S01.E23: C-A-- CAMP

[OnceSane]

Quote

Maya gets a surprise at the airport as the family prepares for their flight to J.J.'s camp; Ray looks to the summer as a chance to reinvent himself; Jimmy and Dylan have a father/daughter bonding moment.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I can't help but be concerned that JJ might find himself at a loss for words without someone paying attention to him when he needs to communicate. It just seems like a device with a built-in voice would be useful in new situations.

[Nordly Beaumont]

The look on JJ's face when he saw the campers made me tear up. When Dylan said good bye with her voice shaking, I more than teared up.

It made me laugh when Jimmy realized he actually could not do Maya's accent.

[GRChereck]

16 minutes ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

It made me laugh when Jimmy realized he actually could not do Maya's accent.

That was probably my biggest laugh during this episode, when he tried to imitate her for JJ. :D

I thought this whole episode was so sweet! My first thought was, like "Cheater" (1x19) took the exact same character groupings as "Bonfire" (1x3) only to show how all the characters and the show itself had deepened over the course of this first season, "Camp" sort of did the same with "New Aide" (1x2):

1) Maya/JJ/Kenneth -- As I recall, 1x2 was the ep that introduced Maya's "JJ care" book, and in tonight's ep Kenneth was able to quote it back to her; also, in 1x2 Maya had to struggle with the notion of having Kenneth as full-time aide for JJ, but by 1x23 (thanks in large part to Kenneth's efforts) JJ had come so far along in his growing independence, as had Maya in learning to accept it, that he could go off to a 10-week summer camp without her going to pieces over it. 

2) Jimmy/Dylan -- In earlier episodes like 1x2 and 1x6 ("Date?"), Jimmy was simply the gentle guiding force for the raging Dylan (whether teaching her the difference between passive laziness and outward antagonism, or how to channel her anger in a less destructive way); but their little adventures / bonding moments in later eps like 1x18 ("Ding") and 1x23 show how deep their bond really runs (she shares his love of cheap thrills / fun, and as much as it hurts him to think about how much she's had to make do with disappointment over the years, she knows and appreciates that he's trying, and she inspires him to step out of his comfort zone and indulge his more wild side).*

3) Ray -- I don't remember him having had a whole lot to do in 1x2 beyond still crushing on Jillian (a one-sided attraction that wisely ended in 1x5, "Halloween"), though his encounter with JJ's physical therapist cracked me up; here, after he had apparently been rejected by every girl in his class, he actually gets a win (a chance to start afresh with a girl who volunteers at JJ's camp but happens to live in the same county as the DiMeos) without humiliating himself or trying to be what he's not. Also, I'm relieved that this is most likely what Scott Silveri meant (in an article covering the show's recent Paley Center panel) about the end raising the question "what are they going to do with that next season?" :D

 

(* - I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a direct callback to their eBay money-making scheme in 1x8, "Ray-Cation" -- I kinda assumed they would've tried that or a similar scheme to raise extra cash for a family summer trip -- but otherwise, I can't say I have any real complaints about this ep.)

[balmz]

episode was pretty good, liked the dylan and jimmy parts, good to see kenneth call out maya and explain the situation 

one thing though, anyone else feel that the show is trying way too hard with ray and girls? like we get the point, ray likes girls and wants a girlfriend, you don't need to keep throwing that in our face endlessly, part of me wonders if it's because the actor is somewhat femme, i don't know, maybe it's just me but it's seems that they fixate too much with girls for ray

[bros402]

I loved that episode. I want season 2 now.

 

3 hours ago, hovegeta said:

episode was pretty good, liked the dylan and jimmy parts, good to see kenneth call out maya and explain the situation 

one thing though, anyone else feel that the show is trying way too hard with ray and girls? like we get the point, ray likes girls and wants a girlfriend, you don't need to keep throwing that in our face endlessly, part of me wonders if it's because the actor is somewhat femme, i don't know, maybe it's just me but it's seems that they fixate too much with girls for ray

Ray's a teenage boy. An awkward teenage boy. He wants to have a girl at least express interest in him.

[Gulftastic]

Another good episode. Plenty of laughs and a couple of tears. My biggest laugh was JJ's sarcastic listening  face when Ray announced he wad going to read his poem.

