S01.E13: Three Sentences

[RedDelicious]

My guess is that William's passing is imminent.  This is his last hurrah; my understanding is patients with terminal disease states can sometimes experience a feeling of wellness and even euphoria just before it is their time to go.

My general thought about Kate and being overweight is that it was her way of getting some attention for herself.  Kevin got attention because he commanded it and Randall got attention by being an awesome kid.

Rando observation - Chris Sullivan looked a lot thinner in this episode.  Have they been putting him in a padded suit until now or did he lose weight for another role? 

[DayGlorious]

Even as a nit-picking stickler for all things 1980s and someone who never cared much for Madonna, I'm not sure why everyone is making a big deal about the period costuming at Kate's party. First of all, "Like a Virgin" Madonna = "Jailhouse Rock" Elvis = mop-top Beatles = "Thriller" era MJ. It's far from her only defining look, but it's her most memorable one, and she is iconic and inspirational enough that even in 1990, it was far from passé. Secondly, as others have stated, these are kids. Their costuming abilities are limited to what their parents are willing or able to do for them. It's a lot easier to throw together an old skirt from a big sister's closet and a cheap pair of lace gloves from Claire's than to fabricate a cone bra, and it's a LOT more age-appropriate.

[VioletNevermind]

6 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

My guess is that William's passing is imminent.  This is his last hurrah; my understanding is patients with terminal disease states can sometimes experience a feeling of wellness and even euphoria just before it is their time to go.

I get that feeling, too.  I'm sure he also feels better just by not being on chemo anymore.  As tough as cancer is, chemo is just awful.  It steals every ounce of energy, and your zest for life right along with it.  William's enthusiasm and energy rang true for me.

Edited January 25, 2017 by SuzyLee

[voiceover]

9 hours ago, NutMeg said:

My dad passed away 10 years years ago, so while I cried and cried, it wasn't for Kate, Jack, or any fictional character, it was because this crazy show reminded me of this very, very precious bond we had and which has proven very unique. I know it's weird to feel emotionally overwhelmed watching a TV show, I know... 

Not at all.  I posted something like this too.  And I'm sure you & me -- well, we're not the only ones.

That is one of the things that Art does best: make a universal emotion (loss of a parent) seem so personal & immediate.

*slinks off to get the kleenex*

[OtterMommy]

11 hours ago, birkenstock said:

Yes! It's been almost an hour since the show ended and I'm holding a grudge against a fictional 10 year old.  Sophie is not a true best friend. My heart softened when Kevin said he loved Sophie and wouldn't share, but Kate deserved better from her twin and bff. How did no one stay with Kate at the Madonna party? She's a cool kid! Also, what caused her to drift apart from her former bff Grace?

 

This is my question, which--admittedly--is a small one.  Where does the past story of this episode fall with he past story of "The Pool."  The same child actors are used, which doesn't necessarily mean that they are chronologically close, but definitely within a year or two.  Both episodes fall in the summer, but admittedly the birthdays tend to float around in the summer based on what we've seen (and that is very much a bad move on the show's part).  But did the parties happen before Sophie rejected Kate a the pool or afterwards?

[birkenstock]

I'm thinking too much about attendance to Randall's party.  Turn out would depend on how close to their birthday was to the actual birthday party.  The family decided on separate parties the day before their birthday and Randall hadn't yet invited the whole class to the party.  An August 31st birthday can be tricky because it sometimes falls on Labor Day weekend.  Their 10th bday was the Friday before Labor Day.  It wouldn't be a conflict if the party was the following week.  However, if it was that weekend and Randall handed out invitations the Friday before the party, I wouldn't expect anyone to show up due to short notice and scheduling conflicts.  Yvonne already knew when the party would be so her boys would be in attendance and his real friend would make the extra effort.  Kevin and Kate may have given their friends a few weeks notice (though Labor Day weekend is a big getaway holiday and they had a surprisingly large turn out). It doesn't really matter since the point was that Randall valued his small group who really cared about him, just there were more factors in why the kids wouldn't show up to the party.  

-- I only care about the date because my bday is around the same time as the Big 3 and Labor Day weekend factored into if/when I had a party. 

