Season 4 Discussion

[ShellSeeker]

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A place for discussing all things Season 4, which premieres on October 27th.

[chocolatine]

I thought the season premiere was a little frantic and directionless. First Jill wants to help Christy meet a guy, then sabotages her (BTW, did Jaime Pressly get a boob job, or is that a magical bra that adds two cup sizes?) when Erik Derek shows interest. The Bonnie-Adam dynamic of they're happy to see each other/she's annoyed with him clipping his nails/he doesn't care about her feelings/they have hot make-up sex made my head spin and I hope they tone it down. 

Having said all that, it's great to have this show back, especially since none of the new sitcoms I tried this season turned out to be my cup of tea. The dialogue is still funny and the chemistry between the actresses is really strong.

[DXD526]

Jill's behavior was perplexing. She's never been shown to be that insecure/jealous before. I liked that she gave Christy a sincere apology, though.

Great to have this show back, finally! I've grown fond of these characters and really missed them.

[MaryMitch]

My favorite parts of the episodes are the gals getting together in the diner after their meetings. (Can you call it a "diner" if they serve wine?)  The chemistry between all the actresses is so smooth.

Add me to the list of viewers confused about Jill's insecurity.

[bad things are bad]

it's a winer diner, LOL

Glad the show's back

[iMonrey]

Adam should run far, far away from Bonnie. (OK . . . wheel away.)  She's far too unstable to be in a relationship. I don't know what it had to do with her needing to go to a meeting. She was just acting batshit crazy.

I liked Christy's little "share" at the meeting and how it went downhill.

[Blakeston]

15 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I thought the season premiere was a little frantic and directionless. First Jill wants to help Christy meet a guy, then sabotages her (BTW, did Jaime Pressly get a boob job, or is that a magical bra that adds two cup sizes?) when Erik Derek shows interest. 

She revealed a few years ago that she'd had a partial mastectomy (for mastitis, she said, not cancer). She must have had one hell of a massive reconstruction - she used to be quite small on top!

Edited October 28, 2016 by Blakeston

[possibilities]

Taking away someone's wheelchair is outright abuse, and I really wish they hadn't gone there. She could have been acting crazy without crossing what to me is an unforgiveable line.

[chocolatine]

9 hours ago, Blakeston said:

She revealed a few years ago that she'd had a partial mastectomy (for mastitis, she said, not cancer). She must have had one hell of a massive reconstruction - she used to be quite small on top!

Oh wow, I had no idea mastitis could get so bad as to require a partial mastectomy. I'm glad that's behind her now. 

[Blakeston]

They established early on that Adam has a history of cheating and womanizing. I won't be at all surprised if the writers eventually revisit that to end their relationship, and reveal him as the "bad guy."

But the way the character comes across now, I wish he'd leave Bonnie far behind - he's way too good a person for her. This show has asked us to believe that some of Bonnie's most horrible behavior towards the men in her life (like stealing someone's wheelchair, or showing up at their place with a baseball bat and destroying their most valuable possessions) is cute rather than evil.

[wendyg]

I think the show was trying to make the valid point that if you have the kind of addictive personalities that these women have you need to go to meetings even when things are going well. A surprising number of people don't understand that ("But you're fine now..."). And I think as unstable personalities as these are could easily start to become unglued when they don't have those periods of self-reflection on a frequent basis. It was a little extreme, but not, I thought, wholly out of line, and I don't think it was wrong for the show to want to answer the question, "But these women have been sober for years now. Why do they need all these meetings?" (Other than, of course, because the show needs them to keep going.)

[ExplainItAgain]

11 hours ago, possibilities said:

Taking away someone's wheelchair is outright abuse, and I really wish they hadn't gone there. She could have been acting crazy without crossing what to me is an unforgiveable line.

Yeah, that really bothered me. I wish they hadn't done that.

[Big Mother]

Too funny.... 2 sitcoms on the same thursday night did the boobs-out-in-eyeline-of-a-wheelchair-dude thing.

[possibilities]

6 minutes ago, Big Mother said:

2 sitcoms on the same thursday night did the boobs-out-in-eyeline-of-a-wheelchair-dude thing.

It's like the most important thing professional writers can think about for a character who uses a wheelchair is how it would put them at eye level with boobs.

[ExplainItAgain]

I love Jill's hair this season.

I wonder how long they are going to carry on with Adam's drinking. This is bound to be a problem.

