Season 2 Discussion

[Racj82]

Hmmm. Sounds like a filler episode. Oh, well. It'll probably be funny anyway.

I really don't understand something like this for a show with no carry over plot. There are no fillers (unless its a clip show).

My god this episode was hilarious. They had Moesha's little brother and the older brother from Smart Guy in the barber shop. Actually it dawned on me while watching that Weaver played Brandy's brother at one point too (Thea).

I'm a lazy son a gun in the barber shop. So I'm always disloyal. Whoever can take me next gets the money.

"Light skinned, Judas. It's Junior" and "I'm a bad bitch" cracked me up.

Also, dem hairlines. Damn!

[Dee]

I adored all the Empire shoutouts! Gotta love black shows showing each other love.

I lost it when Junior hit Dre with a disappointed Sadatay! Pootie Tang references will always be hilarious.

I'm glad Ruby went with Bow's original Christmas card idea. She may not like Bow's wardrobe or cooking but she's willing to be part of the team.

Dre's barbershop was a burial ground of UPN sitcom sidekicks. Jason Weaver, Barry Floyd, Marcus Paulk. All that was missing was Ronnie & Peaches from Girlfriends.

The twins shocked reactions to Zoe's commitment to elegance had me howling. "There's glass in your hair." "Is it shimmering?" "Does it matter?"

I was happy to see Curtis back! "5 rings, no fades" Indeed.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Dee

[SmithW6079]

How exactly was Dre's home barber able to restore his hairline? The man lost a couple of inches of hair.

The role Dre's assistant played would have been better taken by Charlie, who frequently joins Dre in his over-the-top posturing.

I didn't think Ruby's idea for the card was bad. Frankly, it was much better than Bow's ridiculous costumes.

I'd have gone to Smoke over T Jackson any day; he was fine (even if he is a five-time felon)

[DearEvette]

"Time to get grandma off the tit.  Bam!  Bitch is fired."  Oh man....

 

I love that they did a 'black hair' episode and it was centered around men's hair and not women's. 

 

Loved all the guys giving advice to Junior about how to handle his love love life and then seeing Junior following it to the letter, but in a rather awkward Junior way.  That boy has no swagger!

 

The Empire shout out was great.  I Iove how Ruby cast Bow as Rhonda because she was a 'white girl' but no mention of that fact that she is also married to a man named Dre.

[Mama No Life]

"How exactly was Dre's home barber able to restore his hairline? The man lost a couple of inches of hair."

 

There was a throwaway line about how he waited until he had grown his hair back before calling the home barber. I have no idea if that's possible in that short a period of time but they did at least address it.

 

This show cracks me up. Ruby's insistence in calling Bow "Rhonda" was hilarious....

 

Diane's, "I can't pull off elegance!" was the first tremor of insecurity we've seen...

Edited November 19, 2015 by Mama No Life

[Duke2801]

Junior was the highlight for me in an otherwise "ehhhhh" episode. "Tell him Pimp Juice sent you" and his awko "baby girl" at the end were pretty great.  Love him.  The montage of Bow crying in all of those prior Xmas cards was funny, too. 

 

But... why the hell didn't Bow just change out of her silver dress and into costume?  Unless Ruby purposefully pranked her and bought everybody one *except* for her?  Which is just ....oh hell no.

 

And where the *bleep* is Pops???  Did Ruby move in and kick him out of his room?   

[Mrs OldManBalls]

I would have happily posed for either Christmas card. (I've always wanted to do that)

 

Looooved that Ruby cast herself and Dre as Cookie and Lucious! 

[shura]

"How exactly was Dre's home barber able to restore his hairline? The man lost a couple of inches of hair."

 

There was a throwaway line about how he waited until he had grown his hair back before calling the home barber. I have no idea if that's possible in that short a period of time but they did at least address it.

 

Maybe they went with the "textured tattoo" route. Or the even more affordable Sharpie option.

