Life In Pieces - General Discussion

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E1: Jungle Push Resort Anniversary

Quote

When the Short family arrives at their vacation resort in the Yucatan, their accommodations aren't quite what they expected. Heather is ridiculously overprotective of Sophia during the family activities; Jen and Greg discover that Matt and Colleen have been duping everyone; and John and Joan get separated from their tour group in the jungle.

S4.E2: Demo Nosebreath Surgery Match

Quote

When Colleen and Matt try to impress a potential birth mother, they have a hard time competing against another rich, swanky couple. Jen's pregnancy takes a toll on Greg; Heather lets John take credit for her housekeeping while Joan recovers from knee surgery; and Tim arranges for Tyler to record a demo at a friend's studio.

Original air date: 4/18/19

[roughing it]

I watched both of these episodes last night.  Well, sort of.  Very soon I found myself checking my phone, getting up to go to the bathroom, etc.  

My husband gave up on this show a couple of seasons ago.  I'm giving up now.  The first season was laugh out loud funny; the remaining seasons, stupid, stupid and more stupid.  Done.

[Blakeston]

I like this show, although I find it a bit hit-or-miss. Unfortunately, I found both of these episodes to be misses.

In general I'm not fond of "vacation from hell" episodes of sitcoms - I just don't find them enjoyable to watch. And I'm really, really sick of everyone suffering because James Brolin's character is a moron and no one will stand up to him.

Jen is probably my favorite character, but with all of her sarcasm and eye-rolling, they run the risk of making her seem nasty. They crossed that line in this one. I'm sure it's not pleasant to be pregnant, but refusing to let your husband make "s" sounds? Get over yourself.

[ae2]

53 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

I like this show, although I find it a bit hit-or-miss. Unfortunately, I found both of these episodes to be misses.

Jen is probably my favorite character, but with all of her sarcasm and eye-rolling, they run the risk of making her seem nasty. They crossed that line in this one. I'm sure it's not pleasant to be pregnant, but refusing to let your husband make "s" sounds? Get over yourself.

VERY hit or miss. It has such an incredible cast, and a terrific concept, that it's amazing how bad they're able to make the show sometimes. 

As an example, Jen being sickened by Greg's "s" sounds is a hilarious concept and a fun riff on both real life pregnancy and typical sitcom pregnancy stories. They could have done an entire 4-5 minute segment on just that, and also sprinkled it throughout the rest of the episode. (It could have culminated in him trying to learn sign language but she still runs to the toilet when he signs an "S".)  Instead, she's also sickened by everything else he does, which removes the focus from the actual funny part and turns it into something annoying.

The first and last segments (Tyler's demo, meeting with the pregnant girl) were both okay but they had no substantial comedy value. Tim's story - "I've never told you this about me", "Diving?" - was good, but it fell into this show's other trap. Funny setups end in played out, predictable stories. Wouldn't it be funnier and unexpected if he WAS an incredible diver?

Was there any question that the girl would pick Matt and Colleen because their cheesy Minions picture?

Was there any question that James Brolin's character (haven't bothered learning his name) would pawn the work off on his children?

Plus... wouldn't it be funnier if it turned out that after 50 years he discovered he actually was good at all those things and enjoyed doing them? That would be a more unexpected turn of events with so much more room for comedy. If you wanted to return the the status quo at the end of the episode, have the grandmother discover that she likes taking care of him and is jealous, so Brolin lies to her and tells her that the kids were doing all the work. (Which leaves it open for later, he could be caught cooking when she's not around, or holding secret dinner parties, or going behind her as she cleans the house to find spots that she misses.)

I don't normally question shows this much or write my own better versions because it's a fruitless endeavour, but I loved this show so much from the start and now it's a huge glob of wasted potential.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E3: Misery Turd Name Pills

Quote

While Joan is bedridden recovering from surgery, she persuades Sophia to spend time with her, which she quickly regrets. Jen and Greg select a name for their new baby only to learn that Matt and Colleen chose the same one. Colleen and Matt invite the family over to get to know Morgan. Heather has a new business idea.

Original air date: 4/25/19

[PradaKitty]

Gotta say,  “armadildo” is something a kid Lark’s age would definitely say. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

So, Lark was also living in that frigid environment, and Jen had no thought for her comfort?

[ae2]

11 hours ago, PradaKitty said:

Gotta say,  “armadildo” is something a kid Lark’s age would definitely say. 