[MaryMitch]

Rosie looks great!

I know she prayed on it and all, but if Christy does a good job as a realtor, she can earn enough in a couple years to pay for school . I wish she could have just tried it for a while. But yeah, Christy without money problems could ruin the show.

[juliet73]

1 hour ago, ExplainItAgain said:

 

I wonder how long they are going to carry on with Adam's drinking. This is bound to be a problem.

I agree.  I'm kinda of surprised that Bonnie and Christy allow it in their house.  Bonnie just relapsed a year ago.  They were only going to be gone for 2 hours,  I don't get why he had to get loaded?

Loved seeing  Rosie O.  I wish Christy would have taken the job so Rosie would become a regular character. 

[CarolMK]

I liked seeing Rosie too. She's great in anything she appears in, imo. I do hope that we get to see Christy's kids and her ex at least a couple of times this season though. I'm also wondering if they'll ever show her at work again. I like the show but I think I might get bored if all we see if Christy and Bonnie either in the house or at meetings and the diner. The friends are great but I think it needs something more. Wonder how long Bonnie's boyfriend will be around, with his drinking problem, I have a feeling it won't be long.

[chocolatine]

Real estate may not be the right job for her, but Christy should have listened to the woman with the law degree who said she made more money waitressing than practicing law. If Christy's motivation for going into law is to "help people", she'll never make a lot of money from it, even if she does get a job right after graduation. Like she said herself, she'll be 45 when she graduates with a mountain of debt. She'll be struggling financially for the rest of her life and never be able to retire. She'd be much better off picking a job like nursing, where she wouldn't have to go to school for so many years, could have great job prospects and still "help people".

[possibilities]

What would have made sense was to stay in law school, since she loves it. And ask Rosie for a schedule that allows her to work the real estate job for money, instead of waiting tables. She said she was working double shifts at the restaurant, which is a lot of hours for anyone in law school, but Rosie's job would probably pay well, and real estate is a job that allows for odd schedules, so it ought to work.

[MaryMitch]

Is she in law school? I thought she was still an undergraduate.

[iMonrey]

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I know she prayed on it and all, but if Christy does a good job as a realtor, she can earn enough in a couple years to pay for school . 

Do we know where this show takes place? SoCal? I guess maybe the real estate market there is still profitable, but in a lot of places you're not going to get rich in real estate. It seems hard to believe Jeanine has such a huge real estate company that there's an entire "bullpen" of employees raking in 200K.

Also - the girl who played the lawyer/realtor had a major role on Two and a Half Men as Chelsea, Charlie Sheen's fiance. She seems to have fallen on hard times.

[ExplainItAgain]

3 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Also - the girl who played the lawyer/realtor had a major role on Two and a Half Men as Chelsea, Charlie Sheen's fiance. She seems to have fallen on hard times.

I knew I had seen her before. Couldn't place her.

I agree @CarolMK, I hope we see the ex and kids at some point. It's so weird how they are never around anymore. And they are almost never mentioned by name.

[Blakeston]

43 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Do we know where this show takes place? SoCal? I guess maybe the real estate market there is still profitable, but in a lot of places you're not going to get rich in real estate. It seems hard to believe Jeanine has such a huge real estate company that there's an entire "bullpen" of employees raking in 200K.

Sorry, but this show and Modern Family have made it abundantly clear that being a real estate agent in California = gazillionaire. Apparently it's just as hot a market as it was ten years ago!

I'm glad this show acknowledged that young lawyers aren't raking it in like they used to - even if their presentation of the real estate world seemed rather unlikely. My question is, "How the hell was Christy unaware of this?"

She's clearly made a lot of progress, and works hard. But at the same time, she's just not an adult.

[chocolatine]

47 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Do we know where this show takes place? SoCal? I guess maybe the real estate market there is still profitable, but in a lot of places you're not going to get rich in real estate. It seems hard to believe Jeanine has such a huge real estate company that there's an entire "bullpen" of employees raking in 200K.

In earlier seasons they mentioned being in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm guessing East Bay since that's still somewhat affordable compared to the rest of the area. But even in the East Bay, the real estate market is booming, so Christy could make money in real estate if she wanted to. But I think the point is that she would not enjoy or find it meaningful to work in real estate. It's too bad the show is making it look like her only choices are working in real estate or to keep pursuing a ruinous law degree.

[iMonrey]

Actually I found her reasoning sound - which is that she wanted to finish what she started for once in her life.

