Season 3 Discussion

[sassykattt]

Epcot was the best part of Disney World for me.  The rest was just long lines

[MyAimIsTrue]

I live in the Orlando area and despise all things Disney and avoid that end of town at all costs so I watched the episode with a snarky eye and enjoyed it for that reason. 

Quote

EPCOT had this "World of EPCOT" or some such back when I visited -- a bunch of areas devoted to different countries.  I don't know if it's still there.

Yes, it's still there.  In fact on the rare occasion I go to EPCOT it's the only part I really enjoy.

[Jeffurry]

I thought this episode was awful and I really wish that they'd do what Roseanne did: make the mandatory Disney episode and then in the very next episode do an Edelweiss Gardens/"Springtime for David" response to having had to make that episode.

[Mrs OldManBalls]

On 9/23/2016 at 11:31 AM, attica said:

My favorite joke of the ep: "You're putting us in...gen pop?!?"

You can't go backwards in lifestyle. My kids cried when we stayed at Pop Century after having stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

We are a Disney family( just got back three days before this aired), and loved the heck out of this even though it was an infomercial. We had a great time pointing out little things like Ruby, Earl and Bow saying they were heading to Epcot, but the next scene there were clearly in the Animal Kingdom, or when they were standing next to an outdoor staircase with a Soarin' sign, but the ride is an indoor one with no stairway access...., but mostly it was fun knowing exactly where they were in the parks/lines/rides. I'm ready to go back! 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Oh wow. Was I tense during the last few minutes. I really thought that they were going to say that the baby had died inside of Bow. I realized I had been holding my breath when everyone, including me, finally heard the baby's heart beat.

It's weird. When Bow was in the bathroom, telling the twins to clean up, and ended up cleaning it herself, she looked much farther along...actually had a belly, but it was flat in the beginning, and at the doctor's office.

I did laugh during this episode though. Despite Dre's antics, Anthony Anderson always makes me laugh. As does Jennifer Lewis. I really loved that slo-mo walk of Dre and Ruby. Very...Burn Noticeish.

But I find it difficult to believe that Bow would allow her kitchen to be that messy/dirty, when Junior was cleaning up the stove.

[Dee]

SO many great moments in this episode and SUCH a step up from last week's Disney informercial.

Daveed Diggs is gorgeous & a great addition to the cast. Johan telling Zoey to focus on her curl pattern and his Rite Aid order had me howling.

Speaking of howling, Jack praying that the monster who invented shoelaces never infest velcro heaven had me cracking up too. I love that kid.

Diane praying for Jack to die so she'd get her own room was such a Diane prayer. Marsai Martin is a real scene stealer.

Zoey's "Dad, you're better than this!" when Dre tried to trick her into praying was hilarious.

I lost it when the show flashed to Ruby praying for a Dooney then back to her leaving the scene patting the aforementioned purse. Sometimes wishes DO come true!

Junior taking epic pride in cleaning the kitchen & later asking about the dimensions of the doctor's diagram was great. Marcus Scribner is the best.

Charlie saying he needed lipo after seeing Curtis abs gave me a good chuckle too.

Also? Glad to see Curtis still around. Hopefully he's there to stay.

Loved Rainbow & Andre discussing God over 3 flavored popcorn and their shared belief Diane's influence should be limited around new baby.

Only hated the ham-handed writing of the final scene to shame Zoey into believing in God. If she doesn't believe, she doesn't belive.

Edited October 2, 2016 by Dee

[yogi2014L]

I also was holding my breath during the last part when they were looking for a heartbeat. It hit close to home for me having had my own miscarriage and also seeing my sister go through a few..man. They really hit the anxiety. I'm happy Bo is going to have a baby!!

Anyway great episode. I loved Bros man bun brother haha

Edited September 29, 2016 by yogi2014L

[hatchetgirl]

Definitely not a strong first outing...

[Misslindsey]

I love Daveed Diggs so anything with him is a win for me.

I want to know more about Charlie's secret letters about Diane that he sent to Dre. Though Diane is my least favorite of the kids I like the Charlie/Diane feud.

