Unpopular Opinions Thread

[ShadowFacts]

It's not always cut and dried as to what is an unpopular opinion, so that's why I hope that disagreement is OK.  And it's all largely opinion in most threads, unless people are trying to recall details of what happened or was said.  Some shows have topics for 'What is wrong with the writing' but I don't know if that's necessary here (yet). 

To move to another (possibly) unpopular opinion, I don't know how much more of Jack and Rebecca's astoundingly wonderful love I can take.  I don't enjoy the flashbacks of them one-on-one very much already.  I prefer them dealing with their kids or jobs or other aspects of their life. 

Edited February 14, 2017 by ShadowFacts
Jack and Rebecca, not Jack and Kate duh

[Kktjones]

19 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

To move to another (possibly) unpopular opinion, I don't know how much more of Jack and Rebecca's astoundingly wonderful love I can take.  I don't enjoy the flashbacks of them one-on-one very much already.  I prefer them dealing with their kids or jobs or other aspects of their life. 

I agree with this 100%. I actually fast forwarded through some of their fight last night b/c I just find their relationship so annoying. For some reason I really like them when they're dealing with the kids (especially the teens), but can't stand the two of them alone together.

[Guest]

I have UOs on William.

His presence is having such a negative impact on Randall and the family and it seems he doesn't want to be with them anymore anyway. He mentioned that he could go stay with Jesse in a way that made me think he might want to be with him instead.  Randall should let him go, at least for awhile, because he is still practically a stranger. He's Randall's father by biology only; Jack was Randall's father legally and emotionally until recently.  I don't think it is right of Randall to sacrifice his own job, his health, and his daughter's stability to keep William around, especially when William has somewhere else to go with someone else who loves him.  I also think they are way overplaying the "father" part of the William/Randall relationship. 

[Wings]

1 hour ago, deaja said:

I have UOs on William.

His presence is having such a negative impact on Randall and the family and it seems he doesn't want to be with them anymore anyway. He mentioned that he could go stay with Jesse in a way that made me think he might want to be with him instead.  Randall should let him go, at least for awhile, because he is still practically a stranger. He's Randall's father by biology only; Jack was Randall's father legally and emotionally until recently.  I don't think it is right of Randall to sacrifice his own job, his health, and his daughter's stability to keep William around, especially when William has somewhere else to go with someone else who loves him.  I also think they are way overplaying the "father" part of the William/Randall relationship. 

100 likes!  It is way too over the top.  I hope William dies this season and Randall gets a grip on things.  His angry, strident persona is not interesting nor entertaining to watch.  

[DayGlorious]

On 2/14/2017 at 8:43 AM, Winston9-DT3 said:

This is the unpopular opinions thread.  It's my opinion.  In Beth's shoes, I wouldn't take in a stranger with late stage terminal cancer into my 3-bedroom house while I had the resources to help him out otherwise.  In William's shoes, I wouldn't take these people up on their hospitality.  Nor in Kevin's shoes.  To me, that's the tone deaf part.  

Unrelated side note: How can such a big, gaudy McMansion of a house have only three bedrooms?

[Katy M]

59 minutes ago, DayGlorious said:

Unrelated side note: How can such a big, gaudy McMansion of a house have only three bedrooms?

Beth has an office, and then they have a room dedicated to Karaoke.  So, there's where 2 other bedrooms would have gone.  I made the second one up, just in case no one realizes.

[PRgal]

18 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Beth has an office, and then they have a room dedicated to Karaoke.  So, there's where 2 other bedrooms would have gone.  I made the second one up, just in case no one realizes.

A room dedicated to karaoke.  Well, that's what one's BASEMENT is supposed to be for!!!

[Katy M]

No, no, the basement is the guest room for people you throw out of the office.

[Wings]

28 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Beth has an office, and then they have a room dedicated to Karaoke.  So, there's where 2 other bedrooms would have gone.  I made the second one up, just in case no one realizes.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!  

[Guest]

46 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Beth has an office, and then they have a room dedicated to Karaoke.  So, there's where 2 other bedrooms would have gone.  I made the second one up, just in case no one realizes.

