Me, Myself & I - General Discussion

[afrocorgi]

Anyone else find it inconceivable young Alex turns into old Alex? And I'm not talking about their looks either. Bobby Moynihan plays him so goofy and self-deprecating whereas there's a weird coldness and almost hostility coming from Jack Grazer's performance. I get that kid actors tend to be hit or miss, but Grazer is missing so much of the sweetness and warmth that's inherent in the older Alexes. 

Edited October 3, 2017 by afrocorgi

[Caseysgirl]

Well, if they play  "There She Goes" every time Norie ( or Eleanor as I guess she becomes) makes an appearance, I'm in. Love that song.

[rhys]

On 9/26/2017 at 5:43 PM, ketose said:

Lawrence is about 6 years younger and Laroquette is about 5 years older. 

What does that mean?

[AnnaRose]

12 minutes ago, rhys said:

What does that mean?

I think it means in relation to the same age they are both supposed to be in the show.  In real life they are eleven years apart.  (I didn't confirm that 11 year difference... I'm assuming it's correct.)

[Irishmaple]

I'm not a sitcom person generally but, so far, I'm really enjoying this show. I checked it out because of John Larroquette (Night Court was one of the first shows I saw after moving to Canada) and I've taken to all stages of the character.

I think Grazer is hitting some good notes with young Alex. The character is coping with a lot: relocation from Chicago to Los Angeles, adapting to having an older brother and a stepfather, going to a new school in a completely different environment. I like that he's not the typical "fish out of water" kid. His stepdad is nice, his brother is supportive and he's finding his place.  40 year old Alex is usually with his young daughter and Darryl. Older Alex is usually with his grown daughter. He has reason to be warm and sweet. Young Alex is around people he barely knows. I can accept him being more cautious and reserved.

[anthonyd46]

9 hours ago, biakbiak said:

He and Darryl have both been mentioned as alive and well in the third (Justin is Governor of California an Darryl is retired and living on a beach somewhere). Since Alex is a mainstay at the dinner I imagine there will be near misses with Eleanor in the 2nd. It's only been two episodes so it's a lot of characters to fit into all the timelines. We haven't seen Darryl's daughter or wife  in the 2nd but obviously they exist. 

The daughter is the young girl in the jordan jersey in the second, and the dark haired young woman he talks to in the third. Plus we did see the ex-wife she announced the moving plans in the first episode. Its just hard to keep up, because as I said all of these people are different actors/actresses and some just don't seem believable to be the same person. Yet the step father can be the same actor in two timelines. 

 

Edit : Sorry you said Darryl, not Alex my mistake.

Edited October 3, 2017 by anthonyd46

[AnnaRose]

It's interesting watching the new spin-off Young Sheldon.  In this show, Sheldon's mom when he was a child is played by the daughter of the actress who plays grown-up Sheldon's mom.  It is very effective in making you believe they are the same person. 

I wish the creators/producers of this show could have used a similar father/son pairing with a strong enough physical and vocal similarity to really sell that it's the same person.

[SmithW6079]

I can believe young Alex grows into old Alex; the two actors seem the tall, lanky type. Middle Alex is fat and short. He does not age into John Larroquette. Having said that, I like young Alex's and middle Alex's stories. So far, old Alex's story has not grabbed me at all. 

Why is middle Alex living in his friend's garage and not back with his mom and stepfather? Don't they all live in the same town?

[anthonyd46]

18 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

It's interesting watching the new spin-off Young Sheldon.  In this show, Sheldon's mom when he was a child is played by the daughter of the actress who plays grown-up Sheldon's mom.  It is very effective in making you believe they are the same person. 

I wish the creators/producers of this show could have used a similar father/son pairing with a strong enough physical and vocal similarity to really sell that it's the same person.

Yes exactly and its not consistent either, like i said why is ok for the step father to be the same actor, but the other actors and actresses to not even resemble themselves. I mean at least have someone look like the actor in question. At least in Young Sheldon we know what the end point is, we knew in HIMYM it had to get to 2030, we knew in Wonder Years it had to get to older kevin at some point, etc. Since the end point in this show (the third timeline) is still live and showing to the audience. It said in the pilot "Our life stories aren't defined by the things that happened to us, they are defined by how we choose to deal with them." Is the end point when all three of those characters all come up with the same life lesson?

