S01.E02: The Big Three

[HeySandyStrange]

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I don't think Jack and Rebecca got divorced, because that's not congruent with what Kate said last episode about wanting to "marry a guy like Dad and be a mom like Mom". She wouldn't have felt that way if she had been a child of divorce. Also, yes, the necklace. Rebecca said she would never take it off, and she stuck to her word.

It would be really odd for Rebecca, if she had gone through a divorce with Jack, to still be wearing the necklace he gave her.  That seems more like the action of a widow who still loves her husband even if she has moved on. As for Randall's less then thrilled reaction to Migual--I choose to believe there was no monkey business between Rebecca and Migual while she was married to Jack. Sorry, no, I can't stand the thought of Mandy cheating on Jess lol. My guess is that Jack died however long ago, Rebecca leaned on Migual, they grew closer (possibly in a short amount of time) and now they are married/together. It happens sometimes the widows/widowers bounce back quickly after the death of their spouses for many reasons. I'm guessing the Big 3 are a little put off about how quickly uncle Migual moved in on their mom, after having been their dad's best friend for so many years.

My question about Kevin's storyline is instead of throwing tantrums and trying to leave his stupid sitcom, why doesn't he find more work between seasons? For instance, try to find a film role or a guest spot on a more serious tv show? Quite a few tv actors do other roles between seasons. Granted, I guess he could be blocked by the studio/his agents from doing anything that leans too far from the Manny, but it would be way more interesting then seeing him whine about having a moronic but extremely well paying job.

I like Kate and Toby, but the constant talk about weight is going to get old fast. I say that as someone who has struggled with my own weight, but weight issues are only so interesting. Surely there are other interesting facets about Kate's life they can explore. What does she do for a living? Does she have any friends? Something, please.

I like Randall and Beth, but I'm still suspicious about Randall's dad. If I was Beth or Randall I would ask for some medical records to confirm he is actually as sick as he says. Something ain't right.

[random chance]

It would take Kate years to lose all the weight but if they padded the actor, they could give the character a head start next season? I know that talking about a character's weight is sort of like touching the third rail but she's not merely overweight, she's morbidly obese. It would be great to see her lose weight and get in shape and I mean, the right way - where at some point it all starts working and she's feeling good - not the TV way like Mike & Molly where they punish themselves with horrible herbal tea and some kind of stinky fish, instead of just using common sense and reasonable substitutions so that they're still eating food they like. (And then they give up and eat a coffee cake.)

I wonder if the writers are fans of Bojack Horseman.

[Lady Calypso]

3 minutes ago, HeySandyStrange said:

I like Randall and Beth, but I'm still suspicious about Randall's dad. If I was Beth or Randall I would ask for some medical records to confirm he is actually as sick as he says. Something ain't right.

I assume that Randall will be getting directly involved with William's health care to find a way to cure him, so it will come up sooner rather than later, that's for sure. It's why I buy that he probably is sick. Unless William starts resisting help from Randall on his illness and he wants to "live every moment like it's his last", I'll believe that he's truly ill for now. 

5 minutes ago, HeySandyStrange said:

I like Kate and Toby, but the constant talk about weight is going to get old fast. I say that as someone who has struggled with my own weight, but weight issues are only so interesting. Surely there are other interesting facets about Kate's life they can explore. What does she do for a living? Does she have any friends? Something, please.

I agree with this, but I'm giving them a few more episodes. It's only episode 2 and we know that Kate and Toby will most likely be in their group all season, so we will have to hear about it. But as long as they can find other stuff to talk about and to deal with, I'll be happy. I think that's the point Toby was making this episode, in that he doesn't want their entire relationship to be based on their weight. I think Kate truly thinks it defines her and she even said it's something that is deep down within her, so it's not going to go away that easily. 

But yes, giving her friends and showing her at work would be the steps into giving her a life outside of her weight storyline. They definitely need to start doing that in the next couple of episodes. 

[Dusty]

23 minutes ago, BoogieBurns said:

I am a child of divorce who wants those things. My parents rock. 

I think it would depend on the reason for the divorce. If it was because of general growing apart or falling out of love then yeah I could see her still wanting to marry her dad. But it was because he's an alcoholic then I don't see why she would want that.

[Cardie]

The Jack/Rebecca relationship needs to have lots of highs and lows, twists and turns, simply because there need to be enough conflict and revelations to provide revealing flashbacks for many episodes. What they seem to be implying as far as the parenting goes is that Rebecca saw it as a mission that needed to be analyzed, implemented and evaluated while Jack has a natural connection to his children without objectively doing what is best for them.