[kat165]

Re: Sophie/Sofie - it's always possible that the writers put less thought
(and continuity) into this than we have been. Possibly they'd forgotten
all about the names in that note and that Kevin's ex-wife Sophie has
nothing to do with the Sofie on the note.

Or, it is the same person but one of the Sophie/Sofie names is a typo.
Again, poor continuity.

Or the adult Sophie/Sofie decided to change the spelling of her name.
I've changed the spelling of my name several times reflecting which
appealed to me most at what age.

This ep was a hell of a lot better than last wks.

Would LOVE to see Kate have more of a storyline than her weight and the
obnoxious men who have expressed an interest in her. What happened to
her job? How is she staying in the Pittsburgh (or whatever East Coast-ish
area they're in) since Christmas? How is Toby? Doesn't he have a job
either?

Re: child Kate being larger than her brothers: maybye they have faster
metabolisms, maybe they get more excercise/are more active, maybe she
eats larger portions. Maybe she sneaks food when no one is looking. Lots
of reasons why this happens.

[chitowngirl]

My take on creepy stable guy is that he knows that people going to the camp probably have low self esteem, so if he throws compliments around, who knows what he can get.

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, milner said:

The trouble with Toby's grand gesture approach to me is that it puts the woman/man on the receiving end of the gesture in the position to be unable to say no.  Toby barging in on Kate's Super Bowl with Dad Day, or flying uninvited to their family Christmas puts undue pressure on her to let it go.  It is right up there in my opinion with people who propose in the middle of a restaurant or sporting event.  If they know for sure the answer will be yes it is one thing.  If they aren't sure then it is a form of coercion.  

So much yes!  Hey, I like a grand gesture as much as the next person--but it only really works when it is, shall we say, a sure thing.  The proposal on the jumbotron only works when the proposer KNOWS the proposee is going to say yes.  However, if the proposer doesn't know what the proposee will say and then uses the public proposal to ensure a yes, that's just wrong--and it is a lot like how Toby uses the grand gesture.  And that is not right, in any sense.

1 hour ago, GodsBeloved said:

The one on the receiving end can still say no. Sure it maybe be more awkward but the choice to say no isn't taken away.

Yes, but in the moment-and with an audience--it is definitely hard to get that "no" out.  

[RedDelicious]

4 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

My take on creepy stable guy is that he knows that people going to the camp probably have low self esteem, so if he throws compliments around, who knows what he can get.

And let's face it, he's an attractive dude in a larger (and better dressed) body, and by his level of confidence, he knows it!

[Trillian]

5 minutes ago, birkenstock said:

I'm thinking too much about attendance to Randall's party.  Turn out would depend on how close to their birthday was to the actual birthday party.  The family decided on separate parties the day before their birthday and Randall hadn't yet invited the whole class to the party.  An August 31st birthday can be tricky because it sometimes falls on Labor Day weekend.  Their 10th bday was the Friday before Labor Day.  It wouldn't be a conflict if the party was the following week.  However, if it was that weekend and Randall handed out invitations the Friday before the party, I wouldn't expect anyone to show up due to short notice and scheduling conflicts.  Yvonne already knew when the party would be so her boys would be in attendance and his real friend would make the extra effort.  Kevin and Kate may have given their friends a few weeks notice (though Labor Day weekend is a big getaway holiday and they had a surprisingly large turn out). It doesn't really matter since the point was that Randall valued his small group who really cared about him, just there were more factors in why the kids wouldn't show up to the party.  

-- I only care about the date because my bday is around the same time as the Big 3 and Labor Day weekend factored into if/when I had a party. 

Now I'm really confused - I hadn't picked up on the timing.  Doesn't school start after Labour Day?  Or is that only in the land where we spell it labour and not labor :)?  Why would they be handing invitations at the school at all in August?

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

We all know Jack dies so it really annoys me that Kate, Kevin and Randall never talk fondly about him or talk about him at all. It would be nice to hear them say things that you normally say when you have a parent that has passed away. Things like, remember when dad used to say___ or dad always did____. or I really miss when dad___.  It doesn't have to be every episode but throw something in there once in a while! 

