S02.E02: Everybody Is Grownups

[formerlyfreedom]

A welcome-home party for Alex at the Piersons is marred by Tina's erratic behavior, poor sportsmanship and barely disguised contempt for his girlfriend, Christy.

 

[Primetimer]

Trying to impress a dude by showing up his lady is only human. Just...make sure you aren't way, way, WAY outmatched on the field of battle.

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[WhosThatGirl]

So okay this getting full of himself is something Alex does then. While part of me thinks Brett should maybe call Alex out on this, I'm also kind of okay with him and his feelings towards Tina. I still find Tina's behavior towards Alex last week because I think essentially she wants Alex to be around when Peter Gallagher is doing whatever the hell he does.

New girlfriend and Tina's movie game fights were so awkward.

Tina should have taken an uber.

Edited February 29, 2016 by WhosThatGirl

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Tina was being ridiculous during the movie game even before the Jennifer Grey business (and major demerits for not knowing that Jennifer Grey played Ferris Bueller's sister!), but then it got even more awkward than I thought possible.

 

I understand the urge to get out of the situation, but I was so mad that Tina got into her car to drive home after she JUST said that she had seven tequila sodas during the party. Alex offered two perfectly acceptable solutions (Uber or having Larry pick her up) and she chose the worst possible alternative. She's lucky that she only drove her car into a tree and that no one got hurt.

 

I know Brett and Michelle live there, but dude, having loud sex while there are still people from the party wandering around? It wasn't just Tina, Alex, and his girlfriend. There were other people visible in the background in the hallway when Brett and Michelle went to their bedroom.

 

What I liked most about the last scene was seeing two married people in plain regular pajamas after having sex. Too often on tv, after sex people are either naked, wrapped in a sheet, or lounging in their underwear like they're in a lingerie ad. And sure, that happens, but sometimes they put on their regular cotton pajamas and we almost never see that!

[WhosThatGirl]

Yeah it was odd that Brett and Michelle just went at it with guests still there. I feel like it was Michelle though in her mindset trying to overcompensate in her mind her guilty conscience for cheating. And I get that Michelle feels bad and I'm not one to advocate cheaters but just because Brett woke up and is trying to make it up to her, there still is work to do aside from Michelle's cheating.

I wish Christy had just let Tina quit when she messed up the game at first. Otherwise Tina is slowly cracking, I was never a fan of her last season but this season isn't making her any better.

Edited February 29, 2016 by WhosThatGirl

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I agree that Michelle waa totally overcompensating because she felt guilty. I have seen people react similarly in real life (and it was equally awkward to witness in person, especially since I knew person A had cheated on person B). I knew that Brett being nice would be her undoing and that would be why she ended up confessing. I think if he were still acting the same way he did last season, she would have kept it a secret much longer and either yelled a confession in the middle of a fight or waited years to tell him. But his lovey doveyness simultaneously made her feel worse about what she did and made her feel like he would absolve her right away.

[tennisgurl]

Oh Alex. Now type casted as a Russian vampire villain. How...specific. Tina did get one thing right in her drunk mess of a night. Alex did become an asshole the second he started becoming successful. I hope that changes soon, because Asshole Alex is not as much fun as lovable loser Alex. I hope he keeps his career, just lays off the prime dona stuff. 

 

That game just got more and more awkward. Tina has an uncanny ability to raise all awkward levels higher and higher. And to make terrible life choices in general. Should have called an Uber Tina. 

[peeayebee]

Oh Alex. Now type casted as a Russian vampire villain. 

East-European.

 

I don't think Alex is behaving badly except on the movie set. I didn't see that he did anything wrong this ep. Tina was in the wrong ALL THE DAMN TIME. I was afraid that the little doggie was going to get sick or even die.

 

Tina doesn't want Alex to be happy without her. I don't think she really wants to be with him, romantically, but it hurts her to see a guy who was as lost and damaged as her having success and happiness, leaving her behind.

 

I'm glad Michelle confessed. Hard to say what'll happen next. 

[scrb]

Tina must have some feelings for Alex. Especially after his confession last episode, if she didn't feel anything for him, you'd think she'd try to avoid him.

So why is she with Sandy Cohen? Because he's successful while at the time, Alex wasn't?

[peeayebee]

So why is she with Sandy Cohen? Because he's successful while at the time, Alex wasn't?

That's what I think. A powerful, successful man who's into her.