Edited October 3, 2017 by anthonyd46

[Traveller519]

Well I regret specifically mentioning how one of the show's strong points last week was, "no prat-fall humor." I cringed when that was the route they went there, but that was really my only complaint. I still like the generally very positive tone of the show. I am having to adjust to John Laroquette in that performance. I think I've seen him in too many roles were he plays the asshole, so watching him emote the necessary earnestness is taking some getting used to, on my part.

I'm also a little perplexed as to what the long-term-game for the show can be, but it's enjoyable for now and I'll take that. I'm enjoying the performances and tone, I just hope the give the female characters more to do going forward.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

It bothered me when he kept saying to his grown daughter how Nori had been his one true love, he had never loved anyone else, etc etc.  No matter how badly his marriage to her mother ended, he should not cast doubt on the genesis of that marriage, which led to his daughter being born.  I half expected her to say, "Thanks, Dad.  I'm sorry you had to settle for Mom."

Edited October 3, 2017 by ItCouldBeWorse

[ItCouldBeWorse]

9 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Why is middle Alex living in his friend's garage and not back with his mom and stepfather? Don't they all live in the same town?

If it is the same town, it makes no sense, especially now that his daughter is living with him.  Is Darryl's wife really cool with all this?  Was she babysitting Alex's daughter when both he and Darryl went to the bar? Do they have to enter the house every time they need to use the bathroom?  I hope there's an entrance from the garage to the house so that they don't have to roll out to the driveway to use the bathroom and then roll back again!

Edited October 4, 2017 by ItCouldBeWorse

[ketose]

6 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

I think it means in relation to the same age they are both supposed to be in the show.  In real life they are eleven years apart.  (I didn't confirm that 11 year difference... I'm assuming it's correct.)

Yeah, sorry. If they're both supposed to be 64/65, he's 70 and she's 58. 

[SomeTameGazelle]

Does Nori have a noticeable personality? Both the middle school version and the future version have charisma but I'm not getting much beyond Love Object.

[Lilac2000]

They're all nice people and all 3 actors are extremely endearing. Do I think Bobby Moynihan will age into John Larroquette? I do not but I don't even care. It's a feel-good show and not overly cynical and that's all I ask for 22 minutes once in awhile. I'll definitely keep watching.

[Brian Cronin]

They're all likeable characters, but the format is just not conducive to a good, long term narrative. Young Alex keeps having scenes with Nori that we KNOW won't go anywhere, so where is the drama? Since old Alex hasn't had "true love" until he meets Nori again in the future, then we also know that any relationships with MIDDLE Alex can't go anywhere. They're just boxing themselves in all over the place (and yes, that he lives with his daughter in a garage is super disturbing. He has enough money that his wife was okay with him keeping the kid while she moved away, but not enough to rent even a shitty apartment? For serious?

Plus, not for nothing, no one in the world would leave a message like old Nori left for Old Alex. "I spoke with Richard. We need to talk." Even a moron knows what that sounds like. 

They're so lucky that they have likeable characters, because the writing is not a strong point on this show.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 10/4/2017 at 2:19 AM, Brian Cronin said:

Young Alex keeps having scenes with Nori that we KNOW won't go anywhere, so where is the drama?

Since she's still friendly with him after the choking incident, why can't he ask her out, now that she's broken up with her boyfriend?

On 10/4/2017 at 2:19 AM, Brian Cronin said:

He has enough money that his wife was okay with him keeping the kid while she moved away, but not enough to rent even a shitty apartment? For serious?

Gotta go live with that boyfriend. So what if her daughter has to pee in a bucket if she wakes up in the middle of the night (I'm assuming).

Edited October 8, 2017 by ItCouldBeWorse

[Brian Cronin]

5 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Since she's still friendly him after the choking incident, why can't he ask her out, now that she's broken up with her boyfriend?

 

Yeah, precisely. They're boxed in by their own narrative because they have said that they never got together, so now they have all of these scenes that can't go anywhere. Young Nori is in the preview for next episode, so she's in every episode of the series, but there's nowhere for them to go with her. They could have solved it with a simple, "I haven't seen you since college" or whatever bit with old Alex and old Nori., so that would have opened up the possibility of Alex and Nori getting together as teens. 

By the way, as an aside, fuck you to Hollywood casting for the nonsense of having John Larroquette and Sharon Lawrence play the same age in the future. "Yeah, he's 13 years older, but everyone knows 56 year old women just LOOK 69." Ugh.

