The Real O'Neals - General Discussion

[iMonrey]

I thought this was probably the strongest episode yet. Of course, it helps that I watched two very mediocre sitcoms before this one. 

Shannon and Jimmy dressed as Bonnie and Clyde, for the win. Loved Pat trying to interrogate Shannon and how she turned the tables on him. Meanwhile Jimmy is spilling his guts - about everything. "Word of advice: steam clean your entire house."

Serpentine! I wonder if Jimmy watches Game of Thrones. 

Allison is a real keeper. "Tell me if I'm coming on too strong." And yeah, taking off the cat ears to say "It's me, Allison" was hilarious.

The gay party was a little too . . . on the nose? But it's Halloween, so I guess I can't expect miracles.

[starri]

6 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Serpentine! I wonder if Jimmy watches Game of Thrones. 

We know he does. In an episode last season, he said he was fighting for the honor of the House of O'Neal. 

[reggiejax]

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Me too!  Which bums me out.  I'm not usually bothered by that type of thing, I don't need every actor to be Julia-Roberts-likeable

Julia Roberts is likeable?

Was I the only one who thought Kenny looked more like Kelly Ripa dressed as Beyoncé than Beyoncé?

Edited October 26, 2016 by reggiejax

[SmithW6079]

11 hours ago, Bobbin said:

Not too fond of the implication that gay males being true to themselves means being women, in drag. Or Eilene's repeated instant buzz-kills the minute Kenny starts to relax and enjoy being himself. I like that he laid it on the line that if she keeps it up, she'll wind up driving him away. It's soon time to stop beating that horse.

I really like the song-and-dance numbers. That's really Noah's strength. Fishnet stockings, not so much. And the Tippi Hedren "Birds" costume was so spot on! Allison thinking Eilene wouldn't recognize her with mouse ears isn't all that silly -- a woman in our office had long hair that she kept tied up, and I never knew who she was whenever she let it down!

The way all of the family members love and protect each other is refreshing. I'd watch for that reason alone.

Props to Aunt Jodi. That really was a good costume. I can't believe Eileen didn't get it. 

I was a little surprised at her attitude again regarding Kenny; I thought they had settled that back last season. Then again, knowing something and accepting "it" on an intellectual basis are different from seeing "it" in action.

4 hours ago, starri said:

I think it's more about him being able to let his freak flag fly.  And I don't know that I think doing drag is the same thing as being a woman.

What bugged me about the whole party story line was the attitude of "teh gays love to be bitchy queens and slam each other." Ugh. I cut them a little slack because they're dramatic high school students, but we (homosexuals) can't complain about being stereotyped when we're the ones doing the stereotyping.

Adding the lesbian high school friend was a good call, because she makes Kenny slightly less insufferable. (Although I admit, that may be my dislike of Noah Galvin, whose face I increasingly want to punch.)

I think the actors who play Jimmy and Shannon are stand-outs. I loved Shannon's throw-away line about her sweatshop -- "They're unionized now" -- and Jimmy's "doing what boys do." But seriously, where were you doing what boys do that your only option was your mom's vase?

And can we find a hunky, bear of a boyfriend for Pat?

[Scott]

In a good episode with a lot of good one-liners, "There's a flag on the gay!" may have been my favorite.

[DearEvette]

Technically Eileen was reading them, not throwing shade.  Shade is waaay more subtle.

Loved Jodi's costume! TV show halloween costumes are always the best.

Also really enjoying the addition of Alison.

[possibilities]

I wish the entire show was about Alison.

[Tiger]

6 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Props to Aunt Jodi. That really was a good costume. I can't believe Eileen didn't get it. 

I was a little surprised at her attitude again regarding Kenny; I thought they had settled that back last season. Then again, knowing something and accepting "it" on an intellectual basis are different from seeing "it" in action.

What bugged me about the whole party story line was the attitude of "teh gays love to be bitchy queens and slam each other." Ugh. I cut them a little slack because they're dramatic high school students, but we (homosexuals) can't complain about being stereotyped when we're the ones doing the stereotyping.

