Red Oaks - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Your Red Oaks Topic!

[Readalot]

Once again another strong season!  I fully enjoy this show. My highlights, I will try not to spoil too much: 

- David - He is such a good guy, how can you not root for him?  Loyal, but not to a fault. I would love to have him as a friend 

- Skye - reminds me so much of Ally Sheedy it take me out watching. I think her growth (or lack of)  is very realistic based on her upbringing. 

- Fay and Getty's Relationship - first season I thought Fay was the typical Trophy Wife. But then we heard their backstory (she a waitress, getting married at City Hall) and I thought they did a good job of showing depth to their marriage. I felt the love! 

- Judy and Sam - It was nice to show a divorced couple that are still friendly. Glad Sam didn't have a major life change. Like the evolution of Judy and her dating scene. 

- Wheeler and Misty - Loved their evolution too. Can so see them married down the road. Misty would attain an accent here and their, it was distracting. 

More to come - 

[Readalot]

Yea!  In 1985 I was 2 years younger than David so I can relate to so much. I love that it's set in the 80's, but not about the 80's (a la "The Goldbergs").  I'm going to rewatch the first season before I comment more. Looking forward to discussing with everyone c

[Kel Varnsen]

I can't believe how much i like Paul Riser in this show considering how much i hated Mad About You. Loved the joke about seeing Aliens and complaining about the jerk cooperate guy.

[AnnaRose]

I just had a Prime trial that ended and watched season two a couple weeks ago. (I had watched season one last year.)  I seriously LOVE this show!  I totally relate to it, having been the age of these young adults back at that time. (I was Karen, the aerobics instructor.)  It brings back a lot of memories, and I also appreciate the music they chose. 

I thought Paul Riser was amazing in this, though unlike Kel Varnsen, I loved Mad About You.  I thought he was especially moving in the confession scene... although really he was pretty amazing throughout.   Faye's character is great too, and I'm glad they fleshed her out so well.

I also particularly enjoyed the Wheeler/Misty story this season, and I'm glad he's going back to Cornell.   I totally knew a 'Wheeler' who looked exactly like him too.

I wouldn't mind having David as a BFF either. 

Also, I'm with Readalot in being very distracted by Skye's resemblance to Ally Sheedy.  That probably helps sell her scenes as being in the eighties though.

The whole cast is fantastic IMO, as is the writing and direction.  

Have they already been renewed for season three?  Do they sell Amazon Prime series on DVD too?  

[AnnaRose]

I wish I could rewatch, but I don't have Prime right now.  I too love that it's set in the eighties, Readalot. 

I was disappointed to read elsewhere that so many people hated the body-switch episode.  I thought it was hilarious, especially on rewatch.   The actors did such a tremendous job imitating each other... I found it fascinating to watch.  It's a great homage to all those body-switch movies of that period.  

[Kel Varnsen]

First thing i watched when Amazon prime video came to Canada. I liked it. It is funny about the thread title since it reminds me of a combination of Caddyshack and Freaks and Geeks (although not quite as good as either, but still enjoyable).

It is weird though I seem to like everyone else's storylines more than I like David's storyline.

[Readalot]

http://www.vulture.com/2017/01/amazon-renews-mozart-in-the-jungle-gives-red-oaks-final-season.html

we are getting a third and final season of Red Oaks. Yea!

[AnnaRose]

17 minutes ago, Readalot said:

http://www.vulture.com/2017/01/amazon-renews-mozart-in-the-jungle-gives-red-oaks-final-season.html

we are getting a third and final season of Red Oaks. Yea!

I'm so happy they are doing another season, and also very glad that they know it will be the final one.  Not that I don't want more seasons, but I'm glad they know ahead of time and will be able to plan accordingly.   I really hope they sell the series DVD at some point.

[Guest]

I like this show but didn't really like Skye, and, yes, her Ally Sheedy resemblance is distracting.  

Glad someone finally got a forum for it.  I recommended it months ago but no one would make up some forum names then and that's not my thing.  

[Danny Franks]

Just watched both seasons of this show over the last couple of weeks. It's a shame not many people are talking about it, because it's a lot of fun. Not groundbreaking or cutting edge, but a nice, affectionate throwback to 80s teen comedies, with a bit of Porkys and a bit of John Hughes.

I enjoyed Nash, Herb and Getty the most, I think. And Misty was a surprise, I have to say. Interesting character development, but some serious wish fulfilment (which again, fits the 80s sex comedy template) with her and Wheeler.

