S04.E08: The Texan

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Ray enlists Lena and Daryll to ensure the rematch with Whittaker proceeds.

Promo:

Clips:

 

[paigow]

"Larry" is a very understanding neighbour.....

[paigow]

Is this a flashback episode for the Texan? Dude took 2 in the chest and nobody was dialling 911 so he should be dead.

[Puddy]

Not sure what is going to happen but Keach did two episodes.  The next one could be a flashback considering his past with Ezra.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Hahaha, that clip of Ray and Connor made my day. FINALLY someone calls Connor out on his shitty behavior! But of course Connor decides to double down on his stupidity.

[Puddy]

I am already pissed at Abby for telling Ray to not beat the living shit out of Conner.  If that was my kid, he would have never even touched the lock box much less broke it open.  I am hoping Ray dangles him by his ankles out of his bedroom window.  I know better but I can hope.

[paigow]

Maybe Ray will let Larry beat Cahnah for 5 minutes. 

[paigow]

Scared Straight lesson...Can't believe Ray apologized for that...

Texan...no useful "back in the day" exposition...only what Avi told us last week

[ElectricBoogaloo]

First of all, I'm super annoyed that this episode was called The Texan, yet we only got one brief scene with the Texan. Come on, guys! That's false advertising!

Secondly, Abby coddling Connor in this episode made me want to kick both of their asses. This kid STOLE A GUN and then used it not to defend himself but to shoot a neighbor's bounce house and then he tried to deny it all by calling the neighbor a liar. My parents would have whupped my ass and then grounded me for the rest of my life. Ray had the right idea trying to scare Connor straight or at least do something, anything. When he told Connor to get out of the car, I thought ha, finally Connor will get to see what the real world is like outside of his spoiled little Calabasas bubble (I thought Ray's only mistake was letting Connor have a gun when he kicked him out of the car). Later he mouthed off to Abby about how rough his life is, which is fucking laughable, and her response was to take him to a shooting range. Seriously, WTF? Why is she rewarding his shitty attitude? He needs to be punished, not given exactly what he wants.

It was really sweet to see Bunchy making such an effort with Teresa, but I don't know that taking her home is the best option. If she's suicidal, is he going to devote every waking moment to keeping an eye on her to make sure that she doesn't try it again? And given what her brother said about how many times she's been institutionalized, even if she does come out of it this time, there's a pretty good chance that she will get suicidal again. She needs the right medication and she needs some therapy, neither of which Bunchy is able to provide since he's not a doctor. His heart is in the right place, but you can't love someone out of depression. It's an illness that requires professional treatment, just like any other kind of sickness. You can't love the cancer out of someone and you can't love the depression out of someone.

I have to admit that I loved the brief moment of family happiness when Ray, Abby, and Connor were playing Just Dance together. See what's possible when Connor isn't being a self-absorbed dick?

I loved the various looks on Lena's face when she was ghosting Stu's computer. Of course Stu googles himself. The expression on Lena's face when he started jerking off was hilarious.

I thought it was really sweet that when Ray asked for help, Daryll said he would do anything.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Oh, Daryll, you keep using that term "Black Irish." I do not think it means what you think it means.

[scrb]

I can kind of get them wanting to shelter the kids from the tough life they had growing up.

So they probably don't hit the kids whereas their old school parents probably were more harsh physically and verbally.

So their coddling resulted in spoiled kids who have no real drive and no knowledge of the tough underbelly of the world.

But they've been around Ray's brothers, who do not live nearly as well as they do.

[cattykit]

I'm really trying to understand this apparent redemption arc they've got Mickey on.  He takes one for the team so now they all, including Ray, love and care about him?  Ray was actually smiling talking to him, and he never smiles for anyone.  And then Mickey is the one to get Bunchy to do the right thing?

I really thought Abby was going to take Connor to Boston, not take him to the damn firing range where she had been sweating it out with her boyfriend. 

