Unpopular Opinions Thread

[gonzosgirrl]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

I actually might blame the dog.  If the dog had barked when it should have, nobody would have died. 

Blame is not rational. I blame myself for a death.  I can tell you in an objective sense I did absolutely nothing wrong.  But, it doesn't change the fact that if I had done something else, a 10 year old girl wouldn't have died today.  And, if you don't think that makes me feel guilty every time I think about it, you're wrong.  If I had a dog to blame, I would gladly share some of it.

I'm sorry you've had to go through something like this. I can only imagine.

In a more extreme case, it's like a father who 'blames' a child when his/her mother dies in childbirth. It's not the child's fault, but he/she is a living reminder of the event, every day, forever.

[Pallas]

4 hours ago, Katy M said:

Maybe the dog is going to die of a heart attack in the middle of the night.  Or, maybe they have to give the dog up because wherever they end up they're not allowed to have a dog.  Or, maybe Kate immediately blames the dog and wants to get rid of him because the sight of him hurts her too much.  WE have literally no information on what happens with that dog after Superbowl Night.

I think any of these are possible -- especially your second option, where grieving, angry Rebecca and Kate come to blows over the dog. (Not really over the dog.) But I don't see Kate and Louie's having another decade or so together, even though she doesn't go away to school. 

Quote

Blame is not rational. I blame myself for a death.  I can tell you in an objective sense I did absolutely nothing wrong.  But, it doesn't change the fact that if I had done something else, a 10 year old girl wouldn't have died today.  And, if you don't think that makes me feel guilty every time I think about it, you're wrong.  If I had a dog to blame, I would gladly share some of it.

I'm so sorry. I wish you were spared.  

[chaifan]

And, on a dire need to lighten up the mood...

This is the description for tonight's episode.  Really, I'm not kidding.  "Episode 15:  The Car.  The history of the Pearsons as told through the life of the family car."

That sounds like an SNL parody of an episode of This is Us.  Now that the whole business of "how did Jack die" is over, I guess there's no more story to tell, so we'll do an episode about the car.

I'm not going to watch.  I'm going to just go straight to this thread instead.

[ClareWalks]

Jack was a dumbass in the fire. He kept throwing doors open suddenly which would add a burst of oxygen and fan the flames. And there is no fucking way he should have brought any kids back into the burning hallway. Throw them out the damn window. If they land wrong and break a leg, at least they're not dead. Jesus. I kept yelling at the TV during that whole scene. I swear, when he grabbed Kate's mattress I was thinking "yes! Throw it through the window and have her at least try to land on it!" Nope. Nevermind.

[ShadowFacts]

I have to say I found the way the sheet was used as a sling kind of interesting.  I actually never thought of doing that, but would one sheet even be long enough, or did he tie two together?  I didn't pay close attention.  I also wondered about the mattress as shield, or would it have been better thrown out the window?  I think mattresses twenty years ago were pretty flammable before they put new fire retardant standards in place. 

[gonzosgirrl]

2 hours ago, chaifan said:

ThAnd, on a dire need to lighten up the mood...

This is the description for tonight's episode.  Really, I'm not kidding.  "Episode 15:  The Car.  The history of the Pearsons as told through the life of the family car."

That sounds like an SNL parody of an episode of This is Us.  Now that the whole business of "how did Jack die" is over, I guess there's no more story to tell, so we'll do an episode about the car.

I'm not going to watch.  I'm going to just go straight to this thread instead.

That is the title and description on IMDb, but here the thread is titled 'Across the Border'.  Where did that come from.

It's a really odd choice of blurb to describe the episode, for sure.

[doLLish]

The hype around Jack's death was...a lot. Its almost impossible for anything as hyped up as it was to be able to live up to that hype. Impossible. Which is why I hate when shows, musicians, artists, etc go overboard when promoting things. Let the audience decide how they feel before you tell us how we're going to feel.

Both of the past two episodes, while very well acted left me asking if "that was it?".

Disappointed is an understatement. 

[CleoCaesar]

Jack's monologue at the end of "The Car" was one of the worst things I've seen on TV in recent memory. It was so utterly cheesy, over the top, and just cringeworthy that I couldn't believe a team of writers and produceres, a director, and Milo Ventimiglia all agreed to do it.

This show is just so, so bad. It has its moments (I rather liked the fire + Jack's lowkey death scene) but oh my God all of these writers need to be fired.

[Katy M]

Just now, CleoCaesar said:

Jack's monologue at the end of "The Car" was one of the worst things I've seen on TV in recent memory. It was so utterly cheesy, over the top, and just cringeworthy that I couldn't believe a team of writers and produceres, a director, and Milo Ventimiglia all agreed to do it.