[mtlchick]

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Kevin doesn't want to be typecast as a himbo, which is EXACTLY what the Manny character is (if you flip it around and the role were played by a woman, you'd think it's extremely sexist).  People always ask him to take off his shirt.  He's 36 years old. How many more years of "hot dude without a shirt" does he have?  That's why he flipped in the pilot episode.  

Someone should have told him "two words: Matthew McConaughey,"

 

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And I love justin Hartley, and unlike many here, I think he's a good actor,  but it's hard to feel too bad for his character...poor young actor guy, making three mill a year but stuck with a job he doesn't like. Um, shut up, pretty Kevin.

I never even heard of Justin until this.  He's not bad, but right now his character isn't the easiest person to feel sympathy towards.  Right now it's a "good looking guy who got lucky and made it big and bitches about the content on his cheesy show." 

[Arcadiasw]

6 hours ago, DearEvette said:

 

I am also curious about Kevin's need to call Randall at that point when he was feeling the most helpless.  Why Randall specifically at that moment? Just from this ep you get the sense that their distance is of Kevin's making, not Randall's.  And speaking of that call --  when Kevin starts the convo he says 'I know we haven't talked since everything went down' or something like that.  So something happened to create another rift?  Or was it a reference to Jack's passing and Jack died fairly recently and something happened between the brothers in the aftermath?

 

Because that's what happens with some families.

Even if you're not close to family, if you feel alone or abandoned by friends or family by marriage, etc. If you're at a low point, you reach out to your family for help or guidance. 

I assumed Kevin meant what went down with the TV show. It did garner attention even Randall would've heard about on the east coast. 

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

Did This Week's This Is Us Twist Surprise You?

And other questions heating up after the tearjerker's second episode.

[txhorns79]

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My question about Kevin's storyline is instead of throwing tantrums and trying to leave his stupid sitcom, why doesn't he find more work between seasons? For instance, try to find a film role or a guest spot on a more serious tv show? Quite a few tv actors do other roles between seasons. Granted, I guess he could be blocked by the studio/his agents from doing anything that leans too far from the Manny, but it would be way more interesting then seeing him whine about having a moronic but extremely well paying job.

Yeah, I don't understand why it's being treated as though he can't do any other acting work aside from his television show.  Though I'd also say it's very difficult to relate to this kind of problem.  I understand being dissatisfied with one's job, but I don't have much sympathy for someone purposefully harming their career (and presumably if he walks away from his show, it has the potential to hurt everyone else on his show) for no real reason. 

[foreverevolving]

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

To be honest I like Kate and her storyline because I can relate to a lot of it!  I was nodding along like crazy to what she was saying!

I went from being interested in Kevin's story last week to thinking that the boy is insane.  Unless the show is misogynistic or racist I would do it and pay my dues.  Again I point to the examples of George Clooney, Margot Robbie, etc. etc. who paid their dues on sitcoms or shows and look at them now.  Look at Jennifer Aniston.   If you're good-looking and can act, Hollywood will embrace you with that resume.

When people mention actors who wanted to break into films - or thought they could - there's a lot of examples I  vaguely remember but can't pinpoint!!  Somebody help me.  Was Mischa Barton on The O.C. one?  (I wasn't as into the show back then).  Then there's Blake Lively on Gossip Girl, but they did their six seasons and closed the show properly.  (Somebody said the typical contract is seven seasons --- I know that it's five seasons for a show to reach syndication, and a lot of shows go to 6, remember Abed from Community:  "Six seasons and a movie!"  Six seasons was the duration of Gossip Girl, Sex and the City, LOST, and Community.  So is the contract really seven?  Not sure.)

Hee, I don't think Clooney is a good example to use. Clooney was fairly well known within the industry for a good few years before ER which is why I assume his contract allowed him to do movies while filming ER, also, "The Manny" is no "ER"- which was the #1 rated show for a good few years before going down, but still staying in the top 10 for the majority of it's 15 year run - and it was an ensemble show. I would imagine The Manny has a lead (Kevin).

As for replacing him, I think Executive guy was just pissed because he didn't want to go through the hassle of it (he mentioned something about being two years away from retirement) rather than it being hard to recast Kevin.

[truthaboutluv]

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Hee, I don't think Clooney is a good example to use. Clooney was fairly well known within the industry for a good few years before ER 

He was? I mean I guess he was known as the guy with the most failed pilots but it's pretty much been established and George himself agrees, that ER made him a star and a household name. And even then, it took a few seasons of ER under his belt, when the show was a truly established hit and him a bonafide Primetime star before he really started headlining movies. One Fine Day was his first major leading man role and that was in 1996. ER debuted in 1994.

