Unpopular Opinions Thread

[dargosmydaddy]

5 hours ago, voiceover said:

Uh.  It's "Mom said, 'We!' "

Was it "we" or "whee!" (excitement) or "wee" (which means Kate has always been associated with bodily secretions of some kind, between that and #2...).

[voiceover]

2 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

Was it "we" or "whee!" (excitement) or "wee" (which means Kate has always been associated with bodily secretions of some kind, between that and #2...).

Ha.  The way Drunk!Kate put it, that's exactly what I thought, too.  (I mean the "Whee!", not the pee suggestion, which, let's face it, no one knew about Season 1 Kate.)

During the "littles" chant, I came around to the "we" interpretation as better fitting the theme.

Christ, I have waaay overthought this!  It's obviously fodder for one of those "That Was Us" aftershows.

Edited December 1, 2017 by voiceover

[chocolatine]

7 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

I think Jack's mom did that, and I don't think we know when she died, do we?

I got the impression that his mother left his father. When Jack went to ask for money, his father said something disparaging to him - I don't remember what exactly - and followed it with "just like your mother." The guy was a jerk, but I don't think he would have been speaking about her that way if she'd died.

[ShadowFacts]

13 hours ago, Crs97 said:

Wasn’t she dead when Jack needed to borrow money from his dad for the house (while Rebecca was pregnant), or were they divorced?  The dad was alone then.

I don't think we know.  She could have been anywhere, just not home at the time Jack came by.  I want to think she divorced him.  Even though she was still hanging in when Jack was what, 27 and home from Vietnam.  I know a couple who divorced after 50 years. 

[Guest]

I was balking at the 'fancy car' line because it annoys me that the writers had him say he had a $300,000 car in the pilot.  I mean, there's 'fancy' and there's ridiculous levels of ostentation and conspicuous consumption.  You could put ten needy kids through college with that money, or probably feed a small African country for a year.  

[laurakaye]

To expound on my Randall-hate...when Deja was getting ready to leave with her mom, we saw a quick shot of Tess and Annie hugging each other in the kitchen and crying.  And when Deja left and Randall told her to work hard so she could get her fancy car, I don't recall seeing either Randall or Beth comforting their girls.  So the girls went from meeting and losing a grandpa to meeting and losing a foster sister.  The shot of them crying tells us that the girls were clearly upset at having their lives uprooted once again, and yet Randall and Beth, with their quirky relationship and unbearably cute banter - paid them no mind.  So how are we supposed to feel about this couple?  The writers seem to want us to like them because they constantly show us how tweely adorbs they are together, but then they also seem to forget that they have two children, followed by scenes of Randall puffing up his chest while Beth sits quietly and lets him.  

If the reason for showing us scenes of teenage Randall are supposed to explain the smug jerk he grew up to become so we will empathize with his life struggles, it's not working for me at all.  He truly becomes more unlikeable with each passing episode. 

5 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I was balking at the 'fancy car' line because it annoys me that the writers had him say he had a $300,000 car in the pilot.  I mean, there's 'fancy' and there's ridiculous levels of ostentation and conspicuous consumption.  You could put ten needy kids through college with that money, or probably feed a small African country for a year.  

Did he really say $300,000??  WTF, is it lined with gold or something?  That's ridiculous...I don't remember the line, was he serious?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

Did he really say $300,000??

I went back and checked and actually I was wrong.  It was 'only' $143,000.  

[ShadowFacts]

54 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

To expound on my Randall-hate...when Deja was getting ready to leave with her mom, we saw a quick shot of Tess and Annie hugging each other in the kitchen and crying.  And when Deja left and Randall told her to work hard so she could get her fancy car, I don't recall seeing either Randall or Beth comforting their girls.  So the girls went from meeting and losing a grandpa to meeting and losing a foster sister.  The shot of them crying tells us that the girls were clearly upset at having their lives uprooted once again, and yet Randall and Beth, with their quirky relationship and unbearably cute banter - paid them no mind.  So how are we supposed to feel about this couple?  The writers seem to want us to like them because they constantly show us how tweely adorbs they are together, but then they also seem to forget that they have two children, followed by scenes of Randall puffing up his chest while Beth sits quietly and lets him.  

