S02.E05: Jersey, Sure

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Hoping to learn more about Liza's life, Josh attends a dinner in Jersey with her, and receives a hard dose of reality.

[HunterHunted]

Just after I argue that this show doesn't have too much sex stuff, truffle butter. Which is totally gross. And it's a missed opportunity to explore how much porn has fucked with people's perception of fun enjoyable sex. Truffle butter is a UTI in the making. It's about disrespecting a woman so thoroughly that you'd fuck with her health.

Not surprisingly Jade has blown through her advance and has no book to show for it. This is not Kelsey's first time handling a difficult author. Why didn't she have a graduated advance with set deliverables on a time table? But lots of people have fallen prey to a big advance for a big get with nothing to show for it. See NBC and Chelsea Clinton.

I've hated almost all of Liza's New Jersey friends. Liza's husband blew up her life, but Maggie was the only friend she seemed to have who actually offered her help and support. The rest of her friends seemed to only want to have her over for wine. That's not help. There was the one fix up, but Liza needed more than a dick with a wallet to solve her problems at that point.

[Julia]

I think her Jersey friends really don't want to acknowledge the awfulness of what happened to Liza because they could so easily be in the same boat. One of the things you sacrifice to be a SAHM is your ability to support yourself in the style to which you have become accustomed, and you have to trust that your partner is in it for the long haul too. Liza's pretty much the skeleton at the feast. Which, I think, is why their version of help was trying to hook her up with a new potential means of support...

[SonofaBiscuit]

Why do I feel like Liza is going to write some chapters for Jade's book and present them to Charles next episode?  I could see it happening, because Kelsey is probably going to be pretty desperate for her first act in her new job not to be an epic failure.

[Hanahope]

Ohh, truffle butter is now an urban slang sex term?  I had no idea why everyone was grossed out by it, because truffle butter on steak is delicious.  I'm not sure I want to google it and ruin my perception.  Here I was wondering what was so gross about it.

 

I understand how the age difference can affect if Josh ever wants kids.  Certainly since Liza has already had a child, maybe she doesn't want to raise another, go through infant and toddler time again.  Given her age, it is definitely a topic that will need to be addressed sooner rather than later, both in terms of her ability to get pregnant and carry a child and in terms of whether she'll want to do it again in her 40s.  Other than that, plenty of women still look very good into their 50s and 60s, so there's not really a reason to think Liza is suddenly going to turn into a crone. 

 

The only other issue I can see with an age difference, speaking from some personal experience, is that when one is in their 30s, one is still usually fairly amenable to change, whereas once you get to your 50s, one has usually determined how you like to do things and may not be quite so interested in changing for another.

 

I'm really feeling for Kelsey, who is getting burned big time by Jade.  I can see now when this totally blows up, the blame won't be on Jade, but will fall on Kelsey, who 'should have known' how flakey her generation is and shouldn't have given all the money out at once.  Course, I blame part of that on insufficient mentoring by her boss.  Still, sue Jade's ass and get a judgment against her for any money and assets she has.

Edited February 4, 2016 by Hanahope

[HunterHunted]

Apparently suing to recoupe an advance isn't done too often.

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2012-09-27/penguin-group-sues-writers-over-book-advances

I don't see how Liza could fake Jade's pages. Cat Marnell's voice or at least a TV facsimile of Cat's voice is pretty unique and Liza is far too square to try to replicate it. Plus with Liza's increasingly complicated web of lies, the last thing she needs to do is JT LeRoy herself.

[EdnasEdibles]

This was an interesting one because I kind of don't think Liza and Josh have much in common at all. While I wouldn't be terrible like her friend and refer to him as a boy toy, I would be thinking it. Plus, Liza needs to pull herself together. Eating the entire lollipop is just a dumb move.

 

And for those who are curious, Truffle Butter definition. 