[attica]

Pleading white girl ignorance about black barbershop goings-on: how long does it generally take to get a cut Dre and Junior were getting? Is it a five-minute thing, 15, or half-hour? I'm trying to understand how much of every Saturday people have to spend, especially if there are three of them getting the chop. Or is it an excuse for an all-day hangout?

 

"How old do you have to be to divorce your parents?"

"16." (God, I love that Diane knew that without the google.)

"Start the paperwork."

[Boofish]

Pleading white girl ignorance about black barbershop goings-on: how long does it generally take to get a cut Dre and Junior were getting? Is it a five-minute thing, 15, or half-hour? I'm trying to understand how much of every Saturday people have to spend, especially if there are three of them getting the chop. Or is it an excuse for an all-day hangout?

 

"How old do you have to be to divorce your parents?"

"16." (God, I love that Diane knew that without the google.)

"Start the paperwork."

Most men will be at the door when the shop opens. Depending on the shop that is around 5 or 6 (am) on weekends. A standard cut takes around 15 to 20 minutes; a specialty (like lines, design etc) can take a bit longer. First come first serve so it depends on the number of people, what time you arrived and who you want to cut your hair. There is always the guys Dre mentioned hanging around so most men stick around to hang out and watch the show. There was a reality show that didn't last I believe on BET centered around a Barber Shop and the customers. It was actually quite comical but I guess it never found it's footing.

 

"I can't do elegance; I'm quirky at best" I love Diane!

[Mozelle]

I don't know if I've said it here in one of the episode threads or maybe to friends in a Groupme, but I have been enjoying the hell out of the episodes this season. It seems like Kenya Barris and co. just decided to go for broke, and I applaud the crew and the actors for rising to the occasion. 

My god this episode was hilarious. They had Moesha's little brother and the older brother from Smart Guy in the barber shop. Actually it dawned on me while watching that Weaver played Brandy's brother at one point too (Thea).

 

Thank you for cluing me in to the little guest stars. For the life of me I couldn't remember who the guys were, but their voices sounded so damn familiar! I was like, Whooooo are they?

 

I adored all the Empire shoutouts! Gotta love black shows showing each other love.

I lost it when Junior hit Dre with a disappointed Sadatay! Pootie Tang references will always be hilarious.

I'm glad Ruby went with Bow's original Christmas card idea. She may not like Bow's wardrobe or cooking but she's willing to be part of the team.

Dre's barbershop was a burial ground of UPN sitcom sidekicks. Jason Weaver, Barry Floyd, Marcus Paulk. All that was missing was Ronnie & Peaches from Girlfriends.

The twins shocked reactions to Zoe's commitment to elegance had me howling. "There's glass in your hair." "Is it shimmering?" "Does it matter?"

I was happy to see Curtis back! "5 rings, no fades" Indeed.

 

The Empire references were killing me! Ruby talking about Cookie being "a bad bitch" had me doubled over. Cookie is, indeed, a bad bitch (and one who I dressed up as for Halloween!). Oh, and when Ruby cleared the table with a swipe of her hand (and the children's mixed reactions to it), I was like, "OMG! Never let me have a mother-in-law like Ruby."

 

Dre was playing himself by staying with T. Jackson. The brother jacked up his hairline then played like it wasn't him! You can't forsake your hairline in the name of loyalty. 

 

There were so many great moments and I'm drawing a blank on them. Just know that I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.*

 

*Going through the hashtag on Twitter is reminding me: The shade the show threw at the hairlines of not only Lebron James but Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and the other Spur was hilarious.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Mozelle

[attica]

A standard cut takes around 15 to 20 minutes; a specialty (like lines, design etc) can take a bit longer.

 

Oh, okay, so Dre and the boys are looking at an hour at the shop at least, and maybe half the day if there's a crowd waiting for T. Got it. Thanks!

 

...Would appointment booking ever catch on? Or is that just too undemocratic?

[Boofish]

I was 100% sure Ruby was going to tell Bow she was Boo Boo Kitty but calling her "that white girl" was even funnier

Oh, okay, so Dre and the boys are looking at an hour at the shop at least, and maybe half the day if there's a crowd waiting for T. Got it. Thanks!