[Aloeonatable]

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Maybe I missed it but what does Kate do? What’s Jack’s profession?

Not sure about Kate, but Jack, as mentioned in a couple of articles, is supposed to be in construction, maybe design or project management. Could Kate be Kevin's assistant? 

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It would be really odd for Rebecca, if she had gone through a divorce with Jack, to still be wearing the necklace he gave her.  That seems more like the action of a widow who still loves her husband even if she has moved on. As for Randall's less then thrilled reaction to Migual--I choose to believe there was no monkey business between Rebecca and Migual while she was married to Jack. Sorry, no, I can't stand the thought of Mandy cheating on Jess lol. My guess is that Jack died however long ago, Rebecca leaned on Migual, they grew closer (possibly in a short amount of time) and now they are married/together.

I think this is the case. Jack died, probably before Randall's children were born, thus they refer to Miguel as "Grandpa." Rebecca said that Jack is a better parent than she is when he isn't drinking and is present with his children. In Randall's mind, Jack will always be his dad and Miguel is just his mother's husband. I really, really do not want Rebecca to be a cheater, even if she and Jack separate before he dies. Anyone have a guess yet at what ages the Big 3 were when Jack died (if he does.)

Edited September 28, 2016 by Aloeonatable
add a quote

[Ms Blue Jay]

People keep saying "Hee" at me.  Ok.  I'm talking about Facts of Life.  Not ER.  This is my third clarification on this.  Anyways, I'm so beyond done.  Just agree to disagree.  No need to laugh.

1 hour ago, mtlchick said:

Someone should have told him "two words: Matthew McConaughey,"

Another great example is Mark Wahlberg who was a CK model/ "Rapper" and now look at his career.

There are a lot of "From Himbo to Hero" type stores in Hollywood.

Edited September 28, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[Aloeonatable]

Maybe the off season, hiatus, roles Kevin is offered are just as bad as his Manny role. Filming a half hour comedy, even 22 episodes, can be grueling and many actors enjoy their time off from work. It usually is about 4-5 months between filming. He might only be renting that beautiful beach house shown in the first episode. 

[biakbiak]

4 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

People keep saying "Hee" at me.  Ok.  I'm talking about Facts of Life.  Not ER.  This is my third clarification on this.  Anyways, I'm so beyond done.  Just agree to disagree.  No need to laugh.

 

Well Clooney was also on a sitcom called E/R starring Elliot Gould in the mid 80s!

I think the Kevin storyline is just an excuse to get Kevin and because they are so close Kate to NY so that the siblings will have more current day interactions.

[tennisgurl]

I still like this, and I think I might be more emotionally invested in this show than I thought I was. I literally gasped when Miguel showed up with Rebecca, especially after that nice Jack/Rebecca scene. I can only assume that Jack is dead. I just dont see a woman divorcing her husband (especially over alcoholism), marrying his best friend, and then wearing the necklace that represented their Song years later. I was convinced they were both dead last week, but now it seems like its just Jack. Maybe this is the classic "husband tragically dies, husbands BFF comes around to make sure everything is alright with the family, and the wife and BFF fall in love" thing that seems to pop up a lot on TV. I would be disappointed if they had an affair, or if she dumped Jack for his best friend. And, yes, I did catch the reaction from Randall when he saw Miguel. Not a thrilled one. 

I REALLY want to believe in William, and as of now, I do think he means well, but...I just dont know! 

Beth and Randall are wonderful, and I love Beth. Their story is probably my favorite. I like Kate, but I, like others here, want her to have a few storylines that are not about her weight. I mean, on the one hand, I am glad that the show is doing a story about the issues plus sized women face, because not many shows on TV are doing that right now, but, on the other hand, it will get old fast if Kates whole identity is based around being overweight. Also, I dont know about Toby. He rubs me the wrong way. If he sticks around, I am going to need more from him than making sarcastic, sexual comments about fatness. Some of his humor is just weird to me, and comes off as a little aggressive. But I`ll give him more time. 

[foreverevolving]

31 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

He was? I mean I guess he was known as the guy with the most failed pilots but it's pretty much been established and George himself agrees, that ER made him a star and a household name. And even then, it took a few seasons of ER under his belt, when the show was a truly established hit and him a bonafide Primetime star before he really started headlining movies. One Fine Day was his first major leading man role and that was in 1996. ER debuted in 1994.

Yes, ER made him a household name to the general public. But, he was fairly well known for a few good years inside the industry itself (Facts of Life started that). He had a couple of shows if I remember (ie summer airing shows) in the early 90's (one went on for two summer seasons - which used to be 8 episodes a season I think) and then he was on Sisters right before he started out on ER.

