This Is Our Minutiae Thread: For Those Pesky Job/Housing/Money/Geography Details

[laurakaye]

9 minutes ago, wings707 said:

I remember hearing it only once.  Now I want to know what you were laughing at!

During the fight, she repeated one phrase three times in a row...something like "you're being ridiculous" or similar.  I can't remember but it took me right out of the one scene I actually felt somewhat invested in.

Edited March 15, 2017 by laurakaye

[OtterMommy]

Here's my nitpick for Moonshadow--and, boy is it a nitpick.

Rebecca's friends with whom she was having lunch were too old.

It doesn't bother me that Mandy Moore is not 19--she plays all sorts of ages in this show, and I'm happy to just go with it.  It is kind of like watching a pregnant actress play a non-pregnant character.  It is what it is, and it's no big deal, and I just turn a blind eye to it.

However, we've never seen these two friends before and it is conceivable that we'll never see them again....so why did they look to be at least in their mid-30?  Hollywood is flooded with young actresses....they couldn't find 2 for one very short scene?  Mandy Moore looks good for her age, but she doesn't look 19.  She was never going to look 19...and that's okay.  However, older actresses (older = about MM's actual age) don't make MM look any younger--they just look out of place.

[Wings]

4 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

Here's my nitpick for Moonshadow--and, boy is it a nitpick.

Rebecca's friends with whom she was having lunch were too old.

It doesn't bother me that Mandy Moore is not 19--she plays all sorts of ages in this show, and I'm happy to just go with it.  It is kind of like watching a pregnant actress play a non-pregnant character.  It is what it is, and it's no big deal, and I just turn a blind eye to it.

However, we've never seen these two friends before and it is conceivable that we'll never see them again....so why did they look to be at least in their mid-30?  Hollywood is flooded with young actresses....they couldn't find 2 for one very short scene?  Mandy Moore looks good for her age, but she doesn't look 19.  She was never going to look 19...and that's okay.  However, older actresses (older = about MM's actual age) don't make MM look any younger--they just look out of place.

Maybe this is why they didn't hire 19 year olds to play her friends.  They might have tried, but found it just made Mandy look too old for that scene.  

[OtterMommy]

1 minute ago, wings707 said:

Maybe this is why they didn't hire 19 year olds to play her friends.  They might have tried, but found it just made Mandy look too old for that scene.  

That was what I trying to talk about.  MM is never going to look 19, and I don't think anyone cares about that--providing the hair, clothes, and makeup are right.  My guess is that they did go for older actresses, just for the reason you said, but it backfired (in my opinion).

[methodwriter85]

Sarah Paxton was born in 1988. Not 19 either, but not in her mid-30's, either.

I was super-disappointed that she didn't stay young looking because I had always wanted her to play the Wakefield twins in a long-rumored adaption of Sweet Valley High. Alas, she's now too old.

[laurakaye]

Niggling minutiae question...at the end of the last episode, Kate pulled a picture out of a box - the picture of Rebecca singing - and declared she also wanted to sing.  Where were Kate and Toby in that moment?  In an apartment?  Were they packing or unpacking?  Do they live together?  Was it a flash-forward of a scene that will be explained later?

This type of thing drives me nuts, because I have no foundation on which to base my reaction.  I don't know what Kate and Toby's relationship status is, or where they live, or what they were in the process of doing when Kate found the picture.  Was I not paying close enough attention?

[luna1122]

3 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

Niggling minutiae question...at the end of the last episode, Kate pulled a picture out of a box - the picture of Rebecca singing - and declared she also wanted to sing.  Where were Kate and Toby in that moment?  In an apartment?  Were they packing or unpacking?  Do they live together?  Was it a flash-forward of a scene that will be explained later?

This type of thing drives me nuts, because I have no foundation on which to base my reaction.  I don't know what Kate and Toby's relationship status is, or where they live, or what they were in the process of doing when Kate found the picture.  Was I not paying close enough attention?

We don't know. You didn't not pay attention, they just didn't tell us. They appeared to be unpacking. They were back in L.A. Maybe they live together in a new place. They haven't bothered to actually fill us in.