 

...Would appointment booking ever catch on? Or is that just too undemocratic?

Speaking from PERSONAL experience - you can make an appointment with a black stylist all day long but all it means is that he/she will be there at that time LOL. I have had a few that keeps actual appointments but they are like unicorns. I always go to my stylists prepared to wait. If I have specific plans and need to be somewhere I let her know well in advance so she can get me in and out. Otherwise, I sit, gossip, sometimes buy what is being sold in the shop and treat it like a day at a girlfriends house.

 

That's one of the perks of a black stylist. The ones I know don't turn down money. You can walk in or call at the last minute. They will let you wait no problem. Most of my Caucasian friends wait MONTHS for an appointment with their stylists. 

Edited November 19, 2015 by Boofish

[luckyroll3]

"Time to get grandma off the tit.  Bam!  Bitch is fired."  Oh man....

This! And, "There will be no gangsta leaning in this house!" Lol!

[Mozelle]

I was 100% sure Ruby was going to tell Bow she was Boo Boo Kitty but calling her "that white girl" was even funnier

Speaking from PERSONAL experience - you can make an appointment with a black stylist all day long but all it means is that he/she will be there at that time LOL. I have had a few that keeps actual appointments but they are like unicorns. I always go to my stylists prepared to wait. If I have specific plans and need to be somewhere I let her know well in advance so she can get me in and out. Otherwise, I sit, gossip, sometimes buy what is being sold in the shop and treat it like a day at a girlfriends house.

 

I haven't gone to a stylist in yearrrrrsssss, but yup what you say is true. You can make all the appointments in the world, she'll still have you waiting. Why? Because she's trying to squeeze in as many heads as possible.

[Inquisitionist]

I'm still trying to catch my breath from when the D'Angelo song starting playing. I mean, Charlie is handsome and all but D'Angelo in his day (and in that video) was next level.

 

I confess to not knowing who D'Angelo is, but I loved that scene.  This episode made me finally look up the actor who plays Charlie.  Turns out Deon Cole has as many writing credits as acting.  And he is more handsome as himself. 

[TiffanyNichelle]

I thought this was a pretty funny episode, despite Ruby of course. Her explanation of the Empire theme was funny though I was sure she'd cast Bow as Boo Boo Kitty. Yeah, Cookie would be Ruby's idea of "elegance."

 

I really understood Dre's reluctance to give up on his barber. But I was also feeling Junior. A few years ago I made the switch between hairdressers at my salon and while I felt disloyal for going to another girl, I was also damn happy with the results. Mostly because the woman I was going to was really popular but she was always busy and I got fed up with being forgotten under the dryer because she was trying to squeeze in more clients.

[attica]

I've been with my hairdude for more than 30 years. Three shops, two marriages, and at least one ill-advised Prince hairdo. I get loyalty.

[Eolivet]

Surely Black-ish will get some Emmy recognition next year now that the hype for Empire is dying down.

 

Empire is a drama series. Black-ish is a comedy. They compete in entirely separate categories. Now if the Emmys forgot about The Big Bang Theory...

[Winston Wolfe]

 

Pleading white girl ignorance about black barbershop goings-on: how long does it generally take to get a cut Dre and Junior were getting? Is it a five-minute thing, 15, or half-hour?

 

Most men will be at the door when the shop opens. Depending on the shop that is around 5 or 6 (am) on weekends.

 

Yeah, appointment haircuts are an abstract theoretical concept in the hood.  It's more likely you'll get a barber to come to your house for a cut.  I myself  have always been a "7:00 am-as-soon-as-the-head-barber-opens-the-shop on Saturday morning" kind of guy.  A cut usually takes about 20-25 minutes for me.  Been getting the same cut since I was 10 years old: Dark Ceasar, round in the front, square in the back.  Have an older barber who does my hairline the old-fashioned way: with hot lather, a straight razor, and warm towel.  You ain't getting that at Supercuts.  Well, maybe the warm towel, heh. 

