S01.E01: Pilot

[Aloeonatable]

Quote

I will forgive Challenger related errors if this was originally supposed to air in 2015.

The pilot was filmed in January of this year. It was cast in late 2015, so it was written then. 

[sjohnson]

1 hour ago, Biggie B said:

 I never did ask my mother (now deceased) how the doctor determined that the cord was around my neck. 

If I was to venture a guess, it would be that it was a breech delivery that was allowing the cord to wrap around the neck. The distress was inferred from the lack of circulation in the visible feet, which prompted the c-section rather than attempts to maneuver the infant.

[Lady Iris]

I didn't cry but I was quite touched.. I liked the time twisty development. The anvils were falling with the 'high risk pregnancy' so I had an inkling something sad was going to happen. I forgot how much I love Gerald McRaney as an actor. I loved the bro/sis vibe between the twins. Loved the chemistry between Mandy and Milo. Thrilled to see Sterling K. Brown on my tv again after his well deserved Emmy win. So with all that said, if I get attached to this show and NBC cancels it after one season, I shall be quite displeased. I still haven't forgiven or forgotten about how shabbily they treated Freaks and Geeks.

[booboopbedoo]

Loved it and did tear up a little.

LOved the twist at the end!

[Cardie]

5 hours ago, PRgal said:

And I hope Randall didn't grow up thinking he was the "replacement kid" his parents adopted.

I wonder if they will touch on any issues that may arise from one of the "triplets" being of a different race. Outsiders will obviously stare or make derogatory comments at some times, especially in the 80s.

[JenE4]

On September 24, 2016 at 9:36 AM, SlackerInc said:

 

I had read that there was a "twist" critics were supposed to keep mum about, but even then I didn't cotton to it until the cigarette.  Masterful job by the show to conceal it (lots of closeups, LOL) and yet make it still seem plausible on rewatch (which I did, of their scenes).  I had noticed the "Family Photos '75-'79" box, but I thought it was just old photos.  Their furniture and carpet and electrical outlets and such are definitely old style, but I thought they were just living in an old, non-updated apartment.  But a close look the second time through reveals some old piece of equipment that might be an eight track player or early VCR, but definitely would not be anything anyone now would keep around.

One thing I'm wondering about is that there were earlier scenes in the hospital where you could see a couple people in the background, but their clothes are ambiguous (a big contrast to how people are dressed in the final reveal).  I don't know if they kind of stretched it there or not.  Same goes for the scrubs the nurses were wearing.  Mightn't they have still been in white with the weird little hat back then?

I don't think the dying biological dad is shady, and going to steal or con or any of that.  I will be really shocked if the show

I rewatched Sat night, and now I feel like a complete idiot for not picking up on the twist. Granted, they had CLOSE-UPS of the background characters with obviously wild '70s clothes and old school vending machine and smoking, etc. during the reveal. But they also didn't really try to hide it the rest of the show. Um, is the triplets' dad's name Robert? Well, I'm just going to call him Robert... "Robert" definitely had a 70s look, but he also could have easily passed for a modern hipster look. But even the rest of the characters looked old-fashioned, but not in a hipster way. When the doctor was giving "Robert" his do-good-in-the-spirit-of-your-third-child talk, there was a woman in the background with a TOTAL '70s style long, A-line plaid skirt. The acting was just so damn riveting we didn't think to look anywhere else but at the actor's faces...or, ehrm, buttoxes and abs when applicable.

[twoods]

Loved it. All the actors are fantastic and liked the twist. I started crying when I figured out that Milo and Mandy (don't know their names on the show) adopted the firehouse baby. Absolutely beautiful. Looking forward to the past and present scenes.

[NaughtyKitty]

All Kevin had to say was "when I was in elementary school" and this post would be 4 less pages!

[VioletMarx]

Am I the only person who watched the pilot 1000% sure that the doctor was played by Dabney Coleman?

Wondering if the twins live on the other side of the country from Randall.  The address the PI gave him for the biological father was in Philadelphia and he drove there. I doubt that a big sitcom is being shot in Philadelphia.  The only place on the East Coast where that would be possible is New York and the house that kevin was in was clearly not in New York (nor in philly for that matter).

[PRgal]

29 minutes ago, VioletMarx said:

Am I the only person who watched the pilot 1000% sure that the doctor was played by Dabney Coleman?

