Season 2 Discussion

[SmithW6079]

According to Wiki, there is a tradition (probably started in Germany) of hiding a pickle in a Christmas tree and whoever finds it gets a prize.

Whenever I play find the pickle, I always get a prize. Oh wait, that's probably not what you meant. Never mind.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Dre's childhood best friend Gigi Franklin is in town, and Bow feels like an afterthought whenever the two of them are together. Dre and Gigi are like brother and sister, but it doesn't help that Gigi is an international pop star with model looks. When they get into an argument, Dre turns to Bow, who convinces him that she can fill Gigi's shoes as his best friend and they give it a trial run. Meanwhile, the kids always look forward to a visit from Aunt Gigi and during her stay, they become inspired to film a music video and become YouTube stars.

[ParadoxLost]

Thought about this episode over the Holidays.  I went to a family member's church for a Christmas service.  Let's just say that by the time they got to Silent Night, I was trying to figure out how they were going to make it into a rock song halfway through like every hymn before it.

[ExplainItAgain]

OK, well I will reserve judgment until I see it, but the episode description sounds like a total retread of several storylines already.

[possibilities]

Reading the description, I thought "I already saw that one"-- I actually thought it was for a rerun, not a new episode.

[Inquisitionist]

It actually kinda sounds like a Brady Bunch rerun.  As ExplainItAgain said, I'll reserve judgment -- but it will be hard!

[OnceSane]

Ruby introduces Dre and Bow to the new man in her life, but Dre looks for any reason to dislike him while Pops comes up with a plan to distract his ex-wife. Meanwhile, Junior's siblings convince him to meet a girl he's been talking to on a dating site.

[SmithW6079]

As much as I enjoy the series, to be fair, the plot is basically the same in every episode: Dre's blackness/masculinity/sexuality/whatever is threatened, and he overreacts until he's shown the light by his coworkers/wife/kids/father/whatever.

[Bronzedog]

I really don't like The character of Diane.

[Misslindsey]

 

I really don't like The character of Diane.

Me either. Sometimes I like the sarcastic characters, but not on this show. I have the same problem with Modern Family's Alex. On paper they are normally characters I like, but onscreen I do not. I really only liked the Diane feud with Charlie, but he is gone so we do not even get that anymore.

 

For me Dre seemed like he was a dick to Bow for most of the episode. It really wasn't what the episode was about, but some of his behavior was on the dickish side of things, especially talking to the women at the nail salon about Bow, while she is next to him, in a different language.

[kat165]

I was shocked at Diane's singing voice. That kid was good. I would have liked to have heard more of her singing. Or more of the

video at the end. Impressive.

 

I really miss Charlie.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I found the whole "my spouse is not my best friend" thing weird. I am totally for people to have lots of friends, but Mr. EB is my favorite person in the whole world. I would rather hang out with him than anyone else. I wish that instead the show had talked about how there are just different people who you like to do different things with. Mr. EB and I have a lot in common but we do have separate interests that have no overlap so that's one area where we definitely spend time with other people.

 

And obviously there are things that Bow and Dre both like but have different ideas about, like going to the salon. Bow likes going for a mani/pedi but Dre likes to go for a full pampering experience that takes five hours. Neither one is right or wrong, but they want different things from the same situation. To me, that would have been a preferable explanation than Gina's boyfriend complaining that she farted in his car.

 

Dre definitely crossed the line a few times though. Talking shit about your own wife while she's sitting RIGHT THERE is just rude. And it wasn't even in the way that Dre and Gina jokingly put each other down because he did it in another language to deliberately make Bow feel left out while he laughed at her with the staff. And being on the phone with Gina while watching something in bed with Bow was also not cool (I would be willing to say it's okay if Bow was okay with it).

