S03.E16: Gabby Goose

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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The Huangs host couples game night, and Jessica's ultra-competitive nature is on full display. Louis, by way of Honey, works up the courage to confront Jessica about being a sore loser, and she surprisingly accepts his criticism without incident. But when she learns that he discussed their private life to people outside of their family, she becomes very upset and makes plans to retaliate. Meanwhile, Emery and Evan help Eddie grieve the unexpected, sudden death of rapper Notorious B.I.G.

[smash]

Just realized Louis was doing CPR on Abe Lincoln.

And that sequence where Eddie asks his mom to give him her credit card # so he can book a flight for Biggie's funeral, so hilariously deadpan.

[Tiger]

Louis & Jessica's plot was almost word for word a copy of the same plot I've seen on tons of family sitcoms since the mid 80's.  But Evan & Emory trying to cheer up Eddie with that support group, Eddie talking to that airline woman, and then explaining to Evan & Emory that Biggie meant to him was all gold.  

[vibeology]

The Biggie stuff gave me an odd sort of joy. Obviously what caused it was a very heavy and serious subject but I too remember the shock I felt when Biggie died. I'm a year younger than Eddie and I remember how surprised and upset my entire social circle was. First Tupac then Biggie and none of us were huge rap fans like Eddie but we all cared. It was this harsh reminder that young people, people you felt like you knew, could die. We sat around and cried to I'll Be Missing You. I totally got Eddie. The writing there was pitch perfect and while I don't think Hudson Yang is the best actor ever, I do think he really delivered here.

[Blakeston]

Louis didn't say anything to Marvin about Jessica being a bad loser, did he? IIRC, Marvin was only there at the end of the conversation, when Honey demonstrated how to criticize someone diplomatically.

[peeayebee]

I wondered about that too. I'll just fanwank that before Marvin left, Louis told him.

I love the scene with Eddie and his friends trying to help him. It was funny when Brian said a certain tree looked like a naked girl, and all the boys nodded. 

Evan and Emery's solution -- the mural -- was very sweet. Loved the yacht with them and Biggie.

I've never watched The Real World, but I would if Grandma was on it.

Jessica staring at Louis after the Abe/Babe charade was pretty good. 

Louis: I don't know where to look.
Jessica: Just look at that plant in the corner.

I liked how high Honey & Louis's voices got when they were discussing Jessica being a bad loser.

What the heck is a double-molar transplant? :D

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I loved that Evan's contribution to the mural was putting down a dropcloth so that no paint got on the carpet. Hey, know your stengths!

I think the whole Biggie storyline was done well. Celebrity deaths can feel very personal to the fans, and it's often a kid's first realization that people don't always live long lives. I know it sounds obvious, but facing mortality can be really upsetting for kids. Adding Eddie's connection to Biggie as his only friend when they moved to Orlando and his dream that one day they would meet and become friends in real life added another dimension to his sadness. Heh, I also loved that Eddie made friends with the woman at the airline's 800 number while waiting for Jessica to get home and they were chatting about who would be at Biggie's funeral.

Louis's complicated scenarios in charades were hilarious but I can totally understand Jessica's frustration. Even if you aren't a competitive person, trying to understand his train of thought would be frustrating enough to deal with. Her consternation (and everyone else's bewilderment) at Louis's attempts to act out movie titles reminded me of the Pictionary scene in When Harry Met Sally: "Draw something resembling anything!" and "Baby fish mouth! Baby fish mouth!"

[MaryMitch]

21 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Evan and Emery's solution -- the mural -- was very sweet. Loved the yacht with them and Biggie.

That yacht was amazing - I would recognize those 3 boys anywhere!

[Rockstar99435]

Everything in this episode was great. I loved Grandma's Real World audition tape. I loved Emery and Evan trying to cheer up Eddie. I loved everyone using Honey's "compliment and then segue into a criticism" technique. I loved how bad at charades Louis is. I loved how Louis and Honey's voices kept getting higher and more strained as they were talking about Jessica ruining Game Night. And I loved that Jessica going on the offensive was her being super nice and charming to everyone so they wouldn't believe the bad rumors about her. 

[tennisgurl]

Really good episode this week! I loved Grandmas Real World audition. "I have friends of all nationalities...except for one! To find out which one, put me on the show!"

I totally get Eddie being super depressed over Biggie dying. Celebrity deaths can be pretty devastating, especially for a kid who had invested a lot in the person and their music. Its easy to forgot that Eddie started the show with no friends on constantly getting picked on or dealing with condescending racism non stop, in a totally new place, so I totally see how he would have felt so connected with Biggie. I thought his brothers trying to cheer him up was really sweet. I like when all three boys get storylines together.

To be fair to Jessica, Louis is REALLY bad at charades.

[theatremouse]

Yeah, if anyone had heard anything about Jessica being ungracious after losing then went to the next game night and saw him play, even if they believed the "sore loser" bit before playing with him, they'd probably change their minds to "Louis reallllllllllly sucks, duh, Jessica gets cranky about it".