Wondering if the twins live on the other side of the country from Randall.  The address the PI gave him for the biological father was in Philadelphia and he drove there. I doubt that a big sitcom is being shot in Philadelphia.  The only place on the East Coast where that would be possible is New York and the house that kevin was in was clearly not in New York (nor in philly for that matter).

I'm really confused about that too.  Maybe Kevin flew east after he shot the show (though I'm not sure how easy he would have gone through the airport without being hounded by media, considering how that big tantrum went viral)?

[Cardie]

I assumed the twins both live in LA while Randall stayed in their home state of Pennsylvania.

[chocolatine]

4 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I'm really confused about that too.  Maybe Kevin flew east after he shot the show (though I'm not sure how easy he would have gone through the airport without being hounded by media, considering how that big tantrum went viral)?

He didn't fly anywhere. Remember, he also came to Kate's house when she called him after she sprained her ankle falling off the scale, so they must be in the same city. Also her apartment/condo complex is built in the Spanish style, which is very uncommon in the Northeast.

[Clanstarling]

6 hours ago, sjohnson said:

If I was to venture a guess, it would be that it was a breech delivery that was allowing the cord to wrap around the neck. The distress was inferred from the lack of circulation in the visible feet, which prompted the c-section rather than attempts to maneuver the infant.

That sounds like a reasonable guess. My own blue baby, born in the 90's, was in the correct position, and there was no reason to think there was a problem until her head emerged. Fortunately, the delivery was even faster than on TV and the doctor was able to put his fingers between the cord and her neck for the remaining moments of the delivery, after which they hustled her off, but within my eyesight so I could see her pink up quickly. Scared the crap out of us.

[PRgal]

3 hours ago, chocolatine said:

He didn't fly anywhere. Remember, he also came to Kate's house when she called him after she sprained her ankle falling off the scale, so they must be in the same city. Also her apartment/condo complex is built in the Spanish style, which is very uncommon in the Northeast.

Wait, so no one flew anywhere?  Or did Randall fly (wait, did he?)?  I guess it's something we're going to figure out eventually...

[chocolatine]

Just now, PRgal said:

Wait, so no one flew anywhere?  Or did Randall fly (wait, did he?)?  I guess it's something we're going to figure out eventually...

Nope, nobody flew anywhere. Randall drove to bio dad's sketchy neighborhood in his $140,000 car that he paid for in cash.

[Tiger]

7 hours ago, Cardie said:

I wonder if they will touch on any issues that may arise from one of the "triplets" being of a different race. Outsiders will obviously stare or make derogatory comments at some times, especially in the 80s.

It will be interesting to see how deep NBC lets the show go into these issues, especially with it airing at 9 after family-friendly Voice.   

If the show ignores or even just lightly brushes over the racial issues, it will be an epic failure.  And they need to address it from Milo & Mandy dealing with outsiders, AND Randall having different experiences from Kate & Kevin with those experiences shown from all three perspectives.

I'm kinda hoping they move/keep the show at 10.    I know that at ABC for example Greys and Scandal havent been allowed to do some content since moving to their earlier slots a few years ago, and this year Shield is being allowed to do things at 10 that it couldnt at 8 or 9.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Tiger

[Emme]

On 9/25/2016 at 11:34 AM, DearEvette said:

I don't think the questioning is that he hired someone, but more along the lines of how does a PI even reasonably go about finding someone who anonymously left a baby  at a firehouse.  And from there, proving that this guy is actually Randall's father. 

There are a lot of suppositions that could be made about what happened off screen: it wasn't anonymous, he actually gave his name when he dropped the baby, there was a note left with Randall, there were security cameras etc.  But the show didn't bother with any of that.  For me the details do make a difference in this instance because of how absolutely sure Randall is that this guy is his father; so much so  that he invites him into his home with his children.

I actually have some knowledge of how this works. I hired a PI to locate my birth mother. She was found in one weekend, with very little information to go on (date of birth, name of adoption agency, county of birth). I received very detailed info from the PI, leaving no doubt this was my birth mother. I'm fact, a lot more info than I expected - current spouse, current and previous addresses, country of origin (she was not a U.S. Citizen), her maiden name, married name, my birth time, weight and length)...I did make contact with her, and yes, it was her.

it was so emotional getting those details as an adult, and a mother myself. I was, for some odd reason, fascinated to now know the time I was born.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Dan Fogelman, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz, Sterling K. Brown, and Milo Ventimiglia discuss the pilot:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I just realized that the lemonade speech reminded me of Coach Taylor's speech in the pilot for Friday Night Lights. That just makes me like this show even more.