30 minutes ago, Dee said:

Only hated the ham-handed writing of the final scene to shame Zoey into believing in God. If she doesn't believe, she doesn't belive.

I did not like this either. I figured that is where the scene was headed when it started and I was disappointed when it happened.

Another thing that is tiresome for me is that it seems like most of the time Dre is the one with the more right viewpoint (at least according to the show). I would like some of the others to get more of a win. I know it is not always the case, but maybe it just feels like it happens so much of the time. I do not think I am making any sense.

I find some of Ruby's insults to Bow funny, but it would be nice if Dre stood up for Bow with his mother occasionally. Then again it is possible I am forgetting times that he did.

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It's weird. When Bow was in the bathroom, telling the twins to clean up, and ended up cleaning it herself, she looked much farther along...actually had a belly, but it was flat in the beginning, and at the doctor's office.

I think she was just wearing a very loose/flowy outfit.  I think we've seen her in things like that before and I don't think she was wearing it because of a bump.  Over and over they say this won't be Bow's "bump" season so I don't expect us to have many episodes like that.

44 minutes ago, Dee said:

SO many great moments in this episode and SUCH a step up from last week's Disney informercial.

Gosh yes. Last week worried me but I'm glad this show is back to form.

Quote

Charlie saying he needed lipo after seeing Curtis abs gave me a good chuckle too.

I'm so glad they decided to find a way to keep Charlie on the show when the actor isn't filming Angie Tribeca.  Charlie is so funny and the actor is so good.  The above line killed me as did his "Now there are two evil children" when he found out that Zoey didn't believe in God. 

Quote

Only hated the ham-handed writing of the final scene to shame Zoey into believing in God. If she doesn't believe, she doesn't belive.

Yeah.  I did like Bow telling Dre to let it go when she thanked God but that scene was so obvious.

[LJonEarth]

1 hour ago, Dee said:

Only hated the ham-handed writing of the final scene to shame Zoey into believing in God. If she doesn't believe, she doesn't belive.

I really didn't like this either, especially since they handled everything leading up to it well, and realistically. Although it's not common to be open about it, I know more and more black people who don't believe. I thought it would interesting to leave it as they did right before the ending.

[NUguy514]

I thought the teaser at the very end made it clear that Zoey wasn't suddenly converted (back).  I thought she thanked god more rhetorically than anything else in the sonogram scene.

Speaking of, that sonogram scene was killer.  Tracee Ellis Ross was incredible (she's always incredibly, but even more so in that scene).

Edited September 29, 2016 by NUguy514

[Dee]

Another thing I enjoyed about the writing was that Rainbow didn't fully side with either Andre or Johan. Bow acknowledged Dre's feelings about God yet didn't shame her brother for being an atheist and also acknowledged Johan's, relatively, sheltered upbringing to Junior later.

So I'm glad, that at least for now, Johan's presence hasn't become another round of Dre ridiculing Bow's Family, ad nauseam, which was getting really old.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

With Obama leaving office and the upcoming election, Dre finds a new candidate to believe in—Junior. Junior is running for class president and is overqualified for the job, but he just can't seem to connect with his fellow classmates. Dre becomes his campaign manager and tries to make Junior appeal to the masses. Meanwhile, Pops, Johan and Jack discuss why they're not voting in the upcoming election, and Bow is worried that Zoey's college essay is not going to get her into college.

[Racj82]

I think there is too much being read into the thank God. I don't think it magically fixed anything. She hasn't totally lost her faith which is all Dre really needs anyway. 

One of favorite podcasts, black on black cinema, was talking about that religious themed movie, War Room. They have a bit in that movie that compares religion to coffee. No one drinks Luke warm coffee. It's hot or ice cold. They were saying that's how religion should be. All the way in or all the way out. Most people are between though. Zoe probably falls into category at the end of the day. Nothing wrong with that imo.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I feel it should be noted that Valerian root is really mainstream now and you can get it at CVS or the grocery store. It's not like twenty years ago when you had to go to a hippie store to find it. Absinthe is now available in the United States (more info here - side anecdote: I remember ages ago my friends and I bought a bottle of absinthe while we were in Mexico and then realized we had to somehow get it over the border. The not so legal or elegant solution: one of the guys just stuck the bottle in his pants and walked through customs). I'm pretty sure that CVS doesn't sell it (to be fair, I've never looked for it there either), but you can find it at places like BevMo or Total Wine & More. It's really not difficult to find. Even though Dre/the show wants us to think that Johan is being a eurosnob, I like him so far (heh, partly because he annoys Dre so much).