 

Quote

Gotta go live with that boyfriend. So what if her daughter has to pee in a bucket if she wakes up in the middle of the night (I'm assuming).

The only thing I can hope that we get from that is that she's just a terrible person. So far, she's been so awful in her actions that hopefully it's as simple as that.

But yes, both parents look bad over the daughter's current living arrangements.

[msrachelj]

23 hours ago, Caseysgirl said:

Well, if they play  "There She Goes" every time Norie ( or Eleanor as I guess she becomes) makes an appearance, I'm in. Love that song.

should have gotten an older actress. she does not look 65 or whatever age she's supposed to be. i agree with brian cronan. this ticks me off. 

and what the hell was the phone call to alex that made it sound like she was going to give him news he wanted to hear? you tell someone you need to see them right away to break their hearts. she seems to pick really shitty men. she should have let this guy go. he's only marrying her because of an ultimatum. he can do better. 

[Lovecat]

I want to know how Darryl got the moniker "One-Nut."  I mean, aside from the obvious explanation.

[lovinbob]

I adore Bobby Moynihan. Love! But the height thing with him and Larroquette really bugs me. Also, their noses. Larroquette has a very distinctive, bulbous nose and Bobby's is kind of pointy. 

Rooting for the show, it's sweet.

[Kel Varnsen]

The height thing doesn't really bother me. I would rather they find good actors, which John Larroquette is rather than some old guy who closely resembles Bobby Moynihan. Plus based on the premise of the show you will  never see them on screen together.

[SnarkySheep]

Overall I liked the pilot, but I thought they made John Larroquette look way too old. The guy is 69 IRL, supposed to be playing 65...but had I not known any of this, I would have thought Older Alex was about 80. Especially when you pair him with Sharon Lawrence, it just didn't seem to fit.

It's only been two episodes, though, so I'll definitely give it a bit more time.

[SnarkySheep]

I'm three years younger than Alex, so you'd think that I'd be identifying a lot more with Young Alex and the pop culture of 1991...but I'm not. Of course I remember "There She Goes" but other than that, I feel almost like Alex is waaaay older. It's funny, because The Big Three on This is Us are my exact age, and almost immediately I could relate to their growing-up years to a T, so I know it can be done, and done well. But on this show, not so much.

[anthonyd46]

. error post 

Edited October 10, 2017 by anthonyd46

[anthonyd46]

I didn't see a topic for episode 3 so ill post my thoughts here. This episode was finally more smooth for me. Slight gripe though the first two episodes he was already 14/40/65, this episode shows him turning those ages which is fine, but they refer to Eleanor as already engaged which happened when he was already 65, not before he was 65. Anyway I think finally in this episode I could buy all 3 of them being the same person. Having the Jordan card transfer through time, the arcade employee, the traditions, the corny jokes etc. It finally all came together. Still wondering exactly the long term goal of this show, but this was a step in the right direction. 

[anthonyd46]

On 10/4/2017 at 9:00 AM, Brian Cronin said:

Yeah, precisely. They're boxed in by their own narrative because they have said that they never got together, so now they have all of these scenes that can't go anywhere. Young Nori is in the preview for next episode, so she's in every episode of the series, but there's nowhere for them to go with her. They could have solved it with a simple, "I haven't seen you since college" or whatever bit with old Alex and old Nori., so that would have opened up the possibility of Alex and Nori getting together as teens. 

Just cause they said they never "got together", doesn't mean there is nowhere to go with her. They fit her in really good in tonights episode, whenever Alex goes into the slo-mo mode he loses all sense of himself and does stupid things. His obsession with her will just keep making him getting himself in situations. He doesn't have to date her for this to happen.

As it said in the pilot : "Our life stories aren't defined by the things that happened to us, they are defined by how we choose to deal with them."

Perfectly shown in tonights episode, gave the card to not let down nori, changed it to not let down the step father, sold it to not let down the daughter, and then it circled back around to him getting the card back.

Edited October 10, 2017 by anthonyd46

[BookThief]

Quote

Young Alex gives away his most prized possession to impress his crush; mid-life Alex struggles to find the money for a trip; older Alex tries to make birthday plans so he won't have to spend it alone.

Is it a bad sign it's been nearly 24 hours and no one has put up a thread?