[Guest]

My take was they were back in LA unpacking after moving in together.  Toby's remark in the awful 'berating retail balloon workers' scene was he couldn't wait to get back home to LA and get shacked up and on with their lives.  

[methodwriter85]

Speaking of geography, it bugs the shit of me how much they treat Pittsburgh like some generic city. It's not- it's very much an eccentric but gorgeous place, full of things that make it neither an East Coast nor a Mid-West city. Other than mentioning the Steelers, they're not doing much to suggest that this is Pittsburgh. I get that they're not filming in Pittsburgh, but there's gotta be an area in Greater Southern California that has 20th century houses built on gentle, rolling hills. The golf course is the one place I've seen on this show that really did look like it could be Western Pennsylvania. Everything else is too flat.

*I went to IUP, about a hour northwest of Pittsburgh, for two years. Gorgeous place. I loved the rolling hills I'd see off in the distance every time I stepped out of my dorm.

[OtterMommy]

39 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

Speaking of geography, it bugs the shit of me how much they treat Pittsburgh like some generic city. It's not- it's very much an eccentric but gorgeous place, full of things that make it neither an East Coast nor a Mid-West city. Other than mentioning the Steelers, they're not doing much to suggest that this is Pittsburgh. I get that they're not filming in Pittsburgh, but there's gotta be an area in Greater Southern California that has 20th century houses built on gentle, rolling hills. The golf course is the one place I've seen on this show that really did look like it could be Western Pennsylvania. Everything else is too flat.

*I went to IUP, about a hour northwest of Pittsburgh, for two years. Gorgeous place. I loved the rolling hills I'd see off in the distance every time I stepped out of my dorm.

This is why I like shows that are filmed on location.  I live in a very, shall we say unique?, area and we have had a few shows film here and I think it has added quite a bit to those series.  There have also been shows (okay, I can think of one....) that was set here but filmed in California and it bugged me to no end to see all the palm trees and spanish architecture.  I'd like to say that is why the show only lasted one season...but I think it had to do with the fact that it was a very unfunny sitcom.

[OtterMommy]

In the 1.18 thread, @ShadowFacts wrote:

Quote

True.  He may have had just a basic life insurance policy at work, maybe a higher amount for accidental death, but Rebecca would have needed it for living expenses unless she started making more money singing.  Even if she gave equal shares to the kids, it was almost 20 years ago.  But since we don't know how he died, there are lots of possibilities from them being left nearly broke, to some kind of huge wrongful death award, and everything in between.  It would have been nice if they would address just a little of how Kate and Toby managed financially for the past several months. 

My guess is that Kate isn't in that much need for money.  She was probably a very well-paid assistant to Kevin and he may have even put her back on the payroll, so to speak, once she gave up her LA job.  Plus, she had been staying with Rebecca and Miguel until she moved into Toby's hotel with him, so I can't expect that she had much in the way of expenses (except a possible major surgery).

As for Toby, didn't he make a comment in an earlier episode--the one when he was telling Kevin to go find his joy or some crap like that, which ended up giving us the inert Sophie relationship--that he was telecommuting until he could fly back to LA?  If so, he would still be employed.  Of, if that were not the case, he could also be on medical leave.

[laurakaye]

On 3/24/2017 at 9:15 PM, OtterMommy said:

This is why I like shows that are filmed on location.  I live in a very, shall we say unique?, area and we have had a few shows film here and I think it has added quite a bit to those series.  There have also been shows (okay, I can think of one....) that was set here but filmed in California and it bugged me to no end to see all the palm trees and spanish architecture.  I'd like to say that is why the show only lasted one season...but I think it had to do with the fact that it was a very unfunny sitcom.

Same here.  "Bloodline," on Netflix, is one of my favorite shows, and it's filmed in the Florida Keys.  I have never been there myself, but you can absolutely see the effects of the unrelenting humidity on the characters, as well as the gorgeous scenery.  Other than when Kevin is in NYC, I get a very generic feel for where everyone lives.

