S04.E05: Forty

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

The family plans a '70s-themed birthday bash for Lena, but Lena's mother's concerns about Stuart threaten to ruin the party. Meanwhile, Callie and Aaron try to prove Kyle's innocence; Mariana's STEAM club vie for an invitation to a robotics competition; Jude's upset when he learns Cameron visited town without seeing him; and Brandon considers drastic measures to earn extra cash.

[maraleia]

So that description is all kinds of wrong. Isn't it STEM club and Connor? I wonder who wrote it?

[possibilities]

I couldn't figure out who Cameron was. It makes sense what you figured out, i.e. that it's Connor. I had been thinking maybe it was Jude's biodad, whose name I couldn't remember.

It's definitely STEM, not STEAM.

[BookThief]

I've seen it as STEAM, with the A being for Arts.

[KaveDweller]

40 minutes ago, BookThief said:

I've seen it as STEAM, with the A being for Arts.

STEAM is definitely a thing (kind of a new thing), but STEM with no A is definitely a thing too. I don't remember if they specifically defined the club either way before, I think they just called it a math/science club before, but I can see this show being all new and progressive about education and jumping on the idea of STEAM.

[ShadowFacts]

Looks like it is STEM, after all.  I found it a little much that the teacher changed the results, just like that, upon being enlightened by Mariana.  That kind of cheapened things, either have them win it outright, or have them be screwed over, but not the flip-flop.

What a party, loved the trippy costumes, except maybe not Jesus' moustache. Lena looked really good, loved her outfit.  I'm not sure I liked the cop exotic-type dancers, that didn't seem quite right for a birthday party,but maybe I'm just out of it. 

Gabe was really cutting loose, in a way I wouldn't have expected, he's been pretty aloof as a rule.  I wonder if he was pharmaceutically enhanced.

Brandon really could not be more of a dipshit.  Taking the SAT for someone else may be the stupidest thing he's done.  I can't with that kid anymore.

[Valny]

I had the closed captions on and it had STEM. But you can't always trust cc.

I missed the first ten minutes: why the hell was Brandumb taking the SAT's posing as someone else?

Speaking of B, I cracked up when it was said he was supposed to be Greg Brady. OMG, the hair! Curls should have been tighter but whatever. Some fun outfits as the party. HOLY CRAP, Gabe looked gooood. Wooo his pants were tight... not that I was ogling or anything.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Valny

[ShortyMac]

Just now, Valny said:

I missed the first ten minutes: why the hell was Brandon taking the SAT's posing as someone else?

A kid posted at school that he needed an SAT tutor when he really wanted someone to take it for him. He said he'd pay Brandon $1,000.

[Aliconehead]

As I straight woman I must say Lena/Sherri was SMOKIN' in her '70's outfit. So did Mariana and Callie. Stef looked too manly. 

 

This financial thing with Lenas dad is lame. Hope it does not last long.

please end the Brandon's time on this show. His scenes bring the whole show down. 

[maraleia]

17 minutes ago, Aliconehead said:

As I straight woman I must say Lena/Sherri was SMOKIN' in her '70's outfit. So did Mariana and Callie. Stef looked too manly. 

 

This financial thing with Lenas dad is lame. Hope it does not last long.

please end the Brandon's time on this show. His scenes bring the whole show down. 

Stef is a butch lesbian and was hiding behind her hair for years. This is what diversity looks like in the queer women community.

[Aliconehead]

Yes I understand that. I used the incorrect wording. I just felt the look was unflattering to Teri Polo, who I think is a beautiful woman.  Looking a photos from the episode, I think it is the make up that bothered me, particularly the lips. 

[maraleia]

9 minutes ago, Aliconehead said:

Yes I understand that. I used the incorrect wording. I just felt the look was unflattering to Teri Polo, who I think is a beautiful woman.  Looking a photos from the episode, I think it is the make up that bothered me, particularly the lips. 

Point taken.

Brandon is literally the worst.

[Valny]

Brandon actually is a smart kid but always does such dumb things and should know better, even though he is still a teen. Hence the name Brandumb.

Quote

This financial thing with Lenas dad is lame. Hope it does not last long. 