[Mu Shu]

truffle butter. Yes, this show is trying too hard. I wish they would allow Liza to be an adult and not have to endure all the stupid shit that apparently the young uns all indulge in. Can't she just be a mature 26 year old at work, and then hang with mature people after work? I find every last "millennial" to be vapid morons who are caricatures at best.

Who is this show for? The focus has been on Liza's "young" self. As someone her real age, I find it incredibly boring. Do younger people enjoy it? Is it supposed to be cross generational? I mean, I used to watch the GoldenGirls as a kid, but even Blanche would draw the line at truffle butter.

There was so much potential, but it's lost by what I suspect is middle aged people trying to write hip. The constant and increasingly crude cultural references aren't edgy, they're tiresome.

[dubbel zout]

Truffle butter is a UTI in the making. It's about disrespecting a woman so thoroughly that you'd fuck with her health.

Eh, consenting adults and all that.

 

Not surprisingly Jade has blown through her advance and has no book to show for it. This is not Kelsey's first time handling a difficult author. Why didn't she have a graduated advance with set deliverables on a time table?

 

It might have been a big advance to start with—we were led to believe Jade was a really big "get" for Millennium—so maybe she got half on signing. On the other hand, given that the book is apparently just a collection of tweets or listicles or whatever, I don't know why Jade didn't just have a minion assemble some pages.

 

I thought Liza's friend was really rude and presumptuous about Liza's relationship with Josh. I get that she cares about Liza and doesn't want to see her hurt, but I think there was a decent amount of jealousy threaded in there with concern, and that's not a good mix. Liza isn't unaware of the problems the age difference presents. She and Josh eventually will have to make some hard decisions, but I think it's still early enough in the relationship that they can put that talk off for a while.

[Lion]

truffle butter. Yes, this show is trying too hard. I wish they would allow Liza to be an adult and not have to endure all the stupid shit that apparently the young uns all indulge in. Can't she just be a mature 26 year old at work, and then hang with mature people after work? I find every last "millennial" to be vapid morons who are caricatures at best.

Who is this show for? The focus has been on Liza's "young" self. As someone her real age, I find it incredibly boring. Do younger people enjoy it? Is it supposed to be cross generational? I mean, I used to watch the GoldenGirls as a kid, but even Blanche would draw the line at truffle butter.

There was so much potential, but it's lost by what I suspect is middle aged people trying to write hip. The constant and increasingly crude cultural references aren't edgy, they're tiresome.

A lot of this show seems to be really about challenging one's internal biases about age, aka ageism.  This isn't calling you out specifically as I've also found myself guilty of doing this, but what does it say about a viewer who defines a character as vapid when that character has proven to be highly intelligent, hardworking, loyal, and a host of other positive adjectives?  When Kelsey is the youngest person to have an imprint, what exactly makes her vapid?  What about Lauren, someone who is seemingly successful in her own career and social life.  Why would she be vapid?  And Katelyn, Liza's daughter.  She's traveled, she works, she's educated.  Is she vapid?  Josh?  He has a successful career.  What's vapid about him?  

 

If we look at the Gen X'ers/Baby Boomers of the show, were Liza's suburban friends not vapid despite only talking about their truffle butter and trellis?  Was there anything truly realistic about boring suburban couple or are they just a caricatures of vapid morons?  Does the wording of my questions reveal my own age based biases?

 

I don't think this is the deepest of shows.  Like most shows, plenty of the characters are archetypes.  But I do think that it's an interesting premise directed at any age group to explore how we feel about age.  As an older millennial myself, while the Kelsey's and Lauren's of the show aren't entirely familiar, I do naturally feel more of a connection to those characters and find myself thinking how airheaded, annoying, vapid or ridiculous some of the Gen X characters are.  My internal commentary is something like "ugh, Lauren's parents are so annoying, those suburban housewives are such airheads, how boring that suburban couple is."  Then I find myself wondering why I think that and it seems a lot has to do with simply not acknowledging what life stage these people might be in, what they find interesting, the things that influence their daily lives, etc.  