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I hope we see the ex and kids at some point. It's so weird how they are never around anymore. And they are almost never mentioned by name.

They really re-tooled the show after the first season, and the biggest change was dropping Christy's kids and her ex. It seems like they zeroed in on what was working - Christy and Bonnie, and the AA support group, and what wasn't. We never see Christy at the restaurant anymore either, and Nate Corddry and French Stewart were regular cast members in Season 1.

Edited November 4, 2016 by iMonrey

[12catcrazy]

I'm happy that this show is back - I really look forward to it on Thurs nights.  I have a feeling that Bonnie and her boyfriend aren't going to last all that long.  She's totally nuts and he looks like he has a drinking problem - not the best partner for a person who is in AA and trying to stay sober!

[theatremouse]

18 hours ago, possibilities said:

 real estate is a job that allows for odd schedules, so it ought to work.

I think it's less that real estate allows for odd schedules so much as requires it. You need to be available when your clients want to be shown houses. You need to get shit done when they need it done. It might work out that the odd hours sometimes would be to her benefit but the people who make the most money in real estate work whenever the work needs them to work.

I know the bit with Rosie missing the basket was to make the point that she wants her employees to kiss her ass, and so they do, but it was a little too conspicuous to me that she was intentionally missing. And I get it that Janine was missing, not by coincidence. It still distracted me.

[CarolMK]

I found out Roscoe will be back soon. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but he does have a story coming up.

[iMonrey]

Well, sure, the show doesn't pretend the kids don't exist anymore. Christie still mentions them - Roscoe is living with Baxter and Violet is off somewhere. They turn up from time to time but they don't live with her anymore and they're not on the show every week like they used to be in the first season. The only one I really miss was Violet's stoner boyfriend, the one who got her pregnant. He was funny.

[LucyEth]

I don't really care for Adam.  I actually find him creepy.  When they came home and he was so drunk he could barely talk I thought even less of him.  I don't think as recovering alcoholics they should have him there drinking.  Not enjoying the show as much because of his presence.  I hope they move on soon.

[ExplainItAgain]

I don't know why Adam has to be a drunk. Instead of being a very casual drinker and exploring how that works with someone in recovery, they have to go all out and make him unpleasant even for someone who wasn't in AA. And he doesn't seem to be very sensitive to Bonnie and Christy or willing to compromise about alcohol.

I liked Adam last season but there's just no way this relationship is going to last - and I really hope they don't go down the path of Bonnie relapsing again (although, yes, I am sure that is very realistic). I'm really surprised Marjorie hasn't been on Bonnie's case - it seems like something she'd really be butting in about.

[MissLucas]

Why is Adam all of a sudden such a heavy drinker? I don't remember him being that much into booze last season. Is this simply plot driven in order to create drama because Bonnie can't have nice things? Blah!

[theatremouse]

I can't tell yet if that's where they're going or if the intent that he's not necessarily always a heavy drinker, but does it from time to time, and to try and see how she'll deal with it. Hard to say.

[chocolatine]

So now Adam can only get it up for Bonnie when she's crying? That relationship is getting more and more dysfunctional, and it doesn't seem like Bonnie is getting much out of it anymore. I also don't like how Adam has monopolized the last three episodes, and we haven't seen much of Christy as a result. I'd like see her in school, see some interaction with Baxter about co-parenting Roscoe, and some interaction with Violet even if it's just a phone call. And finally a relationship for her that isn't doomed from the start, like her married boss or Candace's dad.

[bad things are bad]

Adam is getting to be a drag. He is a high-functioning addict IMO. 

[LucyEth]

Wish they would write Adam out.  The whole show has become about Bonnie and his relationship.  Not enjoying this season so far.

[iMonrey]

Sounds like we're all on the same page - the show has become a little too Bonnie-centric. I suppose the network thinks Allison Janney is the big draw since she wins all the Emmys but this is quickly turning into The Bonnie Show. If you look at the opening title sequence with the framed photographs, Christie is clearly meant to be the titular character, not Bonnie. Now it feels like Christie is almost a supporting player like Marjorie, Jill and Wendy. I think they may have gone a little too far with the tinkering of the formula, if this is what they think is the best part of the show. 

[ExplainItAgain]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of Adam just staying around for all the "crazy sex." But he obviously moved back to his own apartment now so maybe living together was just a mini storyline for them and things will return to normal.

