S01.E04: Woman Is The Something Of The Something

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Sam gets really looked at.

[BingeyKohan]

Just because I LOL'd for longer than I should have at the 'thoughts of diarrhea' but doesn't mean I don't appreciate the layers of this show. But it was really funny. 

Was the negligible difference in price between a neck left and a face lift a small joke in itself? I was surprised a facelift didn't cost way more (not way more than 50k but way more than a neck lift). 

I'm still not sure how to take Sam's tolerance level for barely clothed co-ed sleepovers hosted by her teen-age daughter...but I'm old I guess? 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

4 hours ago, BingeyKohan said:

I'm still not sure how to take Sam's tolerance level for barely clothed co-ed sleepovers hosted by her teen-age daughter...but I'm old I guess? 

It seems like Sam doesn't even know they're there most of the time.  Are we to assume that the boys are not interested in the girls except as friends?  Either way, Max is extremely underdressed. I guess she gets it from Sam, who can't find the time to put on pants before the firefighters arrive, either.

[Lone Wolf]

Abed!

[scrb]

I didn't quite catch what happened in the opening.  The homeless woman was talking about her successful children who left her out on the streets.

So in the next scene, Sam is kicking the kids out of the van and making them take the bus and walk uphill to get back home?  Because she decided her kids will treat her like shit when they're adults?

Also the behavior of the two older ones probably has a lot to do with what she's let them get away with.  One of them calls her "Sam" and the middle one is getting all these wacky ideas -- MLK beat his wife in addition to cheating on her -- from her teacher at school.

And Sam is happy that the pilot fell through, not knowing it was a plum role, because she'd be free to go on a field trip out of town with her kid and her teacher?

 

Also, it must be Louis CK's joke that her name is Sam Fox and one of the TV show runners joked about masturbating to her.  Of course Samantha Fox first gained fame as one of those tabloid topless models in Britain.

[maraleia]

2 hours ago, scrb said:

I didn't quite catch what happened in the opening.  The homeless woman was talking about her successful children who left her out on the streets.

So in the next scene, Sam is kicking the kids out of the van and making them take the bus and walk uphill to get back home?  Because she decided her kids will treat her like shit when they're adults?

Also the behavior of the two older ones probably has a lot to do with what she's let them get away with.  One of them calls her "Sam" and the middle one is getting all these wacky ideas -- MLK beat his wife in addition to cheating on her -- from her teacher at school.

And Sam is happy that the pilot fell through, not knowing it was a plum role, because she'd be free to go on a field trip out of town with her kid and her teacher?

 

Also, it must be Louis CK's joke that her name is Sam Fox and one of the TV show runners joked about masturbating to her.  Of course Samantha Fox first gained fame as one of those tabloid topless models in Britain.

They aren't wacky ideas. Most teachers don't tell students the truth because they don't want to or are barred from doing so. Sam sends her kids to liberal schools that don't have these restrictions based on what we've seen so far.

Also, Sam's daughter might have misheard her teacher about MLK beating his wife but he did cheat on her multiple times. We know this because of the FBI wiretaps they did to try and discredit King and his movement.

[Jade Foxx]

For clarification, the actual quote is:  “De n***** woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see.”.

If the renowned anthropologist and writer extraordinaire Zora Neal Hurston is to be quoted, please Pam and Louis, do it accurately. The meaning is that the black woman is the most undervalued person/creature on the planet.  

But sure, let's misrepresent it so a white girl can say the N word under the guise of feminism. 

Fuck you, show. 

Edited October 1, 2016 by Jade Foxx

[Grommet]

I want to like this show but the screaming children...no. Stop it.

[scrb]

Oh I don't question the MLK cheating but the beating the wife thing came out of left field.

[PetuniaP]

On 10/1/2016 at 1:31 AM, Jade Foxx said:

For clarification, the actual quote is:  “De n***** woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see.”.

If the renowned anthropologist and writer extraordinaire Zora Neal Hurston is to be quoted, please Pam and Louis, do it accurately. The meaning is that the black woman is the most undervalued person/creature on the planet.  

But sure, let's misrepresent it so a white girl can say the N word under the guise of feminism. 

Fuck you, show. 

Technically, they were quoting John Lennon who did say the phrase as quoted. He was paraphrasing Zora Neale Hurston's quote. I didn't agree with the show's decision to go there but I think Lennon was the one who originally extrapolated incorrectly. 

Despite being thrilled that this show exists as a concept (I've seen my fill of white-guy-with-a-problem) shows, so far, I'm not totally on board with this show like I was with Louie...it's just not as funny or as insightful. I get that the plight of a single forty-something actress raising 3 children on her own is hard, but they aren't making me care too much. I feel like Pamela is using her show to make barbed points rather than focusing on making it funny. And while everything she is skewering, Hollywood, the patriarchy, etc wholly deserves it, the show has to serve the comedy gods first. I loved her writing and acting on Louie so I hope this show finds it's footing but they are starting to lose me. 

Edited October 2, 2016 by PetuniaP

[Mumbles]

This was my favorite episode so far. There is a lot to digest in this episode.  I don't know what to make of Sam's manager being so dishonest about the nature of the role. Nor can I figure out the studio exec who was working with Danny Pudi and the Silicon Valley guy - she seemed very down on Sam as a choice at first, but also looked secretly pissed with the Rachel McAdams' development occurred.