Ha!  And poor Randall has to keep his treadmill in his bedroom and park on the street.  I wonder if we'll ever see this untouchable home office of Beth's.  Or their detached, lack of or stuffed garage.  Maybe he's got his new boat in it.  

[Wings]

Duke was just a way to get her out of fat camp.  He was tossed in for some drama.  No 'sue the camp', that is sexual harassment coming from me.  Nope.  It is a TV show.  See?  This is why I should not be watching a scripted drama series.  LOL!  The only thing that irritates me is Randall because he is not a likable character in anyway and we are supposed to have empathy for him.   I thought the writers failed on that one until I read here that viewers love him and were brought to tears.  I have a black hole for my heart, clearly.   

The actor is an okay-ish looking man when you see him smiling but not when in character.  Ugh.  I wonder if they will soften him for season 2.  I get it they don't always cast pretty, Toby is an example of that but he is VERY lovable and witty.   Ugly and bad tempered doesn't do it for me unless they are a villain.  Shallow of me, I get that.  I love this thread; I can be unpopular without judgement aimed at me.   I threw that in, in case anyone was going to have at me for this.  LOL!

Edited February 15, 2017 by wings707

[topanga]

25 minutes ago, wings707 said:

The only thing that irritates me is Randall because he is not a likable character in anyway and we are supposed to have empathy for him.   I thought the writers failed on that one until I read here that viewers love him and were brought to tears.  I have a black hole for my heart, clearly.   

The actor is an okay-ish looking man when you see him smiling but not when in character.  Ugh.  I wonder if they will soften him for season 2.  I get it they don't always cast pretty, Toby is an example of that but he is VERY lovable and witty.   Ugly and bad tempered doesn't do it for me unless they are a villain.  Shallow of me, I get that.  I love this thread; I can be unpopular without judgement aimed at me.   I threw that in, in case anyone was going to have at me for this.  LOL!

No hole in your heart, wings707, just a different perspective. 

Jack is the person I feel nothing for, though most viewers seem to love him. In their effort to make him perfect, the writers have created a character I find unrealistic and pandering while he tries to gain everyone's approval. And, sorry, I don't find Milo Ventimiglia to be hot stuff. He's not ugly, but he doesn't do anything for me. And I find Sterling K. Brown handsome, even when he's not smiling. So, different strokes for different folks. 

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, wings707 said:

No 'sue the camp', that is sexual harassment coming from me.  Nope.

If something like that happened to me, I wouldn't sue.  It's just not who I am.  I would inform the doctor who referred me and I would write a letter to them after stating why I feel they were wrong and that they should ensure it doesn't happen in the future.  I realize that second one would probably do nothing, but it would make me feel better.  But, if the doctor knew about that, she might send referrals elsewhere.

[chocolatine]

11 minutes ago, Katy M said:

If something like that happened to me, I wouldn't sue.  It's just not who I am.  I would inform the doctor who referred me and I would write a letter to them after stating why I feel they were wrong and that they should ensure it doesn't happen in the future.  I realize that second one would probably do nothing, but it would make me feel better.  But, if the doctor knew about that, she might send referrals elsewhere.

Suing would not be my first instinct, but I would demand my money back, and if they refused, I'd fight them. Those kinds of camps cost several thousand dollars per week. There's no way I'd let them keep my money after being treated like that.

[ShadowFacts]

I think that type of business (in the Adirondacks, wasn't it?) must be regulated in some fashion by the state of New York.  I'd invoke consumer protections.  Whatever they may be. 

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, Katy M said:

If something like that happened to me, I wouldn't sue.  It's just not who I am.  I would inform the doctor who referred me and I would write a letter to them after stating why I feel they were wrong and that they should ensure it doesn't happen in the future.  I realize that second one would probably do nothing, but it would make me feel better.  But, if the doctor knew about that, she might send referrals elsewhere.

Same here.  Throw in some bad reviews online.  And notify my credit card company to reverse the portion of the charges for the unused time there.  

[kieyra]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

No hole in your heart, wings707, just a different perspective. 