 

I think that Liza is definitely portrayed as the more worldly person at work.  She has more emotional and life experience and has been a source of advice for Kelsey.  I think she's also been portrayed as more mature when hanging out with the millennials as she doesn't engage in the heavy drinking or things like that.  I don't find it problematic that she spends time with her younger boyfriend or younger coworkers.  She's had to move and leave behind her friend group and it happens that the new friend group she's created is younger.  It makes sense.  I don't think she needs to go out looking for something different just to 'act her age' if her life currently feels right to her.  Maybe it will change, though this run in with the 'more mature' asshole friends might make her rethink her Jersey self/who she used to be.  

[gesundheit]

I liked the episode a lot. I have not yet, however, googled "truffle butter." 

 

I thought Michelle's little speech came from a good place. She just worded it wrong. We all need a friend who is willing to say, "Do you think you might just be going through a mid-life crisis?" Because maybe she is. Maybe she isn't. It's worth examining. It wasn't okay to be condescending about it, though, or to tell Liza she's flat-out wrong. That said, I hope those characters come back. They're really funny and I don't want to lose that suburb-life component of Liza.

 

Nowhere near enough Lauren in this one!

[Hanahope]

I always wondered at that phrase "mid-life crisis."  It seems to get used whenever a middle-aged person does something that others think isn't "age-appropriate".  But frankly, it seems to me that its really just a middle-aged person realizing that hey, they aren't getting any younger, they're reaching the time of their life that they probably have more years behind them then ahead of them, and if they are going to do X, they'd better get on with it, because they aren't getting any younger and may not have as many years left as they liked.  So what's wrong with that?  Why is it a "crisis?"

 

Liza had a child and was married when she was very young, appears to have spent her entire 20-30s raising said child and being a housewife and never got to experience a 'fun care-free' dating life, especially in a city as vibrant as NYC.  So, now she is.  What is so wrong about that?

[sacrebleu]

I'm just a little annoyed that once again we have Liza/Josh relationship issues, again, some more. Now that  he knows, every week  there been some version of Liza doesn't know if it can work with Josh. 

 

The work stuff is always more interesting-- now that she's working for an imprint-- that is focused on her fake age group, that's got to be more fertile ground for stories. 

[Mu Shu]

A lot of this show seems to be really about challenging one's internal biases about age, aka ageism.  This isn't calling you out specifically as I've also found myself guilty of doing this, but what does it say about a viewer who defines a character as vapid when that character has proven to be highly intelligent, hardworking, loyal, and a host of other positive adjectives?  When Kelsey is the youngest person to have an imprint, what exactly makes her vapid?  What about Lauren, someone who is seemingly successful in her own career and social life.  Why would she be vapid?  And Katelyn, Liza's daughter.  She's traveled, she works, she's educated.  Is she vapid?  Josh?  He has a successful career.  What's vapid about him?  

 

If we look at the Gen X'ers/Baby Boomers of the show, were Liza's suburban friends not vapid despite only talking about their truffle butter and trellis?  Was there anything truly realistic about boring suburban couple or are they just a caricatures of vapid morons?  Does the wording of my questions reveal my own age based biases?

 

I don't think this is the deepest of shows.  Like most shows, plenty of the characters are archetypes.  But I do think that it's an interesting premise directed at any age group to explore how we feel about age.  As an older millennial myself, while the Kelsey's and Lauren's of the show aren't entirely familiar, I do naturally feel more of a connection to those characters and find myself thinking how airheaded, annoying, vapid or ridiculous some of the Gen X characters are.  My internal commentary is something like "ugh, Lauren's parents are so annoying, those suburban housewives are such airheads, how boring that suburban couple is."  Then I find myself wondering why I think that and it seems a lot has to do with simply not acknowledging what life stage these people might be in, what they find interesting, the things that influence their daily lives, etc.  