21 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

People keep saying "Hee" at me.  Ok.  I'm talking about Facts of Life.  Not ER.  This is my third clarification on this.

I still feel it's not the best counter example, Clooney wasn't the lead on the Facts of Life (as Kevin is on The Manny), he was there for like a season and half in total.

Edited September 28, 2016 by foreverevolving

[camom]

My biggest problem with Kevin's story line is that he isn't honoring his contract.  Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I think a person should keep his or her word.  Kevin should finish out his contract -- maybe doing theater or TV movies during the show's hiatus -- and then move on.  Throwing a childish tantrum was just that, childish.  Having a "difficult to work with" reputation in Hollywood can kill a career pretty quickly.

[WhosThatGirl]

Yeah Kevin didn't just yell behind the scenes, he caused a tantrum, insulted the writers and the FANS who watch the show! It's hard to be on his side. I also kept reminding myself that he's a 36 year old adult, he's not some 26 year old doing this. He made a fool of himself. And seriously what was the show asking him to do? Other than the role he was supposed to play. 

[whatsatool]

Boy those party people are vicious

Edited September 28, 2016 by whatsatool

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, foreverevolving said:

I still feel it's not the best counter example, Clooney wasn't the lead on the Facts of Life (as Kevin is on The Manny), he was there for like a season and half in total.

My original point was that there are a lot of people who worked on sitcoms and shows in their earlier time in Hollywood and now have huge, profitable Hollywood careers.  The Manny is not exactly like Facts of Life, and The Manny doesn't exist, but none of this, in my opinion, picks apart my point.  Some people who are now huge Hollywood stars have been toiling away in less than high-pedigree work since their early 20s and Kevin has one good, steady job now at 37 that he feels is beneath him.  That's strange to me.  Personal opinion.  Agree to disagree. 

My mother was a big Days of Our Lives fan when I was growing up.  Jensen Ackles was like a much younger Justin on that show.  Blonde, kind of dumb, not the best actor (no offense), good-looking "himbo".  He did steady work on that show and now has a great career on Supernatural.  Good for him.  Lots of famous actors started out as being little more than eye candy on soaps.  Kelly Ripa, Meg Ryan, I assume (I don't know what their parts were like.)  

Edited September 28, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[slf]

While I don't think an actor being asked to take off his shirt all the time is exactly the same as an actress being asked to do so - and if you think it is consider what happens when a man takes his shirt off in public to cool down and a woman does the same; it's flat out illegal in many places - I do agree that it's demeaning. Especially when it's being done in such a juvenile way (his character pretending to breastfeed the baby).

I don't think walking away from $3 million a year is spoiled, necessarily. There are plenty of people who would be happy to take Kevin's job which is fine but Kevin's not happy with it, which is also fine. They absolutely could recast that show; I doubt anyone's watching The Manny for social commentary or deep character studies. Just get a ripped guy who is happy to take his shirt off and play stupid.

[random chance]

2 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

My original point was that there are a lot of people who worked on sitcoms and shows in their earlier time in Hollywood and now have huge, profitable Hollywood careers.  The Manny is not exactly like Facts of Life, and The Manny doesn't exist, but none of this, in my opinion, picks apart my point.  Some people who are now huge Hollywood stars have been toiling away in less than high-pedigree work since their early 20s and Kevin has one good, steady job now at 37 that he feels is beneath him.  That's strange to me.  Personal opinion.  Agree to disagree. 

I agree with that. Lots of men hit their career strides in their thirties - like Chris Pratt and Benedict Cumberbatch. And he's a man so even after he isn't pretty enough anymore for a much younger romantic lead (which in Hollywood will be when he's dead), he's still got a long career ahead of him. Now if he were a 36 year old woman I'd say escape while you can, because it's almost too late.

[atomationage]

6 minutes ago, slf said:

his character pretending to breastfeed the baby

I thought that may have been what set Kevin off.  Who would write crap like that, or want to act it?  Justin Hartley is a good actor.  He stepped into a role played by someone who shall not be named, SWSNBN, a controversial actor, who was allegedly fired for sexual harassment on Y&R, and did a good job.  I liked him on Revenge too. 

[Empress1]

16 hours ago, Amethyst said:

Considering that there are support groups for nearly everything, I'm surprised that girl isn't in a support group for Anorexia or Body Dysmorphic Disorder.  I'm sympathetic to her, but Kate can't be the only person who wants to go off on her.  Her being there feels like a dumb attempt at humor, and it's not funny.  The other girl, not Kate.

I'm sure Kate is saying what many of them are thinking. If the thin woman has BDD, I sympathize, but she's in the wrong group.

