ElectricBoogaloo December 2, 2015 Share December 2, 2015 Jessica and Louis convince Evan that Santa is a scientist with multiple post-graduate degrees who's also a good friend of his mother's; and Eddie and Emery search for the perfect Christmas gift for their mother. Link to comment
MaryMitch December 9, 2015 Share December 9, 2015 Jessica dressed up as "Lady Chinese Santa with hair growing out of 2 moles" was the funniest thing I've seen this year! 5 Link to comment
biakbiak December 9, 2015 Share December 9, 2015 My mother had every part of the Dickens Village and it was one of my chores to help set it up and break it down. I hated that thing. 3 Link to comment
galax-arena December 9, 2015 Share December 9, 2015 Jessica as Lao Ban Santa was disturbing. Hilarious, but disturbing. I may have nightmares. Loved the little joke when Louis and Jessica were talking about how they needed to find someone who didn't mind kids sitting in his lap to play Santa, and then they did the cutaway scene to Honey sitting in Marvin's lap. Poor Emery with his thoughtful, homemade gifts. 7 Link to comment
snarktini December 9, 2015 Share December 9, 2015 I was pleasantly surprised the writing didn't have Eddie take any of the credit for Emery's gift in the end. They ride the edge of Eddie being unlikeable at times, and I appreciate when they give him some balance. And while I know it was to set up Lao Ban Santa, it seemed odd that no one had ever heard a multi-cultural Santa explanation before. Non-white kids often experience Santa as sharing their race/culture, explained by magic (or sometimes not at all). P.S. Whoever provided the hint that the boys' names are in alpha order has made it possible for me to keep Emery and Evan straight! Thank you! 2 Link to comment
mstar1125 December 9, 2015 Share December 9, 2015 This show! I need those two binders full of Santa's science/engineering background, because that is how I will be teaching my children about Santa from here on out. The grandmother cracks me up. I can't remember her line about Garfield (something about how she appreciates his disapproving glances at everyone?), but thought it was funny when they cut away to reveal her placing Garfield in the village instead of one of the kids. I'm surprised Jessica allows anyone to go near it. 3 Link to comment
tennisgurl December 9, 2015 Share December 9, 2015 I thought, when the teacher was talking about making a nondenominational Christmas mascot, The Human Being from Community was going to come running out. "I respect you!" 6 Link to comment
slowpoked December 9, 2015 Share December 9, 2015 Loved the little joke when Louis and Jessica were talking about how they needed to find someone who didn't mind kids sitting in his lap to play Santa, and then they did the cutaway scene to Honey sitting in Marvin's lap. I was LOL'ing on that one. And it was made even funnier that both Honey and Marvin were totally game for it. The writing on this show has improved the past two episodes, IMO. There were genuine laughs last night. Like when they brought out the most inoffensive Christmas mascot they could think of. I know this was set in the 90s, but that is totally being with the times. 3 Link to comment
peeayebee December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 And while I know it was to set up Lao Ban Santa, it seemed odd that no one had ever heard a multi-cultural Santa explanation before. Non-white kids often experience Santa as sharing their race/culture, explained by magic (or sometimes not at all). I saw at least one African-American parent there, and I was surprised she didn't react at all to someone saying that Santa was white. What does Lao Ban translate to? Or is Lao Ban actually a Chinese person or character? I loved the closeup shots of the Christmas village every time we came back from commercial, and maybe more often. Betw scenes? Link to comment
BubblingKettle December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 This episode really cracked me up! The Department 56 Village (the Drunk Irish Mayor and identical businesses in competition!) Grandma's love of Garfield and Garfield's place in the Village (I was a little surprised Jessica allowed that) 2Pac's "Dear Mama" on Emory's scroll...and Grandma head-bobbing to the video Proof of a Chinese Santa -- knowledge of aerodynamics, small enough to fit down chimneys, toys say Made in China, etc. The beard and mustache growing out of moles! That was a fun half-hour. 3 Link to comment
snarktini December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 (edited) What does Lao Ban translate to? Or is Lao Ban actually a Chinese person or character? Lao Ban means Boss. She's the Boss Santa, and all the white Santas work for her. Edited December 10, 2015 by snarktini 6 Link to comment
alrightokay December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 Lots of fun moments in this one, but my favorite part was Louis' "jazz walk." 7 Link to comment
LAgator77 December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 Oh man, the joke about the Umbro shorts... So true and so 90s! Link to comment