Yes, oh it was so zzzzzz.....

[KaveDweller]

Lena is only 40 and Steph is younger than her? How old was she when she had Brandon.

5 minutes ago, Valny said:

Brandon actually is a smart kid but always does such dumb things and should know better, even though he is still a teen. Hence the name Brandumb.

I can't believe he took that kid's SATs. So dumb. Is Courtney really worth it? He doesn't even seem that into her.

[ShortyMac]

1 minute ago, KaveDweller said:

Lena is only 40 and Steph is younger than her? How old was she when she had Brandon.

Stef is three years older than her. She was joking. 

[izabella]

Loved the party and the costumes! 

1 hour ago, Aliconehead said:

This financial thing with Lenas dad is lame. Hope it does not last long.

I thought it was too much.  They always try to pack in so much drama.  I hope this doesn't involve the risk of Lena and Stef losing the house to pay off dad's debts. 

Speaking of which, if the ladies already took out a line of credit against the mortgage, should they be having big expensive parties like this?  That disco floor probably wasn't cheap!

[KaveDweller]

1 minute ago, ShortyMac said:

Stef is three years older than her. She was joking. 

Oh, thanks, that makes much more sense.

[luckyroll3]

1 hour ago, ShadowFacts said:

Brandon really could not be more of a dipshit.  Taking the SAT for someone else may be the stupidest thing he's done.  I can't with that kid anymore.

Not only that, but taking the test still within his own neighborhood.  Like really, dumbass?!?

All the 70s outfits were great!  And HELLO Gabe's chest and, uhm, package!

I typically don't like Stef's hair, as I don't think the cut flatters her face.  However, the way it was styled tonight looked amazing on her.

[Court]

Why does no one address Brandon's issues that are a direct result of being a child of an alcoholic? 

He wants to save everybody. Get that kid therapy.

[NoNeinNyet]

11 minutes ago, Court said:

Why does no one address Brandon's issues that are a direct result of being a child of an alcoholic? 

He wants to save everybody. Get that kid therapy.

I've been watching from the beginning as background and it's so blatantly obvious that he and Callie have pretty much the same savior complex, Callie is just more obviously destructive to her own well-being. I really hate that the show keeps throwing their potential romantic relationship in the way of them both just becoming healthy people.

[possibilities]

Team Mariana didn't "call the girl card," right? They just said their robot was faster and more interesting. I just want to make sure I didn't miss something there. Also: Jesus being capable was a surprising twist, but I'm glad to see them give him something other than girl plots, even if it does mean retconning his character. Too bad they decided  to make the three girls unable to come up with an idea on their own, though. It wasn't necessary to tear them down in order to build him up, and I expect better from this show, but maybe I shouldn't.

AJ's boredom/jealousy made me laugh, mostly because I thought the actor did a good job of conveying it. I was getting defiantly sleepy just watching him. Also, he knows Callie's not that into him. He's become too easy for her, now that he's not in crisis. When he needed her to rescue him, he was irresistible to her. Now? He wants a nice quiet life with a nice normal teenage relationship, and she is drawn to The Edgy And The Serious. The thing is, I think she's actually pursuing this Kyle crusade in a more healthy way than the other times she's taken on a cause. She's doing it in the open, going through channels, her moms know what she's doing, she isn't trying to do it alone, and she's (so far at least) not doing it to the exclusion of the rest of her life.

By contrast, Brandon is AGAIN participating in a scam involving fake I.D., he's being secretive and reckless, he's being a martyr and he's isolating himself from the rest of the family. However, I think his rescuer stuff is only partly about being a child of an alcoholic. I think that's a lot of it, but I also think he's doubling down on his "rescue" of Courtney in reaction to Stef blaming him for the BS with Callie-- like he's doing penance now, proving he does know how to be responsible and put others first and not only think about his own immediate desires. Him not being that into Courtney makes it feel to him like an even better penance than if he was there because he was having a good time.

I actually think Stef was partly right when she raked him over the coals for his entitled behaviors, but I think his reaction is not the one she wanted, and it is a mistake that she and Lena have not done anything to remedy the situation other than scolding.

