Life In Pieces - General Discussion

[zillabreeze]

12 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

Worst television character EVER!!!

So much could have been done with the cute little boy, but then they trot out that beast.  I have never understood her point

[iMonrey]

Somebody in Hollywood really likes Fortune Feimster, I don't get why. There has to be some legal way for Matt and Colleen to get rid of her.

I did get a good laugh out of Sophia bringing the janitor to her class and all the kids yelling "Sissel has Sophia!" then everyone starts screaming.

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, iMonrey said:

Somebody in Hollywood really likes Fortune Feimster, I don't get why. There has to be some legal way for Matt and Colleen to get rid of her.

I did get a good laugh out of Sophia bringing the janitor to her class and all the kids yelling "Sissel has Sophia!" then everyone starts screaming.

Dougie is the one character that never worked for me and seems to drag down the show. 

The whole Mr. Sissel story was funny! 

[possibilities]

I really enjoyed this week's episode. It made me sadder that the show is ending.

Dougie dolled up and polite was a shocker.

[Perfect Xero]

Maybe it's just me but I thought it was weird that they had Sophia's friend call John "hot".

[zillabreeze]

12 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Somebody in Hollywood really likes Fortune Feimster, I don't get why. There has to be some legal way for Matt and Colleen to get rid of her.

It's bizarre.  Matt & Colleen are normal working people that for some unexplained reason are held hostage by this "person".  Shoved into the story for no apparent reason.  

Two Broke Girls also had that huge loud woman that brought nothing to the story.

"Mom" (not that good for at least two seasons) has Kristen Johnson just walking around being big, loud and stupid.

I don't get it.  (Full disclosure, I am fluffy).  Why is this a thing?  

[Lifesabeach]

Aacchh!  Another show I watched now cancelled.  This one was quirky and attention needed to be paid to get the most out of it.  A really talented cast and good writing.  No murders, car chases, robots, spies........... so I guess it doesn’t appeal to the  “target audience”,  so out it goes.   Hate to think what programming will look like in a few years.  I be gone.

Edited May 27, 2019 by Lifesabeach

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E7: Lost Math Art Glam

Quote

Greg scrambles to find Lark when he loses her at the hospital while visiting Jen and the new baby; Heather offers to help Sophia with her math homework but can't figure out the new teaching method; Colleen organizes a family photo shoot.

Original air date: 5/30/19

[nasir jones]

The only funny thing about Dougie's inclusion in that story was the kid's final line... "So is Dougie my brother or my sister?"

[iMonrey]

This last one was actually pretty good. I enjoyed Greg losing Lark at the hospital, although I expect that happens often enough there are better protocols in place for finding them. I also loved all the grown-ups trying to figure out the new math. Sam's outfit for the rave was hideous. 

What didn't work for me was the bit with Matt and his new kid (I'm blanking on his name), except for the part where John says he's proud of his first grandson, and Tyler is standing right there an has to remind him he's his first grandson. I think the adoption storyline was sort of an unfortunate choice given how the series is ending soon. We haven't really been given enough time to get a feel for this kid.

I don't know how on earth Colleen thought that hideous makeup on Joan would make her feel better about having her picture taken. She looked like a clown.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I enjoyed Greg losing Lark at the hospital, although I expect that happens often enough there are better protocols in place for finding them.

This happened to my sister when she was barely walking. We were at the hospital visiting my aunt and as we were leaving, my parents turned back to talk to a doctor or someone and my sister got in the elevator by herself. My parents turned around just as the doors closed. One of my parents ran down the stairs to the first floor and the other one stayed in front of the elevator to watch the numbers light up and see if it stopped on a different floor.

[possibilities]

I'm actually in favor of child tethers. Call the security lines, and spare everyone the stress of wandering.