One thing that really annoyed me in this episode was when Dre decided that believing in God is a black thing and being an aetheist is a white thing and came to the conclusion that he should throw away the radicchio, almond milk, and other food he saw as fancy white folk stuff. I know I'm supposed to think that their money concerns from last season are over since they just took a trip to Disney World that cost several thousand dollars (the VIP tour alone costs a minimum of $2800 if you go during the off season plus at least $100 per ticket for entrance to the park plus airfare for eight people from LA to Orlando plus at least three hotel rooms), but throwing away perfectly good food is so wasteful!

But the bigger issue for me was Dre insisting that Zoey had to believe what he believes. The purpose of being a parent is not to create a bunch of mini-mes. The goal is to raise your child to become an independent adult capable of making their own choices, even if that means they don't agree with you about everything. Just because Dre believes in a Christian God doesn't mean that his kids have to believe the same thing. What if one of them decides to become Buddhist or Jewish or Muslim? I know, I know, he will browbeat them relentlessly!

[Dee]

It's been six hours and I'm still laughing at Johan's ass trying to buy valerian root and absinthe from Rite Aid.

[Tiger]

I want to see more of Beau Bridges & D'Alicia, but Bow's brother needs to leave and stay gone.  When Zoey was listing all the evil things in the world and said "men wearing pleates", she should have said the man-bun.  HATE!  

Anyway, Jack and Diane's ending prayers were hilarious, as was Ruby saying something like "God answers real prayers" and then standing to reveal she got that purse.  

I loved the Obgyn's accent; more of her please!  TER was excellent in the sonogram scene.  I actually thought they were really going to have Bow lose the baby.  

Edited September 29, 2016 by Tiger
fixing auto correct

[Empress1]

Daveed Diggs is so goddamn cute. I'm so happy that Hamilton has brought him into the mainstream. "Focus on your curl pattern" is very sound advice. His hair was tamed more here - usually it's bigger.

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I feel it should be noted that Valerian root is really mainstream now and you can get it at CVS or the grocery store. It's not like twenty years ago when you had to go to a hippie store to find it. Absinthe is now available in the United States (more info here - side anecdote: I remember ages ago my friends and I bought a bottle of absinthe while we were in Mexico and then realized we had to somehow get it over the border. The not so legal or elegant solution: one of the guys just stuck the bottle in his pants and walked through customs). I'm pretty sure that CVS doesn't sell it (to be fair, I've never looked for it there either), but you can find it at places like BevMo or Total Wine & More. It's really not difficult to find. Even though Dre/the show wants us to think that Johan is being a eurosnob, I like him so far (heh, partly because he annoys Dre so much).

My friend was given absinthe as a holiday gag gift! You can get it here.

I thought the ending scene, while very well acted, was a bit of a copout. I did like that the show brought some focus to black atheists. They do exist. I know black people who have renounced God and religion because of the reasons Dre cited - how could God have let our people be enslaved and continue to struggle, etc.

7 hours ago, Misslindsey said:

I find some of Ruby's insults to Bow funny, but it would be nice if Dre stood up for Bow with his mother occasionally. Then again it is possible I am forgetting times that he did.

Agreed. A few "Don't talk to my wife like that in our house" lines would go a long way. I do remember him saying something like "Bow's my wife, you need to respect that" in the first season. And Bow does tend to clap back at Ruby, as she should.