Jack is the person I feel nothing for, though most viewers seem to love him. In their effort to make him perfect, the writers have created a character I find unrealistic and pandering while he tries to gain everyone's approval. And, sorry, I don't find Milo Ventimiglia to be hot stuff. He's not ugly, but he doesn't do anything for me. And I find Sterling K. Brown handsome, even when he's not smiling. So, different strokes for different folks. 

Jack is utterly, utterly lost on me. MV will always be Jess Mariano to me, but even that's not the problem. It's the "Saint Jack and Flawed Rebecca" narrative that is so very nails-on-chalkboard.

(I don't want to sleep with any of these actors--I rarely, rarely feel that way about tv characters or celebs--so it helps with the ol' internal biases.)

[Wings]

48 minutes ago, Katy M said:

If something like that happened to me, I wouldn't sue.  It's just not who I am.  I would inform the doctor who referred me and I would write a letter to them after stating why I feel they were wrong and that they should ensure it doesn't happen in the future.  I realize that second one would probably do nothing, but it would make me feel better.  But, if the doctor knew about that, she might send referrals elsewhere.

I totally agree.

[SlackerInc]

On 2/14/2017 at 9:27 AM, Katy M said:

William was invited by Randall, so I would agree Beth was being rude to him, if she wanted him gone that was a discussion she should have had with Randall.  However, Kevin just showed up, announced he was staying with them for an indefinite period of time when he's never been close to his brother, so I think asking him when he was leaving was perfectly justified.  Kevin was the rude one in that situation.  Especially when he saw they already had a houseguest when he arrived.  I don't know how late it was, but at that point it should have been at most spend the night and then leave in the morning.

I think they were both rude.  One of the things I always loved about the "Miss Manners" (Judith Martin) column was her sagacious advice that rudeness should be met by politeness.  Two wrongs don't make a right and all that.

14 hours ago, wings707 said:

Duke was just a way to get her out of fat camp.  He was tossed in for some drama.  No 'sue the camp', that is sexual harassment coming from me.  Nope.  It is a TV show.  See?  This is why I should not be watching a scripted drama series.  LOL!  The only thing that irritates me is Randall because he is not a likable character in anyway and we are supposed to have empathy for him.   I thought the writers failed on that one until I read here that viewers love him and were brought to tears.  I have a black hole for my heart, clearly.   

I think we can safely say this opinion qualifies for the thread.  Most people love Randall and Beth; I don't like Beth, which is pretty unpopular, but I don't know if I've encountered anyone but you who didn't like Randall.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, SlackerInc said:

I think they were both rude.  One of the things I always loved about the "Miss Manners" (Judith Martin) column was her sagacious advice that rudeness should be met by politeness.  Two wrongs don't make a right and all that.

I must have missed the Miss Manners column that said you had to let every uninvited guest live with you indefinitely.

[SlackerInc]

I missed it too--I don't think it exists .  I was referring to the way she spoke to him, not suggesting she had to let him stay forever.   I won't claim to be as clever a wordsmith as Judith Martin, but I'm imagining her saying something like "Kevin, dear, you must be terribly uncomfortable on that couch. I've got some free time this afternoon: why don't we go together and look for a more suitable place where you can work and sleep in comfort."

ETA:  And if he responds by saying that he's just fine on the couch, then she comes back with something like "oh you're so sweet to say so, but I'm not having any of it. I've slept on that couch and I won't subject you to it a single night longer. Come along now, we're going to go find you a nice place this moment."

Edited February 16, 2017 by SlackerInc

[Guest]

Right, that was my point.  In Beth's shoes, I would've said something like, "How long do we get the pleasure of your company?", not "When are you leaving?" with an annoyed inflection.  Then if he replied it was more than a night, or he didn't know, I'd suggest nicely that we'd help him find something better.  It's a small nitpick but it's just normal courtesy, especially with in-laws and when you haven't discussed it with your spouse yet.  

[Kohola3]

11 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

It's a small nitpick but it's just normal courtesy, especially with in-laws and when you haven't discussed it with your spouse yet.  