[msrachelj]

On 5/26/2019 at 10:59 PM, Lifesabeach said:

Aacchh!  Another show I watched now cancelled.  This one was quirky and attention needed to be paid to get the most out of it.  A really talented cast and good writing.  No murders, car chases, robots, spies........... so I guess it doesn’t appeal to the  “target audience”,  so out it goes.   Hate to think what programming will look like in a few years.  I be gone.

i agree, the "target" audience these days wants lots of bathroom humor, crude, rude, nasty incidents etc. a show can have a spot of this now and then, though i don't think it's necessary but sitcoms have gone down in quality on the whole. 

[AnnaRose]

I liked this past episode a lot... which is frustrating because it's ending and now it's making me care about that!

Lark missing in the hospital was amusing.  I loved the new math stuff.  (Do they really have those elements in 'New Math'?)  And nobody was especially annoying, which may be a record for this show.

It was hard to believe that Colleen, with her perfectly applied makeup, would think that what she did to Joan's face was great.  Then again, when she put all that horrible makeup on little Lark (and that awful pageant dress) - she thought it looked great... so clearly she is insane!

Thanks for making me feel like I'm going to miss you show!  (Not nearly at the level that I'll miss The Kids are Alright if ABC fails to come to their senses... but still, quite a bit.)

[chitowngirl]

16 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

(Do they really have those elements in 'New Math'?) 

Yes!! When I was helping my kids with their algebra, I looked at the problem and told them the answer and showed them how I got there. They said that’s not the way you do it and showed my how they were taught. I told them I have no idea what you are talking about, but here’s the way to do an algebra problem. Apparently, they don’t do “borrowing” in subtraction anymore. It’s all done by “grouping”.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E8: X Box Glimpse Spotlight

Quote

When Heather and Tim get an emergency text from Samantha to pick her up in the middle of the night, they try not to freak out so she'll still think they're the "cool" parents. At the circus, Tim endures an embarrassing public situation; John accidentally walks in on Jen breastfeeding the baby; Greg and Matt get competitive over their children's accomplishments.

Original air date: 6/6/19

[possibilities]

13 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

Apparently, they don’t do “borrowing” in subtraction anymore. It’s all done by “grouping”.

Why???

[iMonrey]

Quote

Apparently, they don’t do “borrowing” in subtraction anymore. It’s all done by “grouping”.

Ugh. Math was always my Kryptonite in school. I wonder if it would be harder or easier for me now. They already had something called "new math" when I was going into the fifth grade, and that was eons ago. I shudder to think what "new math" means today.

[Blakeston]

So Jen's drinking wine while she breastfeeds? I didn't just hallucinate that?

[Boothbay]

7 hours ago, Blakeston said:

So Jen's drinking wine while she breastfeeds? I didn't just hallucinate that?

Eh - it’s not a huge deal to drink while breastfeeding. 

It just occurred to me that Jen & Greg’s kid is named Lark Short - that’s a terrible name. 

[possibilities]

Seeing a boob is way too big of a deal in this family.

[zillabreeze]

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

Seeing a boob is way too big of a deal in this family.

They are streatching, I suppose due to the cancellation.  

14 hours ago, Blakeston said:

So Jen's drinking wine while she breastfeeds? I didn't just hallucinate that?

Supposedly, you can imbibe then time it from next feed/pump and be all good.

[chitowngirl]

19 hours ago, zillabreeze said:

They are streatching, I suppose due to the cancellation.  

This was filmed WAY before the cancellation came.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E9: Four Short Fairy Tales

Quote

When Tim gets a toupee, the family tries their best to hide their horrified reactions. Jen fights for face time with her boss when she returns to work after maternity leave; Joan decides to retire but gets cold feet; and Greg and Matt build a playhouse for the kids.

Original air date: 6/13/19

[Blakeston]

Re: women who breastfeed drinking alcohol - isn't the idea to let some time pass between when you drink, and when you feed/pump?

[libgirl2]

On 5/24/2019 at 7:43 PM, Perfect Xero said:

Maybe it's just me but I thought it was weird that they had Sophia's friend call John "hot".