David was a bit of a blank slate, I found. Even in the second season, he's not really got much in the way of direction or personality, but I guess that's also in the vein of the sort of roles John Cusack and Andrew McCarthy were playing thirty years ago. I wasn't convinced by his relationship with Skye, because I just didn't think she would be that invested in a guy like David.

You guys saying Skye looks like Ally Sheedy? I can see that, but I kept thinking she was Selma Blair. She was kind of irritating, in her desire to be sophisticated and bohemian, because it was underpinned by a lot of insecurity and teen confusion. I guess that makes sense, but it didn't maker her particularly sympathetic.

One issue I had was the idea that I was supposed to be happy that Karen was marrying Barry. Because he was an asshole. Not just to David, but generally an asshole to everyone. He wasn't funny or charming, and I just felt bad that Karen is probably going to be even more unhappy than David's mother was in her marriage.

[Danny Franks]

On 29/01/2017 at 9:33 PM, AnnaRose said:

I was disappointed to read elsewhere that so many people hated the body-switch episode.  I thought it was hilarious, especially on rewatch.   The actors did such a tremendous job imitating each other... I found it fascinating to watch.  It's a great homage to all those body-switch movies of that period.  

As soon as I watched the scene where they realised they'd swapped bodies, I quickly skimmed the rest of the episode, just to get past it. It felt so utterly jarring and out of place, for a show that was otherwise based in reality, that I couldn't bring myself to watch it. Obviously, there were a number of body swap movies in the 80s, and they wanted to reference them, but it just flat out did not work for me.

It feels like they just took a lot of 80s stock characters: the blond jock dickhead, the ditzy blonde beauty, the edgy rebel girl, the slacker stoner, the asshole corporate boss, and even a stock setup of summer jobs for teenagers, and they didn't do anything new with any of it. But it doesn't really matter, because you don't have to be staggeringly original if you're able to be funny and endearing.

This show was both of those things. It was a big nostalgia trip through 80s cinema, hitting a lot of familiar beats. And if I thought about it more, I might draw a line from the broader, boobs-flashing first episode, and the burgeoning romance between David and Skye in the last episodes, and say it followed a timeline from Porky's and Fast Times at Ridgemont High through to the likes of The Sure Thing and John Hughes movies in the mid-80s.

[AnnaRose]

Yeah, Barry was such a skeevy buffoon... I felt sorry for Karen and wondered how she could stand him.

And Skye was not an appealing character during most of season two... but I knew people like her back then, so I do think she was realistic.

[alexa]

I love this show... just started watching recently and am partway through season 2 now.  I think Season 2 has more depth and flow to it than Season 1 and have really enjoyed it so far.  Paul Riser is really good in this show, and I like his interactions with the other characters.

[Mindthinkr]

Tonight Season Three begins. I'm excited. 

[Mindthinkr]

David gets a job in NYC and we see how everyone's lives have changed. 

[Mindthinkr]

They neatly wrapped up all of the characters lives. Many went where we expected them to go, with a few surprises along the way. I'm so glad they were able to do the third season. 

[Readalot]

On 10/20/2017 at 6:16 AM, Mindthinkr said:

Tonight Season Three begins. I'm excited. 

Yea!  I don’t know if I should watch when I have time to binge or not. 

[Mindthinkr]

There are only six episodes so it will only take 3 hours to see it all. 

[Guest]

Only 3 eps in.  I miss the country club.

 I want to push Jennifer Gray's character off a cliff.  It was stupid writing to give her a two-seater.   You can't be a realtor in that.  

Nice to see the gang back though.  

[Mindthinkr]

On 10/22/2017 at 1:10 AM, Winston9-DT3 said:

Only 3 eps in.  I miss the country club.

Keep watching. It will come into play. 

[Guest]

Two more eps in and I'm just not feeling it this season.  I'll stick it out because it's short but... meh.   I don't care about any of these stories.   

[metalchik]

I absolutely LOVED this show and I'm sad that I'm done with it!  Loved Paul Reiser in this. 

I kind of wish I hadn't watched it so fast.  Now I'll have to search for something similar to watch.

[Guest]

The last ep was cute but I feel like the whole season was sort of the show going out with a whimper.  I did love Paul Reiser and the whole cast.  

[EtheltoTillie]

So sad this was only six episodes. But I liked the way they ended it. 

