Season 2 Discussion

[Dee]

Rainbow looked amazing in that pantssuit. Tracee Ellis Ross is gorgeous.

[Bronzedog]

I think this show is losing me. Not nearly as good as last season, IMO.

[DarkRaichu]

Of course Dre is the obnoxious dad who does not respect the coach, refs, or any other kids except for his own.  There is always at least 1 in every league.

 

Also, what kind of team let a new kid play in a game as soon as he joins the league?  Shouldn't there be team practices outside of the game where the coach can assess Jack's ability??  Basketball is a team sport, you cannot just throw 5 random kids in a game and expect them to win, not in a competitive league depicted in the episode.  

[attica]

I kind of fell in love with Junior in this ep. He owned his ref-hood. ZebraBoy had swagger.

[monakane]

I think this show is losing me. Not nearly as good as last season, IMO.

 

My issue with the show is Dre.  He is ridiculously over the top.  The writers need to dial his character back a bit.

[peeayebee]

I loved it. 

 

I started jotting down the great lines, but there were so many I just gave up.

 

Junior: My dynamic with my dad is one of the things that make me so suited to be a ref. I've practically been training my whole life to have people who are loud and wrong yell at me. I've built up a callous.

 

Diane: That's how huge life altering decisions get made in our family: pride, nonsense, and petty jealousy.

 

I thought the whole thing with Diane filming everything was great. (And Jack's project, the chip frame, was ridiculously dopey, by which I mean funny.) Just so much insight and truth to what everyone was saying in their talking heads.

 

Yes, Dre was a jerk, but he represented those kinds of parents. 

 

I loved when Ruby explained how letting Dre quit led him to what he does best. But then we see that Jack doesn't want to quit, and that's great too.

 

Ruby's criticism of Bow's gazpacho was great, esp when the other parents didn't particularly like it either. Chunky V8. Hee.

 

I think my favorite person in this ep was Junior. His enthusiasm about being a ref was so true to his character. Loved him ironing his lanyard and doing one-armed pushups, which led to his throwing the ball to the rafters.

 

BTW, the Grown-Ass-Baby coach was played by the show runner, Kenya Barris.

[Granny58]

I think this show is losing me. Not nearly as good as last season, IMO.

I was just going to post the same thing.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

I don't know what it says about me that I love Dre and his over the topness, while everyone else hates it. I just think he's hilarious and the way Anderson plays him makes me laugh.

I enjoy almost everyone on this show. Diane? She's too precocious for me, but I did love her hate relationship with Charlie:

Diane: "Charles."

Charlie: (looking at Diane with fear and apprehension) "Diane." In his mind he's thinking "girl twin."

I sure wish Pops had been on. Would have loved his take on Dre's failures!

Edited March 17, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[SanDiegoInExile]

There were some great lines, but I really disliked the format of this episode.

 

I realize that Diane is supposed to be advanced, but 20somethings couldn't produce a documentary that slick/insightful.

[Traveller519]

The "30 for 30"-ish production style of documentary was great. Thanks, Disney!

[lucindabelle]

I'm glad jack didn't quit. While kids shouldn't be forced to stick with something they hate discipline is important... I know with music most kids test and say they want to quit..l but if they aren't alowed to there's usually a hump you get past and get better. It's good to try lots of different things but if there's a little talent it's inportant not to quit every time it's a bit discouraging.

[shura]

"Thank you, Lord, for smiting little so-and-so with influenza. May he recover after the playoffs."  Yep, been there. There was a kid on my son's team who had no idea what he was doing. When he saw the ball close enough, he'd just kick it (we are talking soccer here). It didn't matter to him which way the ball would fly or whether he was kicking it from under the foot of his teammate who was about to score. Honestly, sometimes we were like "All right, Aidan's not here today, we've got a chance... Oh crap, there he is."

 

Is this the third episode in a row with blatant product placement? Or are we not counting Chipotle?

[jhlipton]

I think my favorite person in this ep was Junior. His enthusiasm about being a ref was so true to his character. Loved him ironing his lanyard and doing one-armed pushups, which led to his throwing the ball to the rafters.

 

I was sad that Junior stopped reffing.  He found something sports-related that he loved and was good at, so of course Dru didn't like it. 