If the reason for showing us scenes of teenage Randall are supposed to explain the smug jerk he grew up to become so we will empathize with his life struggles, it's not working for me at all.  He truly becomes more unlikeable with each passing episode. 

Did he really say $300,000??  WTF, is it lined with gold or something?  That's ridiculous...I don't remember the line, was he serious?

I don't remember $300,000, I thought it was $100 and something thousand, but I haven't verified that.  Whatever it was, it was meant to convey that he's pretty wealthy. 

I don't hate Randall or Beth or their relationship but I do think it's overdone like so many things on this show.  In fact those are the characters I dislike the least.  They've done pretty much good stuff, having William and Kevin live with them, fostering a kid even if it was motivated partly by Randall's grief stage that he's in, whatever it is.  Randall has been unlikable to me this season, up til the Number 3 episode where he stopped himself from being a judgmental jerk and saw things from someone else's perspective.  He did a better thing for Deja than what he was planning, so I gave points for that. 

I do agree that Randall and Beth should focus more on the kids they already have.  I suppose that's not dramatic enough for this show.  I was okay with the Deja storyline, but think that's enough and they should lay off looking for another kid.  Yeah, they have a great set-up and family, but work on it before plunging into another foster/adoption. 

[Pallas]

Randall is materialistic. Not only, but also. Last season, during a flashback to the ten-year-old siblings -- it may have been the planning for their birthday party -- young Randall intently assured Jack that he would earn lots of money; that one day he would be rich. That wasn't out of character, factoring in the pilot: pride in his earning power was a character beat chosen for Randall.

Of course a lot of kids talk about becoming rich. But a lot of kids aren't characters with only a few minutes of life every week, so my guess is that the line was there to highlight something. We know that Randall is deeply competitive. I can see how money became what would appear to be a neutral, objective way for Randall to keep score with the world. Appear to be.

[Katy M]

19 hours ago, BlancheDevoreaux said:

I always thought that chant kind of sucked for Randall.

"First came --"

Kevin: "Me!"

"And Dad said -- "

Kevin: " 'Gee!' "

"Then came --"
Kate: "Me!"

"And Mom said --"

Kate: "Whee!"

"Then came --"

Randall: "Me!"

"And Dad said --"

"Randall: "That's Three"

All: "Big Three!"

 

Kevin and Kate get exclamations of joy and Randall gets "okay, that's enough" or possibly "And the other one".  I mean, I'm sure it wasn't meant that way but that's how it sounds. 

I was actually thinking that Rebecca was saying anything but "whee" when Kate came.  Especially if she still had Kyle to go.

[Blakeston]

23 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I agree on this. It's why Kevin is my favourite character. The show seems intent on me disliking him more than Saint Jack, Saint William, and Saint Randall. They've basically ignored him as a person for season 1 and only threw him in romantic drama with him having three different relationships. They also only gave Kid Kevin one episode last season with him getting to speak his mind. Then this season, they seem to have doubled down on the negative aspects to Jack and gave them all to Kevin, showing what a horrible person he is or something. They're doing a bit more with his Teen self, at least, but they're not really showing more of his positive attributes.

I honestly can't think of many of Kevin's positive attributes.

- He'll probably be nice to you, if you're an adoring female like Kate, Deja, Tess or Annie, because then you won't threaten his fragile ego. (This is only the case if you're not romantically involved with him, though. If you're romantically involved with him, he'll probably be a huge asshole to you.)

- We saw that he was willing to make a major sacrifice for Randall once, by walking out of the play. Of course, he also screwed over a lot of people unnecessarily (because he could have just texted a family member and asked them to go to Randall), but still...it was something.

- He took acting and football seriously. And after he had his career-ending football injury, he finally showed some humility.

That's all I've got.

It's easy to relate to him, because almost all of us can relate to that feeling that you're falling apart and no one notices. And a lot of us can relate to the insecurity that comes with your siblings getting more attention than you.

But as far as him being a good person? I think the evidence is pretty thin.

[Lady Calypso]

42 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

I honestly can't think of many of Kevin's positive attributes.