 

Barbershops were always the male social center of Black neighborhoods in the 60s, 70s and 80s.  As a kid, I remember the local barbershop always had centerfolds of the latest Muhammad Ali fight (from the New York Daily News) posted on the wall.  Good times.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Winston Wolfe

[Shermie]

Is it common to get a haircut every week? Does it really grow that fast? How unruly would it look if you miss a week?

[tomsmom]

Don't get me wrong I love the family stuff but if this show was only Dre in the conference room at work....I wouldn't be mad!

[Granny58]

I love this show even though I'm middle aged and white but considered this episode weak.  However, I simply didn't understand all the references...which I'm reading here!  Missed it all.  But I do have to say I like how God was #1 on his list.  There was the episode a week or 2 ago about church.  I like how this show makes religion just a normal part of this family....not an obsession, not a curiosity, no animosity - just normal.  Thank you Black-ish.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Empire is a drama series. Black-ish is a comedy. They compete in entirely separate categories.

No, what I was driving at is that last Emmy season Empire was getting virtually all of Hollywood's "Black people who should get show biz awards" hype, especially Taraji (who still ended up having to compete with Viola...in the same category. I'm glad at least one of them won). Black-ish I think was kind of a sleeper except to its fans, and may have suffered for running during Empire's hour. Whatever, now that Empire is no longer taking all the air in the room, as it were, perhaps Black-ish will get more attention in whatever Emmy categories the show and its actors compete in. The show seems to be in good humor about it, especially with all the references to Empire in the last episode.

Edited November 20, 2015 by OnceSane

[Joimiaroxeu]

Initially I was afraid that the Black barbershop thing was an overdone trope but Black-ish managed to find a clever angle I think. Meanwhile, I still love how precocious Jack and Diane are. It's insane that they can drop a reference to the Medellin drug cartel into casual conversation and recognize what cocaine might look like.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Joimiaroxeu

[peeayebee]

I'm a white woman, and I loved the ep. Honestly, I enjoy learning about different cultures and experiences, and I think the show makes it very accessible. That being said, I didn't know any of the guest actors, though I've seen the guy who played T. Jackson in other things. I've never watched Empire either, but I think I know enough about it to basically get the jokes.

 

The second time Dre came to the barbershop, one of the guys slapped some powder in the air, and everyone laughed except Dre, who then left. What was the joke?

 

Loved when Ruby swept the table clean. 

 

I do miss Pops. I assume Fishburne has another project going.

[grawlix]

The second time Dre came to the barbershop, one of the guys slapped some powder in the air, and everyone laughed except Dre, who then left. What was the joke?

 

Lebron James, noted NBA star, has a receding hairline.  Many people have noticed that instead of shaving his head, he covers his receding hairline with either larger headbands or that the location of his headband is traveling further north on his head.  He is also known to start games by slapping powder up in the air at the scorer's table. 

 

Dre's haircut looked like he had a receding hairline like Lebron James.  When he revealed his haircut, someone mentioned that Dre got "Lebroned".  The powder slap up in the barber shop was making fun of Dre's "Lebron" haircut.

Edited November 20, 2015 by grawlix

[fishcakes]

But I do have to say I like how God was #1 on his list.

 

I liked how on his revised list, shrimp had moved up to #2.

[teebax]

Pleading white girl ignorance about black barbershop goings-on: how long does it generally take to get a cut Dre and Junior were getting? Is it a five-minute thing, 15, or half-hour? I'm trying to understand how much of every Saturday people have to spend, especially if there are three of them getting the chop. Or is it an excuse for an all-day hangout?

 

"How old do you have to be to divorce your parents?"

"16." (God, I love that Diane knew that without the google.)

"Start the paperwork."

I'll add my experience to the discussion. I go to a female hairdresser and a male barber. They're married and have a shop together, so it works out. The barber is in the front, and she's in the back. I wear my hair natural but get it colored, so he does my cuts, and she does my color.