[Dee]

I got a good chuckle at Ruby and Rainbow being on the same side about Andre's comedy career.

 

Also got a good chuckle out of Andre & Rainbow both being overly obnoxious/celebratory at Jack's basketball games.

 

Lastly, Anthony Anderson should be given an award for casting this show, because not only are all the kids fantastic little actors, they also all look as if they could be his & Tracee's bio-children.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I don't know what it says about me that I love Dre and his over the topness, while everyone else hates it. I just think he's hilarious and the way Anderson plays him makes me laugh.

 

Yeah, I love the over-the-topness, too.  I love when a grown man shrieks. 

 

 

Is this the third episode in a row with blatant product placement? Or are we not counting Chipotle?

 

I'm not too good a describing how things are meta, but this one had it because State Farm was worked into the plot as an advertising client of Dre's, and they were also advertising on the show.  So I thought it worked nicely.  And the Chipotle one--no doubt product placement but believable product placement so I don't mind terribly much.

[StatisticalOutlier]

Last season they were in second grade, so I'm guessing they're supposed to be in third grade now, around eight or nine years old. As such, they've only known of Barack Obama as president. I feel like there was an episode last season that briefly touched on this point.

 

I recall one time Dre saying to the kids, "You know Obama is the first black president, right?" and it was clear they didn't.  I think even Zoey and Junior.

[mansonlamps]

I guess I'm weird. Product placement doesn't bother me at all.

I enjoyed the return of the normal funny situation comedy after last week's episode.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Is this the third episode in a row with blatant product placement? Or are we not counting Chipotle?

I guess this show is making it their "thing" but it's kinda starting to annoy me. Geez, why not go whole hog and have Jack and some of his mates wearing their State Farm shirts while sitting in Zoe's car eating burrito bowls?

[Mabinogia]

Between the product placement, Ruby replacing Pops and Wanda Sykes replacing Charlie I just don't have the same love for the show that I used to.

[peeayebee]

I guess I'm weird. Product placement doesn't bother me at all.

It doesn't bother me either, as long as it's integrated well into the show. I think they've done that here.

[needschocolate]

I would rather have them do product placement in a logical way than have as many commercials as Big Bang Theory does (some of their episodes are under 20 minutes of actual show).  

 

The "where should we get food from?" discussion a few episodes ago is a good example of how product placement should be done. In a real life conversation, it isn't unusual for people to say "Do you want Chipoltle or PF Changs?" It might start out with "Do you want Mexican or Chinese?" but then the next question is likely to specify the place - "Taco Bell or Chipoltle?"  

 

Same thing with the car - people often refer to the make and model of a car.  The State Farm product placement was more atypical of how real life would go.  

[peeayebee]

The State Farm product placement was more atypical of how real life would go.  

How so? Dre said one of his clients was State Farm, so he got them to sponsor the team. I also thought 'Good Neighbors' was a great and funny name for the team.

 

I believe Dre mentioned State Farm, but I think it would have been funnier if he had just said, "I'm going to ask one of my clients to sponsor the team," and then we see the team wearing the shirts.

[Driad]

One problem with the Chipotle product placement was the timing, because of all the recent news reports. If someone suggested Chipotle right now, someone else might say, "Eww, food poisoning," which is not the image they want. Having the placement in that episode implied that the characters watch only parts of the news.

[jhlipton]

I guess I'm weird. Product placement doesn't bother me at all.

 

Shows have to get paid somehow, and since more and more people are skipping ads, product placement is here to stay.  I don't mind them as long as they're not too obnoxious (better than hemorrhoid ads, right?) and I think black-ish handles them well.

[tennisgurl]

Of course Dre is That Dad, who yells at coaches and refs, acts like a huge jerk, and takes kid games way too seriously. Of course he is.

 

I am really torn on how this show is going lately. There are still lots of times I laugh or am moved or interested, but...its just not gelling as much as it used to. Honestly, I feel like its doing that thing sitcoms do, where they exaggerate the characters to make them goofier, because they think that makes them funnier. Except that normally happens in season, like 4, not season 2. 

 

Maybe I just hold this show up to a higher standard. You can do better, show. I know you can!

Edited March 20, 2016 by tennisgurl

[needschocolate]

The State Farm product placement was more atypical of how real life would go.