[vibeology]

Johan! I love Daveed and I'm thrilled to see him on my TV. I know I had read it somewhere but until Dre started explaining that Johan was just back from France, I totally missed the Hamilton shout out. I don't think we've seen enough of his character yet to really form an opinion but I like what I see so far. His ridiculous pretention pleases me because Dre hates it, even though Dre can often be just as spoiled and pretentious in his own way.

The OBGYN scene was really well done, but I do hate that it was so manipulative. The actors knocked it out of the park, but the way the show used the scare of Bow losing the baby to give Zoey a moment was not cool. .

[fishcakes]

4 hours ago, Dee said:

It's been six hours and I'm still laughing at Johan's ass trying to buy valerian root and absinthe from Rite Aid.

Especially funny was when he tried to give the Rite Aid clerk his phone number: "Dial 011, and the country code is [click] ... hello?"

[Dee]

I find it interesting how the girls are fairly close to Andre while the boys seem partial to Rainbow.

[Empress1]

31 minutes ago, vibeology said:

Johan! I love Daveed and I'm thrilled to see him on my TV. I know I had read it somewhere but until Dre started explaining that Johan was just back from France, I totally missed the Hamilton shout out. I don't think we've seen enough of his character yet to really form an opinion but I like what I see so far. His ridiculous pretention pleases me because Dre hates it, even though Dre can often be just as spoiled and pretentious in his own way.

I think I read that his character is an educated hipster who could probably go off and make good money somewhere but prefers to dibble and dabble, "finding himself" and all that. We'll see!

[Duke2801]

8 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I'm so glad they decided to find a way to keep Charlie on the show when the actor isn't filming Angie Tribeca.  Charlie is so funny and the actor is so good.  The above line killed me as did his "Now there are two evil children" when he found out that Zoey didn't believe in God. 

This!  Charlie's return has made the scenes at Dre's office the best part of the show for me.  

Unfortunately, Ruby shows up far too often for me to appreciate the "home scenes" back like I did in season 1.  Between her nastiness towards Bow and her over-the-top dramatics, she's become entirely unbearable.  And why in Black Jesus's name is she ALWAYS there???!  Go home sometimes woman.  And, as it's been mentioned, it's completely made me start to dislike Dre because he rarely to never comes to Bow's defense.  Not since that initial episode where Ruby first popped up.  

Thankfully there is an occasional Junior scene to help alleviate the awfulness that is Ruby. I still heart him.

[DearEvette]

Thank You!  Back from the Disney abyss with an episode that does what the show began to do last season real well.  Which is to take a specific topic and give it both a thoughtful and irreverent spin.

As is usual for me, Dre is the weak spot.  His over the topness didn't work for this for me.  Considering you don't see them as being particularly religious, I feel that their belief system is more of the 'well this is an accepted ritual' rather than a bone deep belief. So to have Dre go all ape-shit just didn't work for me.  I thought their reaction to Junior being a Republican was much more realistic that this.

But everyone else was spot on and can I say I love the casting of Daveed Diggs?  His casual insertion of French pronunciation of words, his dilettante attitude.  How perfect is he in the pantheon of Bow's family.  Also doesn't she have a sister too?  If so, I can;t wait to see what they come up with for her.

I also didn't get the impression that Zoe had suddenly converted, since everyone else at the end tag was praying and she was gossiping on the phone. I just thought the 'Oh thank God' was less a reinstatement of belief and more of a reflexive statement than anything really.

But yeah that scene in the Doctor'f office had me so tense.  I was mumbling in my head "they're not gonna do this...they're not gonna do this:" and then the small tear fell down Bow's face.  I also felt like I was in that room with them because my breath came whooshing out when I heard the heartbeat as well.

Also, Charlie's enmity of Diane will never get old.

Good episode.

[Eegah]

I was a bit disappointed that Zoe never brought up the best Atheist argument of them all: why should you need the fear of eternal suffering to refrain from evil acts? I'd love to hear Dre's response to that.

[Dee]

If we're casting for Rainbow & Johan's sister, I suggest Tracie Thoms.

She's gorgeous, funny, and she has lovely curls like Daveed & Tracee.

[BoogieBurns]

Ruby is my stepmother. I despise my stepmother. Please have less Ruby. Bring back Pops. 