 

To be fair, both Randall and Kate have spoken fondly about him.  With Randall, it was when he first brought William home and, with Kate, it was when she was explaining her football boundaries to Toby.  Kevin hasn't--although his hostility towards Miguel at this point can really only be explained with the fact that he sees Miguel taking his father's place (the show may give us more information that might change that perception in the future).  Plus, Kevin is the least emotionally-mature of the 3 and being able to verbalize his emotions is not something that comes easy to him, as this episode shows us.

[birkenstock]

4 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

This is my question, which--admittedly--is a small one.  Where does the past story of this episode fall with he past story of "The Pool."  The same child actors are used, which doesn't necessarily mean that they are chronologically close, but definitely within a year or two.  Both episodes fall in the summer, but admittedly the birthdays tend to float around in the summer based on what we've seen (and that is very much a bad move on the show's part).  But did the parties happen before Sophie rejected Kate a the pool or afterwards?

It would be after the pool because Yvonne's boys were at the party.  If that is the same Sophie, did she have a change of heart, was she unknowingly part of the mean letter, or she was a mean girl who used Kate to get to her brother?  The writers did a good job making me interested in Sophie's relationship with Kevin and Kate.   

[Cardie]

4 hours ago, taragel said:

Why did he spell out all the punctuation? That made no sense to me

Toby said that Kevin must be able to express his feelings in three sentences. When Kevin got to the part where he wanted to say that being without Sophie was like losing an arm, he couldn't say that in an actual, straightforward sentence, so he kept adding phrases, clauses, parentheses and spelled out their punctuation  to prove that this was all one sentence, even if a terribly structured one.

[OtterMommy]

48 minutes ago, SuzyLee said:

I just have to throw this into the mix: Politeness aside, what makes a school think it can mandate which kids are invited to birthday parties in private homes after school hours?  I don't remember the school getting involved in that at all when I was a kid, nor was it an issue when my daughter was small.  I just think it creates a lot of conflict and stress that might have been avoided, as long as the invitation-distribution was handled discreetly.  Of course, children aren't always known for their discretion in social matters like these, but it seems like an avoidable issue to me.  Maybe I feel this way because I never experienced such rules; I don't know.

I thought that was really, really strange as well.  My kids' school, which is private, does have a policy about invitations--party invitations can only be distributed at school if the entire class is invited--and I don't have a problem with that, but trying to dictate a party after hours (excuse me IN THE SUMMER!) is ridiculous.

[birkenstock]

5 minutes ago, Trillian said:

Now I'm really confused - I hadn't picked up on the timing.  Doesn't school start after Labour Day?  Or is that only in the land where we spell it labour and not labor :)?  Why would they be handing invitations at the school at all in August?

It depended - I grew up in California and school usually started after Labo(u)r Day :).  However, I had out-of-state cousins who started mid-August. IDK about Pittsburgh though.

Edited January 25, 2017 by birkenstock

[OtterMommy]

24 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

Rando observation - Chris Sullivan looked a lot thinner in this episode.  Have they been putting him in a padded suit until now or did he lose weight for another role? 

Yes, Chris Sullivan has been wearing a padded suit for the entire series.  Still, I found him surprisingly thing compared to the last episode, though.  I can't see how Toby could have lost that much weight in what I think was just a few weeks. 

[chitowngirl]

In our county in PA, some schools start sometime in the last weeks of August, start dates stagger throughout the weeks, and one school district absolutely refuses to start until the day after Labor Day. So it can vary even in a small area. 

[DayGlorious]

13 minutes ago, kat165 said:

Re: Sophie/Sofie - it's always possible that the writers put less thought
(and continuity) into this than we have been. Possibly they'd forgotten
all about the names in that note and that Kevin's ex-wife Sophie has
nothing to do with the Sofie on the note.

Or, it is the same person but one of the Sophie/Sofie names is a typo.
Again, poor continuity.

Sophie is a hugely popular, "every other girl in the class" name now. That wasn't the case in the 80s and early 90s. 

14 minutes ago, kat165 said:

Or the adult Sophie/Sofie decided to change the spelling of her name.
I've changed the spelling of my name several times reflecting which
appealed to me most at what age.

