interaction.  I've heard Camille Grammer say that she hasn't talked to Kelsey in years -- all communication is through assistants and nannies.

 

I like this show.  I've never really cared for Paget Brewster in other things, but oddly I like her in this.  I enjoy the Grandfathered - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - The Grinder block on Tuesday nights (I don't watch New Girl), although the ratings haven't been great for Grandfathered or The Grinder (and, to make it worse, they each lose some of the audience from their lead-ins), so we'll see if they get a second season.  I really hope the move to Tuesday nights doesn't turn out to be fatal for B99, which is my favorite (by far) of the three shows.    

Edited February 11, 2016 by MMLEsq

[Save Yourself]

As a divorced father with a disabled son, I would welcome such an app.  I am frequently "forgotten" when it comes to requirements and appointments so the app would be useful to make sure everyone is on the same page. My ex isnt malicious, we get along great, but she is scatterbrained at times and I am simply left out of a lot of things which annoys me but what can you do?

 

I'm in childcare and I use an app called Daily Connect so that the parents and I can keep on the same page. I wonder if that would suit your needs?

[meep.meep]

As a divorced father with a disabled son, I would welcome such an app.  I am frequently "forgotten" when it comes to requirements and appointments so the app would be useful to make sure everyone is on the same page. My ex isnt malicious, we get along great, but she is scatterbrained at times and I am simply left out of a lot of things which annoys me but what can you do?

Exactly!  It's not that anyone deliberately leaves someone out, it's just hard.  And then people get remarried so there's new people in the mix, and you add in grandparents and aunts and cousins and it's really hard.  An app could really help.

[Save Yourself]

I really liked this episode and loved the meta things in it. The Criminal Minds line has already been mentioned but there were also the Drake and Josh references - Drake Bell (Kirk) and Josh Peck starred in a Nickelodeon TV series. Grandfathered slotted in a few D&J things: Kirk said Gerald reminded him of his stepbrother who's in jail for stalking Oprah (they did play stepbrothers and Josh was obsessed with Oprah; Kirk said 'don't tell me what to do' which he often said on the D&J show; Gerald said 'hug me brother' which was his catchphrase on D&J.

[mansonlamps]

I am not in that situation, but I find it hard to believe there isn't an app for family members to synch up their calendars and appointments. If not, I'm going to go invent one and become rich, thanks Grandfathered!

[biakbiak]

I am not in that situation, but I find it hard to believe there isn't an app for family members to synch up their calendars and appointments. If not, I'm going to go invent one and become rich, thanks Grandfathered!

There are several.

[biakbiak]

Dumb browser! I need an app to avoid double posts.

Edited February 13, 2016 by biakbiak

[RedFire2000]

These twins might have even more stage presence than the ones who played the title character on Raising Hope.

WAY more charisma and stage presence. The twins on Raising Hope were cute but kinda dull and had no personality.

[Browncoat]

The best parts continue to be the interactions between Edie and Jimmy.

[Big Mother]

call me a sap but I cried when Edie cried during the photoshoot. Do they really make the babies cry on set? Or was she cranky anyway so they quickly did a take of her crying? As a mother of a toddler it's hard for me to see crying babies. awww. also, in real life, they'd have had all kinds of child-friendly people making her smile and giggle, not egging her on to just smile. Even when one simply does professional photography for themselves, not for a modeling gig, the photog and assistants are all childfriendly and smiley and give the kid breaks. Just sara showing up on the photoshoot set calmed her down immediately. I'm nitpicking but that segment bugged me.

[frenchtoast]

When Gerald starts getting online threats from a bully, Jimmy tries to protect him. Meanwhile, Sara and Vanessa take matters into their own hands and pay a visit to the bully's mother - which only makes things worse.

[possibilities]

I always feel this way when I see unhappy babies on tv. I keep hoping she wasn't really crying and was only making faces, then they dubbed in the sound, but sometimes it looks like a for real unhappy kid and that's hard to take.

[Big Mother]

No hot tub, yes pool, totally slayed me. I have a little blond 2 yr old myself, and the new words he keeps learning, crack me up. Edie (a.k.a Layla and Emilia something or other) are just too cute for words. And then I come across this clip... and I can see why women all over the world are throwing themselves at John Stamos... lol... he'd make the greatest dad/ granddad ever... oh well.

 

[legaleagle53]

That sound you just heard is the sound of a million ovaries exploding!