 

I think that Liza is definitely portrayed as the more worldly person at work.  She has more emotional and life experience and has been a source of advice for Kelsey.  I think she's also been portrayed as more mature when hanging out with the millennials as she doesn't engage in the heavy drinking or things like that.  I don't find it problematic that she spends time with her younger boyfriend or younger coworkers.  She's had to move and leave behind her friend group and it happens that the new friend group she's created is younger.  It makes sense.  I don't think she needs to go out looking for something different just to 'act her age' if her life currently feels right to her.  Maybe it will change, though this run in with the 'more mature' asshole friends might make her rethink her Jersey self/who she used to be.  

 

To answer your question,  Lauren had a hot (not) Mitzvah, which is pretty fucking vapid for a 26 yo, IMO.   The daughter is an entitled little brat.   Kelsey sleeps with her client, and has a douchey boyfriend she seems to defer to.      Every episode has stupid scenarios, like Charles's dick.   The man has a dick.   When did dick humor become funny, unless you're a kid? Having a good job doesn't make you interesting, or even intelligent.   Traveling doesn't make a person more interesting.   It just means they went somewhere.     Too be fair,   I'm finding Liza to be a vapid dumbass, too.   Also?   it's a Darren Star show, which makes it vapid.

 

Oh, and the author?   Total fucking moron.     This is just bad material,  and the actors can't rise above it.    You can show a generational divide intelligently and be funny, but IMO,  they're not doing it.    Not worth staying up to see.   I'm old and need my rest.

Edited February 4, 2016 by Mu Shu

[allonsyalice]

I definitely thought that Jade would be a Logan Huntzberger type---vapid, superficial and frivolous, but a damn good writer--- and Kelsey's job would be to keep her focused.

 

I think I would have preferred that that another scammer type, but c'est la vie. (I would literally murder for a 40K book advance I can't believe she'd go through all that work to get the money.)

 

I really liked Josh in the first season, but now he totally bores me. Like he's cute but when he speaks my brain gets angry. I'm agreeing with the poster above that the work stuff is always more interesting. I wish they would work on fleshing out Liza's relationships with Kelsey, Diana and Lauren because that's what i'm truly, really interested in. They have a lot of potential to really have fun with Kelsey's imprint story line.

 

As for her friends in Jersey, the trellis is freaking awesome! I'd love a place like that to write. However, I thought that maybe Michelle needed to stay in her own lane a bit. Like, let Liza have fun! also just because you're a friend doesn't mean you get all the intimate details of her sex life, even if you're a bored housewife. It just seemed inappropriate to want these details to me.

[Julia]

As for her friends in Jersey, the trellis is freaking awesome! I'd love a place like that to write. However, I thought that maybe Michelle needed to stay in her own lane a bit. Like, let Liza have fun! also just because you're a friend doesn't mean you get all the intimate details of her sex life, even if you're a bored housewife. It just seemed inappropriate to want these details to me.

 

I thought the truffle butter queen needed to stfu. She apparently didn't feel the need to be involved in Liza's life (like, when she was scrambling to survive) until there was a juicy story involved. And then she felt the need to intervene on Liza's behalf? Because they're so close and she's so concerned?

 

Maggie can say anything she wants. She's earned it. Michelle is an asshole.

Edited February 4, 2016 by Julia

[rallymantis]

I thought Liza's friend was really rude and presumptuous about Liza's relationship with Josh. I get that she cares about Liza and doesn't want to see her hurt, but I think there was a decent amount of jealousy threaded in there with concern, and that's not a good mix. 

This scene brought back, and hard, a similar moment a few years ago.  There was a guy, some 20 years younger than me (but a former Army Ranger, so older than most his age), who was...interested.  I waffled, and confided my anxieties to my best friend.  Who mocked me for ever thinking Kevin would find me attractive in *that way*.

So I never followed through -- my own fault -- and have always regretted it.  And it's been a festering sore between me and my friend, ever since.

 

So all I have to say to the Jersey Girl: eh, go fuck yourself.  I also noticed how her husband couldn't take his eyes off Liza (a la whatshername's dad).  It was all...ugh.