[Verojama]

I really like the pilot.. I did tear.. I hope it stays on and we see the flashbacks past to present its cool...

[ByaNose]

Finally, watched the pilot. So many shows to watch and so little time. LOL!!! Anyhoo, it was well done and I kept hearing (and, almost reading) about the twist and was waiting & waiting. It wasn't until the fireman offered the cigarette did I realize that their was a "time difference" and realized that it was a flash forward/backward show. I was born in 1964 and I remember where you could smoke.....everywhere. I will probably watch to see what happens with the interaction with the "twins" versus their adopted brother. Are they in contact with him? Do they like each other? All in all, it was a good pilot and I will watch a few more episodes to decide if I will watch the whole season play out. Also, does Just Hartley have the longest arms and body on tv? LOL!!! I guess he takes after the mother ( Mandy Moore?) because he doesn't resemble the father whatsoever.

[Sonja]

On 21.9.2016 at 10:11 PM, Empress1 said:

I'm not into cars so the idea of spending $143K on one, even if you have it, sounds nuts to me. So does telling a broke stranger that you have that much money.

I like cars, but that's an insane amount of cash to spend on one. My cheap one has four wheels as well and spends a lot less time in garages than most more expensive models I know. From a certain price on, I consider the purchase of a car either compensation for lacking something or unbecoming bragging. That part of the episode really didn't endear Randall to me very much. If someone told me 'I bought a 143k car because I felt like it' I would recommend trying to learn impulse control.

On 22.9.2016 at 10:31 PM, random chance said:

How would they do that, though? If he was dropped off anonymously, even DNA isn't going to be a help is it?

In 1979, we're still about 15 years from the first criminal cases where DNA could be used, let alone for civil matters such as paternity.

On 24.9.2016 at 4:35 AM, Princess Sparkle said:

Most posters have already covered what I was going to say about the pilot, so the one thing I will say is the scene where Kate, Kevin, and Toby(? I think that was the dates name) were watching Kevin's breakdown made me laugh out loud. First, because Kevin was sitting there shirtless meaning that he granted Toby's request for a shirtless selfie, and then that Kevin agreed with Toby saying that he felt bad for Alan Thicke. 

That scene was funny. Kate and Toby automatically correcting Kevin on the calorie count, the selfies and also the chemistry between the three of them.

On 24.9.2016 at 5:45 AM, mojoween said:

I don't know how successful "The Manny" is, but I know I for one would never watch a show where the writer found it the height of hilarity to have the guy think he could nurse a baby. I do have SOME standards.

I can't stand sitcoms (the last one I considered even remotely funny was Corner Gas), so this cracked me up. Also, the director thinking every Ryan in the book would line up to get their man-boobs out for him was so delusional, the character is probably based on reality. The baby being played by triplets was a nice touch as well.

On 24.9.2016 at 7:34 PM, ClareWalks said:

I didn't mean to single out any one poster, I just think in general there is a huge overthinking of this name thing, considering we have seen absolutely nothing in this one episode to indicate that Randall felt out of place. 

I agree. Maybe those are family names and two of them just happen to start with the same letter.

On 26.9.2016 at 2:55 AM, Black Knight said:

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that Kate told Kevin that he's the only good thing in her life. In light of the revelation that Randall's her brother - well, either the writers deliberately wrote a false line so as not to give away the twist, or Kate and Randall are on the outs right now. She does have that framed picture of the three of them as adults sitting out on the table in her living room, so it can't always have been so bad, but things must not be well between them currently. It's significant too that Randall would send an email only to Kevin about "it's our birthday, bro!" when ordinarily I would have expected him to group-email Kevin and Kate "It's our birthday, siblings!" (or some such). I'm going to guess now that after the parents died (they're totally dead - again, see Kate's "only good thing"), Kate and Randall ended up having a big fight and they've not made up yet.

I think she said that because Randall is on the other side of the continent, so him not actually being there could also be something in the 'sucks' column, especially on their birthday. Plus their dad not being there on the shared birthday the year they turn the age he was when they were born probably doesn't help either. Also, during Randall's rather unhinged monologue to his biological father, didn't he say he just wanted to rub it in that he's leading a great life and then go back to his family who loves him. Considering the rant he was on, he surely would have blubbered something about excluding his siblings from said family if there was any bad blood.