- He'll probably be nice to you, if you're an adoring female like Kate, Deja, Tess or Annie, because then you won't threaten his fragile ego. (This is only the case if you're not romantically involved with him, though. If you're romantically involved with him, he'll probably be a huge asshole to you.)

- We saw that he was willing to make a major sacrifice for Randall once, by walking out of the play. Of course, he also screwed over a lot of people unnecessarily (because he could have just texted a family member and asked them to go to Randall), but still...it was something.

- He took acting and football seriously. And after he had his career-ending football injury, he finally showed some humility.

That's all I've got.

It's easy to relate to him, because almost all of us can relate to that feeling that you're falling apart and no one notices. And a lot of us can relate to the insecurity that comes with your siblings getting more attention than you.

But as far as him being a good person? I think the evidence is pretty thin.

Which is precisely the problem. Kevin obviously isn't a really bad guy; at least, I don't think he tends to be. If he was just a plain bad guy and not a good person, he would be the worst candidate for a main character. I think he does adore Tess and Annie, regardless of if they liked his show. He has been shown to connect with them and he has a good relationship with them. I think back to early season 1, with the art scene (also where did THAT Kevin go?). Why else would have Tess hopped into Uncle Kevin's car to escape her parents, after all? She could have ran away on a bus, if she wanted, but she went with her uncle. He does treat Tess and Annie very well. Even when he was drunk off his ass, he knew that he had to leave and he tried to cover up his addiction and struggles in front of them. So as far as Kevin being a good uncle, he really could have been worse. Deja's slightly different because she only knew Kevin for a couple of days. I think Kevin's interactions with kids have been good so far. He has been consistently shown to have a good relationship with them. 

His relationship with Kate is odd because we hear more about their twin thing than actually seeing it. They don't really share many scenes together; there's been more Kevin/Randall scenes than Kevin/Kate scenes. 

We've seen moments where he's done bad things but has corrected himself. We see some signs of his good heart and we hear about it (for example, Charlotte's story about Kevin being somewhat nice to her and other people), but the show tends to lean toward his negative attributes. It's like Rebecca last season. All we got was talk about how she was such a screw up compared to Jack, and how she lied and deceived and distanced herself from Kate. This season has her more positive attributes showing. So...why not Kevin? 

The thing is that he can be a good person. He's a jerk a lot of the time, sure, but he's had some actually good moments where he cares. So why not show more of that? Why is he just a plain old jerk in the show's eyes? Why do we keep seeing Jerky Teen Kevin? It's season 2; can we not show Teen Kevin being nice for once? Can we have Kid Kevin be nice? 

Unfortunately, because they've already determined that Kevin's a prick throughout every time period, they've written themselves into a corner, not like they have with Rebecca. We can't see Kevin having many brotherly moments with Randall in the past because it's already been said that he was a jerk to him. 

Which is why I'm hoping that, after Kevin does kick his pill addiction, that we'll see him change into a better man. And I do think that side is there; they just need to stop giving everyone else more positive characteristics while throwing Kevin under the bus. We get it; he's a jerk and has always been a jerk. However, there's more to him than that. 

[Guest]

On 11/30/2017 at 2:13 PM, potatoradio said:

So, I finally smarm-watched #2 and #3 to complete the bodily function trifecta (piss, dookie and puke). Or, as I have renamed them: "How to Lose a Pathetic, Desperate Hookup and a Necklace in a Few Hours," "When Shower Curtains Attack" and "Joyride with Drunk Uncle." Yes, I clearly need more grief counseling. I'm a sick puppy for not clutching my feelz at every Pearson-splained* emotional breakdown.

Can't stop laughing.

[NutMeg]

6 hours ago, laurakaye said:

To expound on my Randall-hate...when Deja was getting ready to leave with her mom, we saw a quick shot of Tess and Annie hugging each other in the kitchen and crying.  And when Deja left and Randall told her to work hard so she could get her fancy car, I don't recall seeing either Randall or Beth comforting their girls.  So the girls went from meeting and losing a grandpa to meeting and losing a foster sister.  The shot of them crying tells us that the girls were clearly upset at having their lives uprooted once again, and yet Randall and Beth, with their quirky relationship and unbearably cute banter - paid them no mind.  So how are we supposed to feel about this couple?  The writers seem to want us to like them because they constantly show us how tweely adorbs they are together, but then they also seem to forget that they have two children, followed by scenes of Randall puffing up his chest while Beth sits quietly and lets him.  