I think that depends on family dynamics.  In my family, plain-spoken relatives would have said what Beth said.  My grandfather's favorite phrase was "here's your hat, what's your hurry".  Mostly said with good humor, however.

[Guest]

I think normal courtesy for most adults is you try not to let on that your house guests are unwelcome.  I would be offended at the hat remark, said with any humor level.  I would leave and not come back.  

I think the implication was that Kevin isn't one to pick up a subtle hint and they've hit it over and over that he's not the most socially skilled or tactful.  It was early in the season and they needed to show Beth was no shrinking violet, also.  But it still felt ham-fisted to me.  If I was the writer, I would've given her a less rude but still somewhat pointed line there, or at least had her say the line with less annoyance in her voice and face.  MMV.  

But it wasn't as rude as telling William he was overstaying his welcome to me, either.  William's not written as unable to take a hint or to have the options Kevin has and being both a stranger and her elder, I think he deserves a little bit more courtesy than even Kevin.  

[Kohola3]

Quote

I think normal courtesy for most adults is you try not to let on that your house guests are unwelcome.

I agree if they are invited guests.  If the timeline was not established, the hosts can courteously ask what the stay is likely to be.  

This, in my opinion, does not apply to freeloaders who appear upon my doorstep with no warning.  Especially those with whom I already have a strained relationship as seemed to be the case with Kevin and Randall.  And Kevin already had rooming available - the plush hotel suite sitting empty;  it's not like he was homeless.  Just totally thoughtless and selfish.  And incredibly dense.

William is a whole different kettle of fish.  But I would be suspicious of anyone just turning up at my door claiming to be a long lost relative.  Beth had the safety of her family to consider.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Kohola3
spelling counts

[Katy M]

13 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I think normal courtesy for most adults is you try not to let on that your house guests are unwelcome.  I would be offended at the hat remark, said with any humor level.  I would leave and not come back.  

Sure, if you invite them.  But, if someone literally shows up on your doorstep with a suitcase and says "I'm staying here even though I have a perfectly good hotel room because reasons," I think all bets are off.

14 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

 But it still felt ham-fisted to me.  If I was the writer, I would've given her a less rude but still somewhat pointed line there, or at least had her say the line with less annoyance in her voice and face.  MMV

I do agree with that.

 

14 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

But it wasn't as rude as telling William he was overstaying his welcome to me, either.  William's not written as unable to take a hint or to have the options Kevin has and being both a stranger and her elder, I think he deserves a little bit more courtesy than even Kevin.  

Add to that he's sick and actually an invited guest, yes, he deserved way more courtesy.

[Wings]

4 hours ago, SlackerInc said:

I think we can safely say this opinion qualifies for the thread.  Most people love Randall and Beth; I don't like Beth, which is pretty unpopular, but I don't know if I've encountered anyone but you who didn't like Randall.

• Yes, I have noticed.  LOL  I am surprised.  As I said earlier it may have something to do with my binge watching the episodes up to E10.   Perhaps it was too much angst over William in a concentrated time frame.  ???

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Sure, if you invite them.  But, if someone literally shows up on your doorstep with a suitcase and says "I'm staying here even though I have a perfectly good hotel room because reasons," I think all bets are off.

I think what Kevin did was a faux pas but I still would greet it with courtesy first, then elevate as he missed some hints, especially as a sister-in-law who hadn't checked in with my husband about it.  If he'd shown up with the intention of being rude and imposing, or had more reason than we were shown to think he'd be unwelcome at his own twin's huge house and not just a bit clueless about courtesy, I think I'd feel more like you.  

[Katy M]

4 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Yes, I have noticed.  LOL  I am surprised.  As I said earlier it may have something to do with my binge watching the episodes up to E10.   Perhaps it was too much angst over William in a concentrated time frame.  ???

I binge watched the first 10. I'm not sure how I feel about Randall.  I feel I'll get rocks thrown at me for saying this, but I kind of feel like he's a big baby.  I'm not talking about his panic attacks.  That's something you can't help.  But, just on all the little stuff (or not so little, to be fair).  His anger towards Rebecca, which I guess was kind of justified, but then he also got angry at Beth, but said not that much or something, competing with the other guy at work and getting all hurt about how they're leaving him out, when if he looked at it rationally he would see that lately he's not pulling his weight.  Dude, just see about a leave of absence for a few weeks and go back when you can handle everything.  Getting mad that people don't understand what he does when I'm not even entirely sure it's a real thing.  I would love it (not really) if his whole career turned out to be some weird hallucination.  He's really a janitor in some big office building.