[scrb]

Yeah but in the next episode, looks like Mickey goes after Prim's money again.

Isn't there any easier target?

Anyways, he's going back for the singer, who set him up.

[WaltersHair]

Ray should have left Conor and then shadowed him as he tries to figure out a way to get home.  Even an hour would have been better than the 30 second scare he got.

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It was really sweet to see Bunchy making such an effort with Teresa, but I don't know that taking her home is the best option. If she's suicidal, is he going to devote every waking moment to keeping an eye on her to make sure that she doesn't try it again? And given what her brother said about how many times she's been institutionalized, even if she does come out of it this time, there's a pretty good chance that she will get suicidal again. She needs the right medication and she needs some therapy, neither of which Bunchy is able to provide since he's not a doctor. His heart is in the right place, but you can't love someone out of depression. It's an illness that requires professional treatment, just like any other kind of sickness. You can't love the cancer out of someone and you can't love the depression out of someone.

+++ to your entire post, but especially this.

Stu and Cochran are the only truly laugh out loud bright spots this season. More please.

[Happytobehere]

On August 15, 2016 at 6:18 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

1) First of all, I'm super annoyed that this episode was called The Texan, yet we only got one brief scene with the Texan. Come on, guys! That's false advertising!

2) Secondly, Abby coddling Connor in this episode made me want to kick both of their asses. This kid STOLE A GUN and then used it not to defend himself but to shoot a neighbor's bounce house and then he tried to deny it all by calling the neighbor a liar. My parents would have whupped my ass and then grounded me for the rest of my life. Ray had the right idea trying to scare Connor straight or at least do something, anything. When he told Connor to get out of the car, I thought ha, finally Connor will get to see what the real world is like outside of his spoiled little Calabasas bubble (I thought Ray's only mistake was letting Connor have a gun when he kicked him out of the car). Later he mouthed off to Abby about how rough his life is, which is fucking laughable, and her response was to take him to a shooting range. Seriously, WTF? Why is she rewarding his shitty attitude? He needs to be punished, not given exactly what he wants.

3) It was really sweet to see Bunchy making such an effort with Teresa, but I don't know that taking her home is the best option. If she's suicidal, is he going to devote every waking moment to keeping an eye on her to make sure that she doesn't try it again? And given what her brother said about how many times she's been institutionalized, even if she does come out of it this time, there's a pretty good chance that she will get suicidal again. She needs the right medication and she needs some therapy, neither of which Bunchy is able to provide since he's not a doctor. His heart is in the right place, but you can't love someone out of depression. It's an illness that requires professional treatment, just like any other kind of sickness. You can't love the cancer out of someone and you can't love the depression out of someone.

4) I have to admit that I loved the brief moment of family happiness when Ray, Abby, and Connor were playing Just Dance together. 

5) I thought it was really sweet that when Ray asked for help, Daryll said he would do anything.

I love your post and wil respond I the following manner:

1) I too was less than thrilled that we got so little Stacey Keech.  I understand that he is supposed to be the mirror Ray looks into to see his lonely and broken future.

2) Nothing Abby does surprises me.  She is a ish mother and her mothering is all over those two delights she and Ray produced.

3) I agree 1000%. Bunchy is setting both Theresa and himself up for disaster.  I just hope it does not end with a successful suicide attempt.

4) Moments like that are always golden.

5) I thought it just showed how desperate Daryll is for acceptance in the Donovan clan. I mean Ray basically told him, "I need you to thug it up," and Daryll lapped it up.  It harkens back to his asking Terry if he thought of him like a real brother, it's understanble given their reality, but it's sad to me  and serves as  a reminder why Darryll tends to be such an easy mark for Mickey.  What did touch me was  when Ray referred to Daryll as his brother and made sure he would be taken care of during the rematch just like Terry.  This harkened back to when Ray told Darryl that he didn't blame him because of what Mickey and his mother did because he was an innocent in the mix.  Ray's comment was the first time I recall truly sensing that Ray does consider Darryl his brother.