The kids were a little easier to take.  I thought it was sweet when Duke stood up for her mom at the smoke alarm incident.  And it was nice to see her bonding with the middle one.  As for the oldest one - still a nightmare. I'm not sure I'd say that Sam was tolerant of her sleepovers...she seemed freaked out that all those kids were there.

I did laugh out loud heartily when Sam learned she would have bruises for three weeks, and when asked what she would tell the girls, she replied, "I'll tell them I was attacked." And the voiceover bit was funny too.

And I too smirk at the "Samantha Fox" allusion.

[Court]

The oldest daughter needs to go. I have zero tolerance for her and she takes me out of the show. I find the rest of it funny but that oldest girl may be why I stop watching.

I didn't get the manager thing, either.

[Mumbles]

Quote

I didn't get the manager thing, either.

Another website suggested that the manager downplaying and mischaracterizing the role was because she understood how Hollywood worked and she didn't want Sam to get her hopes up or rearrange her life for a role that probably wouldn't come through. I'm not sure I'm fully on board. What she did was kind of malpractice-y. Sam was entitled to the truth and to take whatever steps she thought was right for her.

Quote

The oldest daughter needs to go. I have zero tolerance for her and she takes me out of the show.

The only moment that made me kind of like her - in all the episodes so far - was after the middle daughter told the diarrhea story at dinner in the episode with Lenny Kravitz, she was justifiably mortified, and then smiled just a little. 

I did love Sam's "You think your shit doesn't stink but it does" speech a few episodes ago at her.

[Jade Foxx]

On 10/2/2016 at 0:30 PM, PetuniaP said:

Technically, they were quoting John Lennon who did say the phrase as quoted. He was paraphrasing Zora Neale Hurston's quote. I didn't agree with the show's decision to go there but I think Lennon was the one who originally extrapolated incorrectly. 

Despite being thrilled that this show exists as a concept (I've seen my fill of white-guy-with-a-problem) shows, so far, I'm not totally on board with this show like I was with Louie...it's just not as funny or as insightful. I get that the plight of a single forty-something actress raising 3 children on her own is hard, but they aren't making me care too much. I feel like Pamela is using her show to make barbed points rather than focusing on making it funny. And while everything she is skewering, Hollywood, the patriarchy, etc wholly deserves it, the show has to serve the comedy gods first. I loved her writing and acting on Louie so I hope this show finds it's footing but they are starting to lose me. 

Got it. Didn't know Lennon mangled the original quote. All hail the Goddess that was Zora!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 10/4/2016 at 11:04 PM, Mumbles said:

Another website suggested that the manager downplaying and mischaracterizing the role was because she understood how Hollywood worked and she didn't want Sam to get her hopes up or rearrange her life for a role that probably wouldn't come through. I'm not sure I'm fully on board. What she did was kind of malpractice-y. Sam was entitled to the truth and to take whatever steps she thought was right for her.

Her manager asked her if she was free in March for a sitcom, to which Sam said "yes."  The only thing she lied to her about was about the role being "best friend" instead of "lead." If she had told her "lead" perhaps Sam would have blown off other, lesser jobs in the meantime feeling there was a guaranteed payday around the corner (although presumably Sam has been in the business long enough to know better.)  And Sam did check the status of the proposed job before confirming the trip with Frankie.  Had the lead role still been a possibility, I'm sure the manager would have told her then.

Spoiler

Of course we see in the next episode that the manager is among Sam's close circle of friends who clearly has her best interests at heart.

[yourmomiseasy]

On 10/2/2016 at 1:26 PM, Mumbles said:

This was my favorite episode so far. There is a lot to digest in this episode.  I don't know what to make of Sam's manager being so dishonest about the nature of the role. Nor can I figure out the studio exec who was working with Danny Pudi and the Silicon Valley guy - she seemed very down on Sam as a choice at first, but also looked secretly pissed with the Rachel McAdams' development occurred.

I think she was down on it because she knew the network would never agree because Sam is "old".  Then when they did she had her hopes built up that it would really happen.  Then when the Rachel McAdams thing happened she was pissed as a woman because of course Sam was replaced by someone younger.

[mansonlamps]

On 10/2/2016 at 2:30 PM, PetuniaP said:

Technically, they were quoting John Lennon who did say the phrase as quoted. He was paraphrasing Zora Neale Hurston's quote. I didn't agree with the show's decision to go there but I think Lennon was the one who originally extrapolated incorrectly. 

I don't know that I agree that Lennon extrapolated incorrectly.. He's a songwriter and poet in his own right and borrowed from the original line to interpret the sentiment in his own way.  I doubt he was concerned about "allowing" white girls to use that word. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The casting scene was hilarious because of who they cast as the casting directors! Abed, Gabe, and Phil all together in one room!

At first I thought Tressa was being shady about the pilot because she was going to try to get one of her other clients cast in the role but when it became clear that she knew all along that the network wasn't going to hire someone Sam's age as the lead and she was just doing it to keep Sam from getting her hopes up and then being disappointed, I got it.

We haven't been told much about the girls' dad so when Frankie was screaming about calling their dad to talk to the firemen, I couldn't figure out if she truly believed that Sam was incapable of having a conversation with the firemen about the smoke alarm or if Frankie just wanted an excuse to have her dad come over (which is sometimes the case in divorces).