What could possibly be the point of Lena's parents having money problems? Why would the show do that? And why would the Adams-Foster house be in jeopardy-- don't her parents have a house they live in? Wouldn't that be the first one to be taken? Do they owe more in taxes than the worth of their own home? Are they angling to move Lena's parents into the Adams-Foster house? That would be an interesting direction, actually. I don't know where they'd sleep, but it might be an interesting development.

Where is Ana's baby? Does she live with Mike and AJ? Why don't they even mention the baby anymore?

[Court]

No, they didn't pull the girl card. Their argument focused only on their design.

 The male team accused them of it. The teacher should have made the rule that you can't vote for your own ream. The other team didn't vote for them because they were girls.

I've never viewed Jesus as incapable. I've seen him more of not interested in academics. ADHD types are often very good at hands on stuff. 

I ignored the money stuff but I guess he cosigned on the house? Put money down? He said there is a lien on Stef and Lena's house. Don't ask me how he didn't know they took out a line of credit if he also owns the house? 

It seems like an unnecessary plot. 

[ShortyMac]

This episode was better than last week's, IMO.

Can Lena's mom please be in every episode? Same with Sharon. HILARIOUS that she ordered the strippers.

Loved the family dinner at the beginning and Stef's glare at Jesus for touching the box of pizza. lol

Aaron annoyed me with his "is your boyfriend real?" stuff. He can go away.

I thought Callie's plot didn't fit in this episode, with Aaron just showing up to the house. It's Lena's birthday party, jeez. Talk to him tomorrow.

Brandon does another stupid, illegal thing that he won't be punished for. Next.

I liked when Stef tried to recruit Mariana and then Jude for the video.

I hate Mike/Ana. I do not feel any chemistry between them.

I like Jude and Noah together more than I liked Jude and Connor.

Lena's party was cool.

AJ is too good and pure for this world.

I know Stef is Stef, but that was not cool of her to look at Brandon's check.

Lena's birthday video was sweet and Callie called her "Mama!" <3333

I hate this "money issues" plot. I really hope they don't lose the house. The show wouldn't do that to us, right?

Next week looks goooooood. Meana Lena goes off! Get 'im, Mama!

[maraleia]

I love Jude and Noah better together as well.

[paulvdb]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

Also: Jesus being capable was a surprising twist, but I'm glad to see them give him something other than girl plots, even if it does mean retconning his character. Too bad they decided  to make the three girls unable to come up with an idea on their own, though. It wasn't necessary to tear them down in order to build him up, and I expect better from this show, but maybe I shouldn't.

They didn't make the girls unable to come up with an idea. It was the girls' idea, they just could quite make it work. That's where Jesus came in. As Court said in a later post:

1 hour ago, Court said:

I've never viewed Jesus as incapable. I've seen him more of not interested in academics. ADHD types are often very good at hands on stuff.

[Cassandre]

isn't it funny they took Gavin picture in real life to put it on the show. Am I the only one who noticed it ? It's actually the one he is with Hayden when they still were friends. I don't know but it looks unprofessional to me lol. Can they do that ? There is the original pic. Correct me if I'm wrong.

even the background is the same on the social media.

[LisaM]

If Lena's parents are the owners of the house, how did Stef/Lena take out a line of credit on it without having the parents sign the documents? Typically a lien is placed on a house for unpaid contractor bills or brokerage bills related to that specific house. Not sure that someone that Stewart owed money to could attach a lien on the house but the rules are very different for the IRS so perhaps that is legitimate if it is an IRS lien. In any case, it is not good. I thought that Lena's parents were supposed to be very wealthy? 

I really liked the party and surprisingly liked Mike/Ana. So glad that they didn't make this into a triangle with Gabe. I just hope that she maintains her sobriety. I liked her scene with Mariana where she basically asked her permission to date Mike. 

Really liked how Stef called Callie "my daughter" to Aaron and Callie referred to Lena as "Mama" in the video. Speaking of the video, loved it.

I agree about Stef's makeup - something was off. How appropriate that Sharon sent the police strippers. 