Black Knight December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 I loved when the announcer on stage at the holiday show mentioned last year when little people willingly let themselves be passed around in the audience and a bunch of the audience members immediately held their arms out anticipating a repeat. Funniest throwaway moment for me since the "bring your cat to feed to a gator and get in free" bit at the theme park. Louis's "Dark" when Jessica gave her backstory for how the bakery shop owner was just beginning to recover from her husband's suicide was perfectly delivered by the actor. 3 Link to comment
theatremouse December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 I thought, when the teacher was talking about making a nondenominational Christmas mascot, The Human Being from Community was going to come running out. "I respect you!"I didn't like that moment. It felt very...now or in the past five years...less so 1995. Took me out of the episode. Link to comment
galax-arena December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 It also sorta felt like they were siding with all those people who are constantly bitching about a war on Christmas, which I didn't like. In my elementary school - which I attended in the early 90s - we sang Christmas songs, but we also sang Hanukkah and Kwanzaa songs. 2 Link to comment
Jenkins December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 This was probably my favorite episode of the entire series. I actually laughed out loud a few times, which I normally don't do (I still enjoy comedies, I am just not much of a laugh out loud guy). I miss being Evan's age and still believing in Santa (going to guess there not being a Santa was spoiled for me around 7-8 years old). Evan is actually turning out to be quite the little actor in my opinion. I always wanted to build one of the Christmas villages too. But sticker shock changed my mind...damn things are EXPENSIVE! 2 Link to comment
Congo December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 I don't know why, but Eddie's gift of a VHS of Guarding Tess to Louis just cracked me up. Probably because I worked in a video store in the 90s and remember seeing that tape on the shelves. 2 Link to comment
blackwing December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 Fantastic episode. I did raise an eyebrow though at Evan not being able to recognise Jessica as Lao Ban Santa. He is a smart kid, and that Santa was so clearly Jessica. He did think to check up on her and she had somehow snuck past him and into her bed, but still. No "you look just like my mom"??? I was convinced that it was Honey in the bed with Louis, in case Evan did check. That's why I thought Jessica called up Honey and told her she needed help. What was the help she needed? A female Santa suit and makeup? 4 Link to comment
Jenkins December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 I was convinced that it was Honey in the bed with Louis, in case Evan did check. That is exactly what I thought as well, that it was Honey in bed. 3 Link to comment
fishcakes December 10, 2015 Share December 10, 2015 I thought Lao Ban Santa looked pretty different from Jessica, and I wasn't entirely sure if it was Jessica or Honey at first. It looked like Honey might have given her a prosthetic nose just as she gave Marvin one when he was dressed as Santa. I admit to being very sleepy during the episode, though, so maybe that's why. Guarding Tess, heh. I actually really liked that movie back then, although I'm hard-pressed to remember why now. Link to comment
blackwing December 11, 2015 Share December 11, 2015 I wish Eddie had given Louis a two-pack. Guarding Tess and the 1992 Sylvester Stallone / Estelle Getty classic, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. 3 Link to comment
galax-arena December 11, 2015 Share December 11, 2015 What was the help she needed? A female Santa suit and makeup? Yeah, Jessica needed help with the Santa makeup and prosthetics. Earlier in the ep, Honey said she would do Marvin's makeup and she bragged about doing the makeup for the traveling production of (I think) Cats. 2 Link to comment
AbsoluteShower December 11, 2015 Share December 11, 2015 Yeah, Jessica needed help with the Santa makeup and prosthetics. Earlier in the ep, Honey said she would do Marvin's makeup and she bragged about doing the makeup for the traveling production of (I think) Cats. That would be after her lesbian period, of course... 3 Link to comment
NutMeg December 12, 2015 Share December 12, 2015 I don't know who my favourite character now is: Lewis/Louis (not sure of the spelling), Honey, Emery or Evan, or the grandmother. I love how everytime Jessica addresses Honey by her name it seems like a sweet way to adress her and then I remember it IS her name. And I also love how much of fan of Garfield Grandma is :) 3 Link to comment
Camera One December 15, 2015 Share December 15, 2015 That was probably the funniest episode of this series thus far. Jessica's version of Santa was scary, but hilarious. I think she should have kept the red hat on. Link to comment
Recommended Posts