On August 15, 2016 at 10:17 AM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Oh, Daryll, you keep using that term "Black Irish." I do not think it means what you think it means.

Darryl uses the term because that's how Mickey told him to refer to himself as his boxing moniker.  So no, he is neither thinking of, nor aware of the historical significance of the term, that's why the boxer from Ireland laughed.

[Joimiaroxeu]

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Darryl uses the term because that's how Mickey told him to refer to himself as his boxing moniker.  So no, he is neither thinking of, nor aware of the historical significance of the term, that's why the boxer from Ireland laughed.

There's a meme associated with "...you keep using..." and it comes from the movie Princess Bride. It applies when someone continually uses a word or term mistakenly but earnestly because they don't know it's true meaning. In Daryll's case the usage is made worse because there's a unintentional racial component. Mickey basically set him up to look like an idiot if he ever repeated it to the kind of Irish person who might get offended at the thought of a  Black person considering themselves Irish too. In some people's minds, that would not compute.

[Happytobehere]

35 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

There's a meme associated with "...you keep using..." and it comes from the movie Princess Bride. It applies when someone continually uses a word or term mistakenly but earnestly because they don't know it's true meaning. In Daryll's case the usage is made worse because there's a unintentional racial component. Mickey basically set him up to look like an idiot if he ever repeated it to the kind of Irish person who might get offended at the thought of a  Black person considering themselves Irish too. In some people's minds, that would not compute.

And I never thought I'd be writing this but,in Mickey's defense (I wrote it and didn't burst into flames LOL), I doubt he is thinking of the historical meaning either, if I recall correctly from when the moniker for Daryll came up, he meant it a a literal reference to his son's paternity, he's black through his mother and Irish through his father, making him Black Irish .

[Joimiaroxeu]

Oh, I'd be surprised if Mickey didn't know what Black Irish actually means but I guess we'll never know unless he reveals it on the show. I think he was being sarcastic with Daryll and making a sly joke at Daryll's expense. He may not have expected Daryll to run around bragging about it though. (Not that being Black and Irish is something to be ashamed of; not implying that at all. But Daryll seems to think it's a unique "thing" and doesn't have a larger cultural and historical context.)

[paigow]

10 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Oh, I'd be surprised if Mickey didn't know what Black Irish actually means but I guess we'll never know unless he reveals it on the show...

If Daryll can get a fake passport from Montserrat...it might be OK

The term has also come to be used to refer to the African-Irish descendants of those who live on Montserrat,[39] a number of whom have Irish surnames, still retain part of their Irish accents and sing bilingual songs.[40]

[Ailianna]

I thought it was sort of touching and sad how excited Daryll was to do an actual job for Ray.  He's another Donovan who is completely under Ray's spell.  They all want him to love them, to respect them, and to be near him.  Even Terry, who knows better, still falls under Ray's sway.  I'm hoping that his hero worship of Ray doesn't land Daryll in trouble.

[Mama No Life]

WHERE WAS THE BABY?

[Puddy]

The baby was at Ray's house.  Abby was the only person available. 

[Mama No Life]

Abby was at the shooting range with Connor, wasn't she?  Surely the baby wasn't with her there....

[Loandbehold]

3 hours ago, Mama No Life said:

Abby was at the shooting range with Connor, wasn't she?  Surely the baby wasn't with her there....

If you were watching closely, I believe you could see the baby was on Conah's back at the shooting range. And, before anyone gets upset, they put headphones on (much like Michael Phelps' baby had headphones).

[WayneK]

On 8/30/2016 at 0:56 PM, Loandbehold said:

If you were watching closely, I believe you could see the baby was on Conah's back at the shooting range. And, before anyone gets upset, they put headphones on (much like Michael Phelps' baby had headphones).

Maybe this was a joke but there was no baby on Connor's back.