I think that is the first thing that I have absolutely 100% hated on that show. It was ridiculous.  That car salesman has a family to support, too, maybe.  Cars cost what they cost, more or less.  There are not two separate prices hidden, one for the rich, one for the not-so rich with big hearts and cute kids.  That bugged me almost as much as that Cosby Show episode where Cliff went to the car dealership wearing an old t-shirt and jeans so that he could get a good price, and the salesman was all set to give him a super low price, until someone walked by and called him Dr. Huxtable and all of the sudden the price changed to a much higher number.  Whatever.

[aw86]

17 minutes ago, CleoCaesar said:

Jack's monologue at the end of "The Car" was one of the worst things I've seen on TV in recent memory. It was so utterly cheesy, over the top, and just cringeworthy that I couldn't believe a team of writers and produceres, a director, and Milo Ventimiglia all agreed to do it.

This show is just so, so bad. It has its moments (I rather liked the fire + Jack's lowkey death scene) but oh my God all of these writers need to be fired.

 I find a lot of things on this show to be incredibly saccharine and cheesy, but I agree that this scene really takes the cake.  In second is the scene of Jack doing pushups with Randall on his back while the karate instructor gives a cheesy speech

[Amethyst]

Although I fell for Jack's speech hook, line, and sinker, it would have been pretty funny if the salesman didn't.  He could have just rolled his eyes and said "Man, whatever.  Come back when you have some real money."

[pennben]

Plot twist:  Next season, we will follow the salesman after that sale to Jack...clearly, he got fired.  He went home that evening and we meet his lovely children, great wife and the family cat.  He explains to the wife that he lost his job today because he gave too big of a discount to a good guy......we flashforward  to his funeral, and see his chunky son feeling angst.....the mom trying to comfort him at the end...."oh, Toby, someday you'll be happy".  

[ShadowFacts]

9 hours ago, CleoCaesar said:

Jack's monologue at the end of "The Car" was one of the worst things I've seen on TV in recent memory. It was so utterly cheesy, over the top, and just cringeworthy that I couldn't believe a team of writers and produceres, a director, and Milo Ventimiglia all agreed to do it.

My mind started really wandering, shutting off, I don't know, but it was bad.  Also bad was Rebecca and the kids at the tree, with her telling Randall and Kevin they just need to be 17 year-old boys, not the man of the house, and maybe do laundry.  Just no.  Bad writing. 

[Katy M]

13 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

My mind started really wandering, shutting off, I don't know, but it was bad.  Also bad was Rebecca and the kids at the tree, with her telling Randall and Kevin they just need to be 17 year-old boys, not the man of the house, and maybe do laundry.  Just no.  Bad writing. 

I actually liked that.  It's important when a parent dies, that you don't put too much on the kids.  Yeah, realistically speaking, they're all going to have to step up more. But, not all the way and they don't need to be thinking and worrying about it right then.

[ShadowFacts]

16 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I actually liked that.  It's important when a parent dies, that you don't put too much on the kids.  Yeah, realistically speaking, they're all going to have to step up more. But, not all the way and they don't need to be thinking and worrying about it right then.

Yeah, there are many things to be said and decided, but speechifying like that before spreading ashes is what I disliked.  The guy only died less than a week ago, they're deep in grief, I would have liked less proclamations.  I suppose the theme of the thing was that the family will be OK, which, yes and no. 

[Kohola3]

Quote

To me, re-homing the dog in a good home away from me would be the only valid decision for both me and the dog.  Irrational to blame the dog? Sure. But it would be what it would be.

Unless my dog physically took a gun to a family member, no way I'd give her away.  Dogs (well, pets in general but especially dogs) are comfort and support in all kinds of situations.  Our soldiers adopt them overseas all of the time because of the unconditional love and comfort they offer.  I'd be as upset about losing her as I would losing the deceased. But maybe that's just me.

[luna1122]

1 minute ago, Kohola3 said:

Unless my dog physically took a gun to a family member, no way I'd give her away.  Dogs (well, pets in general but especially dogs) are comfort and support in all kinds of situations.  Our soldiers adopt them overseas all of the time because of the unconditional love and comfort they offer.  I'd be as upset about losing her as I would losing the deceased. But maybe that's just me.

Not just you. I'd risk dying in a fire to save my cats, and if I lost them, I'd mourn like they were Jack Pearson.

[Baltimore Betty]

5 hours ago, pennben said:

Plot twist:  Next season, we will follow the salesman after that sale to Jack...clearly, he got fired.  He went home that evening and we meet his lovely children, great wife and the family cat.  He explains to the wife that he lost his job today because he gave too big of a discount to a good guy......we flashforward  to his funeral, and see his chunky son feeling angst.....the mom trying to comfort him at the end...."oh, Toby, someday you'll be happy".  

LOLOLOL!  

Now Jack  has been made in to a martyr, (a hot, sexy one but still a martyr), and now the writers can fill in the blanks with cheesy dialog.  Why is it everything that man says are pearls of wisdom?  Just a little too good to be true.