I wonder if Randall's father (Will?) calmly asking him if he wanted to come in and then Randall coming back after storming out and casually inviting him to meet his grandkids was just for comedic value or to show that some things are genetic.

On 26.9.2016 at 2:06 PM, ShadowFacts said:

I didn't see Jack's move as a trade-in, and it followed kind of logically from what Doc said about his loss putting him on a path that brought more healthy babies in the world, etc.  We haven't yet seen him discuss it with Rebecca, but it didn't feel like a unilateral decision considering we see her beaming at all three of the babies at the end. 

He did say they were going to walk out of this hospital with three babies and they did. It was probably an 'everything happens for a reason' situation for them, especially after the doctor's pep talk. Those onesies would have been the saddest thing in the world if there had only been two babies.

[possibilities]

It didn't occur to me that he would try to force his wife to adopt the firehouse baby or want to do it for nefarious motives. How would that even work? I'm pretty sure that prospective parents are interviewed and vetted well enough that he couldn't just impulsively take the kid without his wife being in on the decision, and everyone having some time to mull it over. I took his moment of "decision" (good non-verbal acting, btw, Milo) as, in that moment when he heard the baby's story, he was moved by it, and looking at the infant through the window he was able to visualize the three side by side just like how they'd set up the sleeping arrangements at home, and he realized that they were prepared for a third child, and he wanted sincerely to to give this one a family. I don't see how that makes him a bad guy or even particularly impulsive. It's not like he kidnapped the kid, or was shown to be pressuring anyone to let him take the baby.

ETA: It's weird that Mandy Moore isn't in the discussion linked above.

Edited September 27, 2016 by possibilities

[Cardie]

2 hours ago, Sonja said:

In 1979, we're still about 15 years from the first criminal cases where DNA could be used, let alone for civil matters such as paternity.

I have no idea how the PI would identify this particular guy as the one who took his son to a fire station. Perhaps he had told his sad story while getting clean and interviews in the neighborhood led to him.  I would hope that then, with 2015 DNA technology, the PI managed to surreptitiously obtain some of the father's DNA and compared it to Randall's to confirm a paternal match.

[PRgal]

36 minutes ago, Cardie said:

I have no idea how the PI would identify this particular guy as the one who took his son to a fire station. Perhaps he had told his sad story while getting clean and interviews in the neighborhood led to him.  I would hope that then, with 2015 DNA technology, the PI managed to surreptitiously obtain some of the father's DNA and compared it to Randall's to confirm a paternal match.

But the (supposed) bio dad would have to submit to a test first.  And those tests take time.  The storyline should ideally be part of an episode arc considering there was no DNA evidence.  Unless, of course, the guy left his name with the firehouse and actually WANTED to be found.  Randall seemed to have too much evidence.  I guess being a pilot, you had to resolve everything quickly...

[biakbiak]

10 minutes ago, PRgal said:

But the (supposed) bio dad would have to submit to a test first.  And those tests take time.  The storyline should ideally be part of an episode arc considering there was no DNA evidence.  Unless, of course, the guy left his name with the firehouse and actually WANTED to be found.  Randall seemed to have too much evidence.  I guess being a pilot, you had to resolve everything quickly...

No he wouldnt. The PI was following him could have picked up a cigarette but or discarded cup and get it tested.  A private lab where you are paying for it you can get it done in 1-2 days depending on their work load or how much you want to pay. 

[Clanstarling]

31 minutes ago, PRgal said:

But the (supposed) bio dad would have to submit to a test first.  And those tests take time.  The storyline should ideally be part of an episode arc considering there was no DNA evidence.  Unless, of course, the guy left his name with the firehouse and actually WANTED to be found.  Randall seemed to have too much evidence.  I guess being a pilot, you had to resolve everything quickly...

Since the bio dad made a statement about liking fire stations, I assumed he was seen (but not pursued) and known. So the PI could have id'd him from talking to one of the old firemen.

[ShadowFacts]

I sort of would like the show to fill in the blanks on how William was found.  If he had been known and had been identified at the time, he would have had to have terminated his parental rights before any adoption.  That didn't appear to happen.  Also, he admits not remembering doing it, the fire station was news to him but believable because he liked them.  So it is kind of puzzling, and this inquiring mind wants to know. 

[jhlipton]

On 9/23/2016 at 11:45 PM, mojoween said:

I don't know how successful "The Manny" is, but I know I for one would never watch a show where the writer found it the height of hilarity to have the guy think he could nurse a baby. I do have SOME standards.