Just now, Winston9-DT3 said:

his own twin's huge house

How huge can it be?  He's basically sleeping on the couch.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Katy M said:

His anger towards Rebecca,

I like Randall overall but I thought he was a royal ass in that ep, especially denying her the hug she leaned in for.  You can be angry at your family and disagree on something and not deny them love or comfort when they need it.  It was a childish thing.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Kevin has a history of being quite satisfied with sleeping in the basement.

[SlackerInc]

9 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I like Randall overall but I thought he was a royal ass in that ep, especially denying her the hug she leaned in for.  You can be angry at your family and disagree on something and not deny them love or comfort when they need it.  It was a childish thing.

You have never had a moment when you are so angry at your mother that you could not possibly hug her? I have, and she's never done anything as bad as keep my birth father away from me for over 30 years until right before he's about to die.

[Kohola3]

21 minutes ago, SlackerInc said:

You have never had a moment when you are so angry at your mother that you could not possibly hug her?

ITA.  Plus it would have been too Hallmark for Randall to just pass that off as no big deal and forgive her so easily.  That was one whopper of a betrayal and she needs to own it.

[HeyThere83]

According to Dan Fogelman he was going to have Randall forgive her the very next episode. He said he decided to push it to a whopping two episodes later.

[Crs97]

13 minutes ago, HeyThere83 said:

According to Dan Fogelman he was going to have Randall forgive her the very next episode. He said he decided to push it to a whopping two episodes later.

I must have missed that episode.  We saw them together at Christmas being very awkward with each other.  Have we seen them together since?

[HeyThere83]

I don't think so....unless I missed something. But I know for sure Dan said after thinking about it, he decided forgiveness the next episode was too soon. I remember LOLing at him even considering that to begin with. So I am assuming we are to believe things are not as they were at Thanksgiving? It seems like it was kinda just dropped....

[NutMeg]

I've been increasingly convinced that Randall is terribly immature and self-centred, and this episode cemented it. I also think that this immaturity is the result of how he was raised, as a special snowflake who got all the quality attention from his mom (from what we've seen so far), went to an expensive private school that his parents could only afford because his dad sacrificed his hope of starting his own business and stayed with a job he disliked. In every conflict between Randal and Kevin we've seen, Rebecca always defended and praised Randall, even when he was in the wrong. He also had as many bonding moments with Jack as Kate did. The one time we see Jack and Rebecca focusing on Kevin - and let's note that it's not to praise him or build him up but for a relatively if mildly stern conversation -, Randall pops in and starts acting as if he expects everyone to drop everything to attend to his drake, even though he should have realised that there was another conversation going on. Sure, he was in full panic mode; but I bet that if Kate had been in full panic mode and had barged into the room, she would not have expected everyone to drop what they were doing for her.

At this stage, all three are flawed, but one thing that is illustrated rather well is that being the favourite child growing up doesn't help always help you become resilient in later life and can also have the opposite effect (I think, but I am not sure, that's what some studies have shows - I remember seeing titles of articles not too long ago, but I may be wrong). 

In the teenage scene this episode, I was mad for Kevin's sake! Not only does he get no praise from his parents, but he also doesn't get any attention from them. And when he's fiiiiiiiinally managed to do something that will get him some attention from his parents, even that is gone the moment Randall shows up. Poor kid...

[Guest]

10 hours ago, SlackerInc said:

You have never had a moment when you are so angry at your mother that you could not possibly hug her? 

Yes, lots.  But I've never shown up at her door expressly to give her forgiveness and understanding and then pull a 'gotcha!' and pull back when she tries for a hug- "Oh, I'm still mad!  I just understand a little bit!  You're not off the hook yet!  Twist in your pain a bit more!"  

