S01.E05: H-A-L-- HALLOWEEN

[Drogo]

"H-A-L-- HALLOWEEN"

[mtlchick]

"Dude!  You're slurring your words!"  Heh heh. 

[Skyfall]

And then he crashed at the end!

[Crs97]

I loved JJ crashing his costume at the end!  I also loved Maya letting Jimmy have the list to make him feel better, especially when she asked why they kept playing the same song over and over.

[CarolMK]

Interesting plot that the showed JJ tricking his caregiver and having his friends help him get drunk. Also, that the parents had to discipline him for the first time ever. I thought it was well done overall. The show's Facebook page had a few negative comments about a teenager getting drunk but I think the show was just trying to focus on how teenagers will break the rules (at least sometimes), and even though he's disabled, JJ isn't any different than other teens in that regard.

[bros402]

That was a fun episode.

Though after JJ got drunk, I was worried about him aspirating vomit - but he was on his side before the tag, so that was good.

I really liked this episode. Sucks that there isn't one next week, though.

[Empress1]

I like that JJ has actual friends - he was invited to the party, they were happy to have him, they weren't trying to get him drunk to make fun of him. I also liked that the advice in response to "why doesn't she like me?" was "let her go" rather than "you have to MAKE her like you." The latter is common in media but it is toxic and false - you can't force someone to like you. 

[vibeology]

I enjoyed it. JJ is a confident guy, basically asking for a party invite when many high schoolers wouldn't have that yet. I also thought drunk JJ was great.

Ray's plot bugged me. You want the girl, you have to actually put yourself out there. Ask her out and respect her answer. Being around and expecting a girl to fall into you isn't the best plan (except for the guy who pulled it off.) If Ray had asked that girl out before the haunted house started, I do think he would have gotten a yes. He needs to be more like JJ and make and ask for what you want.

[dmmetler]

I admit that I wasn't nearly as confident as JJ as a teen. I think his dad's "bulletproof" attitude has rubbed off. I do hope that he wasn't on any medication that interacted with alcohol. I do like JJ and his friends going around Kenneth-teens are teens, after all. I do think Kenneth, having worked in a high school for years, would be concerned about there being alcohol there, period. But then, this is the high school that has the big bonfire where apparently alcohol and hookups are condoned. 

 

I also love the fact that the parents are trying to be serious, but are happy that their kid finally messed up in a normal teen way. That's a very real experience for parents of kids with special needs. 

Edited October 27, 2016 by dmmetler

[OnceSane]

I loved this episode.  Jimmy giving Ray great advice about his crush, Maya freeing the list to cheer up Jimmy, even Dylan being upset/annoyed at Ray's crush choosing the other boy.  It was all terrific!

But the best part was JJ being just another teen.  Tricking his caretaker, getting drunk and Maya & Jimmy's utter joy at grounding him like every other kid would be.  This episode is definitely worth a rewatch, IMO.

[tennisgurl]

That was a really great episode! The last few episodes have been way better than the first two. The characters are gelling more, and I think they have them down more, especially Maya and Jimmy, who were kind of annoying at first, but I have really liked them the last few weeks. 

I really liked all the sub plots, especially the JJ plot and the Maya/Jimmy plot. We haven't gotten to see much of Maya and Jimmy together as a couple, so it was nice to see them trying to make each other feel better, and trying to discipline together. Plus, Landslide! That really is a great song to listen to when you feel nostalgic and sad, and of course they find the wrong Landslide. 

I really like that the kids at the party do actually like JJ, and I can see why they do. He is really confident and can be funny, and since the kids do seem open to him, they can honestly hang out with him without it feeling like they feel sorry for him or are just making fun of him. JJ is a normal teen, and he wants to do normal teen stuff. He is a nice kid though, even when he tries to break the rules. 

The Back to the Future costumes were awesome!

[neuromom]

That was a fun episode. I really enjoyed the Maya/Jimmy story- I don't thing we've seen them as a "couple" yet. Very cute! I had background noise and didn't catch all the dialogue, but did Maya ever say what Jimmy did for a living aside from having  "calluses on his hands"? 

I enjoyed Maya and Jimmy each taking one kid to provide some support and advice. 

and I just realized that ALL three kids share a bedroom. And Dylan seems to have a tight bond with her brothers. So, the house appears to be a 2 bed/1 bath. Which, in this economy seems to be very realistic, if you have a family of five, and the extra expenses of having one that is special needs. I half expected the family to live in the typical sit com "big house" where everyone has their own room. And lots of toys and gadgets to go with it. Like money is no obeject- which those of us with special needs kids KNOW is not the truth. So refreshing that this show is more realistic. 

[bros402]

9 hours ago, neuromom said:

That was a fun episode. I really enjoyed the Maya/Jimmy story- I don't thing we've seen them as a "couple" yet. Very cute! I had background noise and didn't catch all the dialogue, but did Maya ever say what Jimmy did for a living aside from having  "calluses on his hands"? 