 

But what I did like was that Bow's jealousy had nothing to do with Gina being a woman. One of my best friends is a guy and people have made comments about it for years. We are not attracted to each other AT ALL. We have never had anything other than platonic feelings for each other since the day that we met. We just get along really well and we get each other. That did not go over well with a lot of his girlfriends though, and it always annoyed me. I DO NOT WANT YOUR MAN so calm down. Anyway, Bow's jealousy was about Dre putting Gina ahead of her, which is a legitimate gripe. She would have reacted the same way if Dre had been on the phone with a male friend while they were watching tv in bed together too because it's just rude.

 

I loved the When Harry Met Sally shoutout though!

[Raja]

Thought about this episode over the Holidays.  I went to a family member's church for a Christmas service.  Let's just say that by the time they got to Silent Night, I was trying to figure out how they were going to make it into a rock song halfway through like every hymn before it.

The thing about Christmas music I've come to expect it from every genre. My go to Silent Night had been The Temptations for decades. But I would be waiting for that mash up of the traditional hymn with the hits from the modern psalmist/ big name music ministry that seems to be a recent edition. Perhaps since Chris Tomlin adding "my chains are gone" to Amazing Grace for the movie of the same name's soundtrack

[attica]

I feel like Bow doesn't have any friends. We've seen Dre's, but Bow only has that one coworker. 

 

Please tell me that 'scrolling through somebody's phone contacts' is just a joke and not actually a thing that kidz today do for legit entertainment. But now that I think on it, kidz today don't have phone books to leaf through and make crank calls. All right then, it's a tradeoff. 

[Boofish]

I feel like Bow doesn't have any friends. We've seen Dre's, but Bow only has that one coworker. 

 

Please tell me that 'scrolling through somebody's phone contacts' is just a joke and not actually a thing that kidz today do for legit entertainment. But now that I think on it, kidz today don't have phone books to leaf through and make crank calls. All right then, it's a tradeoff. 

My best guess is that because Gigi was famous scrolling through her contacts would be more interesting than say mine. Although, not to toot my own horn (TOOT TOOT) but I am really good friends with the host of Manor of Speaking the PBS show that runs after Downton Abby (for anyone who watches) I was once a guest on the show; name in the credits and everything. I have never been to the VMA Awards so this is probably the closest I will ever get LMAO.

 

I could relate to Dre and Gigi (expect the rudeness with Bow part) My best friend is a guy and he is HOT (I'm not blind). There has never been anything romantic between us although if we live to 1000 we will never be able to convince anyone else. No one believes we are just friends. The people I found I had the most issues with it were his now girlfriend friends. I was not their favorite person and they were always filling her head with nonsense. 

 

The B plot with the kids was cute filler but not as funny as it has been in the past. As always, I love the office shenanigans and I like Wanda Sykes and glad she is starting to fit in nicely. Still miss Charlie though. I would have LOVED to see his reaction to Gigi!!!

[jmonique]

I feel like Bow doesn't have any friends. We've seen Dre's, but Bow only has that one coworker. 

 

Please tell me that 'scrolling through somebody's phone contacts' is just a joke and not actually a thing that kidz today do for legit entertainment. But now that I think on it, kidz today don't have phone books to leaf through and make crank calls. All right then, it's a tradeoff. 

 

It was only because Gigi had celebrities in her phone contacts.

 

Also, Wanda Sykes is just randomly insulting and still doesn't fit in. The whole "eventually, she agrees and acts like she doesn't remember disagreeing" thing comes off as a weird senility, rather than a funny recurring quirk.

 

They're also making Diane completely unlikable, which is a shame as the actress has a lot of talent for someone so young.

Edited January 7, 2016 by jmonique

[MaryMitch]

But what I did like was that Bow's jealousy had nothing to do with Gina being a woman. One of my best friends is a guy and people have made comments about it for years. We are not attracted to each other AT ALL. We have never had anything other than platonic feelings for each other since the day that we met. We just get along really well and we get each other. That did not go over well with a lot of his girlfriends though, and it always annoyed me. I DO NOT WANT YOUR MAN so calm down. Anyway, Bow's jealousy was about Dre putting Gina ahead of her, which is a legitimate gripe. She would have reacted the same way if Dre had been on the phone with a male friend while they were watching tv in bed together too because it's just rude.