If the reason for showing us scenes of teenage Randall are supposed to explain the smug jerk he grew up to become so we will empathize with his life struggles, it's not working for me at all.  He truly becomes more unlikeable with each passing episode. 

I agree, Randall wants to be the saviour of kids he doesn't know but he's not seeing that by doing so he's adding to the emotional weight on his two little girls. Coming from Randall, who tends to have tunnel vision, it kind of makes sense. But it doesn't fit that Beth is also not seeing her daughters' distress and only sees Randall's. Isn't she supposed to be more rooted in reality than Randall? 

[Dminches]

I find “Randall” having the biggest disconnect between the teen version and the adult version. Kevin and Kate seem similar but Randall was reserved as a teen but as an adult he is cocky and loud. Not sure how that happened but it seems a bit of a stretch.  

[OtterMommy]

1 hour ago, Dminches said:

I find “Randall” having the biggest disconnect between the teen version and the adult version. Kevin and Kate seem similar but Randall was reserved as a teen but as an adult he is cocky and loud. Not sure how that happened but it seems a bit of a stretch.  

I agree, but the strange thing is that the child Randall is pretty spot on (I think all the kids are pretty spot on, actually).  It makes "tracking" Randall's character difficult as we have this completely other person in the middle of it.  It's not that the actor is bad--he's actually quite good--it's that they write the character completely differently.

[MaryPatShelby]

On 11/26/2017 at 10:01 PM, chaifan said:

 I read some of the threads where people go on and on about how they were in tears and this is such life altering stuff, blah blah blah, and again, I just don't get it.  It's a tv show. 

 

Oh my, the thread for the William's death episode was too much - page after page of people describing their "ugly crying" and how many boxes of kleenex they used.  My unpopular opinion is that that is too much for a TV show, and luckily no one forced me to read it (although I did skim the thread looking for non-crying insight).

[Sammich]

3 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

I agree, but the strange thing is that the child Randall is pretty spot on (I think all the kids are pretty spot on, actually).  It makes "tracking" Randall's character difficult as we have this completely other person in the middle of it.  It's not that the actor is bad--he's actually quite good--it's that they write the character completely differently.

I think child and adult Randall are similar in personality. Teen Randall looks like adult Randall, but is more subdued. I think teen and adult Kate are similar, but child Kate is more subdued. All three playing Kevin are alike, especially child and adult Kevin. My UO is I don’t find Justin Hartley that attractive. Teen Kevin is very handsome. Adult Randall is smoking hot to me. 

[leighdear]

I actually like Randall, unpopular as that is.  He's always been the smartest, and like so many book-smart individuals, just doesn't pick up on social cues very well, and doesn't quite know how to deal with his emotions.  He seems to instantly jump into "Fix Things Now" mode, before he even knows exactly what needs fixing and who else is involved in the fixing.  I get that.  

i think Beth is pretty similar, but seems a bit more empathetic.  And since she's BEEN a tween and teen girl, she got more experience in how to deal with them.  Randall probably never had to deal much with Kate growing up, since she seemed to always be attached to Kevin, and Kevin took care of her.  And since Randall can't fix Kate's life or Kevin's life, I think he tried to fix Deja's. 

[biakbiak]

6 hours ago, Dminches said:

I find “Randall” having the biggest disconnect between the teen version and the adult version. Kevin and Kate seem similar but Randall was reserved as a teen but as an adult he is cocky and loud. Not sure how that happened but it seems a bit of a stretch.  

I don't think it's much of a stretch if they explore his college years. He got out of the family bubble and grew. Kevin married the only girlfriend he ever had at a young age and Kate just kept being a sullen asshole. 

[Dowel Jones]

On 12/1/2017 at 7:13 AM, Winston9-DT3 said:

I went back and checked and actually I was wrong.  It was 'only' $143,000. 

But that's like $300,000 after 60 payments (snark).

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

But that's like $300,000 after 60 payments (snark).

Nope, he paid for it in cash.

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Nope, he paid for it in cash.

That is such a Randall thing to do.