I loved when Rebecca asked Jack if she needed him to show her where the coffee was. That's something I'd say. (My parents used to say "Did you hurt your hands?" or "Are your legs broken?" when we asked them to do something we could do ourselves.) No sugary cereal allowed in our house. It was Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran (which was a little sweet), and Corn Flakes. This persisted until I left home, even through my parents' divorce and eating breakfast in two households after turning 14. I remember having team breakfasts in high school and there would be sugary cereal and I felt like I was getting away with something eating it.

Beth and Randall are so great. (Hello, Sterling K. Brown's sweaty chest. How you doin'?)

Most of us have to pay dues, but most of our dues don't net us millions. Shut up, Kevin. Loved Katey Sagal reading him the riot act.

The kid playing little Randall was adorable. They all were, but there was something about his big grin that was especially cute.

I'm thinking Jack died and Rebecca married Miguel.

[truthaboutluv]

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I'm sure Kate is saying what many of them are thinking. If the thin woman has BDD, I sympathize, but she's in the wrong group.

Yeah that felt like the show's bad attempt at humor and I do mean bad. Maybe if the show was set in the 60's or something, where every unhealthy condition was considered a mental condition, I could maybe buy this. But in 2016, an woman suffering from body dysmorphia and anorexia would not be in a support group for overweight people. She would be in a support group for anorexia. 

[foreverevolving]

10 minutes ago, nosleepforme said:

Honestly, I think most actors who are in Kevin's position are just happy to have a job, I mean, the show doesn't portray him as if he's the biggest thing out there. Besides, as someone has mentioned earlier, shooting a multicam sitcom is not as much of a time commitment and there would still be opportunities for him to do other stuff over the hiatus if he is lucky enough to be cast in anything. I mean, Melissa McCarthy was on Mike and Molly for years and still managed to do several movies every year. To just want out of a 3-million-dollar-per-year-job without having any real alternatives or offers is ridiculous. Of course, he could be one of those actors with real artistic integrity, but I don't think those would take a job like that in the first place. I find it also odd that the show doesn't even acknowledge that he risks the jobs of his other cast members and the entire crew working on the sitcom by wanting to leave. One would think someone would bring up that this is actually NOT just about him. His storyline is really not the best or most relatable. I think it would have been maybe better to not make him an actor.

 

 

I think the pilot established that while he was happy to have gotten the job as time went by he has become dissatisfied with the show, and that it has been his birthday and the breast feeding scene that made him stop and realize "WTF am I doing with my life"

We were talking about Clooney earlier, even he did mediocre movies while during his ER days because those were the roles he got. It took Batman & Robin for him to stop and realize that he really needs to be more picky with his role choice. Sometimes you need something like that to happen for you to develop an artistic integrity, for you to think "is this really the legacy I wanna leave behind?" 

 

 

Seconding everyone on how much I love Beth! and I really like the interaction between Randell and Beth.

I dislike Toby, he was fine in the pilot. like a nice mushroom, now he's becoming like a bad fungus. I need him gone.

Not sure what my view point about the parents and the step grandfather. I got the sense from the pilot that the dad was dead. i can understand Randell dislike of step-dad/grandpa, my dad died when I was 9 my mom brought home her current partner when I was 14, I disliked him from the get go, still do. Obviously in the show it is complicated since it is obvious Randell must have known Miguel (?) from a young age. Still when your partner dies sometimes you find solace in the most unlikely places.

Personally, I didn't even reconize Miguel in the last scene, I thought it was a woman and that this was the episode revel that the mom was gay or bi :-).

[Lyndy]

6 minutes ago, foreverevolving said:

I dislike Toby, he was fine in the pilot. like a nice mushroom, now he's becoming like a bad fungus. I need him gone.

Yeah, I kind of agree with you. I could change my mind in a few episodes but he just seems really pushy. 

[La Traviata]

George Clooney:  Let's not forget he was a regular on Roseanne.

I love the weight-related story line.  Obesity is an epidemic.  Considering the amount of people dealing with that very problem, I find it refreshing that a show is actually willing to address the issue.  Warts and all.

As for everything else you guys said, I think 2 episodes in is way too soon to start asking "Why this?" and "Why that?"  It just is.  Embrace it.

[vixenbynight]

3 minutes ago, La Traviata said:

George Clooney:  Let's not forget he was a regular on Roseanne.

I love the weight-related story line.  Obesity is an epidemic.  Considering the amount of people dealing with that very problem, I find it refreshing that a show is actually willing to address the issue.  Warts and all.

As for everything else you guys said, I think 2 episodes in is way too soon to start asking "Why this?" and "Why that?"  It just is. Embrace it.

