S01.E10: C-H-O-CHOIR

[Drogo]

Maya's holiday spirit comes as a big surprise when the DiMeos get ready for Christmas, but her upbeat mood is challenged after the family's van is stolen—with all their gifts inside. Meanwhile, Ray joins the school choir when he's worried about getting into college, though he'll have to battle his brother over a coveted solo.

[Bobbin]

I was thinking that it was too much to allow Kenneth also to do J.J.'s singing and dancing for him, but I forgot how overboard the school goes to normalize J.J.'s experiences.

The other parents probably wouldnt mind if the DiMeos kept the new van and sold the old one to pay for the insurance on it.

[CarolMK]

I agree with Bobbin and was thinking that maybe JJ wanted to join the choir just to be a part of the group. Cool that the brothers shared the solo too and funny when Ray realized he had a crush on the teacher. 

On a side note, if it hasn't been mentioned already, Micah Fowler actually does play sled hockey, I saw a photo of him and his team. That's where the idea for last week's episode came from. 

[bros402]

I liked tonight's episode - my DVR cut off when it was saying when the show will return - It said "Speechless will retur--" then the recording ended. Evil DVR.

[PradaKitty]

January 4th.

[OnceSane]

I really liked Ray telling JJ that it was fucked up that he took Ray's solo and that Ray can't retaliate because JJ is…JJ.  But I also liked JJ telling Ray to not tell him what he can't do.  Just really good POV for both of them.

And damn about the van!  Of course the Dimeos can't have nice things.  I enjoyed Maya trying to make this Christmas a terrific one and it ending up pretty good despite erroneously thinking someone stole the van. 

[kathyk24]

I disagree Ray started in choir before JJ did and JJ wouldn't have joined if not for the hot teacher. It's not a bad thing to admit you have limitations everyone does. I have a mobility impairment and I know that limits what I can do. It would have been nice to let Ray have the spotlight instead of JJ.

[neuromom]

Speaking of "hot teacher"..in this day and age, is she really THAT clueless about all the boys in her class wanting to join because of her? And the way she addressed JJ and ognored Kenneth- well, it annoyed me. I can't explain why.

It was nice to see a Christmas choir, with actual Christmas carols. I wasn't sure if any public schools still did that. Especially in CA. And Maya did mention a  Hanukkah  miracle. My disabled kid goes to a "public" school, where they do celebrate Christmas..and Hanukkah, and any other celebration that parents want included. (Meaning they don't "ban" anything- they include everything) 

Ray just reminds me so much of me in high school- getting involved in all sorts of extracurricular activities to enhance his chances of getting into a university. Getting in is one thing...affording it is another...

And Maya at the track meeting , writing down her responsibilities on a notepad. Anyone else notice that when the meeting was over, she ran out, leaving the notepad behind?

[AllyB]

3 hours ago, neuromom said:

And Maya at the track meeting , writing down her responsibilities on a notepad. Anyone else notice that when the meeting was over, she ran out, leaving the notepad behind?

She said to Natalie, 'what do I have to pretend to write in my notepad?' Before fake writing it and running out.

I loved the Hanukkah miracle joke. And Maya cutting through Jimmy's "cluelessness" when he tried to pretend he didn't know how to drive JJ's chair.

[bros402]

11 hours ago, neuromom said:

Speaking of "hot teacher"..in this day and age, is she really THAT clueless about all the boys in her class wanting to join because of her? And the way she addressed JJ and ognored Kenneth- well, it annoyed me. I can't explain why.

I was thinking about that too. Maybe she was trying to address it by ignoring it - students would see no interest from the teacher, then the initial joiners would depart.

She didn't dress revealingly, which is important for a young teacher.

The way she addressed JJ while ignoring Kenneth when Kenneth was singing annoyed me a bit too - but as a new teacher, she might've been erring on the side of being as nice as possible to JJ - she can always apologize to Kenneth later.

[Crs97]

5 hours ago, bros402 said:

The way she addressed JJ while ignoring Kenneth when Kenneth was singing annoyed me a bit too - but as a new teacher, she might've been erring on the side of being as nice as possible to JJ - she can always apologize to Kenneth later.