 

I think Tina wants to believe they can be friends. She wants to prove to him that they can be friends. She wants to prove him wrong, otherwise she is wrong. But when she gets around him and his girlfriend, she can help but try too hard to make herself look superior to the girlfriend.

[EdnasEdibles]

Tina is pretty believably written for me. I've known a few girls like her. She is pretty and never really seemed to realize what she's good at other than being pretty. So all of her self-worth comes from male attention. She's getting older and that's starting to bother her because there are younger prettier women around. She was happy to attract Sandy Cohen because he's a powerful man but she pretty much wants the attention of any man. She likes Alex's personality and I think the lack of his attention hurts her because she actually had a personal connection with him. He saw more than just her looks so it's more of a rejection. But he didn't match the image of what she thought she should be with and now she's kicking herself. 

 

Brett & Michelle are going in a weird direction. I can't believe she told him. I am kind of happy she did plot-wise (I was not looking forward to him finding out in some other way) but I'm sure he's not going to take any responsiblity for how bad their marriage was and I hope he doesn't tell her to stop working on the school because she's good at it and enjoys it. 

[cpcathy]

Does everyone think Brett is fully responsible for the way their marriage was prior to the Sacramento incident? I don't. I think Michelle had checked out way earlier than the pilot episode.

[EdnasEdibles]

Does everyone think Brett is fully responsible for the way their marriage was prior to the Sacramento incident? I don't. I think Michelle had checked out way earlier than the pilot episode.

 

 

I don't think he's FULLY responsible at all. I do think they both made huge mistakes and both stopped communicating and the cheating was a sign that things had progressed way worse than either of them were admitting to. I can just see Brett being all victimy "What did I do to deserve this?!" about this.  Not that I'm saying she should have cheated, she shouldn't have but I also think he was pretty terrible to her last season and she seemed really really alone and unhappy. 

[cpcathy]

I ask because I find myself strangely sympathetic with Brett and I realize that's not a popular opinion here.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside the episode:

[marny]

Amanda Peet is killing it in this role. That trivia game scene was so cringeworthy and amazing. I was literally hiding my face and saying' "No Tina no Tina no!" During the Jennifer Grey argument.

I'm surprised Michelle told Brett so soon. I figured the secret would linger much longer.

Edited March 2, 2016 by marny

[cpcathy]

So was I! As an entertainment-phile, it irritates me when people try to guess when they clearly don't know what they're talking about!

[Crazy8]

God, I love this show! Every single character is so messed up, but I can't bring myself to hate a single one of them. It's like the 'Anti-Girls' for me. Alex's initial reaction to Tina's drunken crash said everything we needed to know, even though she did behave like a complete idiot during the party. Brett's vomit tsunami should also be a lesson to us all about having those deep and meaningful conversations when we're drunk. 

[Readalot]

I really thought Michelle was going to go all in with Charter Guy. I wasn't sure how she was go about it especially with the kids. But I'm glad she came to her senses. - Tina's such a hot mess, I cringed through all her scenes. She def needs to grow up. It's sad most of us know someone like her!

[JodhaBai]

I love this show.  Its my current favorite and Amanda Peet deserves some recognition for her performance 

[blixie]

Amanda Peet is AMAZING in this role, it's like the compendium of every role she every played, it's interesting because she often played unlikable women forgiven their unlikability because of their beauty and youth per se. Now when she's more unlikable then ever, she's at the point where her youth and beauty have faded a bit and she's even more unlikable than ever, yet I relate to her 100%, and I tend to be a huge apologist for her/sympathize with her. I basically DO think she has real romantic feeling for Alex (she never denies feelings, she denies compatibility/working), and simply has no idea what to do with it, because like MD says in the clip she's at terrible at relationships, and she knows that, so I think she spent so much of S1 running from her feelings out of fear that a romance with Alex would fuck up her friendship with Alex and she'd lose him, not considering that rejecting him hardcore when he laid bare his romantic feelings would be equally destructive to the friendship.

 

I also felt for her, because honestly she is responsible for a great deal of his success, literally her current boyfriend gave him this shot, but she motivated him and was there for him when he was down. And now that he has everything he wanted (except her) he's leaving her in his dust, what I think is great about the two of them is that even with all that distance, they are still so connected, during Leather and Lace, and after the car wreck.