[ChromaKelly]

I needed more Daveed! Anyone notice Ruby saying "What'd I miss?" when she came to the dinner table?

[marceline]

14 minutes ago, ChromaKelly said:

I needed more Daveed! Anyone notice Ruby saying "What'd I miss?" when she came to the dinner table?

 

I just came here to post that. This Hamilfan did a little dance.

[TiffanyNichelle]

2 hours ago, Duke2801 said:

This!  Charlie's return has made the scenes at Dre's office the best part of the show for me.  

Unfortunately, Ruby shows up far too often for me to appreciate the "home scenes" back like I did in season 1.  Between her nastiness towards Bow and her over-the-top dramatics, she's become entirely unbearable.  And why in Black Jesus's name is she ALWAYS there???!  Go home sometimes woman.  And, as it's been mentioned, it's completely made me start to dislike Dre because he rarely to never comes to Bow's defense.  Not since that initial episode where Ruby first popped up.  

Thankfully there is an occasional Junior scene to help alleviate the awfulness that is Ruby. I still heart him.

I loathe Ruby and I have from day one. I don't like how she treats Bow and I don't like the character that Bow becomes around her. Dre needs to man up and shut his mother down and tell her to treat his wife with some respect.

I guess they could say Bow's mother doesn't like Dre either and constantly insults him as well but we've seen her three times? We see Ruby every single episode. Enough.

[HeySandyStrange]

As a agnostic, I appreciate the thoughtful and respectful discussion about atheism. It was very interesting for me to see it from the perspective of the Black community. I'm really impressed with how far Zoey's character has come since the first season, they have really given her believable growth. I do wish they would have had a bit of a deeper discussion about atheism vs. religion, maybe to say Dre's and Ruby's beliefs challenged some more. But I'm pretty glad to see a positive depiction of atheism on tv.

Great scene at the end, I'll admit I was tearing up with Bow. Some fine acting from all involved.

So Johan is Bow's brother? I could swear she has only mentioned having two sister's in passing so I was thrown off by her having a brother. I liked him though, it is nice for Bow to get a little backup against Dre and Ruby and some confirmation that she isn't the craziest one in the house.

[anna0852]

I love the sibiling relationships we see portrayed by the younger actors, aside from Diane's disturbing prayer at the end (really show? We needed to see an 8 not-quite praying for her brother to die?). Just little things, like how Zoey had her arms around Diane during the heartbeat scene. Its little things like this that really sell the family dynamic.

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, Dee said:

If we're casting for Rainbow & Johan's sister, I suggest Tracie Thoms.

She's gorgeous, funny, and she has lovely curls like Daveed & Tracee.

It's such a small thing, but I love seeing natural hair on TV.

2 hours ago, Eegah said:

I was a bit disappointed that Zoe never brought up the best Atheist argument of them all: why should you need the fear of eternal suffering to refrain from evil acts? I'd love to hear Dre's response to that.

And also that Dre's argument about slaves turning to religion for solace was wrong. Christianity was imposed on slaves by their masters.

[BoogieBurns]

1 hour ago, HeySandyStrange said:

So Johan is Bow's brother? I could swear she has only mentioned having two sister's in passing so I was thrown off by her having a brother.

She only mentioned having sisters. The actor is just so popular right now due to Hamilton fame that they wrote in a little brother for Bow. You can fanwank that he is quite a bit younger so they didn't really grow up with him due to the age difference.

[Deanie87]

5 hours ago, vibeology said:

Johan! I love Daveed and I'm thrilled to see him on my TV. I know I had read it somewhere but until Dre started explaining that Johan was just back from France, I totally missed the Hamilton shout out. I don't think we've seen enough of his character yet to really form an opinion but I like what I see so far. His ridiculous pretention pleases me because Dre hates it, even though Dre can often be just as spoiled and pretentious in his own way.

The OBGYN scene was really well done, but I do hate that it was so manipulative. The actors knocked it out of the park, but the way the show used the scare of Bow losing the baby to give Zoey a moment was not cool. .