 

17 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

In the 1.18 thread, @ShadowFacts wrote:

My guess is that Kate isn't in that much need for money.  She was probably a very well-paid assistant to Kevin and he may have even put her back on the payroll, so to speak, once she gave up her LA job.  Plus, she had been staying with Rebecca and Miguel until she moved into Toby's hotel with him, so I can't expect that she had much in the way of expenses (except a possible major surgery).

As for Toby, didn't he make a comment in an earlier episode--the one when he was telling Kevin to go find his joy or some crap like that, which ended up giving us the inert Sophie relationship--that he was telecommuting until he could fly back to LA?  If so, he would still be employed.  Of, if that were not the case, he could also be on medical leave.

Everything in bold?  I missed all of this.  How did I miss all of this?  To me, it almost feels like everyone lives within driving distance of each other, given how their paths intersect so often.  I literally had no idea that Toby was telecommuting or that Kate lived with Rebecca.  None.  I will take part of the blame for maybe not paying close enough attention, but I have to put some of the blame in the writing, because I just cannot get a grip on who these people really are.

Edited March 31, 2017 by laurakaye

[qtpye]

17 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

True.  He may have had just a basic life insurance policy at work, maybe a higher amount for accidental death, but Rebecca would have needed it for living expenses unless she started making more money singing.  Even if she gave equal shares to the kids, it was almost 20 years ago.  But since we don't know how he died, there are lots of possibilities from them being left nearly broke, to some kind of huge wrongful death award, and everything in between.  It would have been nice if they would address just a little of how Kate and Toby managed financially for the past several months. 

My fanwank, which I really should not have to do, would be something like say Kate got a little money from the death.  It was not a huge amount, say around 15k, but she was disciplined enough to put it in a rainy day fund or invest it wisely, so it actually grew a little over the last 20 years.  She could now draw of this for a little while.  If this was the real world, she would eventually have to get a job and sing on the side. 

However, this is tv, so she probably will be successful (maybe going on the Voice, as someone else mentioned).  She might have the career that Rebecca dreamed of and that could create a whole slew of new issues for the character.  Maybe Rebecca will be happy or resent her.  If Kevin's career flounders, maybe he will resent Kate for being "The Star".

[OtterMommy]

3 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Everything in bold?  I missed all of this.  How did I miss all of this?  To me, it almost feels like everyone lives within driving distance of each other, given how their paths intersect so often.  I literally had no idea that Toby was telecommuting or that Kate lived with Rebecca.  None.  I will take part of the blame for maybe not paying close enough attention, but I have to put some of the blame in the writing, because I just cannot get a grip on who these people really are.

Well, to be fair, a lot of that were conclusions that I had to come to myself.  Kate was not staying with Randall and Beth, and she showed up with Rebecca for Christmas--thus, I think it is a fair conclusion that she was staying with Rebecca.  As for Toby telecommuting, I do think that was mentioned in passing--or I've completely fabricated that memory to try to explain why he was still in NYC.

But you bring up a very good point, there are gaps in the writing here and I don't know if they expect the viewers to fill the holes in themselves or not--but they shouldn't.  Seriously, a line here or there, said in less than 3 seconds, would clear up so much and make the show seem less sloppy.

[luna1122]

I also think we saw Kate going back to Rebecca's house after the 'fat doctor' appointment...Miguel was outside doing..something, I forget. So yeah, I assumed Kate was staying with them too. I also THINK I recall the working from anywhere comment from Toby, but we have no idea what he actually does, I don't think.

[MaryPatShelby]

On 3/31/2017 at 8:51 AM, laurakaye said:

Same here.  "Bloodline," on Netflix, is one of my favorite shows, and it's filmed in the Florida Keys.  I have never been there myself, but you can absolutely see the effects of the unrelenting humidity on the characters, as well as the gorgeous scenery.  Other than when Kevin is in NYC, I get a very generic feel for where everyone lives.