[topanga]

6 hours ago, Gulftastic said:

Another good episode. Plenty of laughs and a couple of tears. My biggest laugh was JJ's sarcastic listening  face when Ray announced he wad going to read his poem.

And the faces JJ made to Maya at the airport. Micah Fowler is a gem.

[tennisgurl]

Jimmy's terrible British accent was amazing. Like, come on man, your married to a British lady! That's just sad!

I admit it, they got me to feel feelings in the end, as everyone admitted to how much they would miss JJ, and that JJ would miss them. I really love that, while the family still gets on each others nerves, they give us plenty of nice scenes where they get along, and it feels earned. Its not like on some sitcoms where everyone is an asshole to each other for 20 minutes, than all hug in the last two minutes and wrap everything up. It feels cheap. Here, I totally buy that they're all close and like hanging out, even when they act out or get annoyed with each other.

I also really liked Dylan being disappointed that they were giving up doing anything fun this summer for JJ, but wasn't resentful towards him or anything. Jimmy trying to make everything fun was really sweet, and you could tell he was frustrated he couldn't give his kids more, but that he tries his hardest. It seems real.

[neuromom]

That was so awesome! I loved all the pairings. 

Jimmy and Dylan always give me the feels..I love the daddy/daughter stuff...and when she said "daddy" and took his hand...so sweet!

I enjoyed how we got to see emotional Maya. I could really identify with her this episode. 

The most emotional part for me was when the arrived at the campfire and showed all the people there. It reminded me when I took my son to No Barriers last year (and the next one In two weeks!!) I remember just having a feeling of being "home" ..like "these are my peeps!"  There is something comforting about being with a group of people who GET you. 

[71dude]

I'm happy to see Ray get a win for once and not be (comically) abused or humiliated (which is fun, but in moderation). Jerkass JJ was a nice switch too.

I thought the camp was in California so I didn't get the Jimmy/Dylan Miami plot or the Maine jokes - I'll have to watch it again. But it was a very strong finale to a great first season (except for that O-S-- OSCAR P-A-- PARTY disaster). I"m glad there's no writers' strike to delay the new season.

[MortysCleaningLady]

My favorite part of the show was the father-daughter cheap mini vacation.  The matching t-shirts from the airport souvenir shop being sported by Kripke (okay Jimmy) and Dylan and the discussion of watching the rest rooms get cleaned was terrific.   So glad that they took the cab out to the beach for a minute.   They deserved the cab ride.

JJ's camp was amazing.   Loved the bunk beds and the bonfire.   That looked amazing.   

[Chewy101]

"Sweetie, I wish I didn't have to, for once, roll the Fun boulder up the hill of suck." "Come on, Daddy!" These two are awesome.

I just love how this show doesn't sugarcoat the difficulties of special needs families and the sacrifices that are sometimes made, but at no point does anyone think it means JJ being JJ sucks. They vent to keep going, but what a devoted family. 

"Do you miss mom a little less now?" "I miss her more." LOVED that! He just found a camp filled with Maya's. He will be fine. Nice onion chopping finale.

On 5/18/2017 at 3:17 PM, neuromom said:

The most emotional part for me was when the arrived at the campfire and showed all the people there. It reminded me when I took my son to No Barriers last year (and the next one In two weeks!!) I remember just having a feeling of being "home" ..like "these are my peeps!"  There is something comforting about being with a group of people who GET you. 

Thank you for sharing this. ; )

[GRChereck]

On 5/20/2017 at 3:13 AM, Chewy101 said:

"Sweetie, I wish I didn't have to, for once, roll the Fun boulder up the hill of suck." "Come on, Daddy!" These two are awesome.

What a great line, but yeah, Jimmy's outburst here broke my heart. :\ Considering he's usually the one who must keep himself together so he can keep the rest of the family happy, calm, getting along, and running smoothly, it's understandable that he would sometimes get sick of always having to make the best of bad situations and just want to actually be able to give his family the best ("I don't want to take lemons and make lemonade. I want to show you the real thing, obvious fun, just one time"). 

Also, I loved this dark little moment when Jimmy and the kids reached the camp:

Quote

JIMMY: Ah, the great outdoors. It's so peaceful. A man can be alone with his thoughts. [To himself:] Yeah, I did have ... a lot of potential... There was always an excuse, wasn't there?