And Jade? man, I hate it when people live up to their own stereotypes.  At least Josh isn't a cookie-cutter moron.

[Julia]

I don't think Josh is as focused on the life of the mind as Liza is, but he's supporting himself with his own business, and if his personal life is a bit aimless otherwise, he's in his twenties. That's the last time most people get to do what they want instead of what they have to do. Which, did anyone not when they were his age? I certainly did.

 

So, I probably wouldn't last too long having a conversation with him, but Team Josh isn't stupid.

[Mabinogia]

At this point Josh and Maggie are the only one's I'm liking much. I still like Liza because, Sutton Foster!, but other than that they are all walking talking clichés. But Josh is adorable, and seems a lot more grounded and mature than anyone else in Liza's life. I really do wish the show would have the balls to leave them together for a while instead of going with Liza finding a man, Charles, to support her like her Jersey "friend" said.

 

I hope this is the last we see of Jade. That storyline is just not fun, funny or amusing in any way and only proves Chelsea is no where near ready to be a "boss". She seriously spent her entire budget on that twat? Yikes!

[HunterHunted]

Ironically Cat Marnell who is the inspiration for Jade just announced that her memoir is coming out in 2016, which is 3 years after she got her huge half a million dollar advance.

So all Kelsey has to do is wait 3 years for a finished book, which is 18 months after people stop giving a shit about Jade.

[Lion]

To answer your question,  Lauren had a hot (not) Mitzvah, which is pretty fucking vapid for a 26 yo, IMO.   The daughter is an entitled little brat.   Kelsey sleeps with her client, and has a douchey boyfriend she seems to defer to.      Every episode has stupid scenarios, like Charles's dick.   The man has a dick.   When did dick humor become funny, unless you're a kid? Having a good job doesn't make you interesting, or even intelligent.   Traveling doesn't make a person more interesting.   It just means they went somewhere.     Too be fair,   I'm finding Liza to be a vapid dumbass, too.   Also?   it's a Darren Star show, which makes it vapid.

 

Oh, and the author?   Total fucking moron.     This is just bad material,  and the actors can't rise above it.    You can show a generational divide intelligently and be funny, but IMO,  they're not doing it.    Not worth staying up to see.   I'm old and need my rest.

Ok, so your examples and their explanations don't really meet the definitions of the word 'vapid'.  I won't get into the why's of it.  I'll point out that a lot plots are ripped from the headlines.  Charles' penis plot is a mash up of multiple major headlines over the years.  I'd say Jon Hamm is probably the most prominent example.  That people look at this stuff and likely laugh at it in real life is why tabloids continue to publish photos like this that can violate and humiliate people.  Dick humor continues to be something people laugh at, and I assure you not all of them are your random definition of vapid.  The author, another character modeled after a real life person.  

 

I mean, I've pointed out this show isn't exactly deep, but it's certainly exploring some deeper themes.  I think the reaction from the old folks vs the young 'uns in the audience is a very interesting exploration of the generational divide.  I wonder how accurate my guess of everyone's ages here would be simply based on their commentary about the show.  

Edited February 5, 2016 by Lion

[Julia]

Two of the definitions I like best for vapid are tedious and uninspiring. It has been my experience that being tedious and uninspiring rarely keeps the privileged few from enjoying their privileges. That doesn't make them interesting or engaging, JMO.

[luna1122]

I thought the truffle butter queen needed to stfu. She apparently didn't feel the need to be involved in Liza's life (like, when she was scrambling to survive) until there was a juicy story involved. And then she felt the need to intervene on Liza's behalf? Because they're so close and she's so concerned?

Maggie can say anything she wants. She's earned it. Michelle is an asshole.

[luna1122]

Yeah, she seemed jealous and bitchy to me as well. With perhaps some real concern mixed in, tho that didn't especially make it all more palatable. Liza is an adult, aware of the possible problems of an age difference in a relationship, and able to make her own call on it all. The friend was out of line.