Stef still doesn't know about Brandon using the hand money for Cortney's house. Brandon apparently didn't learn anything from the fake ID situation considering his taking the SAT for another student. This is a serious offense which places Brandon in legal jeopardy - as an adult. Idiot. 

ETA: I was also surprised at the Connor photo. I wonder if TPTB had to get permission to use it or it was okay since it was already in the public domain?

Edited July 26, 2016 by LisaM

[ShadowFacts]

2 hours ago, LisaM said:

If Lena's parents are the owners of the house, how did Stef/Lena take out a line of credit on it without having the parents sign the documents? Typically a lien is placed on a house for unpaid contractor bills or brokerage bills related to that specific house. Not sure that someone that Stewart owed money to could attach a lien on the house but the rules are very different for the IRS so perhaps that is legitimate if it is an IRS lien. In any case, it is not good. I thought that Lena's parents were supposed to be very wealthy? 

I think a federal tax lien could very well be applied to that house and the IRS can seize assets, and there are some limitations on seizure of primary residences, so this San Diego house is probably in jeopardy, but . . .  I can't see the show actually having the family thrown out of the place where they film many of the scenes each week.  Somebody will come to the rescue, maybe Callie's bio dad.  Just a guess.  Where do Lena's parents live anyway?  What are their occupations? 

[OoogleEyes]

14 hours ago, Court said:

 

I ignored the money stuff but I guess he cosigned on the house? Put money down? He said there is a lien on Stef and Lena's house. Don't ask me how he didn't know they took out a line of credit if he also owns the house? 

It seems like an unnecessary plot. 

That bugged me, too. How could he be taking money out on *their* house? Who's house is it, anyway?

Edited July 26, 2016 by OoogleEyes

[izabella]

The way I understood it, it sounded like he co-signed on the mortgage loan, which means his assets were taken into account when the mortgage was issued, which means Lena and Stef were able to take out a bigger loan for the house (or his co-signing enabled them to get any loan if their own credit rating wasn't very high and their incomes were low).  It is a liability for dad, because if Stef and Lena do not pay their mortgage, he is on the hook to pay it and the mortgage lender can go after him to get the money.  It is also an asset for dad, since it is also his mortgage loan backed by the value of the house. 

If the ladies have paid down some of the principal on the loan, that is their equity in the house (and HIS equity as well, since it is also his mortgage loan which has been paid down).  So if he owes the IRS money, the IRS can go after his assets to get the tax money he owes to the IRS.  If there is no equity in the house (which is likely true if the ladies took out a line of credit (second mortgage, essentially), then the IRS can take the house, sell it, and keep the money as payment for dad's back taxes.

Edited July 26, 2016 by izabella

[tennisgurl]

That was my favorite episode in awhile! I loved the party, everything to do with it. Everyone looked great in their outfits, especially Lena. Good lord she is a lovely woman. There were a lot of scenes I loved, like Stef sassing about Aaron (older guy) about letting her daughter (awwww) ride his motorcycle, and all the cute flirty stuff between Callie and AJ, Stef running around trying to set up a video the day before, seeing some of the reoccurring and supporting characters, finding out that Jesus might have an aptitude for mechanics, there was a lot of good stuff. 

Also, can Lena's mom stick around forever? I LOVED that scene where Courtney was all "hi there!" and Lena's mom was like "Oh, so your the married woman with a kid who lets her teenager boyfriend pay her bills?" and Courtney's jaw just hits the ground. I should feel kinda bad for her, but I am so over her and her stupid "romance" with Brandon. Speaking of which, I want to see more of Brandon with the family, or working on his music, or anything but this stupid romance. Its honestly kind of sad to watch this kid make these awful life choices for the rescue romance with this girl he just met and a kid. I agree with whoever said that he has a lot of issues he needs to work out. His desire to save people is leading him to make bad choices, capped off with that awful choice to take the SATs for someone. 

I am also glad that Stef told Callie they could deal with her new cause after Lena's party was over. Callie's desire to save everyone is almost as bad as Brandon's. She has enough to deal with already without adding more stuff. 

The video for Lena was really cute, especially the Callie and Jude part. I still get the warm fuzzies whenever they call Lena Mama.    