She spelled it Sophie in the birthday card she left at Kevin's party. 

[Neurochick]

27 minutes ago, breezy424 said:

But Randall works in Manhattan.  Don't we know this from the episode in which Kevin meets him at the office and they go out?  So why the heck would Randall and William be in the car going out for lunch?  Really?  And then they drove someplace else?  Because that parking lot doesn't look like anything you would see in Manhattan.  Are we to believe that they 'drove' to Queens or Brooklyn to get an egg cream?

I don't think this show is filmed in NYC, so that's probably why it seems strange.  None of the outside places remotely look like NYC to me.

[3 is enough]

Quote

My guess is that William's passing is imminent.  This is his last hurrah; my understanding is patients with terminal disease states can sometimes experience a feeling of wellness and even euphoria just before it is their time to go.

This is what happened to my father.  Easter 2007- my brother went to visit- they had a great weekend, did all kinds of fun things- 3 days later he was in the hospital and he died a week later.

Random thoughts: Could it be that Sophie has a significant other?  Kevin never asked, but the preview for next week makes me wonder.  What did the text say? I couldn't make it out...  Also, she was wearing scrubs, could she be a doctor?  I could see Kevin not being able to deal with a wife in medical school and having to take a backseat to her studies.  So many questions...

I think we will see William go, but I am beginning to wonder if we will have to wait until next season to learn all the details of Jack's death. Only 5 episodes to go, and a lot of loose ends to tie up.

Edited January 25, 2017 by 3 is enough

[Court]

School dates vary wildly. We start first week of August.

My bet is that the party wasn't on their actual birthday. 

[Lady Calypso]

10 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

This is my question, which--admittedly--is a small one.  Where does the past story of this episode fall with he past story of "The Pool."  The same child actors are used, which doesn't necessarily mean that they are chronologically close, but definitely within a year or two.  Both episodes fall in the summer, but admittedly the birthdays tend to float around in the summer based on what we've seen (and that is very much a bad move on the show's part).  But did the parties happen before Sophie rejected Kate a the pool or afterwards?

The Pool takes place when the kids are 8, before Randall goes to his private school. In this episode, they are turning 10, so it's about a year later. 

10 minutes ago, kat165 said:

Re: Sophie/Sofie - it's always possible that the writers put less thought
(and continuity) into this than we have been. Possibly they'd forgotten
all about the names in that note and that Kevin's ex-wife Sophie has
nothing to do with the Sofie on the note.

Or, it is the same person but one of the Sophie/Sofie names is a typo.
Again, poor continuity.

Or the adult Sophie/Sofie decided to change the spelling of her name.
I've changed the spelling of my name several times reflecting which
appealed to me most at what age..

Well, we know Sophie spells her name Sophie. When Kevin is looking at a card from her on his birthday, she spells it Sophie, not Sofie. My theory is that we will discover that this is the same Sophie, as they did show the note in the yoga scene right before the ex wife reveal so I do think there is a connection. However, Sophie will not really be a mean girl, or that mean. Either one of the other two girls signed Sophie's name without her knowledge and they mispelled her name, or Sophie was trying to fit in at that time so she went along with the note, even if she didn't agree. And maybe part of her fitting in was changing the spelling of her name. Not that it makes much sense since Sophie wasn't a popular name in the late 80s to warrant a change in its spelling. 

I think once we see the circumstances of how Kate and Sophie became friends, we'll have a clear picture of Sophie vs Sofie. But assuming that Sophie/Sofie are the same people and that Sophie is a mean girl from one present day appearance, a couple of flashbacks and a name on a note is a tough call to make. 

[OtterMommy]

1 minute ago, Neurochick said:

I don't think this show is filmed in NYC, so that's probably why it seems strange.  None of the outside places remotely look like NYC to me.

I find this very annoying.  There are plenty of shows that aren't filmed where they take place and it still feels like they are wherever.  I'm watching another show right now that takes place in Seattle, but TPTB have made absolutely no effort whatsoever to hide the fact it is filmed in Vancouver, BC--even going so far as showing very well-known Vancouver landmarks.  My husband, who grew up in the Seattle area, finds this hilarious.