Forgive her or don't, I guess is my feeling.  The scene felt like Randall was being a selfish punk to me.  

[Lady Calypso]

7 hours ago, NutMeg said:

I've been increasingly convinced that Randall is terribly immature and self-centred, and this episode cemented it. I also think that this immaturity is the result of how he was raised, as a special snowflake who got all the quality attention from his mom (from what we've seen so far), went to an expensive private school that his parents could only afford because his dad sacrificed his hope of starting his own business and stayed with a job he disliked. In every conflict between Randal and Kevin we've seen, Rebecca always defended and praised Randall, even when he was in the wrong. He also had as many bonding moments with Jack as Kate did. The one time we see Jack and Rebecca focusing on Kevin - and let's note that it's not to praise him or build him up but for a relatively if mildly stern conversation -, Randall pops in and starts acting as if he expects everyone to drop everything to attend to his drake, even though he should have realised that there was another conversation going on. Sure, he was in full panic mode; but I bet that if Kate had been in full panic mode and had barged into the room, she would not have expected everyone to drop what they were doing for her.

At this stage, all three are flawed, but one thing that is illustrated rather well is that being the favourite child growing up doesn't help always help you become resilient in later life and can also have the opposite effect (I think, but I am not sure, that's what some studies have shows - I remember seeing titles of articles not too long ago, but I may be wrong). 

In the teenage scene this episode, I was mad for Kevin's sake! Not only does he get no praise from his parents, but he also doesn't get any attention from them. And when he's fiiiiiiiinally managed to do something that will get him some attention from his parents, even that is gone the moment Randall shows up. Poor kid...

I do agree for the most part, although I don't particularly fault Randall for him rushing in during a panic attack because those can be scary and it's a legitimate health concern. Now, if Randall had calmed down and then asked his parents for help with his issue with his paper, then I'd fault him more. 

[Cattitude]

I'm glad I found a place to vent my UO. I don't like Kevin and have little sympathy for him. I find him to invent problems of his own making to get attention. Kevin is one of three children who has all the luck, while his siblings have real problems. He is jealous of their real problems so he acts out to get attention. Randall and Kate need more of their parents time b/c they have real issues. Kevin has a good life and is popular and well liked....poor baby. ugh! I just have no sympathy for him. His siblings have successful lived despite adversity. He has a successful life but seems to keep sabotaging it and playing a victim when he has a GOOD life. Why again should I feel bad for him.

I just don't find his parents not giving him as much attention something to feel sorry about. I don't feel they love him any less he just doesn't have REAL problems. More attention doesn't equal more love, you give each child the amount of attention needed and that doesn't equal loving one more than the other. I've never seen his parents not include him in parties, outing or the fun. I find they love him as much as Kate and Randall so I can't feel sorry he doesn't have problems in his life. He seems golden to me. Why should I feel sorry for that.

[Mrs. DuRona]

23 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

William is a whole different kettle of fish.  But I would be suspicious of anyone just turning up at my door claiming to be a long lost relative.  Beth had the safety of her family to consider.

To be fair, it was Randall who showed up on William's doorstep claiming to be a long lost relative, as it were.  Yes, she had every right to be suspicious of this man, as he was a stranger, but he never came to them and asked for anything.

[Katy M]

58 minutes ago, Cattitude said:

Kevin is one of three children who has all the luck, while his siblings have real problems. He is jealous of their real problems so he acts out to get attention. Randall and Kate need more of their parents time b/c they have real issues. Kevin has a good life and is popular and well liked....poor baby. ugh! I just have no sympathy for him. His siblings have successful lived despite adversity. He has a successful life but seems to keep sabotaging it and playing a victim when he has a GOOD life. Why again should I feel bad for him.

I don't feel bad for him either, but I don't like the term "real problems."  Who gets to decide which problems are real and which are not?  The episode at the pool clearly showed that Kevin feels left out and loved less than the others.  Is that true? Probably not, but his feelings about it are real.  Why is that any less of whatever problem it is that Kate has that makes her overeat.  We don't even know what that problem is.  And Randall's problem is that he feels the need to overachieve. 