 I kinda hope next season gets a little bit more into that... :D 

Edited May 26, 2017 by GRChereck

[Driad]

If Jimmy didn't always have an excuse, he might be a physicist at Caltech. Oops, same actor, different character.

I was puzzled for a moment that the whole family flew cross country, since they don't have much money, but Jimmy's airline job may provide mileage as a perq.

Still wondering why JJ was going to camp for ten weeks.  I don't recall that he has been so far from his family for so long before. Wouldn't two weeks be a good experiment, or is ten standard?

[bros402]

9 hours ago, Driad said:

If Jimmy didn't always have an excuse, he might be a physicist at Caltech. Oops, same actor, different character.

I was puzzled for a moment that the whole family flew cross country, since they don't have much money, but Jimmy's airline job may provide mileage as a perq.

Still wondering why JJ was going to camp for ten weeks.  I don't recall that he has been so far from his family for so long before. Wouldn't two weeks be a good experiment, or is ten standard?

Jimmy has airline vouchers as a perk of his job - Maya mentioned that she was going to use the last one to get there.

10 weeks might be what the camp has - though that seems a bit long, maybe since JJ is an older teen, the length of camp is longer? 6 weeks seems more reasonable - then the camp could potentially hold two sessions a summer - one for people in places where school lets out in may, another where school lets out in june.

[LisaM]

Great episode. Loved JJ's face when they reached the bonfire. I'll admit to tearing up along with Dylan. 

[zoey1996]

On 5/21/2017 at 2:42 AM, bros402 said:

Jimmy has airline vouchers as a perk of his job - Maya mentioned that she was going to use the last one to get there.

10 weeks might be what the camp has - though that seems a bit long, maybe since JJ is an older teen, the length of camp is longer? 6 weeks seems more reasonable - then the camp could potentially hold two sessions a summer - one for people in places where school lets out in may, another where school lets out in june.

Yes, to get her and Kenneth there.

10 weeks sounds really long to me.  I went to music camp (decades ago) that was 6 weeks, and that seemed really long at the time.  Most sleep-away camps that I'm aware of are a week or two at best, though I know longer ones exist.

Jimmy was so sweet with Dylan.  I worried about them getting back to the airport and through security before the next flight!  But I generally schedule layovers for a couple of hours for domestic, so I'm pretty risk-averse.  And also - aren't there beaches near where they are in California?  So I suppose different ocean might be interesting, but not different enough from California beaches to make it worthwhile for me.

Hope they're able to sort out the upper bunk thing for JJ!

[GRChereck]

2 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

And also - aren't there beaches near where they are in California?  So I suppose different ocean might be interesting, but not different enough from California beaches to make it worthwhile for me.

I'm sure there are, but I'm guessing the DiMeos don't go to the beach as a family* because that would create a major accessibility issue for JJ. :\ (In fact, that's why Maya made such a fuss over the student bonfire in 1x3.) 

When Dylan brought up the fact that JJ got to go away to camp while the rest of the family couldn't go do anything fun for themselves, Jimmy admitted he'd "love a beach vacation" before explaining that whatever money they'd saved up for a family trip had gone to JJ's camp. I'm assuming in that case, he probably meant a trip away from home, since he and Dylan ended up working out a plan to make the plane trip to camp more fun (rather than simply saying they can wait until after they've dropped JJ off and come back home to figure out a cheap-yet-fun "mini-vacation" -- such as a day-trip to one of the local beaches or something -- for the rest of the family); plus, they hadn't planned on the little Miami beach trip, but Dylan came up with it after the airport restaurant for which she and Jimmy had specifically chosen the Miami layover ended up being closed by the time they got there... (I suppose over the summer while JJ is away, the rest of the family could have a number of occasions to do different things that they wouldn't usually get to do with JJ, as long as they're not too costly -- sort of like how they got to do paintball and ice-skating while JJ spent the day with Kenneth in 1x4, "Inspirations.")

(* - Of course, they do their annual spontaneous "road trip" in January -- when they don't check places out before going to them -- but I'm guessing if they've run into accessibility problems in the past, Maya likely would've raised hell with management and/or had the family keep moving on until they found a place JJ could get into...)

2 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

Yes, to get her and Kenneth there.