I loved the When Harry Met Sally shoutout though!

Totally agree - regardless of "Harry's" opinion, men and women CAN be "just friends".

[TiffanyNichelle]

Also, Wanda Sykes is just randomly insulting and still doesn't fit in. The whole "eventually, she agrees and acts like she doesn't remember disagreeing" thing comes off as a weird senility, rather than a funny recurring quirk.

I want Charlie back so bad. If Wanda is going to join in on the work scenes they need to do something about her character. That quirk of hers, agreeing after the fact as if she wasn't the first to disagree is stupid.

[LadyintheLoop]

As much as I enjoy the series, to be fair, the plot is basically the same in every episode: Dre's blackness/masculinity/sexuality/whatever is threatened, and he overreacts until he's shown the light by his coworkers/wife/kids/father/whatever.

 

 

And superwoman Bow is gut-wrenchingly insecure.

 

And Daphne keeps wrong-footing the other employees. (I think it's deliberate.)

[DarkRaichu]

To me, Wanda Sykes' flip flopping character did not add to the office scene.  I pretty much got what stereotype / archtype each character filled in the office (even dre's young black assistance) after a few scenes.  Wanda already appeared in 3 episodes and I still did not get or care what her character was about.

 

Dre was rude when he talked about his wife in Vietnamese in front of her at the nail salon.  Not trying to defend him too much, but maybe he was just used to talk in vietnamese when he and Gigi had their nails treated.  Noticed towards the end Dre and Gigi were arguing in vietnamese

[ari333]

Hated it.

 

That is all.

[tennisgurl]

I really liked that they never made the fact that Dres BFF was a woman into a big deal. It was more of Bow being insecure about herself...as Bow often is. 

 

Tyra Banks was basically playing a more down to Earth version of Tyra, so she worked out alright. I actually just saw her in an older movie called Higher Learning, and I thought she was ok in it. 

 

Iggy had it coming, I`m sure. 

[mtlchick]

This is probably the first episode that I didn't like overall save for little parts.  I thought Tyra was the best part (here's something I wouldn't normally write) but the normal cast was just so unlikable this round. 

[Duke2801]

That was pretty awful, all around. Tyra Banks was not a good fit, and the "best friends" storyline sucked. I was disappointed because I liked the premise at the start (the whole "I'm married to my best friend" thing does get on my nerves....). But, sadly, it all fell apart pretty quickly.

 

I didn't even like the kids' storyline - and usually I can always find a laugh or two from Junior!

 

And the work scenes were just painful.  Come back Charlie (and goodbye, Wanda...).

Edited January 7, 2016 by Duke2801

[tenativelyyours]

I actually liked Wanda when she first joined the cast.   But I wish the writers would give her more.  I think her about-facing her position on things is funny but I think it went from zero to sixty as a character trait and should have been established better.

 

I actually did not think that Diane's singing was that great.  Better than me?  Yes.  Better than an average kid?  Yeah, okay.  But at that age kids actually have decent young voices.  I say having to sit listening to the recent practices for my nephew's school holiday show.  The reaction for me was a bit over the top.  But the character might have something to do with that since I don't mind snide and snark I just want it to be a bit more clever.  Again I think it stems from the fact that show is a bit too over the top in many regards (Junior gets way too weirdly unrealistic in moments that are wonderfully selling the whole "the way it is' humor; so did Charlie which is why I unpopularly say 'godspeed' to the character').

 

Overall I thought this show lacked any of the charm and wit it has steadily shown for the most part.  Or at least in some part.

 

And it also reminded how I would love a network comedy that does not feel the need to take me by the hand and tell me in the wrap up at the end what I just learned about friendship and family and what is important in life.  Stop with the life lessons,  The homilies and the pretend this is what 'I' (whichever characters) learned when they really mean what we the show just so wittily told you. 