I enjoyed Maya and Jimmy each taking one kid to provide some support and advice. 

and I just realized that ALL three kids share a bedroom. And Dylan seems to have a tight bond with her brothers. So, the house appears to be a 2 bed/1 bath. Which, in this economy seems to be very realistic, if you have a family of five, and the extra expenses of having one that is special needs. I half expected the family to live in the typical sit com "big house" where everyone has their own room. And lots of toys and gadgets to go with it. Like money is no obeject- which those of us with special needs kids KNOW is not the truth. So refreshing that this show is more realistic. 

I'm wondering if their bedroom is the larger one - since there was a decent amount of room in there for JJ's bed, then Ray & Dylan's bunk bed.

I like how this show is realistic.

I think they are saving Jimmy's job for another episode. I hope it is something good.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 hour ago, bros402 said:

I'm wondering if their bedroom is the larger one - since there was a decent amount of room in there for JJ's bed, then Ray & Dylan's bunk bed.

I also assumed that they had given the kids the master bedroom.

I did wonder how JJ got out of bed and into his wheelchair so quickly when the kids all burst into their parents' bedroom to tell their mom about their Halloween plans.  If Ray and Dylan actually stopped to help him into his chair before jockeying to get there first, they are some devoted siblings.

[Cherry Cola]

15 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I also assumed that they had given the kids the master bedroom.

I did wonder how JJ got out of bed and into his wheelchair so quickly when the kids all burst into their parents' bedroom to tell their mom about their Halloween plans.  If Ray and Dylan actually stopped to help him into his chair before jockeying to get there first, they are some devoted siblings.

I wondered how he got in his chair too.  That part bugged me.  Not realistic.  

JJ crashing into the trash can was the funniest part by far! 

[bros402]

6 hours ago, Sgt Pepper said:

I wondered how he got in his chair too.  That part bugged me.  Not realistic.  

JJ crashing into the trash can was the funniest part by far! 

I'm thinking they they helped JJ into his wheelchair - based on how they have acted in earlier episodes, they seem like they would think of JJ first -get him in the chair, while maintaining their fervor.

And, well, running into the parents room without JJ while frantic would give the parents a heart attack.

[neuromom]

11 hours ago, bros402 said:

I'm thinking they they helped JJ into his wheelchair - based on how they have acted in earlier episodes, they seem like they would think of JJ first -get him in the chair, while maintaining their fervor.

And, well, running into the parents room without JJ while frantic would give the parents a heart attack.

True on both counts! I imagine that with the two of them, and JJ cooperating, they could transfer him to his chair in seconds. (I can usually get my son in his , by myself, even if he's uncooperative, in 10-15 seconds tops)

[kaygeeret]

I  was not enthralled with this show after two epis and I didn't make it 'must see tv'.

Randomly I tuned in this week to this epi (well sports aversion really helped w/the decision).......

AND I loved this episode.  It rang so true to what a kid wants to experience at that age.  What was wonderful was the acceptance of JJ as one of them - flouting the 'adult' rules.

Getting him drunk could have had terrible consequences. luckily we are in tvland and that didn't happen, but, honestly who knows a teenager that would actually think that there would be consequences.

And I saw mom toned down and her reactions were actually on a more realistic level.  Her character really turned me off the first two epis.

Still, this show is the step child of Malcom in the Middle and The Middle - quite derivative at its base.

[bros402]

4 hours ago, kaygeeret said:

I  was not enthralled with this show after two epis and I didn't make it 'must see tv'.

Randomly I tuned in this week to this epi (well sports aversion really helped w/the decision).......

AND I loved this episode.  It rang so true to what a kid wants to experience at that age.  What was wonderful was the acceptance of JJ as one of them - flouting the 'adult' rules.

Getting him drunk could have had terrible consequences. luckily we are in tvland and that didn't happen, but, honestly who knows a teenager that would actually think that there would be consequences.

And I saw mom toned down and her reactions were actually on a more realistic level.  Her character really turned me off the first two epis.

Still, this show is the step child of Malcom in the Middle and The Middle - quite derivative at its base.

If it had some awesome music, it would be this decade's Malcolm in the Middle.

[GRChereck]

My #1 fave so far. :)

The "Dead to Maya" list was a great addition to the show, and its continued presence on the wall still makes me giggle. Love the specificity of the various items, the sort of insights we get into Jimmy's tastes / interests and little hints at what his life may have been like before he settled down with Maya.

The idea of him being more of a creative / artsy guy (as we later saw more of in "Valentine's Day," with the family video and all those "reasons I love you" paper hearts) than one who does practical / handy stuff is interesting to me, as well. 

The parents' giddiness at finally getting to punish JJ for something was so cute; and Jimmy's handling of Ray's situation was so sweet. 

Also, I thought it was really cool how this ep took the exact same one-on-one dynamics as "Inspirations" and tweaked them in a way that still felt fresh. These episodes were like two sides of the same coin, with Kenneth and JJ each finding a way to take advantage of the other, Jimmy and Maya encouraging each other to be selfish in specific circumstances (Maya without JJ to take care of, Jimmy with none of the kids around), and Ray and Dylan working together (how well they get along when they have a shared interest and a common goal, and how things go wrong when their agendas differ).

Edited February 27, 2017 by GRChereck