Adding the lesbian high school friend was a good call, because she makes Kenny slightly less insufferable. (Although I admit, that may be my dislike of Noah Galvin, whose face I increasingly want to punch.)

I think the actors who play Jimmy and Shannon are stand-outs. I loved Shannon's throw-away line about her sweatshop -- "They're unionized now" -- and Jimmy's "doing what boys do." But seriously, where were you doing what boys do that your only option was your mom's vase?

And can we find a hunky, bear of a boyfriend for Pat?

I agree with all of this except the last.  I just Pat & Eileen to get back together and be done with it.

Anyway, I hated that all of the guys they features at that were in drag except the one Kenny kissed, and even if he acted and looked very feminine.  While Im not keen on the show portrayl of Kenny specifically, I have a huge problem with the portrayl of every guy that likes banging dudes is into drag and being a snippy female-stereotype bitch.

[SmithW6079]

1 minute ago, Tiger said:

I agree with all of this except the last.  I just Pat & Eileen to get back together and be done with it.

Well, that's what I would want too, but with Eileen dating VP Murray, it seems as though TPTB have the characters moving on with their lives, so if Pat can't e with Eileen, I'd rather he had a boyfriend. :-)

[zxy556575]

Isn't Newsies a really cheesy-bad movie? I'm not gonna watch it to find out, but I thought Kenny's love for it was adorable, and that Eileen knew that was the one thing that would get him out of his Beyonce costume. (Which I thought he rocked.)

Poor Eileen and her hors d'oeuvres of whole cucumbers, mini hot dogs and rocket shaped ice pops.

[starri]

If Kenny is obsessed with Newsies, it's the musical, not the movie.

2 minutes ago, lordonia said:

Poor Eileen and her hors d'oeuvres of whole cucumbers, mini hot dogs and rocket shaped ice pops.

"Everything is shaped like cocks!"  The bleeps on the show are the best.

[TheWereCow]

"Serpentine!" always reminds of Peter Falk and Alan Arkin in "The In-Laws": 

[Mrs OldManBalls]

On 2016-10-26 at 0:44 PM, iMonrey said:

Shannon and Jimmy dressed as Bonnie and Clyde, for the win. Loved Pat trying to interrogate Shannon and how she turned the tables on him. Meanwhile Jimmy is spilling his guts - about everything. "Word of advice: steam clean your entire house."

 

On 2016-10-26 at 1:36 PM, SmithW6079 said:

 

I think the actors who play Jimmy and Shannon are stand-outs. I loved Shannon's throw-away line about her sweatshop -- "They're unionized now" -- and Jimmy's "doing what boys do." But seriously, where were you doing what boys do that your only option was your mom's vase?

The "then my mom put flowers in it, and they died" is what sold it for me.  

[JyDanzig]

Man, this bums me out, but I just deleted Real O'Neals from my DVR.  I thought it would wear off, but that Noah Galvin interview really did ruin the show for me!  Which has never happened to me before!  I've never found an actor so obnoxious it turned me off a project of theirs that I otherwise liked.

I've forced my way through every episode this season, and all I feel is a sad "I enjoyed this show so much, before I knew you were an insufferable dick" every time he's on screen.

If it gets a season 3, I'll be back to try again then!

[Hero]

I loved everyone saying "not everything is about you being gay, Kenny." And him saying " yeah, I'm just trying to wedge it in there." 

I think Jimmyis my favorite character. 

[iMonrey]

Jimmy is definitely the MVP of the show. However, I would like to point out one thing: almost anyone can play "Heart and Soul" - that's kind of the whole point, it's the one thing even people who don't play the piano, or the keyboard, know how to play. And yet, clearly, Matt Shively was not really playing. (Plus it usually takes 2 people to play it.)

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that Noah Galvin interview really did ruin the show for me!  Which has never happened to me before!  I've never found an actor so obnoxious it turned me off a project of theirs that I otherwise liked.