My shop opens at 10 am, and there's always someone trying to get in first. Since I have a standing appointment at 10, it's funny to me when some dude tries to cut me off in his haste to get in first. All chivalry goes out the window! My barber has to tell the guy that I'm always first, and I always snicker to myself. I go once a month, by the way. In the summer, when I wear my hair much shorter, I change it up to every two weeks.

As for loyalty, the first thing I did when I moved to this city was find a hairdresser. When you live in a place without a lot of black folks, it's imperative to find one right away and get in good with a shop you like. I tried three before I found my current one. The first one did a good job, but they made me wait two hours past my appointment time, and ain't nobody got time for that. The second one really jacked up my fade, so I never went back there. The third time was the charm for me.

What I love is the dichotomy between the front and the back of the shop. The discussions are completely different. The guys are usually arguing about sports, which is fine with me. The women are usually discussing shows like Scandal, Empire, and How to get Away with Murder, which is also fine with me.

I do remember one heated political discussion when Obama was first running for president. One woman said she wouldn't vote for him because she was worried he'd be assassinated. I thought that was the craziest shit I'd ever heard, but it did bring out a spirited debate that got both parts of the shop involved.

Incidentally, my girlfriend is white. She has started going to my hairdresser after a series of bad haircuts from white stylists. I suggested she try mine out because if you can do black hair you can do any hair. She was unsure but finally gave it a shot. After getting what she described as the best haircut she's ever had, she won't let anyone but my stylist cut her hair now!

Sorry for the long post, but I like having a chance to explain our culture to people with a genuine interest in it.

[SmithW6079]

God might be number one on Dre's list, but the family can't be bothered to go to church on Sunday.

[mansonlamps]

This wasn't my favorite episode, but the kid that plays Junior is really good. I would like to see them showcase him better.

[Granny58]

God might be number one on Dre's list, but the family can't be bothered to go to church on Sunday.

there's lots of people like that.  AT LEAST the family doesn't treat faith like a joke for yokels.

I'll add my experience to the discussion. I go to a female hairdresser and a male barber. They're married and have a shop together, so it works out. The barber is in the front, and she's in the back. I wear my hair natural but get it colored, so he does my cuts, and she does my color.

My shop opens at 10 am, and there's always someone trying to get in first. Since I have a standing appointment at 10, it's funny to me when some dude tries to cut me off in his haste to get in first. All chivalry goes out the window! My barber has to tell the guy that I'm always first, and I always snicker to myself. I go once a month, by the way. In the summer, when I wear my hair much shorter, I change it up to every two weeks.

As for loyalty, the first thing I did when I moved to this city was find a hairdresser. When you live in a place without a lot of black folks, it's imperative to find one right away and get in good with a shop you like. I tried three before I found my current one. The first one did a good job, but they made me wait two hours past my appointment time, and ain't nobody got time for that. The second one really jacked up my fade, so I never went back there. The third time was the charm for me.

What I love is the dichotomy between the front and the back of the shop. The discussions are completely different. The guys are usually arguing about sports, which is fine with me. The women are usually discussing shows like Scandal, Empire, and How to get Away with Murder, which is also fine with me.

I do remember one heated political discussion when Obama was first running for president. One woman said she wouldn't vote for him because she was worried he'd be assassinated. I thought that was the craziest shit I'd ever heard, but it did bring out a spirited debate that got both parts of the shop involved.

Incidentally, my girlfriend is white. She has started going to my hairdresser after a series of bad haircuts from white stylists. I suggested she try mine out because if you can do black hair you can do any hair. She was unsure but finally gave it a shot. After getting what she described as the best haircut she's ever had, she won't let anyone but my stylist cut her hair now!

Sorry for the long post, but I like having a chance to explain our culture to people with a genuine interest in it.

Thank you!  

[Cabarb]

I love this show but Diane is my favorite by far.  Every line of dialogue is perfect for her!

[needschocolate]

I don't watch Empire, am not a basketball fan, and haven't gotten a professional haircut in years (family member does a good job of it for free), so I didn't get a lot of the jokes. Enjoyed what I understood though.