 

How so? Dre said one of his clients was State Farm, so he got them to sponsor the team. I also thought 'Good Neighbors' was a great and funny name for the team.

 

I believe Dre mentioned State Farm, but I think it would have been funnier if he had just said, "I'm going to ask one of my clients to sponsor the team," and then we see the team wearing the shirts.

 

I felt that, if it were real life and a adman dad was looking for a sponsor for his kid's team, he would say, "Hey, I think i have a client that might be interested in sponsoring the team" Instead of "Hmm, State Farm is a client of mine and they like to contribute to the community."  Those aren't the exact words, but I remember Dre didn't just say he'd ask State Farm, he also mentioned State Farm's benevolent side.  It felt more like a advertisement to me than Chipoltle or even the car did.  

 

I love your idea of not saying it was State Farm and having the audience notice from the shirts, but, I suppose, if State farm was paying for the placement, they'd want to be sure viewers didn't miss it.   

[Mabinogia]

Those aren't the exact words, but I remember Dre didn't just say he'd ask State Farm, he also mentioned State Farm's benevolent side.  It felt more like a advertisement to me than Chipoltle or even the car did.

Chipolte felt very organic. That's a conversation that would be had in any house that frequents a particular restaurant. The State Farm ad felt more heavy handed, as did the car ad, though they did it better than most shows as I don't remember Zoe sitting in the seat and randomly rattling off all the features like they usually do.

 

Funny this is, this is kind of how ads used to be, back in the day. A show would have a particular sponsor and the show would hawk it during the show, like "I say, Dre, this cup of Coffee Man's Coffee is so rich and cream". "Why yes Bo, I agree that Coffee Man's Coffee is the only coffee I will drink".

[roseslg]

One problem with the Chipotle product placement was the timing, because of all the recent news reports. If someone suggested Chipotle right now, someone else might say, "Eww, food poisoning," which is not the image they want. Having the placement in that episode implied that the characters watch only parts of the news.

Chipotle is a go-to in my office when we  hate what's in the cafeteria.   Not that we don't care about what's going on, but it's close, it's not too expensive and it's delicious.  If someone suggests Chipotle, we just say sure.  No questions or discussion to be had.  

[SnarkyMcSnarkerson]

I felt that, if it were real life and a adman dad was looking for a sponsor for his kid's team, he would say, "Hey, I think i have a client that might be interested in sponsoring the team" Instead of "Hmm, State Farm is a client of mine and they like to contribute to the community."  Those aren't the exact words, but I remember Dre didn't just say he'd ask State Farm, he also mentioned State Farm's benevolent side.  It felt more like a advertisement to me than Chipoltle or even the car did.  

 

I love your idea of not saying it was State Farm and having the audience notice from the shirts, but, I suppose, if State farm was paying for the placement, they'd want to be sure viewers didn't miss it.   

I took it more as Dre being crafty - since Jack couldn't get on the first team he wanted to, Dre needed to make a new team. Which isn't cheap in travel ball, I guess. So he got sneaky and took advantage of the community outreach State Farm does (even sang the jingle that nobody can escape!) and got them to sponsor the whole team under the guise of being "good neighbors." I thought it was pretty crafty and funny, and that Dre would think he got away with something, while State Farm would succeed in getting more brand awareness. I've seen much clunkier product placement so I didn't mind it.

[peeayebee]

I felt that, if it were real life and a adman dad was looking for a sponsor for his kid's team, he would say, "Hey, I think i have a client that might be interested in sponsoring the team" Instead of "Hmm, State Farm is a client of mine and they like to contribute to the community." 

I forgot about him saying they like to contribute to the community. As I said, I didn't mind the whole thing because, well, I've basically gotten used to product placement, but I wish he hadn't said this. If State Farm asked that this kind of thing be said in the show, I wish the show would have said, "No thanks. We'll just show a closeup of the shirts. Maybe Bow or someone can say, 'That was so nice of them.'" Oh well.