Speaking of which, how sweet is it that Kenneth helped JJ convince Maya to let him go to this camp when he knew it would mean not getting to see his buddy for almost the whole summer? Further encouraging JJ's independence was more important to him. :) Plus, considering how much Kenneth has become part of JJ's family over the course of this past season / school-year, it makes all the more sense that JJ should spend time away from not only his parents and siblings, but his aide / best friend as well.

Edited May 23, 2017 by GRChereck

[ItCouldBeWorse]

26 minutes ago, GRChereck said:

(I suppose over the summer while JJ is away, the rest of the family could have a number of occasions to do different things that they wouldn't usually get to do with JJ, as long as they're not too costly -- sort of like how they got to do paintball and ice-skating while JJ spent the day with Kenneth in 1x4, "Inspirations.")

I hope we actually see that the family did some stuff over the summer that would have been much more difficult or impossible to do with JJ, and not feel guilty about it, because he was doing fun stuff, too.  And the 4 of them could all fit in Jimmy’s car, too, so no need for van shenanigans.

Edited May 23, 2017 by ItCouldBeWorse

[GRChereck]

55 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I hope we actually see that the family did some stuff over the summer that would have been much more difficult or impossible to do with JJ, and not feel guilty about it, because he was doing fun stuff, too.  And the 4 of them could all fit in Jimmy’s car, too, so no need for van shenanigans.

Absolutely. In the comments on AV Club's review of this episode, someone said something about how the show should do little webisodes over the summer -- so we could see some stuff like this, and also get a bit into the adventures of "Summer Kenneth." :D Otherwise, I would hope at least the first episode or two of s.2 touches on this stuff...

Another thing I wanted to add: Having JJ spend 10 weeks away from home -- all the way to Maine, to boot -- does seem like a bit much this early in the series (as well as compared with how long most real-life camps tend to run), but I just thought of how being that far from his family and aide for that long might go a long way towards preparing JJ for college (since next season will likely cover his last year of high school). :)

Edited May 23, 2017 by GRChereck

[Nordly Beaumont]

I was listening to Alice Cooper today (as one does...) and remembered I forgot to say how I loved the way they used "School's Out" in the beginning of the episode. Not just background, but Ray singing joyously (and poorly) and Kenneth belting it out. Loved it!

[Browncoat]

7 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

aren't there beaches near where they are in California?

But the Atlantic Ocean is warm!  The first time I stepped into the Pacific in California, I was really surprised at how cold the water was, since I was more accustomed to the Atlantic.

[bros402]

13 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

Yes, to get her and Kenneth there.

10 weeks sounds really long to me.  I went to music camp (decades ago) that was 6 weeks, and that seemed really long at the time.  Most sleep-away camps that I'm aware of are a week or two at best, though I know longer ones exist.

Jimmy was so sweet with Dylan.  I worried about them getting back to the airport and through security before the next flight!  But I generally schedule layovers for a couple of hours for domestic, so I'm pretty risk-averse.  And also - aren't there beaches near where they are in California?  So I suppose different ocean might be interesting, but not different enough from California beaches to make it worthwhile for me.

Hope they're able to sort out the upper bunk thing for JJ!

Yeah, 10 weeks seemed really long. However, it has to be that long for plot purposes, I imagine in real life, a camp like that would have like a 2-3 week session for first timers, then maybe a 5-6 week session for experienced campers.

I just did a quick google search, found one that has a 7 week session, another has 5 weeks.

I've heard that the Pacific Ocean is much colder than the Atlantic.

With the bunk, they seemed to be prepared - I cannot imagine that Maya was as on top of things as they implied without mentioning something about that. Worst case scenario, they probably have rails for the beds. My concern was how will JJ communicate his needs - maybe a series of mirrors for him to shine his laser at to alert someone? Probably a light sensor. Or maybe, they just have an electronic board for him to use at night.

10 hours ago, GRChereck said:

Absolutely. In the comments on AV Club's review of this episode, someone said something about how the show should do little webisodes over the summer -- so we could see some stuff like this, and also get a bit into the adventures of "Summer Kenneth." :D Otherwise, I would hope at least the first episode or two of s.2 touches on this stuff...