[Neurochick]

5 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

I find this very annoying.  There are plenty of shows that aren't filmed where they take place and it still feels like they are wherever.  I'm watching another show right now that takes place in Seattle, but TPTB have made absolutely no effort whatsoever to hide the fact it is filmed in Vancouver, BC--even going so far as showing very well-known Vancouver landmarks.  My husband, who grew up in the Seattle area, finds this hilarious.

I'm like your husband, I find it hysterical; Empire does that all the time, I can TELL it's Chicago.  Funny, some days you can't walk a few blocks in NYC without seeing some film crew, where I live one TV show or another are always filming.  I'm surprised all these film crews don't bump into each other.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Neurochick

[DayGlorious]

1 minute ago, chitowngirl said:

In our county in PA, some schools start sometime in the last weeks of August, start dates stagger throughout the weeks, and one school district absolutely refuses to start until the day after Labor Day. So it can vary even in a small area. 

Where in PA, though? If it's somewhere close to the Mason Dixon line, that's the DE/MD cultural influence seeping through. 

[izabella]

25 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

This is my question, which--admittedly--is a small one.  Where does the past story of this episode fall with he past story of "The Pool."  The same child actors are used, which doesn't necessarily mean that they are chronologically close, but definitely within a year or two.  Both episodes fall in the summer, but admittedly the birthdays tend to float around in the summer based on what we've seen (and that is very much a bad move on the show's part).  But did the parties happen before Sophie rejected Kate a the pool or afterwards?

IMDB lists the pool kids as 8 Year Old Kate, etc.  They turn 10 this episode.

13 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

Yes, Chris Sullivan has been wearing a padded suit for the entire series.  Still, I found him surprisingly thing compared to the last episode, though.  I can't see how Toby could have lost that much weight in what I think was just a few weeks. 

Toby just had a heart attack and has been in the hospital and had surgery.  I can see him losing weight because of that.

[mojoween]

I'm watching during lunch (while eating yogurt incidentally) so time is short.  If I'm repeating something thirty-seven people already said I am deeply sorry 

but if you are going to make me think you are driving to the Adirondacks in January then go to the damn Adirondacks in January!  I was just there on Saturday and it sure as hell did not have green trees. Not in the entire zillion acre park.

Edited January 25, 2017 by mojoween

[dlyn]

3 hours ago, Tikichick said:

Rebecca's gushing about Randall being such a great kid and being so anxious about Randall's lack of birthday guests while not really having a clue or seemingly caring about Kate's experience made me so uncomfortable.  It's clear there is a barricade in the Rebecca/Kate relationship, possibly because Rebecca's relationship with her mother is so toxic.  I'm also giving Rebecca's relationship with Randall an even deeper glance.  I've wondered if it's possible she's so determined to be a great parent to him because he's figuratively filling the place of the child she never had the chance to parent, or if she's terrified and guilty about her initial inability to bond with Randall.  Lots of deep story potential with her relationships with both of these children in particular.

In Rebecca's defense here, at the time she was freaking out about Randall not having friends, Kate still had a room full of little Madonna's. Her friends didn't ditch her until later. And I think I remember her nudging Jack before he talked to Kevin about sending Sophie back to play with Kate. That said, we do know that Randall was always treated as her favorite. 

On another note, one of my favorite lines was when Rebecca and Jack were talking about what a great kid Randall is and Jack says "He's actually funny. Not just kid funny." I've said the same thing about niece. 

[ShadowFacts]

1 minute ago, mojoween said:

I'm watching during lunch (while eating yogurt incidentally) so time is short.  If I'm repeating something thirty-seven people already said I am deeply sorry 

but if you are going to make me think you are driving to the Adirondacks in January then go to the damn Adirondacks in January!  I was just there on Saturday and it sure as hell did not have geeen trees. Not in the entire zillion acre park.

Yeah, I complained earlier that the trees are in full leaf in New York and New Jersey in January in the episode.  It can be warm and snowless in January, but deciduous trees don't have leaves in the winter.  It took me out of all those scenes. 

[OtterMommy]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

IMDB lists the pool kids as 8 Year Old Kate, etc.  They turn 10 this episode.