[ShadowFacts]

I cannot remember the actual line, but when Lena went to the microphone and called for Stephanie Marie (?) to please dance, I thought it was so sweet.  It almost seemed ad-libbed.  The two actresses really work so well together. 

[izabella]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Also, can Lena's mom stick around forever? I LOVED that scene where Courtney was all "hi there!" and Lena's mom was like "Oh, so your the married woman with a kid who lets her teenager boyfriend pay her bills?" and Courtney's jaw just hits the ground.

That was my favorite part of the episode!

[Jeffurry]

20 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

Can Lena's mom please be in every episode? Same with Sharon. HILARIOUS that she ordered the strippers.

 

I had also thought that Sharon had ordered the strippers but I thought I heard a line about Stef's mother having done it.

[ShortyMac]

11 minutes ago, Jeffurry said:

I had also thought that Sharon had ordered the strippers but I thought I heard a line about Stef's mother having done it.

Sharon did. So awesome.

[Aliconehead]

Sharon is Stefs mom. Jenna is the friend in the leopard print that dated Monte who was enjoying the strippers. 

[rue721]

On 7/26/2016 at 0:16 AM, possibilities said:

Also, he knows Callie's not that into him. He's become too easy for her, now that he's not in crisis. When he needed her to rescue him, he was irresistible to her. Now? He wants a nice quiet life with a nice normal teenage relationship, and she is drawn to The Edgy And The Serious.

It's interesting how Callie and AJ's relationship is floundering now that there aren't any obstacles in the way of them being together, and neither of them are in crisis.

I guess this is why Callie and Brandon can't ever quite quit each other -- there's ALWAYS an obstacle to them being together (being in the same family) and one or both of them are CONSTANTLY in crisis (often of their own making).

Quote

By contrast, Brandon is AGAIN participating in a scam involving fake I.D., he's being secretive and reckless, he's being a martyr and he's isolating himself from the rest of the family. However, I think his rescuer stuff is only partly about being a child of an alcoholic. I think that's a lot of it, but I also think he's doubling down on his "rescue" of Courtney in reaction to Stef blaming him for the BS with Callie -- like he's doing penance now, proving he does know how to be responsible and put others first and not only think about his own immediate desires. Him not being that into Courtney makes it feel to him like an even better penance than if he was there because he was having a good time.

It would be interesting to hear Courtney's thoughts on why she thinks Brandon is making the decisions he is.

I think that, basically, Brandon is attempting to create an adult life and identity for himself -- but his first attempt at that is, like it is for a lot of people, just a recreation of his own childhood. I think that Courtney is the "new" Mike, Mason is the "new" Brandon, and Brandon is the "new" Stef.

It seems like whenever Stef and Brandon talk lately, it devolves into Stef getting on Brandon's case for trying to smuggle TP out of the house or something equally dumb -- but I wish that instead of that petty BS, Stef would talk to him about how important it is that he stay true to himself, and that he can't let his life revolve around trying to control another person's chaos. Stef had to have learned both those lessons the hard way during her marriage to Mike, and it would be great if she could help Brandon learn from her mistakes instead of making all the same ones himself.

But honestly, I think that Stef just isn't that interested in Brandon, and she justifies her lack of interest in him by telling herself that he doesn't need her. So she's not going to go out of her way to help him or guide him, and she's going to tell herself -- and him -- that he doesn't need help or real guidance anyway, and just needs to be more disciplined/responsible/caring/whatever. Even when Lena brought up to Stef that she was worried about Brandon and couldn't figure out where his head was at, Stef immediately brushed off her concerns by saying that he was just white knighting, like she does. To me, that made it clear that Stef not only doesn't know what he's feeling or why, but that she's also not all that interested in finding out.

I think the reason that Stef blamed and punished Brandon for Brallie, and even told him to his face that she blamed and wanted to punish him rather than Callie for it, is because Callie is 100% a member of Stef's *current,* *chosen* family, and Brandon isn't. Callie is Stef *and* Lena's daughter, so when Brandon makes it clear that he doesn't consider her his sister, he's implying that he's not Stef (and Lena's) son. And that's usually when he moves out, lol.