Another thing I wanted to add: Having JJ spend 10 weeks away from home -- all the way to Maine, to boot -- does seem like a bit much this early in the series (as well as compared with how long most real-life camps tend to run), but I just thought of how being that far from his family and aide for that long might go a long way towards preparing JJ for college (since next season will likely cover his last year of high school). :)

Yeah, that was such a great idea for webisodes. I imagine that at the least, we'll have flashbacks. Maybe a little "How I spent my summer vacation" cold open.

[Aliconehead]

I live in San Diego and we like to say the water here is never warm, just less cold.  Warmest it ever gets is mid to high 70's.  One thing we also have at many of the big lifeguard stations are wheel chairs design for sand.  They are free for use but limited so you have to call.  

[Crs97]

In my heart I know they all got a helicopter ride back to the airport with some scenic tours on the way!  That is lemonade out of lemons!

Another good episode with stuff that hits home!

[alexvillage]

The website won't let me watch past Ray's kiss, so I don't know how it ended.

I was happy to see that the airline didn't break JJ's chair and that he wasn't forced out of the plane. Because you know, real life. It happens all the time to disabled people.

The cast in this show is really good and their chemistry is incredible. 

[GRChereck]

5 hours ago, alexvillage said:

The website won't let me watch past Ray's kiss, so I don't know how it ended.

I just finished re-watching the episode on Yahoo! View, myself. :) If you saw the kiss, sounds like you only missed about the last minute.

Twitter clip and transcript:

Quote

 

JJ: [Kenneth reads:] "Thanks for bringing me here. I'm sorry I was a jerk about it."

Dylan: I'm glad you were. It kept me from being sad until this very moment. 

Ray: We love you, buddy. 

Jimmy: You'll have fun.

Kenneth: Yeah, but not too much fun. [chuckles]

Maya: You got this, baby boy.

[JJ leaves his family and joins the other kids at camp, who greet him: "JJ! JJ!"]

Ray: [To himself:] I have a girlfriend! 

 

[alexvillage]

On 5/26/2017 at 11:19 PM, GRChereck said:

I just finished re-watching the episode on Yahoo! View, myself. :) If you saw the kiss, sounds like you only missed about the last minute.

 

Thank you GRChereck!

 

If you have ever been to Miami, you probably laughed at the absurdity of someone leaving the airport to spend a little time driving around and then going to the beach while waiting for the connecting flight.

Not because of the security checks and usual airport stuff. But because leaving that airport to go anywhere is a hassle, even taxi drivers can get lost, the Miami traffic is impossible, it would take them at least 50 minutes to even approach the beach and then coming back it would be the same, or worse. 

I know, TV sitcom. But that's a compliment: the subtle comedy for Miami insiders.

[GRChereck]

Yer welcome! 

Never been to Miami (nor have I ever flown before); but even without knowing that stuff, considering how the characters only had about an hour to play with, I sort of took that sequence as just a lovely bit of wish-fulfillment after Jimmy's "hill of suck" outburst. :)

***

Speaking of Jimmy (and Dylan), there were a pair of great, sick-funny moments I must have missed the first time:

1) When Jimmy mentions finding a way to make the flight to camp more fun ("if we can't fly someplace fun" for the rest of the family), and Dylan suggests "We're gonna wear surgical masks and cough on the plane so people think we're getting them sick?", Jimmy cracks up but says "No, not again." 

2) During Jimmy's Miami airport breakdown -- "You play along while I try to wring a drop of joy out of a blackout, or running out of gas, or a great-aunt's funeral" -- Dylan jumps in with "I loved playing 'Who's Next?'!" Gah, I love these two... :D

Edited May 28, 2017 by GRChereck

[bros402]

15 hours ago, GRChereck said:

Yer welcome! 

Never been to Miami (nor have I ever flown before); but even without knowing that stuff, considering how the characters only had about an hour to play with, I sort of took that sequence as just a lovely bit of wish-fulfillment after Jimmy's "hill of suck" outburst. :)

***

Speaking of Jimmy (and Dylan), there were a pair of great, sick-funny moments I must have missed the first time:

1) When Jimmy mentions finding a way to make the flight to camp more fun ("if we can't fly someplace fun" for the rest of the family), and Dylan suggests "We're gonna wear surgical masks and cough on the plane so people think we're getting them sick?", Jimmy cracks up but says "No, not again." 

2) During Jimmy's Miami airport breakdown -- "You play along while I try to wring a drop of joy out of a blackout, or running out of gas, or a great-aunt's funeral" -- Dylan jumps in with "I loved playing 'Who's Next?'!" Gah, I love these two... :D

Flying is annoying.