Please tell me Kate does not give away the dog.  

[Lithogirl]

Jacks speech to the car salesman was the most eye rolling scene yet.  The minute he informed Mel the sales guy that he couldn’t afford that car, Mel would’ve shown him the door. But of course magical Jack managed to get it just by blathering on about his kids. Mmm hmmm. Okay show. Lol

 

And I was bummed about the family giving the dog away too, but then I realized that the dog is probably better off with another family. One who isn’t quite so self absorbed, or one who maybe values their pets and treats them like family.  Which these folks don’t.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Lithogirl

[JudyObscure]

18 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

In a more extreme case, it's like a father who 'blames' a child when his/her mother dies in childbirth. It's not the child's fault, but he/she is a living reminder of the event, every day, forever.

And he's a living reminder that he got the woman pregnant, maybe he should go look in the mirror if he wants to hate someone.  I think it's horrible  when a parent allows himself to form that sort of grudge against an innocent child.

The car salesman is in line at the unemployment office, just behind the guy who let Toby into the distribution center to get that darn baby-bath thing. 

I was in the loan department for my bank for years and would hear sob stories about how poor people were all the time.  I always wanted to tell them that we were not a charity, we needed and wanted to make loans to survive, so all they were doing was convincing me that they would never be able to keep up with the payments .  Giving loans to people who couldn't afford them is what caused the big mortgage collapse.  Mel was doing something that would have helped no one.  Also what makes the Pearsons think they have to have a brand new car when they would be perfectly "okay," in one that was a year or two old, just like the rest of us?  I drive a 20 year-old Neon and I'm perfectly fine, Jack.

Edited February 7, 2018 by JudyObscure

[chaifan]

28 minutes ago, Lithogirl said:

Jacks speech to the car salesman was the most eye rolling scene yet.  The minute he informed Mel the sales guy that he couldn’t afford that car, Mel would’ve shown him the door. But of course magical Jack managed to get it just by blathering on about his kids. Mmm hmmm. Okay show. Lol

 

And I was bummed about the family giving the dog away too, but then I realized that the dog is probably better off with another family. One who isn’t quite so self absorbed, or one who maybe values their pets and treats them like family.  Which these folks don’t.

Yep, also eye rolling for me.  Considering there was such a huge difference between the Jeep and the car they were being shown, no way he could have even gotten close to their budget.  What would have saved it is the salesman saying, "hey, I can't get that car any lower, but someone just returned one (or dealer owned or whatever) that I can't sell as new, so I can give you a great price on one just like it with low miles".  That I would have bought.  But, that's not Super Jack, so it doesn't fit the story line. 

I have no interest in Soldier Jack.  Or his brother.  Just concentrate on the Big 3, in real time.  That's the part of this show that I like.

[kassandra8286]

26 minutes ago, Lithogirl said:

And I was bummed about the family giving the dog away too, but then I realized that the dog is probably better off with another family. One who isn’t quite so self absorbed, or one who maybe values their pets and treats them like family.  Which these folks don’t.

Poor Louie is seldom referred to by name except by Kate, he's just "the dog" (as in "Mom, the dog peed on the rug again"). He's thought of as Kate's dog, not the family pet. They took Louie in because he was a stray they found, they'd never had a pet (that we've been shown) in the 17 years prior to that. The Pearson's are clearly not animal people. And that's OK! Not everyone has to be, obviously. But I think you're right, Louie will be better off with another family.

[SWLinPHX]

On 2/5/2018 at 4:20 AM, SWLinPHX said:

Why can't you just record it?

 

On 2/5/2018 at 5:33 AM, ShadowFacts said:

We don't all have DVR, it costs extra and isn't worth it for everyone.  On Demand or online is the way some of us go. 

 People have been recording TV shows for 35 years.  It is a cheap and old technology, not some new-fangled concept.  If you don't want a DVR you can still use an old VCR for that matter which you can get for like $1 at Goodwill (or free from most people who haven't used theirs in years).

On 2/5/2018 at 6:51 AM, greekmom said:

For the same reason people can't just record the superbowl and watch it the next day. 

 

On 2/6/2018 at 3:50 AM, SWLinPHX said:

Huh?  I don't get that correlation at all.

 

On 2/6/2018 at 6:13 AM, Crs97 said:

I assume the original poster meant that it is hard to remain spoiler-free until you can watch the show on DVR.  Just like the football game loses some of its thrill if you already know the outcome.

Still don't get it. There is no correlation.  The Super Bowl or any sports event is a live telecast like an awards show where the score or results are announced and can be anti-climactic to watch later.  "This Is Us" is a drama link any other scripted TV show.  They don't go "announcing results" unless you actively go to a discussion board like this one seeking out what happened, which of course you wouldn't do if you hand't seen it yet.  I must be missing something here, LOL.