I didn't think it was that bad. Frankly I think he had every right to criticize the way Eric Stonestreet plays "gay" on Modern Family. It's probably very insulting to a lot of people in the gay community. So Noah isn't really Kenny, but he's under no obligation to be some kind of role model just because he's on a TV show. Yeah, some of the things he said were a bit jarring but I think it's mostly because we tend to think of him as being little twee Kenny on the show rather than the grown-up 22 year old actor from NY that he really is.

[Big Mother]

The divorce portion of the story is less believable with every episode. This couple cleary has chemistry. They have three children. What's the point of getting divorced? So that they spend the next decade elusively looking for a person to ' fall in love' with? Life isn't just about being in love with another person. Pat & Eileen clearly DO work as a couple, even if they say they don't. So far, neither of them have had chemistry with anyone they were dating. I just don't get the point of them getting divorced. I guess that's part of the culture of this era... if you aren't crazy over someone, you just toss them out like used goods....

[starri]

13 minutes ago, Big Mother said:

The divorce portion of the story is less believable with every episode. This couple cleary has chemistry.

I half-expected them to fall into bed after Eileen rescued Pat from Divorced Dad Nirvana.

[partofme]

31 minutes ago, Big Mother said:

The divorce portion of the story is less believable with every episode. This couple cleary has chemistry. They have three children. What's the point of getting divorced? So that they spend the next decade elusively looking for a person to ' fall in love' with? Life isn't just about being in love with another person. Pat & Eileen clearly DO work as a couple, even if they say they don't. So far, neither of them have had chemistry with anyone they were dating. I just don't get the point of them getting divorced. I guess that's part of the culture of this era... if you aren't crazy over someone, you just toss them out like used goods....

I agree they have chemistry, but if they say that they don't love each other, I don't see any point in them remaining married.  Maybe they'll get remarried who knows.

[possibilities]

I think they put the divorce in the show so Kenny being gay wouldn't be the only scandal for the family, and the only way they diverge from Catholic orthodoxy.

[partofme]

Well in this day and age there are a lot of divorced Catholics that go to church.  My mom belonged to a divorce group at her Catholic church for a while.

[possibilities]

I know, but I thought that's why they did it-- to show that people do pick and choose their dogma, and to normalize the situation for Kenny. It kind of puts a stop on the argument that Kenny being gay makes the family's church-going suspect, because it's harder to argue forcefully about how they break the rules on one thing if it's okay for them to break the rules on others. There are so many divorced people, it's a big group to compare to, and not a population that's generally considered out of the mainstream.

[galax-arena]

Frankly I think he had every right to criticize the way Eric Stonestreet plays "gay" on Modern Family.

It wasn't the Modern Family bit that pissed me off, it was his comment about Colton Haynes. 

That said, even though I do think the interview was horrible, I just started watching this show, post-interview, and I find him surprisingly great. IMO it helps that Kenny can be somewhat of a self-absorbed egomaniac himself. 

[Aliconehead]

29 minutes ago, galax-arena said:

 

It wasn't the Modern Family bit that pissed me off, it was his comment about Colton Haynes. 

That said, even though I do think the interview was horrible, I just started watching this show, post-interview, and I find him surprisingly great. IMO it helps that Kenny can be somewhat of a self-absorbed egomaniac himself. 

That and he practically outed a guest star that has not come out.  The uStonestreet thing didn't factor in at all. 

Edited November 3, 2016 by Aliconehead

[Big Mother]

Funny, the Catholic thing isnt even part of the plot anymore.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Wheat allergy is a thing.  Wheat allergy with anaphylaxis, though rare, is also a thing.  Gluten allergy, with or without anaphylaxis, is not a thing.

There is no such thing as an allergy to gluten.  Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by an abnormal reaction to gluten in the small intestine.  Although eating gluten when one has celiac disease can have many severe side effects, it does not result in an inability to breathe.  Using an EpiPen would have no positive effect, and since it would not be counteracting an allergic reaction, could be dangerous.

I'm not trying to diminish the severity of gluten intolerance/celiac disease as I am very familiar with it, but it is not as portrayed.  I don't know why the writers didn't just utilise a food that does cause severe allergic reactions in some, but I guess nut allergies aren't funny?