 

Everything in bold?  I missed all of this.  How did I miss all of this?  To me, it almost feels like everyone lives within driving distance of each other, given how their paths intersect so often.  I literally had no idea that Toby was telecommuting or that Kate lived with Rebecca.  None.  I will take part of the blame for maybe not paying close enough attention, but I have to put some of the blame in the writing, because I just cannot get a grip on who these people really are.

I also love how the Florida humidity is almost a character on Bloodline.

The bold stuff, I also missed, which contributes to my frustration with the show keeping everything a mystery. I do watch closely and don't multi-task while watching, but maybe I'm just too stupid to pick up on the tiny clues that we are given.  I don't need everything spoonfed, really, but how hard is to give us a few throwaway lines about where people are living (even the city!) and how they make their money?

[bros402]

17 hours ago, MaryPatShelby said:

I also love how the Florida humidity is almost a character on Bloodline.

The bold stuff, I also missed, which contributes to my frustration with the show keeping everything a mystery. I do watch closely and don't multi-task while watching, but maybe I'm just too stupid to pick up on the tiny clues that we are given.  I don't need everything spoonfed, really, but how hard is to give us a few throwaway lines about where people are living (even the city!) and how they make their money?

It did seem to indicate that Kate was staying with Rebecca - in the episode where they visited the weight loss doctor. I don't know about Toby, but that sounds right. 

We have no idea where Rebecca & Miguel are living, but it seems like a reasonable distance from NYC - but Pittsburgh seems a bit too far. Maybe they moved near Harrisburg (Closer than Pittsburgh, which is like a 6 hour drive from the city) when Randall settled in North Jersey - I assume Kevin was in the city until 22 or 24 or whenever he left for LA - did Kate come with him right away, or did she stay in the city for a while? I'd like to see some young adult flashbacks next season - could show how they adjusted to the first few years of Miguel and it would allow them to jump around Jack's death for a little while longer.

[methodwriter85]

Pittsburgh Dad came out with this short about a summer evening in 1987, and it really made me wish the Powers that Be tried at least a little harder to have at least a little bit more  Pittsburgh flavor to the flashback scenes. Western P.A. is such a unique place that it's annoying that it's treated like Anytown, U.S.A. on This Is Us. (Complete with totally flat topography!) I grew up in suburban Delaware, which actually is Anytown, U.S.A, so I really did love the unique flavor of Pittsburgh, which is why I wish they'd actually use that on the show. I get not using the accent, but they could at least do more than say a few things about the Steelers and calling it a day.

Seriously, making a couple of references to the Steelers does not set the place.

Thirtysomething and The Office both made real efforts at setting the place, with them both even shipping in brands from the area like WaWa's and Herr's. Meanwhile this show has people using Trader Joe's products before they were even in Pittsburgh? Did any actual Pittsburgh people consult on this show?

I will give them the house, though. The 80's version of it actually does look like it could be from that area.

Edited August 3, 2017 by methodwriter85

[ClareWalks]

On 8/3/2017 at 1:15 PM, methodwriter85 said:

I get not using the accent, but they could at least do more than say a few things about the Steelers and calling it a day.

Indeed. Not a single "yinz" to be found! Inconceivable!

[Blakeston]

On 3/31/2017 at 9:51 AM, laurakaye said:

Everything in bold?  I missed all of this.  How did I miss all of this?  To me, it almost feels like everyone lives within driving distance of each other, given how their paths intersect so often.  I literally had no idea that Toby was telecommuting or that Kate lived with Rebecca.  None.  I will take part of the blame for maybe not paying close enough attention, but I have to put some of the blame in the writing, because I just cannot get a grip on who these people really are.

I just bingewatched the season, and I heard nothing about Toby teleworking.

[Mrs. DuRona]

Someone mentioned in the latest episode thread something about Randall's weird huge but only 3 bedroom house.  I'm not in the market for a house right now, but I like to look at the real estate websites to see what's out there.  Currently, there is a house for sale on the lake for almost 2 million dollars.  It's pretty big (3800 square feet).  Big kitchen, big living room, etc.  3 bedrooms.  I was FLOORED.  I mean, from the outside, you would have assumed 4 bedrooms, maybe 5.  So, I totally buy that Randall's seemingly large house only has 3 dedicated bedrooms and an office.