What's funny is that Mike is meanwhile busy trying to be Ana and HER baby's white knight (and has already replaced Brandon with AJ, besides). When things between Brandon and Courtney inevitably fall apart, I hope that Brandon goes to live at Mike's, because I think that household sounds pretty interesting. Brandon is wound pretty tight in the best of times, and I can just imagine the friction he would cause there.

8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Also, can Lena's mom stick around forever? I LOVED that scene where Courtney was all "hi there!" and Lena's mom was like "Oh, so your the married woman with a kid who lets her teenager boyfriend pay her bills?" and Courtney's jaw just hits the ground.

I love Lena's family. I love Stef's mother, too. It would be great if all the grandparents (And Lena's brother!) were a larger presence on the show.

I have to say, I believed Lena's dad when he said that he was in hock to the IRS. I really hope that that's what's going on, too. He seems like such a sweet guy, and I hate to think of him secretly being a sleazeball who cheats on his wife and hides assets so he can screw her over in a divorce.

[ShadowFacts]

Quote

I have to say, I believed Lena's dad when he said that he was in hock to the IRS. I really hope that that's what's going on, too. He seems like such a sweet guy, and I hate to think of him secretly being a sleazeball who cheats on his wife and hides assets so he can screw her over in a divorce.

I wouldn't want him to be a cheating sleazeball, either.  He does have the sweet guy aura about him, and if anything, I would find it more credible that he has cognitive decline of some sort which has caused him to make faulty financial decisions. 

[LisaM]

Quote

I would find it more credible that he has cognitive decline of some sort which has caused him to make faulty financial decisions. 

When I read the promo for the episode, this is where I thought the show was going - to show Stewart with some cognitive impairment a la early onset Alzheimers. I thought that we had been told that Lena's parents are quite wealthy? Obviously wealthy people can get into trouble with the IRS - and perhaps Stewart's financial issues will be blamed on a bad or rogue business manager - but I would have preferred a different reason for the financial issues. 

[ShortyMac]

On 7/26/2016 at 10:49 AM, ShadowFacts said:

Where do Lena's parents live anyway?  What are their occupations? 

We don't know where they live.

I've seen somewhere that an early description for Dana is that she is a college professor for women's studies, I believe. Her saying what she did to Mariana and Emma about female codebreakers and mathematicians in this episode and her impending retirement, it makes sense. 

We were told once that Stewart was in Paris at a conference - maybe he's in business.

Edited July 27, 2016 by ShortyMac

[ShadowFacts]

I wonder what other things he has been doing to have made Dana think he was having an affair?  Just suggesting they stay at Stef and Lena's and not in a hotel room would not be much to go on. 

[izabella]

If he's been on phone calls and going to "business meetings" that he's been hiding from her or not being honest about (oh, that phone call that I ran into the other room to take and then spoke in a hushed, urgent voice?  It's nothing, just my business manger...), I can see her jumping to conclusions he's speaking with a secret lover.

[Perfect Xero]

I'm not married and have no kids, but I can't imagine that I'd ever be comfortable getting a lapdance in front of my hypothetical wife and our hypothetical teenage children.

19 hours ago, rue721 said:

I love Lena's family. I love Stef's mother, too. It would be great if all the grandparents (And Lena's brother!) were a larger presence on the show.

I have to say, I believed Lena's dad when he said that he was in hock to the IRS. I really hope that that's what's going on, too. He seems like such a sweet guy, and I hate to think of him secretly being a sleazeball who cheats on his wife and hides assets so he can screw her over in a divorce.

 

You mentioning Lena's brother (which, I don't think they did in this episode, did they?) made me realize that "sleazeball who cheats on his wife" is basically how Lena's parents got together in the first place. IIRC Stewart cheated on Keith from Scrubs' mom with Dana, divorced her and got married to Dana right away, and then shrugged his shoulders rather than make a real effort to stay involved in Nate's life.

In that respect it's no surprise that Dana would assume that he was cheating on her and/or preparing for a sudden divorce. She knows he's capable of sleazy behavior because she already lived it from the other side.