The MANny (he's a man who's a nanny, get it?  Isn't that clever???) has been on long enough for Kevin to have groupies.  Somehow I doubt that this was the first stupid joke the writer has had (the name and hook of the show shows the level of maturity it operates on).  His sudden tiff just came out of PLOTville!

 

1 hour ago, Cardie said:

I have no idea how the PI would identify this particular guy as the one who took his son to a fire station. Perhaps he had told his sad story while getting clean and interviews in the neighborhood led to him.  I would hope that then, with 2015 DNA technology, the PI managed to surreptitiously obtain some of the father's DNA and compared it to Randall's to confirm a paternal match.

If the PI had access to a police DNA database (and $1500 buys a lot of access), and the dad had his DNA taken even one time, it could have been done.

[Tiger]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

It didn't occur to me that he would try to force his wife to adopt the firehouse baby or want to do it for nefarious motives. How would that even work? I'm pretty sure that prospective parents are interviewed and vetted well enough that he couldn't just impulsively take the kid without his wife being in on the decision, and everyone having some time to mull it over. I took his moment of "decision" (good non-verbal acting, btw, Milo) as, in that moment when he heard the baby's story, he was moved by it, and looking at the infant through the window he was able to visualize the three side by side just like how they'd set up the sleeping arrangements at home, and he realized that they were prepared for a third child, and he wanted sincerely to to give this one a family. I don't see how that makes him a bad guy or even particularly impulsive. It's not like he kidnapped the kid, or was shown to be pressuring anyone to let him take the baby.

ETA: It's weird that Mandy Moore isn't in the discussion linked above.

Be glad this show isnt on ABC, because if it was theyd eventually reveal that Milo is Randall's actual bio father and plotted to adopt his own illegitimate child in a story that would make no fucking sense and then magically retconned and totally forgotten about later on.

If no ine can tell, Im still ticked at what ABC did to Brothers & Sisters after its amazing first season.  

Edited September 27, 2016 by Tiger
additional thoughts

[Cardie]

1 hour ago, jhlipton said:

If the PI had access to a police DNA database (and $1500 buys a lot of access), and the dad had his DNA taken even one time, it could have been done.

That's the most credible scenario yet. Randall gives PI a sample of his own DNA; they run it through various databases to find a familial match. Then all PI has to do is track the bio-dad down. If he were an addict for many years, his DNA is likely in the system.

[La Traviata]

3 hours ago, jhlipton said:

The MANny (he's a man who's a nanny, get it?  Isn't that clever???)

And to add another layer of cleverness to the fictitious sitcom, they stuck a pacifier between the "MAN" and the "NY" to emphasize the New York connection.  

[chocolatine]

8 minutes ago, La Traviata said:

And to add another layer of cleverness to the fictitious sitcom, they stuck a pacifier between the "MAN" and the "NY" to emphasize the New York connection.  

The New York connection doesn't make sense though, since the set was a suburban house with a front yard (you could see the front yard when Alan Thicke was walking out of the front door). If the show was set in NYC, it would most likely be in Manhattan or one of the hip parts of Brooklyn. If it's set in the suburbs such as Long Island or Westchester County, the New York connection would be pretty tenuous. Maybe the MAN (pacifier) NY separation was to emphasize that it's a show about a man working as a childcare provider as opposed to a man whose name is Manny?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

It's weird that Mandy Moore isn't in the discussion linked above.
 

I noticed that too, but I also saw that Sterling was missing during one of the segments too so I kept thinking that maybe Mandy would show up later. Maybe they will rotate which cast members do the post-show discussion throughout the season? As nice as it would be to have all five of the main actors there with the creator, I think it really depends on when they're shooting these segments. Often behind the scenes discussions are shot on set between scenes or at the end of a day of shooting, so it's possible that Mandy wasn't on set that day or all of her scenes were finished much earlier than everyone else's so she had already gone home or maybe she already had plans to be somewhere else. Ha, or maybe they only want to shoot two people on each side of the table and one person at the head of the table. You never know! I'm just glad they're doing these post-episode discussions because I always love hearing behind the scenes stuff and the cast/crew's take on things.

[SlackerInc]

On 9/25/2016 at 5:31 AM, Randomosity said:

I almost never re-watch shows, but with the 'clues' to the past time period, this episode might be worth a re-watch. Good catch on the candy-striper hat! (Though nuns still wear that, so that's not a giveaway.)