For when you go on your first flight: Buy a lot of water/whatever you like to drink after you get past security. For my flight there, I just drank what the flight attendants gave (1 super small can of soda in a 6 hour flight) and I was dehydrated for days. On the way back, I got four bottles of water/soda and drank about 3/4 of a bottle an hour. I wasn't dehydrated on the 6 hour flight home.

So heavily hydrate on planes. Lack of humidity in the cabin air can lead to dehydration

[Browncoat]

Not to mention that a one-hour layover isn't really one whole hour.  By the time you get off the plane and get to your next gate/terminal, and the fact that they close the gates (stop boarding) about 10-15 minutes before the plane is due to take off, you're lucky to have ten minutes to relax or buy a snack.  And if it's a big airport, you might just miss your connection with just a one hour layoff, even if you run. 

Come to think of it, it was in Miami that I missed a connection due to an inadequate layover, delayed landing (we were at the airport early and circled for about 30 minutes), increased security, and distance from one gate to the other.  I didn't even have to change terminals, but got to the departure gate about three minutes after they'd closed the doors, and no way no how were they going to reopen to let me board even though the plane was still right there.

[bros402]

18 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Not to mention that a one-hour layover isn't really one whole hour.  By the time you get off the plane and get to your next gate/terminal, and the fact that they close the gates (stop boarding) about 10-15 minutes before the plane is due to take off, you're lucky to have ten minutes to relax or buy a snack.  And if it's a big airport, you might just miss your connection with just a one hour layoff, even if you run. 

Come to think of it, it was in Miami that I missed a connection due to an inadequate layover, delayed landing (we were at the airport early and circled for about 30 minutes), increased security, and distance from one gate to the other.  I didn't even have to change terminals, but got to the departure gate about three minutes after they'd closed the doors, and no way no how were they going to reopen to let me board even though the plane was still right there.

Maybe Jimmy knows someone who just snuck him past security - it happens.

[Browncoat]

Perhaps, but it certainly wouldn't have helped me. I never left the secure part of the airport -- just had a long way between gates.

[Big Mother]

I had to suspend disbelief for a large part of the episode - such as maya arriving in Maine at the same time it took the rest of the family to travel to Miami, an hour layover, and then to maine - and the helicopter landing. But, I cried at the final scene. It was touching and funny at the same time. Random question: Did Ray forget to take that girl's phone number???

 

Now I'm gonna say a couple of things as a mother of a child with severe autism. I'm not taking this to the Families with IEPs thread unless it's gonna become more of a conversation since it relates directly to the portrayal of this episode.

 

1) wirth regards to Jimmy's moping about the lemons and lemonade, I didn't take that as an offense that thanks to JJ they can never have fun. First of all: It's sadly true. There's no need to whitewash the stark reality that this family is missing out on a normal life because of JJ. I live(d) that every day (until recently when my son moved to a residence). He's allowed to express that and it's only healthy. Pretending that life with a disabled child is all unicorns and fairy dust is detrimental and false. However, this time I took is at absolute face value: The restaurant is closed for washing up, and it's very upsetting/frustrating. He should be allowed to be upset about that.

 

2) Seeing JJ so  happy and blown away at the notion of spending 10 weeks in the company of teens like him makes me bring up this point: Rethinking the entire premise of the show, i.e. should JJ really be mainstreamed? It's such a struggle for him to keep up socially, he always feels left out, whereas in the company of kids similar to him, he can shine. Is mainstreaming always the correct approach? Food for thought.

 

3) Summer camp for kids with disabilities is simply never 10 weeks long. My son's camp was 6-7 weeks long, with additional respite provided by other agencies on other premises, so he *was* away from home for 9-11 weeks every summer but not in the same place. Oh well, we'll handwave that away.

 

4) With regards to Maya's difficulty accepting JJ's absence. That is the one thing I can so relate to... My son started attending sleepaway camp at the age of 5, simply so that he could enjoy the great outdoors and have programming I could never have provided him at home (plus I had a baby that summer so it was imperative that someone take care of him). The first time he left, I cried for three weeks every single day until visiting day. After that summer, I got used to it quicker but I cried and was blue every year until visiting day. My is not verbal and the only way I could be assured that he was happy was by talking to his counselors on a regular basis. A few months ago my son went to live in a residence and although I visit him every 2-4 weeks, it took me a few months to stop crying and worrying about him even though he is in an amazing place and has a quality of life he could not have at home. there's a sense of emptiness and a question of "who am I if not my child's caregiver' when a child with special needs is away for an extended period of time.