Agreed. However, I think the adults would be egging her on and laughing at it instead of trying to correct her 🙂

[ElectricBoogaloo]

FYI - Fortune Feimster was a guest judge on this week's episode of RuPaul's Drag Race (S11.E9: LADP!).

[iMonrey]

I like the facial scruff on Colin Hanks but I could have sworn they did an episode where there was a joke about Greg not being able to grow facial hair. He looks better with it though. Colin Hanks seems to be aging oddly. If you go back and watch some of his earliest work his face looked so different. 

[LakeGal]

They made a little joke about Clementine and Morgan looking like twins. They are sisters in real life.

[Blakeston]

I think a general rule for sitcom writers is, "If you're having trouble writing funny storylines for a couple, give them an obnoxious houseguest." (For example, Daphne's mother moving in with Daphne and Niles on Frasier, or Mitchell and Cameron on Modern Family having Cameron's sister in their upstairs unit.)

And this is at least the third time that Matt and Colleen have been stuck with an obnoxious houseguest. The writers are really struggling with those two.

Edited April 27, 2019 by Blakeston

[Calvada]

On 4/24/2019 at 9:00 PM, PradaKitty said:

Gotta say,  “armadildo” is something a kid Lark’s age would definitely say. 

I had a nephew whose favorite toy was his "fire fuck."

The name thing made me laugh - my brother has been pissed for more than 30 years since our first cousin (who lives in another state and we never see) gave his son the same name as my brother's son.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

18 hours ago, Calvada said:

The name thing made me laugh - my brother has been pissed for more than 30 years since our first cousin (who lives in another state and we never see) gave his son the same name as my brother's son.  

Parents get weirdly possessive of names, which makes no sense since it's not like they invented this name and someone stole it from them.

Honestly, I don't think you get to call dibbies just because you got knocked up first. If someone else wants to give their kid the same name, you just have to live with it. But yeah, it makes way less sense to get mad that your cousin's kid WHO LIVES IN ANOTHER STATE has the same name. Even if they lived next door to each other, I still don't think one person gets to say they get the name for whatever reason.

Edited April 29, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E4: Birth Meddling Jacket Denial

Quote

When Colleen and Matt learn they may not be allowed into the delivery room for the birth of the baby they are planning to adopt, they try to convince Morgan to have the baby at home. Heather is thrilled when Samantha has a falling-out with a friend who was a bad influence; Jen thinks Greg bought her a beautiful present only to discover it wasn't for her; and John encourages Tim to see a cardiologist

Original air date: 5/2/19

[Kiddvideo]

This season is another woof. I hope it gets canceled to give some other show a chance and let the actors move on. Such a waste of some really good talent.

[Watching this]

Didn’t I just see the birthing pool on Good Girls a couple of weeks ago?

[joanne3482]

I liked the moment with Morgan and Colleen.  The whole thing was your typical "if people just talked to each other" moment, but it did have a nice payout where you saw how Morgan really is a scared kid. 

I also liked the dad and Tim.  It was nice that the dad was really looking out for him and even tricked him with the EMTs. 

I loathe the concept of "push presents" so that fell flat for me, but I did like Lark doing the housekeeping.  Does Jen not understand that's why you have kids? Free child labor? (I'm kind of kidding here, don't lecture about child's love and all that).  Lark's at the age where she wants to 'help.' They should let her. This is how she learns to clean.

[iMonrey]

Yeah. "Push present." Just, ugh. I hate the way giving birth has turned into a commercial industry the way weddings have.

[Armchair Critic]

I didn't realize that was Joey King, she looks so different than in The Act.

[iMonrey]

OMG I didn't realize that was Joey King either. {headsmack}

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 5/3/2019 at 9:41 AM, joanne3482 said:

I loathe the concept of "push presents" so that fell flat for me, but I did like Lark doing the housekeeping.  Does Jen not understand that's why you have kids? Free child labor? (I'm kind of kidding here, don't lecture about child's love and all that).  Lark's at the age where she wants to 'help.' They should let her. This is how she learns to clean.

Ha, I'm with you on both of these things. Lark is definitely at the perfect age where she wants to help and is capable of actually helping (as opposed to just making more work), so there's no harm in letting her do simple tasks. Heather is clearly the one who has had kids before - she knows how to put Lark to work AND keep her occupied. Best babysitting gig ever!

Push presents are a ridiculous concept to me. But this episode was a reminder of what a mama's boy Greg is. Good lord. There's loving your mom, which is a good thing, and then there's Greg.

It's been nice to see Joey King with hair and without the baby voice after watching The Act. I liked that she was open to the home birth (which was a bit unexpected considering her attitude about everything else) but it was nice to see her admit that she was scared and ask Colleen to be there for the birth.