[Blakeston]

This was a strange episode any way you look at it. I can understand Adam feeling emasculated by Bonnie's crazy, controlling behavior - but seeing her cry fixes that? Ugh.

And I'd think the woman in AA would be willing to at least consider the possibility that Adam has an issue with substance abuse. If you're impotent without the use of pot or booze...that's a pretty clear sign that you have a problem.

[wendyg]

iMonrey: Seems to me more likely that Lorre wanted someone for a small part and thought of an actress he knew and liked - or ran into her at a party and she said she liked the show. Or whatever.  Loads of actors who've been on his shows turn up in small parts later. He seems to get on well with most of the people who've worked with him who aren't themselves divas.

[theatremouse]

3 hours ago, Blakeston said:

And I'd think the woman in AA would be willing to at least consider the possibility that Adam has an issue with substance abuse. If you're impotent without the use of pot or booze...that's a pretty clear sign that you have a problem.

I think it's only a "clear sign" because it's a TV show and we often need to take one instance of something happening as indicative of overarching truth about a character. Especially with a sitcom with this tone where there isn't usually time for a lot of build, or red herrings. If this were a drama, or just real humans, what we know so far is there was one 24 hour span in which he both: wasn't high and wasn't drunk and had a problem in bed. I don't know a ton about this but I don't think that necessarily means he's impotent without the use. Way too little information to conclude that about a real human. Whereas this is a sitcom, so for them to put it out there likely implies that was the point of presenting it, and only needs to be presented once to get the point across. Still, since the show sort of lives with having something happen only to undo it a moment later, it is possible they were intentionally saying, it'd be bad if because she's in AA she jumps to conclusions about others having substance abuse problems. It may be that the show is going in the direction of "he too has a problem and how's she going to deal with that" but also might just be avoiding the cliche of thinking that right away. When they originally introduced the character I thought part of the point was to have her dealing with being with someone who does use things she now abstains from, but the other person not being an addict. But now they've done two plots in a row with him being a bit excessive, so I don't know anymore. What I do know is that this angle is not interesting to me as its currently playing out.

[Blakeston]

1 hour ago, theatremouse said:

I think it's only a "clear sign" because it's a TV show and we often need to take one instance of something happening as indicative of overarching truth about a character. Especially with a sitcom with this tone where there isn't usually time for a lot of build, or red herrings. If this were a drama, or just real humans, what we know so far is there was one 24 hour span in which he both: wasn't high and wasn't drunk and had a problem in bed. I don't know a ton about this but I don't think that necessarily means he's impotent without the use. Way too little information to conclude that about a real human. 

If someone told me that their boyfriend routinely got drunk or high before sex, and then he proved to be impotent whenever he tried having sex sober, that would be more than enough to make me say, "Maybe he has a problem."

And I'd think people in AA would be even more likely to recognize that as a sign.

[theatremouse]

That's my point though. I agree with you if it were "whenever". What we saw here was one day. So the question becomes, do they mean show us once=whenever, or do they mean once.

[Big Mother]

Maybe Adam's performance issues are related to the accident that paralyzed him?

[possibilities]

Lesbian here; not a penis expert. But isn't it also equally possible that the legitimate complaints he had in the relationship with Bonnie were interfering?

Basically, I think they left it possible to be either that he has a substance problem or an interpersonal problem or both.

[movingtargetgal]

I am so glad that Bonnie followed through with blackmailing Baxter for that trip to Hawaii.  She and Christy deserved a vacation.  A little payback for all the years of little to no child support and for putting up with Baxter's pain in the ass girlfriend.

[MaryMitch]

I really hee-hawed when Baxter said it took 45 minutes for him to flush his stash.

[AbsoluteShower]

On 11/4/2016 at 10:31 AM, chocolatine said:

In earlier seasons they mentioned being in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm guessing East Bay since that's still somewhat affordable compared to the rest of the area. 

The show is set in Napa, in the North Bay.

[theatremouse]

The Hawaii thing annoyed me because just because you have a free vacation, doesn't mean  you can afford it. I thought Christy was working two jobs and going to school? She can just take off from both for a week on relatively short notice? If she were a full-time exempt employee somewhere I get she'd probably have vacation she could use, but with her other gigs I imagine her situation might be much more tenuous. Not saying that's good or right, but it's realistic. I know, I know, sitcom logic, run with it. But it took me out of the show.