 

Anyway, this season was amazing, and I loved every minute of it, laughing and crying through it all. I hope it comes out on DVD soon. Cant wait for season 2!!!

[Chewy101]

On 5/30/2017 at 1:30 AM, bros402 said:

Maybe Jimmy knows someone who just snuck him past security - it happens.

Yes. Especially on a sitcom. If one cannot suspend reality for a sitcom, it might be difficult to enjoy at all at face value. The creator of the show is basing this on his own experience of being the little brother of a special needs boy. But I love how he adds a bit of a campy flair to it to keep it light and funny. It's a perfect blend of brutally touching, and hilariously ludicrous. 

 

On 5/23/2017 at 2:02 PM, GRChereck said:

Speaking of which, how sweet is it that Kenneth helped JJ convince Maya to let him go to this camp when he knew it would mean not getting to see his buddy for almost the whole summer?

That's hilarious. I didn't even think about him missing his buddy all summer. What I could not believe is he encouraged JJ to go to camp even though it meant he would lose a paycheck all summer. He put JJ's needs above his own livelihood. I love Kenneth.

[GRChereck]

2 hours ago, Chewy101 said:

That's hilarious. I didn't even think about him missing his buddy all summer. What I could not believe is he encouraged JJ to go to camp even though it meant he would lose a paycheck all summer. He put JJ's needs above his own livelihood. I love Kenneth.

In "May-Jay" it was mentioned that he was getting paid through the school district, which wouldn't be paying him over the summer anyway:

Quote

 

DR. MILLER: Oh! Oh, Mrs. DiMeo! Thank you for coming. You're probably wondering why I asked you here.

MAYA: You did? I just came to take some pens.

DR. MILLER: Oh, what a happy coincidence! [Chuckles] Please, sit. Um I-I wanted to discuss the timing of Kenneth's summer hiatus.

MAYA: What summer hiatus?

DR. MILLER: Well, once school is out, the district won't pay for his services. I'm afraid that you'll have to do without him.

MAYA: Really? What, like all summer? I mean, he doesn't... He doesn't come back during July or something? 

DR. MILLER: He does not.

MAYA: Oh, my God! So I get my JJ back all summer! Ooh, I could kiss you, you nervous little bird of a woman!

 

So Kenneth likely would've had to pick up additional hours at the grocery store where he's been working weekends, or else take yet another job on weekdays/nights to make ends meet during the summer break. 

Still, if not for this camp thing, Kenneth could've spent his off-hours hanging out with JJ as a friend; so I can only imagine how much they'll miss each other. :\ (When s.2 starts, it would be interesting to find out whether, without JJ around, Kenneth still would've wanted to visit with the rest of the family or they would've invited him to do stuff with them... :) )

Edited June 4, 2017 by GRChereck

[bros402]

wrong topic, whoops

Edited June 5, 2017 by bros402

[bros402]

11 hours ago, Big Mother said:

2) Seeing JJ so  happy and blown away at the notion of spending 10 weeks in the company of teens like him makes me bring up this point: Rethinking the entire premise of the show, i.e. should JJ really be mainstreamed? It's such a struggle for him to keep up socially, he always feels left out, whereas in the company of kids similar to him, he can shine. Is mainstreaming always the correct approach? Food for thought.

Mainstreaming is absolutely the correct placement for JJ - with an aide, (based on what we have seen) he is able to participate and perform very well in his classes.

[msrachelj]

On 5/23/2017 at 8:25 PM, Browncoat said:

But the Atlantic Ocean is warm!  The first time I stepped into the Pacific in California, I was really surprised at how cold the water was, since I was more accustomed to the Atlantic.

really? i never found the atlantic ocean to be warm. went to the beach every summer and it was cold water!

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, msrachelj said:

really? i never found the atlantic ocean to be warm. went to the beach every summer and it was cold water!

It is very warm compared to the Pacific, especially from about Virginia Beach to the south.