Edited February 7, 2018 by SWLinPHX

[ShadowFacts]

4 minutes ago, SWLinPHX said:

 People have been recording TV shows for 35 years.  It is a cheap and old technology, not some new-fangled concept.  If you don't want a DVR you can still use an old VCR for that matter which you can get for like $1 at Goodwill (or free from most people who haven't used theirs in years).

I've got an old VCR but don't use it for the reason I suppose they went the way of the dinosaur and are a dollar at Goodwill.  I am old, but I get the concept of recording.  I just don't do it.  I'm fine with online and OnDemand. 

1 hour ago, kassandra8286 said:

Poor Louie is seldom referred to by name except by Kate, he's just "the dog" (as in "Mom, the dog peed on the rug again"). He's thought of as Kate's dog, not the family pet. They took Louie in because he was a stray they found, they'd never had a pet (that we've been shown) in the 17 years prior to that. The Pearson's are clearly not animal people. And that's OK! Not everyone has to be, obviously. But I think you're right, Louie will be better off with another family.

I'll be cool with Miguel taking him. 

[chitowngirl]

That used car the salesman started to show them was butt ugly. It was always ugly, even when it was new. 

[DoubleUTeeEff]

I don't think it's a big deal that Jack didn't punish Kate for skipping school. In fact, I was hoping he would let her off the hook (no pun intended) as I watched the scene. I do get that Jack has a pattern of indulgent behavior regarding Kate but I think letting her skip school that once in and of itself is fine. I could totally see myself doing the same thing as Jack in that instance. First he pulled over and scared the beejeezus out of her. Then he listened to why it was important to her and let her go. As long as my kid was doing well in school and not a total truant, I could not care less if they skipped an afternoon of school to take an opportunity to do something special. 

[JudyObscure]

48 minutes ago, SWLinPHX said:

I must be missing something here, LOL.

Yes you are..  Our old DVR broke taking some favorites with it.  My brother came to visit, saw the desperate need, and bought us an expensive new one that records to and plays both VHS and DVDs.  It took him three hours to set it up and now it looks like we have a huge nest of rattle snakes under the TV.  We learned how to record to VHS, it took a minimum of ten minutes to set up,  but none of us could ever get it to record to DVD.  I sat in front of the thing with the manual open for an entire day trying.   Oh, and my brother and husband are both system analysts with bachelors of science in computers.  After about twenty plays the VHS side broke, taking a favorite with it, so now all we ever use it for is to play the occasional Red Box DVD.  I pay for the TV, the PC, the internet and cable.  That seems like enough to me so I refuse to play for anything else, including Hulu, Netflix.

 

31 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

What's the new trend and has been for many years is cord cutting, which a lot of us have done.

That sounds good to me.

[mytmo]

So they are going to get rid of the dog as it is a painful reminder?

Are they going to give up batteries since lack of batteries in the smoke detectors took away escape time this resulting in Jack's death?

Are they going to throw out the video tape and photo albums, necklace, pillowcases, etc. as Jack was holding those items as well when he came out of the house?

Seriously there should've been a PSA at the end of each episode that you have 1) working batteries in the smoke detectors and 2) an escape plan and meet up point for the family if a fire breaks out.  Hell play the somber music and show the blank stare of Jack and the anguished look of Rebecca in the background.

My husband and I do have an escape plan that INCLUDES our dog who is a beloved member of the family and not some whim.

[balmz]

9 hours ago, pennben said:

Plot twist:  Next season, we will follow the salesman after that sale to Jack...clearly, he got fired.  He went home that evening and we meet his lovely children, great wife and the family cat.  He explains to the wife that he lost his job today because he gave too big of a discount to a good guy......we flashforward  to his funeral, and see his chunky son feeling angst.....the mom trying to comfort him at the end...."oh, Toby, someday you'll be happy".  

haha that was awesome, that seems like something the show should do, but more likely with jack being the gar sue he is, the guy gave it for free and the owner of the business was fine with it, because of course jack can do no wrong

[potatoradio]

8 hours ago, pennben said:

Plot twist:  Next season, we will follow the salesman after that sale to Jack...clearly, he got fired.  He went home that evening and we meet his lovely children, great wife and the family cat.  He explains to the wife that he lost his job today because he gave too big of a discount to a good guy......we flashforward  to his funeral, and see his chunky son feeling angst.....the mom trying to comfort him at the end...."oh, Toby, someday you'll be happy".  

You win. Bigly.  Dying over here...

 

On 1/31/2018 at 10:06 PM, CelticBlackCat said:

 I hope your day job is comedy and satire writer, and that you don't give it up.  Excellent funnies there!

I wish! Thank you. :)

(Don't) Stop, (Don't) Drop, and Grab Your Boxsprings! 

Neighbor (peering out the window and seeing the Pearson's house on fire): Honey? Call 9-1-1. Jack's hair started a grease fire.

Honey: Oh, we don't need to call professionals. Jack's such a good egg. He'll stomp down the flames barefoot and make a game of it for the kids. 