[ae2]

I almost feel bad for their real grandparents that have to compete with Stamos for the love and affection of their granddaughters.

[Jillybean]

Well, this was another very meh episode for me. I was falling asleep and I don't even remember the visit to the bully's mother...

 

I really enjoyed the show at first but now it seems like it's treading water. Even sitcoms need moderate character development. Gerald is not only boring but he verges on unlikeable, and I'm not sure if that's the way he's written or how the actor portrays him. IMO he is miscast. Without any extended scenes of Jimmy and Edie together, there isn't much reason to watch. I have the feeling that the inevitable Jimmy-Sara reunion will not be handled well.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Jillybean

[ae2]

The plot about visiting the bully's mother didn't happen. A lot of the plot descriptions include stories that didn't make the final cut. Instead Vanessa and Sara were cleaning out Edie's room to be painted.

 

The show is perfectly okay TV fodder for me. Not something I'd be sad to see canceled like the Grinder, but it gets a few chuckles every episode.

 

Everything this episode went pretty much as expected. Not sure why we're suddenly getting young Gerald and young Jimmy flashbacks, but it didn't really work for me. They should take a lesson from New Girl on how to do these. 

 

The payoff for Jimmy's interview sort of flopped. There was so much build up. Instead we got him pulling off the black eye on the cover, which is okay, and him... giving cheesy responses to questions? Eh.

 

Like usual, the secondary characters outshine the leads. The bully was the most memorable part. (Hurry up and fight, he only has a half hour for his lunch break!) And White Victor saying Jimmy's place looks just like his.

[MaryMitch]

I loved the fight - that's how fights really happen.  As Tommy Lasorda said, "There was a bunch of serious shoving going on."

[Big Mother]

So funny. I'm bingewatching Party Down on Hulu , so I always get a kick out of catching those actors on something else. Looks like Kyle did finally "Make it."

[iMonrey]

 

The plot about visiting the bully's mother didn't happen. A lot of the plot descriptions include stories that didn't make the final cut. Instead Vanessa and Sara were cleaning out Edie's room to be painted.

 

Isn't that weird? I wonder if they went back and shot new scenes for Sara and Vanessa because they decided the episode had to be re-tooled or something. Maybe they're over-thinking it. Or - maybe whoever's in charge of the synopsis for Fox aren't even paying attention. 

 

I actually really liked the flashbacks of little Jimmy and little Gerald, and I for one think Gerald is adorkable and one of the main draws on the show. I thought it was really sweet how happy he was that Jimmy said he was proud of him and the way he kept telling everyone about it, and how protective Jimmy was based on his own childhood experiences with his father. The whole thing was really nice. The parts with Sara, Vanessa and the grandmother fell flat for me.

[ae2]

Isn't that weird? I wonder if they went back and shot new scenes for Sara and Vanessa because they decided the episode had to be re-tooled or something. Maybe they're over-thinking it. Or - maybe whoever's in charge of the synopsis for Fox aren't even paying attention. 

 

I assumed (there's my problem) that they were based on earlier cuts of the script that got changed during production. The simpler explanation is probably whoever writes the synopsis just fails.

[ShowPolish]

 

I really enjoyed the show at first but now it seems like it's treading water. 

 

I feel like this is the best way to describe this show.  It started off pretty strong for a pilot and has not continued to be compelling.  I'll always love John Stamos for being Uncle Jesse and Josh for being Josh, but this show is no longer holding my attention.  It's okay if there is nothing else on.  

[l star]

I loved the fight - that's how fights really happen.  As Tommy Lasorda said, "There was a bunch of serious shoving going on."

I loved Ravi and Annelise's advice- just lose with as little pain as possible. Remember- pass out as fast as you can. 

 

Media made up a new category of shows a few years ago- dramedies. I know those are technically dramas but the term comes to mind for this show. It's not particularly funny. It's not quick or sharp. It's like a cut from a family drama with the drama scaled way back. I still like it though. I like the characters- even Vanessa is growing on me. Stamos is as charming as ever, Edie is still the center of every scene she's in, and I like Paget Brewster a lot. I think its diversity is severely underrated as is it consistently passing the Bedchel test.

 

I can't remember the last time I saw a Santeria plot like this one. They could have been dealing with any devout grandparent, and for me, the language barrier just made it hit home all the more. And the whole point seemed to be shut up in her house and be respectful, which Sara finally got when she just agreed to Vanessa's request to put a plate of water under the bed. Even though I understood Sarah (I was getting annoyed with Vanessa on her behalf) I also liked her realization that she was that crazy single mom trying to handle everything once too. So she should help because she needed it back then. And hopefully she brings up how long Beethoven has actually been dead at some point.