Agreed!!

I absolutely love this show and I'm letting myself enjoy the ride and embrace what may come down the road with these characters and their connections with each other.

I don't see anything off about how not close Randall and Kevin are as adults. It's not the end of days to see fictional adult siblings not being close in a tv show. I love my siblings, but I don't have to speak with them every day or see them every week for me to know that they care about me and vice versa. I also like that Kate is the one sibling that makes the effort to keep her brothers aware of what's going on in their individual lives. That's very true in my experience.

I think that Toby is great from the two episodes we've seen of that character. I think that there's nothing wrong in having a hot (I think he's attractive and charming), funny and nice guy showing total and sincere interest in a woman that he clearly wants to spend more time with her in his life.

[OtterMommy]

I finally got to watch it--actually I got to watch about the first 75% twice because my router crapped out and, when I finally got hulu up and running, I had to start over....but whatevs.   

Anyway, I would like to thank my FB feed for telling me over and over from about 8pm last night (Pacific time) that there was ANOTHER twist.  I wouldn't say I guessed the exact twist, but I knew that it would involve Miguel and Rebecca from the moment Miguel was talking up Rebecca to Jack in the bar.  So....not surprising, but we still don't know how we got from A to B, so I'm still in.

While I do really like all the siblings, I think Randall's wife has got to be  my favorite character.  So often TV characters, especially secondary ones, just kind of go with the flow and don't really do anything until circumstances for action.  I loved that she took it upon herself to talk to the biodad (William?) and I loved her reaction when she found out the truth.

I don't always *like* Kate, but I think she is a very authentic character.  As someone who has struggled with her weight since the moment of birth (I was a big baby...) I get it when she hulks out.  My heart also broke when she, as a child, came down for breakfast.  Sorry, but that cantalope and cottage cheese was far more damaging for her longterm health than the sugary cereal....

Oh, and cameos from both Katy Sagal and Brad Garrett?  Yay show!!!!

[Arcadiasw]

3 hours ago, Aloeonatable said:

Not sure about Kate, but Jack, as mentioned in a couple of articles, is supposed to be in construction, maybe design or project management. Could Kate be Kevin's assistant? 

If she is, she should think twice encouraging her brother to quit without any options. But if Kevin goes to NY, I'm sure Kate will follow, but will Toby tag along too?

3 hours ago, Aloeonatable said:

Maybe the off season, hiatus, roles Kevin is offered are just as bad as his Manny role. Filming a half hour comedy, even 22 episodes, can be grueling and many actors enjoy their time off from work. It usually is about 4-5 months between filming. He might only be renting that beautiful beach house shown in the first episode. 

The average person does more grueling work than Kevin and do not get 4-5 months off or are paid anything close to Kevin's pay. That said, he still could've stayed on The Manny and try theatre in CA or NY during his 4-5 month hiatus.

2 hours ago, WhosThatGirl said:

Yeah Kevin didn't just yell behind the scenes, he caused a tantrum, insulted the writers and the FANS who watch the show! It's hard to be on his side. I also kept reminding myself that he's a 36 year old adult, he's not some 26 year old doing this. He made a fool of himself. And seriously what was the show asking him to do? Other than the role he was supposed to play. 

Agreed but even at 26 he's an adult and it would've been just as dumb and a career damaging decision. For someone who cares what other people think, Kevin wasn't thinking about his career with that temper tantrum he had. 

[atomationage]

I suspect Brad Garrett was hired because they wanted someone who was taller than Justin Hartley.

[Tiger]

Where do Beth & Randall live?

Because I thought the pilot established Randall as living in Philly, and they presumebly lived in a suburb of Philly.  But last night Randall's bio father said he was taking a bus 3 hrs every day to Philly.  

Does Beth work? Does Kate work? If so, what do they do?  

I am loving the seemingly universal love for Beth; she's definitely my favorite character.

I hope they beef up her role, but I hope producers dont make the same mistake that almost all do when a supporting character is really popular and it into "The [insert popular previously supporting character here] Show".

[Cardie]

1 hour ago, foreverevolving said:

I still feel it's not the best counter example, Clooney wasn't the lead on the Facts of Life (as Kevin is on The Manny), he was there for like a season and half in total.

One of the reasons The Manny seems so humiliating for Kevin is that it's like a sitcom from their childhood in the 80s (Who's the Boss, Charles in Charge, Full House.) It's true that the networks continue to think that men doing childcare is hysterical and come up with clueless Dad comedies regularly. Yet they are a small fraction of sitcoms in 2016 and hardly any have long runs. So this seems an odd target to get so much focus in Kevin's story. I don't think getting time for other projects is what he wants; he just can't stand being part of this exploitative idiocy any longer.