Neighbor: But honey, our house could burn down, too. 

Honey: Don't be so selfish! It'll get us an in with Pearsons!  We'll show up at some random store when one of the kids is having a crisis and wisely say, 'I know life is hard now. But sometimes, when your house burns down because your neighbor is an idiot and a martyr, you get a chance to see fire up close and smell the smoke and that's when you realize that you may as well die because you'll never be as good as Jack." 

Neighbor: Wouldn't want to miss that. OK, well, good luck, Pearsons. See you in a flashforward.

Meanwhile, as flames billow up the staircase and somehow don't make doors too hot to touch, St. Jack opens his bedroom door and stands there like Drew Barrymore in Firestarter (should totally be watching that instead, by the way). Rebecca! Quick! Shut yourself in the bathroom! Plunge your head in the toilet! No, that totally makes sense, trust me. Don't call 9-1-1. Don't say, "Fuck if you're going to be the only one getting sainthood credit. You get Kate. I'll get Randall." Nope. Stand there and scream-cry, I love you, babe! 

Kids, remember that lesson you heard from Fire Safety Day? Stop Drop and Roll? Yeah, pay no attention to that. When your dad walks through fire and opens your door and tells you that we Pearsons don't let a little inferno stop us, you follow him right into the hall, OK? Young Kate is suddenly more than sullen - now she's terrified! The range of emotion in that child...anyway, no matter. St. Jack picks up a magical set of box springs to shield them! And it's too bad he dies because I want to hire him as a mover. Anytime I've moved, those damn box springs take at least two hours, a  broken back and  fractured fingers to wedge around a corner, and that's without a fire raging in the hall. 

Anyway, Kevin? He's at a party. Are you sure? Yes. OK, then. I'm not a parent, but I think I'd want a little more reassurance than that. Maybe Kevin got dumped, got drunk, and slunk back home. Maybe he saw the note and left you one in return.  ilovesophieforever and ihateeveryoneelse fuk you all youllbesorry someday isucktoo world hurts goodnite. 

Someone, somehow, has tied about a million sheets together in perfect knots and St. Jack has been busy learning how to repel down a burning house, prison-break style. Finally, sirens. Somebody doesn't want the whole damn street burning down. Miraculously, there are no neighbors gawking or gathering or anything. When a house down the street from ours burned down, I swear it was  like a block party. People can't help this shit. Anyway, back you go, Jack, go get the dog, save your mementos and maybe double-check Kevin's room. As your family stands screaming for Emmy attention, visit not one, but two burning bedrooms, power up a VCR and eject a tape, paw through your wife's jewelry and find her necklace that you bought her for being an ass, collect a few pictures, and please don't bother with any documents like, say, birth certificates or whatnot. Those will be collected by the firefighters, one of whom was the firefighter who found baby Randall and was going to retire, but had to have one more fire to put out.  That lucky guy.

In any other universe, the entire family would be taken to the hospital, because last I checked, they were ALL inhaling smoke and in shock, but no, let's get the kids to Rebel Fighter #11's house (oh, Jack...babe...you didn't get my purse and car keys, did you? Oh, of course, you're going to hotwire our car or push us over there) and then we'll get to the hospital. Because who can afford an ambulance ride when you have to buy a new house and a new crockpot and send 3 kids to college? Problems, amirite?

*Hospital*

This is Mandy. Mandy wants an Emmy. Watch closely....there, see her looking blank? No, that's not boredom, you heartless troll, that's shock. OK, here we go with the collapse against the wall and the screaming "Jack." Yes, you've seen that a million times on Grey's Anatomy or ER or other medical show, but this is a Pearson, damn it. Now, she has to deal with REbel Fighter #11. She has to kick him out of his house (if he's such a useless schmuck, I'd question why I left my kids there, but OK) so she can be strong. Totally expecting a #Beckstrong trend like when Meredith Grey was shot at, beaten up, being shocked back to life, etc. Mandy lies down next to her kids and closes her eyes, telegraphing GIVE ME A DAMN EMMY with every millimeter of eyelash. 

*To be honest, I really did think the writers were wise to have Jack die unexpectedly in the hospital. I appreciated being spared the ultraheavyweight anvil of seeing him disappear into the hellfire. 

Where are they now? 

Randall is juiced up and bouncing around singing "hot dad!" I am embarrassed for SKB but see, he has to show that he's just like Jack with his optimism, so you go, SKB. A bunch of bored women/girls (because I guess they have no women friends with kids who like the Superbowl?) show up and, oops, oh snap, the new pet lizard gets killed because Randall needs an excuse for a speech. Tess leaves (god damn, girl, getting my hopes up again that you're done with all this BS) because she's the only one with any sense and the rest of the crowd goes back to being bored. The lizard deserved better. 