 

The flashbacks were interesting. I liked that little edge of Sara trying so hard to make it okay and Gerald almost being okay. It's just that little divide in the middle, and that could have been any single parent and their child. I think the whole point of the magazine plot was to show Jimmy's old safe spot of superficiality and seeing how it was working its way down the ranks of importance for him.

 

I loved how happy Gerald was about Jimmy being proud of him. I also liked that Jimmy said he liked to think that he would have raised Gerald the same way. I said before that the drama wouldn't really break until Jimmy truly wishes he was there for something when Gerald was little and has to remember that he could have been. This ep was closer but he was just imagining that he would have done what Sara did. That's not the same at all and I don't know that it ever will, or should, be for him.

[bichonblitz]

I feel like this is the best way to describe this show.  It started off pretty strong for a pilot and has not continued to be compelling.  I'll always love John Stamos for being Uncle Jesse and Josh for being Josh, but this show is no longer holding my attention.  It's okay if there is nothing else on.  

Agree. Not even my favorite eye candy John Stamos is enough to keep me watching anymore. I can't stand Gerald or his mother,.] what ever her name is. 

[Evagirl]

I can't help but compare the twins who play Edie with the twins who played Hope in "Raising Hope".  The "Edie" twins are so exeuberant and funny.  They actually say lines!  The twins who played Hope were very low key.  Though it did seem like the "Hope" twins had more expression.  Anyway, both sets of twins are very cute as toddlers.

 

As for the show, I had such high hopes...but I'm afraid I'm going to have to give it up.  It's just not funny anymore.  The concept is great, but the show has way too many characters for it to really fly like it should.  Trying to give EVERYBODY a couple of lines every week is just not working for me.

 

Gerald is bordering on just being goofy.  Edie's mother really serves no purpose.  The kitchen crew is just filler.  I could go on, but you get my drift.

[xander874]

This is the first episode I actually kind of liked Vanessa. When she is not over-the-top, she doesn't bug.

 

I agree with others who say this show has stagnated. They need to find a way to develop everyone without actually compromising who they are. It's been done a million times before, so I know they can do it. 

[mtlchick]

The one thing that stood out: "HEY!  It's the guy from 2Ge+her!"  

 

But I had hopes for this show.  And they're fading. 

[Big Mother]

 I haven't watched the entire episode yet, but it's a little bizarre for me, bc I'm at the opposite end of the story. My son is autistic and aggressive and I usually get the reports that my son bit other kids or staff, not that he got bitten! I've gotten bitten many times myself too. And it's so frustrating, bc there's nothing i can do to make him stop. He's on meds, behavior management, etc., but when he gets into rages or agitation, he will bite. his caregivers have learned how to deflect his attacks and get him to stop, but newcomers to his world are usually caught unawares. so it was morbidly funny to watch it from the other side, the other parents frantic about their kid getting bitten, when the parent of the biter is probably very upset about it in the first place. i don't know why the preschool had to let them know in the first place.

 

On the flipside, I also have a developmentally normal 2 1/2 yr old, and if someone hurts him, he's quick to tattle, and he would probably tell us the name right away - but probably get it wrong!

 

Off to watch the rest of the episode and chuckle some more.

[frenchtoast]

When Sara invites Jimmy to accompany her to an ex's party and play the role of her "boyfriend," Jimmy realizes his feelings for Sara may be deeper than he thought. At home, Gerald and Vanessa panic about their parenting abilities when Edie starts acting out.

[ZeroMyHero]

I watched this while distracted by something else, but I think they're being a little obvious. Why have the past few episodes been all about setting up a Sarah/Jimmy endgame? It seems like they think they're getting cancelled and are in a rush to tie everything into a neat little package. Once they break that tension, the show will go downhill fast (if it continues). That's a shame, because I'd really been enjoying the show. Stamos and the baby are fun to watch, and this was the first sitcom I've enjoyed in a while.

[MaryMitch]

Edie flushing all that crap wasn't funny to me. This is the first time I've been more irritated with her than her parents.

[Mrs OldManBalls]

Loved that staff was in the kitchen on the nanny cam rooting for Edie to flush stuff instead of working. 

[ae2]

Edie flushing all that crap

 

Heh.