When I was forty and fairly newly divorced, I fell---quite accidentally--in love with a 25 year old musician who was also my subordinate at work. Could not have been more inconvenient or inappropriate. A long time married friend told me to get a 'real boyfriend' and to stop acting like 'an old whore'. Liza's friend was more tactful but the message wasn't terribly different. (Nearly 12 years later, my inappropriate honey and I are still together and great. The friend? I see her on FB and that's about it).

Ack, the quote above was meant to be with this post. Stupid phone. Or I'm just a clueless oldster about technology.

Edited February 6, 2016 by luna1122

[Julia]

A long time married friend told me to get a 'real boyfriend' and to stop acting like 'an old whore'.

Ugh. What a charming addition she must have been to your life.

[txhorns79]

Yeah, she seemed jealous and bitchy to me as well. With perhaps some real concern mixed in, tho that didn't especially make it all more palatable. Liza is an adult, aware of the possible problems of an age difference in a relationship, and able to make her own call on it all. The friend was out of line.

 

I think her friend had a legitimate point delivered horribly, and Liza at least touched on some of the things Josh may miss out on by being in a serious relationship with someone older, like being a parent.  I would say the relationship is likely doomed because Liza's current life is built on a huge pile of lies.  She might be honest with Josh, but Liza's whiteboard drawing showing how quickly things could fall apart was pretty spot on.

Edited February 6, 2016 by txhorns79

[tennisgurl]

I do not think Kelsey is vapid, exactly. I think she has made poor choices, and can be a bit immature, but I think she has a lot of good points to, being compassionate, loyal, and dedicated to her job. Plenty of millennials come off bad on this show, but plenty of the older crowd do as well. Personally, I think its impossible for any show to make a huge "statement" about any generation. These millennials are a specific type of super connected, hipster, single in the city type of millennials. There are millennials who are already married with kids, ones in the militarily, ones completely focused on work or in school, some who could care less about social media. Like, I am the same age as Kelsey, and while our lives do have some similarities, they are also very different. I do wish they would introduce some different types of millennials, to show that there is some diversity among young people. 

 

But, I do not think my age group comes off horribly on this show. Especially as opposed to other shows, where their understanding of people in their 20s boil down to "They use their phones! Whats up with that?!". This show at least is at least a little more interested in looking at the generation gap. 

 

I would, at the very least, rather have this show represent us then Girls. Also, the pre teen in me giggled endlessly about hearing Hilary Duff say "shit".  

Edited February 6, 2016 by tennisgurl

[Julia]

I think Kelsey seems like she has the basics to be seriously impressive when she comes to herself. What's holding her back, I think, is that she loses IQ points in a really catastrophic way when she's around her friends or her boyfriend.

JMO, the debacle with Jade happened because apparently their entire generation is ruled by club kids from the early 80s who have taken over social media and defy all secular power from its dizzy heights. And Kelsey was so starry eyed about being the one who got to publish the squalid little thug that it never crossed her mind (or the minds of the lawyers, but lets hand wave that) that giving a club kid large money in a chunk rarely ends well?

So, yeah, maybe not fair in her case to say vapid, but she really does act that way sometimes.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Julia

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Truffle Butter struck me as one of those women who is fakely nice but wants nothing to do with you unless you have good gossip or she needs a favor from you but always wants to give unsolicited advice about everything from the best pasta at the grocery store to why that one restaurant down the street suuuuuuucks.

[Bort]

By the way, who was it that Truffle Butter said gave her that shirt? Her daughter? I bet that daughter got an earful of screams once mom found out what it meant.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yes, Truffle Butter said it was her daughter who gave her that shirt. Poor girl probably got a hysterical phone call shortly after Liza left!