Although it's a stereotype that doctors are often the ones who take the worst care of themselves, it's a stereotype for a reason. There are definitely doctors like Tim who eat like crap and then ignore a very straightforward diagnosis. I did laugh at how easily John was able to trick him with the offer of ice cream. And of course Tim the doctor describes his surgery as "they just put in a stent - no big deal!"

Edited May 5, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E5: Sonogram Frog Rub Family

Quote

After Tim has a heart attack, he becomes super clingy and annoys the entire family. Greg and Jen make a pact to keep their baby's gender a secret; Sophia's new pet frog turns out to be a dangerous species; and Matt and Colleen receive news about their impending adoption.

Original air date: 5/9/19

[possibilities]

I liked that John was thoughtful enough to find a way to get Tim carted off to the hospital without doing it in front of the kids and alarming everyone. He's usually not really on the ball about much, but that was both skilled and sensitive. It almost seemed out of character, but I'll take it!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

10 hours ago, possibilities said:

I liked that John was thoughtful enough to find a way to get Tim carted off to the hospital without doing it in front of the kids and alarming everyone. He's usually not really on the ball about much, but that was both skilled and sensitive. It almost seemed out of character, but I'll take it!

As a former pilot, he probably is good in emergency situations!

[BookWitch]

But when Heather asked him at the hospital about Sam he told her her dad had a heart attack and  she'd have to walk home.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 5/6/2019 at 7:29 PM, BookWitch said:

But when Heather asked him at the hospital about Sam he told her her dad had a heart attack and  she'd have to walk home.

Ah, but Sam wasn't the emergency, Tim was, and he dealt with Tim just fine.  He's terrible with peripheral details-that's what Joan deals with all the time.

On 5/6/2019 at 8:45 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Edited May 8, 2019 by ItCouldBeWorse

[iMonrey]

OK the frog killing was just dumb and all sorts of wrong. Aside from the idiocy of trying to keep it in a little goldfish bowl, once they called animal control and were told they didn't care about some dumb frog, they should have resigned themselves to just keeping it as a pet. Nobody had to kill the poor thing. How dumb are these kids anyway?

I did like the story of Greg and Jen finding out their baby's gender though because the way Greg kept being inappropriate with the gyno was hilarious, especially when he told Jen he was hiding an erection, then looked up and the doctor was standing there. Then the next time there's another doctor and Greg asks about the first and the doc says "Yes, she said you would ask about her."

I knew Matt and Colleen were going to adopt that kid the second he walked into the room. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

2 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I knew Matt and Colleen were going to adopt that kid the second he walked into the room. 

I'm a little surprised that the show runners want to add another juvenile to the cast, although he is very cute.

[libgirl2]

15 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

OK the frog killing was just dumb and all sorts of wrong. Aside from the idiocy of trying to keep it in a little goldfish bowl, once they called animal control and were told they didn't care about some dumb frog, they should have resigned themselves to just keeping it as a pet. Nobody had to kill the poor thing. How dumb are these kids anyway?

I did like the story of Greg and Jen finding out their baby's gender though because the way Greg kept being inappropriate with the gyno was hilarious, especially when he told Jen he was hiding an erection, then looked up and the doctor was standing there. Then the next time there's another doctor and Greg asks about the first and the doc says "Yes, she said you would ask about her."

I knew Matt and Colleen were going to adopt that kid the second he walked into the room. 

The whole thing with Greg was my favorite part of the show last night. 

I knew they would adopt the little boy right away too, but I still found it sweet.    

[LakeGal]

They are cancelling this one too.

[OtterMommy]

Officially Canceled

[chitowngirl]

😡

[nasir jones]

Sucks that the show was cancelled.  It had a good run.   I loved the cast and their chemistry.  My favorite storyline  will forever be the time Samantha got high before Thanksgiving dinner and kept ending up in the black neighbors' house.

Edited May 11, 2019 by nasir jones

[libgirl2]

Between this and then The Kids are Alright getting cancelled (Big Bang leaving is a different story), I have no network TV shows I plan on watching anymore. 

[Kimmmmmm]

And that crap "Man With a Plan" survives?!?!?!?!?!?!

[Blakeston]

So if they're having a girl, why did the doctor not want Jen and Greg to look at the "full frontal" pic of the fetus? What would that give away? (I have a hard time believing that someone would look at a blurry fetus photo and be sure there was no penis on it.)