[spaceytraci1208]

The only thing I truly dislike on this show is the wig Mandy Moore's wearing as present-day Rebecca. If anything, I think it should be shorter; a close-cropped cut would be flattering on her (IMO). But I'm sure that would also require Mandy to cut her actual hair and that's a lot to ask.

[methodwriter85]

5 hours ago, spaceytraci1208 said:

The only thing I truly dislike on this show is the wig Mandy Moore's wearing as present-day Rebecca. If anything, I think it should be shorter; a close-cropped cut would be flattering on her (IMO). But I'm sure that would also require Mandy to cut her actual hair and that's a lot to ask.

My unpopular opinion is that I love how they make up and dress 60-something Mandy Moore. She just reminds me so much of the 60-something women that I work with as a volunteer at a historical society.

I want 2017 Rebecca to have a bunch of gal pals she has wacky Golden Girl adventures with. (I guess she would be the Dorothy?)

[nexxie]

New to this show and recently binged through both seasons. I’m really enjoying it and love seeing all the layers of relationship and memories, and hearing all that great music - but I’m not sure how these three would’ve turned out as they did given their parents and relatively normal, secure, loving home life. 

Why is Randall so materialistic? How did Kate’s weight issue get so out of control? Why is Kevin such an empty vessel? Lots of material left to explore I guess.

[spaceytraci1208]

9 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

My unpopular opinion is that I love how they make up and dress 60-something Mandy Moore. She just reminds me so much of the 60-something women that I work with as a volunteer at a historical society.

I want 2017 Rebecca to have a bunch of gal pals she has wacky Golden Girl adventures with. (I guess she would be the Dorothy?)

 I agree, they do a great job with the makeup and clothes...it's just that damn wig! LOL...it reminds me of Jada Pinkett-Smith's wig in "The Nutty Professor" 

[kili]

Quote

I agree, Randall wants to be the saviour of kids he doesn't know but he's not seeing that by doing so he's adding to the emotional weight on his two little girls. Coming from Randall, who tends to have tunnel vision, it kind of makes sense. But it doesn't fit that Beth is also not seeing her daughters' distress and only sees Randall's. Isn't she supposed to be more rooted in reality than Randall? 

Randall has a tendency to suck up all the oxygen in the room. Everybody always worries about him and what he is thinking and feeling. We've often seen Beth represent herself as the "protector of Randall" (from William, Kevin and Rebecca).  So, it's possible she does focus more on him and making sure he is okay, rather than their daughters. In a way, Tess and Annie are Kevin. They seem to be doing fine, so why check in with them? Meanwhile, Randall has recently had a mental breakdown, lost his biological father, found out his deified mother is fallible and quit his job. Randall's issues may loom more prominently in her face, so she's making sure he's okay with all these Deja issues. The kids are fine...until they are not. We saw again and again during the Deja saga that Tess and Annie were clinging to each other for support, while their parents focused on Deja and each other. Tess being the older probably had to support Annie more than she got support from Annie.

UO: I want to explore Tess's feelings when we are back. I don't want her "running away" to be a just tool for Randall to be mad at Kevin. I want Tess's issues to be addressed too.  I think it makes Randall more human to have a little grime on his halo. The writer's clearly love Randall, so Tess's issue it will probably just that she's an unappreciative brat and a few Dad-isms from Randall will get her all sorted out.

[Wings]

It has happened, I lost my grip and fell off the monkey bars.   I will continue to read here but I barely made it through the last episode.   Sorry Mandy, I am watching it wrong. *

 

*She said, "if you are not crying, you are watching it wrong."  This is for those of you who missed her interview.  :)

Edited December 5, 2017 by wings707

[NutMeg]

On 12/2/2017 at 6:26 PM, Dminches said:

I find “Randall” having the biggest disconnect between the teen version and the adult version. Kevin and Kate seem similar but Randall was reserved as a teen but as an adult he is cocky and loud. Not sure how that happened but it seems a bit of a stretch.  

Maybe because in Beth he found someone happy to let him be the kid again (I'd love a backstory about Beth and why she chose to parent him so much).   