They still wear habits?  Huh, I haven't seen any wearing them since the 20th century (and there's a Catholic school just down the road from me).  But yeah, it's definitely worth rewatching the 1979 scenes: will only take about ten minutes.

On 9/25/2016 at 8:32 AM, Tiger said:

Im pretty sure it "went viral" because of the shot of Milo's bare ass.  Which wasnt actually in the broadcast, at least not the one my affiliate aired.

Interesting--do you live in a Bible Belt type area?  I watched it online (on the new "free Hulu", Yahoo View), and they definitely showed it there: in fact, we got a straight-on view, not just a fleeting glimpse as he sat down.

On 9/25/2016 at 10:34 AM, DearEvette said:

I don't think the questioning is that he hired someone, but more along the lines of how does a PI even reasonably go about finding someone who anonymously left a baby  at a firehouse.  And from there, proving that this guy is actually Randall's father. 

No, I understand: but I think we're just supposed to take it as "for $1500, you can get someone who is a real pro and will find this kind of thing out--never mind how".  It's not like he just clicked some $39.95 deal on a website.

On 9/26/2016 at 10:13 PM, Emme said:

I actually have some knowledge of how this works. I hired a PI to locate my birth mother. She was found in one weekend, with very little information to go on (date of birth, name of adoption agency, county of birth). I received very detailed info from the PI, leaving no doubt this was my birth mother. I'm fact, a lot more info than I expected - current spouse, current and previous addresses, country of origin (she was not a U.S. Citizen), her maiden name, married name, my birth time, weight and length)...I did make contact with her, and yes, it was her.

There you go!  Thanks for sharing that.

9 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

I sort of would like the show to fill in the blanks on how William was found.  If he had been known and had been identified at the time, he would have had to have terminated his parental rights before any adoption.  That didn't appear to happen.  Also, he admits not remembering doing it, the fire station was news to him but believable because he liked them.  So it is kind of puzzling, and this inquiring mind wants to know. 

It seems like a lot of people are saying this, that they want the show to go back and fill in these blanks.  I would be willing to bet a huge amount of money that the show's writers never had any intention of doing so.  I think they expected everyone to deal with it like I did: "Okay, PI, $1500, fair enough, moving on...".  But that's not exactly the same as saying I'd bet a large amount of money that they won't provide any more info going forward.  Nowadays, especially as cutthroat and competitive as things have become, people involved in producing TV do read feedback from fans; and this show is an ongoing concern (for at least 13 episodes, 8 or 10 of which have probably not been filmed yet and half a dozen not even written).  So if there really is this groundswell of desire to hear more about the Philly PI and his/her methods, the writers may yet insert a line or two of dialogue fleshing that out.  I still don't see the need, but clearly YMMV and it's not going to ruin the show for me if they do it.

[Randomosity]

4 hours ago, SlackerInc said:

They still wear habits?  Huh, I haven't seen any wearing them since the 20th century (and there's a Catholic school just down the road from me).  But yeah, it's definitely worth rewatching the 1979 scenes: will only take about ten minutes.

I doubt every order does, but some definitely do. My great aunt was with the Sisters of Christian Charity order until she passed away fairly recently, and they were all always still fully decked out in the habit, whether they were an old lifer like she was or a younger, new nun. Because of seeing her like that well into the 2000s, nothing about a habit would have dated that to 1979 for me.

[ShadowFacts]

4 hours ago, SlackerInc said:

13 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

I sort of would like the show to fill in the blanks on how William was found.  If he had been known and had been identified at the time, he would have had to have terminated his parental rights before any adoption.  That didn't appear to happen.  Also, he admits not remembering doing it, the fire station was news to him but believable because he liked them.  So it is kind of puzzling, and this inquiring mind wants to know. 

It seems like a lot of people are saying this, that they want the show to go back and fill in these blanks.  I would be willing to bet a huge amount of money that the show's writers never had any intention of doing so.  I think they expected everyone to deal with it like I did: "Okay, PI, $1500, fair enough, moving on...".  But that's not exactly the same as saying I'd bet a large amount of money that they won't provide any more info going forward.  Nowadays, especially as cutthroat and competitive as things have become, people involved in producing TV do read feedback from fans; and this show is an ongoing concern (for at least 13 episodes, 8 or 10 of which have probably not been filmed yet and half a dozen not even written).  So if there really is this groundswell of desire to hear more about the Philly PI and his/her methods, the writers may yet insert a line or two of dialogue fleshing that out.  I still don't see the need, but clearly YMMV and it's not going to ruin the show for me if they do it.