[bros402]

15 hours ago, Mrs. DuRona said:

Someone mentioned in the latest episode thread something about Randall's weird huge but only 3 bedroom house.  I'm not in the market for a house right now, but I like to look at the real estate websites to see what's out there.  Currently, there is a house for sale on the lake for almost 2 million dollars.  It's pretty big (3800 square feet).  Big kitchen, big living room, etc.  3 bedrooms.  I was FLOORED.  I mean, from the outside, you would have assumed 4 bedrooms, maybe 5.  So, I totally buy that Randall's seemingly large house only has 3 dedicated bedrooms and an office.

He's in north jersey, houses there are *expensive* - he has a three bedroom house with a finished basement, an unknown number of bathrooms (at least 2), and a dedicated office (that could always be a bedroom) - that has to be at least a mil for that ouse

[methodwriter85]

I was curious about someone who noted the 1996 sticker vs. the 1998 sticker on the car, and I looked it up. Apparently in Pennsylvania you had to have both a license plate sticker, and you had to have a vehicle inspection sticker on the front corner of your windshield. (Delaware you just need the license plate sticker.) Also, up until recently, you could only do a registration for one year, apparently.

That's kind of a neat little detail they added in. Apparently PA is phasing out stickers, although you still have to register. And you can buy registration for up to 2 years.

Edited October 3, 2017 by methodwriter85

[laurakaye]

Can someone tell me...are Kate and Toby living together in NYC and is that where Kevin is, too?  When he dropped in on them, for some reason I thought Kate and Toby were in LA, because that's where Kate was initially an assistant for Jamie Gertz's character?  Or was that also in NYC?  Did Kate and Toby move cross-country?  I get confused when the characters pop in and out of each other's homes, because I don't have a feel for where they all live.

Edited October 2, 2017 by laurakaye

[Portia]

It's been a few days now so I'm not 100% sure who said it--Miguel, maybe--but someone in a flashback scene in the season opener said "oof", and that struck me as completely anachronistic. Please correct me if it's some kind of regional expression that's been around for ages, but I have only noticed "oof" (as a synonym for "yikes" after something uncomfortable has been stated) becoming a thing in the last year or two.

[chocolatine]

44 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

Can someone tell me...are Kate and Toby living together in NYC and is that where Kevin is, too?  When he dropped in on them, for some reason I thought Kate and Toby were in LA, because that's where Kate was initially an assistant for Jamie Gertz's character?  Or was that also in NYC?  Did Kate and Toby move cross-country?  I get confused when the characters pop in and out of each other's homes, because I don't have a feel for where they all live.

Kate and Toby live in LA. Kevin is shooting the Ron Howard movie there. Sophie was supposed to fly out from NYC to celebrate his birthday with him, but she canceled because her mother was sick, hence Kevin barging in on Kate and Toby instead of spending time with Sophie as he'd originally planned. Sophie did fly out after all later that night, and she was waiting in Kevin's hotel lobby when he came back from the dinner that turned into Kate's audition.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

3 hours ago, Portia said:

It's been a few days now so I'm not 100% sure who said it--Miguel, maybe--but someone in a flashback scene in the season opener said "oof", and that struck me as completely anachronistic. Please correct me if it's some kind of regional expression that's been around for ages, but I have only noticed "oof" (as a synonym for "yikes" after something uncomfortable has been stated) becoming a thing in the last year or two.

Miguel said it to Jack, and then said "sorry."

[MaryPatShelby]

I've heard "oof" my entire long life.

[3 is enough]

So I have figured out why the aging makeup on Mandy Moore is so "meh".  Aside form the fact that it is really difficult to make a 33 year old look 65ish, they totally neglected her neck!  I mean, they tried with the hair and makeup, and have the creases around her cheeks, but then her neck looks like a thirty year old's.  Not sure how easy it is to fake that, but maybe more turtlenecks?