On 12/4/2017 at 4:58 AM, methodwriter85 said:

My unpopular opinion is that I love how they make up and dress 60-something Mandy Moore. She just reminds me so much of the 60-something women that I work with as a volunteer at a historical society.

I want 2017 Rebecca to have a bunch of gal pals she has wacky Golden Girl adventures with. (I guess she would be the Dorothy?)

And here I disagree. The Rebecca we saw early on in her life wouldn't dress like an old woman, even in her 60s. She'd be more adventurous than that. Like my upstairs neighbour, who's in her 60s, super thin, and rocks leggings with colourful tops/sweaters. Unless her spirit is really broken.     

On 12/4/2017 at 10:33 PM, kili said:

 I want to explore Tess's feelings when we are back. I don't want her "running away" to be a just tool for Randall to be mad at Kevin. I want Tess's issues to be addressed too.  I think it makes Randall more human to have a little grime on his halo. The writer's clearly love Randall, so Tess's issue it will probably just that she's an unappreciative brat and a few Dad-isms from Randall will get her all sorted out.

Me too. I want Tess to become a main character after this. Because the show missed the boat with Kevin, I want TPTB to make good now with both Tess and Kevin.   

Also, the Randall character this season is not really working for me.  

[Wings]

On 12/5/2017 at 5:30 PM, NutMeg said:

And here I disagree. The Rebecca we saw early on in her life wouldn't dress like an old woman, even in her 60s. She'd be more adventurous than that. Like my upstairs neighbour, who's in her 60s, super thin, and rocks leggings with colourful tops/sweaters. Unless her spirit is really broken.   

YES!  Middle age is very different now.  We work out, do yoga, watch our diets and go for a hair style that is current.  Bobs are done today but they have a current spin.   We don't dress like a middle aged wife in the fucking 50s.  

I am not middle aged unless I live until 144 but I consider myself as such.  Don't judge.    I have a black leather moto jacket I wear daily in cold weather and motorcycle boots I wear all the time, in any season.  There is a bohemian feel to my wardrobe.   I was counter culture in the 60s, (read hippy with a good paying job.)  I dress mostly in black and have fabulous jewelry that says I am cool.   <G>  Olive green is a new trending color so I am there, have a jacket and shirt.   I live in jeans. 

I just don't see women her age dressed like that unless they are Mormons.    

Edited December 7, 2017 by wings707

[chocolatine]

4 hours ago, NutMeg said:

The Rebecca we saw early on in her life wouldn't dress like an old woman, even in her 60s. She'd be more adventurous than that. Like my upstairs neighbour, who's in her 60s, super thin, and rocks leggings with colourful tops/sweaters. Unless her spirit is really broken.

I blame Miguel. Seriously. In the 2008 flashback Rebecca still looked youthful at age 58, after ten years of widowhood. IIRC, she wore figure-hugging jeans and a burgundy sweater, and her hair was shoulder-length and wavy. She moved around briskly. Then Miguel finds her on FB, and boom, within eight years she has the stiff bob, the grandma clothes, and the gingerly walk. (I know I should really blame the writing/styling/acting, but I miss the good old days of "shut up, Miguel")

[ShadowFacts]

11 hours ago, NutMeg said:

And here I disagree. The Rebecca we saw early on in her life wouldn't dress like an old woman, even in her 60s. She'd be more adventurous than that. Like my upstairs neighbour, who's in her 60s, super thin, and rocks leggings with colourful tops/sweaters. Unless her spirit is really broken.

I think her style is emblematic of something like that -- her spirit.  She's choosing what to wear/how to do her hair.  It is quite unlike her younger self.  Maybe we will see more of her being stuck the way Kevin and Kate are, though as chocolatine said, she looked pretty good ten years ago before she reconnected with Miguel.  Or it might just be unimaginative hair and makeup department.  Their idea of younger Kate was bangs. 

[laurakaye]

1 hour ago, ShadowFacts said:

I think her style is emblematic of something like that -- her spirit.  She's choosing what to wear/how to do her hair.  It is quite unlike her younger self.  Maybe we will see more of her being stuck the way Kevin and Kate are, though as chocolatine said, she looked pretty good ten years ago before she reconnected with Miguel.  Or it might just be unimaginative hair and makeup department.  Their idea of younger Kate was bangs. 