Kate is still an emotional shut in and a drag, but she's realized that TobeBabe (see the subtle there? Both mother and daughter call their man 'babe,' like the Yoplait commercial bitch. So touching) has rebuilt her esteem and made her believe in herself, just like St. Jack. Nevermind that TobeBabe came up to her and said, "you're gorgeous! Let's have SEX!" Who can think about that when there are so many other code red flags popping up? I can't tell whether the look on TobeBabe's face is horror or hunger. But this isn't about TobeBabe anyway. This is about Kate's feeling badly about herself and her dream of finding a man who will make her feel like a princess. Because, what thirtysomething woman with any bit of self reliance or maturity doesn't want someone to scream at them how beautiful they are and how wonderful on a daily basis while she sits and mopes? Hawt. Moving. 

Kevin sits under a tree and says he sucks because he's not as good at sobriety as St. Jack. Kevin, don't you know that AA rewrote its program in Jack's honor? Just give it up. It's still all about Jack. It will always be. Your life is going to feel very, very long. 

Rebecca kicks kindly, nice Fighter #11 out of the house. On Superbowl Sunday. Is he at the Cantina again? Hope he finds a lovely alieness to watch the game with. Jesus. 

Deja vu. Deja of magazine beatings is back. Lucky for her the fridge is full of leftovers from the Superbowl party because everyone was desperate to leave. 

Oh, grown up Tess. Hey, who's in for firing the writers of this dreck and giving Tess a spin off show? Maybe one without Hot Dad bouncing around making everything about him and his dead fathers? 

Anyway, next week is all about the car. Does it talk? Does it turn into Christine and mow down Deja's mother so that Deja can turn into the first female football player to win a superbowl ring? Don't know when I can recover from theeze feelz enough to watch....

[laurakaye]

@potatoradio...why yes, actually I am going to need you to write a recap after every single one of these episodes from now on, and if you've been doing it all along then I have some searching to do.

If I may too go back to The Episode, I have a question that I haven't seen covered here yet, which is - what was the point of Randall's "Hot Dad" apron, complete with flames?  Was that supposed to be comic relief?  Macabre?  Just a lil' wink-wink to the viewers?  None of the above?  Because heaven knows, these Pearsons love their history and their deep, symbolic meaning to things that happened 20+ years ago.  And while I think it's overblown, I can go along with it - except for that apron.  In what universe does Randall actually wear that apron?  No way did it come from anyone in the family.  Certainly Beth wouldn't have given it to Randall, and if it came from one of their daughters, I can't see any scenario where Beth would say, "oh, that's funny!  Sure, dad will love it and would never think of it as anything except a reflection on his quirky sense of humor and studliness!  The big orange flames make it even funnier!"  My initial thought was, "oh LOLZ look at that apron!" but then I remembered that these are the Pearsons, and I cannot conceive of that type of swipe at the vaunted memory of Saint Jack.

So I need to know what on earth the writers wanted us to think about that stupid apron, being worn by a possibly bi-polar Randall, whose father perished because of a fire.  Please, y'all, I'm begging.

[breezy424]

Mel isn't going to get fired.  New car sales always go through the sales manager before the deal is signed.

We have no idea of what Jack and Rebecca were planning to spend on a car.  Jack talks to Mel.  Mel does numbers, financing, trade in allowance,  talks to the sales manager.  What are dealership numbers for the month so far, what is the goal for the month ,etc.  In the end, Jack told Rebecca that he got a pretty good deal and the car was a 'little' bit more than they wanted to spend.  I didn't the impression that they got the car for the same price as the used car.

Funny, so much of this show bugs me but the car purchase didn't except for, once again, Jack makes a major decision without consulting his wife.

[ClareWalks]

Holy SHIT, the Jack car-dealership monologue was pure schlock and I hated every second of it. My eyes can not roll hard enough. It's a CAR, FFS. I could put a montage of moments from me in my car over plaintive piano music and have a nation weeping if I curated them well enough. It's the car I got right before I started my fertility testing, oh ClareWalks is getting into the car and crying after another failed IUI, oh she's driving to the clinic again, oh she's pregnant going to the hospital, oh she has her son in his carseat, pass the tissues this is so poignant. Jack's monologue just sounded so inorganic and rehearsed. If I had been the salesman I would have thought he'd been peddling that same story to every dealership in town, trying to get the lowest price.

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, potatoradio said:

Stop Drop and Roll?

They didn't actually  have to stop, drop, and roll, because that's if you're on fire.  But, they should have been crawling under the smoke.

[potatoradio]

2 hours ago, laurakaye said:

So I need to know what on earth the writers wanted us to think about that stupid apron, being worn by a possibly bi-polar Randall, whose father perished because of a fire.  Please, y'all, I'm begging

I saw it as a RANDALL'S FAMILY THINKS HE'S ADORKABLE anvil. However, I am cracking up thinking of the more gallows humor interpretation, especially considering that he was hopping around as though he were on fire. Is that part of the celebration? OK! We're all on FIRE! Whee! 