Curiosity, that's all.  Would be interesting.  But I'm much more taken with the dynamic developing between William and Randall and his family.  And the fact that there's probably a time limit on it with the terminal illness. 

[PRgal]

5 hours ago, SlackerInc said:

They still wear habits?  Huh, I haven't seen any wearing them since the 20th century (and there's a Catholic school just down the road from me).  But yeah, it's definitely worth rewatching the 1979 scenes: will only take about ten minutes.

 

I saw a nun wearing a veil, but not full habit on the street the other day.  She was walking with another woman (I assume another nun), who was in regular clothing. 

[needschocolate]

Boy am I dense! I didn't see the twist coming.  I didn't even know what the twist was till I read it here.  I didn't even know there was supposed to be a twist (I suppose that is my defense for not figuring it out).  

I watched the show, but not all in one sitting and I was doing other things at the same time (defending my denseness some more).  I knew from the commercials ("You have two healthy children") that  they would lose one of the triplets.    I thought it was about 4 people who were born on the same day and how their lives were different, yet intertwined - although, I didn't see any intertwining, other than two of them being related. I thought the acting was good and the storylines seemed promising, until they got to the end and then it got stupid - firemen smoking in hospitals and hospitals handing off babies to whomever raises their hand ans says "I'll take him" first.  I thought the whole black baby abandoned at a fire station being repeated 36 years later was rather cotnrived. 

I was wondering if I should bother with the second episode and decided to check the forums - was this show going to be like Wayward Pines or Under the Dome, where the forums become hilarious with everyone making fun of the show?  And immediately, people are talking about the twist.  I am still dense enough to be thinking that everyone thinks that the show having a man who was abandoned at a fire station 36 years ago and was adopted and then a baby is abandoned at a fire station and is adopted  is some sort of "twist." It still didn't dawn on me that the couple having the baby were the parents of the other three people turning 36.  

But it has now sunk in and I think I will watch the second episode, this could be interesting.

However, and maybe this is because I  watched this episode from a different angle, I can go along with the notion that smoking would be allowed in a hospital in 1980, but I still think it is very unlikely that the new parents would be allowed to adopt the abandoned baby.  I used to babysit for a family that adopted a baby in the early 1980's and they waiting months (maybe years) to adopt their baby, there should have been other couples ahead of them on a list somewhere.  And, even if I go along with the idea that there was no one else wanting to adopt, it is very doubtful that social services would give this baby to new parents of twins, and certainly not so soon after the birth.

But I may be willing to overlook this if the show ends up being really good.  

[fastiller]

Regarding how Randall was adopted by Jack and Rebecca (I think I've got those right; still learning character names): we still don't know how long it was between his being dropped off by the Firefighter and him being taken home.  We also don't know what transpired in that intervening time.  It's possible that he was fostered by them (do we know their last name? I feel we do, but I've blanked on it.) or by some other family for months as the papers went through the system.

[ShadowFacts]

51 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Regarding how Randall was adopted by Jack and Rebecca (I think I've got those right; still learning character names): we still don't know how long it was between his being dropped off by the Firefighter and him being taken home.  We also don't know what transpired in that intervening time.  It's possible that he was fostered by them (do we know their last name? I feel we do, but I've blanked on it.) or by some other family for months as the papers went through the system.

At the end of the pilot, we saw the two parents standing beaming at the 3 infants in their onesies, and I believe it was not in the hospital but rather at their home.  So likely they got an emergency foster license, maybe that kindly Ob/Gyn helped pull some strings to speed it up.  I think there would have been some process to attempt to locate the father to terminate parental rights, then the adoption could go through. 

[SlackerInc]

Yes, and as mentioned above, crack babies are not the most sought after.

[MelineB13]

On 9/25/2016 at 1:27 PM, Neurochick said:

I hadn't heard anything about this show at all.  But the TWIST, I was like, damn.  I did NOT get that at all, and I usually get them.

Ditto. I remember being kind of disbelieving that they were planning on having her deliver triplets naturally and without a NICU team standing by. And then I remember thinking during the doctor's pep talk that this was an oddly formal hospital, with the nurses in white dresses and the orderly wearing white pants and shirt. And then when the fireman pointed out the baby he brought in, my first thought was "aha! they are going to be mirrors of the 36 year olds!! Got it!" and then my jaw dropped when I really GOT IT! Well played show! I'm all in!