Edited November 3, 2016 by ItCouldBeWorse

[mtlchick]

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It wasn't the Modern Family bit that pissed me off, it was his comment about Colton Haynes. 

 Long story short and not to veer too off topic, agreed.  What he said about Stonestreet and Singer was hurtful but Stonestreet has probably heard them all (and he got an Emmy for it) and Singer's accusations have been rumours that have yet to be proven.  Haynes was simply uncalled for. 

Back to topic

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Gluten allergy, with or without anaphylaxis, is not a thing.

I'm surprised Jennifer Esposito who has celiac, has not called them out on that yet (though she did comment about Jimmy Kimmel's line at the Emmys that if you have a gluten problem, you're just being annoying.)  And even with my limited knowledge about the subject, even I knew that it's more intestinal than simply having your throat blow up. 

 

Much like Fresh Off the Boat, the lead character is NOT the main reason why I watch, it's the family around him.  Not a huge fan of the back and forth of Eileen and Pat's will they or won't they, but loving the siblings.

[SmithW6079]

On 11/2/2016 at 2:44 AM, JyDanzig said:

Man, this bums me out, but I just deleted Real O'Neals from my DVR.  I thought it would wear off, but that Noah Galvin interview really did ruin the show for me!  Which has never happened to me before!  I've never found an actor so obnoxious it turned me off a project of theirs that I otherwise liked.

I've forced my way through every episode this season, and all I feel is a sad "I enjoyed this show so much, before I knew you were an insufferable dick" every time he's on screen.

If it gets a season 3, I'll be back to try again then!

I haven't deleted it yet, but the parts of the show I enjoyed the most had nothing to do with Kenny's story line, except for the teenage lesbian friend when he almost got his comeuppance with his wrong advice.

On 11/2/2016 at 0:40 PM, iMonrey said:

I didn't think it was that bad. Frankly I think he had every right to criticize the way Eric Stonestreet plays "gay" on Modern Family. It's probably very insulting to a lot of people in the gay community. So Noah isn't really Kenny, but he's under no obligation to be some kind of role model just because he's on a TV show. Yeah, some of the things he said were a bit jarring but I think it's mostly because we tend to think of him as being little twee Kenny on the show rather than the grown-up 22 year old actor from NY that he really is.

16 hours ago, galax-arena said:

It wasn't the Modern Family bit that pissed me off, it was his comment about Colton Haynes. 

That said, even though I do think the interview was horrible, I just started watching this show, post-interview, and I find him surprisingly great. IMO it helps that Kenny can be somewhat of a self-absorbed egomaniac himself. 

15 hours ago, Aliconehead said:

That and he practically outed a guest star that has not come out.  The uStonestreet thing didn't factor in at all. 

Yes, my issue with Noah Galvin's interview was his self-righteous attitude that amounted to him decreeing that he was the arbiter of how gay men should come out. No, sweetie, you're not. However, in an ironic twist, the actor I was pretty sure he was outing via innuendo recently starred as a porn star in a gay thriller titled King Cobra. 

On 11/2/2016 at 1:29 PM, partofme said:

I agree they have chemistry, but if they say that they don't love each other, I don't see any point in them remaining married.  Maybe they'll get remarried who knows.

There are plenty of reasons to stay married -- their three children, for one. It doesn't sound like they don't love each other, but they're not in love with each other anymore. Kenny hasn't, in voiceover, ever indicated that Pat and Eileen fought all the time or that they were all miserable. 

[Tiger]

The Eileen/VP Murray romance needs to be killed with fire.  

[Mrs OldManBalls]

14 hours ago, Tiger said:

The Eileen/VP Murray romance needs to be killed with fire.  

But Pat and VP Murray need to stay besties. 

[mtlchick]

Not a good sign: only an order for 3 more episodes.  http://deadline.com/2016/11/american-housewife-full-season-order-abc-real-oneals-1201849120/

[zxy556575]

That's a little disappointing, but the show was always a stretch for broadcast TV and ratings were never good. Silver lining is that the show won't have a chance to devolve or become boringly one note.