It was, but James Brolin is hot. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Tyler and Clementine live in the main house, not in the little house in the backyard, correct?  Why, then, could Sophia not be left home?  (Not that I think that 2 parents needed to go pick up Samantha.)  Leave a note on their door for Sophia if in case she woke up and thought they abandoned her-which did make for a funny scene- and, I guess, wake up Tyler to let him know they were going out so if the house caught on fire, he would know he was responsible for Sophia.

Ah, it really just made more sense to leave one parent at home.

It's good that Matt, and especially Jen, now have Lucas to help raise them.

I wonder if the season (and series) conclusion will show Tyler enrolling in some sort of school or training program.  This family is really permissive with allowing their younger men to have extended periods of finding themselves.  If Clementine is not currently working, I wonder where they get spending money from.  Heather emphasized that they are living there for free.

[libgirl2]

Cute episode last night. Loved that Lucas wants to marry Lark! Tim's toup was so ugly!!! 

[iMonrey]

The story with Jen going back to work, and being torn between her career and the new baby - I've seen it a thousand times. It isn't particularly funny, or heartbreaking, or moving, because it's been done to death. Even if it's something a lot of working moms can relate to, it's a stale premise and there's nothing new to mine from it. 

I actually felt sorry for Tim at the conference when they threw his picture up on the screen behind him. 

How dumb do you have to be to build a brick playhouse right on top of your water meter?

[Latverian Diplomat]

The title card for the Tim toupee story misspelled "Emperor" as "Emporer". Was this just a mistake, or am I missing the joke?

[Latverian Diplomat]

On 6/3/2019 at 2:17 AM, possibilities said:

Why???

It's basically the same procedure, it's just a different word for it based on a different way of explaining it. 

I'm pretty neutral about the change (I'm old enough to have learned "borrowing" instead of "regrouping" and am fine either way), but I don't think the way math concepts are explained to students should be forever static for the sake of their parents. 

[Perfect Xero]

On 6/3/2019 at 3:17 AM, possibilities said:

Why???

To my understanding, old math taught primarily via memorization and basic formulas, and did less to teach the logic behind it. Many kids never developed a true intuitive understanding of the basics, and this was a stumbling block when they moved into more advanced forms of math. They basically taught us shortcuts and hacks first then expected us to figure out the underlying methods on our own.

The new methods are built around getting kids to understand why the basics work, so they're better prepared for the advanced math. This means teaching in a way that makes basic math initially seem more complex because they're trying to teach kids to understand the underlying relationships between numbers and make doing any type of math more intuitive in the future.

Edited June 15, 2019 by Perfect Xero

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E10: Letter Promise Adult Seventy

Quote

When Matt and Colleen treat Jen and Greg to a fancy dinner as a thank you for writing a recommendation letter, Jen and Greg are mortified when they realize they never wrote it. Sophia asks Tim and Heather to get her a pig; Clementine wants Tyler to stop going to his pediatrician for medical care now that he is an adult; and John's parents decide to get a divorce.

S4.E11: Clean Pens Grandma Guys

Quote

When Jen and Greg hire Edna, the cleaning lady who has worked for John and Joan for years, Jen is horrified at her strange habits. Matt, Heather, and Greg race to find the valuable souvenir pens John brought them when they were kids; Lucas is terrified of Joan; and when Tim invites Matt over to watch a sporting event on television, it takes a weird turn.

Original air date: 6/20/19

[joanne3482]

The John's parents thing was a little dark, although I did love that since they really were married 'til death do us part' that they had a successful marriage. The actor who played his dad was a total Hey It's That Guy for me who has played dads on tv it seems like since it's inception. 

[Blakeston]

It was kind of horrifying for me to realize that Paul Dooley is in his nineties.

I really like these two episodes - particularly the dark-as-hell segment with John's parents, and Tyler's testicular lump, and Sophia and the pig. It's a shame they had to be burned off this way.

[possibilities]

The show is funny! I am surprised it didn't catch on more.