Also, I didn't get the whole thing with Greg killing the possum. He was under the impression that possums have to be killed? Is there a joke there I'm not getting?

[chitowngirl]

8 hours ago, Blakeston said:

So if they're having a girl, why did the doctor not want Jen and Greg to look at the "full frontal" pic of the fetus? 

Because they didn’t want to know the sex of the baby. The full frontal would make it obvious. Greg took the picture out of the trash, accidentally spilled water on it at the right spot, which blurred it and made it look like a boy.

[Perfect Xero]

22 hours ago, Blakeston said:

So if they're having a girl, why did the doctor not want Jen and Greg to look at the "full frontal" pic of the fetus? What would that give away? (I have a hard time believing that someone would look at a blurry fetus photo and be sure there was no penis on it.)

Also, I didn't get the whole thing with Greg killing the possum. He was under the impression that possums have to be killed? Is there a joke there I'm not getting?

I thought the joke was that he felt compelled to kill it like some sort of nascent serial killer and is trying to pass this off as normal when it clearly isn't. It may have been a reference to his role on the show Dexter where he played a serial killer.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 5/10/2019 at 12:54 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I'm a little surprised that the show runners want to add another juvenile to the cast, although he is very cute.

I guess it no longer matters!

[LucyEth]

I am sorry to see this cancelled.  It was quirky and fun.  I enjoyed it, the list of shows I like is dwindling very quickly.

[msrachelj]

this is cancelled also! my god, 3 of my favorite shows. what the hell? 

but about the last episode. i was not thrilled with the kill the frog storyline. yes, she could have kept it as a pet. how stupid. but worse was greg killing the possum. wtf!? not funny,. it was ignorant, it made no sense. i really really hate animal abuse, even mentioned, as comedy in tv shows. just for that, i can be ok with cancellation.

On 5/12/2019 at 12:26 AM, Blakeston said:

So if they're having a girl, why did the doctor not want Jen and Greg to look at the "full frontal" pic of the fetus? What would that give away? (I have a hard time believing that someone would look at a blurry fetus photo and be sure there was no penis on it.)

Also, I didn't get the whole thing with Greg killing the possum. He was under the impression that possums have to be killed? Is there a joke there I'm not getting?

animal abuse as comedy once again. ha ha. so funny. fucking idiot writers. 

[Blakeston]

On 5/12/2019 at 9:15 AM, chitowngirl said:

Because they didn’t want to know the sex of the baby. The full frontal would make it obvious. Greg took the picture out of the trash, accidentally spilled water on it at the right spot, which blurred it and made it look like a boy.

But how would an ultrasound photo of a fetus be obviously female? A layperson not being able to see a penis in an ultrasound photo means nothing, in my experience, because they’re so blurry. 

My cousin’s doctor told her not to look too closely at the ultrasound, because if she did she’d be able to tell the sex. From that, we all knew she was having a boy, because there would be no reason for that warning with a girl.

Edited May 15, 2019 by Blakeston

[Spicymustard]

I’ve been watching this on Hulu and am nearing the end of season 2 and I find it so funny! I’m so sad to see that it’s been canceled after it’s 4th season, but I guess seeing some of the comments here it really nose dives at some point?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E6: Recovery Discipline Psycho Labor

Quote

After John befriends the janitor at Sophia's school, Mr. Sissel, John learns that Sophia and her friends believe a childish rumor about him. Heather pushes Tim and Joan to go for walks together while recovering from their health issues; Matt and Colleen try to tame Dougie's bad habits; Jen is desperate to not go into labor during Lark's birthday party.

Original air date: 5/23/19

[iMonrey]

I'm a little surprised it was cancelled, I don't think the ratings are much worse than other CBS sitcoms and it's a pretty high-profile show with some big names in it. $$$ was probably a big deciding factor.

I think the concept was unique and fun but it was never a roll on the floor, laughing until your sides ache comedy. 

[libgirl2]

18 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I'm a little surprised it was cancelled, I don't think the ratings are much worse than other CBS sitcoms and it's a pretty high-profile show with some big names in it. $$$ was probably a big deciding factor.

I think the concept was unique and fun but it was never a roll on the floor, laughing until your sides ache comedy. 

I had a few moments that I laughed so hard, I cried. 

[LakeGal]

Ugh!  Dougie is on tonight's show. 

[AnnaRose]

11 hours ago, LakeGal said:

Ugh!  Dougie is on tonight's show. 

Worst television character EVER!!!

[libgirl2]

12 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

Worst television character EVER!!!

Not a fan.