[Tiger]

4 minutes ago, Cardie said:

One of the reasons The Manny seems so humiliating for Kevin is that it's like a sitcom from their childhood in the 80s (Who's the Boss, Charles in Charge, Full House.) It's true that the networks continue to think that men doing childcare is hysterical and come up with clueless Dad comedies regularly. Yet they are a small fraction of sitcoms in 2016 and hardly any have long runs. So this seems an odd target to get so much focus in Kevin's story. I don't think getting time for other projects is what he wants; he just can't stand being part of this exploitative idiocy any longer.

The folks at CBS are still love with the 'fat and/or dumb husband + hot & smart wife' comedies.  Im actually surprised something akin to "The Manny" isnt airing on that net right now.

[Cardie]

6 minutes ago, Tiger said:

Where do Beth & Randall live?

Because I thought the pilot established Randall as living in Philly, and they presumebly lived in a suburb of Philly.  But last night Randall's bio father said he was taking a bus 3 hrs every day to Philly.  

Does Beth work? Does Kate work? If so, what do they do?  

Jack and Rebecca lived in Pittsburgh but that's almost five hours from Philly. I suspect Randall may be in New York City (or its suburbs). That's only two hours by car, and a bus would be slower. That way, if the twins go to NYC, the big three will reunite and old Rebecca won't be around constantly because she's in PA.

Does Rebecca work? (Not that we've seen.) To show all the main women characters only as relates to their families won't be cool.

[Happytobehere]

18 hours ago, memememe76 said:

The most obvious example of an actor leaving a hit tv show way before their contract was David Caruso on NYPD Blue. Was there an actor who wanted out but the network refused to release them?

Going way back, Pernell Roberts (Adam) fought to get out of Bonanza and he was basically blacklisted  for about 20 years until he started getting little role and eventually became Trapper John MD in the MASH spinoff.

[ShadowFacts]

33 minutes ago, Tiger said:

Where do Beth & Randall live?

Because I thought the pilot established Randall as living in Philly, and they presumebly lived in a suburb of Philly.  But last night Randall's bio father said he was taking a bus 3 hrs every day to Philly.  

I think it's possible they live in a suburb, and William may have to make several transfers to get to his place somewhere in the city proper.  That can take hours.  Then a couple hours at his apartment, and the trip back could take all day. 

[OtterMommy]

11 hours ago, Seelouis said:

The 80's stuff to me didn't feel right.  It was supposed to be 1987 at that point.  I think Jack looks more like he's in the 70's.  Like they didn't change the styling from the first episode, which was 1979, to last night's, which was 8 years later and a whole other look. 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt this way.  It should have been 1986, but it felt like 1981 or 1982.

[MissT]

Just watched the episode.    Did anyone notice that Miguel had a wedding ring on while they were at the bar?     It was clearly visible. Also during his phone message to Jack he said he was jealous.    I guess Miguel either got divorced then married Rebecca or they had an affair.  

Edited September 29, 2016 by MissT

[Lady Calypso]

So, I'm rewatching the episode. Some things I'm noticing upon rewatch:

• Beth and Randall have been together for 17 years. So they've been a couple since at least Randall was 19, so that's very cute. Even after all that time, they still deeply love each other.
• I do think that Beth and Randall live in a suburban New York area. If William's gone all day and is on a bus three hours each way, they can't be in Philly (it wouldn't have been believable for Beth, and William even said he goes to his place in Philly), and New York is the closer of the bigger metropolitan areas for Randall to work in. Plus, with Kevin moving to New York, that provides more opportunity for him and Randall to reconnect. It would make sense, given Kevin/Randall's conversation.
• Damn, rewatching the Miguel/Jack scene, knowing that Miguel's married with Rebecca in the future 28 years from then, it sucks even more. Basically calling Jack, his best friend, shit and how he shouldn't give Rebecca "a reason to notice". It seems like he's definitely trying to plant seeds there and it's sketchy as hell. I'm still unsure if he was truly helping Jack out in that scene or not. Before the ending, I would say that he was. But now? I'm still undecided. Also, Miguel also being a married man makes him look worse.
• I've come to the conclusion that Miguel and Rebecca have at least been together for at least five years. That gives Randall's daughters enough time to get used to calling Miguel "Grandpa" so affectionately. It could maybe be four years, as both girls are under the age of ten. 
• It sounds like Randall took after Rebecca the most, with both of them needing to be perfect and good. 
• I'm now questioning why William didn't talk about the cat before, especially since he wouldn't have known about Randall and Beth's youngest daughter's asthma until at least the next day after he came over. A minor plot detail that's not important, or is it a hint? Now I'm back on the suspicious list. 
• The "Gilmore Girl" line made me laugh; I must have rewatched that a few times. 
• I think we will absolutely see more stories about Kate and her weight. I think it'll take some time because the fact is that she's too obsessed with it. She'll have to go through her own journey to find herself outside of her weight. Once she does, then we'll get more storylines with her. That's what I've accepted.
• Also, 28 years of age is mentioned quite a bit in this episode. Jack meeting Rebecca at 28, Beth's story about Randall going temporarily blind at 28 as well as him being that age for the birth of his first daughter. 
• I'm putting this out there: I wouldn't be surprised if the necklace Jack gave Rebecca was something that Miguel picked out and that's part of the reason why she wears it. That could give some hope to Jack's fate in present day. 
• Beth still seems uncertain with William, given her facial expression when he gave the youngest daughter the asthma inhaler shot. So it seems that she'll still be at arms length with him for a while longer.