The writers would probably pass out at that interpretation, though. Which is good. Because Jack needs the oxygen. 

I double dog dare you to ask your water-cooler co-workers their opinion, though. ;)

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, potatoradio said:

I saw it as a RANDALL'S FAMILY THINKS HE'S ADORKABLE anvil.

I think Randall is the only one who thinks he's adorkable. His wife and daughters just think he's a dork.

[chocolatine]

4 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I feel like they stole the car dealer whine scene from the book Cheaper By The Dozen, about a 1960s(?) family with 12 kids where the dad would try to get discounts for his big family, among other things.  Or call it an homage, but it reminded me of that.  

Can you imagine the speeches Jack would give if he had twelve children? Do you think the cheesiness would increase linearly or exponentially?

[breezy424]

I worked at a couple of new car dealerships a long, long time ago.  I learned a few things.  Yep, you're going to be treated differently by what you wear.  And your trade in if you got one.

Everything is negotiable....especially at the end of the month and if the dealership hasn't met their quota.  People can be hooked by the smell and the idea of that 'new' car.  Salespeople work numbers, especially if you have a trade in and are financing.  A good salesperson is a hustler.  So is a good buyer.  That's what Jack was doing.

I'm not good at negotiating.  I hate it.  My oldest is the 'great negotiator'.  He can just walk away if it's not the number he's looking for.  Ok.  He has his MBA and has his numbers on Excel.  It took four dealerships in person but he worked the numbers with the salesperson and he got his deal at the last one.  It was also the end of the month.  A few months later he took his girlfriend to the same dealership.  Worked the deal for her.  She spent the time walking the lot. 

[ThisIsMe]

I'm starting to have a really hard time with how callously they treat pets in this show.  

Tonight, Kate talks about giving Louie away (as if it's his fault Jack died), and Rebecca just says something like "sure, honey, whatever you want."

Arrrrgh!!!

The producers seriously need to get their act together when it comes to the way they write in scenes and dialogue involving pets ... it is so hypocritical to me that they aim to show compassion for every single character -- unless the character has four legs.  

[laurakaye]

On 2/7/2018 at 5:26 PM, potatoradio said:

I double dog dare you to ask your water-cooler co-workers their opinion, though. ;)

I polled four co-workers about the meaning of Randall's Apron.  One of them didn't notice it.  Two of them kind of blew it off as just a joke, not equating it to Jack (I so wanted to ask them, how could you not when we all know Jack died because of a fire? but I kept quiet).  One said it didn't have to mean anything at all, and she wasn't smiling when she said this, so...no more questions for her.  She knows I don't like the show and she seems to be taking it personally.  And this is exactly what I mean when I say this show is a social experiment.  I can't remember ever getting the actual stink-eye because I don't like a certain show.  It's a bit unnerving.

Edited February 8, 2018 by laurakaye

[CelticBlackCat]

@potatoradio:  You are seriously demented, and in a good way.  Thank you for the laughs once again!

[debraran]

On 2/7/2018 at 10:12 AM, kassandra8286 said:

Poor Louie is seldom referred to by name except by Kate, he's just "the dog" (as in "Mom, the dog peed on the rug again"). He's thought of as Kate's dog, not the family pet. They took Louie in because he was a stray they found, they'd never had a pet (that we've been shown) in the 17 years prior to that. The Pearson's are clearly not animal people. And that's OK! Not everyone has to be, obviously. But I think you're right, Louie will be better off with another family.

I hope they don't show that and Louie was just a "fire prop" That wasn't needed but what else would Jack go back for? He really didn't need to go back to get more smoke inhalation, they could have shown his bad heart and that was why none of them had soot on them, dog was white as he brought him out, no one had or seemed to need treatment but Jack died.( Although not treating family was not proper protocol))

That poor dog sure peed a lot, lol. Even at the service, they were worried about him going.  Poor Louie.

Anyone think it's odd, they have no friends? (except Miguel) For a big famiily, kids in school, you never hear Rebecca doing anything but cooking and cleaning and making stuff. At the service, his boss came but I realized it was small. I know it's a show, and you can't have recurring characters but occasionally having Rebecca say she is meeting a friend somewhere, or she's on a school committee with so and so. As a Mom who stayed home or worked part time the first 7 years of my 3 kids lives, 2 were twins, I had so many acquaintances and friends then from shared experiences. After highschool, it was different, but even the woman by the pool that advised Rebecca about Randall's skin, etc.  wasn't at service and her picture was on mantle with them and the kids. I assume that was because they became friends and I think it was that young man that showed Randall around Howard.