[KateeBar]

I loved this episode. It's always funny, and for me, it's often educational. I think they do a good job of highlighting cultural elements that are often tropes or stereotypes on other shows, but they do it in a witty way and with a depth most sitcoms are unable to achieve. It's really interesting.

 

The kids killed it. Junior's awkward swag, the cocaine references, the lessons in elegance. Ruby's Empire diorama was fantastic too.

[peeayebee]

I just watched the ep again, and the Charles plot was just as hilarious as before. Deon Cole deserves an Emmy nod.

 

Anyway, I have a question -- I didn't think about this the first time I watched, but Dre went to Howard University. That's in D.C., but don't he and Bow talk about it like it's in California?

[mansonlamps]

I love this show but Diane is my favorite by far.  Every line of dialogue is perfect for her!

Diane is definitely a "love her or hate her" kind of character. Although I guess "hate" is a little harsh, but I lean toward the latter category for sure. For me it's all about Junior.

[kia112]

I squealed when I saw Jason Weaver. The only thing that would have made it better is if he sang some young MJ or Simba.

I quite enjoyed Ruby's elegance theme. I love that Empire exists in both the Blackish and Sleepy Hollow worlds.

[attica]

Thank you, posters, who are kindly answering my questions about your hair-tending experiences. It's hardly your job to educate old white women; I appreciate your doing so with grace and humor. It has added to my enjoyment of the ep, as well as just being generally awesome.

[Queena]

I floved the mention of the marriage between Scientology and the Nation of Islam! Yes! Drop knowledge in a comedy show!

I also loved Diane knowing the age of emancipation.

Loved the Empire shutouts.

Much better than last week.

[peeayebee]

I floved the mention of the marriage between Scientology and the Nation of Islam! Yes! Drop knowledge in a comedy show!

Is this true?

[needschocolate]

Diane is definitely a "love her or hate her" kind of character. Although I guess "hate" is a little harsh, but I lean toward the latter category for sure. For me it's all about Junior.

 

I love Diane, Junior, and Jack, and not necessarily in that order - it all depends on who is talking at that moment.  I have nothing against Zoey - but the character is the self-absorbed, popular, pretty girl, older sister that has been done on many shows before.  This show has the best child actors ever, IMO.  

 

Actually, all the acting on this show is great, including the office people.  I would absolutely hate having Dre's mom for a mother-in-law (I might even hate having her as a mother), but the actress plays the part very well.  

[Queena]

Is this true?

Yes, very much so. No one seems to take it serious, but they've been in bed together since at least 2010. I know people who attended the private school in Chicago. They were being audited, and had to read dinetics. I'm talking kids in 6th grade.

[topanga]

 

 

Everyone knows that the douchiest of Harvard grads don't say they went to Harvard, they say they went to school in Cambridge or Boston.

 

DAMN IT. That's what I say (Boston), in an attempt to NOT be a douche!

I wouldn't worry, hendersonrocks. I had friends in grad school who did this, and even though I automatically knew they were talking about Harvard, I always thought they were being overly modest. They weren't douchy at all. 

 

Hilarious episode!

 

 

Dru told Zoey he would buy her a Tesla X if she made the choice he wanted. I'm guessing he was joking because that is an $132,000 car. He and Bow are well off but I can't see them buying their teenaged daughter a car quite that expensive, especially since she only recently learned to drive.

Dre added a throw-away line suggesting he didn't know what kind of car Zoe was talking about (and I'm sure he doesn't know much it costs). 

[sinkwriter]

 

That's one of the perks of a black stylist. The ones I know don't turn down money. You can walk in or call at the last minute. They will let you wait no problem. Most of my Caucasian friends wait MONTHS for an appointment with their stylists.

 

 

I used to answer phones and make appointments and manage the front desk of a salon/spa for a few years, and most of the stylists (Caucasian or otherwise) were happy to squeeze people in and get more clients per week if they could. One Caucasian nail tech in particular was pretty ruthless about squeezing people in. But we only had one African-American stylist in the shop, and thinking back, she was much more dedicated to squeezing people in than the Caucasian stylists were.