[biakbiak]

8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

To be fair to Jessica, Louis is REALLY bad at charades.

Yeah we have seen Jessica being competitive and a sore loser but I thought the charades example was bad. Heck I am surprised Honey didn't say "but you are terrible at charades, Louis." 

[Black Knight]

On 3/10/2017 at 0:24 PM, theatremouse said:

Yeah, if anyone had heard anything about Jessica being ungracious after losing then went to the next game night and saw him play, even if they believed the "sore loser" bit before playing with him, they'd probably change their minds to "Louis reallllllllllly sucks, duh, Jessica gets cranky about it".

Well, I think the real issue for Honey, and for anyone else who would play with them, is that Jessica unceremoniously ended game night early over it. If she had just sniped at Louis, like the other couples did to each other at the second game night, I think everyone would've been fine with it and felt he deserved it. Because Louis is indeed terrible. I loved the shot from Jessica's POV of the four others staring at her. Also, the death stare Jessica gave Louis in the first charades scene is the best death stare Constance Wu has ever done, and that's a high bar. I had to pause the Tivo for a while so I could just laugh.

On another subject: Nooooooooooooo! That better not be the setup for a pregnancy storyline! I realize they might be wishing that Jessica and Louis had a daughter, which would be a different dynamic, but unless they did a time jump - which would mean getting rid of all the current child actors, not to mention exacerbating the issue with how young Constance Wu looks - the baby is highly unlikely to reach the age where the show could really explore all that. I'm already annoyed enough with Black-ish for going the baby route. I don't understand it because neither of these shows are at a point where they've creatively exhausted themselves, which traditionally has been when the baby storyline appears. Sure, FotB made a mistake at the start in not having a daughter along with the three sons (I can't imagine losing any of the boys), but what's done is done.

God help me, but I remember that argument on Real World about the envelope. I haven't thought about it since it aired - it's not one of the show's iconic moments - but yet when they showed the clip, it came back to me. I also laughed at Grandma's audition tape, since she knew what the RW producers are looking for. If only she were younger!

Edited March 11, 2017 by Black Knight

[possibilities]

If they want to add a daughter, I'm sure a cousin will appear to fill the role.

[EVS]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

If they want to add a daughter, I'm sure a cousin will appear to fill the role.

Cousin Olivia. ;)

Edited March 12, 2017 by EVS

[ElectricBoogaloo]

14 hours ago, Black Knight said:

God help me, but I remember that argument on Real World about the envelope. I haven't thought about it since it aired - it's not one of the show's iconic moments - but yet when they showed the clip, it came back to me. I also laughed at Grandma's audition tape, since she knew what the RW producers are looking for. If only she were younger!

Same here! I definitely remember Dan and Flor sniping at each other a lot and I remember the infamous shower scene, but as soon as they showed that clip I was like ohhhhhhhhh shit! The hilarious thing is that grandma knew exactly what she should say for her audition tape, but honestly, even with all the drama on the Miami season, at that point The Real World was nowhere even close to what it became in later seasons (a casting call for drunks and drama queens to be fame whores while living rent free in the hopes of parlaying their stint into endless seasons of The Real World/Road Rules Challenge and getting paid for college appearances). A friend of mine knew someone from one of the very early seasons which is how I got my first bit of reality tv gossip back in ye olden days. If you remember the big fight between Kevin and Julie from the very first season, that was staged by the producers. Everyone in the cast was getting along so well that the producers thought they needed some sort of disagreement so they told Julie and Kevin to go outside and fight about anything they wanted. I didn't find that out until years later, but when I watched that episode again (after knowing) it was even more noticeable that at the end they just stopped fighting and then walked back into the building.

ETA: The Real World episode that was shown in this episode originally aired on September 25, 1996. That makes me feel so old!

Edited March 12, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[fishcakes]

Jessica's deep-voiced imitation of Marvin gossiping was everything.  "Did you hear Louis Huang hates his wife Jessica Huang? Haaahh something about the Navy!"

[FinnishViewer]

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Sure, FotB made a mistake at the start in not having a daughter along with the three sons

They based this on Eddie Huang's memoir. So unless he has a sister, I'm not sure, how we could call it a mistake, that they don't have a daughter in the show.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 3/11/2017 at 6:38 PM, Black Knight said:

I also laughed at Grandma's audition tape, since she knew what the RW producers are looking for. If only she were younger!

And spoke English?

[Black Knight]

On 3/12/2017 at 11:31 PM, FinnishViewer said:

They based this on Eddie Huang's memoir. So unless he has a sister, I'm not sure, how we could call it a mistake, that they don't have a daughter in the show.