Toby just had a heart attack and has been in the hospital and had surgery.  I can see him losing weight because of that.

I'm not talking about losing weight--I'm sure that he's on a very restricted diet.  What I'm saying is that the amount of weight he has lost, coupled with the amount of time it appears has past since the previous* episode, doesn't really add up.

ETA: *Previous = last episode in which Toby appeared.  I guess I had already forgotten about last week's episode...

Edited January 25, 2017 by OtterMommy

[DoubleUTeeEff]

2 hours ago, Paloma said:

Maybe at least part of the reason she is so much larger than her brothers at that age is her "perfect" father often feeds her junk as a treat while her mother tries to keep her on a healthier diet. Just another reason why I get annoyed with the depiction of Jack as a saint. (Guess I have a few lingering resentments from being seen as the strict parent rather than the fun parent.) However, it does seem like there is also a metabolism issue with that degree of obesity as an adult.

I think feeding a growing kid a grapefruit for breakfast while her brothers get sugary cereal is setting Kate up to fail more than providing a healthy diet.  A single grapefruit is not filling at all, it would just lead to Kate pigging out at snack time or lunch time.  She could have given Kate and her brothers oatmeal and fruit or whole wheat toast with peanut butter.  Something that would be healthy and filling and given to the entire family, not just singling out Kate. Being treated so differently from her brothers would lead to resentment.  Why doesn't she get to eat the yummy tasting foods when her brothers do?  I also think Rebecca was more concerned about Kate being unattractive than unhealthy.  In Rebecca's mind I'm sure it was more to do with Kate fitting in and not be judged harshly by others rather than Rebecca herself caring what Kate looked like.  As evidenced in the pool episode. All that said, I'm giving Rebecca a huge pass.  It was the eighties and this kind of thing just wasn't understood as well. Although I'm pretty sure we knew sugar was bad for us way back then.  I understand that Rebecca might be the parent who provides discipline while Jack is the "fun" parent and that has got to be hard.  I do like that the show allows Rebecca to be human and flawed. So I'm not going to be overly critical of her just because she is a woman.

OTOH, it does seem like Jack is being portrayed as perfect which annoys me as well. I don't think giving Kate some cereal is part of that though.  It undermines Rebecca (who I think was in the wrong in that moment) but it doesn't seem so bad in the grand scheme of things, especially when her brothers were allowed to eat it.  I don't remember any other moments when Jack gave just Kate junk food to make her feel better. This episode his method to make her feel better was to learn to "vogue."  He even made her stand up to do it -- getting her moving rather than plying with her with junk.  Plus maybe Jack's "saintliness" is for a reason as other people have speculated--it will make his fall from grace that much more poignant.  

Also, I don't think Kate was that big when she was younger.  Some kids are just chubby until they grow up.  I think she really packed on the pounds after Jack's death.  I think we see her at an OK weight when she was a teen and her flashback to her father's funeral in this episode points toward that being a catalyst to her weight gain. I think her background with her mother and her diet was a contributing factor but didn't exclusively cause her weight gain.

[Emily Thrace]

2 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I think that would just be kind of lazy.  I'm not saying the show needs to be a documentary, but it seems silly to do flashbacks to certain time periods, if you aren't really going to get that time period right.  It's like with Rebecca's hair.  It's supposed to be 1989, and she looks like she hasn't updated her look since 1976. 

I think its actually more realistic than you would think. Plenty of Moms don't change their hair while their kids are small. Hell I have an Aunt who has had the same hairstyle for twenty years. I also agree with others who have said that Jack and Rebecca chose the like a virgin era because cone bra or pantsuits don't really work on ten year old girls. Or even that Jack and Rebecca simply aren't fully up to date on Madonna either, they are middle aged parents of three kids not people who are usually up to date on the latest pop star happenings in any era. One hundred percent accuracy doesn't reflect how people live really either because most people will drag things from other eras into the current one anyway.

[Indy]

Dear Show: Please stop trying to make make me like Toby. Don't put asshole Stable Boy out there as a greater of two evils to make me want Kate to marry Toby. Because that's not going to happen. Like I said before, I don't need you to kill Toby, I just need you to deport him back to LA where he can stay out of Kate's life and off of my TV. And damn you for the funeral glimpses.  