[Snarklepuss]

I always wondered at that phrase "mid-life crisis."  It seems to get used whenever a middle-aged person does something that others think isn't "age-appropriate".  But frankly, it seems to me that its really just a middle-aged person realizing that hey, they aren't getting any younger, they're reaching the time of their life that they probably have more years behind them then ahead of them, and if they are going to do X, they'd better get on with it, because they aren't getting any younger and may not have as many years left as they liked.  So what's wrong with that?  Why is it a "crisis?"

 

Liza had a child and was married when she was very young, appears to have spent her entire 20-30s raising said child and being a housewife and never got to experience a 'fun care-free' dating life, especially in a city as vibrant as NYC.  So, now she is.  What is so wrong about that?

 

There's nothing wrong with it, it's just (as someone who has been there and done that) that it's usually a phase, kind of like one an adolescent goes through, and it doesn't last.  One day you may wake up and want to go back to your middle aged life and leave behind the "fun care-free dating life", including the 20 something boyfriend.  Not necessarily, but it's a distinct possibility.  So I think that's where Liza's friend had a point.  It's not just the age difference, which might also present issues if they continue, it's that Liza herself may not want to continue this lifestyle past a certain point.  Would Josh fit into her life if she settled into a somewhat more conventional lifestyle?  Perhaps but perhaps not.  Would she if she were not playing the part of someone much younger be OK with some of the 20-something values and hijinx?  I don't think so.  She has already come out of character to say some pretty judgmental "middle aged" stuff at times, and come off like a killjoy to the younger set.  But if that's where she's at, that's where she's at, and she won't be able to efface that forever.  I personally think that if they really tried to make a go of a relationship there would be more conflicts coming to the fore than they can anticipate while she is effacing a large part of her true self.

 

And the midlife crisis is a crisis because it feels like one.  There's a sense of urgency to it, like you have to make up for lost time because for so long you had allowed a part of you to lie dormant and unexpressed.  But now that it's woken up it desperately feels the need to express and assert itself, so it comes to the fore and suppresses the more "mature" side of the person.  But once the person gets that out of their system they may not want to continue the lifestyle they adopted during that phase.  The person they are after the phase is over is undoubtedly different and it's not possible to tell before they are done with it how they are going to turn out and what (or who) they are going to want.  It's kind of like another adolescence in that the person comes out on the other side of it with a new self-awareness and perhaps a new goal for their lives that they needed to realize.  I don't even think the show brought that aspect of it up, but the show itself is really about Liza's journey to find that new self-awareness, and the friend was really just a catalyst to move her along in the process.  The friend concentrated on the age difference issues but there is even more than that to it, IMO.  Of course, the friend was motivated a little by envy but I also think a heavy dose of realism.  I didn't sense that she was motivated maliciously.

 

That said, I'm almost a week late seeing this episode because I'm tired of having to watch it in low definition on TV Land (thanks to Comcast) and so I wait to catch the HD version on Nick at Night on Mondays.  It's really so worth it.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Snarklepuss

[red12]

I saw the truffle butter t-shirt as a sign that the friend's daughter hates her. How full of disrespect for your parent do you have to be to give them something like that knowing they will wear it without even a shred of irony? It was a dog whistle to me that this lady is kind of terrible and even those closest to her find her to be a pain in the ass.

[marny]

I just find the relationship between Josh and Liza's relationship to be kind of boring at this point.  I really do enjoy the workplace storylines a lot more than the two of them being all schmoopy with each other.

[Bubbles]

The Canadian airings are several weeks behind the US, so I just saw this episode this week. The storyline with Jade really highlighted the problem I had with the previous episode: Liza should have been the one trying to convince Kelsey that signing Jade was a huge risk, rather than the one coming up with crazy schemes to win Jade over. Jade's "I'll name names and I don't care who gets pissed off" attitude is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Liza should have enough life experience to see that there's a good chance this would all end very badly.

I wish I hadn't googled truffle butter.

[luvthepros]

On 3/7/2016 at 8:39 PM, Bubbles said:

 

I wish I hadn't googled truffle butter.

Me too.