Movies and TV shows based on books - even autobiographical ones - routinely change things. Even in the first season they were changing enough things that Huang complained about it, although he should have expected that, especially for a television sitcom, much would be changed. The characterizations are different and lots of storylines have been made up out of whole cloth, as the writers need to make a show that works for television and meets the demands of 20+ episode seasons.

As such, yes, it was a mistake not to include a daughter. A daughter opens up additional storylines and family dynamics.

[FinnishViewer]

Quote

Movies and TV shows based on books - even autobiographical ones - routinely change things.

Giving Eddie a sister that he doesn't have would have probably angered Eddie even earlier in real life.

[partofme]

On 3/14/2017 at 10:47 PM, Black Knight said:

 

As such, yes, it was a mistake not to include a daughter. A daughter opens up additional storylines and family dynamics.

I don't think it was a mistake to not have a daughter.  If there was a girl this would be just like every other sitcom on ABC.  The dynamic with the 3 boys works on this show.  If there was a girl we would have had to sacrifice either Emory or Evan and I like them both too much.  There's no need for a girl.

[possibilities]

I don't have an opinion about whether they should or should not have added a sister, but they could have made her the 4th child if they'd wanted to, thus not sacrificing one of the boys.

[Black Knight]

Exactly - as I said in my original post, I can't imagine losing any of the boys. The daughter could just have been a fourth child. It's going to happen anyway, per Louis's comment that he wants another child. But if they had simply had a daughter as part of the family from the start, then we wouldn't have to deal with pregnancy/baby storylines. By not having a daughter at the start, and adding her in later, we're getting all the cons of it - the pregnancy/baby storylines - and none of the pros (unless this show lasts for many more years). At this point, I'd prefer to just leave it as the three boys, but a baby daughter's obviously coming. Sigh.

I disagree that having had a daughter at the start would have made this show like any other ABC family sitcom. The premise of the show is a Chinese-American family in the '90s, where the parents are both immigrants while the children were born in America, and there is a different dynamic and expectations than with sons. (One of my best friends is Chinese-American and I see this with her and her brother and their parents regularly.) So a daughter would have presented some additional material in view of the show's premise. But there is no need for a baby, of any gender. But Louis made his comment, so per laws of TV it's happening.

[dcalley]

On 3/12/2017 at 9:53 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

A friend of mine knew someone from one of the very early seasons which is how I got my first bit of reality tv gossip back in ye olden days. If you remember the big fight between Kevin and Julie from the very first season, that was staged by the producers. Everyone in the cast was getting along so well that the producers thought they needed some sort of disagreement so they told Julie and Kevin to go outside and fight about anything they wanted. I didn't find that out until years later, but when I watched that episode again (after knowing) it was even more noticeable that at the end they just stopped fighting and then walked back into the building.

I don't believe the initial incident where Kevin got angry at Julie and threatened her (which took place in the apartment but not on camera) was faked. The outside conversation/fight was later, after all the roommates had heard about it. It's possible that the production crew, upset at not getting the initial incident on tape, suggested the outside confrontation happen. Kevin Powell has admitted to assaulting multiple women. He threw a stapler at a woman, hitting her in the head, pulled a knife on another, and shoved a girlfriend and verbally abused her (transcript). He mentioned Julie at that link, but "Julie, who I had the famous argument with – no, infamous argument with," I guess isn't a clear admission of the incident that took place off camera. Anyway, this is all off topic!

Evan in his little shorts was funny. It would be hard not to make fun of that! I was sure someone was going to tell Louis how bad he was at charades, but it's nice that Jessica didn't tell him, because it would probably crush him. We never got to see her act out a clue, right? Maybe she's no good, either (or at least not a good match for Louis's style of thinking).

Edited March 22, 2017 by dcalley

[HawaiiTVGuy]

On 3/10/2017 at 6:56 AM, Rockstar99435 said:

Everything in this episode was great. I loved Grandma's Real World audition tape. I loved Emery and Evan trying to cheer up Eddie. I loved everyone using Honey's "compliment and then segue into a criticism" technique. I loved how bad at charades Louis is. I loved how Louis and Honey's voices kept getting higher and more strained as they were talking about Jessica ruining Game Night. And I loved that Jessica going on the offensive was her being super nice and charming to everyone so they wouldn't believe the bad rumors about her. 

And I just realized when I read what you said, that is exactly why Jessica was SO PISSED she needed to "go on the offensive".

On 3/8/2017 at 7:32 AM, Blakeston said:

Louis didn't say anything to Marvin about Jessica being a bad loser, did he? IIRC, Marvin was only there at the end of the conversation, when Honey demonstrated how to criticize someone diplomatically.

I think the problem was miscommunication, Louis said that Marvin could back up the fact that Louis only told Honey and he didn't say anything really bad, because in Louis' mind, Marvin can confirm he didn't hear anything about what Louis and Honey were talking about, but Jessica assumed that Louis meant that Marvin was in the conversation.  Didn't Louis trying to clarify but Jessica was already out the door and not listening?