[AriAu]

Quote

What did the text say?

Where?

[txhorns79]

Quote

My son's school has this policy, but it's only if you are passing out invitations at the school. You can't give invitations to only some of your classmates; you must pass them out to all. (They have the same policy on valentines; you must give valentines to your entire class if you give them out.) However, if you send evites or mail out invitations you can invite whomever you want.

Yeah, I've seen that policy regarding invitations handed out at school.  If you aren't doing it at school, the school didn't care. 

Quote

First of all, "Like a Virgin" Madonna = "Jailhouse Rock" Elvis = mop-top Beatles = "Thriller" era MJ. It's far from her only defining look, but it's her most memorable one, and she is iconic and inspirational enough that even in 1990, it was far from passé. Secondly, as others have stated, these are kids. Their costuming abilities are limited to what their parents are willing or able to do for them. It's a lot easier to throw together an old skirt from a big sister's closet and a cheap pair of lace gloves from Claire's than to fabricate a cone bra, and it's a LOT more age-appropriate.

It was passe in 1990, just like a group of ten year olds showing up for a "Beatles" party in 1970 would get strange looks if they were all dressed like the "Ed Sullivan" era Beatles.    

[picsistic]

My one nitpick that I don't think has been addressed yet.  IF Kevin had not seen Sophie in 12 years, how did she have his phone number?  I guess it's possible he could have the same number as 12 years ago, but seems unlikely.  Did they ever show him giving her his number?  I just found it odd that she texted him about two minutes after he left and right away I thought, "Did he give her his number and I missed it?"

Other than that...god, I love this show!

[bichonblitz]

Talk about continuity or lack thereof.... Toby just had heart surgery. Now, I don't know if he had a single, double or triple bypass or if he had a valve replacement or what but they were wheeling him off to the operating room so it had to have been a serious surgery. My husband had a bypass last year, was kept int he hospital for a week and wasn't allowed to drive for at least 3 weeks after that, they crack your friggin chest open for heaven's sake and frankly it's a brutal recovery for at least 6 weeks. But, here we are with Toby, good as new, driving Kate to camp and going out with Kevin. 

[3 is enough]

Quote

What did the text say?

Where?

The text Sophie sent to Kevin

[luna1122]

7 minutes ago, picsistic said:

My one nitpick that I don't think has been addressed yet.  IF Kevin had not seen Sophie in 12 years, how did she have his phone number?  I guess it's possible he could have the same number as 12 years ago, but seems unlikely.  Did they ever show him giving her his number?  I just found it odd that she texted him about two minutes after he left and right away I thought, "Did he give her his number and I missed it?"

 

I'm guessing they've kept in touch in some cursory way. Facebook, friends, whatever. Hell, I just hope we don't find out there's a kid we didn't know about and that's why they still kept in touch. (I don't actually expect that to be the case.)

Also, where is Toby staying while he recuperates? Did Kate just quit her job, and how is she supporting herself/paying for surgery and 'fat camp'? And what did Toby do for a living, and he is planning to move to NY when/if he marries Kate, as long as she doesn't bone gross horsey guy?
 

Quote

 

       Quote

What did the text say?

Where?

The text Sophie sent to Kevin

 

baha. Who's on first?

The text that Sophie sent to Kevin merely asked 'where?'.

Edited January 25, 2017 by luna1122

[VioletNevermind]

1 minute ago, 3 is enough said:

The text Sophie sent to Kevin

It said, "Where?"

[ShadowFacts]

About creepy stable guy, if his dick behavior isn't the first time he's done it, how does he even keep a job there?  To me he was acting like he has done this ploy before and it worked.   He told her she was wasting her money, and not everyone would react as she did, they might take off and complain to management.  It's kind of odd, at first I thought he was another "camper" who was doing some horse therapy.  Way too cheeky for an employee.  And cheeky is really being charitable. 

[txhorns79]

Quote

Also, where is Toby staying while he recuperates? Did Kate just quit her job, and how is she supporting herself/paying for surgery and 'fat camp'?