I know and it kind of backfired for me a little bit.  I was really scared that they were going to go there, and then I kind of shrugged my shoulders and thought, "Well, I didn't really want to see a pregnancy/baby storyline on the show anyway."  I know that's terrible and I DID feel relief for the family, but I hate that they did it in the first place because that is exactly where my mind went.  Thanks, show.

[Dee]

It's interesting how Rainbow made such a big deal about Zoey having "depth" in Hope, yet when Zoey espouses a stance Rainbow doesn't necessarily agree with, Bow becomes almost as judgmental as Andre.

Edited September 29, 2016 by Dee

[tennisgurl]

45 minutes ago, Deanie87 said:

"Well, I didn't really want to see a pregnancy/baby storyline on the show anyway."

Oh, my brain went right there too. I felt awful, but when it seemed like they were going to go with a miscarriage or something, I thought exactly the same thing. I still have no idea why they're doing this baby story line. Its only, what, season 3? Its too early to start bringing Cousin Olivers in. I am just not really interested in a baby story, when there were so many good stories left to tell with the family we already have. I mean, I was happy for the characters sake that the baby is ok, but for the story? Meh.

After lasts week Disney romp, we get back to Topical Issues, with Zoe questioning her faith in God. I think it went pretty well, as far as religion on TV gets. Dre, as always, blows everything out of proportion and turns it into a race thing (which, to be fair to him, it sometimes IS a race thing, but I dont think it was here. There are believers and non believers in every ethic group out there. They apparently go bowling), which kind of kills the actual idea of having a full discussion about belief. The only people who really debated the issues were Zoe (who is still figuring stuff out), Dre (who has never been shown to be super religious before this), Ruby (judgmental Christian) and Johan (pretentious atheist). As for Zoe, she IS a teenager, and its healthy for teens to question things. Maybe she will get back into religion or some kind of spirituality, or maybe she wont. Its really her business, not her families. It would be nice to see Dre actually support his kids right away, instead of freaking out all episode over whatever they're doing thats "wrong" to him, before he learns a lesson, and forgets that lesson next week.  

Despite my complaints, I did like this episode. Good amount of jokes, great acting from the cast, and even though I think they could have handled the atheism/believer thing better, I am glad they brought it up, especially in its relation to the Black community (although I am surprised that Dre didnt make more of a connection with church and religion and its connection with the civil rights movement). Usually, with this show, even if they dont exactly knock whatever their topic out of the park is, I am always glad they brought it up. 

[Arcadiasw]

4 hours ago, BoogieBurns said:

Ruby is my stepmother. I despise my stepmother. Please have less Ruby. Bring back Pops. 

Did Ruby move in, too? She is over there way too much if she hasn't. 

Not sure why Dre is so up in arms at Zoey questioning faith. The family hardly goes to church and they're not religious at home.

I thought it was silly of Dre to think being athiest is a white thing and tied that to the healthy food in the house.

[Arcadiasw]

3 hours ago, TiffanyNichelle said:

I loathe Ruby and I have from day one. I don't like how she treats Bow and I don't like the character that Bow becomes around her. Dre needs to man up and shut his mother down and tell her to treat his wife with some respect.

I guess they could say Bow's mother doesn't like Dre either and constantly insults him as well but we've seen her three times? We see Ruby every single episode. Enough.

I'm tired of the TV storyline that the MIL hate the DIL and son is too intimidated or scared to stand up to Mom. 

[roseslg]

Maybe where there should be an episode when Bow starts visiting the DWIL (Dealing With the Inlaws) board on BabyCenter.   THat board is all sort of crazy and handles a lot of crazy MIL issues.  

[Joimiaroxeu]

Is it commonplace for people to take their kids to their first sonogram? Seems to me that if it had turned out that Bow had lost the baby it would've been tough enough for her to find out without also having to try to keep it together in front of the kids.

The whole Black = religious, White = atheist didn't work for me as a funny concept. The stereotype is too broad, IMO.