[Jodithgrace]

So I guess we're all going to fret now, every time that Jack get into a car or coughs or has a headache. (well, in the latter case we should fret because people don't get headaches on tv or in the movies unless they're GONNA DIE!) 

I feel for Rebecca dealing with a chubby child. It seems there's no right way to do it. If you're the diet police (which is the route she's taking at the moment) you give your child low self esteem and body issues. If you take a laissez faire attitude, you have to sit back and watch your child get fatter and be miserable. First of all, I think everybody in the family should be eating the same healthy food..no sugar cereal for anybody. That's so unfair and and that sugary crap isn't good for growing boys either. But it's really really hard, and I feel for Rebecca fighting that battle. I do have to laugh, though, at her describing her parenting as a 9, when we see the results as her three children struggle today. 

I was so sure, after we saw the moon necklace, that in the next scene we would see Kate taking it out of a drawer or even wearing it, meaning that Mom was dead. So the twist did surprise me.

So Javier has become Miguel and has a new best friend. I guess I can learn to live with that. 

[candall]

I read the first page and a half and most people think Milo is dead.  HA!!  One of these episodes is going to end on the twist of the door opening and there's Big Three Daddy Milo.

Mahk mah words.

*********

The weight loss group had me rolling on the floor because I gave Weight Watchers a shot once and this happened:   a very pretty, blonde, slim woman in her 20's stood up and said that faithful attendance at the Saturday morning meetings was how she maintained her goal weight--which she had reached by losing twelve pounds, five years earlier. 

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, Cardie said:

Jack and Rebecca lived in Pittsburgh but that's almost five hours from Philly. I suspect Randall may be in New York City (or its suburbs). That's only two hours by car, and a bus would be slower. That way, if the twins go to NYC, the big three will reunite and old Rebecca won't be around constantly because she's in PA.

Does Rebecca work? (Not that we've seen.) To show all the main women characters only as relates to their families won't be cool.

Randall can't be in NYC proper in that house, with that driveway. No sprawling space like that in the city proper. Gotta be a suburb. NYC to Philly is 90 minutes by train. A commute from a suburb into NYC could easily take an hour depending on what suburb, and then William would spend some time traveling from 30th St. or the bus station in Philly to wherever he lives. That's three hours.

[fastiller]

Regarding where Beth and Randall live: when Kevin called the phone showed an 862 area code, which is NJ.  I know it is a cell phone, but I think the implication is suburban NY, within an 1.5 hour bus trip to Philly.

[atomationage]

I'm betting on Parsippany-Troy Hills NJ

[OtterMommy]

9 hours ago, HeySandyStrange said:

I like Kate and Toby, but the constant talk about weight is going to get old fast. I say that as someone who has struggled with my own weight, but weight issues are only so interesting. Surely there are other interesting facets about Kate's life they can explore. What does she do for a living? Does she have any friends? Something, please.

I agree with this, but I can stand it for now because I have a feeling (okay, hope....) that weight will not always be the number one topic between the two.  Kate spoke about it being the first thing on her mind at all times and Toby wanted that not to be the case.  Either Kate's mindset will change or the relationship will not survive.  

I like Toby, although he frequently says things that make me think I should be offended, but I just can't do that.  I'm interested to see how their relationship develops and I hope it doesn't end up in sit-com territory.

[atomationage]

9 hours ago, random chance said:

It would take Kate years to lose all the weight but if they padded the actor, they could give the character a head start next season?

There's no padding.  That's all Chrissy Metz. 

[random chance]

1 minute ago, atomationage said:

There's no padding.  That's all Chrissy Metz. 

Ah, thanks for the info. Well, I'll be rooting for her!