LOL, so much this, and their idea of younger Randall was different frames for his glasses.

As far as dressing Mandy like a frump, I have a strong feeling that the male writers of this show can't think of any better way to make the viewers know she's aged than to dress her like this.  Would it even occur to them that 60-year old women don't necessarily all head for the "drab & shapeless" department?  I doubt it.  That said, @wings707, I adore your attitude and I'll bet you rock the hell out of those boots.

Are there any women writers on this show, and are they allowed to express opinions?

[methodwriter85]

Well, the funny thing is 67-year old Rebecca's look is inspired by Helen Mirren, not Diane Keaton, which would make more sense. This is what they had to say about present-day Rebecca:

So instead of focusing on just trying to age a beautiful actress to twice her age, she and her team tried to create a look that would reflect what the character would look like 30 years later. "I think it's very easy to go 'Oh, we're going to stick a gray wig on and grey eyebrow, and make her look old,' but that really is not who she would be as she aged," Hays explained.

Instead, she wanted Rebecca to "look like a really gorgeous woman who had taken very good care of herself. I think of Helen Mirren, how stunning she looks. She is a sexy, mature woman and there's never any doubt that she exudes that and I wanted to bring some of that to this makeup."

Honestly, I kind of see her more like Diane Keaton, but with a more stately, regal vibe to her.

And part of the reason for the bob is with the bangs they don't have to show Rebecca's forehead, therefore they don't have to age it.

But yeah,I do want Rebecca to have some 60-something friends because it seems like Miguel and visiting her kids and grandkids is about all she does.

[ShadowFacts]

Wow, if they were going for Helen Mirren, they didn't get there.  Stunning and sexy, Rebecca is not. 

[CelticBlackCat]

That stupid wig and glasses turn me off present-day Rebecca.  I didn't even really enjoy the scene when she came to Kate and Toby's apt. to comfort Kate after the miscarriage and their bonding moment happened because of it.  Sorry, show, but you need a better wardrobe and makeup artist for Mandy's older persona.

[Wings]

17 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

Wow, if they were going for Helen Mirren, they didn't get there.  Stunning and sexy, Rebecca is not. 

They didn't even get close.  She is 72, so am I.  I love her jacket.  It looks like Chanel so out of my price range! 

Edited December 7, 2017 by wings707

[nexxie]

Rebecca is supposed to live in a PA suburb - not NYC or Cali.

Maybe they’ll jazz up her look a bit as she falls in love again. (At least for a while.)

Edited December 7, 2017 by nexxie

[Wings]

14 minutes ago, nexxie said:

Rebecca is supposed to live in a PA suburb - not NYC or Cali.

Maybe they’ll jazz up her look a bit as she falls in love again. (At least for a while.)

People dress stylishly all over the country.  

[nexxie]

48 minutes ago, wings707 said:

People dress stylishly all over the country.  

Some do - but I’ve lived in many states and there are definitely regional differences, socio-economic differences, city-vs-suburban looks, as well as lifestyle and personality of course.

[Dowel Jones]

With nearly 1500 posts since the series began, we may have to retitle this thread to "Popular Opinions."

[chocolatine]

12 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

With nearly 1500 posts since the series began, we may have to retitle this thread to "Popular Opinions."

We used to be a subculture and are now the mainstream.

[Guest]

8 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

With nearly 1500 posts since the series began, we may have to retitle this thread to "Popular Opinions."

This board as a whole (and probably me in particular) seem to be a lot more critical of the show than the general viewing public.  On Facebook, at work, etc.  people talk/post about crying every week still.  I said to a co-worker last week that I thought it was way overdone and hated the William scene because they just were so melodramatic with him last season. She looked at me like I had two heads and no heart. 

[Guest]

I don't mind Rebecca's aged look.  Isn't she supposed to be more like 70 in the present day?  I think she looks 60, not 70.  My 17 year old commented on how good a job they did aging her, right down to age spots on her hands.  

So totally off topic but since y'all seem to hate what I do... Is it worth $15 for HBO for a month to watch the last season of The Leftovers?  Ha.  I'm wavering.  