[Latverian Diplomat]

I was a little surprised it didn't turn out Matt was the illustrator for the book that depicted Joan as a witch. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SERIES FINALE!

S4.E12: Cabana Hero Action Son

Quote

When Matt helps Grandpa Mort efficiently book a family trip to the Bahamas, the family is impressed, so Greg reserves a cabana at the pool to outdo Matt; Tim saves the life of a hotel guest; Matt and Colleen take an excursion to a private island.

S4.E13: Reverse Burden District Germany

Quote

When Tim and Heather realize that being grandparents is very far off in the future, they decide to have another baby; Joan gets frustrated when she keeps getting tasked with watching the grandkids; Jen and Greg decide to look for a new house.

Original air date: 6/27/19

[NYGirl]

Wow...the finale. 

I'm sorry to see this show get cancelled.  It always makes me laugh out loud.  I'm glad Matt finally got a job.  Heather and Tim trying for a baby was pretty stupid.

I hope Greg and Jen get the house.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

It bugged me that there was no explanation of who was watching Lark, Talia and Lucas.  Colleen's mother isn't around-can Lucas be left with anyone before his adoption is final?

I laughed out loud after John said that that the nurse probably named him after a dead person and then Joan said "John Doe Short...."

It's a good thing that John's family got treated to an expensive vacation since with all those half-brothers, John likely won't be inheriting much.  Mort got around a lot for a guy who thinks he might be into other guys.

Sophia has the best combination of lines and delivery.

Tyler and Clementine are just useless and annoying.  If Heather and Tim do have another baby, they will need Tyler's bedroom, so they all better start planning for that.

Will Joan have an office in her new place, or will she have to rent one elsewhere? (At least there wouldn't be grandkids wandering in.)

Matt can at least fly home once a month for the weekend and Skype every day, I hope.

Edited June 30, 2019 by ItCouldBeWorse

[libgirl2]

10 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

It bugged me that there was no explanation of who was watching Lark, Tali and Lucas.  Colleen's mother isn't around-can Lucas be left with anyone before his adoption is final?

I laughed out loud after John said that that the nurse probably named him after a dead person and then Joan said "John Doe Short...."

It's a good thing that John's family got treated to an expensive vacation since with all those half-brothers, John likely won't be inheriting much.  Mort got around a lot for a guy who thinks he might be into other guys.

Sophia has the best combination of lines and delivery.

Tyler and Clementine are just useless and annoying.  If Heather and Tim do have another baby, they will need Tyler's bedroom, so they all better start planning for that.

Will Joan have an office in her new place, or will she have to rent one elsewhere (at least there won't be grand kids wandering in.)

Matt can at least fly home once a month for the weekend and Skype every day, I hope.

My favorite part was Tim sneezing after his surgery.  I just had abdominal surgery and sneezed for the first time the other day. It's just liked they show it. I laughed like crazy.

[nasir jones]

I'm still stunned CBS didn't give the show one more season.  The ending of Matt going to Germany alone was rather sad.  I loved the idea of the Shorts just dropping off their kids constantly.

"Did they say how long they would be gone?"  "No, but they had luggage."

John covering the dog's face when he saw Joan had pinkeye was hilarious.

I'm gonna miss this show, especially Colin Hanks and Zoe Lister-Jones.  Fuckin' CBS... 2 Broke Girls was on for 6 damn seasons.

[iMonrey]

Quote

It bugged me that there was no explanation of who was watching Lark, Tali and Lucas. 

That bugged me too, especially since Jen just had a baby and was still nursing the last time we saw. 

What a strange ending. I wonder what they had in mind for next season. Was Thomas Sadoski planning to leave? Or did they just want some kind of dramatic goodbye for the finale? 

I really will miss the show, the cast is what keeps me coming back. Love them all, but especially Colin Hanks, Betsy Brandt and Zoe Lister-Jones. 