I thought that was hilarious because it is almost always the other way around.  Even if my oldest has started a conversation with someone, he or she will then ignore him and ask me questions he can clearly answer.

Edited December 16, 2016 by Crs97

[Gulftastic]

Another good one. It brought back memories of being a sad teenage boy with a good looking teacher. 

I liked the Jay Jay/ Ray argument. 

 Now we need some proper episodes for Dylan. 

[bros402]

18 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I thought that was hilarious because it is almost always the other way around.  Even if my oldest has started a conversation with someone, he or she will then ignore him and ask me questions he can clearly answer.

True, it was sort of dueling emotions. I think funny wins out in the end, though. Yeah, I get that conversation thing - happens to me all the time at doctors. My parents have to drive me and they usually come into the appointment with me and sometimes I ask a question, then the doctor looks at my parent and tells them the answer.

[alexvillage]

21 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I thought that was hilarious because it is almost always the other way around.  Even if my oldest has started a conversation with someone, he or she will then ignore him and ask me questions he can clearly answer.

That's true. People usually talk to me when I am with my friend who also uses an AAC device. I think it was too subtle though. I can't even count how many times I had to - gently and not so gently - remind people that if they want to ask my friend something, they should ask her and wait for her answer. 

[Crs97]

6 hours ago, bros402 said:

Yeah, I get that conversation thing - happens to me all the time at doctors

I love our pediatrician for many reasons, but chief among them is that once they hit a certain age he always excuses me to stand in the hallway so that the kids can talk with him privately about anything.  Then he asks their permission before telling me.  My oldest always takes the opportunity to ask him about the make/model of every car he has ever owned, but he always answers and then gets permission to tell me.

[Big Mother]

I am REALLY confused by Maya's inability to find her parked car. 1) Use your car's remote to unlock the doors! You'll hear/see if the car is on that level. 2) Whatsapp and google both have features that will tell you exactly where your car is parked!!!

This plotline would make alot of sense in a show set in the 1990s. Not in 2016. There are many ways to find a parked car.

[neuromom]

24 minutes ago, Big Mother said:

I am REALLY confused by Maya's inability to find her parked car. 1) Use your car's remote to unlock the doors! You'll hear/see if the car is on that level. 2) Whatsapp and google both have features that will tell you exactly where your car is parked!!!

This plotline would make alot of sense in a show set in the 1990s. Not in 2016. There are many ways to find a parked car.

My thoughts exactly! And if you aren't near enough to hear the clicking of the locks, or see the flashing lights, you can always use the panic button! 

I was also confused how the van rolled away. I could be wrong, and I'd have to rewatch, but I thought she was parked in a handicapped space in a flat lot. It's not San Francisco. 

[Crs97]

That car was old; did it have a remote?  The lift was modern, but I wonder if the car itself was manual.  I don't know about those "find your car" apps.  I should get them; I have spent too much time wandering parking lots.

[bros402]

17 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I love our pediatrician for many reasons, but chief among them is that once they hit a certain age he always excuses me to stand in the hallway so that the kids can talk with him privately about anything.  Then he asks their permission before telling me.  My oldest always takes the opportunity to ask him about the make/model of every car he has ever owned, but he always answers and then gets permission to tell me.

My pediatrician was great about stuff like that. I ran into him last year at my oncologist - he sees him for hematological stuff.  He was so sad when I told him I probably had a rare cancer. He read the piece of paper I gave him that my oncologist printed out about the cancer I could have a few time before giving it back (I ended up having an even rarer version of that cancer).

3 hours ago, Crs97 said:

That car was old; did it have a remote?  The lift was modern, but I wonder if the car itself was manual.  I don't know about those "find your car" apps.  I should get them; I have spent too much time wandering parking lots.

I don't think it had a keyfob.

[Browncoat]

And even if it did have a key fob, the batteries were likely dead.

[neuromom]

13 hours ago, bros402 said:

My pediatrician was great about stuff like that. I ran into him last year at my oncologist - he sees him for hematological stuff.  He was so sad when I told him I probably had a rare cancer. He read the piece of paper I gave him that my oncologist printed out about the cancer I could have a few time before giving it back (I ended up having an even rarer version of that cancer).

I don't think it had a keyfob.