[Readalot]

I too am bummed it’s over. I think the first season was the best, but I did care about the characters the whole run so it was a win for me.   My hubby worked at a CC for a few years teens/ early/20’s in the 80’s, they did get a lot of things right for that era. (Main critique was the  accents all over the place).  

[Kel Varnsen]

I just watched it over the last  few days and I am glad the creators got to give it a proper ending. Especially considering how little media attention the show got. Hell even the Canadian Amazon prime video facebook page didn't  mention that it came back, as they were too busy talking about The Tick.

Overall I liked it. One of the on screen trivia bits mentioned that when the writers found out they were only getting 6 episodes they plotted it like a movie, which kind of worked. And most surprising to me they actually made me give a shit about David. It helped that I didn't really care for all the drama with him and Skye. Also the scene where his mom came out to him might have been the funniest thing the show did.

I also liked that they gave his dad a plot line where he actauly got a win. The sandwich shop and having a girlfriend really worked.

Lastly how is it possible that Jennifer Grey is hotter now than she was 30 years ago when Ferris Bueller came out?

[DearEvette]

I only really halfway watch this show.  This is one of my husband's faves, but I like the music at the end credits.  In the end of ep. 3 the song 'Twilight Zone' by Golden Earring came one and I am singing the lyrics perfectly and totally rocking out to it --- heavy rotation on MTV in the 80s -- and my husband is looking at me like I grew another eye or something.  He had never ever heard this song before. 

Edited November 20, 2017 by DearEvette

[MCMLXXVII]

Really like this show!

It’s funny, I kept thinking Skye was a dead ringer for young Neve Campbell, but yes I could see her being played by Ally Sheedy in the 80s. 

I thought the time in Paris was very “Say Anything” the next chapter.

On 2/11/2017 at 7:51 PM, Danny Franks said:

One issue I had was the idea that I was supposed to be happy that Karen was marrying Barry. Because he was an asshole. Not just to David, but generally an asshole to everyone. He wasn't funny or charming, and I just felt bad that Karen is probably going to be even more unhappy than David's mother was in her marriage.

Right! All the modeling stuff seemed straight out of “Star 80”/Dorothy Stratton’s life. I was like No! Run, Karen, run!

Edited April 3, 2018 by MCMLXXVII

[Pristine]

I stumbled upon this, when finishing another Amazon Prime Original.  I binged all three seasons in a few days, and now I want a "10 years later" season.  

[abc123]

I really wanted to like this show more than I did...it had some cute moments, but there was nothing really amazing about it.  It wasn't super funny, or suspenseful, and the only characters I really cared about were Wheeler and Mr. Myers (and honorable mentions of my interest went to Getty and Nash).  Like someone mentioned earlier, the credit music was on point.  I'm not sure I would really recommend this to anyone though unless they were recovering from something and had a lot of time to spend watching tv.

[Cementhead]

To say that I am late to the party on this one is a vast understatement.  But how did I not know about this show at the time it aired?  Why was nobody talking about it?!  Where was the much deserved buzz??  So many unanswered questions! 

I just binged this charming little gem of a show and it was about as perfect as a show could be.  I highly recommend it to anyone who loves 80s genre movies and television because this series is one of the best tributes to that decade that I have ever seen.  Smart, heartwarming and respectful without being heavy handed or lampooning in any way.

Paul Reiser is amazing in this and I am not a Paul Reiser fan.  He totally deserved an award or even just some accolades for his performance but since this show seemingly flew under the radar, it doesn't surprise me that he went unnoticed.  Shame!

I had no idea Craig Roberts was Welsh <MIND BLOWN> until just now when I googled him.  Great choice for David.  He was the perfect straight man amongst the more colourful cast of characters.  He had such a great expressive face and could say a lot without saying anything.  He also had that classic old school face that fit right into the 80s mold. 

Skye reminded me of Ally Sheedy, too, she totally had her chin.  She also reminded me of Neve Campbell.  She was probably my least favourite part of show if I had to pick one and I was so very glad that the show didn't squander too much time having David in Paris. 

All of the characters were so likeable; Misty, Nasser, and it was so rewarding to watch a show give their characters well thought out character arcs complete with happy endings because that seems to be such a rarity these days, as if it's not cool or cutting edge enough to do so.  Maybe there isn't room anymore for telling heartwarming, simple stories about a really likeable group of good people and that's why this show just came and went so quietly as it did without any attention or fanfare.  Sometimes a show like this is exactly what you were looking for or needing at the time and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for something sweet and comforting to watch!