[Miss Dee]

Yeah, that's not great. And I enjoyed it; I kind of got a little verklempt, actually. The tie in with the birthdays and the baseball card was really well done.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 04/10/2017 at 9:00 AM, Brian Cronin said:

By the way, as an aside, fuck you to Hollywood casting for the nonsense of having John Larroquette and Sharon Lawrence play the same age in the future. "Yeah, he's 13 years older, but everyone knows 56 year old women just LOOK 69." Ugh.

It is 25 years in the future. Maybe cosmetics and surgical procedures  have advanced enough so that they can make people look that much younger.

[Jul 68]

I really enjoyed it. It's a  fresh idea for a sitcom and has likable actors and characters.  I have  a rule to never watch a show in its first season because they are generally always canceled. I gave this one a shot anyway. I'm glad that I did.

[Jul 68]

On 10/3/2017 at 5:21 AM, afrocorgi said:

Anyone else find it inconceivable young Alex turns into old Alex? And I'm not talking about their looks either. Bobby Moynihan plays him so goofy and self-deprecating whereas there's a weird coldness and almost hostility coming from Jack Grazer's performance. I get that kid actors tend to be hit or miss, but Grazer is missing so much of the sweetness and warmth that's inherent in the older Alexes. 

Give them  a bit more time to organically integrate all of the characters into all of the timelines.

[Jul 68]

This was the best episode yet. I love that Ed Begley Jr is the 'older' brother. This one really clicked with me.

Edited October 11, 2017 by Jul 68

[willco]

I really like this show, too bad it seems very few others do, the post count is pretty bad !

 

Anyway, it brought back memories to me because I used to deal in sports cards in 80's and 90's, and I had, if memory serves, at least 5 of those Michael Jordan rookie cards. 1986 Fleer was the first big release of basketball cards since probably some time in the 70's, and no one knew if they were going to be popular or not, therefore Fleer didn't make all that many in '86. I and my friend manged to get some and we were actually getting about $4 for the Jordan card. I thought I was making out like a bandit-- after all I was one who thought basketball cards would be a big flop. Baseball cards were it, as far as I was concerned. Fast forward to today, and that Jordan rookie is worth a minimum of $500 in low grade, up to thousands in mint ! I keep hoping someday I'l be looking thru an old box and find one I forgot about, but we can dream, right ?

 

Back to the show, the ratings really aren't that great, but everything is lower these days, so I'm hoping this one gets a pass. It's a nice show, with people who are nice to each other. Is that so bad ?

[biakbiak]

I thought they missed an opportunity to have him also trying to read Infinite Jest in the current timeline. 

[Irishmaple]

This was my favourite of the three episodes too. It was sweet without hitting tooth decay territory.  I appreciate the show's portrayal of a blended family. So many other shows mine the territory for angst and drama; this show is more like the families I know IRL. Ed Begley Jr was perfect as Justin - grown man, serious job and still down for some goofiness. I like the actor playing teen Justin too. 

I remember my brothers collecting soccer cards when I was a kid, and a friend of mine has a huge collection of baseball and hockey cards. Alex's relief at having the genuine Jordan card cracked me up. Before Ed Begley appeared, I wondered if the show had managed to score an elderly Michael Jordan cameo! I wonder if he's alive in 2042!!

[Kel Varnsen]

Also i am not sure if I am glad or a little disappointed that they didn't make the nerdy little kid who grows up to be Daryl at least look or act a bit like Urkel.

[Brian Cronin]

On 10/10/2017 at 10:22 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

It is 25 years in the future. Maybe cosmetics and surgical procedures  have advanced enough so that they can make people look that much younger.

Just women, though.

Justin is, of course, played by an actor the same basic age as Larroquette. A 56-year-old man playing his brother would just look silly. ;)

Edited October 12, 2017 by Brian Cronin

[Kel Varnsen]

9 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

Just women, though.

Well on the rare times I watch live tv and see commercials for age defying creams, lotions, serums or treatments they are always directed at women. So maybe one of those products actually works.

[Lilac2000]

I am just really loving this show. It's very sweet natured and they're all just really likeable. I laughed out loud several times. I think Justin is my favourite character whether a teen or Ed Begley Jr.