The recent episode amusingly reminded us that it isn't all about Kenny being gay ... except it kind of is? Every episode has its B subplots, but trying to make the show into a more ensemble cast family comedy is probably too late at this point. Some viewers are already tired of Eileen and Pat's storylines.

[SmithW6079]

I wonder how much of the drop-off in viewership and the reduced episode order is related to the Noah Galvin interview where he badmouthed "Modern Family" and Eric Stonestreet and outed-by-innuendo one of "The Real O'Neals" guest stars, in addition to everything else he said. Kid's going to learn the hard way you don't shit where you eat -- and put a lot of people out of work because he ran off his mouth. 

Edited November 6, 2016 by SmithW6079

[starri]

I doubt very seriously the majority of the audience knew, or cared, about that interview.

I don't know, I will enjoy however much more we get.

[SmithW6079]

6 hours ago, starri said:

I doubt very seriously the majority of the audience knew, or cared, about that interview.

It was on major websites such as Huffington Post and Holywood Reporter, and appeared in New York magazine's Vulture blog, and obviously the ABC brass cares, since he issued an apology soon after, and the first episode seemed to be a continuing apology.

[starri]

2 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

It was on major websites such as Huffington Post and Holywood Reporter, and appeared in New York magazine's Vulture blog, and obviously the ABC brass cares, since he issued an apology soon after, and the first episode seemed to be a continuing apology.

It would have been bad form not to apologize, but if you're not as connected to this stuff as we are, would anyone really have known?

Colton Haynes had a costarring role on an MTV series and a recurring one on a CW show.  I like the guy, but it's not like he's a mega-star.

I don't know, I know it sounds like I'm defending Noah and I'm not.  Frankly, the most disgusting part to me was his nudge nudge wink wink outing of the actor I'm not going to name.

[Court]

I had zero knowledge of the interview until I read about it here. 

[SmithW6079]

Last season, this show was charming and funny. Now, not so much. I think it works best as family ensemble. Splitting them up like they did in the Thanksgiving episide weakens it. I hate that they're continuing the VP Murray romance story. 

[zxy556575]

The dream sequence of Kenny on Chopped was everything!

I liked that VP Murray's mother wasn't the standard dumpy virago. Nice to see him and Eileen both stand up to her for the good of their relationship.

Edited November 16, 2016 by lordonia

[iMonrey]

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The dream sequence of Kenny on Chopped was everything!

Oh - so that's what it was supposed to be? I figured it was Top Chef or something, I don't watch any of those cooking shows so the gag went right over my head. 

It's odd they keep calling VP Murray "VP Murray" like that's his name. At least the mother called him by his name, but is it Clyde or Clive?

Love Susan Sullivan, although this was essentially the same character she played on Dharma and Greg. The portrait of VP Murray's grandmother - or whoever that was supposed to be - was hilarious.

Jimmy and Shannon are really the best thing about the show. I wish they would focus more on them and less on Pat and his girlfriend or Eileen and VP Murray. The stronger episodes have been the ones that centered around the three of them in school.

[joanne3482]

On 11/2/2016 at 1:09 PM, possibilities said:

I think they put the divorce in the show so Kenny being gay wouldn't be the only scandal for the family, and the only way they diverge from Catholic orthodoxy.

If I remember right, and it is entirely possible I don't, this is loosely based on Dan Savage whose parents are either divorced or based on their 'affection for each other' should have gotten divorced, but didn't because Catholic. 

[SaveTheGreyhounds]

3 hours ago, joanne3482 said:

If I remember right, and it is entirely possible I don't, this is loosely based on Dan Savage whose parents are either divorced or based on their 'affection for each other' should have gotten divorced, but didn't because Catholic. 

Responding to this in the Dan Savage thread.

[Big Mother]

This episode was really good. The ones that does not focus on Kenny being gay are the ones I enjoy most.

I hope it's not getting canceled.

[Mrs OldManBalls]

I loved the dad wearing boyfriend jeans hoping that whatsherface wanted him to be her boyfriend, and Kenny letting him know that's not what boyfriend jeans means... 