[Rockstar99435]

I wish there had been at least ONE adult who pointed out how fucked up it is that the entire family supports Jack playing basketball (coming to all the games, creating a whole new team with sponsors, providing snacks, being the team's "spiritual adviser", etc.) but no one, besides Diane, cared or even noticed that Jack is reading at a 1st grade level. Rainbow always has to be the killjoy, but maybe have Pops could've been the one to be the voice of reason. Jack is two grades behind. That's a really big gap for his age and it will continue to get bigger unless the family starts encouraging him in school the way they encourage him in sports. Elementary reading scores are actually a really good guide post for whether the child will succeed as an adult. To the extent that states use 4th grade reading scores to determine how many prisons they'll need to start building. Jack has two highly educated and involved parents, highly involved extended family support, and a food secure home in a low crime area. He goes to a private school which means small class sizes, classmates who also have parent support, food, and low crime homes, teachers who aren't burnt out, etc. Does he have a learning disability? Have Bow and Dre had meetings with his teachers about their son's lack of progress? Aren't they even a little bit concerned about his ability to read only at a 1st grade level? 

[snarktini]

^^ I think this is a challenge with writing sitcoms. It makes for an easy joke that Jack is the adorable but unintelligent one with dim future prospects. But then they write a family that (we hope) wouldn't simply accept that in real life. Since the writers are clearly aware of their potential cultural influence, this is an opportunity to put out a better message. 

 

Reality v. funny is a hard line to walk.

Edited March 21, 2016 by snarktini

[needschocolate]

I wish there had been at least ONE adult who pointed out how fucked up it is that the entire family supports Jack playing basketball (coming to all the games, creating a whole new team with sponsors, providing snacks, being the team's "spiritual adviser", etc.) but no one, besides Diane, cared or even noticed that Jack is reading at a 1st grade level. Rainbow always has to be the killjoy, but maybe have Pops could've been the one to be the voice of reason. Jack is two grades behind. That's a really big gap for his age and it will continue to get bigger unless the family starts encouraging him in school the way they encourage him in sports. Elementary reading scores are actually a really good guide post for whether the child will succeed as an adult. To the extent that states use 4th grade reading scores to determine how many prisons they'll need to start building. Jack has two highly educated and involved parents, highly involved extended family support, and a food secure home in a low crime area. He goes to a private school which means small class sizes, classmates who also have parent support, food, and low crime homes, teachers who aren't burnt out, etc. Does he have a learning disability? Have Bow and Dre had meetings with his teachers about their son's lack of progress? Aren't they even a little bit concerned about his ability to read only at a 1st grade level? 

 

When I watched, I assumed that Diane was being Diane and was just saying that because Jack isn't as smart as her, and that Jack reads at an appropriate level.  Diane often makes comments about Jack being dumb, but I don't recall anyone else implying it. Jack often says or does things that would be a sign of stupidity if they were done by an adult or even a teen, but are normal coming from an 8 or 9 year old.  Diane is the unusual one in that set of twins.  

[charmed1]

Ahh Bumper Robinson. Clarence the So Fine. I had such a crush on that boy.

My second d'oh moment regarding the twins names. Jack Johnson. D'oh! The first five seconds of the episode I thought was going to be about the boxer.

Ruby's faces, her jacked up prayer, and that jheri curl asymmetric wig killed me!

Junior's little puberty moustache in HD also killed me.

And Zoey saying she'd rather eat van episode of Girls than go to Jack's game. And that she's really Rick Fox's daughter. Ha!!

And how cute was it that Yara's real life little brother (Adonis) was in the episode playing on the same team as her tv little brother. Aww. Exponential cuteness.

Edited March 21, 2016 by charmed1

[StatisticalOutlier]

 Diane often makes comments about Jack being dumb, but I don't recall anyone else implying it.

 

In the over-spending episode, they were talking about paying for college, and as they went down the list of kids, there was one where they shook their heads to indicate he wouldn't be going.  It was one of the boys--I think Junior.  If that's the case, they're thinking Jack is college material.

[snarktini]

No, that was Jack, I just checked:

 

- You said you had this handled, and then we find out we can't send all four of our kids to college!

- Jack was never going to college.

- I know that, but we're supposed to be able to afford to send him to the college that he can't get into.

 

I could be misremembering or mixing up the kids, but I believe I've heard them joke about Jack as not-smart a number of times.

[Dee]

 

Edited March 22, 2016 by Dee

[Dee]

And how cute was it that Yara's real life little brother (Adonis) was in the episode playing on the same team as her tv little brother. Aww. Exponential cuteness.