[tomorrowgirl]

This was a quirky comedy that I found to be refreshingly different from most other comedies.  I enjoyed it and I'm sorry to see it end. I was unfamiliar with Betsy Brandt and Zoe Lister-Jones, but I thought they had great comedic timing and delivery.

[libgirl2]

20 hours ago, nasir jones said:

I'm still stunned CBS didn't give the show one more season.  The ending of Matt going to Germany alone was rather sad.  I loved the idea of the Shorts just dropping off their kids constantly.

"Did they say how long they would be gone?"  "No, but they had luggage."

John covering the dog's face when he saw Joan had pinkeye was hilarious.

I'm gonna miss this show, especially Colin Hanks and Zoe Lister-Jones.  Fuckin' CBS... 2 Broke Girls was on for 6 damn seasons.

I know that's what makes it so hard when crap shows like that can go on yet something good is cut too short (pardon my pun).

[Blakeston]

Sad to see the show gone. That said, I still have a few nitpicks (of course):

So Matt's been a huge underachiever throughout the series, but then out of nowhere he gets a job as the art director for the biggest watch company in Europe? I know it's TV, but that's still a huge stretch.

After everyone got excited about a job offer that was translated poorly into English, I was fully expecting a revelation that he didn't actually get the job, and it was just a translation error. I'm not sure why even included the translation gag if it wasn't going anywhere.

(And if the company didn't even make him an offer in English, how is he going to function there without speaking German? I know a lot of Germans speak English on the job, but if this company didn't even write his offer letter in English, I find it hard to believe they have a primarily English-speaking office.)

The cabana storyline with Matt and Greg was a strange bit of role reversal, considering that they've established over and over and over again that Greg can do no wrong in his parents' eyes, and Matt is the one who's never appreciated.

And the level of pimping for Hotels.com really turned me off.

Edited June 29, 2019 by Blakeston

[zillabreeze]

On 6/29/2019 at 7:03 AM, libgirl2 said:

know that's what makes it so hard when crap shows like that can go on yet something good is cut too short (pardon my pun).

And don't get me started on ABC beating that dead horse "The Goldbergs" for years, while tanking that gem "The Kids are Alright" right out of the gate!

Who are these morons that do ratings surveys?

[libgirl2]

Just now, zillabreeze said:

And don't get me started on ABC beating that dead horse "The Goldbergs" for years, while tanking that gem "The Kids are Alright" right out of the gate!

Who are these morons that do ratings surveys?

I agree 100%!

As I"m home recovering for my surgery, I have season 1-3 of LIP and am in hysterics watching it. Next I need to see if KAA is on demand. I'm off for at least another week and have plenty of time.

[zillabreeze]

1 minute ago, libgirl2 said:

I'm off for at least another week and have plenty of time.

Good healing to you!!!

If you want intelligent comedy and have access, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a gem!  Not a sitcom, but hysterical.

I grew up in the golden age of sitcoms.  I keep a few Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore, MASH and Frazier episodes on the DVR.   The quality of writing has rarely been matched since.

[txhorns79]

On 6/27/2019 at 10:59 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Matt can at least fly home once a month for the weekend and Skype every day, I hope.

I don't think you fly from Germany to Los Angeles for a weekend trip.  The flight alone can be nearly 14 hours. 

I caught this series on Amazon, and did not watch it during its original run on CBS.  I enjoyed it, but also see how it eventually ran out of steam.  The cast is great, but way too large.  It also felt like the writing dropped off substantially after the first season.  I don't love it when storylines require otherwise normal characters to be stupid and it felt like they went back to that well way too much.  The finale also felt tacked on and weird.  My assumption was that they had a good idea that the show wouldn't be renewed, so they tried to give things a definite end, while leaving the story open enough to undo all those decisions.  For example, the idea that a German company would hire Matt as its Art Director, but seemingly not communicate with him in English (when there was no suggestion the character understood German) was bizarre.  Tim and Heather suddenly deciding to have another baby was another strange choice.  

All in all, it's a watchable series, and I thought Zoe Lister-Jones was a particular standout.