I am sending you prayers and positive energy. 

[Zanne]

17 hours ago, Big Mother said:

I am REALLY confused by Maya's inability to find her parked car. 1) Use your car's remote to unlock the doors! You'll hear/see if the car is on that level. 2) Whatsapp and google both have features that will tell you exactly where your car is parked!!!

This plotline would make alot of sense in a show set in the 1990s. Not in 2016. There are many ways to find a parked car.

I can see it happening. She's had a huge behemoth of a car for JJ's whole life since that's the only car they can use for him. It's probably super easy to spot in a parking lot. She's never had to worry about losing or finding her car before. My last two cars had something different enough about them that helped me find them without using outside apps.

The not knowing what level you parked your car on is another matter.

[Big Mother]

We use whatsapp for driving around, so when you're done and you leave your car, it remembers wh ere you parked (bc it realizes that your speed has slowed down to walking speed.) Then it can tell you where you're parked. I guess she's not so savvy :D. Thea fact that she came out of the meeting at night probably made it harder to find her original van, too, esp since it had "somehow" rolled away.

[bros402]

10 hours ago, neuromom said:

I am sending you prayers and positive energy. 

It's okay - they know of no significant impact on life expectancy from this cancer (Though, not many young people with it, most get diagnosed near 60 - and this cancer was only discovered in 1985). It's incurable and kept in check with pills every week (So if my posting seems off on Thursday or Friday, that's why).

[ItCouldBeWorse]

15 hours ago, Zanne said:

I can see it happening. She's had a huge behemoth of a car for JJ's whole life since that's the only car they can use for him. It's probably super easy to spot in a parking lot. She's never had to worry about losing or finding her car before.

She's also used to parking in the spot reserved for vehicles with a handicapped sign, even when JJ is not with her.  Therefore, as Zanne said, her "huge behemoth of a car" is always parked directly in front of the place to which she is going.

[Ottis]

Quote

 

I am REALLY confused by Maya's inability to find her parked car. 1) Use your car's remote to unlock the doors! You'll hear/see if the car is on that level. 2) Whatsapp and google both have features that will tell you exactly where your car is parked!!!

This plotline would make alot of sense in a show set in the 1990s. Not in 2016. There are many ways to find a parked car.

 

Maya doesn't strike me as a technology pioneer. She seems more like me, who refuses technology crutches for simple things like finding where I parked my own damn car. That's how Skynet gets started.

[Machiabelly]

The fact that she used the restricted spot whole on her own bugged me. She is well aware of how frustrating it is for someone to do that when you need the spot. 

[Crs97]

I agree, Machiavelly, and hope she has to park there because the van is too big to take a regular spot.  Otherwise, you only park there if the person who needs it is with you and actually getting out of the car.

[bros402]

23 hours ago, Machiabelly said:

The fact that she used the restricted spot whole on her own bugged me. She is well aware of how frustrating it is for someone to do that when you need the spot. 

That bugged me too. However, I was operating under the same thought process as @Crs97 - because that is the only way to think it through that makes sense

[neuromom]

16 hours ago, bros402 said:

That bugged me too. However, I was operating under the same thought process as @Crs97 - because that is the only way to think it through that makes sense

I hope you guys are right. Because this bothered me too, since I deal with this daily. My son goes to a school for kids with severe or multiple disabilities. And I think the parents must think "my kid is disabled, therefore, I can park in these spots at this school." Not every kid with a disability qualifies for a placard. Half the kids at the school are in the autism program and have no mobility issues (and no placard).  and I have witnessed parents in the community who use the placard, even though I know the child isn't with them.

[chitowngirl]

They might be the only ones at the school that need the handicapped spot. The school seems to have never had a student in a wheelchair before.

[possibilities]

Maya has been shown to be willing to exploit her situation for unwarranted special treatment-- as her evasion of speeding tickets-- so I have a hard time not assuming the worst about her with regard to unexplained placard abuse. This show gets some details SO right, I'd think they'd understand about this issue and make a point of not letting that kind of thing slide.

