S09.E03: Ready Set Glow

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

Jeff and Gage are anxious as they are finally told that Alexandra is pregnant. Also, Jeff faces obstacles when he struggles to keep his longtime friend and client happy, and questions surround Jeff's new assistant.

[Bronzedog]

Ashlyn,  no one needs to put up with that kind of harassment.

[rehoboth]

I am assuming that Ashlyn is smart and has googled her employers.  A few minutes of any Jeff Lewis show gives you a good idea of his sense of humor and how he treats people so she should know what she's in for.  Ashlyn is acting like she doesn't care about getting a promotion to full-time.  I definitely wouldn't hire someone so meek and unassertive.  I would think there would be a line of people who would give their right arm for this opportunity - even if Jeff's personality comes along with it.

[Misslindsey]

I just assumed that Ashlyn does not want to act stupid on camera, especially if she does get fired or leaves. She seems to be a more reserved personality, so I can see how it might be embarrassing to be put on the spot. I do think Jeff probably should have gave her a time limit on how long she can consider moving to a full time employee. It seems like he left it open ended.

I hope this show gets more seasons, because I would like to see Jeff and Gage with baby. I think they will both be good parents. First time parents always have to figure it all out when the baby arrives. I do not like Zoila, but she even seemed happy for Jeff and Gage. I do hope they hire a nanny and not rely on Zoila the whole time.

I have wasted a lot of time watching the Glow Sharks commercial over and over.

[biakbiak]

Jeff can't have it both ways, he can't demand that his employees participate in his "Glow Shark" games but bitch because she arrives not late but exactly on time! I mean I think that it's ridiculous that she is taking so long to decide about the job but Jeff made it sound like part of the time she was waiting to find out what her actual compensation package would be which is hardly unreasonable. 

[Princess Kelbop]

I was so frustrated that she wouldn't say Glow Sharks! I probably said it six or seven times from my couch watching the episode. It's dumb and silly but it would take literally two seconds and then it would be over. Good grief. Say it. Say it. Say it already! 

It definitely seems as if there's been a thaw in the Gage and Zoila relationship. 

[jkitty]

It bugged me that Vanina said she has false positive home pregnancy tests. You cannot have a false positive of you are using test properly (i.e. reading the results in the designated window). She may have been pregnant and then had a very early miscarriage (very common) so she thought she was not actually pregnant. But, if you get a positive you are pregnant. It is also very common to get a negative and then a positive if you take the first test before your hormone levels have reached the test's threshold.  Sorry, I know it was a minor point but it bothered me. 

[BlueMax]

I have been watching this show since its first episode and have continued to be a loyal viewer.  But the reality is that this show hasn't been worth a flip (pardon the pun) since Jeff quit flipping properties after the 2008 crash.  There seemed to be something personal in his work and design aesthetics.  Seeing him in the following seasons at the mercy of clients and all the uninteresting characters he is surrounded by has taken the air out of the show.

[Marcya23]

I took it that Vanina was totally kidding (like Jeff was towards her) and has never actually been pregnant. 

I've been watching Jeff and co. since season one and like him more and more each season. I think he has grown a lot and not as bitter as in the beginning.  But definitely think if you are going to work for him, you have to understand his personality and sense of humor. 

[gunderda]

I'm curious to know what he starts his employees out at when they go full time. Since they work such crazy hours.  

That's probably why Ashlyn is hesitant.  She's young and probably has a life and knows that if she goes full time then her social life goes bye-bye.

But it must be totally worth it to Vanina and Matt (And Jenny before she got married and had a kid)

 

I thought it was really sweet how teared up Zoila got when the doctor announced they were pregnant.  

[Madding crowd]

I didn't think Jeff or Gage looked all that happy when they got the news but then again they are on TV and were possibly nervous. The call could also have been a reenactment. I could never work for Jeff but he would make a fun friend. He is kind of like my mother-in-law; she pays attention to every drop of food you eat, looks over your clothes up and down, comments if someone goes to the bathroom and it is embarrassing and exhausting. Of course I didn't understand why Ashlyn couldn't  just say the damn "glow sharks" thing. 

[gunderda]

I did... I used to be her. She's probably super young and at that age I probably would have done the same.  You feel embarrassed doing silly things especially when you are not an outgoing person.

[LilaFowler]

It's such an unprofessional office that I'm on Ashlyn's side.  Jeff flips out if someone hired to start work at 10A... walks in the door at 10AM.  But he'll harass her for not goofing off with them while she's clearly trying to get work done and doesn't want to participate.  Poor girl, I want her to find more gainful employment elsewhere.  She's too good for the likes of Jeff Lewis.

[Willowsmom]

Jeff was a total jackass with Ashlyn. And I love that he doesn't want criticism from Chaz's assistant but he sure dished it out, along with some rather nasty personal comments, to that girl from Living Spaces.

[TaxNerd]

I'm with Jeff on the start time.  It's not like he wants them to start working at 9:45.  

My coworker does this and it drives me batty.  Slink in on the dot, then takes 30 minutes to get settled.  If you know you need to lock your stuff up, visit the restroom to put on makeup, etc., do that on your time.  If you are salaried, it's not a big deal, since you stay until the work is done, but if you are part time and only work 15 hours a week, losing 30 min up front every day is frustrating.  

I think the Glow Sharks thing was completely made up to get his brother some advertising, because I refuse to believe someone working for Jeff is such a stick in the mud that she wouldn't say two words.

Edited July 23, 2016 by TaxNerd

[SanDiegoInExile]

On 7/23/2016 at 0:43 PM, TaxNerd said:

..... coworker does this and it drives me batty.  Slink in on the dot, then takes 30 minutes to get settled.  If you know you need to lock your stuff up, visit the restroom to put on makeup, etc., do that on your time.  If you are salaried, it's not a big deal, since you stay until the work is done, but if you are part time and only work 15 hours a week, losing 30 min up front every day is frustrating.....

If that's the case, then there is poor management.  At my job, your work time begins as soon as you login to a computer.  Any time spent away from the computer has to be documented/explained.  A good manager should clearly address work time vs break time. If someone wants to take their break 10 seconds after starting their day, that's fine.  But that means trading out a typical morning-break or afternoon-break. 

I tend to be a one-minute early type, and I absolutely understand the impression that can leave. For many, its the difference between a "job" and a "career". Ashlynn likely doesn't consider Jeff Lewis Design her "career path".  It's just a job til she sells her first screenplay. <g> 

Every office has its dynamic.  And some managers are just as stern about strolling in early and distracting others while you wait to start you day.

[Princess Kelbop]

Are there any posters with some legal acumen who can give some insight into starting a trust for an unborn baby? I was weirdly fascinated by that part. Jeff is the biological father of the baby, Gage can't adopt the baby until she's born (per their comments to the "Egg Hunter" on an episode last season)--but they can set up a trust for the baby while she's in utero? Before she has a name? 

Normally other people's pregnancies aren't that interesting to me, but there's something about the path that Jeff and Gage have taken to start a family that strikes me as...unexpectedly romantic, I guess. Having so many different steps--find an egg donor, provide sperm, meet their surrogate, choose an embryo, proceed with the implantation--means they have to affirm their faith in their relationship and their desire for children over and over and over again. 

[biakbiak]

Yes, you can simply say that the trust is for your child or children and keep it vague. After the kids are born they might encourage him to make it more specific , trust/wills have been challenged by people coming forward with claims even if they were not recognized as children while the person was alive,though given that he is gay that is probably not a huge chance of that.

[Petunia13]

Why did finding out the news become all about Zoila and her feels?