[peeayebee]

Watching this with a headache, I didn't enjoy the show as much as usual. I thought Tyra Banks was pretty good. I haven't watched any of her shows so I didn't know what to expect.

 

But really the only thing I really liked were a couple of lines:

 

Diane to Jr: Why do I have to play triangle?
Jack to Jr: Why do you have a triangle?

 

Jr to Diane: Where did you learn to sing like that?
Jack to Diane: More importantly, what personal experience are you mining to display that kind of emotion?

[Writing Wrongs]

I could relate some bits, because my best friend is a guy. Luckily his wife is ok with us doing stuff together.

 

The funniest thing to me was the watching the movie while on the phone bit. When my friend moved to Texas for awhile, we ended up watching The Wizard of Oz on cable while being on the phone with each other. The whole damn movie!

[topanga]

I thought Dre was once again being a dick to Bow, but my biggest question is why she  puts up with his crap and doesn't stand up for herself. When he said something insulting about her nails, why didn't she come back with "I'm a friggin' surgeon. I wash my hands at least 20 times a day. No manicure would last on these hands."  When he was hurt after Gigi told him there was no such thing as a plus 2, why didn't she tell him that he'd just said the same thing to her? 

 

Part of it is that Bow wants to keep peace more than anything else. Maybe it's her hippie upbringing that keeps her from telling Dre and Ruby when they're out of line and rude. But that sends a message that their behavior toward her is okay, and they'll continue the snide comments and downright disrespectful behavior as long as she allows it. 

 

I love it when the kids spend time together. I didn't like Diane being so mean, but I loved the scenes when she was being all fan-girly with GiGi. 

 

And is Charlie gone for good. Say it ain't so!

[SmithW6079]

Judging by the comments here, I'm glad I jettisoned this episode after just a few minutes. I can't stand Tyra Banks, and I'm sad to hear Wanda Sykes is still around.

Doesn't "When Harry Met Sally" prove that, ultimately, men and women can't be just friends? They end up together as a couple, don't they?

[Inquisitionist]

That was flat-out bad. First episode I can say I actively disliked. 

[Noirprncess]

Not that many laughs in this episode.

I like Diane but they run the risk of over using her character which works best when she responds unexpectedly versus being set up to carry the joke.

In tv land, I get the regular use of man/female BFFs. But, in reality I couldn't see my DH. (or myself) running off to hang out with my opposite sex BFF. Thus the reason I couldn't find the humor in this situation.

[needschocolate]

Also, Wanda Sykes is just randomly insulting and still doesn't fit in. The whole "eventually, she agrees and acts like she doesn't remember disagreeing" thing comes off as a weird senility, rather than a funny recurring quirk.

 

I want Charlie back so bad. If Wanda is going to join in on the work scenes they need to do something about her character. That quirk of hers, agreeing after the fact as if she wasn't the first to disagree is stupid.

 

And the boss/coworker who abruptly changes their opinion when it becomes obvious that everyone else thinks their opinion is wrong and then acts like they never had a different opinion in the first place or steals someone else's idea and acts like they came up with it has been done for years (there are probably drawings of it in a cave somewhere).  

 

And it also reminded how I would love a network comedy that does not feel the need to take me by the hand and tell me in the wrap up at the end what I just learned about friendship and family and what is important in life.  Stop with the life lessons,  The homilies and the pretend this is what 'I' (whichever characters) learned when they really mean what we the show just so wittily told you. 

 

(Disclaimer - I haven't watched the whole episode, so I don't know what was said at the end, I am just talking in generalities) It is the standard way kids are taught to write paragraphs and stories in elementary school.  Start with a topic sentence, give facts/examples to support it, then conclude by restating the theme. Many shows don't give much of the topic in the beginning, but they always restate the lesson learned at the end.  It would be nice if, sometimes, they end with an example that shows that the character has learned what they learned without the character saying what it was.  

[ari333]

I love Wanda no matter what she does. Imma sap

[Dr Epi]

I agree.  Not a great episode.