Even on CBS, the show "Mom" made a big deal about Bonnie (who has no mobility issues) using her boyfriend's placard (he uses a chair) when he's not with her. He actually broke up with her over this issue, feeling it indicated a lack of morals. He himself doesn't even use the placard sometimes, because he's basically a jock who's paralyzed, and said he doesn't always have trouble pushing his chair any distance, where many disabled people do have trouble with distance so should have the space open for their use.

If they can do it on that show, they should be able to do it on Speechless!

Edited December 25, 2016 by possibilities

[bros402]

7 hours ago, neuromom said:

I hope you guys are right. Because this bothered me too, since I deal with this daily. My son goes to a school for kids with severe or multiple disabilities. And I think the parents must think "my kid is disabled, therefore, I can park in these spots at this school." Not every kid with a disability qualifies for a placard. Half the kids at the school are in the autism program and have no mobility issues (and no placard).  and I have witnessed parents in the community who use the placard, even though I know the child isn't with them.

I'm guessing it is the size of the van. The parking lot looked pretty small - so if she had parked in any other space, she would've been double parked.

My mother works at a court and whenever she gets someone in who gets a ticket for parking in a handicapped spot, they usually have an excuse like "Well, it's my grandma's car and she has the placard, so I put it up! She said I could!"

The judge doesn't take that as an excuse :P
 

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

Maya has been shown to be willing to exploit her situation for unwarranted special treatment-- as her evasion of speeding tickets-- so I have a hard time not assuming the worst about her with regard to unexplained placard abuse. This show gets some details SO right, I'd think they'd understand about this issue and make a point of not letting that kind of thing slide.

Even on CBS, the show "Mom" made a big deal about Bonnie (who has no mobility issues) using her boyfriend's placard (he uses a chair) when he's not with her. He actually broke up with her over this issue, feeling it indicated a lack of morals. He himself doesn't even use the placard sometimes, because he's basically a jock who's paralyzed, and said he doesn't always have trouble pushing his chair any distance, where many disabled people do have trouble with distance so should have the space open for their use.

If they can do it on that show, they should be able to do it on Speechless!

Maya didn't ask for the special treatment in the pilot when the cops decided to not pull her over. I don't think the worst should be assumed about her - at worst, she milks her situation a bit, but not to the level where you should assume the worst.

I used a wheelchair for the first time this past October at New York Comic Con - made things so much easier than walking around for hours on end - I couldn't really push the chair, so I was lucky to have my brother with me.

I think in this case, even if the van could fit in a regular space - remember, Maya has been doing everything for JJ for 16 years, so she might just pull into the handicapped spot every time without realizing it.

[possibilities]

I think if she did it out of habit, she should stop. The whole idea is that someone else who actually needs it might show up, and not be able to use it because Maya doesn't pay attention. As someone who has needed the space, I don't find "absent-mindedness" to be an acceptable excuse.

[Court]

I lost my car twice on Friday. Even with me hitting the alarm on my key fob repeatedly, it took me a good ten minutes to find it. 

[bros402]

11 hours ago, possibilities said:

I think if she did it out of habit, she should stop. The whole idea is that someone else who actually needs it might show up, and not be able to use it because Maya doesn't pay attention. As someone who has needed the space, I don't find "absent-mindedness" to be an acceptable excuse.

Oh yeah, I am just saying - it has only been.. what, 2-3 months at most since Kenneth became JJ's aide? Takes a little while to break a habit you have had for over a decade. But honestly, that van is so large, I think it is that she has to park in the handicapped space. I would imagine they have a handicapped plate, as that van is the only vehicle they have that can transport JJ.

[Ottis]

On 12/26/2016 at 8:35 PM, Court said:

I lost my car twice on Friday. Even with me hitting the alarm on my key fob repeatedly, it took me a good ten minutes to find it. 

Maybe that will qualify for a placard. 

[GRChereck]

Eh, while this is probably my least favorite episode so far -- I found the plotting especially rushed and confusing -- I still enjoyed it to some degree, and thought it had some interesting developments like Ray calling out JJ for being a "bully" and Dylan feeling neglected by her mother (the latter of which I hope might be further explored in future episodes)...

My favorite part was Jimmy's adventure with the motor-chair; loved his deceptively sweet smile when he said "Merry Christmas. Enjoy Hell!" after the bus refused to give him a lift to the school.

Edited February 20, 2017 by GRChereck