 

I agree that Alex hasn't done anything really wrong, but I do think he's being kind of a dick, he didn't enter into his friendship with Tina as sexual/romantic gambit, so for him to ultimately say, well you didn't want to be my girlfriend, so I know longer have any use for you, because it's just too painful to be around you IS kind of shitty. I think that more than anything is what pissed her off enough to go to the party anyway even though it was clearly a terrible idea.

 

Michelle and Brett, oof I again agreed with Tina summation that confession is bad idea, it's often selfishly about wanting to hurt you partner above and beyond the betrayal itself, but I love that in this case I think Michelle didn't want their "new" start to be undermined from the go, by that kind of barrier, and David is still in their sphere and being douchey about her boundaries so she has good reason to think David could blow up her spot any time. God knows how Brett will cope with that though. Sheesh.

Edited March 6, 2016 by blixie

[JasmineFlower]

I'm with Tina so much more than I should be given her embarrassing and awkward behavior. She should absolutely be acting better, more mature, that's a given. But to pretend like it's in Tina's mind that Alex's new girl isn't playing games is also a complete joke and helps feed into Alex's new found ego and the poor perception others have of Tina. "At your age?" WTF kind of comment is that? It's a catty remark that Tina rightly identified for what it was, because new girlfriend saw the way Alex was looking at her in the season premiere. And as bad as the movie game was, Tina said she didn't have to play after realizing how much she'd suck at it, but the new girl wanted to embarrass Tina. It was hard to watch, it doesn't look good on Tina, but it is a shame that Tina basically won't get any credit from recognizing this stuff for what it is.

 

I want Alex to be happy, I'm happy he's becoming successful. But he's becoming unlikable and he shouldn't be punishing Tina in any way for not loving him back. He way overstepped last season and Tina could have made things really tough on him and his career. It would be nice if he remembered that now, how she's the best friend he has besides Brett by the way she handled things, and tried to extend something more than basic courtesy and "it's hard to be around you" platitudes. I'm sure it is hard, but as long as Brett's your best friend, Tina is gonna be around, so remember the friends you were and try your best and don't let your girlfriend give your friend constant side eye. Maybe instead tell her that you were great friends and she's one of the reasons he was able to get the movie role where they met.

 

Totally think Michelle's confession was a selfish act. It wasn't about being better for their marriage, it was about clearing her guilty conscience. It's completely realistic and I get it for the show, so it'll be interesting to see where this goes. I hope it's not "we were in a bad place" to make it seem like this is on Brett and his depression or whatever last season. Because Michelle completely romanticized everything with David not once thinking about the consequences that she's now realizing.

[qtpye]

want Alex to be happy, I'm happy he's becoming successful. But he's becoming unlikable and he shouldn't be punishing Tina in any way for not loving him back. He way overstepped last season and Tina could have made things really tough on him and his career. It would be nice if he remembered that now, how she's the best friend he has besides Brett by the way she handled things, and tried to extend something more than basic courtesy and "it's hard to be around you" platitudes. I'm sure it is hard, but as long as Brett's your best friend, Tina is gonna be around, so remember the friends you were and try your best and don't let your girlfriend give your friend constant side eye. Maybe instead tell her that you were great friends and she's one of the reasons he was able to get the movie role where they met.

 

 

This is true, however it is very in keeping with the way some people act.  I had a very good male friend admit he had romantic feelings for me and I did not feel the same way.

 

He no longer wanted to stay friends with me, once he realized I would not change my mind.  I truly miss his friendship.

 

On the other hand, I have seen girls still stay friends with guys who have rejected them romantically, so I have no idea if it is a gender thing.

[scrb]

Don't think it's a gender thing.  Some people can get over being rejected, other people may find it too difficult to be around the person they were strongly attracted to.

 

So it may not be about denying friendship so much as avoiding painful memory or being reminded of it by being around the person involved with that painful memory.

 

If Alex was truly heartbroken, why would he want to be around Tina?  Should he cover up how he felt (or may continue to feel) just for her benefit, just so she can think they're good friends?  That would be kind of saying his feelings don't matter as much as her being comfortable that after she rejected him, things can go right back to the way they were between them.

 

Tina hasn't told him that he should just get over it, stop being a baby, etc.  But if she did, it would be pretty insensitive.

[Firestorm]

I've watched some interviews with Amanda Peet and I thought I'd like her better than I like her as Tina... I do, but only marginally. I have to, because none of her interviews show her as a crazy, illogical, over emotional trainwreck... Maybe she just isn't good with interviews, but she seems like kind of a simpleton.