[Mrs OldManBalls]

14 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

But the bigger issue for me was Dre insisting that Zoey had to believe what he believes. The purpose of being a parent is not to create a bunch of mini-mes. The goal is to raise your child to become an independent adult capable of making their own choices, even if that means they don't agree with you about everything. Just because Dre believes in a Christian God doesn't mean that his kids have to believe the same thing. What if one of them decides to become Buddhist or Jewish or Muslim? I know, I know, he will browbeat them relentlessly!

This episode was a bit preachy for me. I don't see it as a black/white issue. 

You can be a good person and not believe in God. You don't have to believe because your parents want you to.  

[tomsmom]

Ruby: Take her black Jesus! Take her now! 

Dre: Don't ask Jesus to kill my daughter, we can make her believe!

Ruby: I was talking about Rainbow!

Dre: Oh.

STILL laughing about that.

[anna0852]

54 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Is it commonplace for people to take their kids to their first sonogram? Seems to me that if it had turned out that Bow had lost the baby it would've been tough enough for her to find out without also having to try to keep it together in front of the kids.

 

I was thinking that it might have been smarter to at least leave the kids in the waiting room until the heartbeat was established. But I do love the dynamic of the whole family being there and excited.

[Traveller519]

"You got this Dre. Ain't no Brown Skittles" - Fantastic

[LJonEarth]

18 hours ago, Racj82 said:

I think there is too much being read into the thank God. I don't think it magically fixed anything. She hasn't totally lost her faith which is all Dre really needs anyway. 

One of favorite podcasts, black on black cinema, was talking about that religious themed movie, War Room. They have a bit in that movie that compares religion to coffee. No one drinks Luke warm coffee. It's hot or ice cold. They were saying that's how religion should be. All the way in or all the way out. Most people are between though. Zoe probably falls into category at the end of the day. Nothing wrong with that imo.

I think some of us are annoyed by just this. The exclamation was just an exclamation. But the setup, placement, and reaction to it made it seem like they were going for exactly what you're saying. However, there are plenty of people who are cold. The world assumes they're just luke warm and seconds (an emergency) away from being hot again. I just thought it would be interesting for her to really not believe.

By the way, thanks for the podcast tip!

Quote

The whole Black = religious, White = atheist didn't work for me as a funny concept. The stereotype is too broad, IMO.

In my experience, atheism is a no-go in the black community. I know no one personally who admits to not believing and have only recently heard a few black people on some of the podcasts I listen to say they are non-believers. And they mention experiences similar to Zoe's with their friends and families. Thinking about the mission of this show, I expected this episode at some point in the run.

Edited September 30, 2016 by LJonEarth

[CaptainCranky]

To me this is the best comedy on TV since the early days of Modern Family.

But it's not without it's faults. The immediate family of Dre, Bow, Zoey, Jr, Jack and Diane is perfect. And I love the crew at the office with Charlie being my favorite. Glad they brought him back.

But I immensely dislike the Ruby character and I ain't real fond of Pop's either. And now adding the brother just sucks in my opinion.

[EarlGreyTea]

7 hours ago, Deanie87 said:

I know and it kind of backfired for me a little bit.  I was really scared that they were going to go there, and then I kind of shrugged my shoulders and thought, "Well, I didn't really want to see a pregnancy/baby storyline on the show anyway."  I know that's terrible and I DID feel relief for the family, but I hate that they did it in the first place because that is exactly where my mind went.  Thanks, show.

That was one of the most tense moments on television I've seen in years. I actually had the same line of thought. I'm not sure I like the baby storyline and the prolonged search for the heartbeat went on for so long I was sure they were going there. But the actors played it so well, that I felt genuine relief for them. Every single one of them knocked it out of the park on that scene.

By the way, I skipped the last two episodes - did they tell the kids about the baby in one of them? I was hoping to see Diane's reaction.

[emma675]

That last scene was so tense and gut wrenching that I, too, breathed out a sigh of relief with the family when they finally heard the baby's heartbeat. I was wondering if maybe they would somehow twist it that there was never a baby, Bow was going through early menopause or something to make her think she was pregnant. I was so happy for her and the family when that heartbeat came through.

I still hate the baby story line, though.