Edited July 28, 2016 by Perfect Xero

[rue721]

2 hours ago, Perfect Xero said:

IIRC Stewart cheated on Keith from Scrubs' mom with Dana, divorced her and got married to Dana right away, and then shrugged his shoulders rather than make a real effort to stay involved in Nate's life.

Yeah, Nate was on my mind when Lena kept buying Stewart's BS (about the retirement video, about Stewart's best intentions generally, etc) despite everybody else rolling their eyes and coming up with more nefarious explanations for his behavior. I think that despite all that drama that went down with Nate, and how it shook up Lena's perspective on her childhood and family a bit, Lena still has Stewart up on a pedestal, and still has a somewhat childlike view of him -- and of her (birth) family in general. Which is interesting, because she's maybe the only character on the show who is innocent in that way? I think that she's on borrowed time when it comes to that innocence, though (unfortunately).

Anyway, I really don't get the feeling that Stewart is a bad guy...but I think that he's willing to buy his own BS and he's willing to be willfully blind to things ("things" including hurting people) if that's convenient for him. I mean, with Nate, he apparently didn't know why they had this gigantic rift -- but he also apparently didn't do that much to find out what was going on and patch things up. And with this IRS thing, he's STILL coming up with justifications for his behavior and relying on a plan that's essentially robbing Peter to pay Paul (taking money out of Lena's house or maybe even letting the bank take the house) in order to get out of this mess.

Something else that I find interesting about Lena's perspective on Stewart's behavior and personality is that Stef can be somewhat the same way -- I mean, like Stewart, Stef is also pretty impulsive and willing to take risks, she can always figure out some way to justify her own behavior after the fact, and she also tends to stonewall and isolate herself (and hurts people in the process) when she sees a problem she needs to fix.

Also, I really like Dana in general, and I thought it was interesting that she was sooooo ready to confront Courtney and call her on ALL her BS (maybe the best scene in the episode!), but at the same time, not only didn't want to talk to Stewart about why she was upset (and Stewart clearly will not ask why someone is upset -- he already lost a son over that same thing, ffs) but wasn't even happy about Lena confronting him about it. Maybe Dana and Brandon should have a talk about how they apparently both find it easier to fight for and focus on other people rather than for or on themselves :P It's strange to think of Dana as avoidant, because she is so sharp and outspoken, but I also thought it was in character that she had a hard time being direct with Stewart about her worries.

 

ETA:

I do cut Stewart some slack when it comes to him cheating on his first wife with Dana and ultimately ending that marriage, because Dana is clearly the love of his life. Even though it was still wrong of him to cheat, I think it's pretty understandable that he did, given the circumstances. More might come out about him, though...so I'm not dismissing the idea that he might be a sleazebag. I just don't think that he's proven himself to be one YET.

Edited July 28, 2016 by rue721

[ShadowFacts]

7 hours ago, Perfect Xero said:

I'm not married and have no kids, but I can't imagine that I'd ever be comfortable getting a lapdance in front of my hypothetical wife and our hypothetical teenage children.

Yeah, that's just how I felt and I'm not in the hypothetical.  Lap dancing is more of a single person's thing, not really family-friendly. 

[Eeksquire]

I wish that this show wouldn't get into financial storylines.  (Possibly I wish that all shows would avoid financial storylines.)  They almost never get the details right (because they're REALLY BORING) and then, once it becomes inconvenient for the real narrative, they drop it or mysteriously fix it in ways that are totally bonkers and make no sense from a reality standpoint. I'm already being asked to swallow a lot of implausible things on this show (that Mike and Ana would get together jumps to the top of my list, but there's a whole bunch of others), but once they get into finances, I can't suspend my disbelief anymore.

[Your Aunt Tilly]

On 7/28/2016 at 6:40 AM, ShadowFacts said:

Yeah, that's just how I felt and I'm not in the hypothetical.  Lap dancing is more of a single person's thing, not really family-friendly. 

My dad retired when I was 12. I went to his retirement party. Somebody got him a stripper. I saw my dad try to remove a rolled up piece of paper from the stripper's cleavage. I'm still traumatized.