I liked VP Murray and Jimmy finding some common ground. 

[Tiger]

The VP Murray stuff wasnt bad, mostly because of Susan Sullivan, but Kenny was extremely annoying.  When he referred to himself as "girl", my eyes rolled down the street.

[Tiger]

On 11/6/2016 at 1:08 PM, starri said:

It would have been bad form not to apologize, but if you're not as connected to this stuff as we are, would anyone really have known?

Colton Haynes had a costarring role on an MTV series and a recurring one on a CW show.  I like the guy, but it's not like he's a mega-star.

I don't know, I know it sounds like I'm defending Noah and I'm not.  Frankly, the most disgusting part to me was his nudge nudge wink wink outing of the actor I'm not going to name.

I actually agreed with the stuff he said about Hollywood generally, and Singer, Stonestreet, and Haynes specifically.  

But his comments putting down and whining abouy gay kids reaching out to him on Twitter AND hin outing that actor were unforgiveable. Outing someone is never okay under any circumstances.  

Ultimately, that action has colored my enjoyment of the show and the Kenny character. 

[starri]

2 minutes ago, Tiger said:

I actually agreed with the stuff he said about Hollywood generally, and Singer, Stonestreet, and Haynes specifically.  

I thought I was a terrible person for half-agreeing with him about Colton.  Like I said, I do like Colton, but there's something slightly disingenuous about him giving an interview to EW about his terrible problems with anxiety when he's simultaneously posting photos of himself front and center at NY Fashion Week on his Instagram.

4 minutes ago, Tiger said:

Ultimately, that action has colored my enjoyment of the show and the Kenny character. 

I can see how it would disgust anyone, but I've always tried to maintain a separation between actor and character.  Reese Witherspoon seems like kind of a terrible person in her personal life, but she's really compelling onscreen.  I disagree with Angie Harmon's politics something fierce, but I really enjoy watching her.  But I can understand why it would be a turn-off, and there have been actors whose private lives after obliterated my enjoyment of them.  Adam Baldwin first and foremost.

[Tiger]

7 minutes ago, starri said:

I thought I was a terrible person for half-agreeing with him about Colton.  Like I said, I do like Colton, but there's something slightly disingenuous about him giving an interview to EW about his terrible problems with anxiety when he's simultaneously posting photos of himself front and center at NY Fashion Week on his Instagram.

I can see how it would disgust anyone, but I've always tried to maintain a separation between actor and character.  Reese Witherspoon seems like kind of a terrible person in her personal life, but she's really compelling onscreen.  I disagree with Angie Harmon's politics something fierce, but I really enjoy watching her.  But I can understand why it would be a turn-off, and there have been actors whose private lives after obliterated my enjoyment of them.  Adam Baldwin first and foremost.

Ive never had a problem separating character and actor until; I have such a huge problem with someone outing someone.

Personally speaking, Im a "bi bro" and I never had some big coming out/outing and had family, friends, frat brothers, etc., that never had a problem with it.  Most people are shocked when they find out because aside from the fact that I sometimes bang dudes, Im a stereotypical "bro". 

But 99.9% of people arent that lucky.  Person A outing Person B could easily ruin person B's life or worse put them in actual in physical danger.  

[SmithW6079]

On 11/19/2016 at 11:41 AM, Tiger said:

But his comments putting down and whining abouy gay kids reaching out to him on Twitter AND him outing that actor were unforgiveable. Outing someone is never okay under any circumstances.  

Ultimately, that action has colored my enjoyment of the show and the Kenny character. 

The only time I think outing is OK, if not called for, is when the closeted homosexual is actively working to deny gay people equal rights, like a politician.

[SanDiegoInExile]

On 11/19/2016 at 9:39 AM, Tiger said:

The VP Murray stuff wasnt bad, mostly because of Susan Sullivan, but Kenny was extremely annoying.  

The story fell flat for me with the "handyman in the spare bedroom".

I really really really want to like this show, but I haven't been all that impressed with S2.