 

I love that black-ish continues with those little meta touches.

 

With Kenya also making a cameo in this episode and Anthony's son popping up as Cousin Dante, I wonder how long before one, or more, of Tracee's siblings make an appearance.

[backformore]

One problem with the Chipotle product placement was the timing, because of all the recent news reports. If someone suggested Chipotle right now, someone else might say, "Eww, food poisoning," which is not the image they want. Having the placement in that episode implied that the characters watch only parts of the news.

It wasn't all that recent, the stores closed one day in February to re-train everyone in food safety.   the more recent news is how stock prices have dropped since the outbreak.

Anyway, Chipotle has been mailing out free burrito coupons, they have a free guac and chips thing you can sign up for, and they're doing a lot more advertising. 

 

I haven't eaten at Chipotle since the first reports, but they are wooing me back.   (and I love the food)

[Rockstar99435]

When I watched, I assumed that Diane was being Diane and was just saying that because Jack isn't as smart as her, and that Jack reads at an appropriate level.  Diane often makes comments about Jack being dumb, but I don't recall anyone else implying it. Jack often says or does things that would be a sign of stupidity if they were done by an adult or even a teen, but are normal coming from an 8 or 9 year old.  Diane is the unusual one in that set of twins.  

 

I like the idea that Diane is comparing Jack to her and since she is very advanced, he looks dumb by comparison. Maybe he does read at a 3rd grade level, but since Diane read at a 3rd grade level in the 1st grade, she thinks of his reading level as a 1st grade level. But Bow and Dre mentioned in the money episode that Jack was never going to go to college and in the spanking episode they both believe that he going to end up homeless, the only variable is if he'll have a dog. So who knows.

[fishcakes]

It depends on where you live. I'm in Seattle, which is ground zero for the Chipotle mess and they've been closed down multiple times here because contamination was found, most recently about two weeks ago. They can't seem to pin down the source; they thought it was a vegetable supplier, but they changed suppliers and are still having problems. I did get coupons in the mail for a burrito and chips and salsa but they went straight into the recycle bin.

 

I didn't even notice the product placement in this episode, but I also didn't notice the thing about Jack's reading level, so now I'm thinking I must have fallen asleep before it was over. Would a national company sponsor a travel ball team? I could see a local insurance agent doing it, but not a large corporation. Then again, I've never heard of travel ball before this episode so it could be a huge deal and I wouldn't know.

 

Product placement is almost always clunky and obvious, but this show has done a better job of integrating it than some. They seem to be doing what Seinfeld did with Snapple and Drake's Cakes, where they make it so ridiculously obvious that it's basically it's own subplot.

[StatisticalOutlier]

No, that was Jack, I just checked:

 

- You said you had this handled, and then we find out we can't send all four of our kids to college!

- Jack was never going to college.

- I know that, but we're supposed to be able to afford to send him to the college that he can't get into.

 

I loved that conversation.  Maybe it's just a welcome relief from the society where all the kids win medals. 

 

Thanks for correcting me--I knew it was one of the boys, but apparently not which one.  But my inability to remember how anything comes out is actually kind of nice, because I can watch stuff over and over and always be surprised.

[SmithW6079]

I was sad that Junior stopped reffing.  He found something sports-related that he loved and was good at, so of course Dre didn't like it. 

This show seems intent on making all of the Johnsons unlikable people. Except for Junior, who's the saving grace.

 

It doesn't bother me either, as long as it's integrated well into the show. I think they've done that here.

I disagree. Product placement doesn't bother me either, but I think they've handled it with all the finesse of an anvil falling on Wile E. Coyote. The episode with the car was a half-hour commercial for Buick (was it a Buick? I don't remember), and the State Farm mention was definitely heavy-handed. As someone noted above, Dre's dialogue was intended to let the audience know State Farm is socially responsible. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

The episode with the car was a half-hour commercial for Buick (was it a Buick? I don't remember),

 

Buick Encore.  I can't remember which kid isn't going to college, but I can remember Buick Encore.  Well done, show.

[jhlipton]

This show seems intent on making all of the Johnsons unlikable people. Except for Junior, who's the saving grace.

 

Agreed.  And yet they continue to treat him as a joke. 