[methodwriter85]

It does look like a they roughed up her chest skin.

[Guest]

Again with Farrah Fawcett, not Fawcett-Major.   

[methodwriter85]

Someone in the regular thread that it seems too "modern" for women in 1996 to be sitting on an outdoor patio at a restaurant and eating salad while sipping wine. I get watching out for modernity, but wow. That still boggles my mind.

Wasn't that in like every episode of Sex and the City? LOL.

[Mrs. DuRona]

From a 1994 movie, The Paper re: sitting outside eating big salads and drinking wine in 1996.  I can't tell what they're eating, but yeah.  Totally a thing in the 90s.  Also, a great movie - I highly recommend it if you like Ron Howard ensemble pieces.

On 10/5/2017 at 2:41 AM, Winston9-DT3 said:

Again with Farrah Fawcett, not Fawcett-Major.   

As someone born in '78, grew up in the '80s with basic Charlie's Angels knowledge, I had never heard her called Farrah Fawcett-Major until this forum, haha.  I've only, in regular conversation, heard her referred to as Farrah Fawcett.  

Also, it still bugs that Rebecca's mom supposedly lives in Connecticut, but they treat it like she's one or two towns over.  That's, like, an 8 hour drive, never mind a snow storm in the mix.  As much as I love seeing Pittsburgh get some love on TV, I kinda wish they'd set it in Philadelphia if they were going to play so fast and loose with the geography and the Pgh details.

Edited October 18, 2017 by Mrs. DuRona

[Wings]

On 10/11/2017 at 10:07 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Someone in the regular thread that it seems too "modern" for women in 1996 to be sitting on an outdoor patio at a restaurant and eating salad while sipping wine. I get watching out for modernity, but wow. That still boggles my mind.

Wasn't that in like every episode of Sex and the City? LOL.

No way was this too modern.  I ate and drank on patios all through the 90s!  Sex and the City is a perfect illustration.  I lived in rural north central MA so it was not just a city activity. 

Edited October 18, 2017 by wings707

[laurakaye]

1 hour ago, Mrs. DuRona said:

From a 1994 movie, The Paper re: sitting outside eating big salads and drinking wine in 1996.  I can't tell what they're eating, but yeah.  Totally a thing in the 90s.  Also, a great movie - I highly recommend it if you like Ron Howard ensemble pieces.

 

Off topic, but The Paper is in my Top 5 movies of all time.  I have the VCR tape and I wore it out (thanks for providing the link)!

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Mrs. DuRona said:

As someone born in '78, grew up in the '80s with basic Charlie's Angels knowledge, I had never heard her called Farrah Fawcett-Major until this forum, haha.  I've only, in regular conversation, heard her referred to as Farrah Fawcett.  

That's probably because you were 4 when she dropped Major, in 1982.  But never mind, I went back and watched and I think it's supposed to be at least 1990, so Fawcett would be correct.  I originally figured it was 70s due to him mentioning Mary Tyler Moore but I suppose she was still considered a hottie in 1990, at age 54.  Odd reference, though.  

Edited October 18, 2017 by Guest

[chabelisaywow]

Sorry - I live in CA, so I'm not familiar with the geography. You can get to Pittsburgh and back and get back before Thanksgiving dessert? How long is Police Academy 3? lol  

[MoonMountain]

I mentioned this in the main thread, but I'm wondering how the family transferred their old VHS home movies to DVD/Cloud when it looks like their house pretty much burned down to the ground? Would the VHS tapes not have been destroyed in the fire? I suppose they could have had a basement that wasn't harmed as badly, and someone else suggested maybe they were videos Kevin sent to colleges for recruitment. But, having sent my own videos to colleges for recruitment (in a different field), it was a more professional "highlights reel" type of deal, and certainly didn't include any of my family members hooting and hollering. Even if it were a recruitment video, that still would have been in the fire. Unless Kevin reached out to the colleges after the fact and got them back, which, considering he lost his father and all of his possessions, isn't a totally unrealistic idea.