Yeah, I don't think they've shown Kate doing anything job related in a few episodes. 

[DayGlorious]

12 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

It was passe in 1990, just like a group of ten year olds showing up for a "Beatles" party in 1970 would get strange looks if they were all dressed like the "Ed Sullivan" era Beatles.    

Madonna moved on from that look long before 1990. The rest of the world...not quite so much. And again, temporarily disregarding the fact that theme parties weren't really a thing until later, it's more about what the kids' parents deemed "safe" entertainment as what was currently in vogue (pun intended). In 1970, that would mean embracing the clean-cut Beatles instead of the long-haired hippie version; in the mid-2010s, that would mean Hannah Montana instead of twerking stoner/hot mess Miley. 

What I really want to know is how after 12 years, in a city as transient and ridiculously expensive as NYC, Kevin knew exactly where to find Sophie, and at what point (and why) the entire show just up and moved from Pittsburgh to the NY area. 

[Haleth]

1 hour ago, Trillian said:

Now I'm really confused - I hadn't picked up on the timing.  Doesn't school start after Labour Day?  Or is that only in the land where we spell it labour and not labor :)?  Why would they be handing invitations at the school at all in August?

Ha!  Good point!  I believe NJ schools start after Labor Day. (Unless Randall's private school started earlier for some reason.)

[OtterMommy]

9 minutes ago, luna1122 said:

Also, where is Toby staying while he recuperates? Did Kate just quit her job, and how is she supporting herself/paying for surgery and 'fat camp'? And what did Toby do for a living, and he is planning to move to NY when/if he marries Kate, as long as she doesn't bone gross horsey guy?

I'm at a loss for both Toby and Kate's employment.  I GUESS (creating a parallel screenplay in my head...again), Toby could have taken out short term disability after his heart attack.  Kate COULD be working remotely for her new boss, although that doesn't seem likely.  Or, Kevin COULD have "re-hired" Kate....

Here's one thing that bugged me...I was a little surprised that Toby and Kate are now "engaged."  Yes, they talked about getting married when Toby was in the hospital, but that didn't seem like a proposal to me.  I mean, OtterDaddy and I talked about marriage for months before he actually proposed and I didn't consider myself engaged until I got an actual proposal.  If what Toby said in the hospital was his proposal, that's pretty lousy for the King of Grand Gestures.

[VioletNevermind]

14 minutes ago, DayGlorious said:

Madonna moved on from that look long before 1990. The rest of the world...not quite so much. And again, temporarily disregarding the fact that theme parties weren't really a thing until later, it's more about what the kids' parents deemed "safe" entertainment as what was currently in vogue (pun intended).

I thought the timing was weird until I remembered exactly what you stated above.  Also, we didn't have the Internet and a round-the-clock celebrity news culture then, so it wasn't as easy to adjust one's impressions about a celebrity's style as it is now.  And yes, I'd much rather put my 10-year-old daughter in a ballet skirt and gloves than a cone bra and fishnets.  I say that as someone who was never particularly impressed with Madonna in the 80's and 90's; I worshipped at the Church of Prince.

Edited January 25, 2017 by SuzyLee

[Tikichick]

13 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

About creepy stable guy, if his dick behavior isn't the first time he's done it, how does he even keep a job there?  To me he was acting like he has done this ploy before and it worked.   He told her she was wasting her money, and not everyone would react as she did, they might take off and complain to management.  It's kind of odd, at first I thought he was another "camper" who was doing some horse therapy.  Way too cheeky for an employee.  And cheeky is really being charitable. 

I'm definitely curious what the intended direction for this character is.  If it's meant to help propel Kate towards some sort of inner discovery, fine.  Other than that, his behavior was far too offputting for me to ever accept him as any romantic interest for her.

[3 is enough]

Thanks everyone for the answer to my question.  And sorry , AriAu, that I misunderstood your answer.

[Mldh598]

6 hours ago, Haleth said:

 

The funeral is going to kill me.  If they have Jack's and William's deaths in the same episode (finale?) I will be inconsolable.

If this happens, I'm going to need to stay in bed for the rest of that week! With the way William was acting last night, I felt some finality and really thought this was his last episode. Not sure why I thought that.