 

In fact, the first week she started, she came up to me at the front desk and said, "I know you have a specific way you're supposed to set up appointments in the computer, but the customers I'm bringing from my previous shop are used to waiting, they don't mind waiting, because they know I'm going to do awesome work on their hair. So, please don't ever say no to anyone wanting to make an appointment with me. If you think you can't fit it in, come to me first and I will make it work." And she did. Her schedule was ALWAYS jam-packed. (And with good reason - she was excellent at her job, and hilarious so people found her really entertaining.) She even tried to tip me once at the end of a particularly successful day because I'd given her a bunch of clients, but I was all, "I didn't do anything special - you had the room in your schedule, I've gotten to know how you like things scheduled, they were able to come when you had openings... so I made the appointments. It all worked out well. No need to tip me, it's my job to do this, but thank you for appreciating it."

 

It's good when someone can squeeze in a client, but there were definitely times when the wait was too much. Not for that stylist or her customers, but we had a spa aesthetician who was CONSTANTLY running late, like an hour and a half late sometimes, and I was ready to strangle her for it. Her customers were coming in for relaxing services but they didn't have time to wait all day. And she wasn't the one getting yelled at for it by the customers -- I was. Sometimes I wanted to kick that damn spa door open and startle her out of her Musak haze and tell her to wrap it up! LOL.

 

That was a tough job. Lot of decent perks, but pretty hellish for so many reasons. Oh, the stories I could tell you... 

 

I'm glad Ruby went with Bow's original Christmas card idea. She may not like Bow's wardrobe or cooking but she's willing to be part of the team.

 

I'm not sure how team-oriented Ruby is when she didn't tell Bow that she'd switched the Xmas card idea back to Bow's original theme. If she really cared, she wouldn't have let Bow get all done up for nothing. I LOVE Jenifer Lewis, but sometimes Ruby's a jerk.

[topanga]

 

To me Diane is mean. For someone so smart she has doesn't know understand tact and social niceties? No, she knows and doesn't care. Then again, she does Pops and Ruby as grandparents. They don't care about feelings either. Dre sometimes, too.

Don't forget Zoe. She's mean to everyone. And everyone's mean to Junior. Come to think of it, most families are kind of nasty toward one another at home. I can't imagine any of the kids are flippant or mean at school--if so, I think Diane for sure would have disciplinary issues. 

[TaxNerd]

Oh, and when Ruby cleared the table with a swipe of her hand (and the children's mixed reactions to it), I was like, "OMG! Never let me have a mother-in-law like Ruby."

Ha, this show is so funny I didn't catch the Cookie foreshadowing until now. Definitely a Cookie move before she even mentioned her theme.

I love Diane, Junior, and Jack, and not necessarily in that order - it all depends on who is talking at that moment. I have nothing against Zoey - but the character is the self-absorbed, popular, pretty girl, older sister that has been done on many shows before. This show has the best child actors ever, IMO.

Completely agree. None of the child actors are complete sterotypes, including Zoey. She is the popular kid, but she also had a successful blog/Instagram and showed she could rock the business world.

None of the other kids are the typical jock, nerd, spoiled baby etc. but they are all so much deeper. It makes watching them interesting.

[mtlchick]

When Ruby said "Elegance" in that manner I had another "Jenifer Lewis is channeling my mother and I'm not sure if that's a good thing" moment.  (My mom's idea of elegance is purposely strutting and wearing loud and bright prints.) 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was hoping she would upgrade the theme from elegance to eleganza!

[Raja]

And is that a thing to fly cross country to check out a college before applying? Every show seems to do it, but it don't know anyone who did that in real life, even though most kids I know go to uni or college. They check it out online, apply, and if they're accepted and choose it, they discover the campus when they get there. Who has the time and money to jet around the country just to look at potential schools?

I seem to recall a public school for the kids and not something like a Harvard-Westlake which about half of their richer Los Angeles area neighbors do then they would be paying around $35,000 a year per child. They seem to be in that economic class where they can handle it. It is just a matter when they will start paying