Edited February 9, 2018 by debraran

[luna1122]

I thought we'd get Sterling Brown's real life wife as an occasional friend for Rebecca, after she met her at the pool and asked for some help. It was implied that Randall and that woman's son became friends, I think. And just...yeah, everyone has friends. No matter how wrapped up in family or our relationship, you gotta have them, and Rebecca would. She was friends with Miguel's ex....I kind of hope to see some scene or other showing how the ex reacted to Rebecca marrying him later on. That could be a little awkward.  Kate...well, Kate might not, have friends.... she's awfully prickly and closed off and myopic. But hell, even Kate has Madison now.

[blondiec0332]

20 minutes ago, luna1122 said:

ate...well, Kate might not, have friends.... she's awfully prickly and closed off and myopic. But hell, even Kate has Madison now.

I wouldn't want to be friends with Kate. She is too much of a downer.  

[DoubleUTeeEff]

I wouldn't want to be friends with Kate because then I'd have to tolerate Toby.

[chaifan]

I also thought it was odd that the service was so small.  You would think the entire football team would be there, at the very least.  Did they even show Rebecca's parents?  I think they're still alive at that point, right?   

I'm not going to assume Rebecca has no friends, just because there haven't been story lines showing them.  Same with Kate.  Yeah, she's sullen/angsty, but I'm sure she has at least a small circle of friends at school.

[luna1122]

It looked like there were a lot of teenagers at the funeral home. And Rebecca's mom was shown at the gravesite.

[Layne]

On November 30, 2017 at 11:13 AM, 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.

Pac Man as life  lesson, ya'll! It's so...sob...sob..the ghosts...man...the ghosts are still there....sob sob...ohmigod, the feelz....Randall. Dude. Eat some food out of that perfectly full fridge, drop some acid and maybe you'll see your two sainted dads as Inky and Blinky get eaten once and for all and then you can calm.the.fuck.down. and shut.the.fuck.up. 

The less said about powerful men and yellow onions the better. Perhaps Kate didn't eat the Chinese food because there were NO. YELLOW. ONIONS in it. BTW, Rebecca, Saint Jack would ho ho ho about a red onion substitute and it would become an overblown Pearson tradition when making stew to have the whole family storm into a grocery store and scream at someone. No worries, this is just how we Pearsons do it. 

Best part of the finale was the kid popping up in the back seat and saying, "I hate my house." Yeah! You go, Tess! I'd hate it too if I had two insufferable parents who harp on how perfectly imperfect they are. I wonder if Tess and Annie are allowed to use wire hangers? Could we have a scene where Randall re-enacts the Mommie Dearest "clean up this mess" scene? Cos that would be fun. And watchable, for entertainment, unlike 99% of this dreck.

I say, next season, Tess runs off with Drunk Uncle and they form a band called Tobe and the Dead Dads.  

 

 

*Bless whoever came up with that phrase earlier in the posts and apologies for not finding it to quote. 

Dead. 

[BlancheDevoreaux]

On 2/5/2018 at 11:21 AM, TexasGal said:

Nary a tear from me last night.  My heart must be cold and dead.  Or, gee, I don't know, maybe since we've known for over a year that St. Jack was going to die and it's been hyped for 2 weeks, a bit of the emotional punch was gone?  I cried ugly tears recently over (something else on tv which I'll spoiler just in case...)

  Hide contents

The episode of Victoria where both Dash and Lord M die because although I logically knew they would both die I wasn't banged over the head with it being ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

Okay, I have a confession, as well.  I didn't cry during This is Us and haven't all season, by the way.  However, I bawled my eyes out during a recent episode of General Hospital (STOP JUDGING ME!) when they had a funeral for a police officer who was suddenly killed.  This is Us drew it out far too long and bought too much into its own hype.  Now, every episode feels like they are just trying to get us "in the feels" and make us cry. It's too unnatural now.

 

Potatoradio, you are currently my favorite poster. Your recaps are hilarious. Your comment about making something a Pearson family tradition was nails.

[ChromaKelly]

So, I'm one of those people who has cried at commercials and I was tearing up last night watching Adam Rippon's freeskate. The Super Bowl ep did not get to me at all. Maybe it's the overhyped You're Gonna Cryyyyy stuff, I don't know. The only thing that got to me just a little was the adult Tess flash forward, but that only lasted a couple seconds because I got mad at yet another fakeout for the sake of having a fakeout.
Here's my nitpicks.  Disclaimer: I have not yet watched The Car, and I was also like WTF when I saw the ep description and I thought maybe it was just a short, like a promo or something, but no, an episode from the POV of the car???? And yeah, I'm a week late watching the Super Bowl ep. I just didn't care that much.

1. Why wasn't Jack on oxygen/at least having his oxygen levels monitored? He was just in a house fire. For that matter, the whole family should have been examined at the hospital.
2. Ugh Kate is such a drip.
3. The dog should have been dead. How in the world did Jack even make it through the lower level of the house with the fire that involved? And picking up mementos along the way? 
4. Really, Kate had not backed that tape up onto a DVD or something?