[UsernameFatigue]

I love this show, and it just keeps getting better. It is so well cast, and the writing is really sharp and clever. Oddly enough, the new comedy that I was looking forward to this season, 9JKL, is so bad that I have removed it from my PVR. I really hope this show is picked up for another season as there are so few original, funny comedies these days. And the comedies that have been around for a few seasons (or in some cases way too many) are generally stale. 

I love the Justin character too, at any age. They could have made him a stereotypical annoying step brother but he is written and played just right, and totally believable. As are all the characters, IMO. 

Edited October 13, 2017 by UsernameFatigue

[AnnaRose]

4 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

I love the Justin character too, at any age. They could have made him a stereotypical annoying step brother but he is written and played just right, and totally believable.

Justin's my favorite too!  (Along with the stepdad.)

[SmithW6079]

On 10/10/2017 at 8:22 PM, BookThief said:

Is it a bad sign it's been nearly 24 hours and no one has put up a thread?

That's why I think single threads for an entire season work best for sitcoms  

[AnnaRose]

Quote

Mid-life Alex is taken aback when Ron shows Abby "Star Wars," his favorite movie, for the first time; Young Alex persuades Justin to sneak out to see "Star Wars"; Older Alex begins to start working at the diner under Eleanor.

[AuntiePam]

Another good episode.  This show might be what we all need right now.  Smart, kind, funny, considerate, thoughtful people -- and a universal theme -- we all want our kids to like what we like. 

[possibilities]

I liked that even though she didn't like Star Wars, he was still willing to share what she did like. Even though Star Wars is a big deal to him, the bigger issue for him was wanting to bond and have something to share with his daughter. I think sometimes people forget that's why you want someone to like what you like in the first place!

Also like that he and his step-dad worked things out. The step-dad is really great.

And in the future scene, he actually did cook at the diner, and did a good job. On any other show it would have been a goofy mess where he was trying to impress her and just made things worse. I like that this show doesn't run on misery. Stuff happens and they keep bouncing back and committing to being good to each other. Since when did empathetic, caring, emotionally intelligent, decent characters get to populate a comedy? I like it. It's easy to be cynical these days. It's actually more effort to showcase something else.

And no one on the show is perfect, either. It's not "Mary Sue meets Touched By An Angel and has some laughs." It's not "Brady Bunch" with time jumps and fewer siblings." It's just not full of insults and humiliation and people being shitty to each other for sport.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Also like that he and his step-dad worked things out. The step-dad is really great.

The flashback really made me not like current day Alex for spoiling the game because he had Alex's back and also didn't really get that it was such a huge deal and clearly Alex had never asked him to watch it with him. Also, I was taken out of the scene when the annoucer suggested that Bulls/Lakers was a much anticipated game in 2017-2018.

[AnnaRose]

6 hours ago, biakbiak said:

The flashback really made me not like current day Alex for spoiling the game because he had Alex's back and also didn't really get that it was such a huge deal and clearly Alex had never asked him to watch it with him.

Yeah, current Alex was such a jerk in this episode.  Especially considering how awesome his stepfather is.  It's a good thing I like all the other characters so much.

Possibilities - I loved your entire post!  So well said. :)

[Irishmaple]

I love Ron. He's become my favourite TV Dad, and I felt really bad for him when Alex ruined the Bulls/Lakers game. Ron was so obviously looking forward to watching the game with Alex; then, not only did Alex spoil the result, but he walked out like a sulky teenager. He looked so petty. He did recover though by accepting his little girl's disinterest in Star Wars and immersing himself in her world. Both 2017 Alex and 2042 Alex are clearly influenced by Ron's parenting. In spite of his success and wealth, older Alex is still kind, thoughtful and relatively devoid of bullshit. I'd like to see more of Alex's mother though. It was interesting to get a glimpse of her relationship with Justin last night. 

[HurricaneVal]

11 hours ago, possibilities said:

I like that this show doesn't run on misery.

This sums it up perfectly.  It is a good natured show, with respect for and from all the characters.  I find that very refreshing!

 

I'm not familiar with the actor that plays the stepdad, he's a real "Hey, it's that guy" sort of actor, but he is really good.  His rear view mirror performance as young Alex was babbling on in his "Oh crap, I'm a good kid but I got caught being bad and now I'm going to screw up this great thing" verbal panic was amazing.  He never said a word, but he went from furious to angry to thoughtful to understanding and finally to sympathy.  It was seamless, and in natural response to young Alex's anxious blathering.  I'm liking this show more and more.