So, maybe what you mean is that Kevin's problems don't have symptoms.  I don't know even know that that is true, because as you pointed out, he keeps self-sabotaging.

[CleoCaesar]

1 hour ago, Cattitude said:

 His siblings have successful lived despite adversity.

I guess my unpopular (?) opinion is that none of them have had real adversity (with the exception of their father's early death). Randal is an actual genius whose parents fawn all over him to the point of neglecting their other children and send him to a hugely expensive private school. Cry me a river. Kate's adversity is her weight but that was a wholly self-created problem, so it's not like life forced it on her. Kevin...yeah, with the exception of his parents ignoring him, has also had a charmed life.

Quote

I just don't find his parents not giving him as much attention something to feel sorry about. I don't feel they love him any less

Well, Kevin feels like they love him less.

9 hours ago, NutMeg said:

I've been increasingly convinced that Randall is terribly immature and self-centred, and this episode cemented it. I also think that this immaturity is the result of how he was raised, as a special snowflake who got all the quality attention from his mom (from what we've seen so far), went to an expensive private school that his parents could only afford because his dad sacrificed his hope of starting his own business and stayed with a job he disliked.

Ha! So true. Randall was a fawned-over snowflake from day 1. Whether because of his race, his near-orphan status, or whatever, but Jack and Rebecca SO overcompensated and made Randall out to be the golden child. He still has that pampered angel aura about him in adulthood. Probably doesn't help that his own wife goes into dramatic monologues about how "perfect" her husband is. That was a seriously cringey, Shonda Rhimes-level speech.

Jack and Rebecca adopting Randall was a great thing that happened to Randall's childhood but not exactly a good thing to happen to Kevin and Kate's.

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, CleoCaesar said:

Probably doesn't help that his own wife goes into dramatic monologues about how "perfect" her husband is. That was a seriously cringey, Shonda Rhimes-level speech.

So true.  And then we were subjected to an even worse one by Rebecca about Jack.  I know it's supposed to make us love Randall and Jack but it just makes me hate the wives and writers.  

[Katy M]

16 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

And then we were subjected to an even worse one by Rebecca about Jack.

An ex-boyfriend, or at least someone who has a crush on her tells her what her husband should do "if he really loved her" ought to result in an emphatic defense of him.

[Guest]

I think it's a figure of speech and she overreacted by taking it too literally.  But that's me.  Plus I agreed with Ben, for the most part.  If Jack doesn't trust Rebecca, how high is his opinion of her, really?  

And I'm almost never a fan of the monologue as a dramatic device.  I prefer quality of words to quantity.  Probably because conciseness is a skill I lack, obviously!  

[Katy M]

4 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Plus I agreed with Ben, for the most part.  If Jack doesn't trust Rebecca, how high is his opinion of her, really?  

It wasn't a matter of trust at that point, it was a matter of scheduling.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Katy M said:

It wasn't a matter of trust at that point, it was a matter of scheduling.

Then all the more reason for Jack to be supportive.  ; )   I think Jack told Miguel he thought Ben had the hots for her before he found out about their having dated.  He also said, "Who does she think she is?  Janis freakin Joplin?  We have three teenagers at home!"  Which to me suggests he thinks Rebecca's place is in the home.

I just rewatched some looking for the Ben/Rebecca scene (was it last week?) and was struck by Jack's petulance, backing out on their dinner date then sneaking out for drinks on his own.  These men are babies.  

[Katy M]

13 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Then all the more reason for Jack to be supportive.  ; )

At the point of the big speech, Ben told Rebecca about the tour and then complained that she wasn't acting excited enough.  She said she would have to check with Jack.  Which, of course she would. A married person doesn't just take off without discussing it with spouse.  And that's when Ben said "if he really loved you."  It was totally uncalled for at that point.  So, no, Ben didn't have a point, because he didn't know what, if any, Jack's objections would be.

[Dowel Jones]

2 hours ago, CleoCaesar said:

That was a seriously cringey, Shonda Rhimes-level speech

At least it wasn't a Poppa Pope "My. husband. is. a. superstar. and. PERFECT. in. every. way." speech.