 

(The Johnsons are horrible people, except for Junior and Jack.  Jack seems to be a good-hearted kid.  But the actors who play the kids are awesome.)

[topanga]

I wish there had been at least ONE adult who pointed out how fucked up it is that the entire family supports Jack playing basketball (coming to all the games, creating a whole new team with sponsors, providing snacks, being the team's "spiritual adviser", etc.) but no one, besides Diane, cared or even noticed that Jack is reading at a 1st grade level. Rainbow always has to be the killjoy, but maybe have Pops could've been the one to be the voice of reason. Jack is two grades behind. That's a really big gap for his age and it will continue to get bigger unless the family starts encouraging him in school the way they encourage him in sports. Elementary reading scores are actually a really good guide post for whether the child will succeed as an adult. To the extent that states use 4th grade reading scores to determine how many prisons they'll need to start building. Jack has two highly educated and involved parents, highly involved extended family support, and a food secure home in a low crime area. He goes to a private school which means small class sizes, classmates who also have parent support, food, and low crime homes, teachers who aren't burnt out, etc. Does he have a learning disability? Have Bow and Dre had meetings with his teachers about their son's lack of progress? Aren't they even a little bit concerned about his ability to read only at a 1st grade level? 

This. Dre and Rainbow are both intelligent people--Bow is a friggin surgeon, and Dre constantly emphasized in Season 1 that he works hard to make life better for his children. And then there was an entire episode (Hope) on the unfair discrimination that black men (and women) face in American society. So why are they content to watch Jack fail and school and become part of the school-to-prison pipeline for black children?

 

What bothers me most is that neither Dre nor Bow seem to have any insight into themselves or their children. The first scene bothered me--when they're cheering hysterically at a game for only their child. When I attend games in recreational leagues (Jack's first team), parents of kids that young cheer for all players on the team. They even cheer for players on the opposing team when they make a great shot (catch, goal, etc). I would think one of the other parents (or coaches or refs) would encourage them to tone it down. Parents just aren't supposed to do that. 

 

And why didn't Dre encourage Jack to work harder with his team or talk to the coach about what his son needs to do to improve in this brand-new, competitive league that he just joined?

 

I love the comedy of this show. I just hate that Dre and Bow have to act like idiots, especially when it comes to their children. I mean, they have a 17-year old and are on their fourth kid. You'd think they'd have learned a few things by now. 

 

Oh, and loved Junior. I hope he returns to refereeing. I really liked the basketball scene when he gave Dre a Tech. foul.

[charmed1]

I love that black-ish continues with those little meta touches.

With Kenya also making a cameo in this episode and Anthony's son popping up as Cousin Dante, I wonder how long before one, or more, of Tracee's siblings make an appearance.

I would absolutely love if The Boss, Ms. Ross appeared in an episode.

[Shermie]

Heh, Diane has a new nemesis.

[topanga]

I really liked this episode. Funny but dealt with real issues that some of my friends and I have faced: the conflicting emotions involved when black families hire "help" for their home.  Dre and Bow brought the comedy without being over the top stupid. And Dre wasn't annoying for once. I loved that he continued to call the nanny, "Black Nanny" until she asked him to stop. 

 

Bow was a little crazy, though. Taking a bath while the Vivian braided her hair and made her look like a girl from the hood. Dre: "You look like Allen Iverson pretending to be a doctor."

 

The scenes at Dre's job were funny, too. Wanda Sykes still keeps her two nannies, even though her children are grown. "One is because she's my Spades partner. And the other because she has some photos."

 

I also liked the kids in this episode. Junior cracked me up as usual, and Diane had genuine emotions for a change. I actually felt sad for her when she lost the election. Her joy about the possibility of starting a knife fight was hilarious.

 

So many great lines tonight.

 

--Black Nanny to Zoey: "You are too pretty to be mean." 

"Oh, thank you."

"No, not 'Thank you.' Somebody is gonna whup that ass."

 

--Diane: "She even got through to me, and I'm broken inside."

[OnceSane]

When Dre and Bow realize they don't have a legal guardian for their kids, they make it a mission to find replacement parents should anything happen to them. Meanwhile, Zoey and Junior reveal the truth to Jack about their old dog's death and other family secrets he naively accepted.