[pennben]

I would say yes, absolutely, to $15 for the last season of Leftovers. As background for my rec here: I loved that series, even the first season which was so grim that many folks didn't like. Carrie Coon does some amazing work in the final season. 

[Aloeonatable]

On 12/7/2017 at 10:37 PM, Dowel Jones said:

With nearly 1500 posts since the series began, we may have to retitle this thread to "Popular Opinions."

The UO thread is often the most popular thread on many fan boards, not just this one.

[BlancheDevoreaux]

On 12/5/2017 at 0:08 PM, Wings said:

It has happened, I lost my grip and fell off the monkey bars.   I will continue to read here but I barely made it through the last episode.   Sorry Mandy, I am watching it wrong. *

 

*She said, "if you are not crying, you are watching it wrong."  This is for those of you who missed her interview.  :)

I guess I'm watching it wrong, too, then.  I don't think I have cried yet this season.  I feel like season 1 was so much more natural and then this season, after reading all of the reviews of how people loved it and it made them so emotional, the writers and producers got the "great" idea to crank that up.  What we ended up with is over-the-top storylines that are clearly trying to get us in the heart (Toby's random Hootie and the Blowfish number in the coffee shop, for example), very obvious storylines that are clearly supposed to be gut wrenching that you see coming from a mile away (Kate's miscarriage). Season one was emotional while still fun and entertaining because it all flowed so naturally.  Now, they want to make you cry each episode and instead, I feel like they are just insulting my emotional intelligence.  I know what I'm feeling.  I don't need them to tell me I am feeling something else and/or wrong for not blubbering like an idiot at these storylines.

 

I will say that the scene with Kevin crying on the front lawn about how he was in pain did get me choked up, but since the writers absolutely HATE Kevin, I know that won't last it it won't be long before he is once again painted as the narcissistic villain of the show whom we are all supposed to hate. 

[Lady Calypso]

I still like the show, and I definitely know that I'm in for at least another two seasons (as I assume this show will go on for a few more), but I also haven't really cried with this show, even in season 1. The moments I was basically "told" to cry at were moments I may or may not have felt sad for, but have not cried at. The only moments I've at least teared up at are the ones with Kevin, and I'm pretty sure those are not the biggest moments I'm supposed to cry at. I feel like the moments I'm supposed to sob at are the moments with Randall or Jack. The moments I'm supposed to cry at are Kate's and Rebecca's. But I feel like I'm only supposed to feel sad for Kevin's moments, according to this show, but those are the moments that got me closest to actually feeling sad emotions for. For season 1, I guess I did feel sad for the first couple of episodes...before I realized there was going to be shocking twists and sad emotions forced every episode, then the appeal became less for me. But after that happened, the next moment to actually get me was Kevin at that widow's funeral. 

Also, since this show has started, I've felt an intense hatred for Milo Ventimiglia. I used to adore him before this show. But he's the biggest advocate for "this show is gonna make you CRY. It's so emotional and you will LOVE IT" and I'm just over his smugness. Everyone else is typically toned down on whatever the showrunners have probably told them to say during interviews. Sterling, Justin and Chrissy aren't as intense with the "rah rah our show is the BESTEST EVER" message that Milo and sometimes Mandy go for in interviews. But it's mostly Milo and it really dampens my enjoyment of the show. 

Also, I did not cry at Memphis. I exaggerated how I felt in the episode thread, but I feel comfortable enough now to say that besides having a quick moment of sadness, I just didn't feel very strongly during Memphis, not even during William's final scene. I did not shed one tear, I didn't get choked up, I felt nothing compared to others. 

[laurakaye]

Possibly a huge unpopular opinion, but I can't believe SKB won a Golden Globe for This is Us.  I'm thrilled that he won, and also at the historical milestone this award created, but IMO his most stellar work came when he portrayed Christopher Darden last year.  I know he won a couple of awards for that performance, but he should've won every single award.  He knocked that portrayal out of the park.  That's why I have such a hard time with him as Randall, because I don't think his acting on This is Us necessarily deserved an award, and I know he is capable of making my heart hurt.  Of course he can only do so much with what he's given, but as Randall, he's very smug and unlikeable.  I'm trying to figure out why the cheesefest that is This is Us won anything.

Edited January 8, 2018 by laurakaye