[PRgal]

Something I wondered:  Is Randall's birthday REALLY the same as Kate and Kevin?  He could be one or two days older.  And do they know he's the "youngest" or is it an assumption?  He could, by minutes/hours/days, be older than the other two.  The firefighter only knows that Randall was dropped off there.  Maybe this is something that will be brought up this season...

[QueBueno]

I gotta admit, I didn't put all the pieces together until the end of the show.  Not much I can add to what everyone else has mentioned, except one thing that really stuck out to me.  When Kevin (as The MANny) was delivering his monologue about being abandoned by his father (and I apologize, I watched it several days ago and have since deleted it so I can't watch it to get the exact dialogue), something about his deliver said to me "not acting, this is for real."  I didn't get the sense at all that he was trying to over-act his sitcom part; more that something was triggered in him and he was truly pouring his heart out.  Like the words were pouring out and he just couldn't stop them, nor could he say it any other way.  My own opinion is that this was foreshadowing to explain some of Kevin's issues.

[llewis823]

On 9/26/2016 at 10:42 AM, Lady Iris said:

I didn't cry but I was quite touched.. I liked the time twisty development. The anvils were falling with the 'high risk pregnancy' so I had an inkling something sad was going to happen. I forgot how much I love Gerald McRaney as an actor. I loved the bro/sis vibe between the twins. Loved the chemistry between Mandy and Milo. Thrilled to see Sterling K. Brown on my tv again after his well deserved Emmy win. So with all that said, if I get attached to this show and NBC cancels it after one season, I shall be quite displeased. I still haven't forgiven or forgotten about how shabbily they treated Freaks and Geeks.

We need to be friends...I could have written this post INCLUDING the reference to Freaks and Geeks...one of my favorites of all time. I was the braniac who hung with the "burnouts" as we called them. Also your assessments of the actors - spot on IMO. I agree with everything you said 100%!

[Lady Iris]

2 hours ago, llewis823 said:

We need to be friends...I could have written this post INCLUDING the reference to Freaks and Geeks...one of my favorites of all time. I was the braniac who hung with the "burnouts" as we called them. Also your assessments of the actors - spot on IMO. I agree with everything you said 100%!

Haha! Thanks! Then we'd make a pair. You're Lindsey and I'm Millie! I was a Geek, heck I was in the hs band. Can I just say I still cringe, even after all these years, whenever I hear Styx's "Lady" thinking of Nick crooning it to Lindsey. God, I loved that show.

Don't go messing up "This is Us" NBC!

[Verojama]

I enjoyed episode 2, it was still emotional for me i dont know why maybe the father and the cat story...

[Negritude]

On Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at 8:20 PM, Jadzia said:

I also thought some of the timing didn't make sense - I am 45 and I was in 9th grade when the Challenger exploded so I wondered how a 36 year old would have been in 2nd grade. Also, I thought the crack epidemic didn't really happen until the mid 1980s so I wondered how Sterling K. Brown's bio mom was a crackhead in 1980 but maybe she was an early adopter?

That all said, I loved the show, love Sterling K. Brown and I even loved Milo's ass. I'm in!

Yeah the timeline was a little clunky with that. I'm 36 and was in 2nd grade in 1986...but I was born in December, and started kindergarten at 4 1/2 in 1984 which means I was still in 1st grade in January of 86 when the Challenger exploded and didn't start 2nd grade until that fall. I also lived in South Los Angeles as a kid in the 80s and crack didn't really take hold until mid decade. Early adopter, she must've been Freeway Ricky's very 1st client lol. Do the writers not have internet access?

And yes to Milo's ass. 

Edited October 1, 2016 by Negritude

[MaryPatShelby]

On 9/30/2016 at 10:32 AM, Lady Iris said:

Haha! Thanks! Then we'd make a pair. You're Lindsey and I'm Millie! I was a Geek, heck I was in the hs band. Can I just say I still cringe, even after all these years, whenever I hear Styx's "Lady" thinking of Nick crooning it to Lindsey. God, I loved that show.

 

And every time I hear Styx's "Come Sail Away" I think of Sam at the Homecoming dance, and his face when the song switches from slow to fast.  Dang.  I want to watch that scene right now.