[ChromaKelly]

I keep thinking when they have the flashbacks where the kids are (8? 10?), that it's the 70's. The tone of the filming, like they are using a brownish filter, the color palette of the clothing and house, it all reads 70's to me. It should be what, 1988-1990? I would expect more pastels and hair to be getting bigger. I get that the Pearsons are working class and they aren't going to have the latest and greatest, but it really throws me off.

Edited October 19, 2017 by ChromaKelly

[Guest]

I agree!  Jack's styling is pretty 70s, too.  And his attitude is pretty 50s. 

Though the video store was a good 90s reference.  (Mary Tyler Moore- not so much.)

[Blakeston]

20 hours ago, chabelisaywow said:

Sorry - I live in CA, so I'm not familiar with the geography. You can get to Pittsburgh and back and get back before Thanksgiving dessert?

You mean when Randall drove to William's place and back on Thanksgiving? William lived in Philadelphia when Randall tracked him down, and Randall lives in New Jersey, so that was possible.

[chabelisaywow]

2 hours ago, Blakeston said:

William lived in Philadelphia when Randall tracked him down, and Randall lives in New Jersey, so that was possible.

Thank you - did he always live there? His apartment looked the same to me. 

[methodwriter85]

12 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I agree!  Jack's styling is pretty 70s, too.  And his attitude is pretty 50s. 

Though the video store was a good 90s reference.  (Mary Tyler Moore- not so much.)

They live in Pittsburgh, though. That place had a 70's vibe to it even in 2012.

[ShadowFacts]

14 hours ago, chabelisaywow said:

Thank you - did he always live there? His apartment looked the same to me. 

Yeah, that's a curious thing.  The apartments did look the same but one was supposed to be in Pittsburgh, one in Philadelphia.  I don't know if that was a production error or what.

[chabelisaywow]

Quote

The apartments did look the same but one was supposed to be in Pittsburgh, one in Philadelphia

Do you remember William mentioning rent control at one point?

[Guest]

On 10/20/2017 at 4:33 AM, ShadowFacts said:

Yeah, that's a curious thing.  The apartments did look the same but one was supposed to be in Pittsburgh, one in Philadelphia.  I don't know if that was a production error or what.

I recall discussing this on here last season.  They did look the same (small, cheap, dingy, same dinette, possibly) but were different.  Randall confronted William in the pilot in a doorway that looked out onto the street, where his car was visible over his shoulder.  That was the Philly apt.  The Pittsburgh apt. had an entrance off an interior hall.  Rebecca walked through it to find William's door, I think.  

[methodwriter85]

On 10/21/2017 at 2:59 AM, chabelisaywow said:

Do you remember William mentioning rent control at one point?

Is rent control even a thing in either Philly or Pittsburgh? Until very recently, apartment prices in Philadelphia were reasonable, and Pittsburgh has a lower cost of living.

[PRgal]

Was it just me or was Kevin's Gameboy in colour?  Because Gameboy, circa 1989/1990 was monochrome.  It was Sega's GAMEGEAR that was in colour.  And THAT didn't come out until for another year, from what I remember (my parents didn't get me either.  They said it was bad for my eyes (true, I guess, if all you do is play on it)).  #stillbitter 

[methodwriter85]

Did some mid-Atlantic hospitals still have maternity wards with nurseries in 2008? I thought those were phased out by then. My niece was born in 2006 in a major mid-Atlantic hospital and they had already switched to the "care in mother's room" model by then. I figured whatever affluent NJ hospital Tess was taken to after her birth would have had the same kind of deal.

[theatremouse]

On 10/25/2017 at 7:05 AM, PRgal said:

Was it just me or was Kevin's Gameboy in colour?  Because Gameboy, circa 1989/1990 was monochrome.

The device they showed him holding was not a Gameboy color. Those were thinner and slightly smaller than the chunkier, grey on the outside, magenta AB buttoned, 1990 Gameboy he was shown holding. I think (but may be wrong) the Gameboy Color was also never offered in the same color-scheme casing as the original. Gameboy Color had, well, colorful cases, and one translucent option.