 

What I really objected to was the joke about the skinny legs of people who use wheelchairs.  I can't imagine Blackish tolerating a white person saying a joke about a black person's skin (out of their hearing) in a negative context, so I don't know why the writers thought it was funny to compare Dre's skinny legs with the legs of a person who has used a wheelchair for a long time.  Both wheelchair use and skin color are, essentially, non-alterable physical attributes. You don't make fun of them, unless you are part of the group that has them.

 

It really surprised me that the writers went there.

[Inquisitionist]

Looks like this was the first actual writing credit ("written by") for Njeri Brown and Lisa McQuillan, who previously were credited only as staff writers.  I think they need to rewatch The Word to see how it's done.

Edited January 9, 2016 by Inquisitionist

[snarktini]

Oh, ok. Dre went to Howard, but he hoped Zoey would go to a Calif college?

Yes.

[snarktini]

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.

For real! In that scene, my respect for him as an actor grew. As Charlie he's a nice-enough looking guy, but there? Hot. He's actually changing his face -- by working the crazy eyes & slightly bewildered expression he effectively turns down his attractiveness a few notches. Since Black-ish is the first thing I've ever seen him in, I figured that's just how he looks. But instead he's ACTING (read that in Jon Lovitz's voice).

[sinkwriter]

But instead he's ACTING (read that in Jon Lovitz's voice).

THANK you!

No, thank YOU!

;)

[fishcakes]

Over the closing credits, Stevens is weeping over a photo of himself and his soulmate Phillip:

I assume the guy on the right is a young Peter Mackenzie as young Stevens (and that the photo is from some early TV show or movie he did), but does anyone know who the actor on the right is? Because if no one does, I might have to conclude that it's a young John Kerry.

Edited January 10, 2016 by fishcakes

[tennisgurl]

Oh Junior. No one who thought Hulk was better than Captain America Winter Soldier was going to be the girl for you anyway. 

[Dee]

Second best episode of the season.

 

I lost it at "I have 5/8th's of my grown man voice" & "The Fortress of Solid Dude"

 

Junior is the best.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

After a month of heavy spending, Dre and Bow start to question if they are living too large. Dre's crazy accountant, James Brown, has always been their go-to money guy, but when the topic of finances gets brought up at work, Mr. Stevens refers Dre to his more straight-laced accountant for a second opinion. Dre and Bow realize they need to be more financially responsible and try to prove to each other that they can live without their outrageous expenses. Meanwhile, the kids overhear their parents talking about money and Junior decides to start day trading.

[funkopop]

Go 'head Ruby! GATDAMN!!!

[spaceytraci1208]

Pops had the line of the night for me, when during the flashback he asked one of Ruby's old boyfriends "So how old were you when you started to write Leviticus?"

[Dee]

I howled at Earl telling Rainbow that Ruby's waited for him in shadows with a brick, a bat & a tube-sock full of batteries.

[Kanner]

Oh Junior. No one who thought Hulk was better than Captain America Winter Soldier was going to be the girl for you anyway. 

Actually, it was The Incredible Hulk and not Hulk she thought was better.  Either way neither were better than CA:TWS.

 

I loved his list of things a "nerd/geek" would never say.

 

This show is still strong for me.  Like Brooklyn 99, it can take traditional sitcom tropes and still make them funny.  I knew Junior was not being catfished and he would do something to mess it up but it still was funny.

[Empress1]

Ruby and Pops are gold. I was wondering if they were going to address Pops's hair - I could tell it was dyed. And then when the dye was running in his eyes, I fell out. And basically all of Ruby's lines were great. "If you find my draws ..."

[fishcakes]

It was all in the delivery, but I loved, "Dislikes: Satan! ... Deeeemons ...Cilantro."

 

And, "There was a hornet! It came toward my draws! And then ..."

[Traveller519]

Pops trying to seduce Ruby was fantastic. That Shirt!

[Writing Wrongs]

I think that Dre is the only one I find annoying every week.